Chapter 1304 - 1299: Letting Zhuge Ming Go
Li Qiang turned over, glanced at his watch, and feeling it was still early, closed his eyes to rest again.
The room was already dim, and the woman returned from work. Opening the door, she saw a man lying on the bed. When she recognized it was Li Qiang, a faint smile appeared on her face.
The woman's movements were gentle, as if deliberately not wanting to wake Li Qiang, and Li Qiang felt nothing, continuing to rest on the bed.
The two of them lay on the bed like this, falling asleep slowly. Li Qiang found it strange that ever since he parted ways with Dalis, his romantic luck seemed to be quite strong. It seems he needs to be more restrained in the future, or his love life will become too decadent.
The next morning, when Li Qiang opened his eyes, the woman had already left for work. After getting up and dressing, Li Qiang returned to the room next door.
Seeing Monk and Zhuge Ming still asleep, Li Qiang woke them up and said, "Stop sleeping, come on, let's figure out what we're going to do next!"
Monk opened his bleary eyes and said in a muffled voice, "I say, brother, why are you up so early? You tormented me so much last night that I didn't sleep well at all. I wonder why no matter where you go, there's always a woman by your side."
Li Qiang shrugged helplessly and said, "Being good-looking is just not something I can help. It's not my fault women like me."
As Monk rolled his eyes, about to speak, Zhuge Ming said, "I've already decided, I'm leaving here."
"What?" Monk widened his eyes at Zhuge Ming. If Li Qiang hadn't held him back, he would have gone up to strangle Zhuge Ming.
Monk angrily pointed at Zhuge Ming and said, "I'm telling you now, we're all in the same boat. If you want to leave, I'll definitely hand you over to Li Gongming."
Zhuge Ming weakly said, "Don't get angry yet. Listen to me finish. Both of you ended up like this because of me, but as long as I stay with you, Li Gongming will never let us go. I've thought it over: to repay you for saving my life, I'll give you a million, and then I'll escape to a place where Li Gongming can never find me."
Monk said resentfully, "Don't even think about it! Even if you leave, Li Gongming will still come after the two of us."
Zhuge Ming sighed and said, "If I leave you two, Li Gongming's pursuit of you will relax. Actually, the person he wants to find is me. I don't want to drag you two down, that's why I've come up with this solution."
Monk angrily said, "You can dream on! Even if Li Gongming finds us, we'll drag you down with us."
Li Qiang gave Monk a helpless look and said, "Calm down, Zhuge Ming is right. As long as he stays with us, Li Gongming will never relent."
Monk was taken aback, thought for a moment, and the anger on his face slowly faded, saying, "That's indeed the case."
Zhuge Ming said, "Now that my body has mostly recovered, I can leave on my own. You two stay here for a while until things quiet down before heading out."
Li Qiang nodded and said, "Alright, then. All I can do is wish you the best of luck. Until we meet again."
Zhuge Ming stood up, full of gratitude, and said, "Thank you for saving my life. If I ever have the chance, I'll definitely repay you."
Li Qiang patted his shoulder and said, "Alright, let's skip the sentimentality. You better leave quickly!"
Monk gave Zhuge Ming a hard punch, making him cough. Monk said, "Remember not to do such things again in the future, kid."
Zhuge Ming nodded and said, "If I ever do something like this again, I'll definitely be smarter about it."
Li Qiang and Monk stood at the door, watching Zhuge Ming leave. When he disappeared from sight, Monk said, "Looks like we'll really have to stay here for a while."
Li Qiang sneered and said, "Do you really trust Zhuge Ming?"
Monk was puzzled and asked, "What do you mean?"
Li Qiang lit a cigarette, took a few deep puffs, and said, "I suspect Zhuge Ming might tell Li Gongming about our situation, so Li Gongming will come looking for us with all his might, giving him the time to escape."
Monk's eyes widened, and he cursed, "I'll go catch that bastard right now."
Li Qiang held Monk back and said, "Relax, I already have a plan to deal with Li Gongming now."
The monk looked at Li Qiang, at a loss for what to say.
Li Qiang chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I assure you both of us will be fine. Let's go hide in other rooms and see if Li Gongming sends anyone."
The monk smirked and said, "You really have your tricks, huh? But which room should we go to?"
Li Qiang smirked back and said, "Don't forget there are beauties living on the third floor."
The monk burst out laughing and said, "Don't forget it was me who taught you how to court women. You just seem to use it much better now."
Li Qiang smiled helplessly, and the two of them left the room, heading to the other side of the corridor.
The third floor was indeed a paradise of beauties. Li Qiang felt as if he had entered a kingdom of women, feeling refreshed and cheerful.
As they walked, Li Qiang noticed a woman with particularly long legs coming out to hang clothes. Of course, he wouldn't miss the chance to chat her up.
"Why are you doing laundry?" Li Qiang's mischievous gaze roamed over the woman's body.
"Yes, I've heard you're new here." The woman's voice was sweet, but there was an obvious chill in her words.
Li Qiang knew this woman wasn't easy to deal with, but he was keen on mingling with women like her.
"Why aren't you at work?" Li Qiang glanced into the distance and asked.
"It's still early, no need to go to work yet." The woman smiled and continued with her laundry.
Li Qiang frowned and said, "It's almost noon, and you're still not going to work?"
The woman turned back with a coquettish smile and said, "There are many types of jobs in the world. Do you know every one of them?"
Li Qiang was at a loss for words. He indeed wasn't familiar with every type of job. After some thought, he asked, "Can you tell me what you do for work?"
The woman chuckled and said, "I can't; my job is a secret. But I can tell you this—it's a proper job, not what you might think."
Li Qiang felt helpless and said, "I wasn't thinking that way at all; you just assumed I did."
The woman stood up, turned around, and gave Li Qiang a look, saying, "Whatever you say, I'm happy you can understand me." As she spoke, her face showed a relieved smile, as if she'd been misunderstood for years. However, Li Qiang felt a surge of curiosity about her.
Li Qiang nodded and said, "Understanding is the most precious thing in the world. As long as we understand each other, there's no problem we can't solve."
The woman said, "You're really different; you must be a wealthy and cultured person. But why did you come here? Don't you know we all live here without jobs?" Her face bore a faint perplexity, as if puzzled by this unexpected guest. Perhaps she was used to the familiar faces here and felt unsettled by this stranger.
Li Qiang chuckled and said, "I couldn't help it; I'm here to experience life. Walking around and seeing things help my soul a lot." Of course, he wouldn't reveal what had happened today. Although these people seemed kind, no one knew what they were really thinking.
"Are you sick?" The woman looked at Li Qiang with puzzlement, her expression carrying a slightly strange smile, like she'd encountered a very peculiar person.
Li Qiang was speechless; everyone here was peculiar, and the woman's words were baffling too. After a pause, he said, "No, it's just that staying home alone was boring, so I decided to go out for a walk."
The woman responded with a faint "hmm," turned around to finish washing her clothes, and then asked, "How long do you plan to stay here? We haven't had strangers for a long time." During her words, her face showed a faint anticipation, as if she hoped Li Qiang would stay longer.
Li Qiang pondered and said, "I haven't decided yet. It might be a long time, or it might be short. Maybe I'll leave tomorrow." He suddenly felt everything here was strange, as if he didn't intend to get involved with these people.
The woman's face showed a hint of regret, and she said after some thought, "We haven't had anyone new in a long time. I didn't expect you to leave so soon after arriving. We haven't even gotten to know each other. Can't you stay a bit longer?" Her earnest plea made Li Qiang feel something strange, wondering what she really wanted. He was puzzled, thinking but unable to make sense of it all.
Li Qiang chuckled and said, "I'd like to get familiar before leaving, but don't you know? Once familiar, tender feelings develop, and leaving then would be painful." Li Qiang's voice was calm, giving no impression of what he was thinking or feeling inside.
The woman gave Li Qiang a strange look and said, "You really aren't from around here; you must work in a big city, right?" Her face showed a dreamy longing, filled with hopes for the big city, indicating she had lived here for a long time. It seemed her thoughts were covered by old routines. Li Qiang couldn't help but feel helpless about their lives. However, thinking deeper, it wasn't all bad. They possessed the purest skies in their hearts, and despite being far from the city's hustle and bustle, it was indeed a quiet place.