The Temptation of Neighbors - Chapter 19

Yuan Yaojin pursed her lips and asked, “Am I beautiful?”

“Not really, too beautiful,” I said exaggeratedly.

“Slippery tongue,” she said with a charming smile.

“Your beauty can be described as icy and jade-like, stunning the moon and flowers,” I said seriously.

“What about Qiao Jiayi?” she asked again.

“She’s so stunning that she can captivate fish and geese, and even overwhelm the whole country…”

“You’ve used up all the good words for her. What about your wife

, Fan Qili?” “She’s so beautiful that she looks like a pear blossom in the rain, a peerless beauty…”

“Wow, you’re full of sweet words and eroticism, so talented.”

“I have no money, no power, and no talent. Can I defeat all three of you sisters and take you down?” I became conceited and felt a little proud.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m taking you down, and you’re my prey now,” she corrected my generalization.

“Does it make any difference?” I asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“Of course there is a difference.” She also sat up, leaning against the headboard and chatting with me.

“What’s the difference?” I demanded.

“You took me down because of your skill, and I took you down because of my skill. You can’t mistake my skill for yours…” Yuan Yaojin rattled off a long string of words.

“What’s the difference?” I asked the same question again.

“Again, can’t you ask something else?” she said, frowning.

“I’m saying, your person is mine, so your skill is certainly mine,” I said somewhat reluctantly.

“What kind of logic is that? Too overbearing.” She glared at me, feigning anger.

“Okay, it’s your skill. You took me down, so you’re capable, okay?” I tried to cheer her up.

Her pretty face immediately brightened, and my nervousness eased.

This Yuan Yaojin has begun to control my moods. It’s amazing.

Is this her skill, or am I just too weak?

Ha! Never mind all that. Making beautiful women happy is what matters most. Only when they are happy and joyful can I enjoy a good life and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I must cherish this relationship God has bestowed upon me. No matter how it ends, every day counts.

When it comes to these three close friends, I’d rather suffer some injustice myself than let any of them quarrel. Otherwise, they’ll easily spark public outrage.

If that ever happens, none of them will stay, including my wife, Fan Qili, who has been with me through thick and thin.

My feet are now so deep in the mud that I can’t even think from Fan Qili’s perspective. She’s the victim of this affair, and I’m the beneficiary. Our relationships are antagonistic to this incident, so I try not to dwell on it too much,

as it only adds to my troubles. Why bother?

Let’s drink today, and worry tomorrow!

“What are you thinking about?” she suddenly asks, looking at me.

“Nothing. I’m working on my novel.” I’m starting to learn to lie. Does this mean I’m slowly becoming a bad person?

“Don’t lie to me. Are you thinking about Fan Qili?” she asks earnestly.

Damn, she can even guess that. What a worm in my stomach!

Her words, so clear to me, I remain silent.

“Don’t worry, I won’t disrupt your married life. She’s my best friend, and I don’t want to upset her. As soon as I recover, we’ll stop seeing each other immediately to avoid any further complications and unpleasantness…”

She spoke so decisively, apparently having prepared herself for this.

Speaking of ending contact with her, I began to feel reluctant. People are made of flesh and bl00d; how can we just say goodbye or break up?

I moved over and held her in my arms, afraid she’d suddenly fly away…

Yuan Yaojin rested for a while before leaving, saying she had family matters and couldn’t stay with me.

After lunch, I slept in bed for the entire afternoon.

These days, I’ve been completely drained by these three beauties. I’m clearly feeling weak and my mind is empty.

Only after a full meal and bed can I quickly recover my physical and mental strength. If I force myself to type at this moment, not only will I be exhausted, but my readers will suffer as well.

After dinner, I lay in bed and watched some TV.

The TV was so beautiful: peace, prosperity, harmony, happiness, singing and dancing, a joyous celebration like a wedding photo, its beauty masking its flaws.

I quickly turned off the TV and turned on my computer. It was truly ugly: a dark society, corrupt officials, rampant evil, and widespread complaints. It was a snapshot of life.

I love this real world; it truly reflects the people and events around us, revealing everything, beautiful and ugly.

Life is a complex interplay of good and bad, beauty and ugliness. Those stories that only report good news and not bad news are so boring…

The next day, I woke up early for a run.

It was still dark, and the mountain road was shrouded in gray, making it difficult to see the surrounding scenery.

I ran along the winding mountain road toward the highway. At a narrow bend, a bicycle suddenly came towards me. I quickly dodged, and the person on the bicycle panicked and also turned inward. I quickly jumped to the outside, but the bicycle also changed direction at the same time, swinging its front end towards me

. I could no longer avoid it and was knocked down the slope by the tire.

I felt dizzy and my body tumbled backward.

Weeds and branches cut my face, forehead, hands and feet like sharp knives. My whole body felt hot and I stumbled and fell in excruciating pain.

I struggled to turn over, but I had no strength. All I could see was the alternating shadows of leaves, sky, thorns, and dark clouds. Dizzy, the back of my head hit something hard and I fainted.

In a daze, I was bouncing on someone’s back, a thick liquid dripping from my forehead, soaking into the corners of my eyes and seeping into my mouth.

I half-opened my eyes, feeling salty on the tip of my tongue, a fishy smell in my nostrils, and a splitting headache. A moment later, I passed out

again. When I regained consciousness, I was lying on a bed.

My eyes were covered with a thick cloth, pitch black. Countless needles pierced my head, and the pain throbbed in waves. Soon, I couldn’t bear it anymore and fainted again.

In my daze, my pain nerves numbed, and my body felt light and airy. My consciousness flew out the window, rising high into the sky, entering the world of my own science fiction novel.

I saw a shuttle-shaped spacecraft frantically flying through the vast sky. It looked like it had been hit by a huge meteorite, with a sunken crater on its top.

Through the pressure-resistant glass window, I saw the people inside panicking. Only the captain remained calm, operating the ship with swift and skillful movements. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop the ship’s rapid descent…