Li Huimei was from the same village as him, and they had been childhood sweethearts. Their parents got along well, so they had arranged an engagement for them early on, with the expectation that they would eventually marry and start a family.
Li Huimei had been working in Jinling City for a long time.
Xu Xiaofan had only been there a few days and was staying at Li Huimei's rental apartment.
He slept on the sofa while Li Huimei slept on the bed.
Even though they were engaged, Xu Xiaofan hadn't even held Li Huimei's hand.
Xu Xiaofan never doubted his relationship with Li Huimei, at least not until he saw the video Qin Rong showed him of Li Huimei in bed with Qin Rong's husband.
Before coming to the city, Li Huimei had told Xu Xiaofan that once she earned enough money, she would return home, marry him, and build a big house.
Xu Xiaofan believed this wholeheartedly, and his reason for coming to the city was to earn more money to improve their future life together.
"Huimei!"
When Li Huimei saw Xu Xiaofan standing nearby, her face showed a moment of surprise before she quickly regained a calm expression. "Xu Xiaofan, since you've seen it, this is my boyfriend, Zhao Gaoyou."
Xu Xiaofan took a good look at Zhao Gaoyou beside Li Huimei, and couldn't suppress his anger. This was Qin Rong's husband. Although the video and the real person looked slightly different, Xu Xiaofan couldn't be mistaken. The man in front of him, as fat as a pig, was indeed Qin Rong's husband.
"He's your boyfriend, so who am I?"
"At most, you're an ex-boyfriend. You can't give me the life I want. I don't want to go back to the countryside and live a hard life with you. Zhao Gaoyou is a big boss. Do you know how much this Mercedes costs? The money for this car is enough to build a luxurious villa in the countryside!" Li Huimei spoke with brutal honesty.
"You're the useless boyfriend Xu Xiaofan that Huimei mentioned? I heard you two were childhood sweethearts, grew up together, and you haven't even touched Huimei. Are you impotent? I must say, Huimei is really tender, it's a pity you never tasted her." Zhao Gaoyou sneered at Xu Xiaofan.
"You brought back an old man older than your father. Will your family agree?" Xu Xiaofan questioned loudly, looking at Zhao Gaoyou, who was at least forty-five or six and balding.
"That's my business, not yours."
"Brat, who are you calling an old man? I'll beat you to death!" Zhao Gaoyou was infuriated by Xu Xiaofan's words.
Lies don't hurt, but the truth cuts like a knife.
At this moment, Zhao Gaoyou rushed out of the car. Standing at 5'7" and weighing 200 pounds, with a beer belly and dressed like a successful man, he was a sight to behold.
In contrast, Xu Xiaofan stood over 6 feet tall, half a head taller than Zhao Gaoyou, weighing only 130 pounds, with a fit build, tanned skin, and a buzz cut, looking full of energy.
It was precisely because of this that Qin Rong noticed Xu Xiaofan at the Gilded KTV Club. What surprised Qin Rong even more was that Xu Xiaofan wasn't just tall, handsome, and sunny, but also exceptionally skilled at pleasing women.
Facing Xu Xiaofan, who was half a head taller, Zhao Gaoyou didn't back down. He rushed up to Xu Xiaofan and swung a slap at his face.
"Slap!"
Zhao Gaoyou's right hand was caught mid-air by Xu Xiaofan's right hand, and with a strong push, Zhao Gaoyou, not expecting Xu Xiaofan to fight back, and certainly not expecting him to be so strong, stumbled backward and fell on his butt.
Seeing this, Li Huimei quickly ran to Zhao Gaoyou's side, helping him up and asking with concern, "Honey, are you okay?"
"Brat, how dare you hit me? Do you know who I am? I'm going to kill you!" Zhao Gaoyou, with Li Huimei's help, stood up, his face red with rage.
"Xu Xiaofan, are you crazy? Do you know who he is? How dare you hit him? Apologize to him now!" Li Huimei furiously demanded of Xu Xiaofan.
Although Xu Xiaofan hadn't been in the city long, he knew right from wrong. Clearly, Zhao Gaoyou had struck first, and he was merely defending himself. He had done nothing wrong, so why should he apologize?
"No matter who he is, if he hits me, should I just stand there and take it? I will never apologize to him!" Xu Xiaofan said defiantly.
"Fine, you've grown wings and don't even listen to me anymore. From today on, take your things out of my apartment. I don't want to see you again!" Li Huimei said decisively.
Even a fool would know that Li Huimei had changed her heart and would never come back. Staying at her place would only make things awkward for both of them.
Logically, Xu Xiaofan should feel heartbroken, but he didn't feel as bad as he thought he would. Zhao Gaoyou might have slept with Li Huimei, but he had slept with Zhao Gaoyou's wife.
In truth, he was the one who had cuckolded Zhao Gaoyou. A girlfriend who isn't married could end up being anyone's wife, but a woman with a marriage certificate is a legal spouse.
Soon, he packed his belongings and went downstairs. He didn't have much, just toiletries and a few changes of clothes, all of which fit into a regular backpack.
As Xu Xiaofan descended the stairs in a daze, Zhao Gaoyou, with his arm tightly around Li Huimei's slender waist, smugly said to Xu Xiaofan, "Brat, Li Huimei is my woman now. I warn you not to bother her again. If I find out you do, I won't let you off!"
Xu Xiaofan scoffed at Zhao Gaoyou's threat. Little did Zhao Gaoyou know, he had also slept with his wife, and he and Qin Rong had exchanged numbers. Who was cuckolding whom was still up for debate!
If Li Huimei had found a young and handsome boyfriend, it might have been understandable, but she chose an old man older than her father, and a married one at that.
Back in the village, he'd often heard stories of girls finding wealthy husbands in the city, the only downside being their age.
Or stories of someone becoming a mistress, getting pregnant before marriage.
But he never imagined that what he once heard as stories would happen to him.
Looking at Zhao Gaoyou, who could be Li Huimei's father, with his big belly and bald head, Xu Xiaofan couldn't fathom how Li Huimei could stand having Zhao Gaoyou on top of her.
Compared to Qin Rong, a beautiful and elegant woman, who might be a bit older, but in terms of looks, figure, and temperament, she far surpassed Li Huimei.
Next to Qin Rong, Li Huimei was just a maid.
Thinking of this, Xu Xiaofan felt inexplicably better.
"Li Huimei, how long have you known him? Do you understand him? We've grown up together for over ten years. Are you really so heartless to cut it off?" Xu Xiaofan asked, frowning.
Li Huimei replied, "What is love worth? Can you buy me LV, Chanel, and Hermès? Oh, you probably don't even know what LV, Chanel, and Hermès are. I want to live in a villa, drive a luxury car, not be stuck in a tiny rental working a 9-to-9 job. All of this requires money. Can you provide that?"
"We can work hard together. I believe with our efforts, we can achieve the life we want!" Xu Xiaofan said firmly.
Li Huimei chuckled, "You're too naive. But I can't blame you; you've only been in Jinling City for a short time and don't know how hard it is to make money, especially big money. Look at my uncle and your uncle, working outside for decades. Have they become rich? Our efforts as poor people are different from the efforts of the rich. You work hard all month and earn maybe ten or twenty thousand, while they might just need to talk and earn hundreds of thousands or even millions, maybe more!"