Power and Wealth

The next day. Morning.

In the hotel room, Dong Xuebing woke up and glanced outside. It was still dark. He checked the time on his phone and saw it was just after six o'clock. It was still early, but Dong Xuebing couldn't fall back asleep. He had slept very well after bed last night, and now he wasn’t tired. After dawdling, he stubbed out his cigarette, got out of bed, and headed to the bathroom.

The bathroom was outside the bedroom.

Although there were two bedrooms, there was only one bathroom.

Dong Xuebing opened the door without thinking and headed straight for the bathroom. Turning the handle, he walked in, yawning and preparing to wash his face.

Hmm? What’s that sound?

Dong Xuebing was taken aback when he heard running water from behind him. Though the sound was faint and seemed to be coming through something, it was still quite evident. He didn’t understand what was happening and turned around instinctively. Shocked, he found he wasn’t alone in the bathroom. Fang Wenping was there, and not only that, but she was also taking a shower. Moreover, the bathroom door was made of transparent glass, and through the mist on the glass, Fang Wenping's naked, full figure was almost fully visible.

Damn!

Taking a shower is one thing! But why didn’t she lock the door?

Dong Xuebing, used to living alone, automatically went to the bathroom upon waking without any other awareness. He thought it wasn’t entirely his fault. If Fang Wenping had locked the door or made some noise inside, Dong Xuebing would have known someone was there. Now, he was so startled that he didn’t dare move, standing there sweating nervously. He noticed the small basket in front of the bathroom with women’s clothes—bras, white lace panties, and pink thermal underwear—all piled up inside.

Splash, splash, splash.

Fang Wenping was still showering.

Probably because of the glass door and the loud water noise inside, Fang Wenping hadn’t heard the commotion outside. She was now slowly applying shower gel to her body, the foam increasing as she rubbed it over her thighs and abdomen.

It was very stimulating!

The sight was too overwhelming for Dong Xuebing!

He couldn’t watch any longer. He had to leave before he was caught!

In a moment of panic, only about three or four seconds after Dong Xuebing entered the bathroom, he quickly turned off the faucet and, trying to be as quiet as possible, turned to leave.

But things didn’t go as planned!

Just as Dong Xuebing had taken a few steps, he suddenly heard the water stop entirely without warning. There was no sound at all. Dong Xuebing froze and reflexively turned his head. The next moment, he met Fang Wenping’s cold, piercing gaze! Dong Xuebing’s face turned red because his current posture was quite awkward, almost like a thief sneaking around on tiptoe!

It’s over!

He was caught!

Dong Xuebing wished he could find a hole to crawl into. He had tried to be as quiet as possible to avoid being noticed by Fang Wenping. If he had known he would be seen, he would have preferred to walk out openly. At least he wouldn’t look so guilty. Now, even if he wasn’t guilty, he looked guilty.

Fang Wenping said coldly, “What are you doing?”

Dong Xuebing stammered, “I didn’t know you were taking a shower.”

Fang Wenping didn’t move or shift, standing there with a lot of shower gel foam still on her. Although speaking through the bathroom door made the conversation somewhat distant, now that the water had stopped, she could hear clearly, “Can’t you hear the water? Can’t you see that I’m a living person? Didn’t you realize I was showering?”

Dong Xuebing dared not look in that direction. He avoided eye contact and explained, “Oh, I only realized after I came in. I was still groggy from just waking up. You didn’t lock the door, so I walked in and saw. No, wait, I didn’t see anything! I was just about to leave, but you saw me. I was only in here for a few seconds. I’m leaving now. I’m leaving!” He didn’t even look at Fang Wenping’s expression or gaze, knowing it couldn’t be good. He quickly opened the door, closed it behind him, and sighed. His mind was still filled with images of Fang Wenping’s smooth skin—what a temptation. He quickly tried to calm himself down.

That old hag!

She’s not young anymore, but his figure is well-maintained!

Those thighs, that round butt, that chest—nothing to criticize!

Dong Xuebing sat on the sofa and smoked a cigarette, feeling restless. He had felt an urge to rush in and join Fang Wenping in the shower, but he just thought about it. He knew that with Fang Wenping’s personality if she didn’t express any interest or hint at it, Dong Xuebing would end up in big trouble if he acted on those impulses. He had a rough idea of Fang Wenping’s style of doing things.

After finishing his cigarette, Fang Wenping also finished her shower and dressed in a bathrobe.

“Hmm, cough, all done with your shower?” Dong Xuebing tried to make conversation.

Fang Wenping completely ignored him, drinking from her water cup with a detached air.

“Then I’m going to freshen up,” Dong Xuebing said, returning to the bathroom. However, once inside, he thought, damn, why am I feeling guilty? You didn’t lock the door in the first place. And besides, you came over in the middle of the night to flirt with me. What haven’t I seen on you? Not only did I see, but I also touched. With that in mind, Dong Xuebing felt much more at ease, thinking it wasn’t a big deal. He is still grieving about Fang Wenping taking his car keys yesterday. You’re borrowing it for six months, so what if I take a look? Hmph!

The relationship between them was chaotic.

If it could once be described as “complicated,” now Dong Xuebing felt that “complicated” wasn’t even enough to describe it.

Chaotic!

Too chaotic!

Dong Xuebing figured that things wouldn’t be sorted out between them in the short term, so he decided not to worry about it. After freshening up, he went to the living room. “I’m leaving now?”

Fang Wenping was reading the newspaper and just nodded in response.

Dong Xuebing extended his hand. “Give me the car keys.”

Fang Wenping frowned and looked up. “I’m keeping the car for now. We’ll talk about it in a few months.”

Dong Xuebing was speechless. “I need to get my luggage. All my stuff is in the car. How can I leave without it? How about you come down with me?”

“That’s fine.” Fang Wenping closed her newspaper. “I’m hungry, too.”

Dong Xuebing went back to his room. “Then I’ll get dressed.”

…

Around seven in the morning.

Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping were both dressed and ready, and they headed to the parking lot outside.

Fang Wenping didn’t hand over the keys to Dong Xuebing. She pressed the button to open the car door and then left it.

Dong Xuebing was left speechless. He thought to himself, you are petty. Are you afraid I’ll run off with the car keys? It’s just a car. Even if I borrowed it or you gave it to me, so what? Why should I care? So he also took on a sulky demeanor, slowly taking out his suitcase.

Fang Wenping said, “Find the long-distance bus station yourself.”

“Where should I find one?” Dong Xuebing asked, feeling lost in an unfamiliar place.

“Take a taxi and ask the driver,” Fang Wenping replied simply.

Dong Xuebing glanced at the entrance. “There aren’t many taxis around here. I haven’t seen any for a while.” They hadn’t entered the city; this was more like the suburbs, so there weren’t as many taxis as in Beijing.

Fang Wenping shrugged off his concern. “Figure it out yourself.”

Dong Xuebing looked at her and then relaxed. “How about you just drop me off at the bus station?”

“You want me to drop you off?” Fang Wenping squinted at him.

Dong Xuebing replied as if it were obvious, “I’ve already lent you my car, so it’s only fair you drop me off near the bus station. Otherwise, how am I supposed to get there with my luggage?” Without waiting for her response, Dong Xuebing casually entered the car and sat in the front passenger seat, refusing to leave. After all, she took his car, so he also figured it was fair to use her for this.

After a tense pause of ten seconds.

Fang Wenping, still impatient, got into the car. Without giving Dong Xuebing a chance to prepare, she slammed the gas pedal and drove off with her usual wild driving style!

Dong Xuebing quickly buckled his seatbelt. “Slow down!”

“If you’re in my car, don’t waste time with complaints!” Fang Wenping replied coldly.

Dong Xuebing nearly cursed under his breath, thinking to himself, "Damn it, when did my Land Rover become your car??"

After a while, Fang Wenping unexpectedly reminded Dong Xuebing, “Since you’re taking office now, it would be beneficial to visit your predecessor, the former county party secretary. Even though Li Guian has been transferred, he’s just moved to the neighboring county as a county party secretary. It’s on the way.”

Dong Xuebing responded, “I’ll think about it.”

He wasn’t very keen on the visit. Although he knew it would benefit his work, he felt indifferent.

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Dong Xuebing suddenly froze. “Li Guian? Who’s Li Guian?”

“What are you talking about?” Fang Wenping asked.

“Who is Li Guian?” Dong Xuebing asked blankly.

Fang Wenping looked at him. “He’s the one who made way for you, the former county party secretary of Jiaoliao County. You don’t know this? Don’t you do basic research?”

Dong Xuebing inhaled deeply. “Are you sure his name is Li Guian?”

Fang Wenping was too lazy to argue. “What do you think his name is?”

Dong Xuebing hesitated. “Isn’t it Zhang Dongfang?”

Fang Wenping replied while driving, “Zhang Dongfang is the county mayor, the number two position.”

“Huh? The county mayor of Jiaoliao?” Dong Xuebing’s eyes flickered, and he awkwardly chuckled. “Oh, maybe I remembered wrong.”

Although he said this, Dong Xuebing suddenly felt terrible inside. Something didn’t seem right!

Remember wrong?

How could he have remembered wrong?

In future newspapers, when mentioning the ancient tomb matter and the county-level city, the county party secretary would be Zhang Dongfang!