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

Su Ming smiled and asked, "Why?"

The girl smiled seductively, placed her hand on his shoulder, and said in a coquettish voice, "Brother, this is a legitimate place, we don't allow that. That thing is called 'full service,' and the price is different, starting at 488! Our level of technicians aren't qualified to do that, you'll have to go to the third floor."

Upon hearing this, Su Ming couldn't help but feel curious, so he casually asked, "I heard there's a place nearby called 'Golden Years' with even more beautiful women. Do they offer 'full service' services there?" As he asked this, he unconsciously thought of his cousin-in-law Qiu Tong, and couldn't help but feel a little worried.

The girl laughed, her tone tinged with longing and inferiority: "'Golden Years'? That's way more upscale than here. I heard it caters exclusively to real big bosses. The women there aren't easy to get, but I've only heard about it; I don't know the specifics. I'm not qualified to earn that kind of money. They're much prettier than us."

Hearing this, Su Ming felt a strange sense of relief, secretly hoping that his cousin-in-law was not making a living by selling her body.

After leaving the leisure water club, the evening breeze helped clear Su Ming's head, which had been slightly dizzy from the alcohol and aromatherapy. Bao Yazhong put his arm around his shoulder again and brought up the old story about making waste materials.

Su Ming was tempted; the lure of money was immense. But when he recalled the scene of Wu Yumin and that Hunan gangster secretly colluding, he felt that the waters were much deeper than Bao Yazhong had described.

"Brother Zhong, let me think about this some more." He finally decided to proceed with caution.

"Okay, I'll wait for your good news," Bao Yazhong replied calmly.

The two then parted ways.

As night deepened, Su Ming walked back to his apartment, his mind heavy with worry. One moment his mind was filled with Bao Yazhong's get-rich-quick scheme, the next with the shadow of Wu Yumin's collusion with the Hunan gang—a jumbled mess of thoughts.

As he passed by the factory's dormitory building for single workers, he glanced over and saw a familiar figure sitting alone by the flower bed downstairs. It was Tian Jing.

The nightlight cast a long shadow of her; she hugged her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly. Su Ming hesitated for a moment, then walked over.

As he approached, he realized she was weeping silently. Tears streamed down her cheeks, making her appear especially pitiful in the dim light.

"Tian Jing? What's wrong?" Su Ming panicked, squatted down beside her, and asked softly.

Hearing his voice, Tian Jing abruptly looked up. Seeing it was him, she hurriedly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, trying to hide her vulnerability. She shook her head, initially refusing to say anything.

Under Su Ming's repeated questioning, she finally couldn't hold back and choked out the truth. It turned out that she had just received a call from home; her mother had suddenly fallen ill and was hospitalized, needing money for surgery. She sent almost all of her monthly salary home, but it was still far from enough to cover the exorbitant surgery costs.

Hearing her tearful story, Su Ming's heart felt like it had been clenched, and he softened completely. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately took out the little over one hundred yuan he had left from his pocket, along with the fifty yuan from Wu Yumin, and stuffed it all into Tian Jing's hand.

"Take this first, don't worry about it being too little. I... I'll figure something out."

"No, I can't take your money!" Tian Jing refused, desperately trying to push the money back.

Su Ming firmly pressed her hand down, saying, "Take it! Consider it a loan!"

When he pushed her over, he used a little too much force and accidentally pressed his hand against her chest.

Tian Jing let out a soft "ah" and instinctively rubbed her chest with her hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Su Ming was startled.

"It's okay! I don't blame you!" Tian Jing shook her head, a smile appearing on her face, then blushed and said, "By the way, I still can't accept this money, after all..."

"Take this first, getting your mother treated is the priority. It's not much, but every penny counts. I'll think of something else tomorrow..." Su Ming smiled and gently patted Tian Jing's shoulder to comfort her, "Let's think of something together, there'll always be a way."

"Thank you!"

Tian Jing looked at him, at his eyes that shone with an extraordinary sincerity in the night, and the tears she had just stopped welled up again. The next second, she suddenly threw herself into Su Ming's arms, hugging him tightly, and whispered, "Su Ming, you're so good to me!"

The sudden softness and warmth froze Su Ming completely. He could smell the faint scent of shampoo in her hair and feel her body trembling slightly from crying. His hands hung in mid-air, unsure of where to go. Finally, he gently wrapped his arms around her back and clumsily patted her to comfort her.

Not far from the flowerbed where they were embracing, behind a window on the second floor of the dormitory building, a figure stood in the darkness, silently watching the scene. Then, he slowly raised his camera and captured the moment in a photograph.

The photographer was Wu Yuming. He has a Nikon camera, which he uses specifically to pick up girls. This guy often invites girls hiking or something, hoping to take photos with them and then hook up for a deeper conversation.

However, his unexpected encounter with Su Ming and Tian Jing "dating" under the flower bed in the factory area was a surprise. He felt it was solid evidence that he had Su Ming under his control, so he took the opportunity to take photos.

"Damn, this bastard's got a knack for picking up girls. He's only been here two days and he's already snatched away the warehouse belle of our office." Wu Yuming carefully examined the camera he had just taken, a smug glint in his eyes. "You'll see tomorrow. Haha, this time the evidence is irrefutable. Let's see how you try to deny it."

Although the photo is a bit blurry, you can still make out that Su Ming is hugging Tian Jing.

The next morning, Su Ming had just sat down in his office and hadn't even had a sip of water when Wu Yumin strolled over.

With a malicious smile on his face, he slammed a freshly printed photograph onto Su Ming's desk.

The photo shows Su Ming and Tian Jing embracing downstairs at their dormitory last night. The angle is tricky, taken from the side and behind, making their posture appear exceptionally intimate.

"Kid!" Wu Yumin leaned down, lowered his voice, and said with a mix of smugness and threat, "Tell me, what do you think will happen if this photo gets onto Manager Lin's desk?"

Su Ming's expression changed instantly. He knew that Lin Shumei hated office romances the most, and this photo was enough to make him pack his bags and leave immediately.

"Team leader, this is a misunderstanding..." Su Ming tried to explain.

"If you don't want anything to happen, that's fine too!" Wu Yumin smiled with satisfaction when he saw his expression change. "Do me a favor."

"What's the matter?" Su Ming asked curiously. He thought that if the matter was simple, helping out wouldn't be a problem, but if they were trying to make things difficult for him, then he wouldn't do it.

He had a trump card: Lin Shumei's affair was a constant threat hanging over her head, one he could use in crucial moments. However, this weapon had to be used only at critical times; using it too often might backfire.