pertwk 9. Buy a villa
9. Buy a villa
It's Christmas Eve, and all the hotels are fully booked. I had to go to three five-star hotels before I could find a room.
Li Xiang slumped onto the sofa and muttered, "What a hassle. I could just make do with a place to stay, why do I have to stay in a five-star hotel?"
"Today is different," Natasha heard Li Xiang's complaint.
"Whatever makes you happy." Li Xiang couldn't afford to offend him, so he got up to look at the rooms. "I'll stay in this room."
Natasha followed them in.
"No... there are three rooms, why do you have to fight me for them?" Li Xiang was a little unhappy and explained, "This room has a balcony, which is convenient for smoking."
"I'm not going to fight you for it," Natasha said slowly as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "We'll stay together tonight."
Li Xiang was a little confused and re-scanned Natasha's information.
It was then discovered that Natasha had added "marriage and children" to her relationship requests, with a note specifying that she wanted a boy.
Natasha cleared her throat and stammered, "I want to marry you. Will you?"
"I don't want to," Li Xiang replied instantly.
"You have no choice but to agree." Natasha grew angrier the more she thought about it, and suddenly stood up and rushed towards Li Xiang, intending to attack him.
With a system warning, Li Xiang reacted extremely quickly. If he couldn't win, wouldn't he at least run away? He darted into the living room and hid behind the sofa.
"Where did that drive of yours that you usually take advantage of me go? You chickened out when it came to getting serious."
The two men circled the sofa, like the King of Qin circling a pillar.
"Violence won't solve anything. If you really want to talk, let's do it calmly." Li Xiang could always predict Natasha's direction.
"Go ahead and say it," Natasha stopped, unable to reach anyone.
Li Xiang said with a serious expression, "I can't marry you."
"Your family isn't your average thug. If I marry you, my money will be tied to Russian politics, and I'll face strict scrutiny no matter which country I invest in."
"You have things you want to protect, and I have my own life ideals. If we want to maintain a long-term and stable cooperative relationship, we have to support each other."
Natasha pouted and stood there for a long time without saying a word. After a while, she said, "It's okay if we don't get married."
"I have only one question for you: if I had your child, would you acknowledge it?"
Seeing that Li Xiang remained silent, Natasha urged, "Can't you be a man and just say it?"
Li Xiang promised, "As long as it can be confirmed that the child is mine, I will acknowledge it."
Natasha let out a long sigh, unsure of what she was relieved about. "Just accept it."
Li Xiang asked with concern, "What exactly did you and your stepmother talk about that made you so upset?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Natasha calmed herself down. "Don't hide. I'm not really going to hit you. I promise I'll never lay a hand on you again."
Li Xiang walked around to the front of the sofa and sat down. "There's no going back on having a child. Have you thought this through?"
"I've already asked God, and you're the one He sent to save me." Natasha smiled, comforting herself, "Since I've chosen to bet on you, I'll accept the loss."
"It's not you admitting it now, you're forcing me to admit it."
"You should be grateful that someone is having your child and you don't have to take responsibility," Natasha said slowly as she sat down next to Li Xiang. "I came back this time to ask my family for some money, but I didn't get any."
"You don't need to worry about the start-up capital for the jerseys; I have enough assets for you to use."
The chat got stuck, and the atmosphere in the room became a little awkward.
After about three minutes, Li Xiang broke the silence and said, "It's getting late, why don't we rest?"
Natasha got up and left. "I'm going to take a shower."
Li Xiang has been reborn for three months and has been a vegetarian ever since. Tonight, he finally had some meat, and it was even foreign meat.
When the system's "energy value" is depleted and becomes negative, it will draw energy from Li Xiang's body to replenish it.
This is like a communicating vessel, and the reverse also applies.
When Li Xiang's stamina is exhausted, he can also increase his recovery speed by consuming energy points.
Take pull-ups as an example.
Li Xiang's maximum number of pull-ups did not increase, but after exhaustion, he only needed to rest for a few minutes to fully recover and do the second set.
This "talent" of quickly replenishing energy is also reflected in learning efficiency and certain abilities.
He had sex seven times in one night.
-
The following afternoon, Natasha's aunt, Dalia, found the hotel.
Li Xiang was sent away by Natasha beforehand.
"Auntie." Natasha opened the door for Dalia, pouting with a wronged look on her face.
"My little darling, didn't you sleep well last night? Look at you, you have dark circles under your eyes." Dalia was dressed in a Russian country-style nouveau riche outfit, with a large gold chain around her neck that looked like a husky.
I didn't fall asleep until after 5 a.m.
Natasha did not sleep well last night, but the reason for her poor sleep was a little different from what Dalia thought.
"You're such a worrywart, child," Dalia said after sitting down. "Elena doesn't support you, but your aunt does."
"That's still one less vote."
"You can't touch the money your father left behind; your aunt has her own money."
Natasha sat down next to Darya, her face twitching. "Why didn't you come last night?"
"Roman's been refusing to sleep, saying he wants to be a scientist and research the Terminator. I've been trying to appease him," Dalia said, grabbing Natasha's hand. "Tell your aunt, how did you and your boyfriend meet?"
"Can we not say? It's a little embarrassing." Natasha's cheeks flushed slightly. "I can assure you he's not a government official."
"You know our family situation perfectly well. Not only do I have to tell you, but I also have to send someone to verify his background." Dalia smiled broadly, like an aunt. "Your aunt isn't an outsider; she won't laugh at you. Did you do it on your own initiative?"
-
Natasha insisted on taking the train back to St. Petersburg. Luckily, we bought a compartment ticket, so we could have a little fun together.
Having been given a second chance at life, without financial pressure, having more children early can be seen as contributing to the country's efforts to adjust its population structure.
The train clattered along for eight and a half days.
Li Xiang wants to transfer the property ownership first and then pay for Natasha's house.
Natasha had already agreed, but then she changed her mind because her aunt Dalia offered a better house.
A small villa near St. Petersburg, three stories high, with front and back gardens and a separate garage.
Its current market value is approximately $25.
Because Li Xiang wanted to transfer the property first and then make the payment at the end of June, the actual price agreed upon was 26 yuan.
During the commodity boom, all sectors in Russia were flooded with cash, with real estate absorbing the most funds.
As one of only two major cities in Russia, St. Petersburg's housing prices are skyrocketing, changing every single day.
This crazy upward trend will continue until the subprime mortgage crisis breaks out in 08.
"Finally, we've moved back to the big house!" Natasha exclaimed excitedly, running around the villa, planning how to use each room.
"It's too tiring for just the two of us to live in such a big house. Cleaning is a hassle. The small one we had before was much better." Li Xiang planned to sell it as soon as possible, and he didn't consider this place his home at all.
"I want to live here."
"Then we'll need to hire a maid. I'll find one in China. She has no connection with Russia and I know her well enough to trust her."
Natasha said with a hint of disdain, "It's so inconvenient to communicate without knowing Russian."
"Is convenience more important or safety?" Li Xiang gently tapped Natasha's head. "Although our relationship has changed to that of the child's father and mother, our previous family positions cannot change."
"I'll say whatever I want, and you'll just have to listen."
"Why should I?" Natasha protested.
"Because you're stupid."
Natasha pouted, looking a little resentful, but then she thought better of it and took Li Xiang's arm. "So what if I'm stupid? I found someone smart."