A single man checks into a couples' room; his life of ease and comfort begins.

That day, I worked twelve hours straight. I heard that if I worked like that until the end of the month, I would earn 450 yuan.

Hao Qiangzhuang counted on his fingers: 450 yuan a month including room and board, that's twelve months a year, isn't it?

If I work for three years and then go home, I'll be a millionaire.

Hao Qiangzhuang felt quite pleased with himself just thinking about it.

When it was time to leave work, Hou Wen deliberately took Hao Qiangzhuang to the company store and bought him a drink, saying, "Qiangzhuang, this is my treat."

Hao Qiangzhuang knew the saying, "He who takes a man's money is bound to him; he who eats a man's food is bound to him."

Hou Wen must have something to do, but Hao Qiangzhuang was still dreaming of becoming a millionaire and didn't dare refuse Hou Wen, so he could only passively accept the water Hou Wen offered him.

Hou Wen patted Hao Qiangzhuang on the back and said meaningfully, "It's nothing, it's nothing, brother. I just wanted to make friends with you. I'll buy you a bottle of water. If I have a holiday this month, I'll treat you to drinks."

Hao Qiangzhuang felt something was strange listening to Hou Wen's words, since he had neither a background nor a status.

Why is Hou Wen, the team leader, so good to me?

You need to understand that no one is kind to you for no reason.

Hou Wen then said goodbye to Hao Qiangzhuang with a smile: "Qiangzhuang, I'm going home first, so your sister-in-law won't get angry if she waits too long."

Hao Qiangzhuang tried to make his expression normal, smiled, and waved goodbye: "Boss, take care."

Then I walked back to the dormitory from the convenience store. When I got to the dormitory manager's office where Aunt Liu lived, I wanted to take the drink that Hou Wen had treated me to and offer it to him again.

However, Aunt Liu wasn't in the dormitory management office at the time, so Hao Qiangzhuang had to take the drink back to his dormitory.

Arriving at 301, I pushed open the door and felt a strong wind blowing in from the balcony.

Just then, under the incandescent light, Li Mei, who had just finished showering, was wearing floral pajamas and holding a clothes hanger to hang clothes to dry. Her hair was still wet.

Unfortunately, when Hao Qiangzhuang walked in, she was holding a clean mesh panty and accidentally made eye contact with him.

That scene felt like it could spark a flame.

That scene was incredibly awkward!

To ease the awkwardness, Li Mei spoke first, asking, "Are you off work?"

Li Mei didn't know Hao Qiangzhuang's name yet, so she could only say this much.

Hao Qiangzhuang scratched his head awkwardly and said with a smile, "My name is Hao Qiangzhuang, you can just call me Qiangzhuang."

Li Mei paused for a moment, hung up the clothes, and then belatedly chuckled, "Hao Qiangzhuang, your name is really refreshing!"

It was the phrase "refreshing" that prompted Hao Qiangzhuang to continue the conversation: "Are you very educated? Did you go to high school or university?"

After Hao Qiangzhuang finished speaking, Li Mei's face darkened. She didn't answer Hao Qiangzhuang's question, but instead muttered, "University?"

Her eyes were filled with confusion, reflecting more of a sense of resentment and helplessness towards reality. She couldn't help but look at the bed she shared with Zhang Guoqiang.

It seemed as if everything about her was already set in stone: she would get married, have children...

She put down the bucket of clothes, came out, sat on the bed, and without looking at Hao Qiangzhuang, said, "Go take a shower!"

The way she spoke made it sound like she was talking to her husband.

Hao Qiangzhuang didn't pay much attention to that. He took a towel, soap, and a change of clothes from his bed and went straight into the bathroom.

After Hao Qiangzhuang finished showering, washed his clothes, hung them up to dry, and returned to his own bed.

From the opposite bed came Li Mei's gentle voice, tinged with a sob: "My name is Li Mei."

Hao Qiangzhuang pulled the blanket over himself, leaned back against the pillow, and didn't reply, as if he was quietly listening to her.

Li Mei continued, "Do you think I look like a college student?"

"I think so!" Hao Qiangzhuang's answer was vague.

Li Mei's heart skipped a beat, and she began to sob silently. A beautiful memory flashed through her mind: that year, she had already received her admission notice, but her family sold it and her identity to her classmate Li Mei, who shared the same name, for a thousand yuan.

Nowadays, Li Mei uses the ID card of her classmate who shares the same name as her.

That same year, her parents told her that studying was useless and that going out to work and earn money as soon as possible was the right way to go.

Then she met Zhang Guoqiang, who gave her two thousand yuan as a bride price and promised that if Li Mei was willing to marry him, he would give her a decent job.

The parents were so excited that they didn't sleep for three days and three nights, and took Li Mei to Zhang Guoqiang's house overnight.

Looking back on everything she had experienced, Li Mei felt more and more wronged. To put it bluntly, she had only given two thousand yuan as a bride price.

In reality, Zhang Guoqiang spent two thousand yuan to buy himself a tool that would work for him and make money for him in the long term.

The thought that she had to hand over her monthly salary to Zhang Guoqiang for safekeeping, and that she had to be mindful of his attitude when asking him for money, made her feel even worse.

Hao Qiangzhuang thought he had said something wrong, so he couldn't help but add, "What I mean is, I think you are a college graduate."

Li Mei sobbed, hesitated, and asked, "How old are you?" Then, she lowered her head shyly, biting her lower lip tightly.

Hearing Li Mei's voice, Hao Qiang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied, "I'm twenty-one."

"I'm a year younger than you." After saying that, Li Mei burst into tears, covering her face.

She cried in a suppressed and aggrieved manner, her sobs growing softer and softer, while her tears flowed faster and faster.

Hao Qiangqiang pictured Zhang Guoqiang and the others in his mind. If he stood next to Li Mei, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he looked like Li Mei's father.

Looking at himself, who was single, Hao Qiangqiang couldn't understand why Li Mei, who was so young and beautiful, would marry Zhang Guoqiang.

Hao Qiangzhuang couldn't help but ask, "How old is your husband?"

Li Mei choked up, "He's fifteen years older than me. My parents took two thousand yuan from him and forced me to marry him."

At this moment, Hao Qiangzhuang couldn't help but recall what happened last night, and asked again, "Do you regret it?"

"What's the use of regretting it now? If I leave him, I'll be like a withered flower, and if I remarry, I'll only marry an even worse, older man."

Li Mei was already crying her eyes out, looking as if she had been forced into prostitution, completely powerless to control her own destiny.

As she cried, she remembered her and Zhang Guoqiang's plot to force Hao Qiangzhuang out of the dormitory, and couldn't help but say, "Brother Qiangzhuang, I'm sorry."

The cry of "Strong brother" from Li Mei's mouth felt like it could melt the snow and warm the depths of winter.