Tranxending Vision - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Quarrelsome But Loving Couple

Night shrouded Hai-Zhu City and the lamp lights glowed as traffic flowed and strangers trickled by Xia Lei . The city was at once familiar and alien to Xia Lei .

The cool evening breeze blew and carried Xia Lei's depressed mood away . He wasn't going to get angry over the matter of Ren Wen-Qiang's ridicule and mockery, especially since he'd slapped him in the face with his unexpected knowledge of foreign languages .

Ring-ring-ring, ring-ring-ring went his mobile phone all of a sudden .

It was Jiang Ru-Yi . "You ass . Till when were you planning to hide it from me?"

Xia Lei paused and asked, confused, "Hide what from you?"

"One million! You made one million! How come I was the last to know of this?" said Jiang Ru-Yi .

"Oh, so you're talking about that," Xia Lei laughed, "Sorry I forgot to tell you . "

"You did it on purpose, didn't you!" Jiang Ru-Yi spoke indignantly, "Even the female worker you'd just hired got 20,000 as a bonus but I didn't get a cent!"

"You're not even an employee of our Thunder Horse Workshop so what should I give you a bonus for?"

"I don't care! I want clothes, makeup and bags! You have to buy them for me . "

Xia Lei was speechless .

"That's a promise . I'll be waiting for you at home . " Jiang Ru-Yi hung up without waiting for Xia Lei's response .

Xia Lei stared at the phone in his hands, at a loss for words . He then talked to it as if it were Jiang Ru-Yi, "You! What am I to you? I have to buy you clothing because you want it? You want makeup and bags so I have to buy them for you? Really!"

Xia Lei wandered the streets and made a big round but, as though he owed Jiang Ru-Yi from his previous life, he finally stopped in a ladies' clothing shop and spent over a thousand yuan on a dress for her .

Back in his neighbourhood, Xia Lei did not go home but went straight to Jiang Ru-Yi's door . He reached out and knocked on her door .

There was no response from inside .

Xia Lei frowned and used more strength to knock on the door while saying, "Ru-Yi? It's me, Xia Lei . Open up . "

Jiang Ru-Yi's voice finally came from beyond the door, "It's the middle of the night; who's knocking on my door?"

"It's me, Xia Lei," he said .

"Xia Lei? I don't know anyone by that name," came Jiang Ru-Yi's voice .

Xia Lei was speechless .

"I've broken all ties with you," came her voice again .

"Well then, I'll give the dress to Xue," teased Xia Lei .

The flat door opened with a crash .

The instant the door opened, a Spring-like wind blew and Xia Lei was temporarily transported to a field full of flowers in bloom; he felt not himself .

Jiang Ru-Yi stood in the doorway dressed in a bathrobe . Her hair was wet and she looked like she had just finished taking a bath . It looked like she had rushed out upon hearing the knocking and had not had time to wipe herself dry . The thin, dampened bathrobe clung to her skin, and a mesmerising sight presented itself . The bathrobe had dry spots and wet spots, darker places and lighter places, some parts flat while some parts stuck out, and some places… The body of a woman in a bathrobe was like abstract poetry; every reading brought fresh novelty and mystery .

Xia Lei froze, unsure of how he should interact with her .

Jiang Ru-Yi behaved as though she was wearing a down jacket and quilted cotton pants . She bowed at the waist, as though greeting royalty and had a smile on her face, "Boss Lei, please come in . What would you like to have?"

Xia Lei's lips were dry, "Anything . Beer, give me a can of beer . "

"What beer? You know I don't drink beer . Will tap water be okay?" Jiang Ru-Yi's line of sight was focused on the box in Xia Lei's hand . She couldn't wait to put on the dress inside .

This was Jiang Ru-Yi after all . Xia Lei grinned and his feelings settled . Wasn't it just Jiang Ru-Yi in a damp bathrobe? He'd even seen the naked Jiang Ru-Yi! He walked past her into the flat, then sat on the sofa in the living room . He did not put the box on the table but behind himself . Jiang Ru-Yi was usually the one to tease him so he was not going to let it pass when the opportunity arose to tease her .

Jiang Ru-Yi closed the door and walked over . She seated herself opposite Xia Lei, not even getting him the tap water .

She crossed her legs, and two-thirds of her white legs were exposed to the air . Her back pressed into the sofa and her arms spread to rest on the armrests, opening up the bathrobe to reveal a patch of white softness below the collar; amazing cleavage . Her posture was quite open and she was at ease . Opposite her, however, Xia Lei appeared uneasy and didn't know where to look .

"Where's the dress you bought me?" Jiang Ru-Yi spoke carelessly, "Why hide it since you bought it?"

This attitude she displayed was that of a spoilt daughter of the landlord in ancient times and Xia Lei was her family's sturdy young indentured worker .

Xia Lei smiled and said, "Call me Big Brother . I'll give it to you if you call me Big Brother . "

"Big Brother, your a…" Jiang Ru-Yi quickly changed her words and said sweetly, "Big Brother . "

"Good girl . " Xia Lei held his chin, "Do a runway walk for Big Brother . "

Jiang Ru-Yi froze, then suddenly snatched up a pillow and rushed at Xia Lei, fierce as a tigress, "You! You think you're a patron of a brothel?"

Xia Lei froze too . Patron? Why did she use such a word as 'patron'?

Jiang Ru-Yi also realised her slip-up in words and her face turned pink . She hurriedly changed the topic, "Hand over the item now or don't you think about stepping out my door tonight . "

These words were also very ambiguous and Xia Lei could not take it any longer . He threw the box he'd stashed behind himself to Jiang Ru-Yi .

Jiang Ru-Yi opened the box eagerly . Inside was a long, black dress in tasteful style and material . She loved it at first sight and a sweet smile appeared on her face .

"Try it on . It's 1,600 yuan, you know . It's expensive," said Xia Lei .

Jiang Ru-Yi looked at Xia Lei shyly, "You want me to get changed here? In your dreams . "

Xia Lei frowned, "Which ear of yours heard me saying to change here? You're so ugly I wouldn't even look at you naked . "

Jiang Ru-Yi was not mad at all; she gave him a small laugh, "Wait here for me, Lei . I'll change in my room, then you see if I look good . "

"Shoo, shoo . " Xia Lei urged impatiently .

Jiang Ru-Yi went happily into her bedroom and reappeared a few minutes later, all changed into the dress Xia Lei had bought for her . The black dress clung to her body and made the lines of her figure apparent, accentuating its loveliness and adding a bit of cool elegance . The dress was a perfect match for her .

"Lei, am I pretty?" Jiang Ru-Yi asked, pleased .

No one replied . The living room was empty .

Jiang Ru-Yi paused, then rushed to the balcony just in time to see Xia Lei escaping through the green railing and to the stairwell . She yelled, "Xia Lei, you bastard! You still owe me makeup and bags! Buy them for me tomorrow or I'll kill you!"

Xia Lei did not look back; he disappeared from the stairs in the blink of an eye .

A window on the third storey opened and a middle-aged woman looked down, then muttered, "These two sweethearts… When will they get together? Always dragging it out like this . I really worry for you . "

Neither Jiang Ru-Yi nor Xia Lei heard her words .

Back home, Xia Xue had already gone to bed . Xia Lei went to his own room to read till he got tired and fell asleep .

The next morning, Xia Lei went to Thunder Horse Workshop, went on the computer in the workshop and browsed Alibaba, picking out equipment and materials to order . He'd earned one million from East Wind Heavy Industries and this money was to be used on crucial things . He'd actually wanted very much to buy a car but he decided to first upgrade his machine shop . He would be satisfied if he could buy a cheap second-hand car with any leftover money .

Zhou Xiao-Hong made Xia Lei a cup of tea and placed it on his desk . She looked over his shoulder at the monitor, "Big Brother Lei, you're buying more equipment?"

"Yep, our business will be doing better and better . The equipment we have now will not be enough to handle that volume of work . I'm not only buying equipment but also looking to hire more people . " He turned back to speak, "Later, Xiao-Ho…"

Xia Lei had not expected Zhou Xiao-Hong's head to be over his shoulder and his lips hit her cheek before he could finish his sentence . His lips had landed close to the edge of her lips and had almost become a kiss .

Zhou Xiao-Hong's apple-face turned red and she stepped backwards, flustered . That instantaneous wonderous feeling made her embarrassed but her body seemed to respond subtly . That feeling made her even more embarrassed .

Xia Lei was also very embarrassed and he quickly apologised, "I'm sorry, I, I didn't mean to . "

Zhou Xiao-Hong was also quick to respond, "It,It's okay . "

Xia Lei coughed dryly and changed the subject, "I was saying… Xiao-An will manage the personnel in the future and you will be in charge of accounts, collecting money and paying the workers . What do you think?"

"Me? Accounts?" Zhou Xiao-Hong shook her head so hard it looked like a rattle . "I can't do it, Big Brother Lei . I'm just a junior-high graduate . I can't even use computers so how am I going to do accounts? No, no, it's not good if I do it . "

Xia Lei smiled, "You can learn if you don't know . Besides, we're not a large company – we're just a machine shop . The accounts are simple . You'll do well for sure if you learn . "

"B,But I can't . " Zhou Xiao-Hong was still doubtful of her own capabilities .

Xia Lei stood and pulled her to the desk, then sat her on the chair while directing her, "Use the mouse and click here to open OfficeSL…"

Zhou Xiao-Hong followed Xia Lei's instructions step by step, full of nervousness .

Ma Xiao-An walked in and saw Xia Lei teaching Zhou Xiao-Hong how to use the computer . He said laughingly, "Xiao-Hong, don't go to Japanese AV sites . You'll pick up bad habits . "

"What is a Japanese AV site?" Zhou Xiao-Hong asked curiously .

"Keep going . Don't listen to his nonsense," said Xia Lei .

"Okay," said Zhou Xiao-Hong obediently . She then glared at Ma Xiao-An with her large, dark eyes .

Xia Lei let Zhou Xiao-Hong practice on her own and called Ma Xiao-An to one side to tell him of his plan before asking, "It's like that . What do you think?"

"You do whatever you think best . This workshop is yours . I'll follow you no matter what you do . "

Xia Lei smiled, "We got to know many people while working at construction sites . Contact those whom you feel are pragmatic, hardworking and have good workmanship and ask if they'd be willing to come to us to work . As for the pay, we can give them higher rates so they can think about it . "

"Sure . How many?"

Xia Lei thought for a bit, "Five, just five . We'll look for more if we need them . "

"I'll go make some calls now," said Ma Xiao-An .

Xia Lei nodded, "Yep, better to call early,"

Zhou Xiao-Hong was learning to use the computer while Ma Xiao-An was on the phone calling people up . Xia Lei paced up and down, pondering the placement of the new equipment .

A car stopped on the side of the road . The door opened and Ning Jing alighted . She was wearing a white T-shirt and tight-fitting denim shorts with light-coloured high-heeled sandals . She had a youthful air about her; sexy and charming .

At the sight of her, Xia Lei thought, 'She isn't here to ask me to pretend to be her boyfriend again, is she?"