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

Su Ming led Yang Tian around the industrial area and finally found a small shop with a sign that read "Chen's Sweet Soup" on a corner. The shop was small, with a few folding tables and plastic stools at the entrance. The owner, a woman in her fifties, was stirring something in a large aluminum pot with a large ladle.

"This is the place, I come here often." Yang Tian smiled as she walked in and sat down in a seat against the wall, familiar with the place.

Su Ming sat down and looked up at the menu written in chalk on the wall: mung bean soup 50 cents, red bean soup 50 cents, herbal soup 1.5 yuan, turtle jelly 2 yuan...

"Two bowls of herbal dessert soup," Yang Tian said to the shop owner.

"Okay!" the auntie replied, quickly serving two bowls.

Soon, two bowls of chilled sweet soup were served. The white porcelain bowls contained translucent sugar water, with soft and glutinous mung beans, red beans, barley, lotus seeds, lily bulbs, and a few red dates floating in it, looking refreshing and tempting.

"Try it." Yang Tian picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction. "This is the best way to cool down in the summer."

Su Ming followed her example, scooping up a spoonful and putting it in his mouth. The syrup was sweet but not cloying, with a faint herbal aroma. The various beans and barley were cooked to perfection, soft and chewy yet tender.

"It tastes good," he honestly commented.

The two ate their sweet soup in silence, exchanging a few words occasionally. Most of the time, Yang Tian asked questions, and Su Ming answered—where was their hometown, how many people were in their family, why did they come to Donghai…

Su Ming didn't tell the whole truth. He didn't mention his cousin's death or his cousin's wife's relationship with Jiang Jian; he only said that a relative was here and had come to look for an opportunity.

The bowl of refreshing dessert was quickly emptied. Su Ming felt unsatisfied, not because he hadn't had enough, but because this stuff simply wasn't enough to fill him up.

He glanced at the empty bowl, then at Yang Tian, ​​and hesitated before saying, "How about... I treat you to another bowl of fried noodles? There seems to be a fried noodle stall up ahead."

Yang Tian laughed and shook her head: "Forget it, let me treat you to a big meal instead!"

"A feast?" Su Ming was taken aback.

"I bet you just came from your hometown, you probably haven't had Western food before, have you?" Yang Tian tilted her head and looked at him, her eyes sparkling. "How about I take you to eat Western food?"

Western food.

Su Ming's mind conjured up images from the movies—tables covered with white cloths, gleaming cutlery, waiters in tuxedos... How much would that cost?

"No way!" he quickly shook his head. "That thing must be very expensive."

"Not too expensive." Yang Tian glanced at her watch. "There's an Island Coffee shop in town. A set meal is sixty yuan, it's all you can eat, and it comes with a free coffee."

Sixty yuan.

Su Ming subconsciously touched his pocket. He had brought fifty yuan with him today, and had already spent six or seven yuan on soda, billiards, and sweet drinks, leaving him with a little over forty yuan. The two hundred yuan he had taken from the thugs last night was in his suitcase.

"Let me treat you!" he said, blushing. "It wouldn't be right for you to treat me, since you helped me."

"I already told you, you got in here on your own merit." Yang Tian's smile faded, and she looked at him seriously. "Don't bring this up again. If you do, I'll get angry."

Seeing her feign a stern face, Su Ming felt a warmth in his heart and nodded, "Okay, let's not talk about it anymore."

"And one more thing!" Yang Tian laughed again, her tone playful. "Lunch is on me. Since you just came from your hometown, you probably don't have much money. If you feel bad about it, you can treat me back when you get your salary, okay?"

These words were considerate and gave Su Ming a way out. He thought for a moment and readily agreed, "Okay! When I get paid, I'll definitely treat you to something better."

"Then it's settled." Yang Tian glanced at her watch. "We have a two-hour lunch break, so we still have an hour and a half left. If we hurry, we can still make it."

She stood up, and Su Ming followed suit. Just as they were about to leave, they saw Yang Tian walk to the roadside and flag down a passing motorcycle.

"Hey, motorcycle driver, to the Island Coffee shop in town!"

A motorcycle roared up and stopped in front of the two. The driver was a man in his forties, with dark skin, wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Five dollars." The man exhaled a smoke ring.

"Let's go." Yang Tian readily agreed, then turned to Su Ming and said, "Get in the car."

Su Ming was stunned: "We have to take a motorcycle?"

"Of course." Yang Tian had already sat sideways in the back seat and patted the seat in front. "To eat Western food, you have to go to town, which is several miles away from here. It takes half an hour to walk there."

Su Ming had no choice but to step forward, get on the motorcycle, and sit in front of Yang Tian. The seat was narrow, and the two were almost pressed together.

"Hold on tight!" the motorcyclist shouted, twisting the throttle.

"boom!"

The motorcycle shot off like an arrow.

Su Ming nearly fell backward, hurriedly grabbing the crossbar in front of the car. The wind blew in his face, carrying dust and heat, stinging his face.

"Ah!" Yang Tian exclaimed softly from behind, instinctively placing her hands on Su Ming's shoulders.

The motorcycle sped along the road in the industrial area, going uphill and downhill. When it turned, the motorcycle tilted, and the centrifugal force made Yang Tian, ​​who was on the back seat, instinctively hug Su Ming tightly.

Su Ming froze.

He could clearly feel Yang Tian's soft body pressed against his back. Through the thin T-shirt and dress, her body temperature and curves were transmitted to him. Her hands were wrapped around his waist, occasionally tightening with the bumps of the car.

Even worse, because the seat was too narrow, when Su Ming's hands hung down naturally, the backs of his hands were pressed against Yang Tian's thighs.

The stockings were smooth and delicate, with a slight coolness to the touch. He glanced down—Yang Tian was wearing flesh-colored stockings today, and her skirt had ridden up a bit after she sat down, revealing a section of her thigh above her knee. And his hand was pressed against that skin.

Su Ming's heart suddenly raced. He tried to move his hand away, but each movement would touch an even more sensitive spot. He froze, afraid to move, feeling the soft touch on his back growing clearer and clearer, and the silky smoothness on the back of his hand becoming increasingly hot.

The wind whistled in his ears, and the scenery on both sides of the street rushed past. Su Ming felt that time was passing particularly slowly, as if every second was stretched out.

After walking for a while, the motorcycle finally stopped in front of a nicely decorated restaurant.

"We're here!" Yang Tian let go of the car and jumped off lightly.

Su Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief and got out of the car, only to find that the skin on his back and the back of his hands was still burning.

Yang Tian took out five yuan from her wallet and handed it to the motorcycle driver: "Here you go."

"Let me pay!" Su Ming quickly reached out to stop him, trying to snatch the money and pay for it himself.

Their hands met in mid-air. Yang Tian's hand went down, and Su Ming's hand went up. He had intended to take the money, but because he moved too quickly, the back of his hand bumped into Yang Tian's chest.

"Ah!" Yang Tian exclaimed softly, as if she had been burned. She took a step back and instinctively covered her chest with both hands, a look of pain flashing across her face.

Su Ming was startled and hurriedly asked, "Miss Yang, are you alright? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!"

The motorcycle driver, who had witnessed the whole thing, chuckled lewdly: "Haha, kid, you've got a knack for picking up girls! Why don't you give her a massage? What a great opportunity!"

Su Ming's face flushed red, and she glared at him angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about! I didn't do it on purpose!"

"What's wrong? You dare to do it but not admit it?" The motorcycle driver's smile vanished, his eyes turning hostile. "Besides, the girl didn't say anything, did she?"

Afraid the two would start arguing, Yang Tian quickly stepped forward, blocking Su Ming, and handed five yuan to the motorcycle driver with a smile: "Alright, alright, this is a misunderstanding. Here's the money, driver, you can go pick up other customers."

The motorcycle driver took the money, gave Su Ming a disdainful look, started the motorcycle, and tossed out, "Want to pick up girls but don't dare to make a move? Useless coward!"

After saying that, the motorcycle roared away.

Enraged, Su Ming chased after him a few steps, yelling, "You bastard, don't you dare run away!"

"Alright, alright." Yang Tian walked over, gently tugged at Su Ming's sleeve, and whispered, "Don't bother with this kind of person. Let's go inside."

Her voice was gentle, with a soothing tone. Su Ming calmed down and turned to look at her. Seeing her still gently rubbing her chest, he asked worriedly, "By the way, are you alright? I bumped into you there... did it hurt a lot?"

Yang Tian blushed and shook her head: "It's nothing, I just bumped into it. Let's go inside!"

He said that, but his hands would still scratch his chest every now and then.