Chapter Seventy-Nine

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By the afternoon of the fourth day, Zheng Yi finally returned to Lei River. After parking her car in the garage, she immediately called Lu Jing.

"I'm back. Where are you?"

Kang Ning, holding Lu Jing's phone, replied with a cheerful laugh, "Hello, Sister Yi! Sister Jing is cooking, please wait a moment."

Lu Jing wiped her hands and took the phone from Kang Ning. "Come over for dinner!"

"Even if you don't invite me, I'd still come. My little aunt won't be home until tomorrow, so where else would I fill my stomach if not at your place?" Zheng Yi laughed heartily. "By the way, where's Mengmeng?"

"She went home the day before yesterday. I suppose she's still there. I'll make extra dishes; you call her and ask her to join us. I have to get back to it!" Lu Jing hurried off.

Walking up the stairs, Zheng Yi dialed Qu Mengmeng's number. "Hello! It's Auntie... haha, all right... Mengmeng, you little rascal, I'm back... Oh, stop babbling, come over, I'm waiting for you at home. That's it, bye!"

After a relaxing bath, Zheng Yi changed into comfortable leisurewear. Just as she finished tidying up, Qu Mengmeng rang the doorbell. Zheng Yi responded, quickly combed her hair, and hurried downstairs. Opening the door, she asked, "Did your family say anything?"

"It's fine. After being away for twenty or thirty days, it's only natural for them to nag a bit," Qu Mengmeng replied nonchalantly, stepping inside, only to be stopped by Zheng Yi.

"Lu Jing's dishes must be nearly ready; let's hurry, I'm starving."

Qu Mengmeng blushed but said nothing, and soon the two of them arrived at Lu Jing's door, where Kang Ning greeted them with a smile and took their bags. Zheng Yi stood at the doorway, staring at Kang Ning for a while before exclaiming, "When did you shave off your little mustache, you rascal? My goodness, I never thought you'd turn out so handsome! Tsk tsk! You must be driving women wild all down the street."

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Kang Ning glanced at Qu Mengmeng, then went to hang their bags on the coat rack. Qu Mengmeng secretly smiled with satisfaction.

That morning after the three had spent a playful night together, Qu Mengmeng woke feeling flustered and bashful. Seeing Lu Jing had already left and the door was tightly shut, she dove straight into Kang Ning's arms, clinging to him. After a brief embrace, Kang Ning’s little mustache tickled her into a state of languid arousal, and they tumbled about for nearly another hour before finally calming down, exhausted. Regaining her strength, Qu Mengmeng's first words were furious: she ordered Kang Ning to shave his mustache immediately, or she'd pluck it every time she saw him!

Kang Ning had never really wanted to keep the mustache—he’d considered shaving it off many times over the past half-year but always hesitated. Seeing how much Qu Mengmeng despised it, he simply went to the bathroom and shaved it clean. When he returned, Qu Mengmeng was stunned, then couldn't help but embrace and shower him with kisses. Shortly after, when Lu Jing woke and saw Kang Ning's new look, she was so excited she hugged and kissed him, inspecting every inch, and in her excitement, they fell onto the wide bed again.

With dinner ready, the four sat around the table. Before they could raise their glasses, Kang Ning became the target of playful teasing from the three women, but he was used to their personalities and maintained his composure—though his chopsticks moved swiftly. By the time Kang Ning had eaten nearly half of the three beautifully prepared meat dishes, the others realized something was amiss and erupted into noisy protest.

After a few bites, their plates were nearly empty. All three raised their heads in anger, ready to scold Kang Ning, only to see him already lounging on the sofa, sipping tea. The three women, at a loss, considered frying a few more eggs, when a melodious whistle floated from the living room. The tune, once recognized, made them even more furious—it was the mournful "Flower Girl," a clear sign he was gloating over their misfortune.

Ten minutes later, with his hair in disarray, Kang Ning bent over the sink to wash the dishes, deeply regretting his momentary indulgence that had angered the three ladies. Washing the dishes was easy, but the pain in his waist and arms was unbearable.

Once everything was tidied up, Kang Ning returned to the sofa to watch TV and chat with the others. Noticing Lu Jing and Mengmeng hesitating to discuss the sale of the auto repair shop, Kang Ning sighed and explained everything to Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi’s beautiful face changed from red to white, then to green as Kang Ning spoke. Before he finished, she stood up, walked to the coat rack, took her handbag, and dialed a number on her phone. Once connected, she strode into Lu Jing’s bedroom and quickly locked the door, leaving Kang Ning, Lu Jing, and Qu Mengmeng concerned outside.

About twenty minutes later, Zheng Yi emerged, seemingly unaffected, and sat down, smiling at the three. "Lu Jing, Mengmeng, what's with those faces? And you, pretty boy, are you always trying to take advantage of your sisters?"

Kang Ning smiled politely, avoiding a response. Seeing Zheng Yi was fine, Lu Jing and Mengmeng relaxed. Zheng Yi turned to Lu Jing, hugged her shoulder, and explained, "I was so angry just now, I questioned Old Fang. He said he didn't tell me in advance because he wanted to surprise me. I said, 'Surprise, my foot!' It's rare he has such a sense of humor. I told him about your plan to sell the shop, and he immediately agreed, telling me to let you set the price. That's why I spared him this time. If he ever acts without warning again, I'll deal with him! So, Lu Jing, you set the price. Tomorrow morning, we'll go together to complete the paperwork."

Lu Jing sensed something might be wrong. "Is this okay? Yi, don't hide anything from me. The shop is a small matter, but if it's hard for you, I don't want it!"

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"Come on, Lu Jing, you know the new shops are all under my name—what are you worried about? Old Fang said I have full authority, and he even wanted to discuss it with you, but thought you might not be willing. Then he got busy and forgot. What's there to hesitate about? Are you worried you'll lose out selling to me?" Zheng Yi explained, then teased.

Lu Jing pinched Zheng Yi. "Nonsense! All right, the shop cost one million seventy-six thousand. In just over a year, I've earned back eight hundred and fifty thousand; the accountant has the records. Just give me nine hundred thousand."

"How can that be? I can't let you work for nothing for two years! I remember you said once that, with things running smoothly, you could make at least two hundred and fifty thousand a month. That's three million in a year! No, I can't accept that price." Zheng Yi immediately rejected Lu Jing's offer, and seeing Lu Jing insist, she raised her hand to stop her. "No more discussion! Final price: sell it to me for one million seventy-six thousand at the original cost. We'll sign the contract tomorrow, and I'll give you a check. No backing out!"

"But—"

Zheng Yi took Lu Jing's hand and stood up. "Lu Jing, have mercy on me! I drove all day and I'm exhausted—I need to catch up on sleep. I've spent the last few days with my mother in the hospital; I'm nearly worn out. All right! Mengmeng, you two keep chatting; I'll come get you at nine tomorrow morning."

After Zheng Yi left, Qu Mengmeng and Lu Jing huddled together, whispering. Kang Ning, with a frown, went into Lu Jing's bedroom, reached under the pillow, and picked up the damp pillowcase, sniffing it before shaking his head and sighing. He replaced it with a fresh pillowcase, folded the tear-soaked one into a small square, took it to the bathroom, and put it in the washing machine. Returning to the living room, he told Lu Jing and Qu Mengmeng, "I'm going out for a walk," and went out.

Kang Ning quickened his pace to catch up with Zheng Yi, slowing to a walk when he was about thirty meters behind her graceful figure, accompanying her until she entered her house and closed the door.

Ever attentive, Kang Ning waited for over half an hour. Only after the lights in Zheng Yi's bedroom went out and five minutes passed did he confirm she had no plans to go out again. Gazing at the familiar curtains, he sighed and returned to Lu Jing's apartment.