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

The door to the receiving team's office opened. Zhuang Rong appeared in the doorway, wearing a dark gray professional pencil skirt that just past her knees. Her white chiffon blouse was tucked into the skirt, perfectly accentuating her mature curves. She carried a small brick-red handbag and wore a polite, gentle smile. She first nodded to Lin Shumei and greeted her, "Good morning, Manager Lin!"

"Hello, Secretary Zhuang!"

Lin Shumei returned the smile, her gaze lingering on Zhuang Rong's face for a moment before quickly glancing at Su Ming.

As the two women brushed past each other, a barely perceptible curiosity flickered in their eyes, like two cats meeting in a narrow alley, each subtly pricking up their ears. Soon, Lin Shumei's footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor outside the door.

Zhuang Rong entered the office and sat down opposite Su Ming, placing her handbag on her lap and folding her hands over it, her posture dignified and elegant. She softly asked Su Ming, her voice neither hurried nor slow, but tinged with a hint of timidity, "Su Ming, is it convenient for us to talk?"

Su Ming leaned back in his chair, gestured for her to speak, and said with a smile, "Go ahead, I'm free right now."

Zhuang Rong smiled but didn't continue. Instead, she stood up, gently moved her chair closer to Su Ming, and leaned forward as well. Her shoulder was almost touching Su Ming's arm, and a faint, sweet scent of perfume wafted from her neckline.

She lowered her voice, speaking in a volume only the two of them could hear, "Would you like to come with me to the decommissioned warehouse? It's not convenient to talk here."

Su Ming glanced at her and, seeing her shifty eyes and mysterious demeanor, he already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. He smiled, stood up, and gestured for her to lead the way, his tone relaxed and frank: "Alright, let's go."

Zhuang Rong walked ahead, with Su Ming following behind. The two of them walked one after the other through the warehouse aisle, around several rows of shelves piled high with goods and old machinery, and headed towards the scrap warehouse in the corner. The iron door of the scrap warehouse was quite old; the green paint on the surface was peeling off in patches, and the hinges were rusty, making a sharp creaking sound when pushed open. Zhuang Rong went in first, and after Su Ming followed, she turned around and closed the iron door, even locking the latch as she did so, her movements quick and practiced, as if she had been expecting it.

After the iron gate closed, the light in the junkyard suddenly dimmed, with only a few slanted beams of white light filtering in through a narrow skylight high above, illuminating the floating dust in the air clearly. Zhuang Rong didn't turn on the light. Instead, she turned around and walked to Su Ming, quickly scanning her surroundings to make sure there was no one else besides a pile of scrapped planks, cardboard boxes, and two rusty old machines. Then she placed her handbag on a cardboard box next to her, and then—she reached out and unbuttoned her collar.

One, two, three. The collar of her chiffon blouse was turned inward, revealing a patch of dazzlingly white skin below her delicate collarbone and black lace-trimmed bra straps. The curves of her chest were partially concealed by the blouse, creating a subtle yet impactful effect in the dim light. She raised her face to look at Su Ming, her lips slightly parted, exuding a reckless and alluring charm.

Su Ming frowned, instinctively taking half a step back, his voice a mix of amusement and wariness: "Secretary Zhuang, what are you doing?"

Zhuang Rong didn't stop; instead, she unbuttoned the last button, letting her shirt slip completely open, revealing her inner world to Su Ming without any obstruction. She wrapped her arms around Su Ming's neck, pressing her body against him, her soft breasts warm and elastic against his chest through his shirt.

She tiptoed and brought her lips close to Su Ming's ear, her voice as soft as silk: "Su Ming, I need to find a reliable older brother. From now on... you'll be my older brother. You can protect me at the factory."

Su Ming stood still. He waited for Zhuang Rong to finish speaking, then raised his hand, grasped her wrists that were hooked around his neck, and gently pulled them off his neck.

He took a step back, then straightened his face, his tone cold and certain, as if he knew everything: "Alright, Zhuang Rong. Stop acting. I know you were sent by Director Gu to seduce me, weren't you?"

Zhuang Rong froze in place as if a pause button had been pressed. Her eyes, still filled with affection, were first blank for a moment, then quickly flashed with panic and shame. Two blushes rose from her collarbone all the way up, dyeing her entire face a crimson.

She lowered her head and, with trembling fingers, buttoned her shirt one button at a time. She remained silent for several seconds before raising her head again, as if admitting defeat. Her voice was soft and gentle, tinged with barely concealed embarrassment: "How...how did you know he sent me?"

Su Ming walked up to her, gently lifted her chin with two fingers, and fastened the last button on her collar.

His movements were light, even gentle, as if nothing had happened, but his words were calm and insightful: "It's simple. Director Gu is too shrewd, incredibly shrewd. Now he can't do anything to me. He can't be forceful with me, and he doesn't dare to be cunning, so he can only lower himself and use this underhanded tactic, making you his mouthpiece and a sugar-coated bullet. To put it bluntly, this is a kind of compromise. Unfortunately, he used this tactic on the wrong person."

Zhuang Rong bit her lower lip lightly, her eyelashes drooping half an inch, her voice so low it was almost inaudible: "You're right. He did send me. He said... he said Su Ming is young and impetuous, full of vigor, and most susceptible to this kind of thing. But you, you're completely unaffected."

Su Ming chuckled, clapped his hands, and his tone suddenly held a rare sincerity and lightness: "Go back, Secretary Zhuang. Pass on a message to Director Gu. Tell him to just be obedient and stop using those underhanded tactics; they're useless. I, Su Ming, don't lack women. If he wants to show sincerity, he should bring money, and I might consider it. Button up your clothes, and don't overthink it. I won't tell anyone about what happened today."

Zhuang Rong nodded, the blush on her face not yet completely gone. She straightened up, adjusted her clothes and skirt, and took two steps towards the door. But when she reached the iron gate and her hand had already touched the latch, she suddenly turned around abruptly, staring directly at Su Ming, as if gathering all her courage before speaking: "Su Ming, don't you have any feelings for me at all?"

Su Ming was taken aback. In the past, he might have glossed over this, but Zhuang Rong asked so seriously, her eyes sparkling, as if she had taken off a mask after he exposed her.

He didn't want to lie to her, so he remained silent for a moment, then smiled, his tone both frank and restrained: "Yes! But I know which women I can touch and which I can't. You belong to the latter."