Outside Purple Garden Pavilion, one of Zhonghai's well-known villa districts, the taxi carrying Lin Fei was stopped by the security at the gate.
The taxi driver, looking innocent, turned towards Lin Fei in the passenger seat. When Lin Fei had gotten into the car, the driver had already informed him that his taxi would definitely not be granted entry into Purple Garden Pavilion, and that scene was now unfolding.
"The two of you, please leave quickly. This is a high-end residential area; no loitering allowed."
The middle-aged security guard, clad in a blue uniform, spoke with what one might call politeness, but still laced with a hint of disdain.
Places like Purple Garden Pavilion were elite villa districts where the inhabitants were either rich or noble, with the least wealthy boasting tens of millions. The vehicles that normally went in and out were the likes of BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes, considered standard fare.
It was only logical that the taxi Lin Fei took would be halted.
By Lin Fei's current living standards, a place like Purple Garden Pavilion was clearly not where he was meant to be. To be honest, Lin Fei didn't have much fondness for these enclaves of the rich and powerful.
If it wasn't for Mu Shanshan, that bargain of a wife, calling him out of the blue to come home immediately, Lin Fei wouldn't have wanted to set foot here.
What's wrong with taking a taxi? It still costs money. If it wasn't for the money he'd scraped together from that strange woman last night, he might not have afforded the taxi fare at all.
Speaking of the strange woman from last night, Lin Fei still felt a sense of unfinished business – that woman wasn't just any woman; she was quite the handful.
Only a freak like Lin Fei, with abnormal stamina and robust kidney function, could handle her. Any other man might have been done in, drained dead by her.
They say a woman at thirty is like a wolf and at forty a tiger. Lin Fei had truly experienced the formidable wrath of a deeply resentful wife.
But back to the matter at hand, Lin Fei took out his phone to contact his bargain wife and entered Purple Garden Pavilion under the astonished gaze of the security guard.
Mu Shanshan lived in a detached villa styled after homes in Zhonghai, complete with a swimming pool and a small garden.
Although this wasn't his first time here, Lin Fei still found it hard to associate this place with the word "home."
"The son-in-law is back! Come in, the master and young mistress have been waiting for you for a long time." The person who opened the door for Lin Fei was a middle-aged woman around forty, Nanny Lan, who had been with Mu Shanshan for many years.
Lin Fei smiled and greeted Nanny Lan, but his brows furrowed subconsciously. He had been surprised by how his bargain wife, Mu Shanshan, had suddenly decided to call him.
With what Nanny Lan had said, Lin Fei understood; it was likely not Mu Shanshan who wanted him to return, but her father, Mu Hong, his father-in-law.
"Have a seat."
Mu Hong, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them at the sound of footsteps. When he saw Lin Fei, he looked up and motioned for him to sit down.
Lin Fei, sensing that the atmosphere was off, took his seat as told. However, his eyes couldn't help but sweep towards the glamorous woman next to Mu Hong, his bargain wife, the president of Mu Group, Mu Shanshan.
She was dressed in a light coffee-colored linen short-sleeved casual blouse, making her neck look as delicate and fair as a swan's, and wore a pair of LEVIS white skinny shorts complemented by black leather Ferragamo high heels, which revealed her long, straight, beautiful legs.
Her black hair was neatly piled high, her eyes clear, her delicate eyebrows curved, and her long eyelashes naturally curled into a beautiful arc. Her lovely face was lightly made up, her skin clear and fair, looking almost fragile. Her fair arms rested on the sofa, her fingers tender and elegant like orchids.
The whole person seemed like a fairy descending to the mortal world, ethereal and unworldly, so noble as to be beyond words, making one loath to defile her.
Mu Shanshan raised her head slightly, her beautiful eyes locking with Lin Fei's as she spoke coldly, "You are thirty-five minutes late." Her voice was exceptionally chill, as if it came from the Moon Palace.
"I'm your husband, not your subordinate. What does it matter if I'm late?" Lin Fei grumbled inwardly, but of course, he couldn't respond like that openly, especially with his father-in-law nearby.
Under the icy gaze of Mu Shanshan's eyes, Lin Fei took out a cheap cigarette, lit it for himself, and unabashedly ogled Mu Shanshan's curvaceous and delicate body. Cold as she may be, there was no denying the beauty of her face and figure. Even by Lin Fei's seasoned standards, he couldn't find a single flaw.
"I forgot my lighter when I left the house and had to go back for it," he said.
Lin Fei wasn't lying; he did indeed leave his lighter in the hotel.
However, to Mu Shanshan, his words had a different implication; she thought he was deliberately antagonizing her. With emotions already stirred, her mood worsened.
"Hmph!"
With a cold huff, Mu Shanshan turned her head away, unwilling to take another glance at Lin Fei.
Although she had been married to Lin Fei for more than half a year, Mu Shanshan was still reluctant to accept the established fact that Lin Fei was her husband.
Initially, when Mu Hong asked her to marry Lin Fei, Mu Shanshan was utterly unwilling and a thousand times reluctant. But with Mu Hong threatening to sever their father-daughter relationship, he forced Mu Shanshan into obtaining a marriage certificate with Lin Fei.
After the marriage, Mu Shanshan had tried to accept Lin Fei. She wasn't the kind of person who just went along with everything; she believed her charm and abilities could make Lin Fei a qualified husband. However, as she got to know him better over the past half year, Mu Shanshan had completely given up hope.
Smoking, heavy drinking, lechery, laziness... all kinds of traits and behaviors that Mu Shanshan despised, Lin Fei seemed to embody them all. He had shattered her worldview on numerous occasions, and deep down, Mu Shanshan really felt like kicking her husband to death.
Mu Hong seemed oblivious to the lack of harmony between the couple. He crossed his legs and stared at Lin Fei, "Aunt Lan tells me you haven't come home once in over half a year. What have you been busy with out there?"
"I sleep during the day, and I set up a street stall on the overpass at night."
Mu Hong and Lin Fei's late father were once elite members of a reconnaissance unit. Now that he was asking this, he probably had already conducted a private investigation, so naturally, Lin Fei saw no need to beat around the bush.
Mu Hong nodded noncommittally, seemingly satisfied with Lin Fei's frankness. Of course, this did not mean he would easily forget the fact that Lin Fei frequently stayed out all night.
Mu Shanshan, however, widened her beautiful eyes in astonishment, staring unblinkingly at Lin Fei. Her exquisite face was full of shock, "Street stall?!"
Lin Fei blinked twice and adopted an innocent expression, "Yeah, because packing up the stall takes until late at night, I can't make it back to make love, so I hope my dear wife can forgive me."
"God, drop a thunderbolt and kill this bastard!"
Mu Shanshan rolled her eyes and couldn't help but wail in her heart. If she hadn't been strong-minded, she probably couldn't have resisted the urge to attack Lin Fei.
Mu Shanshan's icy gaze fixed on Lin Fei. She really wanted to crack open his skull to see what he was filled with. Was it shit?
Running a street stall would have been fine; Mu Shanshan already knew her husband lacked any ambition. However, Lin Fei's audacity to mention "making love" in front of a third party had successfully raised the bar for shamelessness in Mu Shanshan's eyes.
"Anyway, you're a married man. Running a street stall can't be a long-term plan," Mu Hong said leisurely, "I need to leave Zhonghai for a while, and it's too much for Shanshan to support the company single-handedly. As her husband, you should help relieve her burdens. Stop running that stall and go work for your wife."
"Father-in-law..."
"Dad..."
As soon as Mu Hong finished speaking, Lin Fei panicked, and Mu Shanshan became anxious.
What a joke, how free it was to run a street stall! Working nine to five did not fit Lin Fei's routine at all.
Lin Fei didn't want to be an office worker, and Mu Shanshan was even less willing to have Lin Fei enter Mu Group. With Lin Fei's personality and status, if he were to enter the company, not stirring up trouble would be enough of a miracle, let alone helping her out.
Mu Hong seemed to have anticipated their reactions. He waved his hand to cut off their objections, "I've decided. Shanshan, arrange a position for Xiao Fei in the company. Have him start working there tomorrow."
After saying that, Mu Hong stood up, "I need to catch a flight later, so I won't stay any longer. You two figure it out. Since you're married, don't even think about divorce. You would be better off thinking about providing me a grandchild."
Having said his piece, Mu Hong left the villa with big strides, ignoring the astonished expressions of Lin Fei and Mu Shanshan.
Mu Hong had laid out his words; the matter of Lin Fei working at the company could not be changed any more than their marriage could. Mu Hong had never cared about the feelings of the two parties involved and had strong-armed Lin Fei and Mu Shanshan into marriage.
However, the thought of having to earn a living under his emotionless wife and considering their less than harmonious "marital relationship," Lin Fei felt a cringe-worthy sensation welling up inside.
Lin Fei was unhappy, and Mu Shanshan was even more upset. She was famously meticulous in managing the company, and now she had to make an exception for Lin Fei, someone who was "ignorant and incompetent," and the worst part was, she couldn't even refuse. This sense of powerlessness and frustration was something Mu Shanshan hadn't felt in a long time.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. I'll report to the company tomorrow."
Sensing Mu Shanshan's volatile emotions and to avoid becoming the target of her wrath, Lin Fei sensibly made his exit.