Even the most innocent women become remarkably perceptive when men are involved.
Zhou Xiaowen seemed to have noticed some of Xu Honglei’s mischievous intentions.
Zhou Xiaowen ignored him, so Xu Honglei returned to his room, rebuffed. Exhausted from his exertions with Su Wanying, he fell onto the bed and began snoring.
Over the past few days, Su Wanying seemed to have abandoned her previous stance. Unwilling to give up on Xu Honglei, this promising investment, she came to him from time to time.
At first, Su Wanying seemed unable to let herself go. She restrained herself, but after it happened more often, she stopped caring altogether. She even seemed to flaunt herself before Zhou Xiaowen and declare her ownership of the territory.
Working the Night Shift, Zhou Xiaowen could only hide in the small room and endure the earsore moans coming from the pair of shameless lovers in the room opposite.
She had no choice. After all, she had no money to rent a place outside!
Zhou Xiaowen could only wait until Su Wanying left, then shout complaints at Xu Honglei—calling him an animal, a beast, shameless, and so on—before heading to work, exhausted.
If Xu Honglei had not paid her so well and provided free accommodation, she would have quit this lousy job long ago and found another.
After Xu Honglei’s Internet café opened, Business remained excellent, leaving him financially comfortable. The weather had also begun to turn cooler.
So Xu Honglei bought himself more clothes, then visited a better hair salon for a proper makeover.
Sometimes Zhou Xiaowen could not help sneaking glances at him, as though she were trying to discover a new continent on his face.
Whenever Xu Honglei’s gaze shifted toward her, she looked away like a startled little rabbit and pretended nothing had happened.
After noticing Zhou Xiaowen’s little actions, how could Xu Honglei pass up such a good opportunity to tease the pretty girl?
At times like this, he would grin and tease her, “Wenwen, hasn’t your Boss become much more handsome lately? Have I dazzled our little Wenwen into a daze?”
“Boss, you’ve been buying new clothes and fussing over your appearance lately. Are you planning to fall in love?” After Zhou Xiaowen was caught sneaking a look at Xu Honglei, she tried to hide her embarrassment by counterattacking.
Xu Honglei chuckled and asked, “What, did you fail to notice that your Boss was exceptionally handsome? Do you regret not making a move sooner and now want to harbor improper intentions toward your Boss?
“It’s fine. It’s never too late to mend the pen after the sheep are lost. If you like me, throw yourself at me. Consider it a benefit your Boss is providing to his employees.”
“I do not! You’re talking nonsense. I only think you’ve been acting strange lately!” Zhou Xiaowen’s face flushed with embarrassment.
Xu Honglei said irritably, “Listen to yourself. I’m a Small Business Owner now, after all. How is buying myself a new outfit and getting a slightly better hairstyle strange?
“Besides, at my age, I’m at the peak of my youthful vitality. Is it excessive to dress myself up, look more handsome, and find a girlfriend?”
“Not at all!” Zhou Xiaowen waved her hands with a grin.
“Then that settles it. You women are all appearance-obsessed. If I dress up more, perhaps I’ll have a chance of not having to Remain a Bachelor for the rest of my life. Don’t you think?”
“Not all women only care about appearances. I pay more attention to inner beauty!” Zhou Xiaowen bit her lip, trying to defend herself.
Xu Honglei pretended to be surprised. “Inner beauty? No problem. Your Boss is best at displaying his inner beauty!
“When I come back tonight, I’ll take off my clothes and show you, so you can get a good look at my inner self. I’ve already seen your inner beauty, anyway. That way, neither of us loses out. What do you say?”
Zhou Xiaowen’s face turned bright red. She covered it with both hands, fled to her small room, and fastened the Door Bolt from inside.
Having the Advantage of Proximity meant that, even if he could not get the pretty girl to submit to him, he could still tease her and add some fun to his life.
When he grew old and looked back on his youth, he would have fewer regrets. Of course, the least regrettable outcome would be to win over her.
For Xu Honglei at this point, the principle of this life was to make no mistake by letting anyone slip away. Whether she was a good girl or a bad girl, as long as there was an opportunity, she would be Xu Honglei’s girl.
When Xu Honglei returned home that evening, he shamelessly knocked on Zhou Xiaowen’s Bedroom door and asked with a grin, “Xiaowen, aren’t you concerned with a boy’s inner beauty? Would you like to see mine and find out whether it suits your aesthetic?”
“Get lost, you shameless lecher!”
Xu Honglei continued playing dumb. “Sigh, women’s thoughts really are difficult to figure out. Didn’t you say earlier that you cared about inner beauty?
“Now that I’m offering to show you, you refuse to look. No wonder people say that a woman’s heart is as unfathomable as the sea!”
“Inner beauty refers to a person’s character and cultivation, all right? Not the things you’re talking about!” Zhou Xiaowen grew flustered inside the room and defended herself.
“Sorry, I’m not very learned. I don’t understand what you mean, but if taking off my clothes still can’t let you see my inner beauty, then I’m helpless.
“No matter how much I like you, I can’t exactly cut open my stomach and show you, can I? Besides, many people pour out their hearts and souls yet still cannot win another person’s sincerity!”
Zhou Xiaowen fell silent. Xu Honglei stopped pretending to be foolish, let out a heavy sigh, then returned to his room to sleep.
Sometimes, when courting a girl, you cannot rush. Take it slowly and let time ferment it for a richer flavor.
Xu Honglei took great interest in Zhou Xiaowen, but far less in Annie.
It was not because Annie was less beautiful than Zhou Xiaowen, nor because she was his Older Cousin’s girlfriend.
In his previous life, his older cousin’s family had treated him that way. In this life, Xu Honglei had long since lost any affection for them.
The main issue was that girls like Annie were too shrewd. Pursuing them took too much effort, and they could easily treat him as a Simp, making the cost-to-benefit ratio poor.
Unless he was starving, Xu Honglei usually placed girls like Annie at the bottom of his list.
Girls like her were polite to every boy. They would not readily reject a boy’s pursuit, but neither would they readily accept it.
Her purpose and target were clear, but she would not refuse the extra benefits her pursuers offered freely.
How should one put it? She was somewhat like a Gold Digger from later generations, but Annie was a natural one. She had not yet formed a circle or undergone systematic training at a celebrity training academy, as would happen Twenty Years Later.
Dealing with women like this required a battle of wits. One had to stay steady; otherwise, they would exploit you and leave you badly battered.