Chapter 10

The two exchanged a tacit smile, said nothing further, and parted ways.

Tong Yehui got up and walked towards the bathroom: "Go ahead, remember to ask him for a red envelope."

Ah, I was just shopping with them at the mall across the street

Tong Yehui walked over and sat down opposite Jin Lu, asking her: "What is your name?"

Jin Lu felt confused and replied, "I can cook, but it's just ordinary home-cooked dishes. My mother passed away early, and I have to take care of my younger brother, so I can make some simple meals."

Jin Lu exerted a bit of force and said: "Alas! Tong Yehui!"

Not long after Ren Jing had truly given up on Tong Yehui, on a day when autumn had just arrived, Tong Yehui, Du Cheng, and Ren Jing were in Tong Yehui's office discussing a business dispute. Suddenly, Tong Yehui received a phone call

Tong Yehui glanced at her and said lightly, "If you are thirsty, go outside and ask Deng Hui to get you something to drink. I will take you back when I finish work."

Jin Lu ran away happily with a smile, while Tong Yehui watched her close the door and head to the bathroom. He stood under the water, rinsing off the smell of alcohol, applied ice to his eyes, changed back into his suit, and briskly walked into the company. From that moment on, he resolved to get his life back on track, even though a part of him had already changed significantly from who he once was.

Tong Yehui continued, "You just need to do the laundry for me, cook, and tidy up the house; you don't need to do anything else"

Jin Lu smiled awkwardly and said, "Hehe, General Manager Gu said that if I can make you happy, the red envelope for this month will be 50,000."

Jin Lu is very aware of her identity. Just now, she was playing dice with everyone, acting as the banker. If she lost, she would drink a glass; if others lost, a few people would take turns drinking.

Gu Bei was secretly cursing over there, while on this side, Tong Yehui gazed at Jin Lu for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Suddenly, he nodded slightly and replied, "Alright." The mouthful of wine that Gu Bei had been holding slipped out from the corner of his mouth.

Jin Lu shyly smiled while touching her nose, and Tong Yehui took out his wallet, asking her: "Since President Gu gave you a red envelope, do I still need to give you a tip?" Jin Lu chuckled and did not respond to his question

At this point, Ren Jing was completely despondent, and Du Cheng was utterly shocked. The next day, Ren Jing compiled a list and faxed it to Tong Yehui, who did not hesitate to provide her with everything she requested. Their relationship was thus completely brought to an end

Tong Yehui was taken aback, then smiled and said, "You are quite straightforward."

Gu Bei is coming with wine to accompany Tong Yehui in drinking. A lively circle of people is gathered around the coffee table in the center of the room. In the middle, a tall girl has already climbed onto the coffee table. The men surrounding her each have a woman in their arms, all focused on her. The girl is dressed lightly, wearing a small T-shirt that hangs loosely and exposes half of her shoulder. She raises a pitch-black dice cup high, shaking it wildly, and then with a loud "bang," she slams the dice cup down in front of her crossed legs. The men around her, each holding a woman, are still focused on her. The girl, dressed lightly, raises the black dice cup high, shaking it wildly, and then with a loud "bang," she slams the dice cup down in front of her crossed legs, shouting loudly: "Bet it or lose it, bet it or lose it, it's for the men, those who lose must drink for real." She exudes a gambler's spirit.

To outsiders, Tong Yehui is extremely fond of Jin Lu, often bringing her along to various social engagements. Some people mock Jin Lu's background, but he remains unfazed. On one occasion, Tong Yehui brought Jin Lu to a card table for a social gathering. Halfway through the game, Jin Lu was dozing off on the side, so Tong Yehui, seeing her boredom, let her take over. As a result, Jin Lu ended up winning several hundred thousand in just half a night, while Tong Yehui nonchalantly wrote a check.

Since that day, Tong Yehui no longer engaged in the act of getting drunk at Jinmi. Jin Lu was indeed supported by him; she moved into Tong Yehui's house, where he provided her with a substantial amount of money each month and covered all her expenses outside. However, she truly only held the role of a housekeeper in his home, cooking for Tong Yehui, doing laundry, and cleaning. The two lived under the same roof, resembling friends yet also like roommates. Financially speaking, Jin Lu seemed to be a pet raised by Tong Yehui, making their relationship difficult to define.

After Jin Lu sat down next to Tong Yehui, they continued. When Jin Lu lost once again, a hand suddenly reached out beside her: "Let me pour you a drink." Tong Yehui took the wine and said to Jin Lu: "You enjoy yourself, and if you lose later, I will pour you a drink." Everyone was taken aback. Jin Lu was momentarily stunned, touched her nose, and revealed a hint of shyness: "Thank you, Mr. Tong."

Golden dew, when golden wind and jade dew meet, is it not a beautiful name

Tong Yehui looked up at her; the girl still had a youthful face, and in the morning light, even without makeup, there were no signs of the passage of time. Her rare face bore sincerity, and he said: "Thank you"

Du Cheng also smiled and continued to persuade, "I think that girl Jin Lu, although a bit silly, is a good person. If you really like her, then settle down. What she did in the past is not important; what matters is the days to come."

Jin Lu shouted loudly on the phone: "Tong Yehui, my feet are killing me, can I come up to your place to rest for a bit and catch a ride home with you?"

Ah?! Jin Lu seems a bit foolish

Tong Yehui suddenly felt a sharp pain in his eyes; he closed them and then opened them again, no longer wishing to say anything

Gu Bei dared not let Tong Yehui drink himself to death alone again. The next day, when Tong Yehui went to "Jin Mi," Gu Bei personally blocked the entrance, welcoming him directly into a large private room where the sounds of people were bustling and the atmosphere was lively beyond measure

A group of people was gathered in the private room, consisting of about a dozen men and women. Among them, there were a few men whom Tong Yehui recognized. Upon seeing him enter, they greeted him loudly from a distance and all stood up to make room for him.

Tong Yehui was making a heartfelt confession to the floor lamp that had short-circuited, and Gu Bei, who had just pushed the door open, witnessed the entire scene clearly. At that moment, his heart trembled, thinking to himself: Tong Yehui must be under some kind of spell.

Over there, Jin Lu tidied her hair, slung her small bag over her shoulder, and said to Tong Yehui: "Mr. Tong, you drank so much last night because of that regret, right? My mother says there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome, so don't waste your life."

Then you come up. The two of them did not say anything more and hung up the phone. When Tong Yehui turned around again, he was met with two stunned faces. He did not explain anything and signaled for them to continue what they were doing earlier

Jin Lu seemed very happy, grinning widely as she said loudly to Tong Yehui: "Mr. Tong, you are a good person"

At the wedding, Tong Yehui brought Jin Lu along. During the bouquet toss at the end of the ceremony, a humorous incident occurred. The bride had a large number of unmarried female classmates who all wanted to catch the bouquet for good luck. They rushed in a frenzy behind the bride to grab it. Tong Yehui was originally standing in a rather remote position, but the women were so aggressive in their attempts that the bouquet ended up hitting him on the head after being tossed around. This naturally resulted in a burst of laughter. Tong Yehui, however, casually handed the bouquet to Jin Lu, who received it with a silly grin.

As time passed swiftly, a year slipped by in the blink of an eye. Just as summer began the following year, Du Cheng got married. Du Cheng's bride was the daughter of a university professor, and she was quite a remarkable person, akin to Li Mochou, having pursued her studies all the way to a doctor's degree, seemingly a year or two older than Du Cheng. Initially, Du Cheng was drawn to her primarily because of her father. At that time, Tong Yehui was engaged in biopharmaceuticals and needed a strong technical team, and Du Cheng's wife's father happened to be an expert in that field. Du Cheng was not particularly fond of girlfriends with a doctor's degree and was not very invested in the relationship; they even had a breakup last year. However, for reasons unknown, they reconciled, and this year they got married.

Tong Yehui took out a stack of cash and handed it over, asking: "Can you cook?"

Tong Yehui smiled ambiguously and said in a soft voice, "Come down and sit here properly."

Tong Yehui lowered his head and took a swig of wine, not wanting to get drunk in front of others. He planned to leave in a while. Suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted from over there, and the bold voice of the girl from earlier came through: "Boss Yu! You can't do this, cheating and bullying people! Hand over the hidden dice, or I'll eliminate you on behalf of the moon." Who could she really eliminate? It was just for fun. Tong Yehui chuckled softly to himself.

Tong Yehui was taken aback again. He gazed at the smile on Jin's face and said: "Call me Tong Yehui."

In less than five minutes, Jin Lu burst in with great enthusiasm. Like a gust of wind, she swept into Tong Yehui's office, not even glancing at anyone, and went straight to the sofa on the side for meetings. She kicked off her high heels and exclaimed, "Tong Yehui, I can't take it anymore, my feet are going to break!" After shouting, Jin Lu finally looked up and saw a man and a woman sitting at the desk, momentarily stunned. Once she regained her composure, she grinned foolishly and waved her hand in greeting, saying, "Hi, how are you?" No one responded to her. She continued to shout, "Tong Yehui, I can't take it anymore, my feet are going to break!" After shouting, Jin Lu finally looked up and saw a man and a woman sitting at the desk, momentarily stunned. Once she regained her composure, she grinned foolishly and waved her hand in greeting, saying, "Hi, how are you?" No one responded to her.

After a night of confusion, the next day, when Tong Yehui woke up, he found himself lying on a woman's soft abdomen. Startled, he sat up and saw a woman dressed in clothes, half-sitting against the headboard, her long hair covering half of her face, sleeping soundly with her head tilted. He recognized the woman as Jin Lu, whom he had met the previous day at Jin Mi. Jin Lu seemed to know he was awake; she opened her eyes to look at him, then moved her wrist and gently patted his shoulder.

Gu Bei was frightened by Tong Yehui's behavior yesterday. While pulling Tong Yehui into the private room, he tried to persuade him: "Bro, it's no fun drinking alone in silence. They are all here to liven things up, just to provide some company and make it more lively. If you want to drink, do it here. Don't drown your sorrows alone and then freak out to scare me, okay?"

Tong Yehui is quite indulgent towards Jin Lu to a certain extent. He turned around with the phone in hand and asked her, "Are you downstairs?"

Among this group of people, every man has his own favored lady, but only Jin Lu was invited by Gu Bei to liven up the atmosphere. The ladies in "Jin Mi" are all of a high caliber, with requirements for education, figure, and appearance. Gu Bei even hired specialists for training; each one brought out is extraordinary, appealing to those who like to show off and consider themselves wealthy and cultured. However, among these high-quality ladies, there are also exceptions like Jin Lu, who lacks an elegant demeanor but is willing to entertain others without caring about her image, occasionally displaying a bit of silliness. Such traits attract coal tycoons from Shanxi and nouveau riche types, allowing her to maintain a second-tier status in "Jin Mi," despite her beauty.

Du Cheng knew that there were some issues with the pharmaceutical factory in Xiamen, and Tong Yehui needed to rush over to handle it. It was unfortunate that he could not enjoy his honeymoon, so he patted Tong Yehui on the shoulder and said, "We're brothers, no need to be so polite with me."

Jin Lu felt that Tong Yehui was not discussing a sugar daddy relationship, but rather looking for a little housekeeper. She foolishly took the money and said, "Then I will go back and inform General Gu."

Tong Yehui smiled, his smile tinged with loneliness. He said to Jin Lu淡淡: "Go ahead, let Gu Bei take you there in the evening; he knows where I live"

Gu Bei is a true second-generation rich individual. Unlike Tong Yehui, who is rather indifferent, Gu Bei has completely discarded his personal friends who have no vested interests as he has progressed in life. This is due to his living environment, where he is surrounded by a group of individuals from similar affluent backgrounds. He is someone who enjoys lively company and can easily attract a multitude of fair-weather friends with just a casual gesture.

Tong Yehui glanced at Jin Lu, who was obediently waiting for him at the side. None of them knew that he kept Jin Lu around because he was actually drawn to her voice, which was similar to Han Sheng's, as well as her personality, which bore some resemblance to Han Sheng's. He was merely holding onto a memory.

Jin Lu Heihei laughed: "Did you take me for your mother? You cried in my arms for half the night."

After the wedding, Du Cheng took Tong Yehui aside and earnestly said to him: "Yehui, find someone to settle down with. I didn't realize it before, but now I understand that people are very fragile. Once they're gone, they're truly gone. Sometimes, it's important to cherish what you have, as there are not many things that you can afford to squander."

Tong Yehui paused for a moment as he extended his hand with the money, then finally withdrew it, took out all the cash from his wallet, and handed it to Jin Lu: "Don't work at Jin Mi anymore, let me support you."

Gu Bei was exceptionally adept at reading the room in the entertainment scene. Upon seeing Tong Ye Hui smile, he turned and cleared his throat forcefully towards the center of the room, then gave a knowing glance to the girl in the midst of the crowd

The gesture of Jin Lu patting his shoulder subtly implied comfort, which left Tong Yehui somewhat perplexed. He turned his head to look around and realized he was in Jin Mi's guest room. Lowering his gaze to check himself, he found he was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. He speculated that it was Gu Bei who had brought them together here, yet he couldn't quite understand how he had ended up waking up on Jin Lu's stomach.

I understand. Tong Yehui replied to Du Cheng lightly and then said: "You have just gotten married, and it will be tiring for you. I will be going to Xiamen, and you will have to stay home. I apologize for that."

Tong Yehui had a headache and, pinching his eyebrows, casually asked, "Then how did I end up sleeping on your stomach"

Oh. Jin Lu still knows how to advance and retreat, bowing his body and leaving in a dejected manner to find Deng Hui

Gu Bei is not like Tong Yehui, who has achieved great success in his career and is surrounded by people when in the spotlight; however, in private, he is truly a solitary figure, with no one to accompany him even for a drink

However, they are not actually gambling for money. Tong Yehui knows that the women here are all "gold diggers"; they are here to make money, so how could they genuinely gamble with these men in such an environment? It is merely a form of entertainment.

That day, Tong Yehui ended up completely drunk as usual, and when the event concluded, Jin Lu naturally followed Tong Yehui out.

Over there, Jin Lu has already jumped out of bed, casually picking up a comb from the dressing table to style her hair. Seeing Tong Yehui looking down at his clothes, she humorously said to him, "General Tong, you didn't do anything last night, so don't worry, you are innocent."

Jin Lu obediently sat beside Tong Yehui, and the group's merriment was momentarily interrupted by Tong Yehui's arrival. Once Jin Lu settled in, she linked her arm with his and exclaimed, "Come on, let's continue." Only then did everyone resume their lively antics.

Tong Yehui smiled, patted his shoulder, and said: "Thank you, Du Cheng, you are doing well now, and I am genuinely happy for you. Congratulations."

Tong Yehui did not want to get involved with them, so he walked to a corner and casually found a place to sit down, saying, "You all sit, don't let me disturb you, please continue."

Tong Yehui knew that Gu Bei had seen him like that yesterday. He actually did not mind; he understood that Gu Bei was genuinely concerned about him and appreciated his feelings. He nodded at Gu Bei and followed his lead into the private room

Tong Yehui looked up in disbelief, but Jin Lu's expression was once again composed: "However, you called me for half the night, Huan Sheng"

As everyone saw that he had taken his seat, they all quieted down, returned to their previous state, and continued to drink and amuse themselves

The girl looked in their direction and smiled knowingly, then suddenly called out to them, "Mr. Tong, come play!" Her voice was loud enough to be somewhat deafening. Gu Bei nearly spat out his drink, thinking to himself: Is this woman from Jinlu really that foolish? Why not come over quietly, share a couple of drinks, and take the opportunity to flirt? Who would fall for such a loud approach if they have any sense of modesty? It seems she can only attract those coal bosses from Shanxi, the nouveau riche types, and mix with second-rate characters in the "golden allure" scene. All that money spent on her upbringing has gone to waste.

This matter was conveyed to Ren Jing in its entirety. At that time, Ren Jing forced herself to remain calm and replied to her friend, who was eager to see her make a fool of herself: "If he really liked someone, he wouldn't take her to such a chaotic place like a card table." Ren Jing beautifully retorted to her friend, but deep down, she felt increasingly desperate. Ever since that conversation, Tong Yehui had not contacted her again. She had initially held onto the hope that Tong Yehui might not want to be tied down so early, after all, he was still so young. However, as the days went by, her ability to deceive herself diminished more and more.