My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

Su Ming was eager to know what that man did for a living. He turned and suddenly rushed towards the balcony. It was a seven-story apartment building, not very tall. He leaned on the railing and looked down, just in time to see the slightly overweight figure of the man from before slowly walking down the stairs. A brand-new black Audi A6 was parked at the bottom, with the impressive license plate 88888. A young man in a white shirt jogged out of the driver's seat and respectfully opened the rear door. The middle-aged man bent down and got in, the door closed, and the car silently disappeared into the twilight.

"Audi A6, Leopard..." Su Ming looked surprised.

That was in 2003. A worker in Donghai City only earned seven or eight hundred yuan a month. That man could afford an Audi A6, and he even had a full-time driver. The license plate was a leopard number. He was definitely an exceptional person!

"You've already seen it?" Qiu Tong had also come to the balcony at some point and stood behind him.

"I see him. He looks like he's doing quite well!" Su Ming nodded and said, "Sister-in-law, you and him..."

"You'd better not ask about me and him! This isn't something you should be asking about!" Qiu Tong's voice was a little hoarse, and also carried a tired seriousness. "He's not someone to be trifled with. From now on, when he's around, just call me cousin. Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask, and try to talk as little as possible. In private, I'll still be your cousin-in-law. Stay here for a couple of days, and then I'll help you find a job."

"Forget it!" Su Ming gave a mocking smile. "Since you're someone else's mistress, our relationship is over. You have no obligation to help me. I'm going to stay in a hotel."

His cousin's sister-in-law's previous indifference made him realize that this woman was no longer related to him.

He picked up the dusty suitcase in the corner and was about to leave.

"What's the rush?" Qiu Tong quickly stepped in front of the door. "How much money did you bring? Have you found a job?"

"I still have two hundred. I'll find a job myself." Su Ming seemed to have made up his mind.

"Two hundred?" Qiu Tong seemed to have heard a joke, but there was no smile in her eyes. "You can't last three to five days here. Jobs aren't that easy to find. The factory basically only hires female workers now; male workers can't even get a job without connections."

"You don't need to worry about that!" A hint of youthful stubbornness and confusion flashed across Su Ming's face as he gritted his teeth. "I'll figure out the job myself."

He reached for the door, but Qiu Tong suddenly grabbed his wrist. Her palms were hot and damp. "Where are you going so late? Your mother entrusted you to me, so I have to take care of you!"

"I will take care of myself!" Su Ming stubbornly pushed her hand away.

To his surprise, his hand lashed out and struck her squarely in the chest.

Qiu Tong cried out in surprise, her chest felt heavy, and she frowned in pain. She instinctively covered her chest with one hand and rubbed it gently.

Su Ming then realized that the back of his hand had touched his cousin-in-law's sensitive area. The incredibly soft touch he had felt through her thin nightgown just moments before now burned up and surged through his cheeks and ears. Seeing the pain on his cousin-in-law's face, he panicked and instinctively leaned closer, saying, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! How about I rub it for you..."

His hand was halfway out when it suddenly froze in mid-air.

"You dare!"

Qiu Tong looked up and glared at him irritably.

Su Ming's face flushed red, and he stammered, "I...I didn't mean that...I..."

Qiu Tong didn't scold him anymore. She just leaned against the wall and gently rubbed her skin a couple more times before putting her hands down. The neckline of her nightgown was askew, and the skin she had rubbed was slightly red. Looking at the helpless Su Ming, she sighed softly, her tone softening: "Don't be stubborn, okay? Your mother repeatedly told me on the phone to take good care of you. It's late at night, and you're unfamiliar with the area. What if something happens to you? How am I supposed to explain it to your mother?"

Seeing her softened attitude and the genuine concern in her eyes, Su Ming's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he whispered, "Then are we still considered relatives?"

"Yes, of course." Qiu Tong smiled sweetly and gently patted Su Ming's shoulder. "I'm still your cousin-in-law. Of course, if Jiang Jian were here, you could still call me cousin-in-law!"

"That man's name is Jiang Jian, and he is..." Su Ming couldn't help but want to find out the man's identity again.

"You can treat him like your cousin-in-law, and don't ask too many questions later." Qiu Tong glanced at him, then smiled sweetly, "Let's go, let's eat first!"

"Okay!" Su Ming paused, his voice lowering, "Thank you for your help tonight, sister-in-law. I'll look for a job tomorrow."

"That's right. Come on, let's go eat!" She brushed her skirt aside with her hand, turned around and led the way, the hem of her nightgown swaying gently.

Su Ming followed her, but his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the curves of her back and the slight trembling of her hair as she walked.

Then, he caught a glimpse of her casually raising her hand. Through her neckline, he could clearly see the view underneath—a pure white expanse…

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat: Oh my god, she wasn't wearing a bra! Should he tell her? If he did, would she think he was deliberately peeping at her? But if he didn't tell her, wouldn't that be giving those perverts outside an easy opportunity? No, he had to remind her.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Su Ming swallowed hard and stammered, "Sister-in-law...you...you..."

"What's wrong with me?" Qiu Tong looked at him curiously.

"You...you're not wearing a bra..." Su Ming pointed to her chest with his finger, then immediately lowered his head again.

Qiu Tong paused, then quickly looked down and exclaimed, "Oh my god, she really isn't wearing anything. Wait a minute!" She darted into the bedroom as if fleeing, slamming the door shut.

Su Ming stood alone in the suddenly quiet living room. The air seemed to still carry the smell of the strange man's cigarette, the faint scent of soap from Qiu Tong, and an indescribable, restless, and ambiguous atmosphere.

He looked at the hand that had accidentally patted his cousin's chest and nervously withdrew it.

Three minutes later, Qiu Tong changed into a light purple cheongsam-style dress that accentuated her graceful figure. Paired with high heels, she looked both mature and alluring. She applied light makeup and then led Su Ming out the door.

The two arrived at a luxuriously decorated seafood restaurant nearby. A hostess at the entrance, dressed in a cheongsam with a slit that reached her thigh, greeted them with a warm smile and led them inside. The restaurant was softly lit, and the air was filled with a faint, salty scent of the sea.

Qiu Tong skillfully ordered several dishes and a bottle of red wine. When Su Ming saw the words "Seafood Set Meal for Two: 388 yuan" on the menu, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Three hundred and eighty-eight!

That's enough for his father's monthly salary at the factory back home. In the early 2000s in inland China, an ordinary worker toiled away for a month and that was about all he earned. His cousin's wife had eaten up his father's entire month's hard-earned money in one meal.

Su Ming's feelings were extremely complicated. On one hand, he was astonished by the astonishing amount of money spent, and on the other hand, this extravagant lifestyle was like a huge magnet, deeply attracting him. Looking at Qiu Tong beside him, who was composed and elegant and exuded the charm of a modern woman in every gesture, and then thinking about the man driving the Audi A6 that evening, a strong desire welled up in his heart.

In the future, I also want to live the life of the elite, just like them.

He clenched his fists tightly.

When Su Ming came out of the seafood restaurant, night had completely fallen and the streetlights were coming on one by one. He touched his slightly bulging belly, but his heart was heavy. His cousin-in-law had paid 388 yuan for the meal without batting an eye, which was almost twice all the savings he had brought from home.

"Let's go buy some things." Qiu Tong naturally led him towards the night market.

The night market was bustling with people, and the stall lights shone brightly. Qiu Tong led him into a shop with a sign that read "Foreign Trade Clothing," where he picked out a light blue striped shirt, a pair of dark gray trousers, and a pair of black leather shoes.

"Here, try it on!" She stuffed the clothes into Su Ming's arms.

Holding the clothes, Su Ming glanced at the price tag, secretly pinched the thin wad of banknotes in his pocket, and whispered, "Sister-in-law, I have some clothes..."

"That t-shirt of yours is so unfashionable; you can't wear that to a job interview." Qiu Tong raised an eyebrow and handed him the shirt: "Go try it on!"

"Okay!" Su Ming took the clothes and was about to turn around.

"Wait a minute!" Qiu Tong looked Su Ming up and down, then asked with a smile, "What size underwear do you wear?"

"Huh...why are you asking this?" Su Ming looked at his cousin-in-law curiously, thinking to himself: She cares about his size! What's she trying to do?