Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 1019 - 3 Warm Holiday

Chapter 1019: Chapter 3 Warm Holiday

Li Xinlan’s net worth was not insignificant, yet she still maintained her eighty-square-meter one-bedroom flat. Last month, she paid off her mortgage and began to create a home that truly belonged to her.

"There, the slippers are on the rack, get them yourself." Li Xinlan closed the anti-theft door forcefully. During this, she also glanced at the next door, deeply afraid of being spied on by a neighbor. Bringing a man home late at night made the young woman feel quite shy.

"They’re all ladies’ slippers!" Tang Zheng grumbled at the sight of the fluffy slippers embroidered with white lotus, which were not only too small for him but also elicited some secret delight that Xin Lan’s house had no other men.

The domestic decor was simple, clean, and seemed to carry the fresh scent of jasmine, entirely the fragrance of a woman.

"What are you grinning about? Just make do with them." Li Xinlan gave Tang Zheng a blank look and, seeing his still-wet hair, felt pity, "Go take a hot water bath, don’t catch a cold."

"You think a conqueror would catch cold?" Tang Zheng did not go against Li Xinlan’s kind offer and walked into the bathroom. As soon as he undressed, he saw a basket of white underwear, all of a very traditional and conservative sort.

"Wait a minute!" Li Xinlan then ran in, only to see a naked Tang Zheng staring blankly at her underwear. Her cheeks flushed red instantly; she snatched them up and ran out of the room.

The young housewife was tired. After her bath, she wanted to go to bed. She had planned to do the laundry the next day, but who knew Tang Zheng would see them.

"What’s wrong with me? I’m not a lovesick maiden!" Walking into the kitchen, Li Xinlan got ready to prepare a late-night meal for Tang Zheng, then let out a wry smile at her unabating racing heartbeat.

Li Xinlan had never found a man to her liking, and faced with repeated blind dates, she grew irritated. Furthermore, under the pressure from her parents, she settled for someone, and of course, such a marriage was unreliable. A few days into the marriage, conflicts arose, and only nine months later, it ended in divorce.

"Living alone is actually quite nice." Li Xinlan had previously been very averse to matters between men and women, which was one of the main reasons for her divorce. Whenever her ex-husband suggested some excessive positions, she would refuse without hesitation—especially since the rough man with a tendency for domestic violence made her life uncomfortable.

Li Xinlan appeared gentle and vulnerable, full of the typical demureness of Eastern women, but she was certainly soft on the outside and firm on the inside. The scar running from her ex-husband’s cheek to the corner of his mouth was proof enough.

"The water’s boiling." Tang Zheng stood at the entrance to the kitchen and, seeing Li Xinlan distracted, couldn’t help but remind her.

"Ow, that hurts!" Li Xinlan was startled, reaching for the pot lid only to accidentally burn herself again.

"Let me see!" Tang Zheng swiftly crossed over, turned off the gas, and then took the young woman’s hand in his, popping it into his mouth.

"Don’t, it’s dirty!" Li Xinlan’s cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, spreading even to her neck, which resulted in a burning sensation.

Sucking on Li Xinlan’s fingers, Tang Zheng stretched out his hand to block her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Stop, I still need to make supper." Even though they had already shared skin and flesh intimacy, Li Xinlan was still shy.

"I’m not hungry!" With beauty before him, Tang Zheng had no appetite for food; he suddenly felt that Xin Lan was entirely the epitome of a virtuous wife and loving mother.

"What are you touching?" Feeling Tang Zheng’s hands wander, Li Xinlan gave him a glare and swatted his hand away.

Tang Zheng laughed foolishly, lowered his head to kiss Xin Lan’s lips, supported her back with his left hand, and slid his right hand under her knee. With a princess carry, he lifted her up and walked toward the bedroom.

"Don’t!" Li Xinlan was startled and instinctively clung to Tang Zheng, her entire body pressing against his. Then, remembering what was about to happen, she subconsciously rejected him, although not very decisively.

Tang Zheng was such a fool, with too little experience in cajoling women, but fortunately, the young widow wasn’t looking for such fuss. When she was pinned down on the bed, she gave up struggling.

...

The sun climbed high, its rays streamed through the window, spreading across the floor, as Li Xinlan opened her bleary eyes.

"Get up quickly, scrub up and scram!" Li Xinlan went to push Tang Zheng, but her hand was caught.

"Life is all about movement, so how about some morning exercise?" Tang Zheng smiled warmly, looking into the young widow’s dark eyes, and kissed her forehead, "Thank you, Sister Xin Lan!"

"No, if we don’t get up now, we’ll be the talk of the town!" Li Xinlan suddenly exerted strength in her arms and flipped Tang Zheng over, "I’m going to make breakfast."

"Alright then, I’ll take a cold shower to cool down!" Tang Zheng sounded plaintive but didn’t dare to insist.

While Xin Lan cooked, the idle Tang Zheng, who had finished washing up, began to clean the room. As he stepped out, he happened to bump into the housewife from next door.

"Who are you?" The forty-year-old woman looked at Tang Zheng with some confusion. If she remembered correctly, the beautiful flight attendant next door was supposed to be single.

"I’m her boyfriend. Going to take out the trash? Let me help you!" Tang Zheng displayed his most affable smile, making one feel like basking in the spring breeze.

"Oh, wouldn’t that be too much trouble?" The housewife said with a smile, her polite refusal barely concealing her pleasure. Dressed in sportswear, Tang Zheng showed the brisk, bubbling energy of youth that made the housewife quite fond of him, prompting her to chat a bit more and dig up some gossip, "How did you two meet? You aren’t colleagues, are you?"

"No!"

"What do you do for work? Surely you’re not still a student?" The housewife’s eyes sparkled as she scrutinized every one of Tang Zheng’s expressions, trying to gauge the truth in his words, "Let me tell you, Xin Lan is a good woman. You can’t let her down!"

"No, I’ve started my own small company." Tang Zheng had come to realize how persistent a housewife could be. It would have been easier if he had just answered that they were colleagues earlier, but she would have probably doubted him due to the age difference anyway. To say he was a student would raise even more questions: why would a young widow become lovers with a university student? But clearly, this carelessly fabricated answer did not satisfy the housewife, either.

"Your own company? What scale are we talking about?" The housewife instantly categorized Tang Zheng as wealthy, unable to help it because of his youthfulness, which she saw as a definite disadvantage. She suspected he must have inherited family wealth. She’d started to imagine that Li Xinlan was being kept by this handsome young man.

"Just average, barely making ends meet." Having thrown out the trash, Tang Zheng hurried to leave. Any more questions would drive him insane. Because of Xin Lan’s sake, he had wanted to keep good relations with the neighbors, but that seemed to have backfired.

"Sigh, the world’s going downhill these days, even a good woman like Xin Lan can’t resist the temptation of money," the housewife complained as soon as she returned home.

"What nonsense are you talking? How could Xin Lan possibly be that kind of person?" The man resting at home frowned upon hearing her words.

"You didn’t see them—they have nearly a ten-year age gap," the housewife refused to let anyone challenge her judgment.

"Keep your voice down and close the door; everyone can hear you."

"Dinner’s ready!" Li Xinlan had obviously heard the neighbors’ conversation, her expression somewhat clouded. This had always been a thorn in her side.

"There’s no need to get depressed over what others say, just be happy with your own life." Tang Zheng didn’t know how to comfort Xin Lan.