"You know what? I actually quite like you..."
"Smart and resourceful, much better than those women who only know how to cry and whine."
He suddenly leaned forward, his breath, heavy with the smell of alcohol, burning her earlobe, his fingers tracing the rim of his wine glass.
Li Xiaorou's wine glass clattered against the enamel plate, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up.
It felt good to be praised, so Li Xiaorou was naturally happy and drank a few more cups.
The night grew deeper.
"You...are very beautiful..."
Zhou Mingyuan, drunk, put his arm around her waist, and the two stumbled into the corridor of the guesthouse.
In the dim light, he suddenly pressed Li Xiaorou against the peeling wall, his forehead against her thin shoulder.
"In our past life...you were my wife...how about we..."
He mumbled incoherently and began to play with Li Xiaorou's body with his hands and feet.
Li Xiaorou froze, her nails digging deep into her palms, and she sobered up almost instantly.
The light bulb in the room has a faulty connection and flickers.
With a thud, Zhou Mingyuan was violently pushed onto the spring bed by Li Xiaorou. A stack of grain coupons slipped out of the pocket of his woolen coat. They were all counterfeit 1978 editions, with fresh cutting marks on the edges.
Upon seeing this, Li Xiaorou immediately staggered and bent down to pick it up, but was pulled into an embrace reeking of alcohol by a brute force.
Zhou Mingyuan's burning hot palm gripped the back of her head with an irresistible force.
"This time... if we cooperate... we'll definitely be able to kill that... guy surnamed Ji..."
He was breathing heavily, his lips brushing against her earlobe.
Li Xiaorou's struggles were drowned out by the kiss that smelled of alcohol.
Her palm was pressed against Zhou Mingyuan's chest, and when his tongue forcefully pried open her teeth, she suddenly bit down hard.
"hiss!"
Zhou Mingyuan released his grip in pain, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Xiaorou suddenly pushed him away and stumbled towards the door. Just as her hand touched the doorknob, she was pulled back by an even stronger force.
Zhou Mingyuan threw her onto the bed and tied her up, then used his knees to spread her legs apart. There was no trace of drunkenness in his eyes.
"What are you pretending for!"
He sneered and roughly tore open her collar with his fingers.
Outside the window, moonlight shone on the scattered grain coupons and clothes scattered on the ground.
As the first rays of sunlight pierced into the guesthouse room in the early morning, Li Xiaorou suddenly opened her eyes, her vision blurring from the hangover headache.
She looked down and saw that she was completely naked, revealing a glaring red mark on her collarbone.
Turning his head again, Zhou Mingyuan was leaning against the headboard, buttoning his shirt, his wool coat casually draped over the back of the chair, with a suspicious lipstick stain on his collar.
"Zhou Mingyuan, you beast!!! I! Will! Kill! You!!!"
"You son of a bitch!!"
The enamel mug whistled through the air and smashed into Zhou Mingyuan's head, hitting the wall with a loud bang and startling the sparrows in the trees outside the window.
"You crazy woman! A night of marriage is worth a hundred nights of kindness! Besides, I'm not being a pervert. I'll take responsibility for you. Let's get our marriage certificate tomorrow, okay?"
Zhou Mingyuan easily dodged it, then leisurely lit a Daqianmen cigarette, the smoke rings he exhaled spreading slowly in the sunlight.
"Marry a beast like you? You're dreaming!"
Li Xiaorou's hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't button that damn button.
She grabbed her canvas bag and was about to rush out the door when Zhou Mingyuan grabbed her wrist, his hand gripping her like an iron clamp, causing her pain.
"Sure, it's not like I'm the one who'll suffer if we don't get married."
"But don't forget, all three channels in the black market have been established, just waiting for your supply and marketing cooperative connections as the daughter of the brigade leader."
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