Liu Zhizhong cursed under his breath, "You freaking billionaire bootlicker, seriously f*cking cheap!"
But then, upon reflection, Liu Zhizhong thought to himself, Mother-in-law Lu Yumei really was attractive, sexy, and had that mature charm, plus she was still as spry as a young horse—Zhang Zhenglong licking her boots was kinda understandable.
There and then, Liu Zhizhong said, "Mr. Zhang, are you free to chat for a bit on West Mountain Summit?"
"Damn it..." Zhang Zhenglong couldn't help but swear, slightly bitterly he said, "You little shit, are you making fun of me for being fat? West Mountain is so damn high, I'm too lazy to climb, and I can't make it."
"But recently my mother-in-law has taken a liking to climbing mountains—so you gonna climb or not?"
"Uh..." Zhang Zhenglong paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Is that so? Alright, alright, alright, wait for me. I'll deal with some stuff here and will reach there in about half an hour. Where exactly are you on West Mountain Summit?"
After hanging up, Liu Zhizhong smirked triumphantly.
So what if he's a billionaire?
It's just a woman; haven't I played you like a fiddle?
However, Liu Zhizhong turned his head to look southward.
Hmm, yes, the Zhao family's villa area, less than five kilometers to the south side of West Mountain.
Lu Yumei did indeed love exercising—running and such—but that was only jogging along the green paths in the villa community, at dawn or at dusk.
Alright, this exercise-loving woman, she's got the secret to staying young, huh?
Without further ado, Liu Zhizhong made a call to Lu Yumei.
Lu Yumei, when it came to her second son-in-law, well, she still showed him some face superficially and in public at the moment.
But ever since she had an awkward encounter involving Ma Xudong and Luo Yanling, her regard for her brother-in-law Ma Xudong had mostly evaporated, and naturally, she had started to become a bit colder toward Ma Xudong's secretary, Liu Zhizhong.
Lu Yumei had just finished some yoga at home and was really wiping off sweat!
"Oh, ma, I'm on West Mountain Summit. I can see the top of our house from here!"
Lu Yumei responded with icy indifference, "What are you blabbering about? Not at work, not serving that lecher Secretary Ma, what are you doing running off to West Mountain Summit for? You think I'm a three-year-old? West Mountain Summit, you can see our house roof? You got magic eyes or something?"
Liu Zhizhong chuckled, "I had some last-minute business that brought me over here, just coming to see the site as there are plans for the West Mountain Scenic Area from the city, just meeting with some related personnel. But hey, with my phone's camera zoomed in ten times, I really can get a picture of our roof."
"Can you stop saying 'our house, our house'? Have you ever contributed a dime to that villa? Living there for free, eating for free, and you have the nerve to act all pleased with yourself?"
"Uh..." Liu Zhizhong felt a bit dejected momentarily before thickening his skin and chuckling, "Ma, I might not have contributed a penny, but I still think of it as home! But lately, I do have a small worry."
"I don't want to hear it, I'm not interested—what's there for a red hotshot like you in the City Committee to worry about?"
"With all the socializing, I feel like I'm getting a bit chubby. I feel like I'm about to develop a pot belly, so I've decided to follow your lead, sticking to exercise, keeping fit. Starting tomorrow morning, I'll climb West Mountain every day; will you join me?"
In reality, Liu Zhizhong's exercise and fitness routine were something he did at night after everyone else had gone to bed, sneaking off to the gym alone—he wasn't widely known for being a fitness enthusiast.
Otherwise, how could he maintain such a great shape and stamina?
Lu Yumei scoffed, "I have no interest. If you want to climb, go by yourself; I'm not keeping you company." Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
"Hey, ma, don't be so quick to refuse. Little auntie is also going to climb. I decided to go after taking her advice. What do you say...?"
As soon as Lu Yuqing was mentioned, Lu Yumei's interest was piqued, "What, Yuqing is also going hiking? Is she doing it every day, or...?"
"Of course, it's every other day, ma. Who could stand climbing every day? Little auntie really wants to go hiking because she feels it's good for her body and relaxing, which helps her with work. Besides..."
Liu Zhizhong continued, letting out a sly chuckle, "You know, little auntie has been in a bit of a mood lately, so... As her closest kin, wouldn't it be good for you to spend more time with her? Besides, she's busy with work too. Climbing the mountain every other day means sisters can have a chat, it's nice, right?"
Lu Yumei nodded, "Okay, I agree. Starting tomorrow?"
"Definitely tomorrow!"
Ah, having sweet-talked Lu Yumei this way, Liu Zhizhong immediately sent a message to Lu Yuqing to charm his little auntie.
Did Lu Yuqing have second thoughts? Not at all!
Big Baby Liu's arrangements were her decree. Hiking was, after all, good exercise for her too.
Lately, being busy with work, she felt that she had gained a little weight.
While a bit plumper might more fun for Liu Zhizhong to play with, she, Lu Yuqing, felt after all that it's better to be thin when you're past thirty!
Liu Zhizhong even suggested, what if one morning Lu Yumei was indisposed and could not go hiking? Then he could take Lu Yuqing up to the back of West Mountain Scenic Area where they could find a forest for a wild romp, standing on the ground—how thrilling would that be?
This proposal really hooked Lu Yuqing; she was eager to give it a try. The thrill of doing the same thing in a different environment sounded exhilarating, hehe...
For Liu Zhizhong, this plan was perfect.
Once Zhang Zhenglong arrived, a little more sweet talk would give him a chance, wouldn't it?
Of course, Zhang Zhenglong would have to do something to prevent Zhang Qixiang from taking revenge on me, right?
Hehe... This is strategy, haha...