80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches

Chapter 336 - 333: I’m Going to Report You

Xu Huan was quite confident in her looks. She smiled coquettishly and raised her wine glass. "Qian Kun, you saw it the other day. I picked out that sweater, and when the other two saw how good it looked on me, they bought one too. Once we open our shop, business will definitely be booming."

"With a beauty like you as a model, of course you’ll draw a crowd!" Qian Kun said, plying Xu Huan with drinks until her eyes grew hazy before leading her toward the guesthouse.

After getting Xu Huan into the room, Qian Kun’s eyes roved lecherously over her, looking more alluring than ever. He gulped, then lunged forward and threw her onto the bed. "Huanhuan, marry me, and I’ll open a shop for you."

His stinking mouth descended on hers as his hands began to grope...

"Qian Kun, get off... let me go..." Xu Huan murmured. Her whole body felt limp and weak. She used all her strength but couldn’t push him away. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she passed out.

The morning sun filtered through the curtains, falling on the bed. In a daze, Xu Huan felt an ache all over her body, an awful soreness as if she’d been run over by a car. Suddenly, she heard a man’s snores next to her ear. Her eyes flew open, and she whipped her head around to see a shirtless Qian Kun lying beside her.

She lifted the blanket and glanced at her body underneath. A chill shot through her. Trembling, she leaped out of bed, scooped her clothes off the floor, and shakily put them on. She couldn’t hold back her sobs. "WAH... WAH... You animal! I’m going to the police... I’m reporting you..."

Qian Kun didn’t dare pretend to be asleep any longer. He scrambled up, jumped out of bed, and knelt before Xu Huan, giving himself two hard slaps. SLAP! SLAP! "Huanhuan, I’m so sorry! You’re just too beautiful, I couldn’t control myself. I wronged you, I’m sorry! Hit me..." He grabbed her hand, trying to make her slap him.

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! Xu Huan rained slaps on his face with both hands, then pummeled his chest with her fists, staring at him with clenched teeth.

"Qian, how dare you do this to me? I’m not some tramp you can pick up off the street! Even if we were dating, you have no right to do this... How am I supposed to face anyone ever again..."

Seeing Xu Huan’s hysterical state, Qian Kun grew scared. He dropped to his knees with a THUD, grabbing her hand and apologizing profusely.

"Huanhuan, you can’t blame me entirely! This is my room. You were drunk and wouldn’t let go of me. I’m a man in my prime, and you’re so beautiful... I just lost control for a moment..."

Qian Kun watched her expression as he spoke. Seeing no sign of her anger abating, he continued to grovel.

Xu Huan covered her face and cried for a moment, but she was still relentless. "I’m not that kind of girl... WAH... You lured me to Yangcheng City... WAH... and did this to me. I’m going to the police station..."

When he saw things were getting out of hand, he quickly grabbed her and knelt at her feet again. "Huanhuan, don’t go! Don’t you want to open a shop? Let’s go get breakfast, and then I’ll take you to get your inventory. When we get back to East Market, we’ll go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and register our marriage."

’If she goes to the police, I’m finished. My reputation will be shot, I’ll lose my job, and by the time I get out of prison, I’ll be an old man.’

Xu Huan stopped in her tracks. ’He’s already... and even if I report him, he’ll just go to prison, while my reputation will be ruined...’

’The men my family introduced were either widowers or dirt-poor, or they just wanted to fool around...’

’And that bastard Li Xiangyang! He’d rather marry a widow than have me...’

’Qian Kun might be ugly, but he’s a contracted mechanic at the vehicle factory. He makes more in one month than I do in a whole year...’

’He has money. With his money, I can open my own shop and make a fortune.’

’If I have money, all those people who looked down on my family will have to see us in a new light. If I have money, my little brother can go to any school he wants...’

Xu Huan weighed her options. In the end, she decided money was more important. She turned back to him. "Fine, I won’t report you. But you give me the money first. After we eat, we’ll go get the inventory."

Qian Kun was overjoyed. He nodded his head so fast it looked like he was pounding garlic. "Just a second, I’ll get it for you right now." He walked over to the bed and quickly threw on his pants and shirt...

Xu Huan stood by the door, watching as Qian Kun pulled several thick wads of cash from his bag. As he walked toward her with the money in hand, a complicated mix of emotions churned inside her.

’To marry this man who’d stolen her innocence—this despicable, shameless, short, and stout outsider—she couldn’t accept it. But he had the one thing she didn’t: money!’

Qian Kun handed the money to Xu Huan, speaking cautiously. "This is two thousand yuan. Let’s go downstairs for breakfast, then I’ll take you to check out a few markets."

Xu Huan took the money and nodded, her expression grim.

Qian Kun watched her stuff the money into the small bag she carried, and he breathed a sigh of relief. A flicker of triumph flashed in his eyes as he looked down. "Huanhuan, go wash your face and change in your room. I’ll get cleaned up, and then we’ll go downstairs for breakfast."

Xu Huan nodded blankly. She opened the door, bag on her shoulder, and went to the adjacent room. She collapsed weakly into a chair, the tears streaming down her face once more.

****

Li Xiangyang had spent two grueling days at the wholesale market and had finally sourced all his goods, with only the shoes left to buy.

「On the morning of the third day」 Just as he and Liu Da were getting up, Liu Biao and the others arrived.

Duan Hongjun looked at him with relief. "Uncle Da, it was raining on the road, and we hit a landslide. It delayed us half the day."

Liu Da smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "No problem, safety comes first. We’ll go eat now. You all should go upstairs and get some sleep. Xiangyang and I will go pick up the merchandise."

The overwhelming image of mud, rocks, and massive boulders crashing down the mountainside flashed through Liu Biao’s mind. He shuddered, "It’s a good thing we didn’t try to rush ahead. We let that guy who was trying to pass us go first. Otherwise, we would’ve been buried."

Liu Da quickly admonished them, "We’re not in a rush. Half a day sooner or later makes no difference. You have to take it slow. You have parents and children to think about; you can’t gamble with your lives."

Liu Biao nodded and followed him into the restaurant. He saw Li Xiangyang waiting there and went over, clapping him on the shoulder. "Xiangyang, did you get all your stock?"

Li Xiangyang smiled. "Just the shoes are left. Uncle Da and I are going to pick up the other merchandise first, and I’ll go source the shoes this afternoon."

Duan Hongjun pointed to his own feet. "The shoes from that place last time were really comfortable. Get a couple of pairs for us, too."

Liu Biao and the other man chimed in, "We want a pair, too. And get some for our families."

Li Xiangyang nodded readily. "Sure. Just give me your sizes."

The three men told Li Xiangyang their shoe sizes. Just as he finished writing them down, a waiter brought steamed buns and congee to their table.

Liu Biao picked up a steamed bun with his chopsticks, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed before sighing, "I wonder if that stretch of road will be fixed by the time we head back."

Duan Hongjun said nonchalantly, "It’ll be another four or five days before we head back. It’ll be fixed long before then."

Liu Da looked at the men and repeated, "Everyone needs to be careful. Don’t be in too much of a hurry. Safety first."

"Don’t worry, Uncle Da, we’ll be careful," the three replied.