"Xiao Ma? Big Car?"
"What are you talking about."
"I told you to stop looking at all those weird things online."
Shen Hongmei's elegantly mature face showed genuine confusion.
Compared to Lai Feifei, who was always outspoken and open.
She was clearly much more traditional and conservative.
After Lai Feifei explained it to Shen Hongmei.
Shen Hongmei's face turned a little red. This woman was becoming increasingly unhinged.
Saying all sorts of nonsense in front of the "kid." Technically, Li Zhiyan was indeed their junior.
Yet Lai Feifei still constantly made such absurd remarks.
"You better stop!"
Only when Shen Hongmei was about to lose her temper did Lai Feifei finally rein it in a bit.
She knew her best friend's temper well enough.
Any moment now, Shen Hongmei could turn into a strict mother figure.
"Li Zhiyan, pour Auntie another drink."
For the rest of the time, Lai Feifei kept drinking, her alcohol tolerance leaving Li Zhiyan deeply unnerved. Lai Feifei could totally claim the title of Shanghai's No. 1 Drunken Queen.
Even though Li Zhiyan had been drinking only water, he couldn't imagine his prostate handling this amount of liquid.
How did this woman's stomach even hold it all?
He started to suspect that Lai Feifei had some sort of mysterious dimensional pocket in her belly where all the alcohol simply vanished.
As the evening went on, her words became a bit less wild.
But they were still shockingly bold.
Li Zhiyan couldn't help but think this woman might be a reincarnated seductress straight out of a ghost story.
When the dinner ended, Li Zhiyan intended to pay the bill.
No matter how you looked at it, Shen Hongmei had gone out of her way to introduce him to a great job. From what both Shen Hongmei and Lai Feifei had said about the Changlong Group, if he passed probation, his monthly salary would break 10,000 yuan.
Paying for the meal was only fair.
In today's job market, landing a gig with a five-figure salary was no easy feat, especially at a company like this, where connections were practically a prerequisite.
At this moment, Li Zhiyan began to appreciate the perks of associating with wealthy women.
If he could marry a rich woman, money would never be a concern. It would be a life of pure bliss. Truth be told, Li Zhiyan didn't feel like working a single day of his life.
He snuck over to the cashier.
"23, please settle the bill," he said somewhat sheepishly.
"Table 23's bill has already been settled."
Throughout the meal, Lai Feifei hadn't left her seat even once.
It was pretty obvious that Shen Hongmei had paid the bill.
At that moment, an image came to Li Zhiyan's mind of Xu Qianqian, Shen Hongmei's daughter, arrogantly demanding that he pay last time.
The contrast between mother and daughter was simply too striking.
Perhaps it was because back in their day, there weren't as many simps spoiling women. But nowadays, even a lot of older women had become just as brainwashed by short videos, ending up no different from someone like Xu Qianqian.
There were plenty of divorced women in their 40s or 50s chasing some ideal of self-fulfillment.
Both Shen Hongmei and Lai Feifei had noticed this little episode at the cashier.
These two women were sharp and had been keeping an eye on Li Zhiyan the whole time.
"This young man is pretty decent, knows how to show gratitude. I think he's a good match for you. Have you considered it?"
"Stop joking..."
"He's just a kid. Don't tease him like that."
After just a few exchanges, the Drunken Queen downed yet another glass and started getting a little hazy.
When Li Zhiyan came back, Shen Hongmei helped the now-tipsy Lai Feifei stand up.
"Li Zhiyan, let's go. We'll drop your Aunt Lai off first."
After stepping outside, Shen Hongmei unlocked her brand-new Audi A6 3.0T55.
With the two of them half-carrying Lai Feifei, they got her into the car, and Li Zhiyan also climbed into the back seat.
Lying down, Lai Feifei suddenly propped her silky, stocking-clad legs onto Li Zhiyan's lap.
The soft sensation was distracting, to say the least.
Initially, she had kept some distance from Li Zhiyan.
But now, she was fully leaning in, obviously drunk.
"Xiao Yan, do Auntie's legs look nice?"
"Go ahead, touch them. Auntie is letting you..."
"Tonight, Auntie will take you back to your childhood and treat you to something delicious!"
Lai Feifei drunkenly muttered. Yet even in her inebriated state, she still smelled intoxicating.
The scent stirred Li Zhiyan's hormones, leaving him increasingly flustered.
"Enough!"
"Stop acting shameless in front of the kid!"
"Li Zhiyan, sit in the front."
With Shen Hongmei's stern words, Li Zhiyan moved to the passenger seat.
After propping a pillow under Lai Feifei's head, Shen Hongmei finally joined him up front. Lai Feifei, by now, had closed her eyes and fallen asleep.
"Your Aunt Lai is like this every day, drinking nonstop, never listening to anyone."
"Don't take anything she says seriously."
As they drove away, Shen Hongmei continued, "But you know, she's never let her legs rest on anyone else like that."
"Maybe she thinks of you as a kid and was just teasing you."
Age-wise, Li Zhiyan was definitely an adult. But compared to the 41-year-old Lai Feifei, it made sense to call him a kid.
"Yeah, I understand..."
He glanced back at Lai Feifei's long, stocking-clad legs.
He couldn't help but marvel. How could this woman's legs be so long? Her height was only 1.6 meters.
They were stunning, and combined with her ample curves, they reminded him of a certain actress known for her perfect figure despite being just 158 cm tall.
Then, his eyes drifted to the profile of Shen Hongmei.
He made up his mind. He needed to find a chance to talk to her about starting a relationship.
Just letting things end like this? Li Zhiyan wasn't willing to accept it.
After all, the memories of last night were still seared into his mind, utterly intoxicating.
Never in his life had he felt such ecstasy. A tipsy Shen Hongmei had shared her every intimate secret with him.
Twenty-odd minutes later, the car pulled up in front of a standalone villa.
"A villa? Wow, you're rich..."
Li Zhiyan remarked in amazement. Even with property prices dropping significantly recently.
Villas were still out of reach for ordinary people.
"Lend a hand."
The two of them helped support Lai Feifei into the villa.
"Back in the day, your Aunt Lai's family went through several rounds of housing demolitions."
"The compensation alone added up to tens of millions."
"Plus, some of the resettlement properties later gained value."
"Your Aunt Lai really is the lucky type who always comes out ahead. She even tried her hand at stocks and made over 10 million."
"She started a company once, but during its peak, her partners forced her out, and she walked away with over 20 million."
"Later on, the company eventually went under."
"And since then, she's been this Drunken Queen."
Li Zhiyan chimed in with admiration, "Aunt Lai is genuinely the Drunken Queen Lucky Star!"
"So impressive."
Inwardly, he added, 'She's more like the Drunken Queen Saucy Banter Lucky Star, to be precise!'
"Unlock it, Lai Feifei!"
Pinching her gently, Lai Feifei groggily used facial recognition to unlock the door.
Once inside, they carried her upstairs.
After tucking her into bed, Shen Hongmei finally looked relieved.
"Yeah, you're not wrong. Your Aunt Lai really is insanely lucky."
"A true Lucky Star."
"Let's go. I'll take you home."
Li Zhiyan followed Shen Hongmei out.
"Does Aunt Lai live here alone?"
"Yes. As for her husband, I'm not sure what exactly happened between them. She never told me."
Stepping outside.
Li Zhiyan decided it was time to bring up last night and see if there was a possibility for them to be together.
"Aunt Shen..."
At the moment, Shen Hongmei, despite her casual sneakers for driving, still towered over him. Those long, stocking-clad legs kept his heart racing.
"About last night..."