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

Su Ming waved to her, watching her disappear into the poolside wrapped in a towel. Lin Shumei leaned back in her lounge chair, sipping her juice slowly, glancing sideways at Su Ming, and teasingly asked, "How was it? Satisfied with the foreign girl?"

Su Ming scratched his head and answered honestly, "What do you mean by 'soaking'? They were seriously teaching me how to swim."

Lin Shumei laughed and ruffled his wet hair. "She was serious when she was teaching you, but when she touched your abs, she wasn't necessarily serious." She paused, then added, "But if this deal goes through, your abs won't have been touched for nothing."

Su Ming was speechless, so he could only lower his head and gulp down his juice. Lin Shumei laughed even harder at his embarrassment, her laughter echoing in the empty pool and mingling with the shimmering water, making the night seem gentle and long.

The two chatted by the pool for a while before heading back.

The two returned to their hotel room from the pool, the door clicking shut behind them, shutting out the sounds of the shimmering water. Only the cool air from the central air conditioning and the warm glow of the bedside lamp filled the room. Lin Shumei casually draped her wet swimsuit over the bathroom doorknob, turned to Su Ming, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her wet hair clung to her shoulders, and her eyes, reflecting the lamplight, winked at him. Her tone suddenly became serious: "Su Ming, Ruth is a good woman, worth pursuing. She's a big fish; catching her can elevate your social standing."

Su Ming smiled and shook his head, then put his arm around her waist: "Let's leave that to fate. I don't plan on crossing any social class. I feel pretty good as it is now. I have food to eat, something to do, and you're with me. I'm quite content."

Lin Shumei smiled and shook her head, gently stroking the back of his neck with her fingers. Her voice carried a certain confidence and clarity that only someone with experience could possess: "No, that's because you haven't met truly wealthy people. I'm not exactly wealthy myself; at most, I can help you reach the tens of millions level. Cars, houses, small businesses—I can handle all of those. But if you want to reach the hundreds of millions level, or even higher, you must win over Ruth."

She paused, her gaze sharpening as if analyzing a business plan: "It's not hard to see that this is a foreign woman who handles big deals. The way she speaks, the confidence she exudes when mentioning her company, and the casual remark about how many cities she visited during her four years in China—all of these indicate strong business acumen and considerable purchasing authority. More importantly, she seems to have a crush on you."

Upon hearing this, Su Ming blushed and quickly waved his hand, shaking his head with a smile, "Sister Lin, you're overthinking it. She just took me swimming once and corrected a few of my movements. That's just her professional habit; she wants to teach anyone who isn't swimming well."

Lin Shumei moved closer to Su Ming, her smile fading and her expression turning serious. Her tone carried an undeniable solemnity: "Su Ming, listen carefully. You need to hold onto this woman tightly. Even if you have to use your charm, you must conquer her. Then find a way to cooperate with her, whether it's supplying electronic components or contracting the factory canteen. As long as you get on her good side, you'll have a trump card. I believe that once you're with her, countless benefits will follow. She can help you make rapid progress in business."

Hearing this, Su Ming felt a surge of embarrassment. His smile froze, and his lips twitched slightly. He scrutinized Lin Shumei's expression, trying to find a trace of a joke in her eyes. But her eyes only held seriousness, even a hint of eagerness. He couldn't tell if Lin Shumei was intentionally testing him or genuinely hoping he would get together with this foreign woman. What woman would push her man into another woman's arms? He awkwardly forced a smile and said, "Sister Lin, don't joke around. I've only known her for a little over an hour, and you've already used your good looks to your advantage? That's too outrageous."

Lin Shumei, however, put on a stern face, her expression as serious as if she were assigning tasks in a meeting: "Sister Lin is not joking with you. I'm serious. Although I'm a little jealous of you—what woman would want to push the man she likes towards someone else?—I sincerely hope you live a life of luxury. Really. You'll probably only encounter an opportunity like this once in your life. You've finally had one today, so cherish it and don't let it slip away."

She reached out and cupped Su Ming's face, gently rubbing her thumb against his cheekbone. Her voice softened slightly: "Trust me, my intuition is usually right. I can tell this foreign girl really likes you. Her eyes lit up when she saw your abs, her hand lingered on you for several seconds while she was teaching you to swim, and she even specifically asked you to learn freestyle next time before leaving. These are all signs. Hold on to her, don't let her get away."

Su Ming scratched his head, his mind a jumble. He felt that Lin Shumei's words made some sense, but he also thought the whole thing was utterly absurd. He decided to stop thinking about it, reached out and put his arm around Lin Shumei's slender waist, pulling her closer to him, and said, "We'll talk about it later."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "Let's go take a warm bath together to relieve our fatigue."

Lin Shumei's serious expression melted instantly. She sweetly hummed in agreement, took Su Ming's hand, intertwined their fingers, and walked straight towards the bathroom.

The bathroom had a large, round jacuzzi. Lin Shumei turned on the tap, and hot water gushed out. She then poured in most of a bottle of bubble bath liquid, and the snow-white foam quickly filled the entire bathtub, like a fluffy cloud mountain.

"Go inside!"

"Um!"

The two soaked in the bathtub, the hot water enveloping their bodies, the foam reaching their shoulders. Lin Shumei leaned against Su Ming, the back of her head against his collarbone, and let out a long sigh with her eyes closed. All the day's toil and scheming melted away in that moment in the hot water. After soaking for a while, the two stood under the showerhead to rinse themselves clean, scrubbing each other's backs. Water droplets trickled down their skin, forming a small puddle at their feet.

Back in the bedroom, the large Simmons bed was covered with snow-white high-thread-count cotton sheets, and the pillows were as fluffy as freshly baked bread. That night, the two had made love twice; the sheets were crumpled, one pillow had fallen to the floor, and the water bottle on the bedside table had been knocked over twice—by the end, they were too exhausted to even pick it up. Afterwards, Lin Shumei rested her head on Su Ming's arm, her breathing gradually becoming steady. Su Ming, too, was so sleepy that his eyelids were drooping, and he was about to drift off to sleep.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated on the bedside table, the buzzing sound particularly jarring in the quiet room. Half-asleep, Su Ming reached for his phone; the screen displayed a name—Dr. Hou.