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

Su Ming and Lin Shumei spent a passionate and intimate night together in the hotel. Strangely enough, their phones seemed to know what they were doing, remaining completely silent without a single call or message. They moved from the bathroom to the bed, then rolled onto the single sofa by the window, until finally Lin Shumei nestled against his chest. Wrapped in a slightly damp blanket, they finally fell into a deep sleep around 2 a.m.

The next morning, around nine o'clock, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a bright golden line on the carpet. Su Ming woke up first, glancing at Lin Shumei, who was still fast asleep. She was curled up on her side in the blankets, her hair spread out on the pillow, her sleeping posture peaceful and content.

He reached out and gently brushed the stray hairs from her face. Lin Shumei stirred, her long eyelashes trembling a few times. She opened her eyes, and when she saw it was him, the corners of her mouth curved up.

The two lingered for a while before getting up and washing up, then went downstairs together to the hotel restaurant for the buffet breakfast. Lin Shumei wore a light blue dress today, her hair casually draped over her shoulders, looking more gentle than when she usually wore work clothes in the warehouse. Holding her coffee cup, she poked at the fried eggs on her plate with her fork, then suddenly looked up, as if remembering something important. She put down her fork and said earnestly, "Su Ming, I'm taking you to look at cars today. I plan to buy you one before I leave the company."

Su Ming was stuffing a piece of bacon into his mouth when he heard this and almost choked. He quickly picked up his cup, took a sip of water, and waved his hand frantically at her, saying, "No need, no need. This stuff is too expensive. You're about to quit your job, and you'll have plenty of expenses in the future. Why buy me a car?"

"Sister Lin, I'm not short of money. I can afford a car, and even a villa." Lin Shumei put down her coffee cup, reached across the table, and took his arm. Her eyes held an unyielding seriousness as she said, word by word, "It's a must. If you like it today, just place the order. You've worked in the warehouse for so long, and you're a team leader. You're going to be promoted to manager soon. How can you go out to negotiate business and visit suppliers without a car? Don't argue with me about this."

Su Ming scratched his head awkwardly and said sheepishly, "Was it a bit too early to make the order today? I haven't even gotten my driver's license yet! Actually, I haven't been to driving school much lately... The driving school's schedule is slow, and I haven't been urging them."

Lin Shumei glanced at him, her eyes filled with a hint of reproach, but more so with the helpless amusement one would show when looking at an ignorant child: "Forget it, I'll take you somewhere to practice driving later, and then I'll talk to the driving school and ask them to schedule your test as soon as possible. Don't worry about the driver's license, I'll take care of it."

Seeing her resolute attitude, Su Ming had no choice but to nod. After they finished breakfast, Lin Shumei indeed drove Su Ming to find a place to practice driving. This time, she didn't take Su Ming to the same remote, empty road as last time, but instead chose a rural road with relatively light traffic, though there were occasional vehicles passing by. Trucks occasionally crossed the road, farm tricycles slowly occupied the lanes, and sometimes a bread truck would suddenly change lanes without using its turn signal. Su Ming was a little nervous at first, his hands gripping the steering wheel slightly tight, but after less than half an hour, he got the hang of it. He already knew how to drive, but lacked sufficient practical experience. After two hours of instruction from Lin Shumei, he practiced shifting gears, changing lanes, passing other vehicles, and making U-turns with considerable skill.

Lin Shumei sat in the passenger seat, one hand resting on the window frame, watching Su Ming smoothly and effortlessly pull over to the side of the road, leaving the car just a fist's distance from the curb. She smiled with satisfaction and called out to him, "Alright, in my opinion, you can get your driver's license now."

Su Ming stopped the car, pulled the handbrake, and said with a smile, "Okay, call the driving school and ask them to make arrangements as soon as possible."

Lin Shumei smiled and shook her head, unbuckling her seatbelt. Her tone carried a hint of seasoned experience: "The people at the driving school aren't so easy to talk to. It's not like you're the one driving. There are interpersonal relationships involved." She glanced at her watch; the hour hand was pointing to 11:30. She smiled again. "It's almost lunchtime now. Come on, I'll take you to the driving school and arrange a meal with your instructor. You can tell him in person that you've practiced enough and ask him to schedule the exam directly. A meal is more effective than you trying to persuade him yourself."

Seeing how concerned Lin Shumei was about his driving test, Su Ming felt a surge of warmth in his heart, so he nodded and moved to the passenger seat to let Lin Shumei drive. Lin Shumei started the car, turned the steering wheel, and the car steadily drove towards the driving school.

When we arrived at the driving school, several training cars were slowly moving around in the training area. A student was practicing reversing into a parking space, but his tires were on the line, and the instructor's shouts could be heard through the car window.

Lin Shumei asked Su Ming to go to the instructor's office to find someone. Su Ming went in and asked around before finding Instructor Gao. He was a man in his forties, of medium build, with a slightly protruding belly, slicked-back hair, and a face with the slickness and impatience typical of driving school instructors.

Su Ming politely asked to have a meal with him. Coach Gao looked him up and down, then glanced over his shoulder at Lin Shumei standing at the door. His eyes lingered on Lin Shumei for a couple of seconds, and his attitude suddenly became more cheerful. He immediately agreed.

A moment later, Su Ming led Lin Shumei and the coach to a Sichuan restaurant in town. The restaurant wasn't large, but it was quite tastefully decorated. The aroma of chili oil wafted from the kitchen, making everyone's noses itch. The three sat down, and Su Ming pushed the menu in front of Coach Gao. Coach Gao took it, but his eyes didn't look at the menu. Instead, they restlessly scanned Lin Shumei. He was wearing a faded polo shirt today, the collar open, revealing a section of his thick neck. His gaze swept from Lin Shumei's face to her neck, then moved downwards, a slightly unsettling smile playing on his lips.

Lin Shumei noticed this and subtly pushed the menu towards him again, smiling as she said, "Coach Gao, let's order. Pick what you like." She was intentionally trying to divert his attention.

Coach Gao then looked away, glanced at the menu, and said "anything is fine" while suddenly reaching out and grabbing Lin Shumei's wrist. His thumb rubbed against the back of her hand in an ambiguous way as he said with a grin, "Miss Lin, you order, you order. I'll eat whatever you order."

Lin Shumei's face immediately darkened. With a flick of her wrist, she subtly snatched the menu from his hand and pushed it back. She wore a professional smile, but her tone had turned cold: "Coach Gao, you should order. We're not familiar with the signature dishes here."