Part 2
His plump lips moved open and closed, revealing a few white canine teeth, just like a flower bud about to bloom.
He was pink, tender, and delicate, warm and sweet, yet also thirst-quenching. He made one want to take more, greedy and insatiable.
Zhou Yuejun had fantasized countless times.
In his dreams, during a kiss, sometimes even just seeing Yu Deng mumbling while talking.
He wasn’t sure if Yu Deng was willing, but he was willing anyway, and he liked it.
Because it was his well-behaved little Deng.
Regarding Zhou Yuejunâs murky thoughts, Yu Deng was completely oblivious. He was focused on pricking up his ears to listen to the ghost-like wailing and howling outside.
“Are they leaving?”
The police were urging Zhou Aifeng to leave, but she kept demanding money and appliances.
There were oranges in the fruit bowl on the coffee table. Yu Deng had just picked one up and was about to peel it when he suddenly stuffed it into Zhou Yuejunâs hand.
“You peel it. After I peel it, the insides of my fingernails turn yellow. When it oxidizes, it even turns black.”
He was really exploiting Zhou Yuejun at every turn.
This kind of orange was small and could be peeled as soon as the skin was lifted. After Zhou Yuejun peeled it, he even fed it into Yu Dengâs mouth.
Yu Deng didn’t have enough and wanted more, arrogantly lifting his chin and gesturing for Zhou Yuejun to peel more.
“Eating too much will make you ‘catch fire.’ The internal heat is already heavy in summer.”
“Are you still going to sleep?”
“She probably won’t come back.”
There was no movement outside. Zhou Aifeng had been taken away because the police said every minute of delay meant the stolen money would be spent by the thieves.
Of course Yu Deng wanted to sleep. It was still so early; only a bit of pink morning glow was showing on the horizon, and the sun hadn’t even come out yet.
However, he was more curious about Zhou Aifengâs money.
Yu Dengâs brows were knitted together, his eyes filled with innocent desire: “How did her money disappear?”
He didn’t ask if it was Zhou Yuejunâs doing, because making baseless guesses would only hurt someone’s heart.
Even though Yu Deng felt this matter was suspicious and too coincidental.
But he firmly believed it wasn’t Zhou Yuejunâs doing.
The rough fingers twirled a few strands of Yu Dengâs unruly hair, the tone casual: “When someone is eyeing it, won’t it just get stolen?”
It felt a bit like he was speaking in riddles.
The matter of Zhou Aifeng wanting to buy Zhou Yuejunâs appliances for a thousand yuan wasn’t a big deal. This kind of non-explosive news would at most be known by people in these few buildings.
There were few people in the residential area, but many people in other places.
For example, the dance hall.
What was there plenty of in the dance hall? Idle hooligans.
Hearing that someone had a large sum of money at homeâwasn’t that just a ready piece of meat?
The messy hair couldn’t be smoothed down, so Zhou Yuejun simply ruffled it randomly to satisfy his hands, making it even messier for Yu Deng.
“Go to sleep. I’ll take half a day off to watch over you.”
How wicked!
Zhou Yuejun had worked at the dance hall for nearly two months. Before leaving, he had to say goodbye to Xie Meng.
Xie Mengâs office was always dark and gloomy. The heavy blackout curtains were drawn tightly, and the air conditioner was set to a low temperature, making one’s spine feel inexplicably cold.
“Leaving?”
Xie Meng had his legs crossed on the desk, holding an ashtray in his hand, casually flicking some sparks. He tilted his eyes upward to look at the man.
He had little white in his eyes, and his appearance reflected his nature, so he also appeared fierce.
Zhou Yuejun didn’t talk much, and his attitude was neither cold nor hot: “Yeah.”
Xie Meng had long known this man’s stubborn nature. He had come to find him quite agreeable and even found him somewhat rare.
“Why leave? Isn’t work the same everywhere? Aren’t you doing well here?”
“I’ll add another two hundred for you. If you do well, I won’t mistreat you.”
Xie Mengâs words were definitely not a lie, because he truly gave money.
In the two months Zhou Yuejun had been here, the bonuses Xie Meng gave almost caught up with his salary.
This was even after excluding that five hundred and the compensation for the days he was injured.
Following Xie Meng did indeed make money. It wouldn’t make one super wealthy, but it would certainly mean living well.
“I heard your younger brother passed the exam for a junior college?”
“That kind of university leads to nothing even after two years. I’ll introduce a job to him that makes money.”
Amidst the indifferent contempt, there was a hint of calculation.
Zhou Yuejunâs straight brows were cold and fierce, his pitch-black pupils dark and sinister, a fierce look gradually appearing. He was fully aware of Xie Mengâs scheme.
“No need. He has to study.”
Xie Meng always knew Zhou Yuejun had spirit. He liked people with spirit, so he didn’t suppress him much and continued talking to himself.
“At least two thousand yuan a month. If you meet a generous employer, getting a few thousand or ten thousand in tips is common.”
“It’s very easy. You don’t have to stand all the time; just deal cards. The work is only four or five hours a day.”
As Xie Meng spoke, he also made shuffling motions with his hands.
Two thousand yuanâthat was the money a worker would earn in a year of exhausting labor. He didn’t believe Zhou Yuejun wouldn’t be tempted.
Zhou Yuejun already knew what kind of job Xie Meng was introducing.
At that moment, a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
“Brother Mengâ”
Zeng Hui rushed in from the doorway. He hadn’t knocked, acting in a panic and somewhat reckless manner.
Zeng Hui pretended to have a delayed reaction and showed respect for Xie Meng, but he didn’t retreat.
“The leader just called. You didn’t pick up, so he asked me to tell you something.”
Being interrupted like this, Xie Meng should have been angry, but the leader’s business was more important than anything else, certainly more important than a Zhou Yuejun.
He waved his hand, signaling Zhou Yuejun to go out.
After that day, Zhou Aifeng didn’t come to Yu Dengâs house to cause trouble again.
The police found a clue and basically identified the suspects, but those two moved quickly. By the time they went to find them, the people had already boarded a train to another city.
They had left almost overnight.
If Zhou Aifeng hadn’t made that scene, perhaps the money would have been recovered.
One thousand yuan was definitely not a small amount. An ordinary family wouldn’t know how long theyâd have to save up by being frugal.
The Zhou family was not at peace. They basically argued every day. Zhou Aifengâs son was even eyeing her funeral savings, forcing her to hand over all the money she had.
Yu Deng was still “softly imprisoned” at home by Zhou Yuejun for the past few days because Zhou Yuejun was worried that Zhou Aifeng would act out of desperation and harm Yu Deng.
There was a sudden rain in the morning, but the temperature was dry, so the ground quickly dried up. The air was left with a damp, stifling feeling and a scent of earth, which made people even more irritable.
The flowers Yu Deng planted didn’t survive, but the two pots of vegetables grew exceptionally well.
One pot of pak choi had been finished, and Yu Deng was planting more; they had just sprouted.
The other pot of chives had also been harvested once and was now on its second growth.
Yu Deng squatted on the ground, the lines between his waist and bottom winding. Even though it looked like the posture for using a toilet, he made it look particularly cute.
The little beautyâs arms were like lotus roots, slender and clean. When he accidentally brushed against the flower pot while cutting chives with scissors, he pursed his lips, and his small face became lifeless.
The flower branch wasn’t dry; rather, it was in a rotting state. One could tell at a glance that it had been watered too much, causing it to become waterlogged and die.
Yu Deng poked at it twice with a small trowel, his dough-like face tense, and his mouth could have held an oil gourd: “It can’t be saved anymore~”
Zhou Yuejun stood blocking the sun. With one standing and one squatting, it made his body seem even more upright, like a pine tree or a mountain.
The long pants enveloped the muscles of his legs, only showing them to be slender and tall, with quite a bit of style.
“It’s better if they don’t bloom. If they did, theyâd attract bees. Have you forgotten the last time a bee stung you?”
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