In the dimly lit escape room, players screamed, shouted, and ran around, creating a cacophony of noise. Occasionally, someone would accidentally bump into a door, causing it to shake before settling back into silence.

Behind one of the doors, Li Wenshui rested his forehead weakly against it, the friction leaving a red mark on his skin. Whenever footsteps approached from outside, his entire body tensed nervously.

The person in his arms had sweat-dampened black hair, and his swan-like neck glistened with fine beads of sweat. Liang Jin’s gaze burned with intensity. Suddenly, Li Wenshui felt a sharp pain on his neck as Liang Jin bit down on the back of it, leaving a row of tender red bite marks.

Before Li Wenshui could react, he was forcibly turned around, his back pressing against the door. He bit down hard on his lip, his damp eyes slightly dazed. Liang Jin traced his thumb over Li Wenshui’s lips, coaxing gently, “Don’t bite—you’ve already broken the skin.”

Someone outside stopped by the door, and the handle jiggled. Startled back to reality, Li Wenshui instinctively wrapped his arms around Liang Jin’s neck. Then his gaze shifted upward, and he froze in panic at the sight of the surveillance camera directly above them.

The person outside murmured in confusion, “Weird, why won’t this door open?”

Another voice replied, “Must be broken. I’ll go get the manager.”

Li Wenshui barely dared to breathe as the footsteps receded. Clinging helplessly to Liang Jin’s shirt, he whispered, “There’s a camera. Let’s stop… okay?”

Liang Jin kissed his damp lips, smiling mischievously. “Do you think someone might be watching us in the surveillance room right now?”

Li Wenshui quickly averted his gaze, his flushed face burying itself against Liang Jin’s shoulder.

The manager soon arrived outside. After trying a few master keys, he muttered, “Strange, it still won’t open. Sorry about this; the door must be broken. We’ll get someone to fix it soon.”

“Jianan, have you seen my brother?” Li Wenqing’s voice came from another direction.

Luo Jianan had just exited a different room. “No, maybe he’s in another escape room. There are so many here; let’s check the others.”

Separated by just one door, Li Wenshui leaned against the handle with one hand while his other pressed against Liang Jin’s shoulder. Liang Jin knelt before him, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Looking up at the panting Li Wenshui, Liang Jin smirked. “I’ve never served anyone before. You’re the first to enjoy such treatment from me.”

He buttoned up Wenshui’s shirt and smoothed out the creases in his clothes. Li Wenshui turned his head away, unwilling to face the surveillance camera.

Liang Jin wrapped his arms around Wenshui’s waist, pressing a light kiss to the bite mark he had left earlier. “Don’t worry; the cameras aren’t on.” He pulled out a key and unlocked the door. “No one saw anything.”

A surge of frustration welled up in Li Wenshui. He had endured all that tension, almost suffocating from the anxiety, only to realize it was another one of Liang Jin’s tricks! This man… how could he be so infuriating?

Li Wenshui wasn’t one to hide his emotions—his anger and happiness always showed on his face. At this moment, his almond-shaped eyes were wide, his lips pressed tightly together, a clear sign of his displeasure.

Liang Jin grabbed his hand. “Just a little fun. Wasn’t that exciting?”

Wenshui tried to pull his hand back, but Liang Jin held on tightly. “Don’t sulk, baby. You’re too adorable—I can’t help teasing you.”

Wrapped in Liang Jin’s presence, Li Wenshui thought, If we’re talking about wit, Liang Jin is leagues ahead of me. He could tease and mock without a single harsh word, and then switch to sweet-talking with ease.

Forget it.

“Let’s just leave,” Wenshui said, pushing the door open.

The moment the door opened, Liang Jin withdrew his arm from around Li Wenshui’s waist. The previously intimate atmosphere dissipated instantly. Though Liang Jin still walked beside him without deliberately creating distance, Li Wenshui couldn’t shake the feeling that something was now separating them—a subtle but indescribable sense of alienation.

“Are you free tonight?” Liang Jin asked.

Li Wenshui was about to answer while gently massaging his uncomfortable waist, but a group of people approached them.

Li Wenqing ran over and clung to his arm. “Gege, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

Luo Jianan chimed in, “Cousin, how did you end up with Wenshui?”

Ji Xingzhou and Li Liyan exchanged puzzled looks, their expressions full of curiosity at how these two seemingly unrelated individuals had ended up together.

Li Wenshui’s face was still slightly red. “We just ran into each other by chance.”

Liang Jin’s eyes curved with amusement. “Yes, we just happened to get locked in the same escape room.”

Pei Zhi noticed the kiss mark on Li Wenshui’s neck but chose to say nothing, pretending not to notice.

Li Wenqing asked, “Brother, did you go to the escape rooms up ahead? Some of them are really fun.”

Li Wenshui hadn’t visited any; this was his first time trying escape rooms, but he hadn’t even had a chance to play before Liang Jin had locked him up. He shot a glare at Liang Jin, who smiled back without a hint of remorse.

“We did play a bit. It was pretty fun,” Liang Jin said casually.

Li Wenshui thought to himself that this amusement park visit might be his only chance to play for free, so he didn’t want to waste it. Just as he was considering how to suggest to his sister that they try another escape room, Luo Jianan interrupted, “Wenshui, I’m planning to buy a bag for my mom. Why don’t you both come with me?”

Li Wenshui hesitated. “Um, Wenqing, do you still want to play anything else?”

Pei Zhi interjected, “No need to go outside. There’s a shopping street right here in the park that sells just about everything. You can take your sister there.”

Li Wenqing replied, “Sure, we can shop around first and play later.”

Unable to come up with a reason to refuse, Li Wenshui nodded.

Pei Zhi left after excusing himself, and Ji Xingzhou, who had other plans, whispered a few words to Liang Jin before reluctantly departing as well.

This left the five of them together—five people who were at least somewhat familiar with each other. Li Wenshui walked alongside Li Wenqing and Luo Jianan, while Liang Jin and Li Liyan walked ahead.

Luo Jianan stopped in front of a luxury store that Li Wenshui had only ever dared to admire from afar. He didn’t even dare to approach it.

Upon entering, the shop assistants, who usually looked down on customers, treated Liang Jin with the utmost respect.

Luo Jianan pulled Li Wenshui to a counter filled with exquisite bags and picked one up. “Does this look good? Do you think my mom would like it?”

Li Wenshui glanced at the six-digit price tag. It was a bag he wouldn’t even dare to touch, yet Luo Jianan grabbed it without hesitation.

“Wenshui, take a look around and see if there’s anything you like. My cousin has shares in this amusement park, so we can get a discount.”

“Okay, I’ll take a look,” Li Wenshui replied, though he had no intention of actually browsing.

Liang Jin sat on a nearby sofa, scrolling through his phone as a shop assistant served him an elegant afternoon tea.

Li Wenshui’s phone vibrated, and when he opened WeChat, a rarely active chat popped up with a red dot notification.

Liang Jin: Be at the side gate at five. Wear a dress tonight for me.*

Feeling a gaze fall on him, Li Wenshui quickly put away his phone without replying.

As he wandered over to the accessories section, a diamond-encrusted men’s watch caught his eye. He had admired this watch for a long time and had even bought a knockoff version, which Liang Jin had recognized instantly as fake.

Noticing that he was with Liang Jin, a sales assistant politely asked, “Sir, if you like it, would you like to try it on?”

Li Wenshui wanted to refuse but couldn’t help wanting to try it on. As he hesitated, the sales assistant had already taken out the watch and extended her hand. “Sir, please place your hand on the counter.”

Li Wenshui stretched out his hand, and the assistant carefully fastened the watch around his wrist. His pale skin and slender wrist perfectly complemented the cool tones of the watch, while the diamonds sparkled subtly in the light.

“You look fantastic in this, sir,” the assistant praised. “Of all the customers who’ve tried on this watch, it suits you best.”

Embarrassed by the compliment, Li Wenshui softly asked, “Can I take a picture?”

“Of course,” the assistant replied. If not for Liang Jin’s presence, such requests would typically be denied. But in the presence of true wealth, all rules seemed flexible.

Li Wenshui quickly snapped a few photos with his phone.

“Would you like me to wrap it up for you, sir?” the assistant asked.

Li Wenshui shook his head. “No need, please take it off for me.”

Although he truly liked the watch, he couldn’t afford it. He had long since grown accustomed to not getting what he wanted. Just being able to wear it briefly and take a few pictures was already enough to satisfy him.

As the shop assistant removed the watch, Li Wenshui couldn’t take his eyes off it.

Someone approached him and smiled at the shop assistant. “Let me try it on.”

Turning his head, Li Wenshui saw Li Liyan confidently taking the watch. Unlike him, Li Liyan didn’t need to handle it carefully. After casually putting it on and shaking his wrist twice, he gave a slight nod. “Not bad. Write it up. No need to wrap it.”

The shop assistant beamed. “Of course.”

Watching the watch now on Li Liyan’s wrist, Li Wenshui frowned with disdain. “That watch doesn’t suit you. It makes your skin look dark, and the diamonds on the frame are overpriced. It’s just a rip-off for rich fools like you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Li Liyan replied indifferently. “I’ll throw it away once I’m tired of it. Unless… you wanted to buy it? Sorry, I already paid.”

Li Wenshui scoffed, unbothered. “I don’t care. I’ve got watches way more expensive than that.”

“Good to hear. Otherwise, you’d start thinking I was stealing from you again.”

Walking alongside him, Li Wenshui said, “If something can be taken from me, it’s not truly mine. Don’t feel so victorious.”

Li Liyan picked out a jacket and tried it on.

“It looks bad; makes you look fat,” Li Wenshui commented.

Li Liyan tried on another.

“Still bad. Ugly color.”

Finally, he grabbed a hat.

“You have a big head. That hat will only make it look bigger.”

By this point, anyone could tell that Li Wenshui was deliberately nitpicking. Li Liyan ignored him and walked over to Liang Jin, who had been quietly observing the entire time.

“What do you think of this hat?” Li Liyan asked.

“It’s fine,” Liang Jin replied.

Li Liyan handed the hat to the shop assistant. “Wrap it up.”

Everything Li Wenshui had criticized, Li Liyan ended up buying.

Li Wenshui’s eyes turned red with envy, while Liang Jin gave him a look that was difficult to interpret.

Meanwhile, Li Wenqing browsed the store hesitantly. She had never seen such expensive items before and didn’t dare to touch anything. Poverty had taught them to always check prices first, to weigh whether something was affordable or worth the cost. Fearful of touching anything they couldn’t afford, they had internalized a sense of caution. This was the deep root of poverty. Once ingrained, it was hard to muster the courage to lift one’s head again.

Seeing his reserved sister, Li Wenshui’s emotions settled. He walked over to her. “Do you like anything? Don’t worry about the money. Your brother has enough.”

Li Wenqing shook her head. “I don’t like anything.”

Even if she did, she could only claim otherwise.

While Luo Jianan and Li Liyan bought several luxury items, Li Wenshui took his sister outside and bought her a 15-yuan ice cream cone.

They stayed at the amusement park until the evening, enjoying the attractions. On the Ferris wheel, the view of the capital unfolded before them.

At the topmost point, Li Wensheng said, “Gege, you really liked that watch, didn’t you? I can’t buy it for you now, but we’ll do better and better. You’re a top graduate from a 985 university, and I’ll definitely get into the best school, too. Earning big money is just a matter of time.”

Li Wenshui put an arm around her shoulders. “Wenqing, don’t always think about money. I have enough. Just do what you want to do, take the path you want to take.”

He didn’t want his sister to end up like him.

As the sunset painted the sky red, they approached the side gate of the amusement park. Li Wenshui knocked on the car door, with Li Wenqing by his side.

When the door opened, Liang Jin seemed slightly surprised to see Li Wenqing.

“I need to drop my sister off at home first,” Li Wenshui said.

Liang Jin smiled. “Sure. Get in.”