Chapter Ten: Little Steamed Bun

The large characters spelling out “Feipeng Hotel” hung high above the entrance. Dressed in a white T-shirt, a miniskirt, and sunglasses, Li Youlan confirmed that this was indeed the half-dead hotel run by Chu Dong before stepping inside. The lobby housed only two attendants; one was swatting flies with a flyswatter, while the other dozed at her post.

“Hey, is anyone here to serve the customers?” Li Youlan called out, sitting gracefully on a small sofa.

“Hello, happy to serve you!” came a reasonably professional reply. The dozing young attendant, startled by the arrival, stood up out of reflex, wiped the drool from her cheek, and approached.

Finding no major fault, Li Youlan curled her lip. “I’d like to book a room. I need to rest.”

“Certainly, miss. What kind of service do you require? We have single and double rooms. May I ask what you need?”

“What kinds of services do you offer?” Li Youlan asked loftily, her posture impeccable.

“Anything you need, we can provide.” The attendant, desperate for business, blurted out a bit more than she should have—visitors had been scarce for a long while.

“Fine. I want a presidential suite,” Li Youlan seized on the slip, ready to stir up trouble as she’d intended.

“We don’t have one,” the attendant stammered, taken aback that such a beautiful woman would make such an outlandish request.

“Didn’t you just say anything I need, you can provide? Why not? I insist on a presidential suite.”

“But we really don’t have one,” the young woman muttered, blushing.

“Get your boss. I want to file a complaint. Your service is completely unsatisfactory. I demand compensation.” Li Youlan’s voice was loud and commanding, overwhelming the small attendant.

Nearly in tears, the attendant was half-conquered by Li Youlan’s elegance and cowed by her assertive tone. She never considered that Li Youlan hadn’t even stayed at the hotel—how could she be eligible for compensation? The hotel was already losing money; if they had to pay out as well, wouldn’t she be making things worse?

Just then, Chu Dong came down the stairs and, seeing the scene, signaled the attendant to step aside. He sat down across from Li Youlan.

He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cloud of smoke that nearly hit Li Youlan in the face.

“Who are you? Go away!” Li Youlan waved her hand in front of her face to shoo away the smoke, her large eyes glaring roundly at the lazy figure opposite her.

“Aren’t you looking for me? I’m the owner here. Let’s discuss your compensation,” Chu Dong replied, lounging comfortably on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other.

“You’re the owner?” Li Youlan stared at the handsome, clear-eyed Chu Dong, who sat before her in a vest and baggy shorts. Her bravado faltered; she’d come to make trouble, but now she felt a little flustered.

Was this the scoundrel Tan Xue had described? He certainly looked arrogant and annoying, but could such a good-looking man have been a womanizer since childhood? Li Youlan had her doubts.

“Well, aren’t you going to ask about the presidential suite? Cat got your tongue?” Chu Dong prodded.

Lost in thought, Li Youlan had forgotten her purpose. At his reminder, she straightened her back. “That’s right. Do you have one or not?”

“We do. Who said we didn’t?” Chu Dong cast a disdainful glance at her modest chest and muttered under his breath, “Nothing much to show off, so what’s the point?”

He stood, fetched a piece of paper from the front desk, borrowed a pen, and wrote four large characters: “Presidential Suite.” He handed it to the still-blushing attendant. “Go post this on Room 1 on the third floor. From today, that’s the presidential suite.”

He turned back to Li Youlan with a sly grin. “Now we have one. Would you like to go up and see?”

Li Youlan wasn’t listening to his words; she was fuming at his contemptuous glance. She envied Tan Xue—not only was she beautiful, but she also had a pair of enviable assets. Li Youlan herself had tried countless products, but nothing had worked. Now, having her insecurities exposed so bluntly, how could she not be angry? She’d entirely forgotten her original purpose and charged at Chu Dong, swinging her handbag.

“Pervert! Take this! And this!”

“You’re crazy! Stop that or I’ll call the police!” Chu Dong, hobbled by his slippers, was caught off guard and hit several times by her hard little bag. Luckily, her high heels also hampered her, and after kicking off his slippers, Chu Dong managed to evade her blows, running barefoot around the sofa until he shook her off.

“Apologize! You must apologize! I command you!” Li Youlan demanded breathlessly, but Chu Dong, tall and strong yet surprisingly agile, stayed just out of reach.

“Why should I?” Chu Dong wasn’t about to yield so easily. But then, with a quick change of expression, he raised his hands in mock surrender.

“All right, I apologize. I was terribly ungentlemanly and said something very rude to a beautiful lady. Even if it was the truth, I should have been more tactful. As someone with higher education, I am thoroughly ashamed. Actually, you do have some assets—one might compare them to steamed buns, though…”

He drew out the word and dodged another attack from Li Youlan before finishing, “Though perhaps more like the miniature ones.”

“I’m going to make you pay for that!” Completely enraged, Li Youlan risked a wardrobe malfunction as she lifted her long leg to kick at him, but her high heels never quite reached. The two of them dashed around the lobby, a veritable battle of dragon and phoenix. Only when Li Youlan was exhausted did she collapse onto the sofa, panting, glaring at Chu Dong, who stood nearby.

“So? Are you staying or not? If not, please leave and stop interfering with my business. Out of generosity, I won’t pursue compensation from you. A real man doesn’t quarrel with a woman; I’ll let you off this time,” Chu Dong declared, sitting half on the sofa, ready to dash away if she attacked again.

“Just you wait. You’ll regret this,” Li Youlan spat in a voice that tried for menace but sounded more feeble. With a twist of her alluring waist, she strode out the door.

“She’s quite the firecracker. Small chest, but those legs are something else,” Chu Dong commented triumphantly as she left.

“Tan Xue, I am with you in your fight against that bastard—no conditions! I swear, one day I’ll have him kneeling before me, begging for mercy. I swear!” As soon as she was out the door, Li Youlan called Tan Xue, jumping with frustration as she made her vow.