After about ten minutes, Xu Xiuwen started to grow a bit impatient. Finally, Li Haimei came down. Xu Xiuwen turned his gaze towards the entrance of the building.
Li Haimei appeared before him, completely changing her previous dressing style, which made his eyes widen.
Today, Li Haimei was wearing a deep blue, form-fitting qipao adorned with delicate peony patterns.
The qipao is a peculiar piece of clothing. It can both highlight a woman's strengths and reveal her flaws.
There was no doubt that this qipao suited Li Haimei perfectly.
Xu Xiuwen even recalled an ancient poem: "Seen from the front, it's a range of peaks; seen from the side, it's a peak on its own; the view changes with distance and perspective."
Li Haimei, in the qipao, appeared curvaceous from the side and had an hourglass figure from the front. Her prominent bust, slim waist, and voluptuous hips were on full display, making her look irresistibly attractive.
Even though he had seen and experienced Li Haimei's body before, he was still struck with desire upon seeing her now. It seemed Li Haimei had also specially styled her hair, with an elegant and vintage hairstyle that complemented the qipao, exuding a graceful aura.
The most notable part of a qipao is the slit. Unfortunately, the slit in Li Haimei's dress wasn't very high, but as she walked, it revealed her legs clad in flesh-colored stockings. She was also wearing black high heels, which made her figure look even more strikingly sexy.
As Li Haimei approached him, Xu Xiuwen was dazzled. He knew Li Haimei was beautiful and graceful, but this level of stunning was still surprising. Xu Xiuwen looked at Li Haimei, his eyes not only full of admiration but also a hint of barely concealed desire.
Compared to her, Su Luoyi, who was following her, seemed suddenly plain and ordinary. Li Haimei reached the back door of the car. Instead of letting her secretary open the door, she did it herself. Xu Xiuwen moved aside to make room.
Li Haimei got into the car and noticed Xu Xiuwen's stunned expression. She frowned and asked, "Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something wrong with my clothes?"
Hearing Li Haimei's voice, Xu Xiuwen snapped back to reality. He did not hesitate to compliment her, saying, "You look very beautiful today. I almost thought a fairy had descended from heaven."
Li Haimei was pleased but didn't show it. Instead, she gave Xu Xiuwen a disdainful look and said, "Flattery."
Xu Xiuwen shook his head and replied, "I'm not flattering you. You really do look beautiful today."
Li Haimei's lips curled into a slight smile, but it quickly vanished. With a neutral expression and a feigned indifferent tone, she said, "Well, thank you."
"Xiao Luo, it's getting late. Let's head out," she added.
"Alright, Ms. Li—Old Zheng, let's get going," came the response.
The car slowly started and drove out of the neighborhood. During the drive, Xu Xiuwen's gaze kept drifting back to Li Haimei.
Especially after she sat down, the slit of the qipao spread open, revealing her thigh. The flesh-colored stockings and the white skin beneath were making his mouth dry.
At that moment, his phone suddenly rang. Xu Xiuwen was startled and took out his phone to check. It was a text message from Li Haimei.
She was right next to him—why send a text instead of saying it in person? Xu Xiuwen was puzzled, but he understood once he saw the message.
"Stop staring! Can you tone down that lecherous look?"
Xu Xiuwen glanced at Li Haimei. She was holding a phone in her hand. Xu Xiuwen typed a reply: "I can't even look?"
The reply came quickly. "No looking!"
"Why not?"
"Because I said so!"
"Don't act all high and mighty. I'm not afraid of you."
"You—"
Seeing the single "you" in Li Haimei's text, Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but laugh quietly.
Due to the front seats blocking their view, the driver, Old Zheng, and the secretary, Su Luoyi, couldn't see what was happening between them. They were unaware of their little exchange. But Xu Xiuwen's laughter, which was a bit louder than intended, caught their attention.
Old Zheng was focused on driving, so he didn't pay attention. Su Luoyi didn't dare to pry into her boss's privacy and didn't turn around. She remained properly seated, but Xu Xiuwen could sense her gaze shifting toward them.
Xu Xiuwen quickly composed himself and sat up straight, but his phone remained active.
"You look so good; is it too much to take a look?"
This message made Li Haimei frown. The previous message had already irked her, but this one made her mood do a complete turnaround. Her heart raced, and her face flushed slightly. After a few seconds of hesitation, she replied, "Our relationship must not be known to anyone else."
Xu Xiuwen immediately responded, "What relationship?"
Xu Xiuwen's feigned ignorance only made Li Haimei more exasperated. However, she couldn't really lash out at him. Neither her age, status, nor the time and place allowed for it. She had to abandon the idea of persuading him.
So, she turned her head to the right and looked out the window. On the surface, she appeared to be admiring the view, but in reality, she was watching Xu Xiuwen's reactions through the reflection on the glass.
Once she turned her head away, Xu Xiuwen sent another message. "Don't worry; unless you agree, I won't tell anyone about our relationship."
The phone vibrated, indicating a new message for Li Haimei. She saw Xu Xiuwen's message through the glass reflection. She was curious but hesitated. Eventually, she glanced at her phone.
Seeing the message, she felt a vague sense of relief mixed with a hint of disappointment, though she wasn't entirely sure why.
Feeling Xu Xiuwen's gaze still occasionally drifting toward the qipao's slit, she almost felt as if an invisible hand was gently caressing her thigh. The sensation made her shiver slightly.
Li Haimei quickly typed a message: "Can you stop looking? There are other people in the car."
Xu Xiuwen smiled slightly and replied, "If you ask me not to look, and I don't, wouldn't that make me seem weak?"
Li Haimei was infuriated.
After so many years, especially after reaching his current position, there are few people who dare to refuse him or confront him directly.
"What do you want?"
"Hehe, I don't want anything. I just want to say that only two women can control me, and I only listen to those two women. I never listen to anyone else."
Li Haimei was taken aback. She didn't even realize that a sense of sourness was bubbling up inside her. She steadied her emotions and asked, "Which two women?"
There was a hint of nervousness as she sent the message. It was quickly followed by a reply.
"My mother… and my wife."
This answer was reasonable, but it only deepened the sourness in Li Haimei's heart. She wasn't sure why she had asked the question in the first place.
"You have a wife?"
"Yes."
Seeing that reply, Li Haimei's mood plummeted. Of course, given his youth and excellence, it was normal for him to have a girlfriend. But why did it make her so sad? Was she still harboring fantasies or desires?
But how could that be!
Buzz...
Her phone vibrated again. Li Haimei glanced at the new message, and her mood suddenly did a complete turnaround. The text read: "Aren't you my wife?"
Li Haimei's heart raced like a fluttering deer. Although her age made the term "deer" seem inappropriate, her heart was beating rapidly.
"Don't say nonsense. When did I become your wife..."
Seeing Li Haimei's nervous expression as she stared at her phone, Xu Xiuwen almost laughed out loud again.
"How so? We've had s*x twice already. Aren't you my wife?"
"Do you want to deny your mistake and abandon me?"
"I don't care. Don't try to get rid of me. I have already decided that you are my wife."
There were three consecutive text messages, and the content of each text message revealed Xu Xiuwen's rogue behaviour.
But when Li Haimei saw it, she didn't feel disgusted, instead she felt an inexplicable throbbing in her heart.
She almost laughed out loud.
Although she held it in, a little sound still leaked out.
This sound is undoubtedly very clear in the quiet car.
Su Luoyi immediately turned around and asked, "Ms. Li, is something wrong?"
Li Haimei shot Xu Xiuwen a look, then replied in a subdued tone, "It's nothing."
"Alright, Ms. Li. Let me know if you need anything."
Su Luoyi was sharp.
She sensed that something unusual was happening in the back seat that she wasn't privy to.
Her curiosity about what could make them both laugh was piqued, but she couldn't ask directly. Her curiosity made her perk up her ears, trying to catch every little detail.
"Shameless! Who's your wife!"
Sometimes words also have tone.
At least from this sentence, Xu Xiuwen didn't see any blame.
Xu Xiuwen lowered his head and typed: "Wife, do you have time tonight?"
"What do you want to do?"
"I have already given Li Ke three lessons. Can you fulfill the remaining two sessions tonight?"
This is already undisguised flirting.
Li Haimei felt embarrassed and annoyed.
She felt that in front of Xu Xiuwen, she had no authority as a boss and instead seemed more like a woman completely at his mercy.
"Shut up. If you keep talking, I'll make you get out of the car!"
Seeing the message from Li Haimei, Xu Xiuwen sighed and put his phone away.
Soon, the car arrived at the restaurant for dinner. After driver Old Zheng parked smoothly, Xu Xiuwen and Li Haimei got out of the car together. The restaurant, a well-known establishment in Jinling, had a grand entrance.
Li Haimei cleared her throat and said to Xu Xiuwen, "Let's go inside."
They walked into the restaurant together. As soon as they entered, the restaurant owner greeted them warmly and led them to the entrance of a private dining room. With about ten minutes to spare before the reserved dinner time of 6 o'clock, there was a small interruption.
"Ms. Li, you've finally arrived."
A middle-aged man who looked relatively young approached, smiling.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
The man responded with a smile, "It's no trouble at all. Ms. Li, you look beautiful today. Truly, you're the flower of our unit." He then asked, "And who is this?"
The middle-aged man, well-preserved and friendly-looking, was introduced by Li Haimei. "Director Wang, this is Xu Xiuwen. He's the son of a friend of mine who runs a film and television company. He's here to join us for the evening. I hope Director Wang doesn't mind."
"Xu Xiuwen, this is Director Wang Jingye, a prominent figure in the tax bureau."
Xu Xiuwen didn't like Wang Jingye.
The way Wang looked at Li Haimei was a bit too eager, more than what would be expected from a typical colleague.
Although Xu Xiuwen and Li Haimei had no real relationship—strictly speaking, they weren't even friends—Xu Xiuwen had subconsciously regarded her as his woman.
And he was quite possessive.
However, Xu Xiuwen wasn't foolish enough to show this openly. He smiled and complimented, "Director Wang, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard a lot about you…"
Wang Jingye seemed quite pleased with the flattery. He smiled and nodded at Xu Xiuwen, saying, "Mr. Xu, you're young and talented, a pillar of our country. Very good!"
"Director Wang, you're too kind. Xiuwen is still young and inexperienced, so he'll need your guidance."
"Haha, it's all good. If he's a friend's child of Ms. Li, then he's like my own child… and I do enjoy mentoring the younger generation."
"Thank you in advance, Director Wang. It's getting late, so let's go in."
"Sure."
The group then entered the private dining room. As soon as the door was opened, Xu Xiuwen quickly glanced inside. The room was almost full.
When Li Haimei entered, everyone stood up immediately and greeted her. Li Haimei smiled and responded to each greeting, introducing Xu Xiuwen to the guests.
Upon learning that Xu Xiuwen was the owner of an unfamiliar film and television company, everyone appeared puzzled. However, they all maintained pleasant smiles.
Even though Xu Xiuwen didn't know these people, he understood that Li Haimei must have had her reasons for bringing him to the dinner, so he continued to smile in response. After a while, Xu Xiuwen's face was nearly frozen from the constant smiling.
Looking at Li Haimei again, she appeared calm and composed, with a demeanor that showed no signs of discomfort or irritation. It seemed she had long since become accustomed to such situations.
Soon, they were seated, and Xu Xiuwen was assigned to sit right next to Li Haimei. In formal dinners like this, the seating arrangements often have significance.
Xu Xiuwen noticed that the seat left for Li Haimei was clearly the most important, indicating that she was the main guest of the evening, or at least held the highest position among those present.
Xu Xiuwen's proximity to Li Haimei wasn't due to the reputation of his insignificant film company but rather because of his connection with her. To everyone else, Xu Xiuwen was seen as a younger relative of Li Haimei.
Yet, Xu Xiuwen knew that his relationship with Li Haimei was merely due to their chance encounters and not something deeper.
Once everyone was seated, Xu Xiuwen found an opportunity to ask Li Haimei quietly, "Are you very familiar with that Director Wang from earlier?"
Li Haimei looked at Xu Xiuwen in surprise, but still replied: "We are not that familiar with each other, we only meet occasionally for meetings."