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

Lin Shumei straightened up, turned around and walked back behind her desk, took out a car key from the drawer, and waved it in her hand.

"Okay, at eight o'clock tonight, after you get off work, wait for me under the overpass in town. I'll pick you up in my car and take you to a fun place."

Su Ming blushed and asked, "When are you coming back?"

Lin Shumei smiled, a smile that held a deeper meaning. She walked over, squatted down in front of him again, placed her hand on his thigh, and gently stroked it with an appreciative look, as if she were looking at a beloved treasure.

"Please stay with me a little longer, okay?" Her voice was so soft it sounded like she was pleading with him. "Three hours, okay? I won't treat you badly, Sister Lin."

Three hours.

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat. This woman was determined to destroy him!

But then he thought, a business trip only earns him two thousand in subsidies, how much more could he make from a single date? He couldn't afford to offend this money-making machine. Besides, being with this vixen wasn't a bad deal for him. The experience was truly intoxicating and exciting. He wanted it too!

Su Ming swallowed hard and readily nodded: "Okay."

Lin Shumei smiled with satisfaction. She stood up, cleared her throat, and the alluring expression on her face instantly vanished, replaced by her usual capable and elegant warehouse manager demeanor. She walked back to her desk, sat down, picked up a pen, and opened the documents in front of her.

"Alright, you can go now." Her tone was indifferent, completely different from before.

Su Ming stood up, about to leave, when she spoke again.

"By the way, Wu Yumin is back at work," she said without looking up. "If he causes you any trouble, just let me know, and I'll stand up for you."

Su Ming smiled and nodded at her: "Thank you, Manager Lin. He won't cause me any trouble now. If he does, I'll let you know."

Lin Shumei then raised her head, nodded to him, and smiled alluringly: "See you tonight."

Su Ming turned and left the office, the door closing gently behind him.

He stood in the corridor and let out a long sigh of relief.

That woman is a real enchantress.

Her aloof demeanor just now was completely different from the way she was squatting in front of him, acting all cute and affectionate. Her change of expression was faster than a Sichuan opera performance.

He had just come downstairs when his phone rang.

He took it out and saw that it was a call from Bao Yazhong.

"Hey, Ming!" Bao Yazhong's enthusiastic voice came from the other end of the phone, tinged with urgency. "Have you sorted things out yet? How about we sneak a slot machine tonight and try it out? As for the money, it's okay if you don't have enough. I can pay for it first, consider it a loan."

Su Ming thought for a moment and said, "I've already raised enough money. I'll come over tonight and give it to you."

Upon hearing this, Bao Yazhong's voice rose eight octaves, he was incredibly excited: "That's fantastic! Are you free this afternoon? I'll have the store owner come over to sign the contract. I'm thinking of setting up a few slot machines tonight to test the waters!"

Su Ming was also quite impatient. The sooner the arcade opened, the sooner it would make money, and the sooner the shortfall of those three thousand ICs could be filled. He also wanted to test the waters and see just how profitable this thing really was.

"Okay, wait ten minutes," he said. "I'll go ask for leave."

After hanging up the phone, he turned around and went upstairs again.

Lin Shumei was looking down at the documents when she heard a knock on the door. She looked up and saw him, a puzzled expression on her face.

"What's wrong now?"

Su Ming scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Manager Lin, I'd like to ask for leave. I have something to do this afternoon."

Lin Shumei paused for a moment, then smiled.

There was no reproach in her smile; instead, there was a hint of indulgence. She leaned back in her chair, placed her hands clasped on the table, and looked him up and down.

"Okay, no problem," she said readily. "You don't need to worry about work. Go back and get a good night's sleep, recharge your energy, and then we can go out and have some fun tonight."

When she said the word "爽" (shuang, meaning "refreshing" or "exhilarating"), she emphasized it, and a hint of ambiguity flashed in her eyes that only Su Ming could understand.

Su Ming couldn't help but glance at her chest; her full curves were faintly visible beneath her white shirt. He swallowed hard, thinking to himself: This woman is truly a vixen.

"Then I'm leaving." He nodded, turned around, and left the office.

After taking leave, Su Ming left the factory, hailed a motorcycle taxi, and headed straight for the Yinshan Industrial Zone.

Bao Yazhong was already waiting at the store. He was wearing a floral shirt, his hair was permed and curly, and he had a cigarette in his mouth. He was standing at the entrance looking around. When he saw Su Ming get out of the car, he immediately went up to him and put his arm around his shoulder.

"Ming-ge, you've finally arrived! Come on, come on, the boss is already waiting inside."

The store owner was a middle-aged man in his forties, surnamed Chen. He was slightly overweight, with a round face, and his eyes narrowed into slits when he smiled, giving him a friendly appearance. He had already walked around the store once, and when he saw the two of them enter, he greeted them with a cheerful smile.

"Gentlemen, you've seen this shop; it's in a great location with high foot traffic, and this price is absolutely a steal. Let's sign the contract today, and then we'll give you the keys."

Bao Yazhong took the contract, flipped through a few pages, and handed it to Su Ming.

Although Su Ming only had a high school education, his grades had always been good, so reviewing a contract was no problem for him. He read it carefully, and the terms were fine; the rent and transfer fee were also the amounts agreed upon beforehand.

"Okay, sign it." He nodded.

Bao Yazhong took out a pen from his pocket, quickly signed his name, and handed it to Su Ming. Su Ming also signed his name, took out the 15,000 yuan from his pocket, counted out 12,000 yuan, and handed it to Boss Chen.

Mr. Chen took the money, counted it twice to make sure it was correct, and then handed over the keys with a smile.

"Deal! Wishing both business owners booming business and abundant wealth!"

After saying that, he picked up his bag and left.

Holding the keys, Bao Yazhong stood in the empty shop, looking left and right, his smile growing brighter and brighter.

"Ming-ge, wait here, I'll go get the machine!"

He dashed out, hopped on his motorcycle, and roared away, disappearing around the street corner.

Su Ming stood alone in the shop, looking at the empty room of more than 30 square meters, feeling a mix of emotions.

This shop cost him 13,000 yuan. He borrowed the money from Yang Tian. It was all the savings she had accumulated from two years of working, which she gave to him without batting an eye.

He took a deep breath and clenched his fist.

We must make money. We must fill this hole.

Half an hour later, a small truck pulled up in front of the shop. Bao Yazhong jumped out of the driver's seat, followed by two young men with dyed blond hair and two women in miniskirts and heavy makeup. The group quickly unloaded the equipment from the truck and carried it into the shop.

Three slot machines and five arcade machines were neatly arranged. Bao Yazhong then directed the two blond-haired men to hang up the lightbox sign, turn on the power, and the colorful lights flashed, instantly giving the whole shop the look of an arcade.

The two blond-haired men and the two spirited young women sat down in front of the machine and started playing. The sound of buttons clicking was deafening, making it as lively as a New Year's celebration.