Chapter Twelve: The Working Girl Who Plays Love Games

Gang Mengzi had come and gone. In just a few short days outside, he had undergone a complete transformation. That woman was his girlfriend: she had a house, a car, and even owned a small factory. Her surname was Jin, and her name was Hong. Sha Leer couldn't tell her age, but she probably wasn't yet thirty. Her figure was lush and supple, her manner alluring to the core, and she was breathtakingly beautiful. She showed no particular interest in Sha Qiang, but when she looked at Sha Leer, her eyes shone so brightly that he dared not meet her gaze, and his body responded with a surge of excitement.

Fortunately, Gang Mengzi and his girlfriend left quickly; otherwise, he would have felt even more uncomfortable.

“My god, what a beautiful woman! How did Gang Mengzi find someone like that?”

Sha Leer wasn't the only one who felt stirred; the other men were just as affected. Seeing Gang Mengzi so fortunate, Sha Leer no longer worried about him. There was some envy at a comrade’s good fortune, but mostly he felt happy for him.

As the saying goes, life and death are fated, wealth and honor decreed by heaven. He would stick to his work as an ironworker, earning honest sweat and blood money. Life, he thought, was not so bad—especially now that his girlfriend, Wenli, was coming to see him more often. This sense of satisfaction grew ever stronger.

Wenli was a few months older than him. She didn’t have the mature, sultry charm of Gang Mengzi’s girlfriend, but her personality was fiery, her figure slim and graceful, her face lovely and full of feeling. He was more than satisfied.

“Leer, am I pretty?”

They were walking together down the street at night, the lights casting Wenli’s face in a white, rosy glow. Her eyes were like silk, her figure willowy. Her light dress outlined long legs, a slender waist, curving hips, and full chest. Leer couldn’t help but swallow.

“You’re beautiful…”

“Then why… why don’t you ever want to hold me?”

Wenli looked at him with a teasing, flirtatious smile.

“I’ll hold you right now…” Leer reached out to put his arm around her waist.

“All right… hee-hee…” Before he could, Wenli hooked her arm through his. “I just like the silly way you are.”

Wenli pressed herself against him, watching the beads of sweat gather on his brow. His face was handsome, a little tanned from health, his body sturdy and strong—she found herself smitten too. What girl doesn’t like a handsome boy? For Leer, this was the first time he’d ever been this close to a girl; smelling the unique fragrance of Wenli’s body, he felt a little dizzy.

“Leer, you know, if you put on a suit, you’d have so many girls swooning for you.”

Wenli’s soft body leaned against him, her arm linked with his, her chest pressed tight. He felt a wave of exhilaration. After a while, his courage grew: his strong arm wrapped around her waist. A woman’s body was so soft, the feeling in his hand was wonderful.

“Leer, you’re not so well-behaved yourself.”

“Am I not?” Leer laughed. Once he got used to this intimacy, his thoughts became livelier and his words flowed more easily. “I’m very well-behaved.”

“All right, you’re very well-behaved.” Wenli hugged his waist, too. “You’ll be my little well-behaved one, all right?”

With a beauty in his arms, Wenli’s soft curves pressed against his side, her head just reaching his shoulder, resting in the crook of his neck.

For the first time, he experienced such a wondrous feeling.

“Leer, do you love me?” Wenli looked up at him with a sweet smile.

“I love you…”

“Do you love me the way a mouse loves rice?”

“Uh… how could it be like that?”

“Then what is it like?” Wenli laughed even harder. “Tell me, how do you love me?”

“I don’t know… I just know that I love you.”

She giggled, wriggling in his arms. “If there were a woman prettier and richer than me who liked you, would you still love me?”

“Of course I’d love you.”

“I don’t believe it.” But she pressed herself closer. “There’s a song that says love is a game, love is a dream. If a prettier, richer girl liked you, you’d definitely leave me and love her.”

“I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.”

Leer spoke with conviction, but if such a girl really did love him, could he truly resist? Wenli was beautiful, but like him, she was just a poor worker. Together, they were bound to live a life of struggle.

Which boy from the countryside didn’t come to the city hoping to get rich? Who didn’t want a better life? Leer was just an ordinary country boy; how could he be immune to the lure of money?

Doubt flickered in his eyes—and in Wenli’s as well.

“All right, let’s not worry about the future. As long as you love me now, that’s enough.” Wenli laughed sweetly again. “Why bother thinking so far ahead? If a rich and beautiful girl really did love you, I’d step aside myself.”

“What are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?”

Just then, he saw Uncle Gui and Aunt Ma walking toward them hand in hand and quickly let go of Wenli. But Wenli pressed his hand down, holding him even tighter.

“Uncle Gui, Aunt Ma…”

“Hehe, you two are getting close quickly,” Aunt Ma laughed, still holding Uncle Gui’s hand affectionately. Leer blushed at her words, but Wenli simply smiled as if nothing were amiss.

“Sister Ma Xiang, you and Brother Gui are pretty close yourselves.”

“We’re an old married couple… Oh, but you’ll have to change what you call me. I’m Leer’s aunt now, so you’ll have to call me Aunt from now on.” Aunt Ma smiled.

“Sister Ma Xiang, aren’t you taking advantage of me?” Wenli pressed her face against Leer’s chest. “He’s him, and I’m me. We’ll each call you what we like. We’re just friends now—if we become family, then I’ll call you Aunt.”

“All right, as you wish.” Aunt Ma put her arm around Uncle Gui’s waist, laughing. “We won’t play third wheel for you young folks. We’re off.”

On the street, groups of young men and women, mostly migrant workers, strolled arm in arm. Far from home, loneliness was common. Two people from different places, like two fish sharing the same pond, found comfort and solace together.

“Wenli, let’s go have some ice cream. You look hot.”

“Mm.” Wenli smiled enchantingly. “You’re so sweet, always thinking of me.”

Leer bought two boxes of ice cream, thoughtfully choosing pink strawberry for Wenli. She took it and looked at him.

“Leer, have you ever dated before?”

“No.”

“Liar. You seem to know girls’ hearts so well—you must have dated someone.”

“I really haven’t…”

“Look at you getting all flustered.” Wenli was clearly pleased with his reaction. “No is no. Even if you had, I wouldn’t mind—we’re all grown up. Have you ever kissed a girl?”

Leer’s face flushed instantly.

“Hehe, so you’re quite a pure one, blushing like that. Never kissed anyone, right? Do you want to?”

Wenli’s eyes curved into little crescents with her smile, her cheeks rosy. Poor Leer was both excited and dazed, almost as if drunk. He had never tasted a kiss before.

“Well? Do you want to?”

Wenli’s face drew close to his, and Leer’s breathing grew quick and heavy, warm breath brushing her cheek. Wenli breathed in his scent, her eyes turning dreamy.

Suddenly, her lips, soft as flower petals, pressed gently to his—then quickly pulled away. With a giggle, Wenli dashed into the shopping mall.

Enchantress! The word flashed through Leer’s mind.