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

Su Ming felt a little embarrassed by his grip, and tried to pull his hand away but couldn't. He could only laugh and say, "No need to be so polite. Yang Tian's affairs are my affairs. She's my sister-in-law too! I'm just glad she's safe and sound."

Yang Jing, his eyes red-rimmed, nodded solemnly. He glanced at Yang Tian, ​​who was gently playing with the child beside him, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them, as if he had suddenly figured out many things. He released Su Ming's hand, patted his shoulder heavily, said nothing more, turned back to his wife's bedside, bent down and gently kissed the tiny swaddled baby.

When they came out of the ward, it was already dawn. A layer of crab-shell blue tinged the eastern horizon, then slowly turned crimson by the sun, which was nowhere to be seen in the distance. Yang Tian, ​​who hadn't slept a wink all night, was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, and she walked unsteadily. Su Ming put his arm around her shoulder and walked to the hospital entrance, where they hailed a taxi back to the hotel. She leaned on his shoulder and fell asleep within minutes, her breath lightly brushing against the crook of his neck.

Su Ming turned to look at her, a strange, warm peace suddenly washing over him. The night had been both hectic and dangerous; he'd gotten out of bed in the middle of the night, and when he returned, a wrinkled little baby had appeared in the world. He and Yang Tian, ​​once a young couple who only knew how to passionately love each other in the dead of night, had been swept up in a real and intense human drama overnight.

He supported Yang Tian with one hand, took out his phone with the other to check the time, and thought to himself that he probably wouldn't be able to go to the warehouse this morning, so he would ask Tian Jing to cover for him!

Su Ming checked the time; it was six in the morning, and the sky was already faintly bright. The light filtering through the curtains had changed from the cold neon colors of the late night to a grayish-white. In the distance, the faint sounds of early morning bus announcements and the rustling of street sweepers could be heard. He rubbed his eyes, his eyelids drooping with sleep, his mind a complete blank. He'd spent the night rushing to the emergency room and carrying someone downstairs, only returning to the hotel at dawn. Forget about going to work; even getting out of bed now would leave his legs weak. He probably wouldn't be able to go to work.

He leaned against the headboard, picked up his phone, and sent Lin Shumei a text message asking for leave. He simply said, "Sister Lin, something came up last night, so I'm taking the morning off. Could you keep an eye on the warehouse for me?" He sent the message, waited a moment, but received no reply.

Su Ming thought for a moment and figured Lin Shumei was probably asleep and hadn't woken up to see the message yet. He wouldn't be able to get to work until tomorrow morning.

Besides, Lin Shumei is about to resign, so he has to handle most of the warehouse work himself now. Lately, he's been handing over urgent matters to Tian Jing, and even if Lin Shumei sees the message, she still has to pass it on to Tian Jing. He has a few urgent orders to chase up today; the supplier will arrive early, and they need to be inspected immediately – this process can't be delayed. He's taking a temporary leave, and rather than having Lin Shumei go through the trouble, it's better to just send a message to Tian Jing directly.

Thinking of this, he immediately picked up his phone and typed: "Sister Jing, I took the morning off and won't be able to get back to the company. I have a few urgent orders that will arrive as soon as I start work today. The supplier will be here around 8:30. As soon as the goods arrive, please arrange for someone to send them for inspection and urge the quality control department to make sure they're not delayed. I'm leaving this to you."

After sending the message, he put his phone on the bedside table, closed his eyes, and prepared to catch up on some sleep. He had always trusted Tian Jing's abilities. This woman had worked in the warehouse for so many years; she knew everything about urgent materials, expediting processes, and inspection procedures better than the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar in her own kitchen. He had no worries about entrusting things to her.

But before the phone could even cool down, a message came in with a buzz. Su Ming squinted and picked up the phone; it was Tian Jing. She didn't mention urging for the materials at all, but instead bluntly asked, "What are you doing? Are you in a hotel with Yang Tian? You were up so much last night, you couldn't even get out of bed?"

Su Ming stared at the message on the screen, his drowsiness nearly vanishing with amusement. He shook his head, half-laughing and half-crying, thinking to himself that this beauty was far too blunt. He, a man, would blush at such a question, and she, on the other hand, sent a message without any beating around the bush. She even cared about such private matters. No, this wasn't just concern; it was an interrogation.

He hesitated for a moment, his finger hovering over the screen for a long time, before finally sighing and typing three words: "I guess so!"

As expected, Tian Jing replied to her message almost instantly, her tone as cold as if she were looking through a block of ice: "I won't help you expedite the process."

Su Ming was speechless. This beauty was actually getting emotional. This was work! Several urgent materials were waiting to be sent to the production line. If the production line ran out of materials, it would have to stop, and an hour's delay would deduct a whole month's worth of pay from her salary. He rolled over in bed with his phone, then rolled back over, finally got up and tiptoed into the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar, and dialed Tian Jing's number.

The phone rang twice before being answered. Tian Jing's voice burst from the receiver, urgent and crisp, with an aggressive jealousy. She didn't even bother with the word "feed," going straight to the point: "Su Ming, how many times did you and Yang Tian come last night?"

Su Ming leaned against the sink, his face flushed with embarrassment. He covered the phone's microphone with one hand and explained in a low voice, "No... Sister Jing, listen to me, that's not why I took leave. Last night, my sister-in-law Yang Tian was about to give birth, and I took her to the hospital. I didn't get back until dawn, and I'm really exhausted right now, so I took leave. Could you help me expedite the material delivery? I only feel at ease if you handle this; the production line can't afford any delays."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Su Ming thought she believed him and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Tian Jing's voice drifted over again, a few decibels lower than before, but the intensity of her interrogation remained undiminished: "Then let me ask you, are you and Yang Tian in a hotel right now?"

Su Ming hesitated for a moment, his face, clearly showing he'd been caught, reflected in the bathroom mirror. He resignedly replied, "Yes!"

"So how many times did you two come last night?" Tian Jing's voice rose again, her relentless insistence like a file, grinding against Su Ming's nerves. "Tell me quickly, or I won't help you expedite the process."

Su Ming felt like he wasn't on the phone, but giving a statement at the police station. He almost didn't want to call back, but Tian Jing's aggressive silence on the other end of the line was like a taut string. He knew this woman meant what she said, and if he really confronted her, she could easily abandon the task of collecting materials.

He had no choice but to close his eyes helplessly, his voice so soft it sounded like a final confession: "Um... three times, I guess."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Then, there was the dial tone, beep! beep! beep! Tian Jing had actually hung up.