Su Wanying chose a red one, while Xu Honglei chose a blue one. Then he said, “Come on, let’s go pick out a SIM Card too.”
If you’re going to put on an act, you have to see it through. Personal Favors have to be carried out to the end. We’ve already bought the Cell Phones, so what’s one more SIM Card?
In this era, even slightly better cell phone numbers cost money. Call rates were expensive: the cheapest cost thirty cents per minute, while the most expensive cost sixty or seventy cents.
Cell phone SIM Cards in this era also came with a Monthly Rent. Long-distance calls incurred additional charges, and calls from another region incurred a Roaming Fee.
In short, everything came with a fee. Anything they could charge you for, they charged you for.
Many people could afford to buy a cell phone but not to use one. They carried a phone clipped to their waist but belonged to the dead-phone crowd, treating it as a decoration.
Sure enough, when Su Wanying saw that Xu Honglei had even bought her a SIM Card, she wrapped both arms around his arm, her face full of admiration and tenderness. “Lei, you’re good to me. If only you were a few years older!”
Xu Honglei said with a hearty laugh, “What, are you planning to marry me? No problem. Dump Li Hu, then wait by my side for four years, and we’ll be able to register a marriage.”
Su Wanying pouted, looking pitiful, and said in a weak voice, “Four years is such a long time. By then, I’ll be old.
What if you get tired of playing with me one day and dump me? How will I ever get married then?”
Xu Honglei said with a grin, “You’re such a beautiful great beauty. Having you take a liking to me is my good fortune. I could never get tired of loving you.
Even taking the worst-case scenario, if we aren’t together in the future, you can go back and look for your Tiger. Maybe he’ll still be waiting there anxiously to take over the business!”
“You’re awful, you Little Rascal. You’re rotten to the core! I’m not going to let you play with me like some fool!” Su Wanying pretended to be angry and punched Xu Honglei lightly.
“That’s right, that’s right. You’re only playing around with me, but you’re serious with Li Hu. Yet this guy who’s playing around with you bought you a cell phone. What has Li Hu ever bought you?
Look at how stingy he is. At most, I’d say he’ll buy you breakfast, bring you some fruit from home, and then tell you to drink more hot water or something. Am I right?”
Su Wanying pouted again, saying nothing as she looked aggrieved.
“What, did I hit the nail on the head and upset you? If you’re unhappy, go return the cell phone right now and have your Tiger buy you one.”
Su Wanying curled her lips and sighed before saying irritably, “You’re right. Although his family is well-off, they’re afraid he’ll squander their money and ruin himself, so they barely give him any Pocket Money anymore. He has to ask them in advance before buying anything.
And that guy idles around all day. Since graduating from junior college, he’s stayed home living off his parents instead of working. Most of the time, his pockets are emptier than his face.
There’s no chance he’d even buy me an MP3. If I waited for him to buy me a cell phone, I’d have to wait until the monkeys grew old, until the end of the world.”
As she said this, she kissed Xu Honglei on the cheek and giggled. “You’re so handsome, you treat me so well, and you’re even my Younger brother. I’m Willing to let you play with me.”
Xu Honglei raised his chin with a laugh and pretended to be proud. “Someone like me, if I worked at a nightclub, I’d definitely be a young puppy, fought over by all those Wealthy Women—and they’d be paying me.
Being with you, I don’t ask you for money; I spend money on you instead. You should be secretly delighted!”
Su Wanying giggled. “That’s a good idea. Go work at a Nightclub and make money. Use it to buy me delicious food and clothes.
After I get married, having a little Mistress like you on the side—someone willing to spend money on me—would make my life complete.”
Xu Honglei patted his chest and said confidently, “How much money can you make as a Male escort at a Nightclub? You might even ruin your health. It’s not worth it.
If you ask me, the best way to make money is still Entrepreneurship: make a fortune, marry a beautiful Wife, and keep a few Mistresses or lovers on the side. That’s the life a man ought to live.”
Su Wanying covered her mouth and laughed. “You’re an even bigger braggart than Tiger. He daydreams all day too. Whenever he has a little money, he buys lottery tickets and fantasizes about winning the jackpot and striking it rich!”
Xu Honglei smiled and continued choosing a cell phone number he liked. “Men can dream a little. It’s not against the law!”
The two sim cards cost Xu Honglei less than 2,500 yuan in total.
After buying the cell phones, the two of them headed straight to Xu Honglei’s home in tacit agreement. There, they acted out a passionately erotic little movie and completely let themselves go.
As the sun set, its afterglow streamed through a gap in the curtains and spilled into Xu Honglei’s small room. It reminded the young man and woman inside that night was about to fall.
“Lei, I can’t go on. Let me go home. It’s not as though I won’t come again. If you miss me, send me a text message. As long as nothing comes up, I’ll come.”
Su Wanying lay limp in Xu Honglei’s arms, one hand around his neck and the other drawing circles on his chest. Her expression was full of bliss.
Xu Honglei smiled and kissed Su Wanying, breathing in the alluring fragrance of her body. His voice was soft and full of affection as he said, “All right, all right. Whatever you say goes, okay?
Wanying, your figure is incredible. Whenever I’m with you, I have trouble controlling my impulses. Please don’t blame me.”
Su Wanying continued drawing circles as she smiled. “I don’t blame you. I’m willing to be with you, so don’t overthink it. However you want to play with me, I’ll do my best to satisfy you.”
Xu Honglei teased with a grin, “Come to think of it, your figure is perfect for having children. Every time we do that, I get the urge to have you bear eight or ten children for me.”
Su Wanying laughed playfully. “Sure. Get me pregnant, and I’ll give you one child first. Then I’ll marry Tiger. The child I have with you will be beautiful!”
“How about this instead? I’ll get you pregnant, and you and Li Hu can raise the child together!”
“Get lost, you Little Rascal! You’re rotten!” Su Wanying’s face flushed as she pouted coquettishly.
“Women love bad men!”
Su Wanying said seriously, “Lei, let me make this clear. Before I get married, it doesn’t matter how we play around. But once I get married, our relationship ends. You can’t pester me anymore!”
“Fine, no problem. I know that my current family situation means I’m not worthy of you. I respect your choice!”
Su Wanying seemed embarrassed and comforted him. “Lei, you’re a good person. It’s just that you and I don’t share the same Destiny. You’ll find someone better than me!”
Xu Honglei never expected to receive a Nice-Guy Card in this life too. He could only laugh bitterly. “All right, all right. I’ll take your blessing. I’ll find someone better.”
Happy times are always short-lived. Darkness had fallen, and Su Wanying had to go home, or she would have trouble explaining herself to her family.
Afraid an Acquaintance might see her, Su Wanying refused Xu Honglei’s offer to escort her. Under cover of darkness, she limped out of his home and made her way toward her own, slowly supporting herself against the wall.