Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 66 What shouldn't be saved will ultimately not be saved.

Li Wei thought about it and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He wanted to push her away, but he couldn't bear to because of her pitiful appearance. But if he didn't push her away and just kept hugging her like that, it wouldn't be appropriate. He was a married man, after all.

Being soft-hearted is a disease, and it needs to be cured! Li Wei sighed, gently patted her back, and whispered words of comfort. After a while, he was surprised to find that she had actually fallen asleep.

Holy crap, is this even possible? Li Wei was utterly exasperated, feeling completely helpless and desperate. What was he going to do?

Just throw it away and leave it alone? That's definitely not an option; even a man wouldn't do that in this situation.

Call the police? That's too much trouble. What if I get arrested along with them after going through all the procedures? After all, I assaulted someone, which is considered disturbing public order. It would be reasonable and legal for me to be thrown into the police station for a few days of questioning.

Forget it, let's take him back and ask the hotel owner. He's a local, he'll definitely know something.

Li Wei reached out and picked her up in a princess carry. She was alright; she weighed at most 100 pounds.

While holding this pig-headed beauty, he didn't forget to pick up the tattered palm-leaf fan.

He walked over to the person lying on the ground and saw that she was already awake. Her eyes were rolling around, and she was looking at Li Wei with a melancholy gaze. She seemed to have some objection to Li Wei holding her wife, but she didn't say anything.

Enraged, Li Wei kicked him hard: "Kid, do you still want this woman? If not, I'll take her away!"

He didn't answer, as if he was contemplating life.

"Damn it!" Li Wei wanted to kick him to death. He angrily put her down. The way back to the hotel was a bit far. He hadn't thought much about it and just picked her up. It was easier to carry her on his back.

Even in this state, the pig-headed beauty was still sleeping soundly, cooperating by lying on Li Wei's back.

Li Wei picked her up and glared at the man on the ground, yelling, "You bastard, if you don't say anything, I'll just assume you don't want me anymore?"

Seeing that he didn't react, she got angry and stepped on his leg, doing a one-legged stance. The two of them, weighing nearly 300 pounds combined, stood there, and "Ouch!" Li Wei heard a scream as he had hoped, and then left satisfied.

I was so stupid, so incredibly stupid! How could I have known that what was supposed to be a simple stroll would turn into a woman, especially one whose face was swollen like a pig's head?

Walking empty-handed along the way didn't feel like much, but carrying someone on my back was a different story; I was drenched in sweat after walking only halfway.

Finally back at the hotel, Li Wei was panting heavily. The hotel owner sat calmly next to him watching TV. The old man was watching a Korean drama with great interest, not even glancing at Li Wei carrying a woman on his back.

"Boss, do you know her?" Li Wei asked helplessly, placing the pig-headed beauty on the tattered sofa.

The hotel owner reluctantly turned down the TV volume, turned around to look, shook his head at first, then put on his glasses for a closer look, before nodding: "I know her! A pretty girl, she was targeted by a gambler in our town, tricked into marriage, and then her life has been miserable ever since. Looks like her husband came back after losing money and beat her again; this time he beat her pretty badly!"

"Oh! It's not a scam, is it?" Li Wei was still worried. These days, so many bad people are trying to cheat outsiders, so you have to be careful.

"Hey, what liar? This girl will be beaten to death by her man sooner or later. She's stubborn. If you don't have a wife, you can take her back, just don't let her man find her. She's good at managing a household, but she's just unlucky to have a man who's so unfair." The old man spoke calmly, as if he were used to it.

Li Wei shook his head: "I have a wife, I can't have her. Boss, find her a place to rest. She can give you the money tomorrow. Whether you want to call the police is up to you. We'll load the car and head back soon. We can't worry about her. Calling the police for her would cause too much trouble."

The hotel owner shook his head vigorously: "That won't do. Her family has already gambled away all their money. Where would they get the money to give me? Me, call the police for her? Her husband would be driven crazy if he found out. You brought it yourself, so figure it out yourself."

"Hey, how come you have no compassion at all, boss? You know her but you won't help me?"

"It's precisely because I know her that I can't help. You don't know how troublesome it is when gamblers and scoundrels are drunk. Calling the police will only result in a lecture and a few days in jail. When he gets out, he won't be able to support us!" The hotel owner refused to help no matter what.

Li Wei sighed, regretting that he hadn't gone for a walk: "Alright then! We can't just throw her out again now. Do you have any cheap rooms here? Let her stay for the night, and we'll talk about it when she wakes up tomorrow."

The innkeeper sighed, "Young man, you can only help her for a while, not forever. If she doesn't go home tonight, her husband will beat her even more severely tomorrow."

Li Wei looked at the poor woman whose face was bruised and swollen from being beaten, and who had been thrown far away by him. She had been scared and cried all night, which must have taken a toll on her energy. After he comforted her a few times, she probably felt safe and was now sleeping like a log. In the end, he couldn't bear to leave her alone.

"Find her a place to stay tonight! We can talk about going back tomorrow if she wants. Oh, and find a cheap place, I don't have the money for anything expensive."

The hotel owner thought for a moment: "There's a small room on the third floor, which I used to store odds and ends. It just has a spare bed. How about thirty yuan for you?"

Li Wei angrily retorted, "Do you have any compassion at all? This is someone from your area, and you call her pitiful, yet you charge her such a high price for a hotel? It only costs forty yuan for the two of us, plus fifty-five yuan for the air conditioning, and you're charging her thirty yuan alone?"

"Alright, alright! I'll give you face, no air conditioning allowed, I'll only charge you twenty yuan, and give her a small fan to blow on her."

Li Wei was exhausted. He hadn't managed to save those twenty yuan after all. Sure enough, women all like to lie. She lied to him about having money when she didn't.

I told you, what ordinary family could possibly save money if their member is a gambling addict? Are you kidding me? Do you really think winning money at the casino is that easy?

The hotel owner went upstairs to tidy up the room, and came down a little while later to tell Li Wei that it was ready.

Helpless, Li Wei picked her up and carried her upstairs. He followed the boss to the small room, placed her on the bed, took off her shoes, turned on the small fan, and then came out to close the door.

The boss stood at the door with a strange expression: "Huh? Aren't you coming with us?"

Li Wei laughed angrily: "I knew you old geezer were getting the wrong idea. Who would have any thoughts about her looking like that?"

The boss said slowly, "Actually, she's quite pretty, but what a pity! Pretty girls are all vain and can't resist sweet talk. If she's lucky, that's fine, but if she's unlucky, there's nothing anyone can do."

Li Wei sighed, frowning, half-jokingly and half-seriously: "Forget about that feudal superstition about fate, I'm just worried about my twenty yuan. I don't know when she'll pay me back."

"Give up! She has no money to pay you back." The old man casually stabbed her.

"It wouldn't matter between friends, but we don't know each other at all, so I feel like I'm missing out."

The old man chuckled, looking like he'd seen it all. "I bet you're still not giving up. Why don't you go inside and take a nap? Give her some more living expenses tomorrow. Anyway, you guys who drive trucks don't earn much. Most of the young ladies on the street around here rely on you for money. It's enough to support a woman."

Li Wei smiled, then said to the innkeeper with a hint of warning in his voice, "Forget it! Just don't take advantage of me, I'll just pretend I accidentally lost the money."