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

"I can only reduce it by five yuan at most. Let's make it forty-five!" Seeing Su Ming's pained expression, the woman smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't rip you off. This is already the cheapest price."

"Alright!" Su Ming had no choice but to give another ten yuan as a deposit.

The two agreed on a time and said their goodbyes. The woman turned and disappeared into the crowd, while Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to return to his rented room.

Unexpectedly, just as he turned to leave, a familiar figure blocked his way.

It was the young woman who had led him upstairs earlier.

She had clearly seen Su Ming long ago; her face was grim, and four shady-looking young men followed behind her. The group surrounded Su Ming in a semi-circle, cornering him under the overpass.

"You bastard, you dared to harass me!" the young woman shrieked, her finger almost poking Su Ming's face. "I've already taken my clothes off, and you just ran away! Give me the money!"

Su Ming pushed her hand away and said angrily, "Big sister, you've misunderstood. I'm here to get my documents processed."

"Fuck your mother!" The young woman grabbed Su Ming by the collar, her voice cold and sharp. "Don't give me that crap. I've shown you my body; you're not leaving here without paying!"

A thug with a buzz cut and a cigarette dangling from his lips strolled over and patted Su Ming on the shoulder: "Hey kid, you have to pay to play with women. I'll give you two choices."

He held up two fingers. "First, give her thirty yuan and take her to the room so you can have some fun. Second, just give her twenty yuan, apologize to this lady, and we'll call it even."

While the crew-cut thug was speaking, the other three had already subtly surrounded him, blocking Su Ming's escape route.

Pedestrians hurry along the overpass, occasionally casting curious glances, but no one stops. This is the city's rule—mind your own business.

Looking at the several malicious faces before him, Su Ming felt a strange calm. He slowly pushed away the young woman's hand that was gripping his collar, his voice steady: "Giving her money is out of the question. And I won't do that kind of thing with her."

The crew-cut thug's face darkened, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes: "You won't listen to reason, will you?" He waved to his companions beside him, "Beat them!"

Before he could finish speaking, three thugs pounced on him simultaneously. Their fists whistled through the air as they aimed straight for Su Ming's face and chest.

Su Ming's pupils contracted, but his body reacted faster than his mind. He dodged the first punch by sidestepping it, and at the same time, he clenched his right fist, used his waist and legs to deliver a powerful blow, and "smack!" struck the thug on the left side in the stomach.

"Ouch!" the thug cried out, clutching his stomach and bending over, gasping for breath in pain.

Almost simultaneously, Su Ming pushed off the ground with his left foot and swept his right leg out like a whip, kicking the crew-cut thug hard in the stomach. The kick was so powerful that the crew-cut thug staggered backward, landing on his buttocks and sliding three meters away before coming to a stop after his back hit a bridge pier.

The remaining two thugs stood frozen in place, fists raised. They looked at their huddled companion on the ground, then at Su Ming's cold and stern face. Their faces turned pale, and they turned and ran.

In just a few dozen seconds, the situation reversed.

The young woman was terrified. As she watched Su Ming approach step by step, her legs went weak, and she turned to run away. But in her panic, she twisted her high heel and lost one of her shoes with a "clatter." She didn't bother to pick it up. Barefoot, she staggered a couple of steps, turned around, and saw Su Ming already approaching. She was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Young man, please...please don't hit me..." Her voice trembled, and she forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "How about I let you play with me for free? Don't worry, I'll make sure you're completely satisfied..."

Su Ming felt a surge of disgust at her appearance. He stopped and coldly uttered two words: "Get lost!"

The young woman felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She hurriedly got up, not even bothering to pick up her high heels that had fallen to the ground, and limped into the crowd.

Su Ming glanced at the two thugs still groaning on the ground, then ignored them and turned to leave. After taking a few steps, he realized his hands were trembling slightly—not from fear, but from the aftereffects of exerting too much force earlier.

The few martial arts moves his grandfather taught him actually came in handy.

However, while beating someone might feel good in the moment, the consequences are unpredictable. Just as he turned to leave, the two thugs glared hatefully at his retreating figure, exchanged a glance, and began to curse.

"That bastard dared to hit us, he'll get what's coming to him."

"Yes, we Hunan gang members aren't easy to mess with. He'll definitely come back tonight to get his marriage certificate from that woman. We'll have some men with weapons block him and break his legs!"

The thugs gathered again to discuss how to get revenge.

By this time, Su Ming had left the overpass and returned to his rented room around three or four in the afternoon. The sun was setting, but the heat in the air hadn't lessened much.

Qiu Tong had already gotten up and was sitting on the sofa watching TV. Hearing the door open, she turned around and saw Su Ming covered in sweat, his clothes slightly wrinkled. She frowned slightly and asked, "Where have you been? Why are you all sweaty?"

Su Ming changed into slippers, walked to the fan to cool off, and said while wiping his sweat, "I went to look for a job, and then... I got a fake certificate." He paused, too embarrassed to mention the part about meeting the young woman and the fight.

Qiu Tong stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end just nodded: "Change your clothes and take a shower, so I can wash them for you."

"No need, I can wash myself," Su Ming quickly replied.

"Men don't wash clothes properly." Qiu Tong stood up, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Go now."

Seeing her resolute attitude, Su Ming had no choice but to agree. He went into the bathroom, took a cold shower, and changed into clean clothes. When he came out, Qiu Tong was already waiting outside the door.

"Give me the clothes!" she said, holding out her hand.

Su Ming handed over the T-shirt and pants, but kept the underwear in his hand: "This... I'll wash it myself."

"Still feeling embarrassed?" Qiu Tong laughed, reaching out to take it. "I'm your cousin-in-law, what's wrong with washing your panties?"

"Sister-in-law, this might not be appropriate..." Su Ming blushed and instinctively pulled her hand back.

"What's wrong with it? It's not like I'm going to eat you, really!" Qiu Tong's hand had already reached out, her fingertips inadvertently brushing against the back of his hand.

She looked up at him, a mischievous smile in her eyes: "Are you hiding something?"

"No, no!" Su Ming's face turned even redder, and he kept shaking his head.

"If there's no ghost, then I'll wash it!" Qiu Tong smiled and gently took the underwear from his hand.

The fabric slipped through his fingers, and Su Ming stood frozen, watching Qiu Tong turn and walk towards the balcony, her words, "Are you hiding something?" still echoing in his ears. Instantly, his face turned bright red.

The water tap on the balcony gurgled as Qiu Tong began washing clothes. With her back to the living room, she bent over to scrub the clothes, the fabric of her cotton nightgown clinging to her body and outlining the curves of her waist and hips.

Su Ming stood in the living room and suddenly felt that the room was a bit too hot.

Even if the fan is running, even if there is wind outside the window.

Some things, once a corner is lifted, can no longer be hidden. He found himself developing a crush on his cousin's wife, especially enjoying secretly watching her back and admiring her curvaceous figure from the side.

This can't go on! We can't let this continue!