Temptation

Hongyu’s home was in a mid-range residential complex, a modest two-bedroom apartment with a living room.

Though she was the station manager, she still worked for someone else, and her salary was barely ten thousand. Yet, in this city, a woman who could buy her own home and raise a daughter alone had already accomplished a great deal.

Xiaorui was still asleep, and it seemed she wouldn’t wake until morning. Hongyu gently closed the bedroom door behind her and stepped out.

“Jade, I’ll be heading out now,” Lin Qi whispered.

“There’s no rush, neither of us has had dinner. Wait a moment in the living room…” Hongyu hurried into the kitchen.

With nothing else to do, Lin Qi sat on the sofa in the living room and sent a message to Luo Feifei, telling her he wouldn’t be coming back for dinner.

Hongyu’s home was clean and tidy, untainted by the scent of men, every inch reflecting the neat and efficient life of a single woman.

Lin Qi watched TV for a while before Hongyu emerged with dinner.

She served four dishes and a soup, and even opened a bottle of bamboo leaf wine.

“Lin Qi, thank you so much for today.” Hongyu raised her glass solemnly.

Had it not been for Lin Qi, Xiaorui would have been taken away. Had it not been for Lin Qi, Liu Bighead would never have left Haitong City.

“You’re too polite, Jade.” Lin Qi smiled, raising his glass to clink it with hers.

As they ate and drank, the atmosphere warmed.

Before tonight, their relationship was little more than station manager and deliveryman. They had interacted, but never truly connected.

Tonight, the walls between them finally fell away.

Of course, it was mostly Hongyu who spoke.

She drank heavily, her cheeks flushed, and as the wine loosened her tongue, she rambled on and on—about her years as a single mother raising a seven-year-old daughter, about how hard life had been.

This was a side of her Lin Qi had never seen.

In the eyes of the other deliverymen, Hongyu had always been a formidable woman.

“You’ve had it hard,” Lin Qi sighed.

Hongyu was truly drunk now, and as she spoke, tears streamed down her face. “But things will be better from now on. With Liu Bighead gone from Haitong, my daughter and I will manage, no matter what…”

“Yes, better days are still ahead,” Lin Qi said softly, patting Hongyu’s shoulder in comfort.

She fell silent, her eyes suddenly hazy as she gazed at Lin Qi.

“Jade…” Lin Qi sensed the change in the air, and was about to rouse her when it was already too late.

Hongyu threw herself into his arms, kissing him on the lips.

He wanted to resist, but in the end, he gave in.

For Hongyu was bold, passionate, alluring, and irresistible.

No ordinary man could have withstood her.

They tumbled into the bedroom, falling onto the bed in a tangled embrace.

But at the final moment, Lin Qi suddenly sobered and blurted out, “Jade, don’t…”

He was painfully aware of his own circumstances—he wasn’t fit to enter a relationship, nor confident that he could care for a woman.

In the darkness, Hongyu was silent for a long time, then turned away and went to sleep.

Lin Qi let out a long breath, the warmth of the wine overtaking him, and soon he too drifted off.

The next morning, Lin Qi woke groggily in bed to find himself alone. The events of the previous night felt like nothing more than a dream.

He sat up, massaging his aching head, and noticed a note on the nightstand.

It was from Hongyu.

“What happened last night—let’s pretend it never happened.”

Lin Qi let out a quiet sigh and crumpled the note in his hand.

He picked up his phone.

The night before, Luo Feifei had called several times and sent a few messages.

“Brother-in-law, I won’t wait for you. I’m going to bed.”

The last message had been sent at one in the morning.

Lin Qi felt a twinge of guilt, like a husband caught cheating. But then he remembered there was nothing truly binding between him and Luo Feifei, and he certainly hadn’t betrayed anyone. He replied, “Had too much to drink at a colleague’s place last night.”

Luo Feifei replied instantly: “Alright, alright, just make sure you rest.”

Lin Qi got up to wash. Breakfast was already on the table.

Hongyu had gone to work, and Xiaorui to school—he vaguely recalled hearing Hongyu suggest Xiaorui rest at home, but the girl insisted on going to class.

After eating, Lin Qi washed the dishes and checked the apartment, just in case.

Once he was sure there were no listening devices, he called Tang Long.

“Young master, what can I do for you?” Tang Long was as always refined and courteous.

But in the next moment, his composure broke. “What? You met Song Qingzhu?!”

“Yes.” Lin Qi recounted the events of the previous day.

Tang Long’s heart raced as he listened, and finally he asked nervously, “She didn’t recognize you, did she?”

“No,” Lin Qi replied. “I watched her closely—she really didn’t seem to know me.”

“So she’s not from ‘that side’?”

“Not necessarily. She’s a young woman in her twenties, yet she’s the president of Jinyang Group, and she beat someone half to death without hesitation. There’s plenty to be suspicious about. We’ll keep watching.”

Tang Long was silent for a long time before finally saying, “Young master, don’t meet Song Qingzhu again.”