bookbashuk Chapter 157 Not a single word of truth came out of his mouth.
Chapter 157 Not a single word of truth came out of his mouth.
Even when the sun was high in the sky, the streets of Huai City were deserted except for a few clanging bicycles and buses belching black smoke.
The jeep was parked under the shade of a tree in front of the guesthouse, with the windows half-rolled down, letting in a hot, dusty breeze.
Xu Yuecheng sat in the driver's seat, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a cigarette, not in a hurry to turn the key.
He turned to the side, his dark eyes fixed on the woman in the passenger seat.
Xiao Lan was fixing her long, wavy hair in front of the rearview mirror.
I was too rough last night, and my trendy big wavy curls are a bit frizzy now.
She took out a box of "Friendship" brand face cream from her small handbag, scooped out a little, spread it in her palm, and carefully applied it to her neck to cover the two noticeable red marks.
"Why aren't you leaving?" Xiao Lan glanced at him through the mirror, her tone nonchalant.
Xu Yuecheng exhaled a smoke ring, a half-smile playing on his lips, his voice still hoarse from the previous night: "Xiao Lan, how come I never noticed before? You never tell the truth, and you can just spout lies off the cuff."
The way she acted like a wronged wife in front of the counter just now was so realistic.
If he hadn't personally inspected the goods last night and known how wild this woman was at heart, he probably would have believed her lies.
Xiao Lan paused, closed the lid of the face cream, and slowly put it back in her bag.
She turned her head, her peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed, her gaze full of charm.
"So, what does Captain Xu want me to say?"
She leaned forward slightly, the collar of her polyester shirt opening a crack, revealing a glimpse of her fair skin beneath. "Tell that old lady the truth? That we don't have a marriage certificate, that we're not a couple, that we're having an affair?"
She spoke the word "adultery" very softly.
Xu Yuecheng's breath hitched, and the fingers holding the cigarette involuntarily tightened.
Xiao Lan looked at his tense appearance, and her smile deepened.
She reached out, her fingertips sliding along the edge of Xu Yuecheng's black vest, touching his hard abs.
My fingertips were warm and smelled of face cream as I massaged them in circles on the firm skin.
Or perhaps...
She leaned closer, her red lips almost touching his ear, her voice so soft it could melt your heart, "Captain Xu thinks that a legitimate marriage is boring, and that only something stolen... is more exciting?"
boom--
Xu Yuecheng felt as if the string in his mind was about to snap again.
Last night's intoxicating pleasure surged back into his mind, especially the last part, which almost killed him.
This woman is simply a vixen who drains people dry!
He suddenly reached out and grabbed the hand that was messing around on his waist and abdomen. The rough calluses on his palm hurt Xiao Lan's delicate skin.
"Behave yourself!"
Xu Yuecheng gritted his teeth and glared at her fiercely, "Don't force me to do you in the car in broad daylight."
Xiao Lan wasn't afraid of him at all; instead, she took the opportunity to tickle his palm.
She leaned back lazily in her chair: "Alright, then save your energy for tonight. Now, let's get down to business."
Xu Yuecheng took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the burning desire in his waist and abdomen.
Damn it, he's so pathetic. He couldn't wait to stand up and salute after being flirted with by this woman.
He flicked the cigarette butt out the window, pressed the clutch, and turned the key.
The jeep roared and headed straight for the Huai City Textile Factory.
……
Huai City Textile Factory is a key large-scale factory in the province.
The rows of red brick factory buildings alone occupied hundreds of acres of land, with white smoke billowing from the chimneys and the roar of the machines audible from two streets away.
Xu Yuecheng drove the car to the side gate with practiced ease.
The gatekeeper was about to stop the vehicle when he saw it was a jeep with a license plate from a neighboring province. Upon seeing the burly man in the driver's seat, his expression immediately changed to one of smiles. He not only didn't stop it, but also saluted and lifted the barrier.
"Is this your doing again?" Xiao Lan raised an eyebrow as she watched this scene.
"I used to come here often for deliveries, and I've had a few drinks with the head of the security department here."
Xu Yuecheng turned the steering wheel toward the warehouse district, saying, "These days, whether you're considered 'wild' or not depends entirely on how much you can drink."
The car was parked in front of warehouse number one.
A middle-aged man wearing blue overalls and with slicked-back hair was standing there taking inventory in a notebook. When he saw Xu Yuecheng come down, he reached out his hand from a distance.
"Hey! Brother Xu! What brings you here?"
"Director Liu!"
Xu Yuecheng strode over, clasped his hands together, and casually pulled an unopened box of "Zhonghua" cigarettes from his pocket and stuffed it into the other man's pocket. "I just finished delivering a package and was thinking that I hadn't seen you in a long time, so I came to check on you."
Director Liu calmly patted his pocket, then his face lit up with a smile: "You've got a conscience, buddy! What brings you here today? Come on, let's go to the office for tea!"
"I won't drink the tea; I need your help today, brother."
Xu Yuecheng didn't beat around the bush. He turned to the side and pointed to Xiao Lan behind him, "This is my... family member. They want to start a small business in the county and were wondering if you have any unwanted scraps of cloth or defective products that you could share with them."
Director Liu pushed up his glasses and glanced at Xiao Lan.
Xiao Lan specially changed into a neat outfit today, with a white shirt tucked into black pants, making her look smart and capable yet still feminine.
She stepped forward confidently and said with a smile, "Hello, Director Liu. I've heard Yuecheng mention you before. He said you're the head of the Huai City Textile Factory and the most loyal person."
"Oh, comrade, you flatter me too much!"
Director Liu felt very pleased with the compliments. Who doesn't like to hear nice things?
He waved his hand dismissively, "Hey, I didn't think it was a big deal! Our factory has plenty of other things, but we have tons of scraps of fabric in this warehouse! They're all leftover scraps from cutting, or substandard products with slight printing and dyeing defects, which are usually treated as waste."
He was only half telling the truth.
There are indeed scraps and defective products, but they are still highly sought after. Often, it's so popular that you can't even get your hands on them.
These days, fabrics are in short supply, and good fabrics aren't cheap.
"That's great!"
Xu Yuecheng took out a match and lit a cigarette for Director Liu. "Brother, give me a fair price, and I'll take it all, so it won't take up your warehouse space."
"We're family, so let's not speak like outsiders."
Director Liu exhaled a puff of smoke. "Go to the back of the warehouse and pick out any scraps of cloth that are no more than three feet long. I'll sell them to you at scrap price, five cents a pound! How about that?"
He had dealt with Xu Yuecheng several times.
This person is capable, has connections, and is resourceful. You won't lose out by befriending someone like him!
Five cents a pound!
Xiao Lan's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes lit up instantly.
You should know that the price of Dacron fabric on the market now is more than one yuan per foot even with a ration coupon! What's the difference between this piece of fabric, which costs five cents a pound, and getting it for free?
"Director Liu, you're so generous!" Xu Yuecheng patted Director Liu on the shoulder. "Tonight at Hongyunlou, it's your treat, you absolutely have to have a couple of drinks!"
Liu Quan laughed so hard his teeth disappeared.
This Brother Xu is really generous; he just went to the best restaurant in Huai City, where a single meal would cost more than his monthly salary.
"Alright! You go ahead and choose, I'll have someone open the door for you!"