The man's lips, soft and moist, gently pressed against her forehead.
Shen Qing's heart skipped a beat.
But remembering what he had said in front of his friends, she immediately became angry again, pushed him away, and sat up.
"Why did you kiss me?" she glared at him, half-drunk and half-awake. "Don't touch me! You slut!"
She wasn't angry that Cheng Zhiwen looked down on her or despised her as an unpresentable widow; she was angry that he clearly didn't like her, yet he still approached her from time to time, and even kissed her when she was drunk.
Shen Qing felt that he just wanted to sleep with her without taking responsibility or making any promises.
If he were to sleep with a respectable young woman, she would definitely make a scene demanding that he take responsibility and marry her. But if he were to sleep with a widow, none of these problems would arise!
The feeling of being treated as a casual sex partner disgusted Shen Qing, even though she had once been attracted to that man!
She was so angry that her entire chest and abdomen felt constricted. She pressed one hand to her heart and pointed at the door with the other: "Get out!"
Cheng Zhiwen didn't leave; she shifted her body slightly back but remained seated on the edge of the bed.
He stood with his legs apart, elbows resting on his thighs, hands clasped in a tower shape, and his nose pressed against his chest as he pondered.
Seeing his silent demeanor, Shen Qing grew even angrier. Fueled by the alcohol, he yelled, "You! Selfish and selfish! You only care about your own amusement. Have you ever thought about anyone else? Have you thought about your fiancée back home? Have you thought about my reputation?!"
Not only did she curse him, she also stretched out her foot to kick him, but after only two kicks, he grabbed her foot in his hand.
He gently rubbed her cold feet with his dry, warm palms.
Shen Qing kicked him hard, hitting his hard abdominal muscles several times through his palm.
She kicked until she was tired, then gradually calmed down, leaned against the headboard, and looked at him coldly.
Did you ever like me?
Upon hearing this question, Shen Qing immediately wanted to bite off her own tongue.
So what if I like it?
So what if I don't like it?
Is it possible for him to be with her properly just because he likes her?
Can he just disappear from her life because he doesn't like her?
"No." He released her foot, stood up, and said coldly, "Get some rest."
After saying that, he opened the door and left.
Shen Qing watched in despair as the door closed in front of her.
From this day forward, her relationship with Cheng Zhiwen will be like this door.
She forced the door open a crack, only to have it slammed shut by him again.
Shen Qing couldn't fall asleep again after that.
She didn't regret impulsively asking Cheng Zhiwen if he had ever liked her.
This question and his answer will sever all ambiguity between them.
As the first rays of sunlight rose from the sea, she got up as if nothing had happened.
I went to the bathroom to wash up, and then washed the down vest that I had vomited in last night and hung it by the window to air dry.
She changed into a clean dress, put her hair up, and went to the restaurant for a meal.
As dawn broke and most of the tourists were still asleep, Shen Qing was the only one dining in the first-class restaurant.
The waiter came up with a tray and asked her if she wanted caviar; she asked for a small bowl.
He took a small piece of silver from his purse, placed it on the waiter's tray, and said, "Do you know Mr. Clark?"
The waiter nodded: "Please speak, ma'am."
"If you see Mr. Clark come over for lunch later, please tell him for me that I'll be at this table at noon to discuss business with him."
The waiter accepted the loose change, smiled, and nodded: "Yes, ma'am."
After finishing breakfast, Shen Qing quickly returned to her room.
The wind was strong at sea, and the down jacket hanging by the window dried quickly. She patted the clumps of down inside to smooth them out and hung it back up to continue drying in the wind.
Then he sat down at his desk and calculated the order volume he needed to discuss with Clark.
To reach the amount she wants, the order needs to be at least one million pieces.
A million down jackets could earn her 500,000 taels of silver.
However, this money was only enough to pay off her debts, distribute dividends to the Gao family, and provide start-up capital for her next business.
If we can negotiate two million pieces and let her earn a full one million taels, that would be even better!
Thinking of this, Shen Qing felt inexplicably excited.
She glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost twelve o'clock, and she had to go to her appointment.
Although she wasn't sure if Clark would come, she still grabbed a handful of scraps of lining fabric from her suitcase and stuffed them into her sleeve pocket.
When she arrived at the Western restaurant, the seat she had been sitting in that morning was empty.
Clark has not yet appeared.
Shen Qing took a seat and ordered a cup of coffee.
Lunchtime arrived, and first-class passengers slowly entered the restaurant to dine.
Shen Qing glanced at the restaurant entrance from time to time, but did not see Clark anywhere.
She continued to wait until everyone in the restaurant had left, leaving her all alone.
They waited until evening.
The fiery red sunset gradually disappeared below the horizon, making the already dark sky feel increasingly cold and heavy.
Shen Qing's mood was just like the sky.
She slowly got up, preparing to go back to her room.
Just a few steps from my seat, I saw Clark walk into the restaurant.
She quickly went to greet him and asked in English, "Are you here to discuss business with me?"
Clark smiled maliciously: "After we finish our business, shall we have a drink together?"
Shen Qing neither agreed nor disagreed, and sat down opposite him.
He took a scrap of cloth from his sleeve pocket and used it to wipe the matchbox on the table.
A tiny flame burned on the matchstick, and the flame approached the rag and wrapped itself around it.
Shen Qing placed the burning rag on the cup and saucer, and the rag quickly turned into a pool of golden liquid.
She gently fanned the dish a few times to speed up the cooling process, then placed the plate on the table and pushed it towards Clark.
Clark had been observing her for a while, and now that he saw her burning the cloth for herself, he was even more puzzled: "What is this?"
Shen Qing said in a low voice, "This is the lining fabric of the garment."
Clark looked at her, held the plate to his nose, and smelled it.
His brow relaxed, and he took two deep sniffs, saying, "This scent is somewhat fragrant, but not very fragrant, yet it has an indescribable richness."
Shen Qing laughed and said, "Even fabric made of natural raw silk will emit a burnt smell when burned, right?"
Clark nodded and said, "A few days ago, a new type of silk appeared in Europe, but it is not made from raw silk. When burned, it emits a tar-like stench."
Shen Qing knew that he was referring to rayon produced in Europe.
Although the main material of rayon is soybean fiber, it will emit a foul odor after being burned completely because it undergoes many chemical processes.
The chemical process used for the inner lining fabric this time mainly involves lint removal and cleaning, so it does not change the structure of the raw materials and retains the natural pine scent when burned.
Shen Qing stopped thinking about rayon; the most important thing right now was the down jacket.
She nodded her chin at the dish containing amber syrup and said, "This is a raw material that can be used in traditional Chinese medicine. Taking this medicine can calm the mind, promote sleep, replenish blood, and regenerate muscles. If this ingredient is made into fabric and worn, it will also be beneficial to the human body."
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