Chapter 073　 Boss, why are you here?

  *

  Li Chengshi asked. "Do you think I'm too stupid to be taught?"

  Su Xian did a quick calculation in her head. The mental energy required to teach someone is hard to measure, and if she lost her temper during tutoring, it could easily turn them against each other. So she said, "It's mainly that I don't have much patience. But I'll sign you up for a prep class. I'll also try to arrange for you to work less overtime and share the housework to ensure you have my full support."

  "Prep classes here are much more expensive than that in China. They easily cost a million yen."

  "Investing in your own boyfriend is a safe bet. Once you get the license, your job and income will be more secure. Isn't that a guarantee for my future as well?"

  His heart felt warm. "Wifey, I won't let you down."

  *

  In the morning, she was woken up by the birdsong outside the window.

  She called Honda up, and the three of them did yoga together on the sun-drenched terrace. After breakfast, they went for a walk by the stream. Honda skillfully caught a fish—as expected of a child who grew up by the river.

  In the morning, they cut up various meats, vegetables, and seafood into skewers. At noon, they had a BBQ behind the house, eating to their heart's content. A passing Shiba Inu was so tempted by the smell that it wouldn't leave; only after Li Chengshi gave the owner two skewers of grilled meat did the dog finally follow her away.

  Honda was curious why Su Xian had suddenly quit drinking. In fact, Su Xian was suffering from the craving; eating BBQ without beer felt like a violation of the laws of nature. But quit meant quit, so she ate plenty of garlic instead to stimulate her taste buds.

  "Li Chengshi, do you dare to kiss me now?" she asked provocatively.

  Without a word, he leaned right in and gave her a long, hard kiss.

  Su Xian cried out, "Wow, you ate a lot of it too!"

  "Today, we’re a pair of stinky lovers."

  Su Xian burst into laughter.

  Honda watched them and said enviously, "二人は本当にラブラブですね。(You two are truly lovey-dovey.)"

  "本田さんもきっといい人見つかるよ。(Honda-san, you'll definitely find someone great too.)"

  "無理かも。(Maybe not.)"

  "まさかまだ社長のこと思ってるの？(Could it be that you're still thinking about the Boss?)"

  "はぁ～。(Sigh...)"

  Su Xian thought for a moment and said, "本田さん、もし覚悟があるなら、ちょっと色気を出して社長と接して見て、あいつ、落ちるのがはやい。でもね、彼は本気にしないから、恋して、別れて、終わる。もしこれでもいいなら、思い切ってやりなさい。一旦ゲットしたら、また失っても悔みなし。(Honda, if you have the resolve, try to show a bit of sex appeal when you deal with him. He falls easily. But keep in mind, he doesn't take things seriously. You fall in love, you break up, and it's over. If you're okay with that, then go for it. Once you've had him, you won't have regrets even if you lose him again.)"

  Li Chengshi looked at her as if to scold her: Don't give Honda-san bad ideas that might drive her into a deep hole.

  Honda thought it over and said, "私には色気なんてないよ。それに、私にとって社長は大事な人です。遊び心で付き合うなんて、できないです。(I don't have any sex appeal. Besides, to me, the Boss is someone important. I can't be with him just for a 'fling'.)"

  "そう思うなら、早くあきらめたほうがいい。(If that's what you think, you'd better give up sooner.)"

  "そうね、この休みで決意をしましょう！(You're right. I'll make a decision during this break!)"

  "頑張ろう！(Good luck!)"

  Li Chengshi also encouraged her: "頑張ってください。(Please do your best.)"

  *

  At 3:00 PM, they rode bicycles to a pre-booked tennis court. It was quite crowded. Among the three, only Su Xian knew how to play, though she wasn't an expert. She gave the other two some basic tips; they were just playing for fun anyway. They even met a university club on the adjacent court and were invited to their dance party.

  *

  Youth is so wonderful—so full of energy. They played until the early hours of the morning before finally bidding everyone farewell and leaving the hall. The students inside were still reveling.

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  Su Xian had her right arm around Li Chengshi and her left hand pulling Honda. Both of them had drunk quite a bit and could barely walk straight. After struggling to drag them back to the villa, she found Zhao Nanfeng waiting at the door.

  Honda thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She froze for a second, rubbed her eyes to confirm it was him, and then pounced toward him joyfully, nearly tripping over the weeds.

  Zhao Nanfeng stepped forward to catch her.

  Honda snuggled into his arms and said happily, "社長、どうしてここに？(Boss, why are you here?)"

  Smelling the alcohol on her, Zhao Nanfeng asked Su Xian, "Taking her but not me—what's the meaning of this?"

  Su Xian smiled awkwardly. "We thought that since you've been in Japan for so many years, you must have plenty of friends. Why suffer through the holidays playing with colleagues?"

  "Exactly, why suffer through the holidays playing with colleagues? Aren't you colleagues?" He gave Honda a nudge, only to find she had actually fallen asleep while hugging his waist. He frowned in disgust. "Where did you go to mess around and drink this much?"

  "To the hall over there..."

  Li Chengshi tugged on Su Xian’s arm. "Wifey, let's go inside. I need to use the bathroom."

  "Okay." Su Xian took out the keys, helped Li Chengshi over to open the door, and turned back to Zhao Nanfeng. "I'll help Li Chengshi up to the second floor to rest. You take care of Honda."

  "Hey, I haven't even had dinner yet!"

  "There's food in the fridge."

  *

  He shook Honda, but there was no response. Zhao Nanfeng sighed helplessly, picked her up around the waist, strode onto the porch, opened the door, and looked around the living room. After locating the bedroom, he carried her inside and laid her on the bed.

  As he pulled his arm back and prepared to get up and leave, Honda grabbed his arm and mumbled something incoherent. He didn't have the patience to listen; he brushed her hand away, took off her shoes and moved them to the entryway, brought a pair of slippers back to the bedside, then turned off the light, left the room, and closed the door.

  After a quick wash, he opened the fridge to find some food. While eating, he observed the layout of the villa. Clearly, there was only one bedroom on the first floor.

  *

  Once Li Chengshi had lied down, Su Xian came downstairs and found a blanket in the storage room. She told Zhao Nanfeng to sleep on the first-floor sofa and look after Honda. She asked curiously, "How did you find this place?"

  "I was a bit bored, so I checked the GPS location of the work phone. I found out the three of you were together—it was infuriating! I drove here immediately, only to find no one home. No one picked up the company phone or personal phones. I waited for you for three full hours!"

  Su Xian smiled apologetically. "When we went dancing tonight, we were afraid of losing things, so everyone went empty-handed. Besides, who would have thought you'd come looking for us? The intention of bringing the work phone was in case you suddenly had instructions—turns out my professionalism backfired..."

  Zhao Nanfeng’s face immediately darkened. "Would a professional person leave their boss behind? Do you want to end up like Wakui too?"

  "Look at you, acting like a spurned woman. We didn't know you'd be ditched by Yoshida when we booked this. We'll take you along tomorrow, okay? Stop being mad."

  He was still angry, but had no grounds to complain. He threw his car keys to Su Xian. "Go and bring my luggage in."

  "Yes, Boss."

  *