We Are Destined to Meet

9. Eight Condoms

Translator: Iris Guo

Liang snorted, walking out of the ward with a kettle in his hand.

When Doudou was sure Liang was out of earshot, she whispered that they were hired by the Ling Group at the same time, but Liang was keen on gambling. He made no effort to seek progress so that he was still at the lower end of the Group.

The corner of my mouth twitched. Liang was some kind of “talent”. Doudou had already been a PR manager, while he was still a nobody. He even tried to rape someone for money.

He really did a good job on idling away.

Doudou opened a vacuum flask on the table, and gave me a bowl of hot chicken soup, “Sheng, I’ve made chicken soup. Drink it, and you will feel better.”

With the bowl in my hand, I cried. My tears dropped into the soup. Mixed feeling engulfed me. I felt sad and touched.

I was beaten up and ended up lying in bed, but my newly-wedded husband was not here. The only one who cared about me was Doudou, who had worked for me.

I admitted that I was a loser.

A bowl of chicken soup warmed me. I hadn’t felt such warmth for ten years. I couldn’t keep back my tears.

I didn’t ask for much. What I wanted was a bowl of hot soup, a man who loved me and a home.

I called the Personnel Department. Doudou would become my assistant. A rapid handover was about to take place.

Having spent a day in the hospital, I went to work the next day. Some senior executives looked at me inappropriately, as if I was not the PR manger or Ling Mubai’s wife, but a street girl.

I even doubted that if I met them somewhere nobody could see us, they might rape me in turns.

Regardless of their strange looks, I walked into my office. I summoned Doudou and asked her what had happened.

Doudou wished to speak but stopped on second thoughts. I stared at her, forcing her to speak out.

She hesitated, “A new personnel appointment was released. They said you would become the PR manager of the Entertainment City, and…”

I was confused. She was so mealymouthed that I urged her, “And what?”

Doudou quickly glanced at me and then lowered her eyes, “They said you are good at entertaining men, so… you will be in charge at… at nighttime.”

I suddenly understood why those senior executives looked at me in that way.

This appointment represented exactly what Ling Mubai wanted to say, “I know you like men, then you can run the Entertainment City at nighttime and have fun.”

My fists clenched, and fingernails pierced into my palms. Compared with the pain in my heart, it was nothing.

I asked Doudou to leave, and close the door for me.

As soon as the door was closed, I grabbed the documents lying on the table, throwing them onto the ground. My chest was heaving with emotion. I couldn’t calm down.

‘Ling Mubai, you are really cold-blooded!’

I gnashed my teeth, reading his name several times in my heart.

Ten minutes later, I called him, “Mr. Ling, I need an explanation.” I tried to say it in a calm and emotionless voice.

“For what?” Ling Mubai responded coldly, as if he heard something ridiculous.

I almost burst out laughing. “I have been working in the underground casino for several years. The profits have seen a tenfold increase. Why do you make such a stupid appointment? I’m your wife now, and you let me work in the Entertainment City at night? What the hell are you doing?” I shouted at him. My voice shivered.

He pondered for a moment, and opened his mouth, “If you want to know the reason, go ask my mom.”

“Your mom?” I was confused. After a few seconds, I guessed out the real reason, “Your mom made the appointment?”

“Who else will do so?” Ling Mubai said scornfully, “I appreciate your work, and will never get back at you in such a way.”

I was stunned.

I thought he did so because I kissed Mr. Long that night. But now, I couldn’t find an excuse to defuse the embarrassment.

I almost forgot why his mom accepted me. She wanted me to protect him, distract the attention from sharp contradictions, or be the scapegoat, but not live a happy life with him.

The more notorious I was, the safer he was.

Intrigue in a rich family was fierce.

Ling Mubai wasn’t back to the Ling family until he was 18 years old. He had lived in a foster family for a long time. If he had stayed in the Ling family, no one knew whether he would grow up.

When he was back, he became a playboy. But those people still kept a close watch on him.

His mom accepted our marriage for making those sneaky people drop their guard. Otherwise, she wouldn’t accept a notorious woman as her daughter-in-law.

‘So… Is the appointment another way to distract the attention?’

I felt tired out of the blue, thinking I had been ridiculous. I was like a clown whose performance didn’t impress Ling Mubai at all.

They treated me as a useful pawn in their plan, but I thought I was the heroine. Well, it was hilarious.

“Mr. Ling, sorry for interrupting you. I will go there tonight.”

“Wait.” He said before I hung up the phone, “If you can handle the client in Room A at the Entertainment City, I will celebrate your birthday with you tomorrow.”

‘What? My birthday?’

‘I can’t believe it. Ling Mubai remembers my birthday!’

I went to the Entertainment City for work handover at 10 o’clock in the evening.

Ling Mubai’s secretary stood in front of Room A, stuffing several condoms into my hands, “Ms. Shen, the client is waiting for you.”

I lowered my head and started counting. There were eight condoms. I looked at the door. My head was in a spin…

‘Am I going to handle the client in such a way? Ling Mubai, you are really a bastard.’