66. Your clothes don’t suit you

"What's the point of keeping up the fighting spirit?" Yu Chuanbei was puzzled. "To be a female warrior in life. I can't give this beautiful world to those bitches." Ling Ling held her head high and gave him a smug wink. Yu Chuanbei just found it funny and continued to tease her, "So, female warrior, I'm going to the United States on a two-week business trip after Christmas. Would you like to come with me to a foreign country to study the people's conditions? Or you can go to another world and do some disinfection?" "Two weeks?" They had never been apart since they officially started dating, and this length of time made Ling Ling feel that the cream in her mouth was not sweet at all. Yu Chuanbei hugged her tightly, lowered his head and rested it against her drooping forehead and said, "I also think it's been too long. But this has always been Ever's tradition. Every Christmas after the Americans have a long vacation, they like to hold various parties. It's a good opportunity to socialize. It's the same as when cars with out-of-town license plates in Beijing are blocked around the Spring Festival to pay New Year's greetings. I simply can't accept being separated from you for so long, so I want to take you with me." "But I've just worked in Tuowu for a year and have only 5 days of annual leave. The work in Group A is also very busy, and I still have unfinished copywriting on hand. I can't get away, let alone take a leave." Ling Ling responded to him embarrassedly. Yu Chuanbei took away the cake box that was almost crushed by her, and said confidently: "I have thought about it for you. When you arrive in the United States, you can continue to do the important work in the hotel. If there are things that must be completed in the company, you can hand them over to trusted colleagues for help; as for not being able to take leave, you can tell Mei Xiao that you are following me to expand the clientele, and I promise that when you return to China, you will bring a few heavyweight clients for her to introduce, right?" "Mr. Yu's arrangement is suspected of misusing public resources for personal gain, isn't it?" Ling Ling taunted his tie with her fingers. Yu Chuanbei stubbornly said, "It's called getting what you need, okay? We have to bring a female companion to various dinners. You're such a sophisticated woman, so let's go at our own expense. Ever wins. And didn't Fang Tuowu say before, 'You don't have to be just a copywriter?' He was pointing the way for you. If you can tap into new client resources, he'll give you not just 10 days off, but 10 months!" "But I'm still embarrassed to ask," Ling Ling continued to struggle. Yu Chuanbei continued to persuade her, "Your embarrassment is about the workplace. So let's analyze this from a workplace perspective: everyone cares about business. As I just said, from a business perspective, everyone...

"Why should we keep fighting spirit?" Yu Chuanbei was puzzled.

"Be a female warrior in life. Never give such a beautiful world to those bitches." Ling Ling raised her head and chest and threw him a smug wink.

Yu Chuanbei just found it funny and continued teasing her, "So, female warrior, I'm going to the United States on a two-week business trip after Christmas. Would you like to come with me to a foreign country to investigate the people's sentiments? Or would you also go to another world to eliminate them?"

"Will it take two weeks?" They had never been apart since they officially started dating. This length of time made Ling Ling feel that the cream in her mouth was no longer sweet.

Yu Chuanbei hugged her tightly, lowered his head to rest it against her drooping forehead, and said, "I think it's been too long, too. But this has always been Everton's tradition. Every Christmas, after the long holiday, Americans like to throw all sorts of parties. It's a great social opportunity. It's similar to how cars with out-of-town license plates jam Beijing during the Spring Festival to pay New Year's greetings. I simply can't accept being separated from you for so long, so I want to take you with me."

"But I've just worked at Tuowu for a year and only have five days of annual leave. Group A is also very busy, and I still have unfinished copywriting on hand. I can't get away, let alone take a leave." Ling Ling responded to him embarrassedly.

Yu Chuanbei took away the nearly crushed cake box and said confidently, "I've already thought it through for you. Once you're in the US, you can continue your important work at the hotel. If there's anything you absolutely must do at the office, you can delegate it to a trusted colleague. As for not being able to take time off, you can just tell Mei Xiao that you're joining me to expand my client base. I promise you'll bring a few important clients with you when you return to China, isn't that enough?"

"Mr. Yu's arrangement seems to be misusing public resources for personal gain, doesn't it?" Ling Ling mocked him by twirling his tie with her fingers.

Yu Chuanbei stubbornly said, "It's called mutual benefit, okay? We have to bring female companions to various dinners. You're such a sophisticated woman, so we'll be traveling at our own expense. Ever is making a profit. And didn't Fang Tuowu say before, 'You don't have to be just a copywriter?' He was actually pointing the way for you. If you can tap into new client resources, he'll give you not just 10 days off, but 10 months!"

"But I'm still too embarrassed to speak up." Ling Ling was still in trouble.

Yu Chuanbei continued to persuade her, "Your embarrassment is about the workplace. So let's analyze this matter from a workplace perspective: everyone cares about business. As I just said, from a business perspective, everyone is a winner. No one cares whether a new employee got five extra days of annual leave. What matters is the overall effect. Mei Xiao and Fang Tuowu will only be grateful to you."

"But right now, I don't want to be this role—a role where they are grateful to me because of my boyfriend." Ling Ling finally expressed her biggest concern.

Yu Chuanbei pulled him into his arms and said, "You're not relying on my power to gain anything. We're leveraging each other's strengths. Because you're truly kind, I'm willing to keep such a kind person like you by my side. More importantly, of course, is my selfishness. It's my selfishness that has led me to think of so many ways to persuade you, because right now, I really can't leave you for two weeks."

He kissed her hair gently, then slowly kissed her cheek, and then kissed her lips lingeringly. He picked her up sideways and pressed her heavily onto the bed, waiting foolishly for her to say yes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a flight of more than ten hours, Yu Chuanbei and Ling Ling checked into a hotel in Manhattan. Since Ever's headquarters was nearby, it was convenient for them to participate in various activities.

After being welcomed by New York City, they showered, changed clothes, and then went to another country to make love.

The two were tired and ran out to find food. After they were fully recovered, Yu Chuanbei enthusiastically took Ling Ling to visit a women's clothing store.

"Why do you always buy clothes for me? Do you think I'm too rustic and not presentable enough?" Ling Ling asked him deliberately.

Yu Chuanbei was concentrating on choosing clothes for her in the Fendi store, but he answered her question a little perfunctorily: "To be honest, your clothes are pretty rustic."

Ling Ling rolled her eyes at him and didn't want to pay any more attention to him.

He finally picked out two satisfactory skirts, hooked them on his fingers and said to her proudly, "None of your clothes suit you. These are just right."

Ling Ling mocked him with a half-smile, "Boss Yu is still the best at speaking."

"I wasn't so good at speaking before. I have to practice hard. I must make progress and work hard to be worthy of you." He handed two dresses to her.

She nodded at him without appreciating his gesture, but the smile in her eyes betrayed her joy. She took her clothes and went into the dressing room. The reflection in the mirror still showed the kind of smile that only lovers would have when flirting.

Ling Ling changed into two sets of skirts, one was a fairy-like peach pink long skirt, and the other was a pure black hip skirt. The hem of the skirt was decorated with handmade beads, which gave her a sexy and cool feeling.

Yu Chuanbei felt that these two dresses were simply created with Ling Ling as his muse. He couldn't help but step forward, hold her waist, and slowly press against her from behind and say, "They're really, really beautiful. I have a really good eye, I mean for choosing people."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Yu. But I just saw the tags of these two clothes in the dressing room, and I can't afford them."

"I can afford it! Since you are my female companion at events, I should be qualified to buy you clothes. Just consider it a reward for your work." Yu Chuanbei teased her again.

Ling Ling was particularly restrained: "But I still don't like the feeling of owing you."

"So what are you going to do? I have to buy these two clothes anyway."

"Hmm..." Ling Ling rolled her crystal-black eyes and whispered in his ear, "The only way to pay is with my body."

Yu Chuanbei was almost choked to death by the saliva he hadn't swallowed in time, causing the waiter to run over to care about his condition. He had no choice but to pretend to be serious and quickly said he wanted to pay the bill to ease the embarrassment.

The two of them eagerly struggled at the hotel room door, and the room card had to be swiped three times before they were allowed in. Once inside, she carelessly tossed her shopping bags to the ground. Yu Chuanbei locked the door behind him, turned around, and pressed her against the jewelry table in the cloakroom.

His passionate kiss came to an abrupt end. He leaned his hands against the wall and pinched her chin, which was still about to be kissed. "You are already mine, how are you going to repay me with your body?"

Ling Ling couldn't stand his playing hard to get, so she simply said, "I'll let you be on top the whole time tonight."

Yu Chuanbei laughed with satisfaction, and his warm breath hit her ears again.

"The fabric of this dress feels really good." He lifted the hem of the black pencil skirt and rubbed it between his palms.

"Well, it is quite comfortable. Thank you Mr. Yu for the reward. Do you want me to give you feedback on the user experience of wearing it?" Ling Ling asked him with blinking eyes, as cute as a simple candy.

"No need." He took another step forward. "I'm the user."

He has a preconceived notion.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

For the next week, Yu Chuanbei took Lingling to various gatherings, big and small. There were formal dinners, small family gatherings, and even rave parties in smoky bars. The Americans loved to throw parties, with all sorts of themes and events, leaving Lingling feeling overwhelmed. Within a week, she was starting to tire of it.

Seeing Ling Ling still lying in bed that morning, Yu Chuanbei crawled into her bed and coaxed her, saying, "Are you exhausted these days?"

"Yeah." She buried her head in his arms, her hair tickling his bare chest.

"But I've always been curious about one thing." Ling Ling raised her head again and asked him, "When I wasn't around, who did you find as your female companion?"

Yu Chuanbei was speechless, knowing that this was a fatal question.

"Uh - I've talked to colleagues working in the United States. They also fly here from different states, and some single ones occasionally meet up with me temporarily." He answered as casually as possible.

"So is the process for living together the same? For example, go to a party together, have fun, then go out together, and finally get a room in a hotel." Ling Ling's question was so straightforward that it made his hair stand on end.

"Of course not!" Yu Chuanbei defended anxiously, "This is a matter of principle. I'm not that desperate, otherwise I wouldn't have the patience to wait for you for so long. You should be able to feel that after all these years, all my hunger and thirst has been used on you."

"Well, that's good. I've seen too much boldness from foreigners these days, and I'm just worried about their physical health. God has sent sexually transmitted diseases to the world, and it's really a good medicine to restrain lust." Ling Ling turned over, lay on her back, and pondered this philosophical question.