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

Because his relationship with Yang Tian was progressing, Su Ming's messy thoughts about his cousin's wife gradually faded away.

At night, he could no longer resist peeking. Lying on the floor, listening to his cousin's even breathing, all he could think about was Yang Tian—her smiling, crescent-shaped eyes, the gentle sway of her ponytail as she spoke, and the pleasant scent she smelled when she leaned on his shoulder.

After thinking about it, he fell asleep.

I feel dawn.

On the contrary, Qiu Tong has not been sleeping well lately.

She lay on the bed, listening to Su Ming's steady breathing on the floor, occasionally turning her head to look at his blurry outline in the darkness.

This kid seems to have really grown up.

During the day, she saw Yang Tian coming to pick him up from the balcony. She saw him skillfully put his arm around the girl's waist and saw the smile on his face. Suddenly, an indescribable feeling welled up in her heart.

It's a little sour, a little astringent, and a little...disappointing.

That night, she even dreamed of Su Ming.

In her dream, he held her tightly, just like that night. She felt warm and safe in his arms. Then she woke up and found her heart racing.

Qiu Tong lay in the darkness, staring at the ceiling, feeling conflicted.

She told herself: He's your cousin, six years younger than you, still a child. You shouldn't be having those thoughts.

But another voice says: But you're not his cousin's wife anymore. Your husband is dead, you're a free person. You don't need to explain your thoughts to anyone.

Two voices were fighting in her head, keeping her tossing and turning all night.

Fortunately, she knows how to hide it and doesn't easily show her inner feelings on her face.

The next morning, she got up as usual to make breakfast: fried eggs and millet porridge, with a faint smile on her face, as if nothing had happened.

Su Ming, of course, couldn't tell.

All he knew was that these days were incredibly sweet.

The sun was shining brightly on Monday noon.

Su Ming was checking the shipments that had arrived that morning in the receiving area. With only half an hour left before he was about to get off work, his stomach was already rumbling.

At that moment, a small truck stopped at the warehouse entrance.

The driver jumped out, went around to the back, opened the cargo compartment, and began unloading goods. Su Ming, holding the delivery receipt, went to meet him, but upon looking at it, he froze.

Standing opposite him was Yang Jing.

Yang Tian's brother.

Yang Jing was wearing a light blue shirt today, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking much more casual than when they met at the Western restaurant. He was holding a stack of delivery slips and smiling at Su Ming.

"Xiao Su, long time no see!" he greeted warmly.

Su Ming was stunned for several seconds before he reacted: "Yang... Brother Yang? It's you?"

Yang Jing laughed and patted his shoulder. "I've been a long-time customer of your company, supplying electronics factories for years. What, didn't Yang Tian mention it to you?"

Su Ming shook his head, feeling a mix of emotions.

Yang Tian has never mentioned it.

Yang Jing handed him the delivery slip, her tone relaxed: "Here, quickly help me collect the goods. I still have to deliver to other places. Just roughly count them and sign it. Don't worry, there won't be any problems."

Su Ming glanced down at the delivery receipt, which was filled with electronic components, several pages long. Upon closer inspection, it clearly stated: IC chips, quantity 15000 pieces.

His expression immediately turned serious.

IC chips are incredibly valuable materials. He'd been in the warehouse for a while and had heard that they were extremely expensive—some cost a few dollars each, others a dozen dollars, and some even tens of dollars each. If the quantities didn't match, it would be a huge problem.

He began to carefully check everything. He opened each box, counted each package, muttering to himself, afraid of making a mistake.

Yang Jing stood to the side, glanced at his watch, and a look of anxiety appeared on his face.

"Xiao Su!" He leaned closer and whispered, "Hurry up, I really have something to do. I have an appointment with a client at two o'clock, and if I don't leave now, I'll be late."

Su Ming continued working without looking up, saying, "Brother Yang, just a moment, it'll be done soon."

Yang Jing waited for another two minutes before finally losing patience. He reached out and pressed down on the list in Su Ming's hand, his tone pleading, "Xiao Su, why don't you sign the list for me first? If there are any problems, just call me directly, and I'll come over and handle it for you personally. If the quantity is missing, I'll make up the difference."

Su Ming frowned: "Brother Yang, this won't do. ICs are valuable materials, what if..."

Yang Jing interrupted him with a smile, patted his shoulder, and said in a warm tone, "Xiao Su, I heard from Yang Tian that you two get along well. We're all family, there's no need to disbelieve even me, right?"

family.

These three words stirred something in Su Ming's heart. Yes, his relationship with Yang Tian was blossoming, and they were bound to get together sooner or later; wouldn't they then be family? In that case, the person in front of him was his brother-in-law!

He looked up at Yang Jing's smiling face, and remembered Yang Tian's crescent-shaped eyes, the warmth of her leaning on his shoulder, and the tenderness when she said, "Treat me when you get a raise."

Seeing his hesitation, Yang Jing added, "This IC isn't too expensive; it's not worth much to me. Just roughly count it and sign the form. Don't worry, I'll cover for you if there are any problems."

Having said all that, Su Ming couldn't insist any further.

He nodded, quickly counted the items, signed the receipt, and issued a release slip.

Yang Jing took the order, patted him on the shoulder with a smile, said "I'll treat you to dinner another day," and hurriedly got into the car.

The truck started and drove out of the warehouse.

Su Ming stood there, watching the car disappear around the corner, and suddenly felt uneasy.

But he didn't think much of it, tidied up, and then the bell rang to signal the end of the workday.

The cafeteria was bustling with noise, and long queues formed in front of the food windows.

Su Ming was holding his tray, hesitating whether to queue up, when he looked up and saw Yang Tian sitting by the window in the white-collar dining area, chatting and laughing with several female colleagues in white shirts.

On the plate in front of her were braised pork, stir-fried vegetables, braised fish, and spare ribs. Next to them were a bowl of soup, a bowl of rice, and an apple on each person's plate.

This is a meal for the company's executives; it's quite lavish.

Su Ming glanced down at the counter in front of him in line. Several metal plates were set up, each containing shredded potatoes, stir-fried bean sprouts, and a small portion of minced meat of unknown origin. This was the standard fare for blue-collar workers. Of course, today was a bonus—a chicken leg for each person, something that only happened twice a month.

He stood in the line, gazing at Yang Tian in the distance, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

Cadres don't have to queue for meals, and the dishes are several times more plentiful than those for blue-collar workers; I've also heard they receive meal allowances. White-collar workers' salaries are significantly higher than those of blue-collar workers.

He remembered Yang Tian's outfit that cost over 800 yuan, the way she paid without batting an eye, and the smile on her face when she said, "Treat me again when you get a raise."

Su Ming clenched his fists tightly.

One day, he too will wear a white shirt, sit in that window seat, and eat the cadre's meal.

Someday...

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

A crisp voice rang in his ears, pulling Su Ming back from his thoughts.

He turned his head and saw Tian Jing standing next to him with a tray in her hand, tilting her head to look at him with a half-smile on her face.

Su Ming snapped out of his reverie and smiled somewhat sheepishly, "It's nothing, I was just daydreaming."

Tian Jing followed his gaze and saw Yang Tian sitting by the window. She turned around, rolled her eyes at Su Ming, and said with a hint of teasing, "Su Ming, you've been acting a little strange lately!"

Su Ming blushed slightly and chuckled dryly, "It's alright."

"Good my ass." Tian Jing glanced at him seriously. "I'm asking you, did you accept that batch of goods so quickly? Did you carefully check the quantity inside?"