CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44 APPROPRIATE HOME FOR WU XIAOLI

This made him tense up.

No way, Xiaoli. Are you for real?

To be honest, ever since his divorce, he had maintained a certain mindset. He played the field, flitting from one woman to the next, but never allowed himself to get attached. For people of the jianghu, a consensual physical fling was fine, but catching feelings? Absolutely not!

Wu Xiaoli’s face showed a flicker of disappointment at Sun Dasheng’s reaction. However, it was fleeting, as she had expected it. They had both experienced a failed marriage, so she could understand.

"You’re not the only woman I’m seeing." After some thought, Sun Dasheng decided to tell the truth. The woman before him was bold in love and hate; she couldn’t be deceived. If she found out the truth later, she would leave him in a heartbeat.

Wu Xiaoli wasn’t surprised. She had seen enough examples around her to know what kind of degenerates men become once they get rich. Hearing his candid confession, she remained perfectly calm.

"You’re not surprised?" Sun Dasheng was a bit taken aback by her composure.

She smoothed her wavy hair and said with a disdainful tone, "Surprised? Should I be? Do I really need to spell out what you men turn into once you have money?"

Faced with Wu Xiaoli’s sharp gaze, Sun Dasheng, despite his usual thick skin, actually felt himself blush. He wanted to argue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say a word in his defense. Because she was right.

"So, do you mind?" Sun Dasheng asked again.

"Mind? As a woman, of course I mind. But what good would it do?"

Sun Dasheng was at a loss for words. Indeed, any objection would be futile. He wouldn’t let go of any woman who got involved with him. It was the unique possessiveness of the male animal, ingrained in his genes over tens of millions of years of evolution. It really wasn’t his fault!

"In the future, just don’t flaunt your little harem in front of me," Wu Xiaoli said, giving him an out.

He hurriedly swore an oath. The woman had already conceded so much; it would be incredibly insensitive not to give her a firm answer.

After they finished their coffee, evening had fallen. It was the perfect time to get some dinner. Unfortunately, dinnertime coincided with rush hour, and the roads were heavily congested. The restaurant wasn’t far, so they left the car at the coffee shop, planning to grab a couple of shared bikes and ride over. A green trip, reducing global carbon emissions by another fraction. What immeasurable merit!

"I can’t ride a bike."

Standing in front of a shared bike, Sun Dasheng was dumbfounded. There’s someone in this world who can’t ride a bike? Well, apparently, there was one right in front of him.

In that case, they would just have to walk.

They hadn’t gone more than a few meters when a "traffic incident" unfolded before their eyes at an intersection. A blond kid on an electric scooter, who tried to brake with a bit too much flair, ended up flinging the girl on the back right off. The scene became incredibly awkward in an instant. The girl refused to get back on his scooter, no matter what he said. He just sat there on his ride, unsure what to do, glancing worriedly at the scooter beneath him.

The intersection was a ceaseless river of pedestrians and cars. He didn’t dare take a single step away from his precious ride. He had secretly used his parents’ money to buy it, and it had taken him a lot of effort. He was clearly a young man who genuinely loved his electric scooter—so much so that he was neglecting his girlfriend for it.

Sun Dasheng walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Shouldn’t you be comforting her? Is that your girlfriend?"

The kid nodded numbly but remained seated, his eyes still fixed worriedly on his scooter. It was clear he was afraid to leave his pride and joy unattended at the bustling intersection.

"How much did you spend on this thing?" Sun Dasheng asked.

The blondie was a bit wary of the question but answered anyway, "Three thousand yuan."

Sun Dasheng pulled out his phone. "I’ll buy it for four thousand. Go make things right with your girl. With the extra cash, you can just buy a new one." Seeing the kid was still stunned, he added, "A scooter can be replaced, but if your girlfriend leaves you, she’s gone for good."

It wasn’t clear whether it was his words or the money that did the trick, but the blondie’s eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement.

The transaction was completed in seconds. Holding his phone and staring at the transfer confirmation, the blondie happily ran off to console his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Sun Dasheng hopped on the electric scooter and rode away with Wu Xiaoli.

"You’ve certainly got a silver tongue," Wu Xiaoli said from the back, her fingers interlaced as she held on tightly to his waist. "Did you use the same trick to reel in Xiao Jun back then?"

Sun Dasheng just laughed it off, denying it completely. Could he really admit to something like that?

The wind was strong today, turning their ears bright red. "My mistake. We shouldn’t have taken this scooter today. Are you okay back there?" he asked over his shoulder.

Wu Xiaoli didn’t say a word. Instead, she carefully pulled the hood of his down jacket over his head. Then, she hugged him tightly, without a single word of complaint.

In that moment, silence was more powerful than words.

BEEP! BEEP!

An impatient horn blared from behind them, and a red Porsche swerved to overtake them. The driver, clearly in a foul mood, rolled down his window and yelled, "What are you doing riding a damn scooter in the vehicle lane?! If you’re going to be that slow, get the hell onto the sidewalk! You’re just hogging the road!"

He then turned to the woman in his passenger seat and continued his rant, "These poor saps are a plague on Dahu City. If they don’t have money, why don’t they just go back to their hometowns? What are they doing hanging around here shamelessly when a month’s salary isn’t even enough to cover rent?

"They’re just suffering to keep up appearances!"

Sun Dasheng glanced back. Well, well! It’s a small world. The esteemed Porsche owner was none other than an old acquaintance: Wang Jiadong. And the woman in the passenger seat was his ex-wife, Lee Li.

After a quick look, he turned back and accelerated, weaving the little scooter through traffic and quickly leaving the Porsche far behind.

"That man just now... he looked a lot like Sun Dasheng, didn’t he?" Lee Li asked, uncertain. He had turned his head for such a brief moment that she couldn’t get a clear look.

"Was he?" After his outburst, Wang Jiadong was focused on overtaking other cars and hadn’t noticed. Besides, both people on the scooter were wearing hoods, obscuring their faces. Still, recalling that Sun Dasheng also owned an electric scooter, he said mockingly, "I remember he rode a little electric scooter the day we went to the Civil Affairs Bureau for the divorce papers, right? It must be him."

"There are plenty of look-alikes in the world, but here in Dahu City, how many of them also happen to ride a little electric scooter? It could only be him. Otherwise, we’d have to believe in miracles."

Hearing this, Lee Li’s expression turned sour. According to a preliminary investigation by the private detective she’d recently hired, her ex-husband had undergone a shocking transformation after their divorce, going from a simple working stiff to a wealthy and successful businessman. Wang Jiadong’s words were dripping with sarcasm, but she felt it was all directed at her. She felt like a complete clown.

That damn bastard Sun Dasheng finally showed his true colors after the divorce, swapping women one after another. First, it was an eighteen-year-old girl, and now he’s with a beautiful married woman.

Hearing the term "married woman," it was as if a switch had been flipped in Wang Jiadong. His interest was piqued. "How beautiful could she be? More beautiful than you?"

Lee Li looked at him, speechless. He had a real talent for saying the exact wrong thing. Wasn’t he just twisting the knife? Even if she tried to deny it, she knew the woman on the back of that scooter was, at the very least, her equal in looks.

"She’s alright, I guess. Pretty enough," she said grudgingly.

"Whoa, a compliment like that from you isn’t easy to come by. She must be quite the looker then." Wang Jiadong said with a hint of regret, "I wonder which poor guy’s wife got snatched by that loser Sun Dasheng. I’ll mourn for that poor sap for three seconds."