Chapter 52: The blonde tenant
“By the way, Lei Zi will also go there tomorrow, so you guys can expand your horizon and stop acting so arrogant,” Chen Wei Guo ordered, just before Zhao Tie Zhu hung up the phone. Zhao Tie Zhu was thrilled. “Tigers and Dragons. That’s awesome!” he thought to himself. He hadn’t had a chance to fight with unabated vigor, to show his inner strength had grown. Because this match would host the best of Tigers and Dragons, he saw an opportunity to test his new strength.
Cla.s.ses were out for three days. In the meantime, Zhao Tie Zhu went to the dealer to pick up his car. He bought a bright yellow Chery QQ, a cute, well-polished city car. It was tiny, but Zhao Tie Zhu loved it. He got in the car delightedly, and invited Li Ling Er for a ride.
“Hey girl, wanna ride in my car?”
“Oh my,” Li Ling Er said, bursting out with so much laughter she could hardly speak, “you are so funny! Ha ha ha…, a Chery QQ! You think you can ask a lady out with a car like that? At least get a Porsche!”
“Porsche are for guys born with a silver spoon,” responded Zhao Tie Zhu, “I’m a promising young entrepreneur. I don’t want to be mistaken for those guys. Anyway, are you getting in the car or not? I’m leaving. Li Ling Er kept giggling, “Okay, okay. I’m getting in.”
Zhao Tie Zhu drove his little yellow car around the city with Li Ling Er. He liked the model, except that he had to manually roll the window down. Eventually, they drove back to the West Lake villas, where the car surprised even the security guards. It was a very upscale and selective neighborhood; no resident would be caught driving such a cheap car. But once the guards recognized the driver, they lamented that some people just like to keep a low profile.
When Zhao Tie Zhu and Li Ling Er returned to the villa, Su Yan Ni and Cao Zi Yi were watching television. Su had almost fully recovered, though she still felt heartbroken whenever she thought about the pregnant woman. After all, no one can easily move on after witnessing a death.
“Look, Yan Ni, car keys, “Zhao Tie Zhu said, shaking his keys.
“Pfft, what are you showing off? A Chery QQ?” she sneered at him. Cao Zi Yi was gently smiling, and asked, “When will you give us a ride?”
“That’s easy,” started Zhao Tie Zhu, laughing as he spoke, “Now that I have my own car, as long as you ask, I can give you a ride any time.” At that moment, a car approached the villa, its engine revving loudly. Zhao Tie Zhu’s cell starting ringing.
“h.e.l.lo, is this Mr. Zhao?” asked the girl on the phone. It was apparent she was not very fluent in Mandarin.
“That’s me. Who is this?” responded Zhao Tie Zhu.
“I saw your advertis.e.m.e.nt about the rental. Are you still looking for tenants?”
“Yep. Are you interested?”
“I am!” the girl exclaimed, “Is the villa in the West Lake area?”
“That’s right,” Zhu Tie Zhu answered.
“Okay. Would you open the door please? I’m already here.”
Zhao Tie Zhu hung up the phone and opened the door. There was a red Maserati parked in front of his house. Its engine was roaring so loudly that Zhao Tie Zhu could feel his heart beating harder. While he was admiring the car, a blonde woman stepped out. She was around five foot seven and had extraordinarily smooth and delicate skin. She was wearing a tight red tank top, cut off above the midriff so it could show off a navel piercing. Her body was slender and fit, and excessively short shorts accentuated her beautiful legs.
“Hi, I’m Lucy, from America. You must be Mr. Zhao,” the woman said, walking towards Zhao Tie Zhu.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s right,” he replied. He was standing on the stairs above her, giving him the perfect angle to peer down into her cleavage. He was impressed. She was even better endowed than his other tenants. Lucy pointed at the villa. “May I check out the rooms?”
“Of course! Please come in,” Zhao Tie Zhu said, opening the door with a big smile. Lucy walked into the villa and was shocked to see Li Ling Er and the other two girls. She didn’t expect other beautiful girls would live there too. Even to her, the other girls were stunning.
“Mr. Zhao, are they also your tenants?” she asked.
“Yes, they all are,” said Zhao Tie Zhu, motioning to the girls one by one as he introduced them, “This is Su Yan Ni, Li Ling Er, and Cao Zi Yi,” Zhao Tie Zhu.”
“I’m Lucy, and I am from L.A., it’s a pleasure to meet you!” said Lucy excitedly as she shook hands with the girls. She then turned to Mr. Zhao and said to him with a smile, “You are one lucky man.”
“Where, where,” Zhao Tie Zhu said in English in an attempt to sound humble. The Chinese girls all laughed at his failed translation. But Lucy grinned and said, “I see. Mr. Zhao speaks very special English.”
Zhao Tie Zhu laughed it off. “So Lucy, what do you do for a living?”
“I am a dance teacher,” she replied. She showed off a few of her dance moves for them, her chest jiggling as she moved. “I came from America and just arrived in FJ not long ago. I got a job offer at a local dance studio, so I’ll stay here for a while. That’s why I’m looking for a place to live.”
“Okay, I’ll show you the rooms,” said Zhao Tie Zhu. Lucy walked around the house, checking out all the spare rooms, until finally she decided to stay in the room next to Li Ling Er on the second floor.
“That’s fine,” said Zhao Tie Zhu, “The monthly rent it two thousand RMB, and the minimum length of the lease is three months. We also split the telephone bill. I pay for the rest of the utilities. The villa has its own garage, so you can park there.”
“Okay, I’ll take it! Let’s sign the lease,” Lucy said decisively. Afte paying the rent, she cleaned the room, carried her luggage inside, and moved in immediately.
Su Yan Ni was still making fun of Zhao Tie Zhu’s car. “Tie Zhu, did you see Lucy’s car? A Maserati! Look at those elegant curves, and listen to that engine! Don’t you feel embarra.s.sed when you park your Chery QQ next to that?”
Zhao Tie Zhu shrugged out of indifference. He grabbed an apple from the table and bit it hard.
“Tie Zhu, that’s mine!” Li Ling Er called out.
“Okay, okay, you can have the rest,” said Zhao Tie Zhu, pa.s.sing the apple to her. One third of the apple was already gone. Li Ling Er grunted and turned away.
In the meantime, Lucy walked down the stairs. Zhao Tie Zhu heard her footsteps so he looked back and immediately blushed. She was dressed in a bathing suit!
The tiny bikini piece could hardly cover her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. Ignoring Zhao Tie Zhu’s intense ogling, Lucy asked as an invitation, “I’m going for a swim. Mr. Zhao, do you want to join me?”
“Yes, I’m in! Just wait one second, I will change fast!” exclaimed Zhao Tie Zhu as he ran up the stairs.
Li Ling Er checked out Lucy’s curves, then checked out her own. Feeling compet.i.tive now, she shouted, “I’m going swimming too!”
“Me too!” joined Su Yan Ni. Then the girls went to change.
Li Ling Er’s bathing suit was a more old-fashioned one-piece which wrapped around her body tightly and complimented her lean silhouette. Su Yan Ni’s was a bikini set, though not as revealing as Lucy’s.
Zhao Tie Zhu couldn’t take his eyes off their glistening bodies. What more could he ask for than those beautiful tenants?
(By Hammy Chi and Werfy Lee)