Wipe Clean After Eating Chapter 20

Fallen into a Trap

The earlier Lu Jun leaves, the earlier I’ll be liberated, so I purposely booked the earliest flight for tomorrow morning. Antic.i.p.ating my freedom, my mood is especially good. However I do not expect to run into manager w.a.n.g on my way back to the office, enemies meeting face to face. The smile on my face immediately disappears!

From a distant, I can see him approaching from the opposite direction, I quickly droop my head and try to trot away. Thinking as long as I don’t let him see my face, I increase my pace in order to dodge him. He should not be able to recognize me.

Who knows, the moment we rub shoulders, manager w.a.n.g is still able to capture me and greets me warmly: “Xiao Xia ah, I’ve not seen you for several days!”

I am surprised as well as distressed: “Manager w.a.n.g, I bowed my head so how do you know it is me?”

He points to my head and says: “You were running so fast with your head down so that attracted my attention. I can recognize you, mainly because of your hair style. Apart from you, who else in our office will style the hair like a plate of p.o.o.p (bun style)?”

Embarra.s.sing, you think I am a lazy sheep! As expected whenever you see me, you always have to irritate me. Thus better for both of us not to meet again in this lifetime!

I pretend I am in a hurry and take my leave: “I’m very busy, so I’ll go first!”

But manager w.a.n.g will not let me off: “Xiao Xia, wait a moment. I just heard from the Finance Department’s manager that you went there to apply for business travel expenses?”

I continue to make myself look very busy: “Yes, the boss asked me to help him to book two air tickets departing early tomorrow morning. Although I’ve already booked the tickets, I am still in a hurry to book five-star hotel accommodation!”

“Tickets departing tomorrow?” Manager w.a.n.g nods his head and says: “Then I have to pack up early.”

I am baffled so I ask: “What to pack?”

He immediately becomes c.o.c.ky: “Since you are new, you don’t know that the general manager always brings me along on a business trip!”

Now I understand, as it turns out, the  other ticket is for manager w.a.n.g. This is too good to be true! These two men, one enslaves me physically and the other tortures me mentally. They going together is really good things come in pairs!

When I am grinning happily, manager w.a.n.g suddenly asks: “Did the general manager say how many days for this trip?”

I readily reply: “Seven days!” I once again bitterly beg for mercy: “Manager w.a.n.g, I’m really busy booking hotel ah!” Thus stop disturbing me!

“Go la.” He finally let go my hand. When I am prepared to break into a run and slip away, suddenly he gives me instruction: “By the way, you only need to book general manager’s room and don’t need to book mine.”

I turn around and ask: “Why?”

He smiles like a devil: “I don’t stay in the hotel at night.”

I’m curious: “Then where do you stay?”

He lowers his voice and says: “Xiao Xia, as you already knew, normally my wife watches me like a hawk. When I go on a business trip, the only time I can go out to do activity is night time. Just give me the money you’ve saved from not booking my accommodation.”

Hearing  him gave emphasis to the word “activity”, I immediately understand. I could not help but inwardly feel contempt for him. Normally in front of his wife, he’ll carefully wait upon her but once he is away, he’ll spend his time in drinking and pleasure. Men are all alike!

Thinking about it, I decide not to let him have both money and pleasure. I insist on following the company’s policy: “Manager w.a.n.g, I’ll still book two rooms. Whether you want to stay or not is up to you. I still have to do my duty.”

“Xiao Xia, you are not kind at all.” He looks unhappily at me, hesitates for a while and says: “A room in a five-star hotel costs six hundred dollars a day, so seven days could save 4200. How about we share the saving equally?”

Two thousand one hundred dollars ah ……

Twenty-one pink notes floating in front of me, so I resolutely nod my head to agree.

This is one of the happiest day of my life because unexpectedly I manage to get both freedom and money at the same time!

Happy time always flies very fast, in the blink of an eye, the day’s work is nearly finished. Big boss Lu is busy finis.h.i.+ng off his work before his trip. It is time to get off work but he is not aware of it and is still working hard. As for me, I am worried that he’ll once again call me to go to his house to cook him dinner. Thus, immediately after working hours, I quietly slip out of the office.

While walking in the corridor, I just by chance run into little brother Lu who is coming out of the toilet. His reaction when he sees me is the same as my reaction when I see manager w.a.n.g, droops his head and runs away like a wisp of smoke! Could it be that seeing me, irritate him? Thinking about this, I immediately feel happy.

The moment I get out of the office, I feel very relaxed and happy because it is a rare opportunity for me to be able to go straight home after work.

When I arrive home, I become more moody. This is because I suddenly remember my mom said that she wants to keep eating out with aunt Liu and told me not to come home for dinner. Thus I’ve no better option but to cook noodles to eat in the empty kitchen ……

Mom comes back, looking radiant and with a bulging belly, an obvious sign of over eating. When she sees me she is surprised and says: “Daughter ah, why do you come back so early?”

It has been a long time since I’ve eaten my mom’s cooking, Thus, I trot over to her, hold her arm and act coquettishly: “Mom, I’ll come back very early in this one week!”

She is indeed my mother as she immediately understands my intention. She pushes my hand away and says: “Go, go, in the future, when you come back, make your own meal. Don’t expect me to cook for you.”

I continue to act coquettishly: “Mom, we’ve not been eating together for a long time. Therefore we should spend some quality time together this week to foster better mother and daughter relations.h.i.+p!”

Mom flatly refuses: “No, I intend to try out all the restaurants in our city with your aunt Liu. Furthermore, I don’t need to spend a single cent, too good not to take full advantage of it!”

I pout and my eyes are teary: “Mom ~”

She: “I am going to watch TV!” Then she goes into the living room, turns on the TV, sits on the sofa and watches with great interest.

I follow her to the living room to continue pitifully calling out to her: “Mom ~”

She: “Three episodes of this drama will be shown continuously tonight. Heehee, very good.”

I: “Mom ~”

She: “Aiya, advertis.e.m.e.nts again!”

I: “Mom ~”

She: “By the way, d.a.m.n those kidnappers. Look so ugly yet love to grab the limelight!”

……

……

So I keep calling her with my sweetly squeamish voice until she finishes watching three episodes of the drama and my mouth dry. However in the end, I still fail to soften her heart …… why I’ve such a cold-blooded mother ah!

The next morning, I do not have to get up half an hour early to prepare breakfast, so I sleep until seven o’clock before getting up. Then I slightly tidy up my appearance. Feeling refreshed, I leave the house, ready to go to the office.

Today is the first day which I won’t be enslaved and irritated. Thus my mood is especially good as I hum some songs while walking. However I can’t go on anymore, because when I reach downstairs, I see a car parked in the neighborhood. I can see from the winded down front window, the person in the driver’s seat is manager w.a.n.g!

I am filled with doubts as I walk over. Suddenly the back door of the car is opened from the inside. When I see the man inside, my eyes widen like I am seeing ET: ‘General manager, why are you here!? ”

Lu Jun raises his wrist to look at his watch. He looks and sounds very calm and natural: “It is not really late.” While saying that, he beckons to me: “Get in.”

I am surprised and ask in an urgent voice: “General manager, isn’t your flight at nine o’clock? Why you still don’t go to the airport?”

He smilingly looks at me. Then steadily and calmly says: “I am not anxious so why are you so anxious? Get in first.”

Of course I am anxious! If you cancel the trip because you’ve missed your flight, then wouldn’t my happiness be in vain?

While thinking about this, I obediently get into the car.

Manager w.a.n.g is concentrating on driving the car and does not say a word, but from time to time through the car’s rear mirror, he’ll look at me in a strange way.

In this strange atmosphere, I start to talk to the man sitting next to me: “You are going to Guilin with manager w.a.n.g, so why are you here looking for me?”

Lu Jun stares at me like he is looking at an idiot: “I am not going with him but I am going with you.”

I am struck by thunder and instantly become annoyed: “Why do I’ve to go to Guilin with you!?”

He touches my head like he is trying to appease me: “You promised me the day before yesterday, so fast you’ve already forgotten?”

I move my head to avoid his wolf’s claws and angrily say: “When did I promise you!?”

He sees me dodging him but doesn’t get angry. Instead he gives me a gentle smile: “Don’t forget, the night before yesterday, you promised to accompany me to go out to relax a bit.”

I righteously retort: “Don’t try to fool me. I did promise to accompany you to relax a bit, but at that time I asked you what kind of relaxation method and you said watching a movie!”

He slowly replies: “At that time, I was talking about watching a movie as an example only but did not clearly state it was watching a movie. Everyone also knows that travelling is more relaxing than watching a movie. Didn’t you also say traveling is good yesterday?”

I immediately feel like I’ve a Chinese goldthread as big as an egg in my mouth. Although I am not mute, I am like a mute having unspeakable bitter suffering! Shoot oneself in the foot ah! I wanted to take p.o.r.nographic photo of foxy Lu but ended up taking picture of  his tights. I can live with that. Initially, I thought I just need to accompany him to watch an hour to two hours of movie, but I never expect to virtually sacrifice one week!

Why I didn’t notice before the words “watch a movie”, there are the words “such as” …… evil word game!

I try to calm myself down and want to think of a way out, so I pretend to be in a difficult position and say: “General manager, it is not that I don’t want to go on a trip to a beautiful place like Guilin. In fact I am eager to go but my mom is inseparable from me for even a day. She’ll definitely not agree to let me go to Guilin!”

Lu Jun clearly looks disbelieving and raises his eyebrows: “Really?”

I nod fiercely: “Of course, my mother only has me one relative, so she’ll be most reluctant to let me go. She can’t not see me for even one day!”

Lu Jun ponders for a moment, smiles and says: “Then you call home and I’ll speak to auntie. I believe she will understand your situation.”

For lack of better option, I call the landline at home. My mom picks up the phone in quick time. All my hope is rested on her, so I try to curry favor with her by calling her in a sweet and soft voice: “Mom ~”

A decisive voice can immediately be heard: “Daughter ah, if you are trying to persuade me to cook for you tonight, then you better hang up now. Don’t waste your money on this call!”

I feel numb, knowing that serious sound leakage through the broken phone, Lu Jun can surely hear clearly the conversation. As expected, he is smiling like the blooming peach blossom flowers on the tree. I’m depressed!

“Mom, it is not like that. I want to tell you, my boss asked me to go on a trip to Guilin with him!” I quickly explain the reason of my call before my mom hangs up the phone, placing special emphasis on: “It’ll only be just the two of us. In addition, have to go for a whole week!”

The reason why I emphasis that is because I know that my mom is a somewhat conservative woman. She will certainly not let her daughter travels alone with man who is a virtual stranger!

Sure enough, my mom’s voice is filled with righteous indignation: “How can be like that?  A male and a female who go on a trip together are usually young lovers. You and your boss to go on a trip together is considered what!? Xia Ye, listen to mother, insist you can’t go!”

When I hear this, I’m so happy until my mouth almost split open. My voice becomes very sweet: “Mom, you know that I always listen to your words ~”

Mom sounds very powerful: “Obedient daughter, don’t be afraid. Mom is here to give you support. If your boss forces you to go, you tell him to come and speak to me!”

“Okay, you talk to him la!” Then I hand the phone to the man who has not stopped smiling.

Lu Jun has a very sweet mouth: “Auntie, how are you?”

“Ah, general manager, why you come to the phone so fast again ……” Mom’s tone sounds like she is very puzzled, but she no longer sounds powerful like just now!

Suddenly I feel depressed. Mom, you’re not doing this to me again, right? Dropping the ball at the critical moment again!

Lu Jun’s voice is polite and gentle: “Auntie, have you forgotten? I’ve told you last time, to call me little Lu.”

Mom feels happy, chuckles and her tone is a lot more friendly: “Little Lu, what is the trip all about?”

Lu Jun continues to be polite: “Xia Ye and I’ve already agreed on this trip earlier. Furthermore she has already expressed she wishes to be with me together forever.”

About the agreement, I’ve unspeakable bitter suffering. But that last part ……

I could not help interrupt: “When did I express that before?”

He takes a quick look at me: “You forgot you said you were especially happy to see me yesterday. You also expressed that you wish to see me every day?”

Embarra.s.sing, as it turns out this sentence has been understood by him to mean I wish to be with him together forever!

Mom obviously heard our conversation, as she ambiguously laughs out: “It is actually like this ah …… that bad girl did not tell me clearly, causing me to nearly misunderstand. No wonder she refuses to go on a blind date. Hehe …… when you’ve time, remember to come together with Xia Ye to our home to let me take a look ah! ”

Lu Jun says: “Sure, sure.”

Before hanging up, mom frankly and straightforwardly issues an order: “Then it is settled like this. Both of you have fun on your trip. Don’t forget to bring back some special local products from Guilin for me!”