Please, mature women, have some self-respect. I just want a raise and a promotion.

The next morning, Deng Hong drove to the hotel.

When Lin Zheng came downstairs, she had already been waiting by the car door for ten minutes.

Deng Hong was dressed casually in white sneakers, light blue jeans, and a tight black T-shirt with a slightly low neckline. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore only light makeup.

Lin Zheng glanced at her, his gaze lingering on her chest for a second.

"Sister Deng, are you dressed like that to go to work or to go hiking?"

Deng Hong noticed his gaze, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she raised her hand to pat him on the chest.

"What are you looking at? Get to work."

"Today I'll take you to see that unfinished market in Nanshan. It's not convenient to wear business attire."

"It's really inconvenient." Lin Zheng smiled, opened the car door, and sat in the passenger seat.

The car started, drove out of the hotel, and headed south along the country road.

The scenery along the way gradually changed from the buildings in the town to farmland and wasteland, with a few dilapidated factory buildings flashing by occasionally.

Deng Hong drove very steadily, with both hands on the steering wheel and her eyes fixed straight ahead.

Lin Zheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across her profile.

Deng Hong's features weren't particularly delicate, but they were pleasing to the eye. Her tight-fitting T-shirt accentuated the curves of her upper body, swaying slightly with the bumps of the car.

"Have you seen enough?" Deng Hong suddenly asked, her voice carrying a hint of reproach.

Lin Zheng laughed: "Sister Deng, you look quite good driving."

"Stop being so glib," Deng Hong said, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

After driving for twenty minutes, the car turned onto a bumpy dirt road.

The road was overgrown with weeds and littered with gravel, causing the vehicle to bounce violently.

"This road was only half-built before construction stopped. When Zhang Wenshan was in charge, he said he would pave it with cement, but the project was halted and no one took care of it anymore," Deng Hong said as she drove.

Lin Zheng nodded: "If the road is impassable, there's no point in building the market. The first thing to do is to fix the road."

"Road repairs cost money, and if we don't get that money back, we can't do anything."

"It'll be soon. Li Ting promised to pay back five million within ten days. Let's use this money to repair the road first, and then we'll catch up on the rest later."

Deng Hong glanced at him: "You believe he'll pay it back?"

Lin Zheng shook his head: "I don't believe you, but I have a way to make him dare not renege."

The car stopped in front of an unfinished three-story building.

Lin Zheng got out of the car and looked up at the building that had been abandoned for three years.

The structure is a frame structure with exposed gray-black cement on the exterior walls, and rusty steel bars growing out from the tops of the columns like withered tree branches.

The ground was overgrown with weeds, construction waste was piled up everywhere, and the air was filled with a musty and rusty smell.

Deng Hong took out the planning map and pointed to the buildings to introduce them.

"The main building has an area of ​​8,000 square meters and is planned to be three floors. The first floor will sell meat, vegetables and seafood, the second floor will sell clothing and general merchandise, and the third floor will be office area and warehouse."

"Back then, the foundation had just been laid and the main structure was built up to the third floor when construction stopped. After three years of wind and rain, we don't know if the structure is still safe."

Lin Zheng took the planning map, flipped through it, and stepped into the building.

The building was dimly lit, with sunlight streaming in through openings without windows, and the floor was littered with broken bricks and construction debris.

Lin Zheng took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and carefully examined the walls and pillars.

The concrete was poured well, with no obvious cracks, and the reinforcing steel should still be usable after rust removal. The main structure is largely sound.

But the exterior walls, plumbing, electrical systems, and fire protection systems all need to be redone.

Deng Hong followed behind him, her high heels crunching on the gravel.

She walked carefully, afraid of twisting her ankle.

Lin Zheng turned around and glanced at her.

"Sister Deng, wearing high heels to a place like this, are you doing it on purpose?"

"How was I supposed to know the road would be this bad?"

Deng Hong glared at him, lost her balance and swayed, quickly grabbing a pillar for support.

Lin Zheng reached out and supported her arm: "Be careful."

After Deng Hong regained her footing, she didn't let go of his hand; instead, she gripped it even tighter.

The two of them walked upstairs hand in hand.

The stairs had no railings, and the steps were covered in dust and debris.

The second floor is darker than the first floor; almost no light can penetrate it.

Lin Zheng held up his phone and took pictures everywhere, with Deng Hong following behind him, her body almost pressed against his back.

Deng Hong pointed to the empty floor: "This area is planned as the clothing section, the largest one, 2,000 square meters."

Lin Zheng nodded, but as he turned around, he accidentally stepped on a loose brick, lost his balance, and fell backward, bumping his back into Deng Hong's body.

Deng Hong was knocked back two steps by his bump, and the two bodies pressed tightly together.

A warm touch came from his back, and Lin Zheng stiffened.

Deng Hong's face was pressed against his shoulder, her breath spraying onto his neck, carrying a faint fragrance.

"Sister Deng, are you alright?" Lin Zheng asked, steadying himself.

Deng Hong looked up, their faces almost touching.

In the dim light, her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, her lips were slightly parted, and her breathing was somewhat unsteady.

"It's okay." Her voice was soft, but she didn't back away.

Lin Zheng's heart raced, his gaze fixed on her lips.

Deng Hong did not flinch, but instead slightly raised her head, as if waiting for something.

The air grew tense, and the two stared at each other without saying a word.

"Lin Zheng..." Deng Hong said softly, slowly raising her hand to touch his chest.

Lin Zheng could no longer control himself, so he grabbed her waist and kissed her.

Deng Hong responded enthusiastically, hooking her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe, and pressing her body completely against him.

Her lips were soft and warm, with a faint minty flavor.

Lin Zheng's hand slid down her waist and touched the edge of her jeans.

Deng Hong trembled and let out a soft groan, but did not stop them; instead, she hugged them even tighter.

The two struggled and staggered toward the wall.

Lin Zheng pinned her against the wall, slipping his hand under her T-shirt and touching her smooth skin.

Deng Hong's body trembled slightly, and her breathing became rapid.

She bit her lip to keep herself from making a sound, but a suppressed groan still escaped her throat.

"Will someone come here?"

Her voice was broken and hesitant, tinged with nervousness.

"Won't."

Lin Zheng kissed her neck and answered vaguely.

Deng Hong stopped speaking, closed her eyes, and let Lin Zheng's hands roam over her body.

Her body was burning hot, like a ball of fire, completely extinguishing Lin Zheng's reason.

The buttons on the jeans were undone, and the sound of the zipper was particularly clear in the empty building.

Deng Hong bit her lip, braced her hands against the wall, lowered her head, and let her long hair fall down to cover her face.

Lin Zheng hugged her from behind, his warm body pressed against her back.

Deng Hongfa let out a suppressed groan, her body slightly arched.

Lin Zheng responded to her with concrete actions.

In the empty, unfinished building, only the suppressed breathing of the two people and the occasional sound of the wind blowing through the opening could be heard.

Sunlight streamed in through the cave entrance, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

A dozen minutes later, Deng Hong collapsed into Lin Zheng's arms, panting heavily, her face flushed.

"You're too awesome..."

"My old bones can't take your abuse."

Lin Zheng laughed: "Sister Deng is only forty, in her prime."

"Isn't forty old?"

Deng Hong rolled her eyes at him and raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

"My husband has been gone for ten years, and I haven't been with a man in those ten years."

"After being with you, I feel like I've wasted my life before."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zheng lit a cigarette and raised his lips.

The two of them leaned against the wall without saying another word.

After a while, Deng Hong spoke up: "How confident are you about this project?"

"Seventy percent," Lin Zheng said, exhaling a smoke ring.

"Only 70%?"

"Achieving 70% would be quite good."

"Li Ting won't pay back the money easily, Ma Cuihua is keeping an eye on it, not to mention Liu Kaishan."

"I'm dancing on the edge of a knife right now. One wrong step and I'll lose everything."