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

As Su Ming emerged from the seafood restaurant carrying the bottle of Moutai, a night breeze blew in from the street corner, carrying the smell of the sea and the aroma of cumin from a distant barbecue stall. Lin Shumei followed behind him, her high heels clicking crisply on the paved sidewalk. She quickened her pace to catch up, tugging at Su Ming's sleeve, her voice slightly tipsy and softly coquettish: "Don't rush back yet, take me for a drive, then we'll come back to the hotel."

Su Ming turned to look at her and saw that her cheeks were slightly flushed and her eyes were filled with a soft light as if they had been moistened by Moutai. He smiled and nodded, asking her where she wanted to go.

Lin Shumei said sweetly, "I want to go to the place where we first slept together. I'll teach you how to be a real man there."

"Okay, I'll take you there now." Su Ming replied, handed her the helmet, and got on the motorcycle.

Lin Shumei put on her helmet, sat sideways on the back seat, wrapped her arms around Su Ming's waist, and pressed her entire body against his back. Even through two layers of clothing, Su Ming could feel the warm and soft curves of her body. She hugged him tighter, pressed her face between his shoulder blades, and said in a sweet voice, "Let's go! From now on, we'll have less and less time together, so cherish it."

"Yes! We should cherish this moment, especially tonight!"

Su Ming twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle roared off. The night wind whistled past their ears, making the few stray strands of hair peeking out from under Lin Shumei's helmet flutter wildly. They crossed the town's main road and then turned onto a country road without streetlights, with the dark sea and scattered fishing lights in the distance. Su Ming didn't deliberately accelerate; the motorcycle cruised steadily in the night, Lin Shumei's arms tightly wrapped around his waist, like a soft vine entwined around a tree.

After going around in circles, the two were in a very good mood.

Su Ming turned his motorcycle onto a familiar street and stopped in front of a hotel. Lin Shumei took off her helmet, glanced at the hotel sign, and suddenly smiled—this was the very hotel where Su Ming and she had their first time staying, in the next town, not too far from the factory area, quiet and secluded. The neon lights at the entrance were still those old tubes, emitting a warm yellow light that cast long, sticky shadows on the two of them.

Lin Shumei hung her helmet on the handlebars, smiled, took Su Ming's arm, leaned on his shoulder, and said softly, "Let's stay here tonight! Tomorrow is Saturday, no work, we can get up a little later."

Su Ming hummed in agreement, looked up at the hotel's illuminated glass door, but suddenly remembered something else.

He remembered Mingjuan's husband telling him last time that he'd invite him fishing on the weekend if he was free. Tomorrow was Saturday, and that guy might actually call. As he pondered this, Lin Shumei seemed to notice his absent-mindedness, gently shaking the hand that was holding his arm, and softly asked, "Are you still thinking about Zhao Fang?"

Su Ming snapped out of his daze, shook his head with a smile, took out his ID card, and went to the front desk to check in. While filling out the form, he said, "Zhao Fang is probably intimidated by what I did tonight. Didn't you see her expression at the end? She came to toast me at the dinner table, but when she left, she stood at the door with a look on her face like she'd seen a ghost. She'll probably be more restrained from now on, at least she won't dare to mess with Yang Tian again. And that vote in the cafeteria, if she's smart, she'll probably vote for me."

Lin Shumei took the room key he handed her, twirled it between her fingers, then shook her head with a smile, her tone carrying the certainty and insight of someone with experience: "No, you don't understand Zhao Fang at all. This woman has a stubborn streak. She's been domineering in the factory for so many years, not because of her ability, but because of her pride. You outmaneuvered her tonight, and she'll only be more resentful. You can't control her with one or two trivial matters. She won't be afraid of you just because Director Gu toasted you; on the contrary, she'll feel that you're using someone else's power to suppress her, and she'll hate you even more."

Su Ming frowned and couldn't help but swear, "Damn, I didn't expect this woman to be so difficult to deal with!"

"Don't overestimate Zhao Fang. She has weaknesses too. Just attack her weakest point, and she will inevitably lose to you."

Lin Shumei smiled and took his arm, leading him towards the elevator. As they walked, she softly comforted him, "It's alright, you have plenty of options. There's no rush. On Monday, go to the internet cafe manager. As long as you get evidence that she's watching porn in her office, it won't be long before you have leverage over this woman. Although she's strong-willed, she's also very proud. Once you have evidence of her watching porn, you can do whatever you want with her. She'll be a puppet you can manipulate. You can make her bow her head or shut her up whenever you want."

Su Ming nodded and remained silent. The elevator doors dinged open, and the two stepped inside. The car was empty except for the two of them; the mirrors on all sides reflected countless overlapping, intimate images. Lin Shumei nestled into his arms, her soft breasts pressed against his chest. Through the thin shirt, Su Ming could feel the rhythm of her heartbeat, warm and rapid. She tilted her head back, her eyes like water, her voice low and soft, carrying a seductive charm: "Alright, let's go. Let's take a shower together first, then we'll make love. Tonight, I'm going to love you properly."

Su Ming looked down at her. The woman in his arms was mature, passionate, and proactive, like a flower fully blooming in the night, making no attempt to hide her desire. He reached out and embraced her slender waist, his fingers tracing the soft curve of her waist. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Okay, I'll do as you say tonight."

The elevator doors opened on the fifth floor, revealing a dark red carpet in the corridor, with wall lamps casting a dim, soft light. Lin Shumei linked arms with Su Ming, and the two walked side by side down the long corridor, the room card beeping as it unlocked the door.

The door closed behind them, shutting out the outside world and all their troubles. Inside the room, the curtains were half-drawn, and outside the window was a small town sleeping in the night. Inside, only the overlapping breaths of two people and the gradually warming night remained.

Not long after entering the room, Lin Shumei couldn't wait to hug Su Ming tightly. The two shared a little bit of intimacy before slowly letting go.

"Alright, let's go take a nice shower first!" Su Ming gently pushed the beauty aside and was about to enter the bathroom.

Lin Shumei walked over shyly, took his arm, and said softly, "Wait for me! Didn't we agree to shower together?"

"Okay, let's shower together." Su Ming had no choice but to put his arm around the beauty's slender waist and walk into the bathroom together.