Chapter 32: The Counterfeit Phone [Extra Chapter for Recommendation Votes]

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At two in the morning, Huang He quietly opened his room door, cautiously closed it behind him, and was immediately overcome by exhaustion.

Men, after all, aren’t concerned about petty details or trivial matters; so Huang He kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the bed, curling under the covers, ready to sleep.

But something wasn’t right—the blanket was warm, and it felt as if he wasn’t alone.

“Brother-in-law… you… died… so… tragically…” A ghostly voice whispered in Huang He’s ear, making him shriek in terror. He slammed the switch by his pillow, and suddenly, a wild-haired female ghost lay beside him, staring at him with eerie green eyes.

“Leng Zhimeng, why are you pretending to be a ghost?” Even a fool could see that the ghost was actually his little sister-in-law, Leng Zhimeng.

“Hmph, if you’ve done nothing wrong, you shouldn’t fear ghosts. Tell me, where were you so late at night?”

“I… I… I went out for barbecue, just for some midnight snacks, is that not allowed?” Huang He hesitated, then answered.

“Nonsense! If you went for barbecue and snacks, why didn’t you take me?”

“I thought you were already asleep.”

“You vanished at nine o’clock! Have you ever seen a senior high school student go to bed at nine?”

“Well…” Huang He was speechless, and Leng Zhimeng pressed her advantage. “Hmph, brother-in-law, don’t think I don’t know what you were up to—you must have gone out to play with those filthy women! How could you do this to my sister?”

“I didn’t…” Huang He’s reply was weak.

“Ha! You still want to fool me? You didn’t expect that woman to be so stupid as to call my room, did you? Brother-in-law, stop denying it! Be a man—admit what you’ve done!”

“I am a man, and I admit what I do. I swear to heaven, I have nothing whatsoever to do with any woman in this hotel—I am innocent!” Huang He declared with righteous conviction, his tone much stronger now.

“If you have any evidence, bring it out and prove to me that your brother-in-law did such filthy things. Do you have evidence?”

“I…” Leng Zhimeng’s momentum faltered; of course she had no proof.

“Then why are you coming home so late? Do you know what time it is?” Leng Zhimeng pressed.

“When I come home is my business—what does it have to do with you?” Huang He switched to offense. “But, Leng Zhimeng, I’ll tell you—I went out with friends for barbecue and discussed business. Are you satisfied now?”

“Though I am your brother-in-law, I am now single. Even if I didn’t do anything tonight, if I ever do—say, find a girlfriend in the future—it would be normal, legal, and morally acceptable. It has nothing to do with you, not even a little bit. Do you understand?”

“You… hmph! Mom was right. As soon as my sister left, you’d be lured away by those wild women outside!” Leng Zhimeng said angrily.

“Huh… Mom said that?” Huang He asked curiously. Leng Zhimeng glared at him, then said, “If you claim you went for barbecue, do you have proof?”

“Of course!” Huang He nodded.

“Then show me your evidence!” Leng Zhimeng reached out her small hand.

“If I have evidence, what will you do?” Huang He raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll sell you my little sister!” Leng Zhimeng puffed out her chest.

“Really?”

“Really!”

“Alright!” Huang He chuckled, suddenly pulling Leng Zhimeng into his arms. She was terrified, shrieking, “Brother-in-law, what are you doing? I’m your little sister-in-law—you can’t do something so immoral!”

“Heh, didn’t you just say you’d sell your little sister to me? Aren’t you my little sister-in-law?” Huang He grinned wickedly.

“I meant my two older sisters, not myself!” Leng Zhimeng was frightened. Her brother-in-law seemed desperate, and everyone said she looked the most like her eldest sister—would he take advantage of the situation?

“Be a good girl and smell!” Huang He pressed her head against his chest. “Well, have you smelled it now?”

“Huh? Smelled what?”

“The scent of smoke and fire on me!”

With that, Leng Zhimeng finally realized that Huang He’s body was indeed saturated with a strong smell of charcoal, mixed with roasted meat, snails, and all sorts of tempting aromas; it even made her stomach rumble.

Such a strong barbecue smell could only be acquired after sitting at a barbecue stall for more than an hour; this was the best proof that Huang He had actually gone for barbecue.

“Brother-in-law, you really went for barbecue?” Leng Zhimeng asked meekly.

“Hmph!”

“Brother-in-law, I was wrong. I’m going to sleep now, but I promise, I’ll send my sister to you someday!” Leng Zhimeng leaped from the bed, ran barefoot across the floor, not bothering with her shoes.

“Sister…” Huang He recalled Leng Zhiruo’s figure and Leng Zhiwen’s aloof face, and passion surged through him once again. His body, previously exhausted, seemed suddenly revived.

Ah, compared to these two sisters-in-law, the women before seemed utterly insignificant.

————————————

“Zhimeng, this is the electronics genius I told you about from Huaqiangbei, Liu Nian!” Huang He said, shaking hands with a young man as he introduced him to Leng Zhimeng. Nearby stood yesterday’s driver.

“We spent last night chatting and eating barbecue for hours—it felt like we’d known each other forever. From now on, these two will join our Jiangnan Group and become the brightest stars of our company’s future!” Huang He boasted, making the young man, Liu Nian, a bit embarrassed.

“Oh, I just know a little about mobile phone technology,” Liu Nian replied modestly.

“A little? Could someone who just knows a little build a mobile phone single-handedly? And it’s a color screen phone! Even Nokia’s latest models are no better!” Huang He declared loudly.

“It’s really not that difficult. This year, MediaTek in Taiwan released the MTK platform’s open solution. Devices and components can all be found around Shenzhen. I simply bought the parts, assembled them, and wrote some control programs—a phone was made. If it weren’t for these ready-made resources, I couldn’t have done it,” Liu Nian said, even more humbly.

“But regardless, you are the first individual in all of Huaqiangbei to make a mobile phone!” Huang He said proudly.

“It’s really nothing. The industry calls it a knockoff, says it has no future, no profit. Only Boss Huang appreciates me and is willing to invest!” Liu Nian said, moved.