After Kang Zixian had finished talking about his proposal, I fell into silence.  Standing together with him under the eaves watching the rain and listening to the wind for the next few minutes, both of us did not speak again.

          It was raining non-stop.  In my tormented mood, I felt afraid, so very afraid.  I felt afraid that the rainwater would wet my feet but at the same time looked forward to seeing the rainy scenery…..such an incomparable contradiction.

          Mentally I was struggling internally whether to take the risk of cutting off this continuous entanglement with him or........I should now turn around to walk away and carry on to have an even more complicated entanglement with him that could never be cut off.

          Frankly speaking, the former is more attractive to me because recently I am really badly troubled by this man beside me.  His pair of charming eyes made me fall for him, made me emotionally affected by him and made me be damned eternally.

          And I am…..afraid of falling…..afraid my heart would be emotionally affected…..afraid I would be lost with no hope of salvation. 

          I and Fei Ge are emotionally strong on the outside but are actually cowards inside.

          After ten minutes of serious thinking, I made a cowardly decision.  "I agree to your proposal."

          Kang Zixian did not speak.  I squeezed out a reluctant smile and decided to make a declaration.  "But I would like to state that I also know a little about men's wickedness.  I'm willing to agree to your proposal because initially, you had taken care of me for a night.  If it was not for that night, I don't think I can trust you at all."

          "I have already passed the age of naivety and innocence and even at that age, I didn’t dare to stay in a strange man's house.  Today I agree with you because like you have mentioned, we need to settle this matter between the two of us.  Our acquaintance was a mistake and it was all my fault, so……."

          I paused and turned around to look bravely into his dark black eyes.  I seriously said.  "So, this mistake should be corrected by me.  Let me prove to you, we are completely not compatible and at this moment you are obsessed or just lonely."

          Kang Zixian looked at me deeply but I was unable to read his emotions and his pupils reflected my serious expression. 

The world of dusk was still dominated by the rain and wind but I could not see anything nor hear anything and I could only see his focused eyes.  In his eyes, I saw a reflection of my cowardly lonely self.

 

          Half an hour later, I was standing on the balcony of Kang Zixian's penthouse overlooking the city's gorgeous night scene.  The sky was still drizzling and like Grandmother Liu* entering the Grand View Garden, I was prancing around and shouting non-stop in that spacious apartment. (A wise old lady character in Dreams of the Red Mansions)

          He lived in the district that was considered as the city's best real estate and where the most high-end properties were located.  The average property price was enough to scare off anyone.

          And he lived in the penthouse of the building located in an extremely expensive district overlooking the city's most unique scenery.

          It really gave the feeling of being high up above everything else.  I gaze through the clouds and proudly looked down on the mortal beings under my feet.

          As for the surrounding low-key luxurious settings, after the excitement had died down, I strongly felt all these were unreal.

          The kitchen in Kang Zixian's penthouse was completely new.  In the refrigerator, other than numerous bottles of mineral water, there were two eggs, two tomatoes and a few rotten vegetable leaves including a packet of noodles which was enough to cook up a simple meal. 

          It seems his bachelor days are desolate and his material life is also barren.  So cheekily, I pointed my finger towards the fridge and said.  "Hey, Kang Zixian, it looks like your refrigerator has only a few pieces of rotten vegetable leaves, the one retreating fifty steps laughing at another retreating a hundred steps*……" (The pot calling the kettle black).

          I proudly asked him.  "Ai, mushrooms can be grown in my kitchen but can your kitchen do that too?"

          Kang Zixian came in wearing cotton slippers and he glanced into the empty refrigerator.  After thinking seriously for a while, shook his head and said.  "Nope."

          "My kitchen can be used as a garbage dump, a room with two functions, can yours?"

          "No."

          "The pot in my kitchen can be used to boil water until it turns black, can yours?"

          "No."

          "The dust in my kitchen can be collected as fertilizer for my flowers, can yours?"

          Kang Zixian pondered for a while then patted my shoulder and said.  "You win."

          With the ingredients in his fridge, I started to cook a pot of clear noodle soup which did not look delicious at all.

          Initially, Kang Zixian had suggested that we eat outside but I thought it was inappropriate for a man and a woman to look for food in the heavy rain.  In the eyes of others, it would look like a romantic date and on top of that, from inside out, he looked wealthy.  He is indeed wealthy and I do not want people to think that I am sucking up to the wealthy.

          Anyway, when I am with him my whole body feels very awkward, so I waved my hand and refused.

           The bowl of soup was really not delicious as too much salt had been added.  Pointing with my chin, I looked at Kang Zixian and said.  "Here, this is yours."

          The next second I buried my head in the bowl of soup.  Pouting my lips, I blew at the hot soup then started to eat the noodles without care for ladylike manners.

          The afternoon's exercise was too tiring and mental consumption was also in excess.  I felt terribly hungry and was not picky about food.  These two years I led a simple life.  Without knowledge of cooking, I did not pay much attention to food and would just eat to fill my stomach. 

          I guessed Kang Zixian was also hungry but he ate more slowly than me.  After I had swallowed up all the noodles in my bowl, I held the bowl up and gurgled down all the soup.  By this time, he had only eaten half a bowl of noodles.

          After I had enough of eating and drinking, I put down the bowl on the tabletop and smacked my oily lips.  Facing him, I began to pour out the speech that I had mentally prepared long ago.

          "Kang Zixian, I don’t want to hide or deceive you.  Let's be open in our discussion."

          "The truth is…..you are not my type.  You are not the type that I like.  Sometimes you look like a good man and at other times you look like a rogue.  You make me so confused."

          "And as I said, I was a nightclub hostess when we met.  You honestly have to admit that time you were actually looking for a one night stand.  Ai….. I was surprised, how could you be attracted to a nightclub hostess?  You must be sick.  It's better to find someone to cure you, okay?"

          Kang Zixian slowly swallowed a spoonful of soup and while frowning he said.  "This soup is salty.  Next time put in less salt."

          I was anxious.  "Ai…..don’t change the topic.  I'm serious.  I'm trying to solve the problem between us.  What do you think?"

          I patted his shoulder and animatedly using my fingers I pointed to myself.  "Look at me, don’t you see?  I'm a lazy good-for-nothing, I love to swear, I am not a good cook, I am vexatious, my chest size is not up to expectation…..."

          I clasped my hands together in a begging posture and said pitifully.  "I beg you, big brother……. Ignore my beauty and intelligence,  Just look at my disappointing chest size and please spare me……"

          Quietly and gently, Kang Zixian put down his chopsticks then used his chin to point at the bowls and chopsticks, and said.  "First, wash the bowls……..and you won't be staying here for free.  This week my part-time maid is on leave, so you have to wash the bowls and then clean up the house as payment for rent…….."

          I was surprised for a moment.  I pursed my lips, angrily slapped the table then stood up and asked fiercely.  "Hey, Surname Kang.  Now I know……what great proposal?  You just wanted me to work for you as a part-time maid! ! ! ! "

          I really had the feeling of being deceived into entering a devil's cave.

          Kang Zixian elegantly wiped his mouth, raised his head and slightly smiled.  "It was you who drew my attention to your chest."  His eyes deliberately lingered on my chest and smilingly said.  "To the eyes of discerning men, it is really not that good but since you realize that your chest size is not good enough, then why don’t you concentrate on other aspects to make up for it?  What do you say?"

          "Oh, and since today is humid, the floor need not be moped.  But what did you say just now?  That you are lazy? ......Then the floor had to be moped, both downstairs and upstairs."

          I was filled with indignation and shook my fingers at him.  "You! ! ! ……you, you, I'll leave, okay?"

          Leisurely, Kang Zixian walked to the edge of the sofa and suddenly he bent over to pick up my bag.  My heart missed a beat and before I realized, he had pulled out my wallet.  He smiled at me and said.  "It's not safe at night, I'll keep your wallet for you."

          Under the warm light, this 30-year-old matured man with his back to the city lights, suddenly blinked at me and smiled mischievously.  "I'll help you to keep it in my safe box to make sure it is secure."

          The last sentence was said with a heavy emphasis and particularly slow.

          "Ah……! ! ! !"  I cried out loudly and my lungs exploded.

          The whole night, with a frustrated expression on my face, I angrily did house cleaning from upstairs to downstairs.  I felt tired and sweated.

          All the while, the man who enslaved me was sitting on the sofa in the living room.  From time to time as he worked at the computer, he would raise his head to look me and the vicious hatred in my eyes.  Then his mouth would curve into a smile and after taking a sip of tea, he would continue to look at the computer screen.

          I vented my anger on the mop.  Visualizing it as that person, I twisted it and cursed it and I cursed him and also cursed myself.  In my heart, I felt extremely depressed.

          Obviously, in the beginning, victory could be clearly achieved with the topic discussed but when he opened his golden mouth, the situation suddenly reversed, turning around in circles.  I felt confused.  I was caught in the vicious circles and could not find my way out.

          My prime purpose was to extract myself from the strange maze of circles but with the man's manipulation, I was spontaneously caught in the strange maze turning around in it.

          I felt so stupid.

          When the cleaning was finished and the man had acknowledged the cleaning was completed, it was already ten o'clock.  Finally, I could go back to my room to take my bath and sleep.

          I slept in a completely strange bed while the black-hearted man slept upstairs.  I tossed and turned unable to sleep so I got up to make sure that the door was locked as an assurance.  Then I jumped back into bed again and clutching the quilt I closed my eyes.

          Outside it was still raining endlessly, engulfing me in darkness.   Suddenly the scene of him kissing me in the afternoon chaos sprang into my head.  That kind of touching and that feeling of anxiety and intensity still lingered in my mind.  My eyes opened wide and feeling unsettled, I sat up. 

          It was really a chaotic night and time passed slowly, extremely slowly.

          Later, I managed to fall asleep but my sleep was unstable.  I had no idea what time it was and while the whole world was asleep, suddenly I woke up.

          My stomach was grumbling.

          I was hungry.

          Lying in bed, I tossed and turned several times and the images of chicken thighs kept flashing in my mind.  Chicken thighs…..the greasy, fatty chicken thighs!

          I felt I was going crazy with hunger.

          I ate just a little at night and was also forced to do physical work, so the noodles had been digested long ago.

          It was Kang Zixian's fault.

          When I thought of his evil deeds and my heart suddenly felt resentful.   It is imperative for a gentleman (in this case, it is a gentlewoman) to take revenge!  Since he did not make my life easy, so I plan to return him the same favor.

          I glanced at my phone.  It was already two o'clock late at night and he should be sleeping soundly.

          I tiptoed quietly upstairs, took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.  In the middle of the night, I howled mournfully like a ghost. 

          "Kang Zixian, Kang Zixian!…..I'm hungry, I'm hungry!…..*wu, wu, wu*…. I want to eat chicken thighs!…….."