Chapter 110: When Life Is at Its Peak, One Must Revel Without Reserve

The apartment building in the southern suburbs of the capital.

This was Zhang Long’s second visit to Luo Man’s dormitory. The last time had been when Luo Man was down with a cold. Two months had flashed by in the blink of an eye; time cared nothing for anyone’s reluctance.

Zhang Long carried in two bags of assorted premium fruit, while Luo Man had returned home ahead of him to tidy up the place.

Her roommate was a bit sloppy and carefree.

...

“Hmm, you little lecher. What are you looking at?”

In the south-facing room, Zhang Long instinctively glanced around. Seeing this, Luo Man could not help but chide him softly. “I’ve already put my underwear away. If you want to see it, I’ll get it for you.”

“My roommate’s panties are pretty impressive.”

“Cough, cough. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Zhang Long laughed it off, set down the fruit, opened his arms, and walked toward Luo Man, intending to steal a quick kiss first.

Her roommate was at work today, so no one would disturb them.

“Bad boy, don’t.”

Luo Man’s face changed slightly in alarm, and she hurriedly dodged away. Although her roommate was not here, there were people in the other rooms. Any sound at all could be heard, and if they were caught, it would be terribly embarrassing.

“Hey, what’s there to be afraid of?”

Zhang Long rolled his eyes. They were boyfriend and girlfriend, not sneaking around behind anyone’s back. What was there to fear?

“How are things at home?”

Since they could not indulge openly, Zhang Long did not press further and changed the subject. “I may not be able to help with the big matters, but the little things are still within reach.”

“Here, this is for you.”

As he spoke, Zhang Long took out a supplementary credit card, and Luo Man’s expression shifted, her lip caught lightly between her teeth.

“Don’t think too much of it, and don’t misunderstand.”

Luo Man’s gaze was complicated, and she seemed on the verge of speaking.

But Zhang Long stepped closer, placed the card in her palm, gave her hand a firm squeeze, then gently pulled her delicate body into an embrace. “Food is the first necessity of life. Eating and drinking well, staying free of illness and disaster—that matters more than anything. The limit isn’t much. As long as you don’t buy luxury goods or spend recklessly, use it as you like. The password is the day in early September when we ran into each other at the bank. Take it as fate.”

“We said we wouldn’t be so affected.”

...

At lunch, Zhang Long invited a few of Luo Man’s close colleagues to eat together. It also served as his formal appearance as Luo Man’s boyfriend, a chance to get acquainted.

Of course, it was only the kind of polite acquaintance that required by courtesy, because it was unlikely they would have any further connection in the future.

So names were not especially important, even though Luo Man’s roommate was not unattractive and kept flashing covert signals.

Whether they were genuine signals or just probing, it did not matter.

The afternoon passed leisurely after that. They went to the Ferris wheel, which was the first time Zhang Long had tried it. He was still somewhat afraid of heights and trembled a little, but with Luo Man held tightly in his arms and their faces brushing now and then inside the cabin, he had no mind left for fear. This illness could truly be cured by kissing.

“Mm, sweet and fragrant.”

Zhang Long smacked his lips, and Luo Man blushed shyly.

It had to be said: kissing in a Ferris wheel cabin, half public and half private, was surprisingly exhilarating.

After that, they returned to the Bund and first went to a mall cinema to watch a movie. There were no kisses this time; instead, they held hands and quietly enjoyed the story, warm and tender.

Finally, after the film ended, Zhang Long bought Luo Man two sets of clothes for changing, convenient for overnight stays and back-and-forth visits.

They were mid-range brands, with a decent variety.

As for clothing, Luo Man did not ask much of herself. They were not all bargain-bin items, but she had never bought anything above the mid-range either. Aside from shoes, which were sometimes a bit more expensive, her entire wardrobe cost only a few hundred yuan per outfit.

Still, this time her overall standard rose by quite a bit, especially in underwear, where the improvement was greatest. Zhang Long did not want to wrong himself; he had to take good care of her.

A feast for the eyes, impossible to let go, amen.

“Cough, how about we shower together?”

After dinner, with stomachs full of Western food and wine warming their bodies, Zhang Long’s mood became lively. Shower together, huh?

“Okay. You go first.”

Although they had been pressing close and whispering to each other in the Ferris wheel earlier today, showering was a different matter. To strip naked and face each other so openly was too embarrassing. Better to wait until they had rolled around in bed a few more times. Three times for familiarity, five times for ease—it would come quickly enough.

And so, Zhang Long showered first and Luo Man after. The rest of the night involved more than one round, too much to mention, too much to describe.

A short separation makes new marriage sweeter; once tasted, one wants more.

...

“Ugh, I don’t want to get up.”

When Sunday dawned, Luo Man had already left before Zhang Long woke, just as she had last time. From the Bund to her workplace in the southern suburbs was no short trip; it took more than an hour by subway.

Now Zhang Long stirred awake, breathing in the faint fragrance lingering on the pillow and beneath the blankets, and he very much did not want to get up.

Last night, Luo Man in the second round was a little more unrestrained than she had been on her birthday. She was no longer so tightly held back.

Her low, winding, soft little sounds curled around his ears, enchanting and seductive.

The details of their wrestling and entwining need not be repeated. First comes ignorance, then familiarity; at least the aches and pains no longer stood in the way, allowing them to enjoy it more fully, galloping and surging all the way.

Still, savoring has its limits. Today he still had to go to driving school for practice, and at the end of the month he would be taking the third driving exam.

The road test: he had to pass it on the first try.

He was about to buy a house, and once he bought a car, he would also have a parking space ready and waiting. This apartment of Liu Yu Rong’s came with a free underground parking spot.

That added selling point had been mentioned by the agent when he showed the place to clients on Friday. Zhang Long had quietly taken note.

At the same time, he had learned something very important: both groups of clients intended to pay in full.

Clearly, Liu Yu Rong was somewhat anxious and did not want to wait through a mortgage approval period of half a month or even one or two months. As for the price, it was actually not cheap, though not outrageously expensive either. The agent quoted 5.75 million, an average of 64,600 per square meter.

Zhang Long had originally thought he could secure it for around 5 million. Though another 750,000 was not a big deal—after all, a day of stock and spot trading could bring in over a million—it was still pocket change.

He had not contacted Liu Yu Rong yet; he would chat with her by message on Monday and sound out the situation.

The two groups of house-hunting clients on Friday had been picky and dissatisfied, mainly because the layout was a little lacking.

Of course, price was also an important reason.

Zhang Long estimated that for ordinary buyers, anything above 5.5 million would probably be hard to resist, after all no one’s money grows on trees, and a 250,000 difference was no small sum.

...

“Bro, don’t leave right after you’re done.”

In the afternoon at the driving school practice lot, Lin Yuan called Zhang Long to a stop and said with a shrug, “Come with me to an event tonight. It’s Sister Hong, the one you met last time. Remember her?”

Zhang Long was startled at once. Had he been exposed?

Du Hong ran a spot-trading platform. Although he had checked online and found that Rong Jin Company’s qualifications were quite legitimate, who knew what the actual situation was? Earning only the client’s transaction fees was worth so little; how could it compare to making money directly from their losses?

“Was it Sister Hong who told you to call me?”

“No, but pretty much.”

Lin Yuan shook his head and said that it was mainly his own idea. Last time he had not brought Zhang Long along to the second round with the girl, and he had been a little regretful. This time, Zhang Long should at least give him some face.

Hearing this, Zhang Long was drenched in sweat. This Lin Yuan really was ruthless. Why was he so obsessed with bedding women?

He had a girlfriend, all right.

“Relax, I’m not forcing you.”

Seeing Zhang Long’s dark expression, Lin Yuan laughed and threw an arm around his shoulders. “Having a girlfriend and not wanting to fool around makes you a good man, sure. But life is short; when fortune shines, we should enjoy it to the fullest, galloping through the night with wine and song. Fate is unpredictable. Talking love is too tiring. Brother, I’d really like it if you and I could be of one mind—even if only as friends in drink and flesh.”

Zhang Long silently lifted his eyes to the sky, wondering what kind of hurt Lin Yuan had once suffered to make him so carefree and wild, always messing around without fearing illness or an early grave.

Still, meeting Du Hong tonight would not be a bad thing. He could casually gather a little information about spot trading.

For example, when the exchange industry gathering would be held—that was important, because it concerned how long the easy money could still be skimmed, and how much could be skimmed before it ended.

Next month would be New Year’s Day. If December were the cutoff point, then the gathering would probably be after the holiday.

He hoped it would be held before the Spring Festival in February, so he could still harvest for another month and a half. That would be quite a haul.

Thus, at dusk, they arrived at a quiet sake bar.

Zhang Long followed Lin Yuan inside. The atmosphere was even more secluded than the last night bar. In some of the private booths, one could discuss matters in hushed voices.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Zhang Long stopped in his tracks, stunned.

At that exact moment, the woman speaking with Du Hong in the booth seemed to sense his gaze and looked up as well. The instant she saw Zhang Long, she, too, froze.

What the...?

A little note: at 2:00 p.m. this book was featured on a major recommendation slot. If you have a monthly pass or recommendation votes, please toss one in for some festive luck.

Also, in the recently added chapter 105 and at the end of chapter 83 above, I uploaded some fitting anime-style material for the hero and Luo Man and Liang Xue sharing a bed. If you’re interested, take a look and maybe leave a like or something.