The summer stretched long, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Liang Jin had not contacted Li Wenshui again.

Occasionally, Li Wenshui caught glimpses of Liang Jin in fleeting moments from videos posted on Li Liyan or Luo Jianan’s social media—skiing, playing golf, horseback riding. These affluent young heirs, about to graduate, had no pressure about finding jobs.

Meanwhile, over the past two weeks, Li Wenshui had been anything but idle. After numerous job interviews that offered unsatisfactory salaries, he started considering starting his own business. Both his school and the local government provided entrepreneurial subsidies for students. The school offered 2,000 yuan, while the local government subsidy allowed for a 100,000-yuan loan.

Already burdened with a million-yuan debt, the thought of taking on another 100,000 made him hesitant. However, with the mindset that starting a business could earn more than working a regular job, he applied anyway. The bank rejected his loan application due to his overwhelming debt.

As he left the bank, a mobile van passed by in front of him. That evening, he rode an old, rickety tricycle home. The road was muddy, the air hot and stifling, and the black hair on his forehead was drenched with sweat. The warm glow of the setting sun cast a radiant light on his face, making him appear both warm and resolute.

Li Wenqing was sucking on a popsicle, her long hair tied up high on her head, her face flushed from the heat. “Ge, where’d you get the tricycle?”

Li Wenshui patted the seat, sending up a puff of dust. “Bought it from Uncle Chen for 100 yuan. I’m planning to use it to set up a mobile stall^[1]It’s not a mobile phone stall, its a wheel stall that sells staff popular in night markets, this is what it looks like, in my spare time.”

Li Wenqing circled the tricycle once. “What are you going to sell? I’m on break now and have nothing to do. I’ll help you sell!”

Her brother’s free time was already scarce, and now he was adding a stall to his schedule. Twenty-four hours in a day weren’t enough for him, and she worried about how his body would handle it.

Standing by the window, a breeze blew through, and Li Wenshui wiped the sweat from his forehead with one hand while loosening his collar with the other. “Cakes. Don’t worry about making money—that’s my job. By the way, do you still have the long dress that Jianan gave you?”

Li Wenqing offered him the remaining half of her popsicle. “Haven’t worn it even once.”

Taking the popsicle, Li Wenshui took a big bite, finally feeling a bit refreshed. “There’s a new Happy Valley that opened on South Street. I’ll take you there tomorrow.”

“Really? I’ve never been to Happy Valley!” Li Wenqing’s excitement lasted for only a minute before she remembered their financial situation and hesitated. “Ge, maybe we shouldn’t go. It’s expensive, isn’t it? The beach near home is nice—it doesn’t cost anything, and the scenery is great.”

Li Wenshui smiled and patted his pocket. “Don’t worry—it’s free. I’ve got two complimentary tickets.”

The girl’s eyes sparkled with joy.

The next day, Li Wenshui took Li Wenqing on a bus organized by a popular influencer company. The newly opened Happy Valley had hired their company to help with promotions, inviting several well-known influencers with complimentary tickets. Li Wenshui, however, had not received one. Fortunately, Lin Yumo couldn’t attend due to a last-minute conflict and gave his ticket to him, giving him the chance to bring his sister.

Li Wenqing wore a floral dress with her hair down, her slender figure and the sunlight falling on her face making her look pure and radiant. Time had passed so quickly. The little girl who had been just a tiny sprout when he left was now a grown young woman.

A few male influencers tried to strike up conversations with Li Wenqing, but they were scared off by Li Wenshui’s sharp gaze. Already not very popular in the company, this only isolated him further. The influencers, cliquish as they were, avoided him, preferring to cram into seats together rather than sit near him. As a result, the row next to Li Wenshui remained empty.

While others chatted animatedly during the ride, the area around Li Wenshui was unusually quiet. He kept glancing at his sister, worrying that her sensitive nature might lead her to think he wasn’t doing well in the company, which might make her upset.

Just as he was racking his brain on how to reassure her, Li Wenqing turned her head and said with a hint of stubbornness, “How could the sparrow understand the ambition of a swan?”

Fresh out of her college entrance exams, she was still quoting textbook lines.

Li Wenshui couldn’t stop laughing. “So, in your eyes, I’m the swan?”

Even though to the others on the bus, he wasn’t even worth being compared to a goose, being a swan in his sister’s eyes was the highest compliment.

Li Wenqing leaned on his shoulder. “You’re more than a swan.”

To her, her brother was like a godly figure.

The journey to Happy Valley was long, and before they arrived, Li Wenqing had fallen asleep against his shoulder.

In the seat in front of them, an influencer couple was gossiping nonstop. The name “Yu Zizhuo” caught his attention, and his ears perked up instinctively.

The man said, “Haven’t seen Cousin Yu lately. Heard he’s in the hospital. Apparently, he offended someone, and they broke his leg.”

The woman was shocked. “Someone dared to attack someone with Yu Zizhuo’s status? Who was it? Do you know?”

The man shook his head. “I don’t know, but whoever it was, their family is even more powerful than the Yu family. His parents are planning to send him abroad.”

Li Wenshui listened quietly, wondering if Liang Jin could have been behind it.

The bus stopped at the entrance to Happy Valley, snapping him out of his thoughts. He woke Li Wenqing, and they got off.

Just then, a luxury van pulled up beside the bus. The door opened, and Ji Xingzhou stepped out, sunglasses on, followed closely by Suge.

The gossiping couple behind Li Wenshui began whispering.

“When did they get so close?”

The woman said, “Suge is cozying up to Ji Xingzhou now. Ugh, I can’t stand Ji Xingzhou. Just because he found himself a rich sponsor, he thinks he’s all that. And Suge even acts like it’s something to laugh about.”

The man added, “Maybe Suge’s the same type of person. Birds of the same feather.”

The woman nodded. “True. Honestly, when Suge argued with Li Wenshui that time, I really wished Li Wenshui had put him in his place. I worked with him before, and he was so useless—it drove me mad. If it weren’t for his manager, I would’ve called him out. Bad people deserve to be dealt with by bad people!”

The clueless couple had no idea Li Wenshui was sitting right in front of them.

When Li Wenshui turned his head, the girl, who had been speaking animatedly, suddenly clammed up and hid behind her boyfriend. The boyfriend gave an awkward laugh, his eyes darting nervously. “Oh, hey, Wenshui, you’re here too.”

“Yeah, I’ve been listening for a while now. You two sound better than a duet.” Li Wenshui turned back around.

The girl muttered quietly, “Help! This is so embarrassing!”

While lining up to enter Happy Valley, the couple kept their distance from Li Wenshui. Meanwhile, Li Wenqing clung to her brother’s arm, thinking to herself that it seemed her brother was seen as a “villain” by these people. Well, so be it. It’s better to intimidate others than to be bullied.

The guests at Happy Valley that day were all minor celebrities, influencers, and photographers. Security was tight, and entry was strictly limited to those with invitations. Ji Xingzhou’s fans were kept firmly outside the gates. Inside, the park was sparsely populated.

Li Wenshui turned to his sister and asked, “Where do you want to go first?”

As he raised his head, Ji Xingzhou briskly walked past him. The flamboyant, aloof young celebrity, with his characteristic air of arrogance, almost skipped as he stopped by a flowerbed not far away. Standing on tiptoes, he threw his arms around a young man in a white shirt.

Ji Xingzhou completely blocked Li Wenshui’s line of sight. Li Wenshui thought to himself that Ji Xingzhou didn’t seem to care about appearances—hugging someone so openly in broad daylight with so many media members around. Maybe it was a new benefactor?

The young man patted Ji Xingzhou on the shoulder, prompting Ji Xingzhou to release him. The man exuded elegance, and his smiling peach-blossom eyes radiated charm.

Li Wenshui froze for a moment as his gaze coincidentally met that of Liang Jin.

The two stared at each other briefly before Liang Jin offered a composed smile and looked away. Ji Xingzhou, meanwhile, seemed overjoyed to be near Liang Jin.

How coincidental, Li Wenshui thought, lowering his eyes.

“Li Wenshui?” A voice called out from behind him.

Li Wenshui turned around to find Luo Jianan hooking an arm around his shoulder, exclaiming, “Wenshui! It really is you! What a coincidence! What are you doing here?”

Following Luo Jianan were Li Liyan and Pei Zhi.

“Yeah, quite the coincidence,” Li Wenshui replied. “I’m just here to check out the excitement. What about you?”

“This amusement park belongs to Pei Zhi. He’s hosting the opening, so my cousin and I came to show support. Do you know Pei Zhi?”

Pei Zhi’s gaze lingered meaningfully on Li Wenshui’s face. “We’ve met,” he said, then noticed the influencer-exclusive entry pass in Li Wenshui’s hand. He smirked. “I didn’t expect you to have a side hustle as an influencer.”

“Wait,” Luo Jianan said in confusion, “Wenshui, are you an influencer at my brother’s^[2]Not actually biological brother company? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? With that connection, I could’ve gotten you so many resources!”

Li Wenshui glanced at Liang Jin, who was being ambiguously close with Ji Xingzhou in the distance, and thought to himself that no amount of connections would help—Liang Jin would never give him any benefits.

Li Liyan was about to strike up a conversation with Li Wenqing when he noticed Ji Xingzhou sticking closely to Liang Jin. His brow furrowed, and he quickly walked over to act as a third wheel.

Luo Jianan turned to Li Wenqing and said, “Qingqing, feel free to play anything you want today. Eat whatever you like—it’s all on me.”

Pei Zhi squinted his fox-like eyes. “Why charge it to you? If anyone’s paying, it should go on Liang Jin’s tab.”

Luo Jianan looked confused. “Why should it go on my cousin’s tab? Qingqing and Wenshui have nothing to do with him.”

Pei Zhi opened his mouth to reply, but Li Wenshui cut him off urgently. “Luo Jianan, let’s go ride the Ferris wheel!”

“Sure, I’ll go tell my cousin and the others,” Luo Jianan replied, walking away.

As soon as he was gone, Pei Zhi hooked an arm around Li Wenshui and leaned close to whisper in his ear. “You’re just going to stand by? Aren’t you afraid your ‘husband’ will be stolen by someone else?”

Li Wenshui looked at Pei Zhi in shock.

Pei Zhi thought there was no reason to be surprised. Since he’d made a bet, he naturally knew about the connection between Liang Jin and Li Wenshui. And he didn’t want to lose. Having always lost bets to Liang Jin, his competitive streak pushed him to stir the pot a little.

Noticing Pei Zhi had more to say, Li Wenshui handed Li Wenqing ten yuan and told her to buy some water.

Once she left, Pei Zhi spoke again. “Liang Jin is a cold-hearted person. If you’re hoping to use him to climb the social ladder, forget it. He’ll never give you the chance. You’d be better off letting go early and considering someone like me instead.”

Li Wenshui thought to himself that these rich people were all the same—birds of a feather.

“Li Wenshui?” The voice of his manager interrupted their conversation.

The manager grabbed Li Wenshui by the arm. “It really is you! Didn’t I purposely not give you an entry pass?” Then, waving it off, he added, “Never mind, I won’t hold it against you. We’re short one person for a skit with Suge. Step in and fill the spot.”

Li Wenshui pulled his arm free. “I wasn’t assigned any work today.”

Ever since Liang Jin had publicly stated he wasn’t close to Li Wenshui, the manager’s impression of him had plummeted. “Fine, we’ll split the earnings based on standard traffic. If you’re not interested, I’ll find someone else.”

Originally, Li Wenshui had no desire to act alongside Suge, but upon hearing about the profit share, he didn’t hesitate. “Alright, let’s do it. Where’s Suge?”

The manager signaled for the makeup artist to come over. “Get changed first.”

Ten minutes later, Li Wenshui walked out of the dressing room wearing a maid outfit.

He was dressed in a short black-and-white maid uniform, with a silver-gray mid-length wig. The skirt barely covered the tops of his thighs, showcasing his long, straight legs and his round, perky hips. On him, the outfit looked entirely natural, with no sense of discord.

What kind of bizarre scene was Suge planning to shoot?

Li Wenshui took a deep breath. The sooner this was over, the sooner he could leave. As long as there was money involved, it wouldn’t be a loss.

Pei Zhi let out a low whistle, drawing Liang Jin’s gaze toward them.

References[+]

References

↑1	It’s not a mobile phone stall, its a wheel stall that sells staff popular in night markets, this is what it looks like,
↑2	Not actually biological brother