My Dongguan Love Story

"Get closer?" I looked at my cousin-in-law with suspicion, wondering what she was up to.

My cousin's wife is usually very clever and mischievous, and she often teases me. I wonder if she's up to something bad right now?

Seeing my puzzled and cautious look, my cousin-in-law smiled ingratiatingly and patted my shoulder:

"Hey, why are you looking at me like that?"

"What kind of look did I give you?" I said, speechless.

You're always teasing and messing with me, so I have to stay alert and on guard at all times. I can't fall for your tricks.

Seeing my wary look, my cousin-in-law said in a disheartened but coquettish tone, "Okay, okay, I'm going to talk to you about something serious."

Actually, I wanted you to pretend to be my boyfriend.

"Pretend to be your boyfriend?"

Although there is actually a slight age gap between us, my cousin's wife has fair and delicate skin, and thanks to her excellent skincare, she looks exceptionally young. I, on the other hand, am rugged and have tanned skin, making me look like I'm the same age as her; we even look quite compatible together.

In response to my question, my cousin-in-law sighed and explained:

"The person who just called is my boss, Ms. Lin. And the person who came with her is a guy named Wu Jiandong. He's been pursuing me relentlessly, it's so annoying."

Oh, so you were using me as a shield! I immediately understood.

Then my cousin-in-law told me about her experience of coming to Dongguan alone to make a living.

Ten years ago, when my cousin's wife and cousin got married, his parents disapproved of her and tried every means to stop them. However, my cousin insisted on marrying her. In the end, my cousin lied to his parents and said that his wife was pregnant, and only then did his parents agree to their marriage.

After getting married, they discovered that their cousin's wife wasn't pregnant. They assumed she had asked their cousin to lie to them. They were already resentful, but since they were already married, they figured they could have another child later.

But after seven years of marriage, they still hadn't had a child. Her cousin's parents already had a lot of complaints about her, and they often scolded her, calling her a barren hen.

Later, my cousin died of illness. His parents believed that his wife had killed their son, so they kicked her out of the house.

In those days, if a woman got divorced and went back to her parents' home, she would be ridiculed by the villagers, so she didn't dare to go home for fear that the villagers would laugh at her parents.

So, with only the two hundred yuan he had secretly saved, he went to Dongguan to make a living. Because he had no diploma and little education, he could only do the hardest, most tiring, and dirtiest jobs in the factory.

Although working in the factory was hard and tiring, she was already very satisfied with the 800 yuan a month that included room and board.

However, her male supervisor, seeing that she was young and pretty, always tried to take advantage of her. On one occasion, he even used the excuse of work to make her stay late to work overtime. When it was dark and no one was around, he almost raped her.

In her struggle, she bit her supervisor's arm, thus escaping.

The next day, fearing that something like this would happen again, he quit his job at the factory.

Since leaving her previous job, she has worked as a waitress, nanny, and hotel cleaner. However, because of her good looks, figure, and loneliness, older men often harass her and try to take advantage of her.

Left with no other choice, she had to quit her job again, so she often didn't receive her salary. After more than a year in Dongguan, she not only hadn't earned any money, but she had also spent all the two hundred yuan she had brought with her, and couldn't even afford to eat.

She wandered aimlessly through the streets looking for job postings outside shops, but after walking all day, it was already late at night and she still hadn't found a job.

By this time, I was starving and too tired to walk. I squatted in front of a building materials store, looking at the passing trucks and busy workers with despair, feeling panicked and helpless.

Just then, Lin Huimin, the owner of the building materials store, came out of the store and was about to drive away. She immediately saw that the girl was pale, with a blank and desperate look in her eyes. She was squatting on the ground, swaying and almost collapsing.

Sensing her helplessness and despair, Lin Hui softened and went up to ask her a few questions.

Li Qing couldn't hold on any longer and told the truth that she hadn't found a job, had no money, and hadn't eaten all day.

Lin Huimin saw that she was honest and had clean eyes, not like someone who would go astray. Since the shop needed someone to help with store management, bookkeeping, and odd jobs, she casually said:

"If you don't mind, come work at my shop first. I'll provide food and lodging, and I'll calculate your salary later."

Li Qing's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she nodded repeatedly.

And so, she followed Lin Huimin into the building materials store, starting as a general helper and gradually becoming the most trusted person by Boss Lin's side, with her salary increasing from the initial 800 to the current 5,000.

Listening to my cousin's words, I nodded and said with admiration in my eyes:

"This Mr. Lin is a pretty good person."

"Yes, Mr. Lin has been very good to me," my cousin-in-law sighed with emotion.

"To be honest, without President Lin, I wouldn't be who I am today. I'm grateful to her and have always wanted to repay her, but when I actually had the chance to do so, I couldn't."

"Oh? Why?" I turned my head and looked at my cousin-in-law with a puzzled expression.

"Sigh." My cousin's wife sighed, gazing into the distance. "I can't possibly sell myself to repay a debt of gratitude, can I?"

My cousin's eyes were filled with melancholy as she spoke.

It turns out that Guangyuan Building Materials, where his cousin's wife works, is about to default on a loan of one million yuan, and General Manager Lin has tried all his connections but has not been able to find the funds to resolve the issue.

Coincidentally, Wu Jiandong, who had been pursuing her, had connections and funds that could help their company overcome this crisis.

So Mr. Lin invited him to have coffee and chat, but he specifically told Mr. Lin that he must invite me as well.

His sister-in-law knew exactly what he was planning.

However, the company needed his help, and his sister-in-law was also pressured by Mr. Lin's kindness, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and meet with them.

Listening to my cousin's wife's words, I immediately understood. No wonder she asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend; she wanted to use me as a shield.

Since that's the case, I definitely agree.

I suspect Wu Jiandong isn't a good person either. When Guangyuan Building Materials faced a crisis, he invited his cousin's wife along – wasn't he trying to take advantage of their misfortune?

When my cousin-in-law saw that I had agreed, a relieved smile appeared on her worried face.

"Let's go then."

"Um."

My cousin-in-law took my hand and we walked towards the coffee shop.

This coffee shop is located on the second floor of the mall and occupies quite a large area. As soon as you walk in, you can feel the cool breeze from the air conditioner inside.

A song by Teresa Teng, "Tian Mi Mi," is playing loudly through the speakers:

"Sweet, sweet, your smile is like a spring breeze in springtime..."

After we entered the coffee shop, my cousin-in-law's grip on my hand tightened even more as she became nervous. I patted the back of her hand with my left hand to reassure her.

"Li Qing, over here."

A woman's voice rang out, and her cousin-in-law walked towards her, saying, "President Lin."

I looked at President Lin. She had short, ear-length hair with the most popular small waves this year. The ends of her hair were neat and tidy, revealing a shrewdness.

She was extremely beautiful, with an oval face and fair skin. Her nose was high and straight, and her lips were full. She wore a purple dress with a slightly turned-down neckline, revealing a voluptuous figure. She exuded a mature and capable charm.

This contrasted sharply with the man sitting opposite her, who was about forty years old, with a balding head and a large, round face. Even though he was dressed in a black suit, his short and stout figure was still quite noticeable.

When he saw Li Qing, his eyes lit up, he licked his lips, and looked at Li Qing with a smile, saying, "Come sit here with me."

After saying that, he patted the chair next to him.

Seeing this, the cousin's wife was at a loss. She strongly resisted going over to sit down. However, the company needed Wu Jiandong's help, and if she refused him so soon, wouldn't that affect the cooperation with General Manager Lin?

Seeing my cousin's wife looking troubled, I smiled and went over to her, sitting down in the chair that Wu Jiandong had just patted.

"Thank you, this spot is quite cool."

When Wu Jiandong saw me sit down, his previously beaming face immediately turned gloomy.

He was so focused on Li Qing that he hadn't noticed me sitting next to her. Now, his gaze swept over me, and seeing me sitting next to him, he couldn't help but curse inwardly:

"Where did this bumpkin come from, daring to sit next to me?"