Zhi Lan was so furious that her face turned dark, and with her exquisitely manicured fingertips trembling, she pointed for a long time: “I am going to expose you two dog men on the internet!”
Sang Li: “?”
Sang Li felt that he was truly innocent, and he tried to defend himself: “I am not a dog man.”
“You seduced him!”
Zhi Lan’s voice was shrill, her eyes turning red.
Fortunately, this spot was in a very secluded corner, so not many people were paying attention.
Sang Li frantically waved his hands: “I did not seduce him.”
“You are still arguing!” Zhi Lan shouted loudly. “You even came out with him to eat couple’s ice cream!”
Ah, was this a couple’s ice cream shop?
Sang Li peeked out past the decorative pillar inside the shop, and on the other side, there really were several pairs of seemingly sweet little couples sitting there.
Shao Wenxing shrugged: “This is the place with the highest rating. I didn’t know this was a couple’s ice cream shop either.”
He shifted his gaze, his eyes calm and cold as he looked at Zhi Lan: “No matter what kind of shop this is, your behavior of following me has already violated the law. Have some self-respect.”
Sang Li had read about unfeeling scumbags in family ethics dramas, but seeing one in real life was a first.
Seeing that Zhi Lan was about to cry again, Sang Li handed over a tissue with a somewhat troubled expression: “Um, pretty lady, why don’t you wipe your tears first? Aren’t you a celebrity? What if you get photographed?”
“None of your business!”
Zhi Lan snatched the tissue away: “You are just shameless!”
Sang Li:
The tissues in Sang Li’s bag were also custom-made exclusively for him by Jiang Xiucheng and supplied solely for Sang Li’s use. They were pure plant-extracted baby handkerchief tissues infused with lavender essential oil, and they were quite expensive, and a whole pack had just been snatched away.
Besides, he had only brought one pack when he went out.
Sang Li troubledly scratched the bridge of his nose: “Do you like Shao Wenxing that much?”
“Duh.”
While fiercely using Sang Li’s tissue, Zhi Lan threw the tissue ball she had used to wipe her tears right at him: “I hate you, you little homewrecker!”
Sang Li:
Jumped around, dodge and weaving under the barrage of tissue balls, Sang Li asked with some confusion: “Since he doesn’t like you anyway, why don’t you ask him for more money?”
Zhi Lan:
The tissue ball attack temporarily stopped, and Sang Li sat back down with an honest expression: “Pretty sister, let me tell you, men cannot be relied upon, but men’s money is very reliable. You should ask for more money, and then find other men.”
Zhi Lan was probably so shocked by such a completely devoid of core values statement that she stared blankly for a long time before saying: “Right in front of Shao Wenxing, you dare say something like that?”
“I dare!”
He isn’t even my husband.
Sang Li said, “You should ask for more resources, and ruthlessly demand money. In the future, if the media exposes it, you can just say he was impotent and you dumped him.”
Zhi Lan:
Shao Wenxing couldn’t sit still anymore: “Can the two of you please respect the person involved? I’m still right here.”
“A mature scumbag should know how to spend money to avert disaster.”
Sang Li reached out his little hands toward Shao Wenxing: “You’re so rich, give pretty sister some more.”
Zhi Lan was completely bewildered by Sang Li.
In the end, this mission to deal with the mistress concluded with her gaining two major trending variety shows and two female lead roles. When leaving, she even added Sang Li on WeChat and scheduled a spa day together next time.
The table fell quiet again.
The sun was no longer directly overhead; it slanted diagonally through the floor to ceiling window, landing on Sang Li’s face opposite.
He was eating his last ball of cantaloupe ice cream, focusing intently as if he were supremely happy.
Shao Wenxing suddenly asked: “You don’t really think Zhi Lan likes me, do you?”
“Of course she likes you,” Sang Li licked his lips happily, “she likes that you’re rich.”
Shao Wenxing:
Shao Wenxing: “Then do you like Jiang Xiucheng?”
No one had ever asked him this question before.
Sang Li froze for a moment: “Of course! He is my dearest husband! I love my husband super much!”
Shao Wenxing: “You like that he’s rich too?”
Before Sang Li could even answer, Shao Wenxing continued:
“Not entirely. You like that he gives you a completely comfortable life like a birdcage. He takes care of all your food, drink, and daily expenses. He keeps you in captivity, just like raising a precious, purebred cat, even purifying the air first before letting you breathe it.”
“Sang Li, is a life like this interesting?”
Shao Wenxing looked at him: “Are you sure you want to live your whole life like this?”
Sang Li’s movements paused.
Unlike Jiang Xiucheng’s fingers, three of Shao Wenxing’s five fingers wore accessories, making him look just like a gaudy peacock. As his fingertips tapped against the tabletop, the reflections from the accessories flashed into Sang Li’s eyes, making him look somewhat dazed.
“You’ve been with Jiang Xiucheng for nearly ten years. Do you really know how much wealth and property he actually has, or why people outside are so terrified of him?”
Shao Wenxing said, “If you truly understand him, aren’t you afraid that one day he won’t love you anymore and will abandon you?”
The cantaloupe flavored ice cream no longer tasted sweet.
Sang Li pressed his lips tightly together, his round eyes staring straight into Shao Wenxing’s: “Then I’ll just want even more and more money than before.”
Pfft.
Shao Wenxing laughed.
He gently tapped the tabletop in front of Sang Li: “You probably still don’t understand Jiang Xiucheng. If one day he decides to dump you, he will definitely make sure you leave with nothing, wandering the streets with your son. If you don’t believe me, do you want to make a bet with me?”
The light in Sang Li’s pretty eyes flickered, like a candle flame in the night: “I won’t bet. You are just trying to scare me.”
“Because you don’t dare to bet either.”
Shao Wenxing leaned in closer: “Sang Li, you’re scared, aren’t you?”
The distance between the two of them was getting closer and closer.
He could even smell the cantaloupe flavor that Sang Li had just tasted on his lips.
Sweet.
Making someone want to taste it.
Sang Li’s light brown pupils trembled violently. He jerked back a bit and instinctively bit his lip: “I’m not scared! Li Li is not scared at all!”
“Wrong.”
Shao Wenxing stood up, leaning even closer toward Sang Li. Reaching across the small dessert table, he said in a low voice laden with an oppressive angle: “Li Li is scared, because Li Li is a bad child who needs someone to dote on her every single second.”
“The bad child is vain and greedy, clearly not loving her master very much, yet stubbornly putting on a facade of being completely devoted to him, acting like she’s so well behaved.”
Shao Wenxing’s breath practically brushed against the tip of Sang Li’s nose. He exuded a scent of tobacco nicotine mixed with a base note of bitter olive perfume, choking him to the point where even breathing felt somewhat painful.
“Cough.”
Sang Li frowned, trying to scurry away from his seat, but was blocked by Shao Wenxing’s arm resting on the other side of the booth: “You, go away.”
Yet Shao Wenxing said: “Do you want to reserve me?”
Sang Li couldn’t stand even a hint of nicotine and was choked until his vision went dizzy: “What?”
“To be your next husband.”
Sang Li: “?”
Sang Li turned his face away, struggling to breathe the thin air: “You’re sick.”
“You’ve tried Jiang Xiucheng’s, don’t you want to try mine? I’m quite large too.”
Shao Wenxing reached out, wanting to touch Sang Li’s face. Before he could even make contact, a cool male voice rang out from the side.
“That’s enough.”
Shao Wenxing frowned.
Sang Li turned his head and, as if suddenly seeing a savior, leaped up: “Ji Banting!”
In this ice cream shop full of pink bubbles, Ji Banting’s suit felt almost completely out of place.
Yet Sang Li couldn’t wait to rush over and hug his arm: “Professor Ji, why are you here?”
With a blank expression, Ji Banting lowered his gaze to look at his left arm, which Sang Li was holding onto tightly, and after a moment said: “I came over to take care of some temporary business.”
Sang Li didn’t care at all whether Ji Banting had business or not. He lifted his face and pleaded: “Then Professor Ji, can you please take me back? I don’t want to stay with this crazy person anymore!”
Ji Banting’s gaze lingered on Sang Li’s face for a moment before shifting to Shao Wenxing: “Very well.”
Shao Wenxing stood up and sneered: “Sang Li, your husband personally told me to take you back.”
“But her husband probably didn’t personally tell you to poach his man.”
Ji Banting’s cold gaze briefly collided with Shao Wenxing’s in the air. The man lowered his head, picked up the jacket Sang Li had left on his seat, and said: “Let’s go.”
“Oh, oh oh.”
Sang Li clutched Ji Banting’s sleeve, refusing to let go, and followed him out of the corner booth, sticking his tongue out at Shao Wenxing: “I don’t like you, you’re a scumbag! Don’t even dream about it!”
Shao Wenxing:
“Walk properly.”
Ji Banting pulled back his arm and led Sang Li out of the ice cream shop: “Put your jacket on.”
Sang Li: “Fine.”
Lacking the favorable treatment of having a door opened for him, Sang Li had no choice but to hop into the passenger seat himself: “Professor Ji, where are we going?”
Ji Banting turned to look at him: “Seatbelt.”
“You are so annoying.”
Sang Li’s naughty nature always led him to complain casually, though he immediately realized something and added: “Not annoying, not annoying, Professor Ji, you are a hundred times better than Shao Wenxing, no, a thousand times better! Li Li loves you!”
Ji Banting:
Ji Banting spoke extremely little and carried a natural, ice cold honor student aura.
Sang Li was always a bit afraid of him.
When Ji Banting didn’t speak, Sang Li didn’t dare speak either.
The car drove all the way toward the Second Ring Road and finally stopped in front of a villa.
It was an old fashioned Western style villa in H City. The neighborhood environment was quiet with babbling springs, but there was no underground parking; cars were parked right at the courtyard gate.
“I’ve been here before, this is your house!”
Sang Li hopped out of the car: “Professor Ji, are we eating dinner here? I can have the best restaurant deliver food over. My husband left me his home phone number.”
Ji Banting was in the midst of unlocking the door and glanced at Sang Li upon hearing this.
Sang Li was momentarily stunned by the look.
Ji Banting said: “There was actually one thing Shao Wenxing said that wasn’t wrong.”
Sang Li: “?”
Ji Banting said: “If one day your husband abandons you, you really won’t be able to survive.”
Being refuted twice in a row was too much for even Sang Li to bear: “You’re talking nonsense! I can do it!”
Ji Banting: “Is that so?”
Sang Li: “Of course!”
Ji Banting changed his shoes and walked inside. The lights turned on automatically. He walked into the living room toward a tall bookshelf, looked at it alone for a moment, and pulled out a book from the very edge: “Come here.”
Sang Li took off his shoes as well. He still didn’t like wearing slippers and padded over barefoot, prying his head in: “What’s this?”
Ji Banting handed the book to him: “See that floor to ceiling window over there? Stand there, read it line by line, and once you’ve memorized it, come back to me for a dictation.”
Sang Li lowered his head to take a peek: Core Socialist Values Youth Reader.
His spirit instantly wilted: “Can we change to a different book? I can’t memorize this, it’s too long.”
“Sure.”
Ji Banting took down another one.
He took a look, oh, Records of the Grand Historian.
“I really cannot learn.”
Sang Li collapsed his little cat like face, rubbing up against Ji Banting with a pitiful expression: “If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have been kept by my husband at such a young age.”
Ji Banting looked at him completely unfazed.
Sang Li flipped through the pages of the book, feeling like he was already suffering from word blindness.
Embracing his inner poor student with despair, he said: “Ji Banting, how about you give me a recipe book instead. Do you know how to make spicy potato sticks? If Jiang Xiucheng doesn’t want me in the future, I can at least go set up a food stall in front of the elementary school.”