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

In the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the warehouse's high windows, casting dappled shadows on the mountains of goods. Su Ming was assigned by Wu Yumin to sort through scrap in the warehouse's most remote waste area, under the pretext that "newcomers need more training."

The air was thick with the smell of rust and dust. Piles of discarded packaging materials, damaged parts, and scrapped machinery filled the corners. Wearing gloves, Su Ming was idly moving a pile of cardboard boxes, preparing to sort them, when he unexpectedly discovered several boxes of dusty electronic components beneath them.

Curious, he opened one of the boxes and found neatly stacked brand-new integrated circuit boards inside. Judging from the labels, they seemed to be some outdated models. He picked one up and examined it closely, finding that the pins were shiny and there were no signs of damage; it was perfectly usable.

"Why was this thing thrown away as scrap?" Su Ming wondered to himself.

Just then, his colleague Li Wei pushed a cart full of cardboard over, and Su Ming stopped him, pointing to the boxes of components and asking, "Brother Wei, these things all look fine, why are they here?"

Li Wei peeked over and smiled nonchalantly: "Oh, you mean this? This is 'obsolete material.' It's what we used on the production line before, but after the products were updated, it became unusable and just piled up in the warehouse taking up space. According to regulations, it should be disposed of periodically."

He looked around, lowered his voice, and said to Su Ming with a hint of mystery, "However, there's a lot going on at the company. This stuff has been sitting here for years, and the accounts don't even match up for some of it."

"The accounts don't match up, which means nobody's in charge?" Su Ming asked curiously. Although it was his first time being a warehouse manager, he was quick-witted and understood the situation immediately.

"Some of it isn't accounted for, it's just extra." Li Wei chuckled and patted Su Ming on the shoulder, joking, "Nobody dares to touch this stuff, but if someone really had the guts to find a way to get it out and sell it, they could probably make a lot of money!" He then waved his hand, "Of course, we're just talking, we don't have the connections. This stuff is like a gold mine, you can see it but you can't touch it, there's no way we can take it out."

Su Ming smiled and responded, but his heart skipped a beat.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Li Wei's words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples in his heart. He instantly recalled the "gray market" that Bao Yazhong had mentioned to him in the billiards room that day.

Isn't this a ready-made opportunity?

He was careful and, while Li Wei was taking out the trash, he secretly tore off a label from the component packaging and carefully noted down the model number and approximate quantity of the stagnant materials.

Just as he was getting excited and calculating this "windfall," a strange voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"What, you're interested in this trash too?"

Su Ming was startled and turned around to see Wu Yumin standing not far away with his arms crossed and a look of disdain on his face.

"Nothing...it's nothing, I was just looking around," Su Ming replied casually.

Wu Yumin sneered, strode up to him, and kicked the box of electronic components with the tip of his leather shoe. His gaze swept over Su Ming like a knife: "I advise you not to get any funny ideas. No one knows every single account and every single screw in this warehouse better than me!"

The warning in those words was self-evident.

After Wu Yumin finished speaking, he turned and left. Watching his retreating figure, Su Ming felt the fire that had just ignited in his heart instantly doused with cold water.

However, just as Wu Yumin was about to leave the scrap yard, Su Ming saw him stop in a secluded corner. A man in a floral shirt emerged from behind a pile of scrap metal and whispered something to Wu Yumin.

Su Ming's pupils suddenly contracted.

He recognized the man—it was none other than the Hunan gang thug he had punched down at the chess game on the overpass that day.

Wu Yumin is actually connected with the Hunan gang. Could this guy be secretly reselling the stagnant materials in the warehouse?

He kept a watchful eye on things.

In the evening, after getting off work, Su Ming did not go home, but went straight to the familiar billiards hall.

Bao Yazhong, a cigarette dangling from his lips, was bent over, playing a beautiful snooker. Hearing that Su Ming wanted to ask him about the "scrap metal business," his eyes lit up instantly. He pushed his cue, excitedly walked over, and hugged Su Ming's neck: "You little rascal, you've finally got it!"

The two sat down in a booth in the corner, and Bao Yazhong ordered him a beer and began to impart his "business wisdom".

"Brother, let me tell you, there's a lot more to this stuff in the factory than meets the eye!" Bao Yazhong exhaled a smoke ring and lowered his voice. "Don't underestimate these unwanted junk items. Once they're out there, they're money! I know a guy who makes at least this much a year just by dealing with this stuff!" He held up five fingers.

"Fifty thousand?" Su Ming's eyes widened.

"What are you thinking! Fifty thousand is nothing, it's hundreds of thousands!" Bao Yazhong rolled his eyes at him. "However, this business is also risky. If the factory finds out, you'll be fired at best, and arrested and imprisoned at worst! So, we must ensure safety before we can make a profit. You need to think this through. The key is to get the goods out. Also, the sales channels for this stuff are important. Newbies are easily ripped off by outside buyers and end up losing both the goods and the money."

Upon hearing that he might go to jail and be double-crossed, Su Ming's initial enthusiasm instantly cooled, and a look of resistance appeared on his face.

Bao Yazhong noticed his hesitation and suggested, "Hey brother, let's go it together! You handle the supply inside, and I'll take care of the sales and security outside. We'll split the profits 50/50. Actually, it's quite simple. It just involves a few key steps: balance the accounts in the warehouse, build a good relationship with the person in charge of this batch of materials, and then smooth things over with the security guards at the gate to get a pass. Then we can openly take the goods out to sell!"

"It's not that easy," Su Ming shook his head. He really didn't dare.

Seeing that Su Ming was still hesitant, Bao Yazhong patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry! I've been around this factory area for so long, and my friends in the underworld all give me face. No one dares to mess with my people. As long as the goods are out, I'll find a way to help you sell them. No one will cheat you."

"It's still too dangerous..." Su Ming shook his head.

Seeing Su Ming still frowning, Bao Yazhong's eyes lit up, and he put his arm around Su Ming's shoulder and laughed, "Come on, come on, why think so much? Your head is hurting! I'll take you to a nice place, have some fun, and relax!"

As a result, Bao Yazhong took him directly to a leisure water club called "Bibo Pool".

Upon entering, Su Ming was stunned by the scene before him. The lobby was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the scent of aromatherapy. Several scantily clad, hot girls immediately greeted Bao Ya Zhong warmly, calling out "Brother Zhong" in sweet voices.

Su Ming had never seen anything like this before. He was led to a sauna by a girl, and after changing into a bathrobe, he was taken into a private massage room.

The young woman giving him a massage was quite young, wearing a tight-fitting technician's uniform that accentuated her ample bosom. Her voice was sweet and cloying. She had Su Ming lie face down on the massage bed, then poured warm essential oil onto his back, and her soft little hands began to roam over his body.

Su Ming felt a tingling, numb sensation all over his body from the massage, almost as if he were floating. What was even more outrageous was that while massaging him, the girl deliberately used parts of her body to subtly brush against him, whispering sweetly in his ear, "Little brother, your muscles are quite firm... how about trying our more 'aggressive' services?"

"Radical? What kind of service?" Su Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he asked nervously.

"Hehehe..." The girl laughed, her laughter seductive to the core. "You're overthinking it! Do you think I'm going to do *that* kind of thing with you? By 'aggressive,' I mean at most using my body to massage some essential oil into you, letting you feel my gentleness. No way you're going to have any close physical contact with me!"