Chapter 10: Do You Really Want to Support Me?

“I’ll be right there,” Zhang Cheng said, hurrying to answer Su Qing.

Her upscale apartment complex was some distance from his rental, but he drove quickly and arrived in twenty minutes. Uniformed guards stood at the entrance, and the lawns were trimmed like carpets.

Su was already downstairs with two suitcases. She wore a cream casual outfit and had tied her long hair in a ponytail. Without her office attire she looked less overtly seductive and more relaxed, but she still drew everyone’s attention.

“How did you get all this downstairs yourself?” Zhang got out and lifted a suitcase. It was heavy. He couldn’t help worrying about her carrying it.

“A kind man helped me. I didn’t have to do the lifting.”

“Oh. Is there anything else?”

“That’s everything.” She glanced at the Mercedes with an amused smile. “Zhang, can this car hold so much?”

“It should… I think.” He flushed and put the two large cases in the trunk, then placed a smaller cosmetics case in the front passenger seat.

As Su settled into the back, her brows tightened almost imperceptibly. Perhaps she’d noticed the faint smell of smoke. Zhou Mingyuan rarely rode in this car; Zhang used it for errands and often smoked inside. He ought to smoke less from now on.

When they entered his old complex, Su looked at the stained walls, the laundry hanging outside the windows and the elderly men playing chess downstairs. Her brows drew together. She seemed about to speak, but said nothing.

Zhang parked and made two trips upstairs with the luggage. As he opened the door, his palms were damp. He felt like a student waiting for an examiner’s verdict.

Su stepped inside and took in the taped wall coating, the polished coffee table and, finally, the old bed in the bedroom. Without a word she opened her suitcase and unpacked skincare products, neatly folded dresses and several pairs of expensive-looking heels. They stood out sharply in the shabby room.

“I… I can sleep on the living-room sofa or make a bed on the floor,” Zhang said awkwardly from the doorway. “You can have the bedroom.”

“Thank you.” Her voice revealed nothing.

He breathed easier. At least she hadn’t said the place was impossible to live in.

Night fell. The apartment was lit by a single yellow lamp. Zhang sat on the sofa pretending to watch television, but kept glancing toward the bedroom. Su sat barefoot on the edge of the bed with a face mask on, her profile softened by the light. Her sweet tuberose perfume filled the air.

“Secretary Su…” After holding the question back for a long time, he finally asked, “Why did you agree to move in with me?”

A small, humble hope crept into his voice.

She removed the mask and raised an eyebrow. “I’m satisfied with my salary and benefits. I didn’t want to resign.”

Seeing his tense face, she added, “What? Did you think I’d fallen for you?”

He reddened further and dropped his gaze. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

“We’ll split the rent. Since I get the bedroom, I’ll wash your clothes and mop the floor. Does that sound fair?” She came out to stand before him, her fragrant breath brushing his ear.

He scratched his head. “I’ll wash my own clothes. And you don’t have to pay rent.”

“I’m not your girlfriend now. We’re only pretending, so you don’t have to support me.” She gave him a playful look. “Why? Do you really want to?”

“Even if I did, I don’t have the money. I couldn’t afford to.”

“You really do want to! You’ve got ambition.” Su laughed. “Then work hard, make lots of money and come support me. I’ll be waiting.”

Her laughter left Zhang staring. His eyes brightened for an instant, then dimmed.

“How could I make that much? Driving is all I know. I’ve never heard of anyone getting rich behind the wheel.”

He was twenty-eight, and Su Qing was the first woman he had slept with. Her beauty and allure had him captivated; he wanted her in his life forever. But the cruel reality, as he saw it, was that a poor nobody like him wasn’t worthy. Women as beautiful as her were scarce, and powerful men were the ones who could have them.

Late that night Zhang lay awake on the living-room sofa. It was too short, forcing him to curl his legs, and the cushions hurt his back. The bedroom door and its lock were broken; he’d never bothered to repair them, so the door remained slightly ajar.

Warm light spilled through the gap, and he could hear Su’s quiet breathing. It teased at him like a bell. He remembered their kisses at the hotel, the softness of her waist and her warmth against his chest. Desire grew until it threatened to overwhelm his reason.

She was only a few steps away. If he opened the door and went in, perhaps…

“No.” He pinched himself hard enough to wince. Zhou’s warning rang in his ears: if he touched a hair on her head, Zhou would chop off his hands and feed them to the dogs.

But once desire took hold, it wound around him like a vine. He watched the narrow line of light on the floor and imagined Su in a silk nightdress, her hair spread over the pillow.

Just one look, he told himself. I won’t do anything.

He got up quietly and pushed the door open, holding his breath. Su was awake, propped against the headboard and looking at her phone. She wore a black silk nightdress with loose straps.

She looked up, surprised for a moment, then smiled teasingly. “Can’t sleep?”

His throat tightened. He couldn’t speak, and his gaze stayed fixed on her.

“Come here.” Su beckoned him over.