Chapter 38
Luo Hongmin no longer allowed Xiang Wei to enter the master bedroom, so Xiang Wei had to set up another single bed in his daughter's room. The father and daughter remained silent at night. Sometimes, Xiang Siling would hear her father crying. She would ask him what was wrong with her father, but Xiang Wei would talk about something else and say that he was fine and told her to study hard and make a lot of money in the future to support her parents. Xiang Siling agreed.
Li Meiling became more and more arrogant. She no longer looked Xiang Wei in the eye, because now he was relying on her for support. She began to think about how she could marry Luo Hongmin and become Mrs. Luo. She knew that Luo Hongmin really liked her. He was such a playful person and never looked for anyone else except her during that period. But he hasn't given in yet on the matter of marriage.
He was also very concerned about his reputation and did not allow Li Meiling to tell anyone about their relationship. The storefront was given to her in the first place not only because it was close, which made it convenient for him to keep Li Meiling under his nose, but also because there was a very hidden small door behind the shelves in the warehouse that led directly to her home downstairs, and even the employees didn't know about it.
Luo Hongmin was also hesitating. If he married Li Meiling, she really had no family support and she was a second marriage; if he didn't marry her, Li Meiling was very difficult to deal with and would not suffer any loss, and he was reluctant to give up. So just keep it a secret for now, and don't let the reputation of adultery spread in the future whether you get married or not.
One afternoon in the summer when Xiang Siling was in her second year of high school, she caught a cold and couldn't hold on any longer, so she asked for leave and went home early. Like her father that day, she heard strange noises coming from the master bedroom through the door, as well as Uncle Luo's gasping sounds.
Before, Xiang Siling had met Luo Hongmin several times at home. Li Meiling told her that this was the landlord Uncle Luo. Xiang Siling was concentrating on studying at that time. Although she felt that there was something wrong between the two of them, she did not think about it too much.
But at this moment, even if Xiang Siling had never been in love, she could understand what the voice was coming from.
Unlike his father, he rushed to Si Ling, pounding on the door desperately, crying, "Mom! Mom! Are you okay? Luo Hongmin, Luo Hongmin! You are not allowed to hurt my mom, I'm calling the police! Call the police!"
Li Meiling was originally in ecstasy, but when she heard her daughter's voice, she was stunned and shouted quickly: "Lingling, don't call the police! Mommy is fine, mommy, mommy is talking to Uncle Luo about something, you go out first..."
Before she finished her words, Luo Hongmin had already pulled himself out, quickly put on his pants, put on his coat, and walked towards the door. Li Meiling crawled down naked and grabbed Luo Hongmin's arm: "Old Luo, don't do that! Don't do that!"
Luo Hongmin shook off her hand and opened the door. Li Meiling was too embarrassed to see her daughter and hid under the quilt again.
As the door opened, Xiang Siling took a step back in fright. Luo Hongmin was wearing a branded shirt with the buttons unbuttoned, leaving most of his chest exposed. He glanced at Si Ling and turned away.
Luo Hongmin looked at her and smiled, saying, "Si Ling came back early today. Don't be afraid, your mother is paying the rent to your uncle."
After saying that, he buttoned his clothes slowly, lit a cigarette, turned to look at her, smiled, went out, and walked quickly downstairs.
Xiang Siling was horrified by Luo Hongmin. She was shaking and her eyes were full of tears, but she still rushed into the master bedroom. Li Meiling had already put on her clothes and regained her composure. She thought it was all over. She had already coaxed Lao Luo almost enough in the past few days. Now that her daughter had made such a fuss, he would be angry again. How could she even talk about marriage?
Xiang Siling looked at her mother's expression and had a vague idea of what was going on, but she still stared at Li Meiling and asked in a trembling voice, "Mom, let's call the police and sue him for rape. I, I can testify. Mom, call the police... okay?"
Li Meiling was silent for a while, then suddenly slapped Xiang Siling in the face: "Do you look down on your mother? Let me tell you, you are my flesh and blood. Without me, there would be no you! If you had to rely on your useless father, you would not have enough food to eat, let alone go to high school? The house you live in now and the nice clothes you wear are all earned by me! When you see Lao Luo in the future, smile for me, smile happily! Did you call the police and want to send your mother to jail? You are not allowed to go home before 10 o'clock in the evening!"
The next day, Luo Hongmin had two sets of new summer clothes for girls and a new mobile phone for girls delivered, saying that he had frightened Xiang Siling and he sent them as an apology. Li Meiling thought that this meant he was willing to accept a stepdaughter, so she happily accepted it. When Xiang Siling heard that it was bought by Luo Hongmin, she refused to take it. But after being scolded by Li Meiling, she had no choice but to leave the things.
——
The massage parlor opened by Li Meiling has two floors. It is a very formal massage parlor and all employees have received professional training. Because it is located in a downtown area and has Luo Hongmin's connections, business has always been good. On the east side of the second floor, Li Meiling reserved a large suite of more than 100 square meters for herself. In recent years, she has rarely returned to the villa or her home in the city, and has lived in the massage parlor. But Luo Hongmin almost never comes.
At this moment, Li Meiling was wearing a tight silk suspender nightgown and lying on the two-meter-long bed in the suite. She squinted her eyes and looked at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, with a faint smell of pine men's perfume between her nostrils.
Because of Luo Hongmin’s death, she cried for several days and recalled the hard days she had gone through. Therefore, the 45-year-old Li Meiling felt even more that her decision to stay with Luo Hongmin at all costs was the right one.
Otherwise, where is she now?
Still squeezed in a dirty and narrow rental house with Xiang Wei? Oh, maybe I can’t even afford to rent a house, and I might have to rely on her to sell it. Just sell it, but I’m afraid you can’t even buy the smallest house in exchange. My daughter doesn’t have to think about going to college. Xiang Siling didn’t do well in the exams and only went to a junior college, which she definitely didn’t have the money to go to. Young people nowadays can hardly support themselves by earning so little money from working. Xiang Siling was a dull-witted person back then, and in the end he probably lived a worse life than her as a mother.
It’s not like now. Xiang Siling has become a senior executive of the group, and her classmates can’t catch up with her even if they flatter her. The multi-billion-dollar group will soon fall into her hands. My daughter said that in the future everything would be shared equally between mother and daughter, which made her feel at ease.
Thinking of this, Li Meiling felt even happier. She opened her mouth slightly and let out a gasp.
A young man raised his head from between her legs, climbed up, held her in his arms, and called out: "Meiling, Meiling... I'm so happy, no one can separate us now."
Li Meiling looked at the man's broad and strong shoulders and his handsome eyes and eyebrows, and her heart was filled with deep love. Lu Xing is handsome, but he is not one of the popular young handsome guys nowadays. He has a strong build, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and has a somewhat unruly air. Although he is now being supported by her, he still has a stubborn temper. He is a bit like Shang Ren when he was young, which is very much in line with Li Meiling's aesthetic.
The two met two years ago, and Lu Xing was the one who pursued her. Later, he almost lived in this large suite, and only occasionally returned to the massage parlor staff dormitory.
Li Meiling thought to herself, no wonder men like to get promoted, get rich and have their wives die. Although Lao Luo died, she was sad and felt like she had lost her backbone, but she still had Lu Xing. Lu Xing was right. From now on they wouldn't have to live in fear. Lao Luo left so much money, she could spend it on Lu Xing however she wanted. Li Meiling must let such a handsome boy who is devoted to her enjoy a better life.
Li Meiling was certain that Lu Xing was completely bewitched by her. She is still very confident in herself. Although she is over 45, she looks only in her 30s. She is still younger and more beautiful than most women. What's more, she has money. Even if Lu Xing was with her partly for money, she didn't care. Are men allowed to use money to gain the admiration of young girls, but women are not allowed to do the same?
The two kissed for a while, and Lu Xing took out two plane tickets from the bedside table and said, "I've always wanted to go out with you, but we never got to travel together. Now we can finally be together openly. I've bought the tickets, so don't refuse."
Li Meiling saw that it was a first-class ticket to a small city in Yunnan. She was stunned for a moment and asked suspiciously: "Where did you get the money?"
Although she usually gave him money and he also had a salary, he was young and generous, so he spent most of it every month, and a lot of it was spent on buying gifts for her. It's not easy to come up with 6,000 yuan to buy a plane ticket at once.
Lu Xing stared at her and answered, "I saved it slowly by myself. It's a bit hurtful to ask this. Although I don't have as much money as you, I am willing to give everything to you alone."
Li Meiling was a little touched and hugged him and kissed him.
However, she still couldn't help but think of what happened more than a week ago, which was the morning after Luo Hongmin was murdered. When she woke up at dawn, she found that there was no one by her side. She heard some noise in the bathroom and walked over, only to see Lu Xing stuffing a black backpack into the cabinet. The backpack looked very heavy. Lu Xing smiled when he saw her and carried her back to the room.
The next day, Lu Xing was not at home. When she went to check the cabinet again, the black bag was gone.
It must be a coincidence, Li Meiling thought. It's impossible. Lu Xing is just an ordinary masseur with neither great ambition nor ability. Although he is usually unhappy when Luo Hongmin is mentioned, that is a normal reaction for men. There is no way he would have the courage to kill someone.
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