Chapter 4 Chapter Four

When Karen woke up, he saw a handsome man standing in front of the bathroom mirror shaving his beard. He was wrapped only by a thick white bath towel around his waist.In the few minutes before she was fully conscious of where she was, she saw him come up to kiss her, then shake off the towel and climb into bed with her.For a few seconds, she could clearly recall the feeling of having a man in her arms, his shape, his warmth, his weight, and… "Want to tell me what's on your mind?" he asked, not looking back, but looking at her in the mirror. She turned her face away so that he wouldn't see the blush on her face.She rolled out of bed, grabbed her nightgown, and walked to the wardrobe to avoid his sight.

"What are your plans for today?" He asked, as he walked out of the bathroom, wiping the excess foam off his face, the small towel still wrapped around him. Karen flung open the closet door so he couldn't be seen.Does he exercise every day?From his stature it must have been so.Was his natural complexion a warm honey shade? "Shopping." She said inarticulately. "Shopping?" he asked, walking around the closet door and walking beside her. "Christmas shopping?" "Yeah," she said, trying to stare at the clothes hanging in the closet but not really seeing them. "Yeah, big Christmas shopping, and a wedding gift." She took a deep breath.She must control herself!She turned her head and looked into his eyes—only the eyes, never anything below them. "Tomorrow is Christmas. Since I have to spend the holiday with these people, I can't empty my hands! Do you know if there is a better shopping center in this area?

"Tysen Center," he said immediately. "It's second to none in the country. I'm going to buy gifts too, so I'll go with you." "No!" Karen blurted out, and then tried to hold herself together. "I mean, I'm less distracted by myself." She knew it was a complete lie when she said it.Going solo for Christmas shopping has become a must. "If I don't go, do you know who's going to get presents for? Do you know how many kids are there in all? I'm guessing you're going to buy presents for the kids." "If you write their names down, I'll buy them." She didn't want to spend the whole day with this man—it seemed more and more difficult not to look at the muscles in his chest.

"I don't have a pen." He laughed. "It's all in my head." Karen almost wanted to smile at him too. "I can dictate. Besides, wouldn't you rather stay here and play football with the others?" "I'm a person who sits at a desk. I'm out of shape and have poor physical strength. How can I stand playing with them?" Karen really smiled, she didn't know anyone who was in better shape than him, and his figure was completely in shape. Without waiting for her to say yes, he grabbed a terry cloth bathrobe from the closet and put it on, then kissed her on the cheek. "Pick out some clothes for me, okay? I have to make a few phone calls, and I'll come to you in half an hour."

Before Karen could protest, he had already left the room and closed the door behind him.If she chooses clothes for a man like Tan Aili who is arrogant, arrogant and domineering, feminists all over the world will definitely tremble, she thought.Even so, she ended up with a pair of dark wool trousers, an Italian shirt, and an English sweater that was too wonderful to describe.She shook her head to herself, and went into the bathroom. An hour later, she and Allie had a hasty breakfast and walked to the rented car.The groom-to-be and others are playing ball on the lawn.Steele asked Ali to play with them.

"But she forced me to go shopping with her." He replied. "Ha!" Karen called to them through the roof. "It's as if I have to have a man to accompany me to go shopping. In fact, he is afraid that you will bully him if he stays here alone." Eli didn't hear everyone's laughter, and called out, "What wedding gift do you want us to buy for you?" "Are you going to send it?" Si Di called. "Give me a Lamborghini. As for her, I'll be happy with whatever she gets." "I second the proposal." A person next to her said this, and everyone laughed together, expressing their appreciation for her.

Karen was a little flattered, and she smiled broadly at the group of young men playing touch football, and when she saw Ali frowning, she smiled even wider. "These are nice people," she said as they got into the car. Eli twisted his body and looked out the rear window so that he could back the car out and bypass the many cars in the driveway, but he didn't speak. I don't know if it was because of the men's attention, and the fact that Eli remained silent afterwards, anyway, when they arrived at Taisen Shopping Center, Karen was in a surprisingly good mood. "Where do we start?" Karen asked behind the gates of the mall.She looked up at him and saw him shrug, knowing that it meant everything was under her arrangement. "Elephant time," she murmured.

"What did you say?" he said stiffly. "My husband and I used to go shopping like this. He didn't bother to buy anyone a gift, but he had to carry whatever I handed him. I just said he was my elephant. " Ai Li seemed to be pondering for a long time, then he raised his right arm solemnly, bit his teeth hard, and his biceps immediately stretched out under the sweater. "No matter what you give me, I can move it." Karen laughed. "We'll see. By the way, since you said 'we' are going to give everyone presents, who's going to pay for it?"

"Isn't it me?" He said with a fake sigh, as if he was always responsible for paying for her shopping. "Excellent," she said, turning right, toward Northrop's. "Your money, my taste." "As long as you remember to throw me a peanut once in a while, I'll be good." He said behind her. Three hours later, Karen was exhausted but elated.She had completely forgotten what it was like to go shopping with a man.He never takes the time to consider which of two commodities is better.He'd say, "That's all" or "What does it matter."Ask him for suggestions on what to gift, and he doesn't seem to be able to think of anything other than something to do with music.Twice she simply told him to sit and wait on the bench with the big bags, and then she went to the store herself and bought a soap and lotion combo and some fruit and cheese hampers.She could barely get him out of the model store, and he ended up buying a 3-D puzzle of the Empire State Building at the model store to count.They visited the nine toy stores in the mall and bought something at each of them. Karen wondered if they had bought too much. Maybe there were not so many children.

"Did lunch be included in our itinerary today?" he asked after they had visited the last toy store. "Are you sure you want to eat? I think the store missed a toy car just now. Do you want to go back and buy it?" "You woman, I want to eat!" He growled, and took the lead towards the coffee shop attached to Nuo Si Zhuang.They ordered food, got drinks, and started looking for a spot where Allie could put down all the shopping bags because he wouldn't let Karen carry anything. "You are such a good elephant." She said with a smile as soon as the two sat down.

After sitting down, he watched her. "What are your plans for Lawson's?" Karen was in a good mood and would not lie. "You don't have to be courteous or listen to my childish opinions. It was fun today, but you and I both know it's over when we get back to Denver. You're the boss and I'm just a typist. " "You're just a typist?" he said, one eyebrow raised, and he reached into the collar of his sweater and pulled some fax paper from his shirt pocket. "You, your husband, and Tom Stan jointly owned Town's Hardware for a total of six years. The store was entirely dependent on you and your husband, and Town Stan was a liability." Karen stared at him dumbfounded, and he continued. "After you got married, Ray worked two jobs, and you took the typing job at home. You two worked hard to save up and buy half of Towne's Hardware, and then you turned the place around completely. Ray knows machines, But you know everything else. You write the ads that drive customers to your door, and you keep the books, telling Ray what he can and can't spend. It was your idea to add a garden center to the store to attract women, and the gardening The center has become the most profitable department in the whole store. After Ray passed away, you discovered that the reason why Tang Stan was willing to sell half of the shares was because there was a proviso that as long as Ray died, he could use 50,000 yuan to sell your shares. Buy it back." "The terms seemed reasonable at the time," Karen said defensively, as if thinking he was accusing Ray of doing something stupid. "Yeah, when you bought half of the shares, that half of the shares were only worth 30,000 yuan, but through the efforts of you and Rey, half of his shares were worth far more than 50,000 yuan when he died." "I could have stayed on as a partner," Karen said softly. "As long as you're willing to sleep with Townsend." "You really like to ask around." "Just curious," he said, looking at her brightly, as their order arrived.After the waitress had left, he said, "Would you like to tell me what you think about the baby store?" "I haven't really thought it through, just a few vague concepts," she said, playing with the straw of her iced tea. Ali snorted, and pushed a pen and tissue to her with a smile. "Suppose you had a lot of money and owned Lawson's, what would you do?" Karen hesitated for a moment. "I'll have a kids' play area in the middle of the store so moms can see their kids at all times. If moms are going to stay longer, I'll put electronic tags on the kids. You know, like a department store The ones on the clothes, the alarm bells go off in the store whenever a child runs out of the play area or someone tries to take the child out of the store." Ai Li didn't speak, but raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner. "They put tags on clothes to prevent theft, but kids are way more important than clothes, aren't they? And how can a mother be comfortable trying them on when she has a four-year-old watch making noise at her Where are the clothes?" She took a bite, then went on to say: "There are different special areas around the play area: maternity clothes, furniture, baby clothes, baby books, etc. that can attract attention. The clerk I hired Both have to be very experienced and fat." Although Ai Li didn't understand why, he still smiled approvingly. "I mean it. My aunt just had a baby and she's always complaining about the anorexic looking shopgirls who look at her with pity every time she asks if there's an extra-large dress. I'm going to hire Professionally trained underwear instructors, as well as some free brochures, so that women know who to contact if they need assistance or information. Of course, we also keep in touch with the local gynecologist, just in case There's an emergency at the store. And—" She glanced at him and immediately fell silent.He was laughing at her! "Haven't you really thought about it?" she laughed. "Okay, maybe I thought about it a little bit." "What about the finances? Don't you try to tell me that you haven't calculated how much it will cost to open a store like this, or where the money will come from." Karen took a few bites. "I did some arithmetic." "When we get back to Denver, you bring these things to my desk, and I'll—" He stopped, because Karen had already taken a computer disk from his purse.He picked it up and looked down, then frowned. "When were you going to hand this over to me?" She understood what he meant.He thought that was the real reason she had agreed to come with him.She was one of thousands of other people who wanted to meet him or send him plans to get rich.Karen reached out and snatched the disk from him. "I never intended to show it to you or anyone else," she said through gritted teeth. "I don't know how many people have their own dreams in their minds, but they are just dreams, and they only stay in their own minds." Furiously, she grabbed her backpack and coat from the side. "I'm sorry, but I think this is a complete mistake. I'd better leave at once." Ali grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Sorry, I apologize to you. Really, I'm sorry." "Can you please let me go?" "No, then you'll run away." "Then I'm going to call." "You won't. You didn't yell when Tang Stan bullied you like that, because you didn't want to embarrass his family. Karen, you're not the kind of person who can yell." She looked at his large tanned hand, which circled her wrist.He was right, she couldn't bark, and she wasn't even very good at fighting.Maybe she needed Rey behind her back, telling her she could do it before she believed in herself. Ali's hand moved a little so that the fingers entangled with hers, but Karen didn't try to pull her hand away, letting him hold it. "Listen, Karen, I know what you think of me, but it's not true. Did you ever tell anyone about the baby store?" "No." She said softly. "But your idea must have been there before Ray died. Didn't you mention it to him?" "No." She and Ray were busy with the hardware business alone.And she definitely didn't want Rey to think she wanted a different life, something more. "Then you told me, I'm really honored." Ali said.Karen gave him a suspicious look, and he said, "Really." He paused for a moment, looking down at their clasped hands. "The purpose of those prenuptial agreements is just to see if they will sign it." Karen stared at him in disbelief. "I mean it. If one of them had signed it, I'd have ripped it up on the spot. But all I hear is 'Daddy thinks I shouldn't sign' or 'My lawyer advises I don't sign'. I just want to make sure that the woman wants me, not my family property." "It's a nasty move, isn't it?" "It can't be worse than marrying me first and then divorcing me four years later. What if we have children?" Karen couldn't help squeezing his fingers. "Then what happened to Elaine?" "Elaine is different from them," he said softly, and pulled his hand away from hers. Karen opened her mouth to ask again, when he said, "Can I go?" and his tone sounded like an order. A few minutes later they were back in the crowds of the shopping mall, Ellie walking in front with her hands full of bags, Karen following thoughtfully - until she was attracted by a store's products and stopped. Stopping, the store was full of the most beautiful children's clothing she had ever seen.A christening gown of fine cotton with long, soft lace is displayed in the window. "Do you want to go in and have a look?" Ali said softly above her head. "No, of course not," Karen snapped, turning away. But Ali stepped forward and blocked her way.He was originally a burly figure, but with so many things in his hands, he looked even bigger. "Really, I don't want to..." she said, but she stopped talking once she entered the store. She never allowed herself to imagine that when she was looking at children's clothing, she was helping her future child choose clothes, but not for other people's children. It's okay to pick clothes. As if she lost her soul, she walked towards the beautiful dress hanging on the rack. Ai Li came behind her, and a kind clerk had already taken the things in his hands and put them away. "These are wrong. The bosses of the Tan family are definitely boys." "Nothing is absolute," Karen said, taking off a white cotton gauze dress with hand-embroidered pink and blue flowers. "Look at this, this is much better," he said, holding up a red and blue striped top. "It's also great to wear while playing football." "I'm not going to let my son play football," she said, hanging up the dress and looking at some white suits that looked like they were for the little prince. "Football is too dangerous." "He's my son too, I think—" Karen suddenly understood what these words meant. They might make a child together, but it would not be "their" child.It couldn't really be their child... She rushed out of the store without thinking, and when Ali found her, she was staring blankly at the window decorated with Christmas trees. "Do you mind if we sit down?" he asked, and Karen could only nod.The gaffe in the children's clothing store just now made her speechless until now. She sat down, he piled the shopping bags beside her, and went off to buy ice cream cones for both of them.Then the two ate the cone in silence. "Why didn't you and your husband have children?" he asked softly. "We thought we had a lot of time, so we were not in a hurry," she replied curtly. Ali was silent for a while. "Do you love him very much?" "Yes, I love him very much." "He's a very lucky man," Ali said, reaching out to shake her hand. "I envy him." Karen looked him straight in the eye, and for a split second she saw another man in her eyes for the first time since Ray died.It wasn't Rey who appeared as someone else, but Tan Aili himself.I can love again, she thought, and at that moment all the ice that had shut her heart melted. "Karen, I—" Ali said, moving closer to her, as if planning to kiss her right here in the mall. "My God!" Karen said. "See what time it is. I have an appointment with the hairdresser to get my hair done for tonight's wedding, and I'm running out of time. It's in this mall but not on this floor. I have to run." "When did you make an appointment?" he asked, sounding like a husband who doesn't believe his wife does things without him knowing. "I made an appointment on the way to those toy stores." She got up. "I have to go," she said, starting to walk away. "See you here in two hours," she called over her shoulder, and before he could answer, she rounded the corner and disappeared. In fact, there is still half an hour before her appointment with the hairdresser, but she wants to buy a Christmas gift for Aili, and she also wants to avoid staying with him, she cannot love a man like Aili Tan. "He's from a different world than you, Karen," she told herself.What a man like him needs is an ambassador daughter from a famous family, who can distinguish the type of caviar, who can... can... "Idiot!" she scolded herself.You're as bad as those other women thinking you're in love with him.Or worse, think he's in love with you! When she met him two hours later, she had managed to calm herself down and look at ease.She saw him sitting on the bench with a smug face. "What did you do?" "It's just packing and labeling everything, and now it's all in the car." "You really have a way," she said, her eyes widening. "Don't laugh at me, let's go!" He said, taking her arm. "Did they put shellac on your head? Or did they give you a wooden wig?" "It's painted, and I think it looks nice." He hummed, and the two walked quickly to the car. After returning, I found that everyone was busy preparing for the wedding, and the situation was chaotic.It seems like everyone has a piece of clothing missing and is scrambling to find it like a headless chicken.Eli closed the door of "their" room, and the room was like a haven of tranquility. When Karen came out of the bathroom, she saw boxes piled up on the bed and two bags full of clothes. "These were delivered when you were in the bathroom just now," he said.When Karen said she didn't hear anyone coming in, Ali immediately went into the bathroom. One box contained silk underwear, all white: lace bras, panties, and mid-thigh lace stockings.She had never heard of anyone offering bridesmaid underwear in addition to the gowns. "I don't have time to read everything slowly." Ai Li said when he returned to the room. "But--" "Hurry up and put it on!" She picked up underwear and a gown that seemed to be made of three hundred yards of chiffon, and looked first at the small bathroom and then at the bulky tutu. "I won't attack you when you're only wearing underwear, but you have to promise me the same." Allie said with a serious face. Karen wanted to retort, but finally smiled evilly. "Okay, I promise." She said as she took the underwear into the bathroom.She emerged a few minutes later with all her makeup on and only her underwear on — and she knew she looked beautiful.She wasn't very plump above the waist, but many people said that her legs were comparable to those of a showgirl. "You know where that thing is—" Ally said, turning to face her, and then Karen felt immense satisfaction as he stared blankly, all color gone. "Where is what?" she asked innocently. Ai Li couldn't say a word. He stood there with one hand stretched out and the other ready to button his cuff buttons. He froze. "Can I help you?" she asked, striding towards him while he stared at her wordlessly.She buttoned both cuff buttons for him very gently, then looked up at him with a smile. "What you need?" When he doesn't answer, she smiles again and starts to walk away.She knows that her back is as beautiful as her front.Thanks to the treadmill, she thought to herself. She had no time to think about anything else, at this moment Ali grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his arms, then lowered his head and kissed her lips.How could she forget?she thought to herself.She had almost completely forgotten the wonderful taste of kissing. He gave her a long and thorough kiss, caressing her body with a pair of big hands, pulling her closer. Had it not been for someone knocking loudly on the door asking if they were ready to go, Karen didn't know what would happen next.Even so unwilling, she still had to break free from his arms.Her heart was pounding and her breathing was short of breath. "We've got to get dressed quickly." She managed to get the words out, and he was still watching her silently.She picked up the gown with trembling hands, trying to slip it on without ruining her hair.She didn't feel awkward when Ali pulled down and zipped the dress for her.And it seemed natural to help him put on his tuxedo. He didn't speak until a moment before going out. "I almost forgot to give you your bridesmaid present." From a pocket he pulled a double-strand pearl necklace and a pair of long drop-shaped bead earrings. "It's beautiful," Karen said. "The beads look almost like real pearls." "Like the real thing?" he said, pulling out the second earring and fastening the necklace for her while she put it on. "Do I look okay?" she asked seriously. "Nobody's going to look at the bride." It was a cliché, but it made her feel really beautiful when he said it. Weddings are glamorous.Despite the chaos leading up to the ceremony, everything went well in the official, full of laughter and champagne at the reception.Allie disappeared, along with a few old friends whom he hadn't seen in years, leaving Karen alone at the table for a while. "Can you dance?" Karen looked up at Ali. "Isn't it in the report you got? Or did your agent forget to ask about something as trivial as dancing?" He laughed, pulled her up from the chair and led her to the dance floor.To say that their dancing postures are wonderful and gorgeous is actually too subtle. As Steele passed them both with his lovely bride in his arms, he told Ali that he should "keep this one". Ali smiled. "You also know that no woman wants to be with me for a long time." Stey laughed and jumped away, and Karen frowned at Ali. "Why don't you tell everyone the truth? Everyone thinks it's your fault for breaking up with those women." Ali hugged her closer. "Careful, Mrs. Law, it sounds like you've begun to like me." "Ha! All I want from you is—" "A child," he said softly. "You want my baby." "That's just because—" "Because of what? Because I'm smart, because I'm the Prince Charming in women's minds?" "You are the exact opposite of the frog prince. As long as you are kissed by a woman, you will become a frog." "I didn't turn into a frog the first time we kissed! Do you want to try again?" He stared down at her, and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her again.But he didn't, and she knew that her disappointment must have shown on her face. Hours later she and Ali were alone in the room again.When she came out of the bathroom in a conservative white nightgown, he stood at the window with his back to her, watching the night outside the window. "You can use the bathroom now," she said. "I'm going out," he said firmly. Karen immediately asked, "Why?" and was immediately horrified by her behavior, covering her mouth with her hands.No matter what he does, he doesn't do her business.She straightened up and forced a smile. "Of course." She yawned. "See you tomorrow morning." Ali grabbed her by the shoulders. "Karen, it's not what you think it is." "I have no right to think anything. It's your freedom to do whatever you want." He quickly embraced her and hugged her tightly. "If I sleep here tonight, I will definitely have sex with you. I know I will, and I can't restrain myself." He didn't let her have a chance to answer, so he left her alone in the room. "Yeah," Karen said to the closed door. "Everything will be back to normal next week, and of course I won't remember having such a period with the little typist. It's better not to act rashly, lest I get sued in time." She went to bed by herself, but didn't go to sleep until she had vented her frustrations to the big pillow in the middle of the bed. Hours later she slept soundly, not hearing him come back and crawling into bed next to her, not feeling him press a soft kiss on her forehead before trying to fall asleep.