The young boy quickly delivered a colorful cocktail to the seated Lu Hui, then smiled charmingly and sashayed away.
Lu Hui, feeling a bit self-conscious, rubbed his large hands together and ingratiatingly asked, "What should I call you?" Liu Mei took off her sunglasses, smiled sweetly, and said, "Aren't you calling me sister?"
Lu Hui immediately caught on, his eyes starting to wander to Liu Mei's chest again. "Sister, your skin is so fair." Liu Mei exclaimed, "Keep your eyes to yourself!"
Feeling emboldened, Lu Hui's words became more suggestive. "I've only seen you once, and it's been unbearable since. How about we have some fun?" Liu Mei's eyes twinkled as she softly replied, "Don't you realize this isn't the place for fun?" Lu Hui pointed outside and said, "How about a room next door? I know this place well." Liu Mei, in a serious tone, said, "That's impossible. I am a person of status."
"Status doesn't eliminate desire! Sister, what do you think of me?" Lu Hui asked lewdly. "You seem all show and no substance," Liu Mei feigned disdain. Lu Hui, aroused and impatient, boldly declared, "Let's see if you can put your money where your mouth is!"
Seeing the moment was right, Liu Mei seriously suggested, "If you're serious, why don't we go to a beach villa for a while?" Lu Hui, caught off guard by his luck, hesitated for a moment.
Liu Mei raised an eyebrow. "What? Scared?"
Lu Hui, emboldened, replied, "Who, me? I'd rather die under a peony flower, at least I'd die a happy man. Let's go!" "Wait," Liu Mei pretended to ponder, then said, "You go to Huashui Bay and get a villa, preferably a secluded one, and then call me with the room number."
"What? We're not going together?" Lu Hui was a bit doubtful.
"I know too many people in Haizhou; I can't be seen with you," Liu Mei explained calmly. Lu Hui, staring at her face, said, "You're not playing me, are you? I'm like a cat; my fur can't be brushed the wrong way." Liu Mei pouted coquettishly, "Can a cooked duck fly away? If I didn't want to reward you, I wouldn't have seen you. Now hurry up!"
Lu Hui, still doubtful, got up and left, reminding her, "Hurry up, alright!" Liu Mei nodded affectionately, and as soon as Lu Hui was out of sight, she quickly picked up her phone and dialed. In Lin Xiaoliang's luxurious suite, the empty living room's phone suddenly rang. Still shaken, Lin Xiaoliang, hiding in the bathroom, looked in the mirror, applying medication to the scratches on his face. The ringing phone made him nervous again. After hesitating for a while, he picked up the wall-mounted phone beside him and asked shakily, "Who is it?" Liu Mei's voice came through, "Drive to the entrance of the Huashui Bay Hot Spring Resort immediately!" Lin Xiaoliang asked, "Sis, are you alright..." But the call was already disconnected.
Lin Xiaoliang quickly got dressed and wrapped himself up tightly...
The villa, shrouded in shadows, glowed softly, surrounded by a serene and silent night. Liu Mei, like a midnight rose fairy, slipped into the ajar door. Before she could steady herself, Lu Hui pounced on her eagerly, panting, "Sweetheart, I've missed you to death!" He grabbed her, trying to kiss her.
Liu Mei blocked his foul mouth with her hand and said, "Don't rush, no one's taking me from you. Be gentle with me." Lu Hui clearly wasn't in the mood for gentleness, and he shouted impatiently, "It's just sex! What more is there to play with?"
Liu Mei pouted, pretending to be angry, "But you need to wash up first!"
"I'm not dirty!" Lu Hui clung to her, refusing to let go.
Liu Mei pushed him towards the bathroom, "You frequent brothels and you say you're not dirty?" She pushed him into the bathroom. As he undressed, Lu Hui grumbled, "Having sex with intellectuals is really annoying!" He muttered as he stepped into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water and Lu Hui's cheerful humming filled the air. Liu Mei, not wasting any time, poured some white crystals into the wine glass using her gloved hand. To speed up the dissolution, she lifted the glass and shook it vigorously...
The Xishan Villa stood silently in the dense night, peaceful and quiet. A Mercedes pulled up quietly, and Guo Xiaopeng got out, tidied his slightly disheveled hair, and took out his keys to open the door. He tiptoed up the wooden stairs to the second floor and entered his mother's bedroom. Guo's mother was lying alone on the sofa watching TV. Seeing her son come in, she smiled and nodded. The screen still showed Guo's mother in her youthful, beautiful appearance, but there was no sound.
Guo Xiaopeng knelt silently in front of his mother, like a wanderer returning home. Guo's mother gently stroked his hair and softly asked, "Do you remember what day it is today?"
With a heavy heart, Guo Xiaopeng shook his head, looking very tired.
Guo's mother gently said, "It must be something troubling you, or you wouldn't have forgotten." Guo Xiaopeng suddenly realized, "Oh, today is dad's death anniversary!" He knelt in front of his mother. Guo's mother sighed, "Yes, he has been gone for thirty-two years. My own time is also near..." Guo Xiaopeng reached out to cover his mother's mouth, his eyes filled with tears.
Guo's mother held his hand in hers, lovingly saying, "Your hands are just like your father's, soft and delicate, pleasing to women."
Guo Xiaopeng didn't want to disturb his mother's memories and laid his face on her lap, pretending to nap. His mother's soft questions rang in his ears, "Is there a new addition to the company?"
Guo Xiaopeng, a bit surprised, looked up, "Mom, how did you know?"
Guo's mother scrutinized her son, "Is it a woman?"
Guo Xiaopeng nodded.
Guo's mother asked again, "Is she beautiful?"
Guo Xiaopeng smiled, "Mom, you really are like Zhuge Liang, predicting everything."
Guo's mother laughed, "I'm no Zhuge Liang, just someone who understands her son. No matter how far you go, you can't escape your mother's eyes!"
Guo Xiaopeng's heart trembled, and he quickly asked, "Mom, can you teach me your way of understanding people and situations?" Guo's mother, with deep meaning, said, "A man has two major tests in life: one is money, the other is women."
Guo Xiaopeng whispered, "Money and women don't matter to me, I can't get past myself." Guo's mother spoke earnestly, "You have money, and you don't care about it, I know that. But you don't have a woman, and that worries me. Since childhood, you've lived with a dark inner life, enduring long periods of mental torment. You've inherited your father's tragic nature, seemingly unable to escape. Only a woman can soothe your wounded soul. But you don't have one. Liu Mei isn't right for you. Your standards are too high. Where is this woman you're waiting for?"
Her gentle words hit Guo Xiaopeng like a hammer to his heart. He looked up at his mother, as if searching for the answer in her face.
Guo's mother cupped her son's face, saying, "Peng'er, I have wronged you in this life. When I brought you to the Lin family, you were only five. Once, when Lin Xiaoqiang fought with you and said, 'Don't wear the shoes my dad bought,' you immediately took them off and threw them away. Since then, you've only worn the cloth shoes I made. From this small incident, I saw your character and was so pleased!"
Guo Xiaopeng, touched by the deeply ingrained memories, buried his head in his mother's lap. Guo's mother patted his back gently like soothing a baby, her soft words like a lullaby from the past, "Child, you're so tired. Sleep. I'm not long for this world, who will be with you in the days to come? I won't rest in peace until I see that dear person of yours."
In his mother's arms, Guo Xiaopeng silently shed tears.