Chapter 532

: Combining Forces
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Back at the hotel, Li Du brazenly asked if the two of them could stay together.
Sophie said resolutely,
We can only stay together after we are married. According to 1 Corinthians 7:2, ‘To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.'

Feeling a little exasperated, Li Du said,
But because of the carnival, the hotels here are all full. If we don’t stay together, where will you stay?

Sophie went to the counter to inquire. Li Du was right, the hotel was indeed full; there was a queue of people wanting to book rooms.
The lady doctor’s spirits were dampened.
I booked a room but it’s only available in two days—my booking can’t be brought forward.

She looked flustered and started pacing about in the hotel lobby as she nibbled on one of her nails with her pearly white teeth.
Ah Meow and the other two brats thought she was playing with them so they followed her as she made her rounds. They even pounced on her from time to time.
Li Du dragged the three of them away. He couldn’t bear to see her looking so vexed.
We have three rooms. How about you take one, and then the five of us take the other two?

The three rooms he had booked included two double rooms and one standard room. The standard room was for him and Lu Guan. The double rooms were for Godzilla and Big Quinn, as they were simply too large.
With the addition of Hans, it would be challenging to fit the five of them into two rooms.
Sophie took this point into consideration and so she looked at Li Du and said,
Li, I can stay in the same room as you.

Li Du was delighted,
Great—


But we are only staying in the same room!
Sophie interrupted him with a determined tone.
After you enter the room, you are not to touch me. I know what you’re thinking, but we won’t engage in any intimacy before marriage!

Li Du nodded his head solemnly.
I understand, trust me.

Sophie smiled and the two of them went to stay in his standard room. With one bed for each of them, Lu Guan was kicked out.
Lu Guan was perplexed.
Don’t-don’t do this boss. What about me?


Aren’t there two more rooms?
Li Du asked.
Three rooms for six of us, two to a room—that’s fair, right?


Your room has two beds,
Lu Guan cried,
and you’re with a babe. What about me? It’s either Godzilla or Big Quinn…

Ignoring him, Li Du closed the door.
With the door closed, he rubbed his hands together in glee and was about to give Sophie a hug when she pushed his hands away. She said sternly,
You promised that you wouldn’t touch me.

Li Du chuckled,
I’ll just hug you, nothing else.


No, I’m not some ignorant gal. You think I don’t know what you are trying to do?
Sophie rolled her eyes at him.
Playing dumb, Li Du asked,
What am I trying to do?

Sophie said,
The First Corinthians says, ‘Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If someone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy the man; because the temple of God is holy, this house is you.'

Li Du was flabbergasted.
What?

Sophie said,
Christ tells us that the human body is the temple of God. If one does not keep his body, God will destroy that person.

Li Du recovered quickly.
It’s ’cause of religion? Your religion doesn’t permit THAT before marriage?

Sophie nodded solemnly.
Yes darling. If you love me then you have to respect my religion, just like how I respect you, okay?

When the topic of religion was brought up, Li Du did not dare to speak in jest anymore.
Hans and Luo Qun had mentioned that Sophie was a very devout Christian. Li Du loved her wholeheartedly, and hence was willing to respect her religion as well.
So, he asked,
Then are we considered cohabiting? Is cohabitation allowed?

Sophie said,
God does not favor cohabiting before marriage, but we know that ‘all things work together for good to them that love God.’ I mean, cohabitation is okay, as long as there’s no misconduct.

What else is there to say then? Li Du said,
Then I’ll just hug you. Really, darling, I will just hug you, and then we shall sleep.

Sophie went over to hug him. She patted his back as though comforting a small child.
Then be good. I’m a doctor and I know the effect of male hormones on your self-control. That’s why I’m on my guard around you.

As Li Du held her, they went to the balcony to look at the small town lit up in the night.
I will listen to you. I’ll just hold you to get rid of my loneliness.

Sophie raised her head and reached a finger out to tap his nose. She chuckled softly,
Don’t put it so pitifully. We will get married, and after that we can have babies.

Li Du was actually grateful that Sophie had her religion. Girls in the US could be very wild, and if Sophie were anything like the girls that often hung around Hans, Li Du would surely be distressed.
Also, because of her religion, Sophie considered her relationship with Li Du already at the stage of engagement—marriage was definitely in the cards.
Sophie’s view on love was opposite to that of those charlatans’ back home. They did not enter a relationship for the purpose of marriage—they just wanted to fool around!
Another reason Sophie had gone to Winslow earlier than planned—besides to accompany Li Du upon sensing that he was lonely—was that she had also wanted to attend an auction with him.
It was her first time at an auction; she got up the next day feeling excited.
What will we get? Will there be many people bidding? How do we go about looking for valuables in the storage units? What should I do to act like I’m an old hand at this?

Li Di stretched his arms out.
You only have to hold my hand to be an old hand. Both of us will combine forces, hand in hand.

The auction was tomorrow; he planned to check out the units first.
Eighteen units was quite a significant number. Li Du hoped that he would have better luck this time around and that he’d get hold of a valuable storage unit so Sophie would witness his prowess.
The name of the storage company was
Take It Easy,
probably having something to do with that famous song by the Eagles.
Many of the storage companies Li Du had encountered had expanded at the peak of the town’s development. With the decline of the town, a storage company’s business also deteriorated.
Take It Easy Storage Company had more than 160 storage units. This was considered large-scale by city standards. However, the usage rate had dwindled to only half, and it continued to decrease each year.
With Sophie as company, Li Du drove to the storage unit company. He gave the security guard 200 dollars and told him he would like to bring his girlfriend in to take a look.
The black security guard took the money without batting an eyelid.
Look all you want, buddy. But keep your hands clean. Don’t you try hiding from our eyes.


My hands are clean,
Li Du said.
I just washed them very carefully this morning.

His joke was corny, but Sophie laughed so he wouldn’t be embarrassed.
After entering the storage company, Li Du briefly introduced the layout to Sophie—this was similar to most companies’. He had attended many auctions, and was very familiar with this sort of stuff.
After finding the first storage unit up for auction, he released the little bug and then tried to peep through the gap in the door.
It was pitch-dark in the unit; he obviously couldn’t see a thing. He was putting up an act for Sophie. His real eyes were the little bug.