The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

"What?!"

"Oh my God!"

"That's utterly ridiculous!"

Bai's father, mother, and son exclaimed almost simultaneously, their eyes wide as saucers, staring intently at Qiao Xinxin with expressions of utter disbelief.

Bai's mother reacted the most, jumping up from the sofa as if she'd been pricked in the butt with a needle. She waved her hands wildly in the air, shaking her head like a rattle: "No, no, no! Absolutely not! Xin Xin, are you still half asleep? You're a young woman, never even had a boyfriend, and you're going to work at the entrance of the men's bathhouse?! Those are all shirtless men! What kind of talk is this! If word gets out, people will tear our family apart!"

Mr. Bai was also flustered, his face flushed red. He waved his hands repeatedly, his hoarse voice cracking, "That's right, Xin Xin! Absolutely not! How can a beautiful young girl like you work in a place like that? It's not appropriate! It's so inappropriate! I'll do the job, don't interfere!"

Bai Zhengyuan's face darkened, and he adopted the authority of a battalion commander, his brows furrowing into a tight knot: "Xin Xin! Don't joke about this! There's a limit to fooling around! That's the army's men's bathhouse! What kind of decorum would it be for a young woman like you to work there? Even if you just sit at the outer entrance collecting tickets, you'd still have to deal with those rough men who've just finished showering and are disheveled! How can I feel at ease if you go? This is non-negotiable, absolutely not!"

Seeing the exaggerated expressions on the faces of the three family members, as if she were about to venture into some dragon's den or tiger's lair, Qiao Xinxin was stunned for a moment, and then she couldn't help but burst out laughing, clutching her stomach and bending over with laughter.

"Oh dear! Dad, Mom, brother, why are you all so nervous? Don't make such a fuss!"

Qiao Xinxin waved her hand with a smile, her relaxed and open expression leaving the three anxious and flustered.

She cleared her throat, blinked her innocent almond-shaped eyes, and began to explain to them in a serious tone:

"Think about it carefully, what exactly does the bathhouse manager do? He just sits on a small stool at the outermost entrance, collecting tickets, issuing keys, and keeping an eye out for troublemakers who try to evade fares or cause trouble!"

"I'm not going into a huge pool to scrub people's backs! There are several curtains and changing rooms in between; I can't see a single hair on their head!"

At this point, Qiao Xinxin playfully raised her eyebrows and argued confidently, "Besides, even if someone walks past me shirtless, I'm still the manager sitting outside putting on airs! If anyone's looking, it's me looking at them, not the other way around! If we're really going to talk about it..."

She chuckled, revealing two cute little fangs: "I got to see those abs for nothing! In the end, I'm the one who got the better deal!"

Upon hearing this, the air in the already cramped living room seemed to freeze instantly.

The three of them—Bai's father, Bai's mother, and Bai Zhengyuan, a decisive and efficient battalion commander in the army—stood frozen in place, staring at each other in disbelief.

It seems... that's actually true?

As long as you don't go into the inner bathhouse, sitting at the outermost entrance collecting tickets is just like being a gatekeeper, isn't it?

Seeing the identical stunned expressions on the three faces, Qiao Xinxin's big eyes darted around mischievously. She quickly pressed her advantage, her soft voice carrying an undeniable firmness:

"Besides, Dad, Mom, Brother! Think about it, the work hours are from 7 pm to 10 pm, which is only three hours at most. Isn't that a great time? I still have plenty of time to do other things during the day, it won't interfere with my work at all!"

She stretched out her small, fair hand and counted on her fingers, "Twenty-eight yuan a month! That's no small sum. What a great, easy job! Brother, you just said it yourself, positions in the army are extremely limited, one in a million! If we just let this opportunity go to waste, wouldn't that be a terrible waste?"

Bai Zhengyuan opened his mouth, intending to refute the argument with a whole host of profound principles, but the words caught in his throat.

He was strangely convinced that he had been completely bewildered by his sister's seemingly nonsensical but actually logically sound words, and he couldn't find a single compelling reason to refute them!

Mother Bai's head, which had been shaking like a rattle-drum, stopped, and the resolute look on her face softened slightly. She hesitated, then turned to her husband sitting beside her, who was smacking his lips. "Old man... what do you think? What Xin Xin said... it sounds like there's some truth to it?"

Mr. Bai rubbed his balding head with a simple, honest expression, rubbing his calloused hands against his trouser legs. He said in a low voice, somewhat uncertain yet convinced, "What Xin Xin said... seems to make some sense, doesn't it? Collecting tickets outside wouldn't be tiring..."

Bai Zhengyuan looked at his younger sister's bright, expectant almond-shaped eyes, then at his parents who had been completely fooled by their daughter's words. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly and rub his temples.

"Alright!"

He adopted the authority of an older brother, his face stern, but his tone was full of indulgence and compromise: "Since you've put it this way, if you really want to give it a try, I won't stop you! But we have to make this clear beforehand—you must promise me that if you're unhappy at all, or if you encounter any troublesome people who dare to cause you trouble, come home and tell me immediately! We'll quit right away, understand?"

"I heard that! I knew my older brother was the best to me! Thank you, brother!"

Qiao Xinxin was as happy as a lark, cheered and almost jumped off the sofa, grabbing Bai Zhengyuan's arm and shaking it.

Qiao Xinxin's eyes darted around, her previously smiling face suddenly turned serious, she released her older brother's arm, sat up straight, and abruptly changed the subject:

"Brother, Dad, Mom. I've heard about the job situation, but I have a big plan I'd like to discuss with you."

"What big plan?" Bai Zhengyuan looked at his sister's mysterious and wary appearance, and his heart skipped a beat. He felt a chill run down his spine.

This girl's suggestion to work in the men's bathhouse was already shocking enough, what other bombshell is she going to drop now?

Qiao Xinxin cleared her throat, met the questioning gazes of the family of three, and said, word by word, with firm conviction:

"I want my parents to start a business!"

"Start a business?!"

"My God!"

The elderly couple exclaimed in unison once again!

This time, their reaction was a hundred times more intense than when they heard that their daughter was going to work in the men's bathhouse!

Mother Bai turned pale with fright, her hands flailing wildly in the air as if she had heard some terrifying monster. Her voice cracked, "No, no, no! Absolutely not! Xin Xin, what's wrong with you today? You're talking nonsense! Your mother has toiled in the fields her whole life, barely literate, I don't even know a handful of characters. How could I possibly do business? Speculation and profiteering could get you arrested! Besides, we don't have the capital for that. That would be throwing money away!"

Mr. Bai was also extremely anxious, his face flushed red as he shook his head vigorously: "Xin Xin! You know how poor our family is! Even the train tickets for this trip to the capital were paid for with the allowance your brother sent back! Our family can't afford any more losses! These business people are all shrewd and capable; if we lose money, we'll be left with nothing, not even enough to eat!"