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

Su Ming shook his head: "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."

Qiu Tong reached out and touched his forehead, then touched her own, frowning. "You don't have a fever. Why do you look so listless?"

Su Ming forced a smile: "I probably drank too much last night and haven't recovered yet."

Qiu Tong looked at him, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

"Su Ming," she said softly, "is something on your mind?"

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat.

He looked at his cousin-in-law, at her eyes that seemed to see through everything, and suddenly felt an urge to tell her everything.

I wanted to tell her about the three thousand ICs, the 285,000 yuan hole, I wanted to tell her about Yang Tian lending him money, I wanted to tell her about Lin Shumei…

But he swallowed the words back down his throat.

How can I possibly say these things?

He shook his head and smiled, "It's nothing. Just a bit of work pressure."

Qiu Tong looked at him, remained silent for a while, and then sighed.

"You child, you always like to shoulder everything by yourself." Her voice carried a hint of helplessness and heartache. "If you have any problems, just tell your cousin-in-law, and she'll help you share the burden."

Su Ming felt a warmth in his heart and nodded.

Qiu Tong stood up, walked behind him, and gently pressed her hands on his temples.

Her fingers were soft and warm, and she gently massaged his temples with just the right amount of pressure.

"Relax," she said softly, like an evening breeze rippled across a lake. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Su Ming closed his eyes, feeling the tenderness, and the restlessness and unease in his heart gradually subsided.

He suddenly realized that his earlier thoughts were ridiculous.

Lin Shumei, Yang Tian, ​​Tian Jing...

Those women are probably all very good.

But the only thing that could make him feel at ease was his cousin-in-law in front of him.

Only her.

Su Ming enjoyed Qiu Tong's gentle massage, and his tense nerves gradually relaxed. He closed his eyes, and the faint, familiar fragrance of her body lingered around his nose. It was a unique scent that mixed with shower gel, shampoo, and her own body temperature, like a calming medicine that slowly settled his chaotic thoughts.

Qiu Tong's touch was very gentle, her fingertips calloused as she slowly circled his temples and forehead. The warm, rhythmic touch gradually eased his furrowed brows.

After a while, Qiu Tong stopped what she was doing, walked around to him, and sat down next to him.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked softly, her beautiful eyes reflecting his image like two clear springs under the light.

Su Ming nodded, opened his eyes, looked at her, and smiled sincerely: "Much better. Thank you, sister-in-law."

Qiu Tong gave him a reproachful look, her eyes filled with a mixture of coquettishness and helplessness: "Why are you being so polite with me? Looking at how absent-minded you were just now, anyone who didn't know better would think you had just broken up with your boyfriend."

Heartbroken?

Su Ming gave a bitter smile to himself. His relationship with Yang Tian was now more complicated than a breakup.

He didn't reply, and the atmosphere fell silent again.

Qiu Tong seemed to sense that he didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she cleverly changed the subject. She stretched, and her loose loungewear outlined the full curves of her chest with the movement, making Su Ming's heart skip a beat again.

"Ouch, my back is so sore from sitting for so long." She rubbed her lower back and asked casually, "By the way, when does your arcade open?"

Su Ming was taken aback. He remembered mentioning the arcade to his cousin-in-law, but she had strongly opposed it.

He was startled, but dared not show it on his face, only vaguely replying, "Where would I get the money to open one like this!"

"That's good." Qiu Tong nodded, a encouraging smile on her face. "You were right to give up the idea of ​​opening an arcade. By the way..."

She changed the subject, her expression turning serious: "You have to promise your sister-in-law that playing slot machines is fine, but don't take it seriously. That stuff is harmful; once you get involved, it's hard to get out."

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat. He wondered if his cousin-in-law already knew about his arcade business. Impossible. Only Bao Yazhong knew about it, and his cousin-in-law didn't even know him.

Thinking of this, Su Ming nodded quickly and sincerely assured her, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I know what I'm doing and I definitely won't get addicted."

"That's good." Qiu Tong nodded in satisfaction, then, as if remembering something, she stood up from the sofa, walked to the bedroom door, turned back and waved to him, "Come here for a moment."

Su Ming was confused, so he had no choice but to follow her into the bedroom.

Qiu Tong walked to the bedside, bent down, and pulled a locked wooden box from under the bed. The box looked quite old; the red paint was peeling, and the edges were badly worn.

She took a thin red string from around her neck, from which hung a small brass key. She used the key to open the box, and a faint scent of camphor mixed with the smell of old books wafted out.

Ming peeked inside and saw stacks of banknotes wrapped in kraft paper neatly arranged in the box, along with some gold and silver jewelry that gleamed alluringly in the dim light.

Su Ming's eyes widened in disbelief. How much money... how much is that?

"These were all left behind by your cousin," Qiu Tong said softly, with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I haven't touched them since he left. If you need them for your legitimate business, I'll give them all to you!"

As she spoke, she took out two stacks of banknotes wrapped in paper from the box and handed them to Su Ming.

"Here's 20,000; that should be enough for you. Let me know if it's not enough."

Su Ming stared blankly at the two thick stacks of banknotes in front of him. He instinctively took a half step back, waving his hands repeatedly, "Sister-in-law, this... I can't accept this! This is my cousin's money!"

"Fool!" Qiu Tong glared at him reproachfully, then shoved the money into his arms. "What do you mean, 'yours' and 'mine'? Your cousin's money is mine, isn't it? Mine is...ours, isn't it?"

She spoke those last three words very softly, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible shyness.

Holding the heavy 20,000 yuan, Su Ming felt a mix of emotions, a mixture of gratitude, guilt, and a strange, inexplicable flutter in his heart.

"Sister-in-law..." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

"Take it!" Qiu Tong patted his hand gently. "Consider it an investment from your sister-in-law. Just pay me back with interest when you make money. You should do some research and see if there's any suitable business opportunity. Working for someone else isn't a long-term solution."

"Hmm!" Su Ming joked, "What if I end up losing money?"

Qiu Tong paused, then smiled charmingly: "If we lose money... then we'll use you to pay off the debt."

Su Ming blushed deeply at her joke, quickly lowered his head, and whispered, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I definitely won't lose out."

Qiu Tong smiled, a smile that was especially captivating under the lamplight. She reached out and straightened his slightly disheveled collar, saying softly, "I believe in you. Go ahead and do it. If you need anything, just ask me. I'll give you whatever I can."

Su Ming thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "What if I find a suitable project someday that costs two or three hundred thousand? Would you provide it?"