He won 900 million in the lottery.

I drank a pound of baijiu (Chinese liquor).

Hearing that my old friend is living a miserable life makes me feel suffocated, and I don't want to go home.

I called Haitao: "Where are you?"

Haitao: "Pedestrian street."

"Let's go sing."

Haitao: "Okay."

To my surprise, Liu Yiting was still with Haitao in the KTV room.

When Liu Yiting saw me, she greeted me with a smile: "President Shen, it's been a long time."

It has been a long time, about half a month. I really didn't expect Liu Haitao to still be with her.

Haitao could tell at a glance that I had drunk quite a bit, and frowned, saying, "Who were you drinking with? You seem to have had a lot."

I picked up a beer can from the table: "Let's have a few cans of beer to sober up."

Liu Yiting is quite talented. She requested a fast song and danced to the rhythm, which was a pleasant surprise.

After belting out a few songs, the alcohol kicked in, and I felt weak all over. I leaned back on the sofa, not wanting to move.

Haitao came over and patted me on the shoulder: "What's up, bro? What happened?"

I looked up at him and asked, "Are you still in contact with Zhang Jian?"

Liu Haitao paused, looking somewhat puzzled: "What, you guys got in touch?"

Me: "What do you mean? You can't contact him anymore?"

Liu Haitao nodded: "When he came back after graduating from university, he was doing really well. He was good at interpersonal relationships and business, and he made a lot of money in business. At first, he had a good reputation in the industry."

"At first?" I pressed, seizing on the key point in his words.

"Later, one of his construction projects fell through and he ran into cash flow problems, so he started taking out loans and borrowing money everywhere." Haitao sighed.

Without him saying much, I could guess what would happen next—with no hope of getting payment from the construction site, Zhang Jian naturally couldn't repay the money he borrowed.

"Is it true that he was scammed by his friend?" I asked again.

"You know him, he loves making friends, and he has a wide social circle because he works on construction sites. After the project was abandoned, he was desperate to recoup his losses, so he blindly invested with his friends, losing money on every project he made. In the end, he borrowed money from everyone he could." Hai Tao said helplessly.

"Is he still working on construction sites?"

"He probably quit a long time ago." Haitao shook his head. "He borrowed 20,000 yuan from me, saying he'd pay it back in six months, but it's been three years now. I called him twice in the first two years, and he always said to wait a little longer. Knowing he was struggling, I didn't feel comfortable pressing him. Later, when I called to ask him out for dinner, it felt like I was asking for a debt, so I rarely contacted him anymore. After that, rumors circulated in the industry that he had run away. Anyway, 20,000 yuan isn't a lot, so I never looked for him again."

I was silent for a moment, then said, "I ran into him at Wanda Plaza today, and we had drinks together tonight."

Haitao immediately reminded him, "People change, you have to be careful."

"He was really having a tough time, but he didn't mention borrowing money. I was the one who offered to help him."

Haitao frowned: "How can we help? Don't just lend him money directly."

"Lending money is definitely out of the question," I waved my hand. "I was just saying it casually. If I really want to help, it depends on the situation. They really seem to be having a tough time."

After drinking for a while, Liu Yiting came over with a wine glass to toast: "President Shen, thank you for giving me this opportunity."

I nodded: "You're welcome."

My head was spinning, and I wondered to myself, "Didn't I give her any chances?" I guessed that Haitao had made some empty promise again, but I didn't care to ask any questions.

The concert lasted until after 3 a.m. before ending.

Qiuya drove me back—well, to her house.

When I opened the door, Sister Hong was sitting in the living room waiting. I was drunk, but I sobered up a lot in an instant.

Sister Hong stood up: "You're back so late?"

Qiuya yawned, looking exhausted. "I went to pick him up, but he went to karaoke again. Mom, I can't stay up any longer, I'm going to bed now."

The two helped me into the room, and Qiuya turned around and went back to her own bedroom, the door closing softly.

As I watched Sister Hong taking off my shoes, my heart warmed, and I pulled her into a tight embrace.

Hongjie was startled and quickly turned to look at Qiuya's door.

"It's off, I'm listening," I whispered in her ear.

Sister Hong gently tugged at my ear and scolded, "You smell of alcohol. Go take a shower first."

"Let's shower together." I held her hand tightly.

……

"Comfortable!"

Everyone says that taking a shower after drinking alcohol can make you feel tipsy, but a hot shower really refreshes you, especially when someone is there to help you scrub your back.

White foam covered his entire body.

"Scratch my back."

She scratched me up and down as I asked, with just the right amount of pressure, and the more she scratched, the more comfortable I felt.

"Sister Hong." I turned around and hugged her.

"Oh dear, the foam hasn't been rinsed off yet," Sister Hong whispered in my ear, her voice soft.

I smiled and nuzzled her cheek: "No rush."

A long-lost feeling of intimacy washed over me, and I hugged her, whispering, "Did you miss me?"

Sister Hong nodded, her cheeks flushed: "I've thought about it."

How much do you want to?

She bit her lip, her eyes filled with shyness, afraid that her voice would be too loud and overheard.

"Tell me quickly, how much do you want to?" I pressed gently.

Sister Hong's eyes were filled with tears, and she remained silent.

What else is there to say...

I feel sorry for Sister Hong. She is a woman who raised her daughter alone. She is strong on the outside but quite fragile on the inside.

Since they've made their decision and are willing to accept it.

I certainly won't mistreat them.

When the three of them completely opened up to each other, they felt warm and excited, and all their worries disappeared.

I woke up a little late the next morning.

When I woke up, Sister Hong was cooking porridge in the kitchen, and Qiuya had already gone to work—what a dedicated employee, which saved us from awkwardness when we met.

At the dinner table, Sister Hong was wearing a pure white loungewear outfit, her face flushed slightly, and she still looked slender.

I picked up a piece of side dish for her: "Sister Hong, you're too thin, you need to eat more."

Sister Hong smiled and said, "I was born this way, I can eat whatever I want and never gain weight."

I reached out and put my arm around her waist, and said softly, "Don't worry, I'll take care of things from now on. Just stay home and focus on getting better."

Sister Hong smiled and said, "Great! By the way, the seafood business has already started supplying goods. I found a friend to process the seafood for me. The profit margin is about 15%, and we've also negotiated payment terms. The actual investment is less than 100 million."

I nodded and said seriously, "We can appropriately reduce some of the profits to try to extend the payment period and reduce advance payments, so as to maximize profits while minimizing risks."

"Okay, I'll talk to them later." Sister Hong agreed.

The breakfast was delicious, and I felt warm and cozy chatting with Sister Hong while we ate.