Chapter 5

Lu Xu, who was walking ahead, heard her speaking, stopped, and turned around to look at Kong Liqing with a smile, as if he wanted to say something. Kong Liqing was slightly taken aback by his sudden turn and looked at him with some confusion.

After sleeping for a whole day, I felt very refreshed in the afternoon. I hurriedly picked up the child and spent some time playing with him in the small garden downstairs. It was only when it got dark that I took the child back home

The man continued to look at her with an incredulous expression for two seconds, then said nothing, turned around, moved the sofa behind him, and directly plugged the crystal plug that had fallen on the floor back into the socket.

Kong Liqing stared at the pile of bright red banknotes in front of her, lost in thought for a moment. She was not particularly high-minded; she liked money very much. Having grown up in poverty, she had experienced times during her university years when she struggled to afford three meals a day. Money held even greater significance for her than for the average person. But could she take this money in front of her? Who were these people? Who could guarantee that taking this money would not lead to endless troubles in the future?

Oh. Kong Liqing responded to his words in a nonchalant manner, casually taking the business card from Lu Xu's hand. However, she seemed to recall something afterward, and her gaze towards Lu Xu finally showed a hint of brightness.

Kong Liqing was there, feeling extremely irritated. Suddenly, two knocks sounded at the door. She paused her actions, listened attentively, and indeed, a few seconds later, the knocking resumed. The visitor seemed quite cultured, as the knocks were neither hurried nor slow, but rather rhythmic, consisting of only three knocks.

Kong Liqing looked at the man who straightened up with an expressionless face, his eyes wide open. She felt a bit embarrassed and turned her head to the side. The man appeared much more at ease than she was; he flicked the hem of his clothes, stepped out to move the sofa back to its original position, and stood in front of Kong Liqing, saying: "Please keep the business card safe, and make sure to call if you need anything, alright?"

The man outside is still dressed in a full suit in this hot summer, a demeanor that Kong Liqing has truly never encountered in her life. She knows that the identities of the two individuals from yesterday must be special, but she cannot fathom what they are involved in.

The two sat facing each other, and the man spoke first, politely saying: "Miss Kong, I sincerely apologize for yesterday. I am here today on behalf of Mr. Zhou to express his apologies, and this is Mr. Zhou's token of gratitude for your hospitality yesterday." As he spoke, he retrieved a briefcase from beside his feet, opened it, and turned the opening towards Kong Liqing.

After washing her hands and preparing dinner, she served the child and arranged for him to watch television by himself. Kong Liqing hurriedly began to tidy up the kitchen and clean the house. While cleaning, she also had to take down the sheets and duvet covers that had been slept on the previous night to wash them. She moved back and forth, busy with her tasks. Since starting work, her spare time over the past two years has mostly revolved around the child. She has never had an easy life and has never enjoyed the freedom and entertainment of a single woman.

Lu Xu kept looking at Kong Liqing, and seeing her push the money back did not seem to surprise him much. He smiled and said: "I am truly sorry, it is my lack of refinement. When I came here, Mr. Zhou mentioned that Miss Kong would probably not accept such material wealth."

Lu Xu smiled at her appearance and took out a business card from his clothing, handing it to Kong Liqing: "When I came, Mr. Zhou also mentioned that if Miss Kong is unwilling to accept money, he would leave this business card for you. He said he owes you a favor, and no matter what difficult situation Miss Kong encounters in the future, as long as she speaks up, he will definitely do his utmost to assist her."

After tidying up the house, she gave the child a bath, helped him get into bed, and then coaxed him to sleep. By the time everything settled down and she returned to the living room, it was already past 10 o'clock.

Kong Liqing placed the cup of water in front of the man, then sat down on the single sofa beside him, momentarily at a loss for words, as she truly lacked the smoothness required to interact with strangers

Lu Xu was not like yesterday, with a cold and stern face; instead, his expression was calm, accompanied by a polite smile: "Hello, Miss Kong, I have something to discuss with you. May I come in and talk?"

The person outside seemed to know her thoughts, remaining silent while knocking on the door every ten seconds or so, without showing any impatience, and each time only knocking three times. Although Kong Liqing felt irritated standing inside the door, she also knew there was no way to avoid it. From her observations last night, these people were not ordinary individuals; it was impossible to conceal whether there was anyone in the room from them. Moreover, people like them, if they truly wanted to cause you trouble, you could not escape. After hesitating several times inside, she finally steeled herself and opened the door.

Kong Liqing politely held the door and said, "Goodbye, take care." Lu Xu smiled and said nothing further, turning to walk out and pressed the elevator button

Kong Liqing was startled by the experiences of the previous night, standing there in a daze for a while before softly walking to the door. After a brief moment of contemplation, she peered through the peephole.

Kong Liqing opened the door and looked at the person in front of her, her mood was truly poor, her face was expressionless as she gazed at the visitor

Ah, alright. Kong Liqing felt a bit embarrassed as she responded hesitantly

The man entered the room and walked directly to the sofa without glancing sideways, unceremoniously taking a seat. Out of politeness, Kong Liqing, despite feeling a thousand unwillingnesses in his heart, turned on the air conditioning and poured a glass of water, placing it in front of him

Kong Liqing is quite inept with computers; she often suffers from severe computer viruses and can only seek help from repair technicians to reinstall the system. At this moment, she thought there was nothing else to do, so she began fiddling with the sockets and the model back and forth. This time of year is the hottest, and there is no air conditioning in the study. To save money, after the child fell asleep, she only turned on the air conditioning in the bedroom and turned off the one in the living room. After a short while of moving around, she was already sweating profusely.

Lu Xu had actually been quite troubled by Kong Liqing's indifferent expression. At this moment, seeing the look in Kong Liqing's eyes, he thought her request might be something significant. He looked at her with a bit of seriousness and said, "Alright, please go ahead."

Kong Liqing saw the man's gaze and felt extremely disappointed in her heart. She asked dejectedly, "Is it impossible to change back?"

For a homebody like Kong Liqing, the computer is very important. Compared to cash that cannot be accessed and elusive promises, she finds that a smooth internet connection is more practical for her. Therefore, she is not as averse to Lu Xu and speaks to him more politely.

A neatly arranged stack of one-hundred-yuan bills dazzled Kong Liqing's eyes with its bright red hue, causing her discomfort. Kong Liqing was astonished; she looked up at the man with suspicion. The man merely smiled at her, displaying neither an arrogant demeanor nor a condescending gaze, everything was perfectly balanced.

Although Kong Liqing is not good at socializing, she has a profound understanding of worldly matters. She has not yet reached the point of drinking poison to quench her thirst; she desires a life of affluence, free from financial worries. However, she prefers a stable life, believing that money obtained without effort is never as reassuring as that which she has earned through hard work. She gazed at the money in silence for a moment, then finally reached out to close the lid of the box and turned it back towards Lu Xu. She said nothing, but her actions clearly conveyed a posture of refusal. Money obtained without effort is never as reassuring as that which she has earned through hard work. She gazed at the money in silence for a moment, then finally reached out to close the lid of the box and turned it back towards Lu Xu. She said nothing, but her actions clearly conveyed a posture of refusal.

On this night, Kong Liqing submitted several resumes online and browsed many webpages. In between, she picked up Wanxiang to help him relieve himself. Late into the night, she finally felt drowsy, turned off the computer, got up to take a shower, and went to bed holding her child. Just before falling asleep, she prayed to God about her experiences over the past two days, asking for a smooth life and hoping to find a job soon

Wan Xiang obediently lowered his head to change his shoes while holding his own coat. Kong Liqing noticed the child's face was covered in sweat, so he squatted down and took the clothes from the child's hand to wipe the beads of sweat off his face and neck. The child's two little cheeks were flushed and full of vitality, confirming what the book said: children are always laughing when they are running. Kong Liqing looked at the child with a smile, gently stroking his hair and speaking in a negotiating tone: "Shall we do your homework first, and I will go cook?"

Wan Xiang is a very quiet child. Whenever Kong Liqing has time, she tries to take him downstairs to play for a while after school, regardless of what they play, as long as he is active.

Lu Xu opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. He looked at the warm smile on Kong Liqing's face, but after a brief glance at the woman before him, he turned and walked out the door

The man was clearly much more at ease than she was, unbuttoning a suit jacket and sitting casually. When Kong Liqing handed him a cup of water, he looked up at her and smiled, saying, "Thank you"

The child responded loudly with a "Hmm," and went to the study carrying their small backpack

On that day, once it was confirmed that everyone had left, Kong Liqing immediately returned to bed and slept soundly, nearly missing the afternoon pick-up for Kong Wanxiang. She had endured too many mental trials, her nerves had become so resilient that they were almost numb. After experiencing a night filled with anxiety, the impact of waking up from a deep sleep had nearly faded, and life would continue as it always had.

Kong Liqing closed the door and turned back to walk away, feeling no particular emotion. As she passed by the trash can next to the sofa, she casually tossed the business card she was holding into it

Kong Liqing immediately stood up upon seeing his appearance, as she was also eager to see her guests off

Having slept all day, she now finds herself unable to sleep. Kong Liqing goes to the bedroom to turn on the computer, but the broadband connection still shows a small red cross, preventing her from accessing the internet

The person outside seemed to have no intention of hiding, standing properly in front of the main door. The corridor lights outside were on, and Kong Liqing immediately recognized the man named Lu Xu from yesterday. She turned around, wishing she could curse: Is this ever going to end! She stood there in a somewhat passive resistance, unwilling to open the door

The man glanced at her once more and finally picked up the suitcase to walk outside. Kong Liqing followed behind him politely saying, "Take your time."

The doors are all open, can they not let anyone in? If she refuses to let him in, what can he do? Kong Liqing, feeling helpless, could only step aside to let him in

As soon as the child entered the house, he took off his short-sleeved shirt and exclaimed that it was hot. Kong Liqing turned around and placed the child's small backpack on the shoe cabinet, inviting the child to change his shoes and come inside.

Kong Liqing looked at the man with a hopeful expression and said directly: "Can you restore the telephone line at my home?"

"I apologize for the disturbance, Miss Kong, goodbye." Lu Xu politely bid farewell at the door

Kong Liqing looked at Lu Xu with a hint of hope in his eyes: "Well, I actually do have something I need your help with"

Kong Liqing shrank back into the sofa, looking at him without speaking. Her posture of refusal carried a dismissive attitude. Lu Xu, being a person of great understanding, quickly stood up from the sofa, buttoned his suit, and made a gesture as if he was about to leave

The man stood there in a daze, looking at Kong Liqing with an expression of disbelief