Chapter 5, The Unfortunate Se'an

Se An was taken aback, but upon seeing He Hao's serious expression, he began to believe what He Hao said. He patted He Hao on the shoulder and laughed heartily, saying: "Young man, you are still young. In fact, having a woman who is a bit fierce can have its advantages; at least she can manage the household well."

Recently, my appetite has not been very good; even eating bird's nest and shark fin lacks flavor. I think I should go for a check-up. Se An leered at Zhang Keke's petite chest, making an effort to swallow a mouthful of saliva as he spoke. Next to him, He Hao's eyes nearly popped out; Se An's physique was enough to account for three ordinary people, yet he still claimed to have a poor appetite

"I won't. " He Hao couldn't help but say, "I feel scared just seeing her; even if I remain a bachelor for life, I wouldn't dare to lay a finger on her."

Se An quickly turned his head and smiled at Zhang Keke, who was walking gracefully: "No need, people say beauty is a feast for the eyes. Seeing a beauty like Miss Zhang, how could I possibly lose my appetite? Are you heading home, Miss Zhang? I can drive you there." Se An wiped the sweat from his brow in his heart, wondering if this beautiful and cunning girl had overheard his earlier conversation with that poor boy.

He Hao put down the bowl and cautiously asked Zhang Keke, who was eating heartily, "Miss Zhang Keke, where are your family? Why have I not seen them during the three times I visited your home?"

Unbeknownst to them, He Hao and Zhang Keke simultaneously raised their heads to look into each other's eyes, but as soon as their gazes met, they quickly looked away. Zhang Keke, blushing, kicked He Hao and scolded, "Useless thing, hurry up and trim my lawn. We need to leave at 7:00 to deal with that old lecher, Se An!" He Hao, unusually shy, hurriedly ran to fetch the lawn mower, while Zhang Keke secretly touched her chest, realizing her heart was racing.

Hello, Manager An. Zhang Keke did not reach out to shake the chubby hand that Se An had extended, but instead clutched her handbag, putting on a shy demeanor, and said in a delicate voice: "Manager An, why are you at the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?" Yet, in her heart, she was cursing, "Old pervert, don't even think about taking advantage of me!"

Seeing the lewd smile on Se An's face, He Hao steeled his heart, gritted his teeth, and stuffed the 300 yuan back into Se An's hand, suppressing his heartache as he said: "Thank you for your kindness, Manager An, but she is my boss, and her private matters are beyond my authority to inquire about"

Zhang Keke's small face turned pale with anger, and just as she was about to rush over to punch and kick He Hao, a rather attractive female nurse could no longer endure it. She broke free from He Hao's grasp and delivered a heavy slap to his face, exclaiming, "Pervert! Infatuated fool!" However, He Hao, accustomed to being beaten by women he had sexually harassed, still wore a broad smile and said, "Nurse, you misunderstand me. It's just that you are truly too beautiful, simply breathtaking, and I couldn't help myself. Please forgive me for this minor indiscretion"

That little bit of money! With a carefree expression on his round and plump face, he said, "In the two provinces and one city around me, I have a total of seventeen Yayi'an chain supermarkets. My personal income exceeds 15 million a year. What does that little bit of money count for?"

Manager An is truly a good person, let me treat this time. Zhang Keke giggled while covering her small mouth, then kicked He Hao hard, saying, "Get lost, don't block my way." Her charming yet slightly angry demeanor made the lecherous An salivate again. Despite insisting on treating himself, Zhang Keke could never bear to spend her own money at a high-end hotel that ordinary people cannot afford, so after a few polite refusals, she respectfully accepted.

When Zhang Keke was exchanging pleasantries with Se An, the patients behind were already growing impatient, urging Zhang Keke to hurry up. Upon inquiring about the situation, Se An immediately pulled out several bundles of hundred-yuan bills from his pocket, casually tossing a few into the payment window, thus alleviating the pressure on Zhang Keke and He Hao. Naturally, as a businessman, Se An was not simply paying for He Hao's medical expenses without reason; his overly familiar demeanor towards Zhang Keke was enough for everyone to see his ulterior motives.

He Hao was speaking passionately and excitedly when he suddenly heard Zhang Keke's cold voice beside him, "Are you experiencing a surge of hormones again, with your adrenaline suddenly out of balance? Do you want me to treat you?" He Hao felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, and he immediately fell silent. Meanwhile, Se An wobbled over with his egg-shaped body, pointing at He Hao in surprise, "Miss Zhang, how could you choose such a lecherous person as your assistant? You are so beautiful, I am quite concerned for your safety"

Before long, He Hao's injuries were hastily bandaged by the furious female nurse, who shooed him out of the treatment room as if he were a pest. When Zhang Keke went to fetch oral medication for He Hao, Se An stealthily approached him and said, "Little brother, I think you can see that I really like your boss. I would like to invite her to dinner later, and all you need to do is persuade her to agree. I won't forget your kindness." As he spoke, Se An slipped three hundred-yuan bills into He Hao's hand, adding, "Once the matter is accomplished, there will be a generous reward."

Facing the disdainful gazes of the crowd, Zhang Keke raised her adorable head with indifference. In contrast, He Hao, sitting beside her, felt a flush on his face. Leaning on his white cane, he limped over to Zhang Keke and said in a low and submissive tone: "Miss Zhang Keke, they are all patients; please do not make things difficult for them. How about this: you can just buy me some medicine for bruises and sprains, and there's no need for hospital treatment."

Manager An, it is settled then, at 7:30 this evening, at the Shangri-La Hotel, we shall not miss each other. Zhang Keke threw a flirtatious glance at Se An and said in a delicate voice: I still need to go to the supermarket to buy some clothes, I will take my leave now, see you tonight

"Little brother, she is merely your boss, not someone significant to you." Se Anfei revealed a lewd smile on his face and said in a low voice, "All you need to do is persuade her to have dinner with me at the Shangri-La Hotel. Once the deed is done, even if she fires you, you need not worry. I have seventeen Yayi'an supermarkets; you can choose any one of them to work at, with a monthly salary of 2,000 and a year-end bonus."

"I’m really sorry, I accidentally used over 175,000 yuan from Manager An," Zhang Keke said, pretending to be shy in front of the cash register, while Se An wiped the sweat from his forehead, forcing a nonchalant smile and shouting at the cashier, "What are you looking at? Aren't you going to charge everything to my account?" Se An's heart bled as he thought fiercely about how to take revenge on this greedy beautiful girl after getting Zhang Keke tonight.

He Hao clutched the 300 yuan in his palm, which was already damp with sweat. Although 300 yuan was a small amount, for He Hao, it represented the money he would have to earn by working like a horse for Zhang Keke for forty-five days in order to exchange it for books. He Hao was filled with indecision; although Zhang Keke was responsible for his food and accommodation, the clothes he was wearing had been torn in the ancient house the night before. Moreover, He Hao did not even have a spare jacket, and his leather shoes were nearing the end of their lifespan, making it imperative for him to buy new ones. He Hao was filled with indecision; although Zhang Keke was responsible for his food and accommodation, the clothes he was wearing had been torn in the ancient house the night before. Moreover, He Hao did not even have a spare jacket, and his leather shoes were nearing the end of their lifespan, making it imperative for him to buy new ones

"Not bad, not bad." He Hao nodded awkwardly, thinking to himself: "It's not just not bad; it's a huge mistake. I really don't understand how you can eat this."

Miss Zhang Keke, thank you for the last incident. Upon seeing Zhang Keke, Se'an no longer paid attention to the gastroenterology department, but instead kept circling around her. Even when Zhang Keke accompanied He Hao to the nursing room to bandage his wound, Se'an followed closely behind. This anxious demeanor was enough to annoy He Hao, who was known as the number one infatuated person at Yushan University, let alone the person involved, Zhang Keke herself.

"Fifteen million!" Zhang Keke exclaimed, her beautiful big eyes sparkling with golden light. However, she quickly regained her composure and cursed inwardly, "Old miser, the last time he came to my house to ask my old man to exorcise a spirit, he claimed he didn't have much money and managed to haggle the exorcism fee from three hundred thousand down to two hundred thousand. Now he has finally revealed his true colors. No, I must find a way to make this old miser cough up some more money!"

What supermarket do we still need to go to?" Se An was already captivated by Zhang Keke, and immediately patted his chest, saying: "Miss Zhang, have you forgotten? I am the chairman of the Yayi'an chain supermarket. I will accompany you, and you won't have to spend a dime on anything!"

At 5 PM, He Hao was kicked awake by Zhang Keke, "Get up, get up, it's time to work." He Hao, still groggy, crawled out of his sleeping bag. Without saying a word, Zhang Keke dragged He Hao out of the garage. On the plastic table in the yard, a plate was already placed. Zhang Keke pulled He Hao to the table, took a silver needle, and pricked it into He Hao's left ring finger, causing a drop of blood to ooze out. Zhang Keke then took a pre-drawn talisman, smeared He Hao's blood on it, and finally released He Hao's hand. The plastic table in the yard already had a plate on it. Zhang Keke dragged He Hao to the table, took a silver needle, and pricked it into He Hao's left ring finger, causing a drop of blood to ooze out. Zhang Keke then took a pre-drawn talisman, smeared He Hao's blood on it, and finally released He Hao's hand

"Alright, Keke." This affectionate name slipped out, and He Hao suddenly had a thought; he was so accustomed to calling these two characters, as if he had called them many times before, even though the only person he knew with these two characters in her name was Zhang Keke. Meanwhile, Zhang Keke felt a jolt in her heart. This title, which she was used to being called by her parents and elder relatives, when spoken from He Hao's lips, unexpectedly stirred a strange feeling within her.

"Miss Nurse, may I ask your name, age, home address, and phone number? Do you have a boyfriend? Would you like to have dinner together tonight?" Zhang Keke was pondering how to deal with this lecherous yet stingy man when she heard He Hao's already familiar voice. Turning her head, she saw that He Hao had indeed taken the hands of the nurse who was bandaging his wound and was passionately confessing, "You are truly beautiful. Meeting you here is the greatest happiness of my life. I hope that love can blossom between us."

"Useless man!" Zhang Keke exclaimed, jumping three feet high, pointing at He Hao's nose and scolding, "I kindly paid your medical expenses, and you have the audacity to blame me for wasting others' time, complaining that I paid in small change. If you have the ability, why don't you pay for your own medical expenses!" Upon hearing Zhang Keke's tirade, a wave of murmurs spread through the crowd. Men glared at He Hao with jealous eyes that could kill, while women looked down on the poorly dressed He Hao with disdain, and faintly, one could hear the mocking remarks of "living off a woman."

Zhang Keke was always unwilling to let He Hao enter her family's hall, which inevitably made He Hao feel a bit annoyed. However, the moment He Hao lay down in the sleeping bag, his dissatisfaction instantly dissipated. The sleeping bag had been used by Zhang Keke just the night before, retaining her faint body fragrance, which stirred He Hao's emotions as an adult. After a moment of daydreaming, He Hao thought to himself, "This girl is actually very nice; she just has a bit of a temper and is somewhat stingy, but she is also considerate and attentive. It would be great if I could marry a wife like her." With this thought, the exhausted He Hao fell into a deep sleep.

"You have good taste." Zhang Keke rarely praised He Hao, but then said something that made He Hao's heart race, "Usually, my parents do not allow me to cook in the kitchen, which means my culinary skills have no place to shine. Since you like it, we will eat the meals I cook every day from now on, and we can also save some money"

He Hao stared blankly as Zhang Keke burned the talisman to ashes and then placed the ashes into a paper bag. Unable to contain his curiosity, He Hao asked, "Miss Zhang Keke, what are you doing?" Without looking up, Zhang Keke coldly replied, "That old lecher dares to have bad intentions towards me. I am preparing this for him, so he knows that the King of Hell has three eyes."

"No," Zhang Keke said with a cold smile while flipping the paper. "This is the Hundred Ghosts Binding Talisman. As long as he consumes this talisman, he will be haunted by ghosts every day—vengeful spirits, hanged ghosts, drowned ghosts all coming to claim his life. Let’s see if he dares to be lecherous after that." At this point, Zhang Keke couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle, saying, "By then, in order to save his life, he will definitely come to me for exorcism, and I can make a fortune from it."

Oh my! He Hao almost called out these two words. Eating meals cooked by Zhang Keke every day, isn't that more terrifying than going to hell? But Zhang Keke had already put away the dishes and handed He Hao two keys, saying: "You didn't sleep last night, go rest in the garage. There is a sleeping bag in my car, feel free to use it. I will also take a nap for a while."

Zhang Keke handed the receipt to the female nurse while smiling at Se Anqiang, saying, "Not at all, I received 200,000 yuan from Manager An, so of course I have to work for Manager An; there's no question of gratitude." In her heart, Zhang Keke cursed, "Old lecher, why aren't you leaving yet? If you don't get lost soon, this lady is going to explode!"

He Hao forced a smile, feeling somewhat sad, and choked out, "Manager An, you have no idea, I have known her for just two days, and I have nearly lost my life twice, not to mention being beaten countless times. But who can understand my suffering?" At this point, He Hao's eyes were already brimming with tears, almost crying out loud, while Zhang Keke's face had turned ashen. If it weren't for the nurse and Se An being present, He Hao would likely have been torn to shreds on the spot.

They have all gone to Longhu Mountain and will not return until the end of July. Zhang Keke replied vaguely, slurping the remaining noodles in her bowl before putting it down with a satisfied sigh, wiping the grease from the corner of her mouth, and asking, "Is the noodles good? My cooking skills are quite good, aren't they?"

After leaving the ancient house, He Hao had been doubting whether he was in a dream. The stingy little devil, Zhang Keke, seemed to have changed into a different person, unexpectedly taking the initiative to offer to take He Hao to the hospital for treatment, which almost made He Hao question if he had misheard. However, after the examination at the hospital, He Hao clearly saw Zhang Keke's expression when she was paying for his medical fees, which could only be compared to the sorrow of losing one's parents. If it were not for Zhang Miuji's erroneous information that led Zhang Keke to confront one of the Eight Demon Generals, Di Jun Gui, alone, she would have certainly given up on the idea of treating He Hao. Of course, the credit for defeating Di Jun Gui was shamelessly claimed by Zhang Keke as her own.

"There’s no way?" Zhang Keke spread her two small hands, as white as jade, and said without the slightest embarrassment, "My family is poor; I only have small change and coins. If I had money, would I waste my time here?" It happened to be the weekend, and there were many patients in line to pay. Seeing that Zhang Keke was delaying everyone, the male patients were somewhat understanding, but many female patients, envious of Zhang Keke's beauty, were furious. A few women, seemingly from the Jurassic period, pointed at the Omega watch on Zhang Keke's wrist and sneered, "Little sister, your skin is really thick. That watch of yours is worth several thousand yuan, yet you say your family has no money?"

"Do not call me by my name." Zhang Keke suddenly paused her work. Under the setting sun, a hint of blush inexplicably flashed across Zhang Keke's tender face as she shyly said, "Just call me Keke."

"Is it that kind of soul-binding talisman you gave me again?" He Hao's voice trembled slightly

He Haolian quickly nodded and bowed, saying: "Of course, Miss Zhang Keke is my boss, my provider, and I am your most loyal assistant. How could I betray you?"

He Hao nearly fainted, filled with regret for not agreeing to Se An's terms earlier. Se An, on the other hand, laughed so hard that the flesh on his face squished his eyes into a thin line, repeatedly saying: "Alright, alright, no problem, but can that make Miss Zhang invite me? Shangri-La Hotel, I will invite Miss Zhang."

He Hao took three steps back, pointing at Zhang Keke, trembling all over, with only one thought in his mind—an unscrupulous exorcist! Upon seeing He Hao's expression, Zhang Keke stopped laughing and said fiercely: "Actually, I heard everything you said to him in the hospital. It was that old lecher who had ulterior motives towards me first, and I am merely retaliating. Hmph! What a dinner invitation; it is clearly just an excuse to drug my food or drink, allowing him to do whatever he wants to me."

Although He Hao felt a sense of fear upon seeing Zhang Keke and often thought of escaping from her side, when it came time to betray her, he found himself somewhat reluctant. Especially when he considered selling Zhang Keke to a lecherous middle-aged man like Se An, He Hao's limited conscience surprisingly began to ache.

"Little girl, please hurry up," urged a patient in line behind her. "We are in the emergency department; if we don't pay, the doctor won't provide treatment." Zhang Keke, who was dawdling and trying to negotiate with the doctor, turned around and glared at the patient, saying irritably, "What's the rush? Can't you see I'm gathering money?" As she spoke, Zhang Keke stuffed the loose change and coins into the payment window. The pile of bills, with the highest denomination being five yuan and the lowest being one jiao coins, caused the doctor collecting the fees and the patients waiting in line to exclaim in surprise, "Goodness, how long will it take to count this money?"

The flesh on Se An's face twitched slightly, and the three layers of fat on his chin shook as he disdainfully said, "Is it too little?" He then pulled out seven hundred-yuan bills and stuffed them into He Hao's tattered shirt pocket along with the previous three hundred yuan, saying, "The deal is done, and there’s still three thousand left. You should agree this time, right?"

"How could I possibly?" Zhang Keke thought to herself with a sly smile, while outwardly being polite. Se An, eager to seize the opportunity to please the beautiful woman, managed to persuade Zhang Keke to reluctantly take He Hao and get into his luxury car. They flirted all the way to another chain supermarket operated by Se An. With the chance to get free goods, the stingy Zhang Keke would not let it slip by. She grabbed a large number of high-end clothes and expensive jewelry, even taking quite a few of the pricey gourmet candies, until Se An's luxury car was completely filled. Zhang Keke also selected five sturdy outfits and several pairs of leather shoes for He Hao, along with a branded suit, before finally letting Se An, whose face had turned pale, off the hook.

That is good. Zhang Keke smiled like a flower, showing no signs of anger, which allowed Se An and He Hao to relax their tense hearts. Zhang Keke suddenly smiled and said: "Since Manager An's appetite has improved, I would like to thank you for taking care of my family's business last time. This evening, I would like to invite you to dinner. I wonder if Manager An would do me the honor?"

He Hao's lips trembled slightly as he gritted his teeth and took out the money, stuffing it back into the pocket of Se An's branded suit. "No, she is my boss," He Hao said, lacking any sense of propriety. Se An, unable to contain his anger, was just about to threaten He Hao when a voice came from behind them. "I’m back, Manager An. Do you still need to see the doctor?"

He Hao felt utterly embarrassed and wished he could find a crack in the ground to hide in when a coarse, hoarse voice saved him, "Ah, Miss Zhang, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to meet you here again." Before He Hao could turn around, a plump, egg-shaped figure surged from behind him with overwhelming force, pushing He Hao aside. The scent of the cologne emanating from this egg-shaped person nearly masked the formaldehyde smell of the hospital. As He Hao focused his gaze, he recognized the person as the owner of the Yayi'an supermarket, where he had met Zhang Keke, the same egg-shaped man who had been shouting at reporters in front of the supermarket—Se An.

He Hao patted his chest, secretly feeling lucky that he hadn't accepted Se An's dirty money at that time. Zhang Keke noticed his mood and coldly said: "If you had dared to take his money back then, you would either be in prison now or dead from internal pain. Don't think that I am a fool!"

After returning home from the supermarket in Athens, it was already 1 PM. Although Zhang Keke was both tired and sleepy, she still insisted on going to the kitchen to prepare two bowls of noodles for He Hao and herself. However, Zhang Keke's culinary skills were truly lacking; the noodles were so unpalatable that it was beyond description, resembling a bowl of paste that was both salty and numbing. If He Hao had not considered the consequences of angering this little demon, even though his stomach was already growling with hunger, he would have certainly spat the noodles out on the spot. In the end, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and force the noodles down his throat.