Long-Term Hand Zhang

"Yes, I've been looking too. Quite a few young men from wealthy families are interested. They've seen your photograph, and they don't mind that you've been married. After all, you've never had children," Yang Su chimed in.

"Dad—"

"Mom—"

Cheng Dongxue was speechless. She couldn't believe her parents would say such things.

Something was clearly going on today. Zhang Yang glanced at Yang Su. Though she was forty-five, she took excellent care of herself and spent her days living the life of a wealthy wife.

She kept up with her beauty routine and dressed fashionably. She still had her looks; standing beside Cheng Dongxue, she could even be mistaken for her sister.

Zhang Yang glanced at her collar. Hidden beneath it was a Sapphire Necklace worth several million, which she had bought behind Cheng Hai's back.

"Mom, your necklace looks nice." His anger suddenly vanished, and he gave her a sly smile.

"Necklace? What necklace?" Cheng Hai sprang up and hurried over. He pulled Yang Su's collar open, revealing the sapphire glittering blue beneath the lights.

Yang Su loved luxury, vanity, and keeping up with others. Cheng Hai, though generous, disliked reckless spending. An argument was bound to follow.

"You bought another necklace?" Cheng Hai turned his anger on Yang Su and began demanding answers.

"No. A friend lent it to me for a few days." Yang Su made up an excuse, fixing Zhang Yang with a vicious glare.

"Which friend? How much did it cost?" Cheng Hai was furious. She had used that excuse too many times for him to believe it.

Watching the couple argue, Zhang Yang breathed a sigh of relief. Cheng Dongxue, meanwhile, looked livid. Zhang Yang was shameless to use a trick like that.

Relieved, Zhang Yang went straight to the bedroom, got his clothes, and headed off to shower.

Cheng Dongxue tried to calm Cheng Hai and Yang Su in the living room. Zhang Yang heard that the necklace had cost over three million. Cheng Hai finally lost his temper, and the argument erupted.

Every family had its troubles, but the Cheng Family had enough to last a lifetime.

Zhang Yang came out in a short sleep shirt to get some water. Cheng Dongxue's close friend Lin Xiaofei had just returned from school. She saw the argument in the living room and was about to intervene when she spotted Zhang Yang carrying a glass.

Lin Xiaofei remembered what had happened last night and that morning, and her cheeks flushed. The body beneath his short sleep shirt captivated her. As she dwelled on it, she blushed even harder.

"Uncle, Auntie, let's talk this through..." After a moment of embarrassment, Lin Xiaofei joined the effort to calm them, her small bag still on her back.

"You little brat. You came in without even saying hello." Zhang Yang watched her go and shook his head with a sigh.

Even the fiercest battle had to end sometime. The Cheng Family's ended when Cheng Hai and Yang Su grew tired of arguing. After a short rest, they suddenly realized: hadn't they meant to confront Zhang Yang? How had they ended up fighting each other?

They exchanged a look, then glanced toward Zhang Yang's bedroom. It was utterly quiet inside, and Cheng Dongxue had gone in too.

"How did you know about my mother's necklace?" Cheng Dongxue asked once she entered the room. It was baffling. Surely Zhang Yang hadn't been following Yang Su.

"I'd never seen her wear it, so I knew it was new. And she likes luxury goods." Zhang Yang brushed it off and fooled her easily.

Cheng Dongxue frowned. Zhang Yang still knew her parents well enough to pull that trick and shift the fight away from himself.

The bedroom held a bed big enough for several people, with two pillows neatly arranged on it. Zhang Yang took bedding from the wardrobe, grabbed one pillow off the bed, and tossed it all onto the floor.

"I want to sleep in the bed," Zhang Yang protested.

"..." Cheng Dongxue was startled. It was the first time Zhang Yang had said it aloud. Before, he had only thought it to himself.

"I want to sleep in the bed," Zhang Yang insisted.

He protested again and again, but Cheng Dongxue said nothing. She knew what the words implied coming from a normal man. He wanted to sleep with someone, didn't he?

Sleep with what?

A person, of course!

And who was that?

Cheng Dongxue.

But there was a great deal Cheng Dongxue didn't know. Every day when the others were out, Zhang Yang and Lin Xiaofei put on their own private show in this house.

Zhang Yang had been trapped in the same day for a thousand years. Throughout that long stretch, he had been with Lin Xiaofei every day. Miraculously, each time still felt like the first.

Excitement, exhilaration, more excitement, more exhilaration...

If Zhang Yang hadn't been trapped in the same day for a thousand years, he would never have experienced that strange feeling.

And if his mother hadn't fallen gravely ill, leaving his poor family unable to pay for treatment, Zhang Yang would never have married into the Cheng Family. Becoming their live-in son-in-law had been like selling himself to them. He was Zhang the Long-Term Hand.

After several demands met with silence, Zhang Yang's mouth curled into a grin. Without another thought, he picked up the bedding and pillow and threw them back onto the bed.

No answer meant silence. Silence meant consent. And consent gave Zhang Yang courage.

"What are you doing?" Cheng Dongxue asked in a soft, indignant voice.

Her parents, on their way to the bedroom door to confront Zhang Yang, stopped short. They stared at each other in astonishment. They had heard her voice. If they barged in now, they might catch the two of them in the act—and interrupting that would be wrong.

"Going to sleep. Together!" Zhang Yang still wore a wicked grin. He was an old hand at this.

"Uncle, Auntie..."

Lin Xiaofei had come out for some water. She stared in shock at Cheng Hai and Yang Su, who were pressed against the door.

"Shh..."

Yang Su pulled Lin Xiaofei toward the living room. As they left, Lin Xiaofei heard breathless sounds from inside the bedroom. Her cheeks flushed, and she thought back to that morning. Zhang Yang's stamina was astonishing.

How many times had it been since last night?

It was normal for someone without a job to get up late. Zhang Yang had also gone on strike again that morning instead of being the first up to make breakfast.

It was normal for a college student to stay up late too. Most were the sort who stayed awake all night and couldn't get up during the day.

"Whoa—"

Zhang Yang got up and stepped outside, only to run into Lin Xiaofei as she emerged from her room. She had enormous dark circles under her eyes.

"You became a national treasure overnight," Zhang Yang joked.

Lin Xiaofei's room was too close to Zhang Yang's bedroom. Last night had kept her awake, tossing and turning until morning. Now she had panda eyes.

"It's your fault. I just don't understand how you have that much energy and stamina—and how you can keep that up all night." Lin Xiaofei covered her mouth as she yawned and complained.

A cigarette hung from Zhang Yang's lips. They saw each other day and night, yet he couldn't touch her. Last night had finally brought a change, so he had made up for lost time by putting in a full night's overtime.

"Are you free?" Zhang Yang asked, looking at Lin Xiaofei's tousled hair, crooked collar, and weary face.

Some things were hard to control once they had happened the first time.

"I need to sleep!" Lin Xiaofei met Zhang Yang's gaze. They shared a knowing smile and went into her room together. He was Zhang the Long-Term Hand again.