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

Su Ming stood there until he heard the sound of two people walking down the stairs, then he let out a long sigh of relief. He walked to the window, opened it, and a cool breeze mixed with the smell of rain blew in.

He looked downstairs and saw Qiu Tong holding the large black umbrella, standing side by side with Tian Jing under the light at the entrance of the apartment building. Raindrops fell obliquely in the lamplight, making the two women's figures appear somewhat hazy.

They didn't leave immediately, but stood in the rain, seemingly talking about something. They talked for a long time, so long that a strong sense of unease welled up in Su Ming's heart.

What... are they talking about?

Downstairs at the apartment building, the rain was still falling, a light drizzle. Qiu Tong held up her umbrella, tilting most of it towards Tian Jing, leaving half of her shoulder exposed to the rain, which quickly became soaked.

"You like Su Ming?" Qiu Tong's voice was soft, yet it was like a pebble that accurately struck Tian Jing's heart.

Tian Jing's face flushed red instantly. She instinctively took a half-step back and waved her hands repeatedly, "Sister-in-law, you've misunderstood. We...we're just colleagues!"

Qiu Tong's gentle smile vanished. She turned to look at Tian Jing with a serious and sharp gaze: "He's my cousin, from a small town. He's naive and hasn't seen much of the world. I have to vet him for him."

She paused, her tone softening slightly, but still carrying an undeniable air of pressure: "You're a good girl, I can tell. But you know, he's staying here with me now, in a single woman's home. Do you think it's strange that you came to see him so late tonight, alone in a room with him?"

Tian Jing, struck by Qiu Tong's words that hit the nail on the head, felt a surge of calm. She looked up, meeting Qiu Tong's gaze: "Sister-in-law, just say what you want to say!"

Qiu Tong stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with admiration: "Fine, I like straightforward people. I'll be blunt, he'll be moving out of here sooner or later, but until then, don't get too close to him here. I don't want people gossiping."

Tian Jing was taken aback, then asked in return, "Is your sister-in-law afraid of gossip, or... afraid of something else?"

The two women's gazes clashed in the air, and under the dim light, a silent tension filled the air.

Finally, Qiu Tong laughed first. She reached out and patted Tian Jing's shoulder affectionately, as if the tense atmosphere from just moments ago had never existed: "Little girl, you're pretty impressive. Alright, it's getting late, go home early! Be careful on the road."

She handed the umbrella to Tian Jing, then turned and walked back into the apartment building.

Tian Jing stood in the rain, holding the umbrella that still carried Qiu Tong's warmth, watching Qiu Tong's figure disappear into the stairwell, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

As Qiu Tong walked away, the smile on her face gradually disappeared, replaced by a cold and solemn expression.

Su Ming was preoccupied and lay on the sofa in the living room, pretending to be asleep.

He heard the door lock turn and knew Qiu Tong had returned. She entered quietly, changed her shoes, put down her bag, and then her footsteps stopped beside the sofa.

Su Ming could feel her gaze, as if it were tangible, fixed on him, filled with scrutiny. He held his breath and remained motionless.

After a while, he smelled a faint scent of alcohol, mixed with the dampness of the rainy night, approaching him.

She bent down and brought her face close to his.

Su Ming could even feel her warm breath gently brushing against his forehead. His heart skipped a beat.

A cool hand reached out and gently brushed aside the stray hairs on his forehead that were damp with sweat. The soft fingertips brushed lightly across his cheek, intentionally or unintentionally.

Su Ming's whole body was tense, his fingernails almost digging into his palms, but he still dared not move.

Just then, he heard a soft laugh from above, tinged with understanding and mockery.

"Stop pretending, I know you're awake."

Su Ming stiffened, knowing he couldn't keep up the act any longer. He slowly opened his eyes, meeting Qiu Tong's gaze, which was incredibly bright in the darkness, almost touching his own.

"That girl, do you like her?" Qiu Tong asked, her voice soft but direct.

Su Ming shook his head subconsciously.

"You don't like her?" Qiu Tong pressed, her gaze growing sharper. "Then do you want to do 'that' with her?"

Su Ming's face flushed red and his heart raced when he was asked the question, and he couldn't say a word.

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Qiu Tong sighed softly. She straightened up, creating some distance between them, her voice tinged with weariness and helplessness.

"Su Ming, don't blame your sister-in-law for being nosy. Some women are best left alone."

She turned and walked towards the bedroom. Just as the bedroom door was about to close, Su Ming saw her turn back with a seductive smile and whisper, "Just like me, you can't touch me!"

That night, his cousin's wife didn't invite him to sleep in the bedroom. Su Ming felt empty and inexplicably lost. He didn't fall asleep on the sofa until very late.

The next morning, Su Ming walked into the warehouse office with dark circles under his eyes. Qiu Tong's words from the previous night, "Just like me, you can't touch me," were like a thorn stuck in his heart all night, making him toss and turn and barely sleep.

He had just sat down when Tian Jing came over with a water glass. She noticed the dark circles under Su Ming's eyes, her face flushed slightly, and her eyes darted away. Neither of them mentioned the awkward and ambiguous rainy night from the previous night.

After a while, taking advantage of everyone's inattention, Tian Jing quietly took out a still-warm tea egg and a bottle of milk from her drawer, quickly walked to Su Ming's side, and stuffed them into his hand.

"You almost arrived late today, you probably haven't had breakfast yet!" Her voice was low, carrying a hint of gentleness.

A warm feeling instantly welled up in Su Ming's heart. He had overslept today, and his cousin-in-law hadn't made him breakfast; he had only grabbed a couple of bites of a steamed bun from a roadside stall and wasn't full at all. However, out of a boy's pride, he waved his hand and quietly declined, saying, "I've already eaten, thank you!"

"Take it!" Tian Jing didn't allow him to refuse, and directly placed the food on his table with a sweet smile on her face. "Even if you eat it, you're probably still not full. Eating one more tea egg won't hurt your health."

Su Ming had no choice but to accept it. He looked up at Tian Jing, and the two smiled at each other, a sweet atmosphere seemingly filling the air.

I have to say, Sister Jing is really nice! Although he had to sleep on the sofa all night because of her angering his cousin-in-law, seeing her gentle smile and warm care at this moment, Su Ming felt a strange warmth welling up in his heart.

However, this heartwarming scene was witnessed by Wu Yumin, the team leader, who had just entered the office.

Seeing Tian Jing give something to Su Ming, he felt a surge of anger. He glared at Su Ming hatefully and cursed inwardly: "This bastard has only been here a few days and he dares to flirt with the prettiest girl in the office. Isn't he just trying to steal my thunder? I haven't even gotten my hands on the woman yet, and he's already beaten me to it. This is outrageous!"

No way, we have to make things difficult for that kid!