Chapter Thirty-six: The Flower Car

“Forget it, my words aren’t reliable anyway. You keep resting, I’ll go look for Mouse,” Chu Dong said, rising from the sofa.

“Don’t, bro, Mouse is all talk and no action. Why do you want to find him? Just tell me instead,” Qiangzi grabbed Chu Dong, pulling him back down.

“Alright,” Chu Dong said, glancing at Qiangzi’s eager eyes, but then suddenly stood up again. “On second thought, I won’t say anything. That way you won’t blame me later.”

“Dong, I’m begging you. For old times’ sake, please tell me. I won’t even mind if you keep driving the car, just tell me where the girl came from,” Qiangzi was practically pleading.

“It’s nothing much. There’s a high school organizing a field trip, and my sister-in-law asked me to get her a flashy car. Where am I supposed to find one? But there really are a lot of girls at that school. If you think about it, those delicate little girls, fresh as spring water...” Chu Dong pulled out a cigarette, his face troubled.

“Leave it to me,” Qiangzi promised, patting his chest. “Honestly, all the college girls are already taken. Me, a model young man with wealth, looks, talent, and ambition, I guess I have to start with the younger crowd. Just wait, I’ll handle the car.”

Qiangzi had met Tan Xue before, so when he heard Chu Dong mention his sister-in-law, he figured she couldn’t be any less attractive than her older sister. Even if Chu Dong’s sister-in-law wasn’t interested in him, there would still be plenty of flowers waiting for the rain’s nourishment. He quickly took on the task.

“You handle the car, but I still need some tricks to keep my sister-in-law happy. It’s not easy to marry a wife; you have to consider everything, especially the sister-in-law. I was going to ask Mouse for advice. The car is settled, but it needs some decoration, don’t you think?” Chu Dong sighed.

“No need, Dong. My family runs an advertising company. This is a piece of cake. Why bother with Mouse? What, is he going to put a basket of seafood on the car? We don’t need him.” Qiangzi thought, the fewer people involved, the less competition. More Mouse, more uncertainty. Sticking to his principle that his own business is his brothers’ business, he firmly decided to exclude Mouse.

“Can you really do it?” Chu Dong looked at him, unsure.

“Absolutely! Dong, I swear on my future wife’s name,” Qiangzi’s resolve was stronger than those who stubbornly practiced martial arts.

“So, that’s it?” Chu Dong was still hesitant.

“It’s settled. Just tell me when you need it. Not a minute’s delay. No, not even a second,” Qiangzi declared.

As soon as Chu Dong stepped outside, Qiangzi grabbed the phone. “Planning department? Drop everything, meet me in the conference room now. We’re having an emergency meeting…”

Chu Dong, who came to deliver the car, ended up driving it away because, as he was leaving, Qiangzi shoved the keys back into his hand, as if not using the car meant their brotherhood was over. Could Chu Dong bear to see his brother upset? Of course not. So, the Audi was back on the road.

Beautiful woman!

Chu Dong whistled as he drove, and as he neared Qingniva Bridge, his eyes, sharp as an electronic scanner, spotted a stunning beauty walking toward him.

Light blue jeans highlighted her slender, straight legs, a snow-white short-sleeved T-shirt with a bold inked bamboo design across the chest, her long hair softly curled at the ends. She held a phone to her ear, with a sparkling bracelet on her delicate hand. In that fleeting moment as they nearly passed each other, her remarkably long eyelashes seemed to capture Chu Dong’s gaze like a soul-stealing charm.

Dalian’s streets lacked everything except beautiful women, but one with such poise was rare. Even Chu Dong, who had seen his share of beauties, wasn’t immune. He’d already taken off his sunglasses to get a clearer look, and even after she’d passed, he couldn’t help but gaze longingly at her silhouette.

Bang.

A loud crash. Chu Dong jolted and instinctively hit the brakes. Too busy admiring the beauty, he hadn’t noticed the curve ahead. The car climbed onto the curb and sent a roadside trash bin flying.

Getting out, Chu Dong was frustrated. The car had just been repaired, and now a large patch of paint was missing from the front. Call the insurance company? Forget it. If Qiangzi found out he was driving the car like a go-kart, he’d probably cut ties for five minutes. Checking that there were no traffic police around, he set the trash bin upright, saluted the sanitation worker who came to clean up the scattered trash, backed the car off the curb, and sped off to the repair shop.

That evening, Xiaoyu called again. When she learned Chu Dong had made arrangements, she sweetly said goodnight to her brother-in-law.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Xiaoyu’s call woke Chu Dong. Half asleep, he fumbled for the phone under his pillow, answered it with his eyes still closed, and heard Xiaoyu’s voice even before the phone reached his ear.

“Brother-in-law, when are you coming to pick me up? I’m all ready.”

“Little troublemaker, what time is it?” Chu Dong asked, holding the phone away from his ear to spare his hearing.

“It’s almost four o’clock,” Xiaoyu’s voice became softer, as she realized it was a bit early.

“I’ll pick you up at seven. Get some more sleep,” Chu Dong was eager to hang up and get back to his dreams.

“Don’t be late, okay?” Xiaoyu cautioned anxiously.

“Don’t worry, your brother-in-law has never dropped the ball,” Chu Dong replied, then drifted back to sleep.

It didn’t seem long before the phone rang again. Thinking it was Xiaoyu, Chu Dong pleaded, “Sweetheart, I won’t be late, I promise, okay?”

“Dong, it’s me, Qiangzi.” Not Xiaoyu, but Qiangzi, who, upon hearing about the young girl, had been remarkably proactive. Yesterday, he stirred up the planning department at his family’s company, held an emergency meeting, finalized the plan, and supervised the work until midnight. Early that morning, he excitedly rushed to Chu Dong’s room at the Feipeng Hotel.

“Wow, the sun must be rising in the west! You’re up early?” Chu Dong saw the daylight and got up to let Qiangzi in.

“Big things are happening, I got it all done. When do we leave?” Qiangzi was practically buzzing.

“Didn’t I say yesterday, six-thirty’s fine. Why so early?” Chu Dong was helpless, his dream of meeting the elegant woman from yesterday interrupted by Qiangzi’s arrival.

“Forget sleep, come down and see what I’ve done. I promise, it’s flashy,” Qiangzi was impatient for Chu Dong to admire his handiwork.

Dragged downstairs by Qiangzi, Chu Dong looked up and exclaimed, “Wow, did you turn it into a wedding car?”