Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 574

"Can't we get the negatives today?" Geng Feiyan wanted to get the photos as soon as possible; she didn't want anything to go wrong. "Can you come pick me up? Let's talk things out today."

He Yuzhu laughed and said, "You have to give me time to develop the photos today!"

"You..." Geng Feiyan was so angry she didn't know what to say, so she could only grit her teeth and say:

"You can't spread this around. We can talk things over."

Geng Feiyan heard a "hmm" from the microphone, followed by a busy tone.

Mechanically putting down the phone, Geng Feiyan sat there blankly, her eyes vacant.

I never imagined that I would just send He Yuzhu's information to the leaders through the Geng family's channels, simply to get revenge on He Yuzhu for dismantling the machinery factory.

I never expected He Yuzhu's revenge to come so quickly.

He rushed into the office, kissed himself without a second thought, and even took a picture of it.

Now that everything he had done had been in vain, how would He Yuzhu retaliate against him?

Does it mean they want me to withdraw the report, or do they want me as a person?

Just thinking about it made Geng Feiyan blush with embarrassment. He Yuzhu is always attracted to women, and now that he has her weakness, will he use it as a threat?

What should I do if that situation really happens?

Should they resist outright? Or...?

Geng Feiyan was in a state of utter confusion. Was she going to fall into He Yuzhu's hands from now on?

He Yuzhu paid for the phone call, then drove to the police station. After asking the on-duty internal affairs officer and learning that Bai Ling was there, he entered the inner courtyard.

Bai Ling was writing materials at her desk with her head down when she heard a knock on the office door. Without looking up, she said, "Come in."

When He Yuzhu came in, he saw Bai Ling writing with her head down. He didn't say anything, but simply locked the office door and went to Bai Ling's side.

Bai Ling found it strange. Normally, if someone came to report on their work, they would stand directly across from the desk. Why would they come to her?

Just as she was about to look up, she was embraced by the person who came in. Her delicate body trembled, and she saw He Yuzhu's big face.

She scolded, "You bad person, you scared me!"

He Yuzhu simply smiled and leaned closer. After a brief moment of intimacy, He Yuzhu finally said:

"Director Bai, I've lost my job and I'm begging you for a meal."

Bai Ling smiled and said, "Sure, we're short a cook, you can come."

He Yuzhu and Bai Ling exchanged a few jokes before getting down to business: "I have a roll of film here that I need to develop. Could you please give me a certificate so I can go to the Cultural Palace Photo Studio to get it developed?"

If it were a regular photo, I could just get it cleaned, but this one was a photo of myself and Geng Feiyan kissing, so I couldn't let anyone else see it.

He Yuzhu planned to go into the darkroom to clean it himself, and couldn't let someone else do it.

This requires a certificate from his employer. He Yuzhu is currently unemployed, so he can't very well ask Geng Feiyan for a certificate. Therefore, he has no choice but to ask Bai Ling.

"Come find me when you need me," Bai Ling said, then pushed He Yuzhu aside and took out a letter to issue a certificate.

He Yuzhu laughed and said, "Yes, you're right. I'll need to use it tonight."

Bai Ling blushed instantly. She hadn't meant anything by it; she was just being coquettish. She hadn't expected He Yuzhu to say something like that.

Bai Ling lowered her head and quickly filled out the certificate, then tossed it over, saying shyly, "This is an office, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"Understood. I'll be waiting at home tonight. You'd better get off work early!"

Without waiting for Bai Ling's reply, he took the certificate and turned to leave.

Bai Ling covered her burning face; He Yuzhu was just bullying her.

Thinking about spending the evening alone together, she couldn't help but squeeze her legs together.

He Yuzhu took the certificate issued by Bai Ling and went to the Cultural Palace Photo Studio.

The photographer was surprised by He Yuzhu's request, but he still invited him into the darkroom and taught him how to clean the photographic negatives.

He Yuzhu practiced with other rolls of film first, and only after confirming that there were no problems did he develop Geng Feiyan's photos.

Satisfied, he left the darkroom, paid the fee, and headed straight for Bai Ling's courtyard.

It was already winter, and no one came directly into the alley. He lit the kang (heated brick bed) first, and since he had nothing to do, he lay on the kang and started reading a novel.

When it was time to leave work, Bai Ling rushed back and felt relieved to see that the courtyard gate was unlocked.

After entering the main room, I washed my face behind the door, lifted the curtain, and went into the inner room, where I immediately felt warm and cozy.

Hearing the noise, He Yuzhu put down his book, lifted a corner of the quilt, patted the empty space beside him, and laughed:

"Here, let me use it."

"Pah, you little rascal."

Despite saying that, Bai Ling still took off her coat, untied her shoes, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and lay down in He Yuzhu's arms.

After it was over, Bai Ling grumbled, "You beast, I told you to go slower, but you wouldn't listen. I have no strength left."

"Lie down quietly, I'll bring you food. You'll have energy after you eat."

Bai Ling glared at him irritably: "I need to rest later, so you can't bother me anymore."

"Look at what you're saying! What do you mean by 'harmful'?"

"Pah, you scoundrel, when have you ever not kept me up until midnight?"

"Since you already know this, what's the use of begging for mercy?"

Bai Ling grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. He Yuzhu caught it with a grin, put it back, and then went to the kitchen to cook.

Bai Ling recovered and went to wash up again.

Before long, He Yuzhu brought out a hot pot and placed it on the kang table. The two sat facing each other and began to eat and drink.

"What exactly happened with the work you mentioned earlier?"

"What else can we do? The Geng family is too ruthless; they sued me."

"Sue you? Sue you for what?" Bai Ling didn't guess for a moment and asked:

"You didn't embezzle money when you were the factory manager, did you?"

"If I had embezzled the money, would I be sitting here having dinner with you right now?"

He Yuzhu said somewhat helplessly, "Of course they're accusing me of having illicit relationships."

"Pfft." Bai Ling laughed out loud, then said with a smile, "Serves him right."

He Yuzhu sighed, recounted some of what had happened, and finally said, "Don't worry, our affair isn't mentioned above, so the Geng family shouldn't know."

"Sigh, it seems there are quite a few girls following a bad guy like you."

"No, not many, just a few."

He Yuzhu was quite embarrassed, then changed the subject and asked, "How's your work?"

"What else can I do? After this period of rectification, the police station is back on track. After the New Year, when a new station chief arrives, I will leave this station and go back to the municipal bureau."

He Yuzhu nodded. He already knew that Bai Ling wouldn't last long as the police station chief, and it was only right that she return to the municipal bureau.

As they ate and chatted, He Yuzhu gradually noticed that Bai Ling was eating slower and slower, which meant she was just procrastinating.

Even though he, a big-bellied man, was already full, Bai Ling was still chewing slowly.

Bai Ling wasn't like this before. Because of her job, she was always busy and would wolf down her food as quickly as possible.

"What's wrong with you today? Are you trying to stall for time?"

Bai Ling blushed slightly and exclaimed, "No, of course I should eat slowly at home. If I eat too fast, my stomach won't be able to handle it."

He Yuzhu didn't say much. He didn't care. What difference would it make if it took a little longer?

Anyway, I'll need to use it several times today, so I can just get up a little later tomorrow.

Bai Ling asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

"I'm just an ordinary citizen now, and I'll never be an official again. I'll just work as a cook in the vehicle factory and get by like this."

He then said that he would take on the role of deputy director of the canteen at the machinery factory, managing the canteen, and also hold a temporary position in the security department to manage the militia.

"Why did you decide to go to the security office?"

"The militia has the largest number of members. They only need to take 30 days off for training each year, and there's not much else to do."

He Yuzhu was also planning for the future, so that when he took control of the security department, he could rise up in rebellion.

I can guarantee that I can still live a comfortable life for the next ten years or so.

"So this is a thankless task for you. Why are you getting involved in the security department's affairs?"

"Zhang Guangming and I have a good relationship; I just wanted to be colleagues with him."

Encyclopedia recalled He Yuzhu's special file treatment and knew that he was not an ordinary cadre, so it did not ask any further questions.

He ate half as much as He Yuzhu, and it took him even longer, but he still managed to finish his meal.

He Yuzhu wanted to wash the dishes, but Bai Ling took the task away from him. What should have been a few minutes' work turned into half an hour later when Bai Ling still hadn't returned.

He got up and went into the kitchen, where he saw Bai Ling sitting on a small stool in front of the stove, lost in thought.

Seeing He Yuzhu come in, she blushed and said, "I'm adding firewood to the stove!"