Chapter 49: Leeks and Virility

That evening, as soon as Chen Erpao reached the doorstep of his home, he was instantly greeted by an enticing aroma. He hurriedly unlocked the door, only to find that Wang Xuemei was nowhere in sight; instead, he could hear the sounds coming from the kitchen. Ever since things had become intimate between him and Wang Xuemei, Chen Erpao had rarely returned to his own place across the way—what man wouldn’t want to fall asleep each night with a warm, fragrant beauty in his arms?

Moving quietly, Chen Erpao crept toward the kitchen, where he found Wang Xingxue busy at work, an apron tied around her waist. The graceful curve of her back, framed by the floral apron, had a charm all its own. Chen Erpao approached without her noticing.

With a mischievous grin, he suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around her slender waist from behind.

She gasped in surprise, her body trembling. When she realized it was Chen Erpao, she relaxed, swatting at him in mock anger. “What are you doing? You scared me to death!”

“Did I?” Chen Erpao chuckled, his hands slipping from her waist upward. “Let me check if your darling heart is all right after that fright.”

“You’re terrible! My heart isn’t there at all—you just like teasing me,” Wang Xuemei half-collapsed against him, her cheeks tinged with pink.

“In that case, you’re in trouble, because I plan to tease you my whole life.” With that, Chen Erpao gave her an emphatic squeeze, making Wang Xuemei roll her eyes at him several times in feigned exasperation.

“Go take a shower! I just made a dog meat hotpot, picked up the meat and ingredients myself. Not sure how it tastes yet,” Wang Xuemei said.

Chen Erpao leaned in, savoring the aroma. The fragrance was mouthwatering; he could hardly believe Wang Xuemei’s cooking skills were this good. He was in for a treat.

A few minutes later, after a quick wash, the dog meat hotpot was already on the table, accompanied by a few dishes of freshly rinsed vegetables.

“Wow, that’s a lot of chives. Don’t you know chives are supposed to be quite invigorating for men? Are you hinting that I should put in some extra effort tonight?” Chen Erpao muttered to himself, eyeing the heaping bowl of chives.

Wang Xuemei, having taken off her apron, looked every bit the picture of a gentle homemaker. “You’d better eat plenty! It took me over an hour to make all this.”

“Of course,” Chen Erpao replied nonchalantly, picking up a piece of meat and chewing thoughtfully. It was delicious, the rich flavor filling his mouth. If only it were a little more tender, it would be perfect.

In no time, the two of them had eaten more than half the hotpot. Suddenly, Wang Xuemei’s expression turned serious. “Erpao, next month my grandmother is coming to visit. I told her about us, and she insists on meeting you.”

“Sounds good. That’s only normal—after all, elders worry their grandchildren might get led astray without them knowing.” Chen Erpao laughed it off, thinking it was only natural.

Wang Xuemei hesitated, as if struggling to speak. Chen Erpao set down his chopsticks and took her hand in his.

“What’s wrong, silly girl? What can’t you say to me?”

“I’ve lived with my grandmother ever since I was little. I don’t even know who my parents are—I’ve never seen them. Grandma is a strange woman; we’ve always lived on a tiny island with just a hundred or so people. She was always strict about me not letting outsiders see my feet, and she warned me never to mention the five black spots on my foot to anyone. Even after all these years studying away from home, I’ve always hidden them.”

Chen Erpao fell silent, deep in thought. He’d seen the black spots on Wang Xuemei’s foot once before, thinking they were just a peculiar birthmark. But from what she was saying now, it was clear there was a secret behind it—something extraordinary. Whatever it was, he’d have to wait until her grandmother arrived to uncover the truth.

“No matter how peculiar your grandmother might be, I’ll do my utmost to win her acceptance—and her affection as her future grandson-in-law,” Chen Erpao said with a reassuring smile.

“Yes, I’m sure you will.” Wang Xuemei smiled radiantly. Perhaps it was the chives, but Chen Erpao felt a sudden surge of desire; he longed to sweep this delicate beauty into his arms right then and there. But remembering she had a three-thousand-meter race the next day, he restrained himself. He didn’t want her to be so worn out that she couldn’t even make it three hundred meters.

The next morning, as usual, Chen Erpao drove his Mercedes to take Wang Xuemei to school. At the school gate, he unexpectedly ran into Li Ziyang and his Audi Q7.

Besides Li Ziyang, sitting in the SUV was a stunning beauty—second only to Wang Xuemei—whose face, however, showed less of a student’s innocence and more of a worldliness picked up from society.

Li Ziyang also noticed Chen Erpao and Wang Xuemei. He even managed a slight smile, but Chen Erpao could sense the hatred lurking behind it—an instinct honed from his years as a special forces soldier.

The beauty beside Li Ziyang also spotted them, her eyes filled with confusion and curiosity. By now, Chen Erpao was something of a celebrity on campus; everyone knew he was just a security guard—or, more generously, the deputy team leader. Yet here he was, driving a luxury S-class Mercedes and escorting the campus beauty, the two of them looking as close as could be.

“Ziyang, isn’t that Chen Erpao, the security guard? And Wang Xuemei was your ex-girlfriend, wasn’t she? Did you two break up because of him?” the woman suddenly asked.

Li Ziyang’s smile vanished, replaced by a look of fury. He shouted, “Shut up! Do you think Chen Erpao is so impressive that he can steal my woman?”

“What’s wrong with you? I was just asking,” the woman snapped back, offended by his outburst.

Li Ziyang shot her an angry glare. The car, which had been heading toward the parking lot, suddenly swerved in the direction of the hill behind the school.

“Ziyang, why are you driving that way?” she asked, baffled. But before they even reached the back hill, Li Ziyang had already unzipped his pants, grabbing the woman’s head and forcing it down.

“Damn it, I need you to help me let off some steam,” he muttered, his hand already reaching up her skirt.

Apart from a brief moment of resistance, the woman resigned herself and went about her task with practiced calm. Clearly, this was far from the first time.

Wang Xuemei’s three-thousand-meter race wasn’t until the afternoon, so after dropping her off, Chen Erpao wandered the various competition areas on the sports field, his mood buoyed by last night’s unexpected windfall.

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