Chapter 657: Borrowed Influence

After chatting with Yan Zheke, Lou Cheng looked at the time then immediately called Qi Fang, his mother.

“Didn’t you already call this afternoon? What is it?” Instead of being happy, Qi Fang was rather annoyed at getting another call from her son.

The last episode for her favorite drama was being broadcasted!

“Mom, are you and Dad free from 27 November to 7 December?” blurted Lou Cheng, forgetting to explain.

“Why are you asking that?” asked Qi Fang, puzzled. She shifted her gaze from the TV screen to Lou Zhisheng, who was beside her.

“Ke Ke wants to register you for a Huacheng group tour which doesn’t have mandatory shopping quotas… You see, I have settled down here for a few months, but I was so engrossed with martial arts that I forgot to invite you over for a vacation. It only came to me when Ke Ke reminded me. My bad, haha.” Lou Cheng laughed drily, trying his best to belittle himself and promote his wife.

Qi Fang took a moment to digest the information, then beamed. “Look at you, even someone else’s daughter is more filial than you. Ke Ke is such a good girl. Back then, I always wanted a daughter. Girls are so much more considerate. But in the end, I ended up with you, a little imp. Still, if it was actually a girl, your second uncle and the others would have laughed in secret…”

“Mom, tell me if you are free first,” Lou Cheng quickly stopped his Mom from sidetracking. He then praised himself. “But without a son like me, how would you have such a good daughter-in-law?”

“What’s this now, getting puffed up? said Qi Fang subconsciously, quoting a line she frequently heard in dramas. “I’m alright with it since I can take leaves at any time, but I’ll have to check with your Dad. Sigh. Cheng, you don’t have to sign us up for group tours or whatsoever. Your Dad and I can just stay at your place for a few days, check on how you are doing, and spend our free time street shopping.”

As she spoke, she consulted Lou Cheng’s Dad with her eyes. Lou Zhisheng only heard snatches of conversation, so he looked confused, not sure of what was going on or what to reply with.

“It’s fine. I have to practice at the club on regular days, and I’m sure you would feel bored if you were to stay at home. Plus, I live in a quiet place without neighbors and townspeople. Even if there were any, you wouldn’t be able to converse with them, since they speak Guangnan Chinese. It’s better if you were with a tour guide. Then, you can try out the breakfast, seafood, and local dishes here while checking out places of interest. He will translate everything you don’t understand. It will be fun and simple, really,” Lou Cheng said whatever came to his mind without choosing his words. “Try it, alright? You and Dad rarely go anywhere, other than that one time to Gaofen.”

“We went there to watch your competition… Your Dad has been to many places, but for work purposes…” Qi Fang paused, remembering something that bothered her. “Lou Yuanwei had been doing well working under Erzi and is getting married during the New Year. This took the burden off your second uncle, and ever since he went on a trip to Caiyun Province on National Day, he hasn’t stopped bragging about it to the guys from the factory…”

The factory had shut down years ago, but Qi Fang still addressed them like that out of habit.

“Yeah, they are all going on trips. You can’t lose to them,” goaded Lou Cheng.

Qi Fang took a deep breath. “Okay, it’s settled then!”

“You aren’t gonna ask Dad?” asked Lou Cheng, puzzled.

“Him? He’s fine with it! He has so many leaves stacked up!” said Qi Fang peremptorily. Beside her, Lou Zhisheng went from puzzled to blank-faced.

That’s not what you said earlier, thought Lou Cheng. “Okay, I’ll ask Ke Ke to register you. Send me a picture of your id card on Wechat. Dad’s too. For ticketing.”

“Alright. Wait, Cheng, you should be the one registering us. Don’t spend Ke Ke’s money. It’s true that she’s from a wealthy family, but it’s not like we are poor, now that you are a Physical Invulnerability Pro and all… You two aren’t married yet, so you have to pay attention to these things,” advised Qi Fang pridefully.

“Relax, Mom, I’ll give her the money,” replied Lou Cheng, amused.

First off, Ke Ke’s Alipay is linked to his, putting the bulk of his assets in her hands. Her credit card and online payment were also bound to his bank card… She was also in charge of their finances… These were all done on his own accord after their marriage.

Assured, Qi Fang began worrying about something else.

“Your Dad and I have never taken planes, what do we do when we get there?”

“It’s all very simple, I’ll teach you when you arrive at the airport. Put some trust in Dad’s wits.” Qi Fang’s question made Lou Cheng a little sentimental.

His Mom and Dad had worked their entire lives, devoting themselves to the family. They rarely indulged themselves, and this is actually their first time taking a plane… Maybe I should trouble Auman to accompany them…

After hanging up, Lou Cheng relayed everything they had talked about to Yan Zheke. Immediately, she picked the best and most expensive option, and even made additional requests to their online customer service, telling them that money wasn’t a problem.

Inviting her mother-in-law and father-in-law to Huacheng to play was a joyous event, and if she compromised their comfort by fixating on cost efficiency, her efforts would go to waste despite her good intents. If that’s the case, she might as well not do it in the first place.

Since she was going to do it, she’ll endeavor to do it flawlessly!

…

As Lou Cheng was pondering whether to give Auman the additional task, she was standing at the entrance of the garden waiting for her bestie.

Her bestie’s name was Wang Zi. She worked at her hometown, a provincial capital, after graduation. Wang Zi was on a work trip to Huacheng that day and was going to crash at her bestie’s place for three nights. That meant that not only could she spend some quality time with her bestie, she could also save the claimable hotel reimbursement, adding it to her earnings.

Around ten minutes later, a cab pulled up, from which came Wang Zi with curled hair. Auman quickly welcomed her and helped her get her stuff from the car trunk.

The thick-browed, bright-eyed, pleasant looking Wang Zi studied her bestie. Surprised, she said, “Man Man! You are prettier! And fairer, too!”

Auman was always pretty, but when she was in university, she didn’t take good care of herself and often attended outdoor activities, which gave her a healthy, malt-colored complexion.

Auman was glad she noticed. She spruced up her hair and smiled modestly. “I’ve been spending more time on self-care lately.”

Girls are always more meticulous and aware of minor details than guys when it comes to looking at a girl.

“Which brand are you using? The whitening effect is amazing!” pressed Wang Zi, interested.

Auman gave an honest reply as she dragged the luggage behind her.

“Wow! That brand’s really expensive!” Wang Zi tilted her head and studied her bestie once more. She then teased her with her unique straightforwardness. “Seems like life has been treating you well!”

As they spoke, they took the lift to Auman’s residence.

“Two elevators and two units per level! This place is pretty high-class,” said Wang Zi.

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Auman smiled. “The ones over there are even more high-class, each level has one elevator and one unit. Eh, actually, it’s two elevators and one unit.”

As they spoke, she opened the door and ushered Wang Zi inside.

The decor is pretty luxurious… Wang Zi looked around without further exclamations.

“Man Man, which room are you staying in? Your roommate wouldn’t mind me staying here, right?” she asked.

She was a happy-go-lucky sort of girl, and initially, she didn’t put much thought to the inconveniences she might bring, but presently she felt a sudden wariness.

“Nah, I stay alone,” said Auman briefly.

“What?! How much does it cost? This is Huacheng we are talking about!” blurted Wang Zi after momentarily taken by shock.

Housing was super expensive here, not to mention a high-class apartment!

Auman actually had no idea. She thought for a while, then smiled and said,

“I’m not sure actually… The club assigned the unit to me when I promoted, so I get to stay here for free.”

Half-gaping, Wang Zi’s eyes roved around. “Man Man, is your club is still hiring?” she asked with studied flippancy.

Isn’t the staff treatment too damn good?

They frolicked for a bit, then Auman helped Wang Zi unpack her belongings.

“I’m cuddling you to sleep tonight!” said Wang Zi, taking over her bestie’s bed. Half-curious and half-probing, she asked, “Being an assistant at Longhu is a pretty sweet deal, right? Those Inhuman Mighty Ones all become big shots when they switch over to another career. The vice-director of my provincial police department is also an Inhuman. Who knows, if you make friends with them now, you might be able to reap benefits in the future!”

“It’s pointless. The members of the Assistant Team work in shifts, so you wouldn’t make any progress unless you spend a lot of effort in ingratiating yourself with them. Plus, you’ll never know if those ties will actually benefit you in the future!” explained Auman smilingly.

Wang Zi didn’t dwell on the subject. After chatting for a while, they began gossiping about their mutual roommates in university, like how XXX broke up with her boyfriend in Huahai after returning pregnant from a blind date in her hometown, and how XX got married right after graduating and now has a son who was old enough to walk, and how XXX got accepted to a good firm and has already made the first down-payment for a new house.

…

Youthful and energetic as she was, Auman stayed up for half the night and went to work as per normal on the next day. Lou Cheng left early in the afternoon to visit a time-honored restaurant, so she left as well and got home at five plus. She planned on taking a nap.

Right as she stepped into the house, she saw a panicked Wang Zi in pretty makeup.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, concerned.

“My boss insists that I have to meet a client at Jin Ding Xuan! That place is really high-class and every seat has been reserved since two days ago! Why didn’t he ask me earlier? He never plans ahead! I’ll have to rearrange this!” grumbled Wang Zi, complaining about her obstinate boss.

Jin Ding Xuan? Mr. Lou had gone there before. That place has good ratings, but it really isn’t that high-class… Auman thought for a moment. “Calm down, Pups, I’ll make a reservation for you.”

Wang Zi’s nickname came from her surname.

“What? You? ” Wang Zi looked confused.

Didn’t I just mention that it’s fully reserved?

“I know the manager there,” replied Auman, smiling. She took out her phone and searched for the manager’s number.

She got to know him when she was making a reservation for Mr. Lou.

When the call connected, she politely informed him about the situation. The reply was prompt and affirmative.

“A problem of yours is a problem of mine! Your friend can come anytime, just ask her to mention your name.”

“Thanks, I owe you a meal,” said Auman gratefully.

He laughed. “Don’t be so polite. I know it’s not easy for you to be following Mr. Lou everywhere on a daily basis.”

After hanging up, Auman turned to Wang Zi. “Done, just mention my name when you get there.”

“You aren’t joking, right?” Wang Zi could hardly believe it.

Since when did Auman’s name become an entry pass to such a high-class place?

At 7 PM, she had slipped into a long dress and waited for her client in front of Jin Ding Xuan. When he had arrived, they entered the building. She felt a little self-conscious as they walked through the expensively decorated hallway.

She glanced at the ushering waiters standing in a neat line. Nervously, she said, “We made a reservation. By Auman.”

“Miss Auman’s reservation?” A waiter beamed and beckoned at them. “This way, please.”

He led Wang Zi and her client to the elevator, which brought them to a serene and elegant private room that offered a spectacular view. The flowing river reflecting city lights was dazzling and dreamy.

“Miss Wang, I’m impressed by your connections in Huacheng,” praised the client after taking a look around.

As a local, he was well aware that getting a reservation like this was no easy feat.

Wang Zi had been a little overwhelmed since she was on the elevator. There was only one thought on her mind:

“Why is an assistant in the Longhu Club is this powerful?”