Li Wenshui’s smile froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. “Liang, it’s really a misunderstanding. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to apologize for entering the wrong room yesterday.”

Liang Jin stood in the backlight, with an unhealed bite mark on his lips, looking like a splash of cinnabar, the red stark against his skin. His posture was arrogant. “Is it really a misunderstanding? The two rooms have completely different layouts. A sharp, intelligent person wouldn’t mistake the rooms.”

Clearly, Liang Jin had already assumed that Li Wenshui had ill intentions since yesterday. Li Wenshui didn’t try to defend himself. He slightly tilted his head and looked at Liang Jin, his eyes bright, with a faint, ambiguous hickey visible on his neck. He wasn’t wearing the flashy branded clothes he’d worn earlier, just a simple white T-shirt and shorts, which looked plain and cheap. His legs were covered in bruises from being beaten, and there were clear marks on his thin, delicate ankles—injuries from these past few days of mistreatment.

At this moment, Li Wenshui looked pale, fragile, and pitiful.

“If it’s just an apology, I’ll accept it,” Liang Jin said, walking past Li Wenshui. “Take the mangoes back.”

Li Wenshui’s lips moved, as if wanting to say something, but then he hesitated. “I…”

Liang Jin paused, pinched Li Wenshui’s chin, and stared into his eyes, seeing the calculations swirling inside.

Liang Jin had a face with a highly superior bone structure, his features effortlessly charming, with eyes slightly slanted at the corners, always carrying an air of success and superiority. Li Wenshui was forced to meet his dark, deep eyes, and the pressure was overwhelming.

“If it’s for something else,” Liang Jin said, smiling and letting go of Li Wenshui, his attitude casual, “I don’t like pink hair.”

He picked up his expensive coat, carelessly discarded on the floor, and walked toward the bathroom without looking back, the sound of water starting.

Li Wenshui stood there, his hand on his hair, in a daze for a while. When he came to his senses, he walked to the bathroom door and took a deep breath. “You see, we’re both close to Jianan, and with that relationship, could you help me with a small favor?”

A mocking laugh came from inside the bathroom, slow and sarcastic, even the sound of water couldn’t drown it out. Li Wenshui ignored it and continued, “The support program was supposed to have a spot for me. Others took my spot using their connections. I just want to be treated fairly.”

Liang Jin didn’t respond.

Li Wenshui lowered his head, smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes repeatedly. “This is just a small thing for you, and didn’t you always want me to stay away from Luo Jianan?” He spoke to the silent bathroom, “Could this be used as a bargaining chip?”

“I can stop bothering Luo Jianan in the future.”

The sound of water stopped, and the bathroom door suddenly opened, startling Li Wenshui into taking a step back. Liang Jin stepped out of the bathroom and stopped in front of the wardrobe, removing his towel.

His body was tall and fit, with no flaws, his skin gleaming with a healthy, pale glow. Unlike Liang Jin’s fair complexion, which looked well-nourished, Li Wenshui’s pale skin appeared unhealthy.

After changing, Liang Jin noticed that Li Wenshui hadn’t left. His gaze deepened. “I’ll consider your proposal. Go back and wait for the news.”

Li Wenshui’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t held much hope, but he didn’t expect Liang Jin to actually agree.

He quickly shook off his previous pitiful demeanor and smiled widely. “Thank you so much, Liang. I wasn’t very polite to you before, but please don’t take it to heart.” Liang Jin sneered, curling the corner of his lips, and walked toward the door. Li Wenshui noticed the mangoes on the table and quickly grabbed them, chasing after him to offer them. “Liang, take these mangoes.”

Liang Jin didn’t reach out. His phone rang, and as he answered the call, his gaze turned toward the door, his voice soft. “Baby, I’ll be there soon…”

Li Wenshui thought for a moment and put the mangoes back on the table. Seeing Liang Jin still on the phone, he quickly took out his own phone and snapped a few pictures.

At the bus stop, Li Wenshui was squeezed in the crowd, and Liang Jin drove past them in a sports car. At first, his apology to Liang Jin hadn’t been sincere. He had been the one bullied and touched, and his injuries still hurt, his backside aching. Yet he had to apologize to the one who had hurt him, and he felt wronged and upset. But Liang Jin agreeing to help alleviated much of that frustration. As long as he could get the spot, things would improve. His popularity would rise, and he could soon pay off his debts. If he was lucky enough to become a big influencer, he could move out of the small, dilapidated apartment and into a clean, bright two-bedroom with a bathroom, and not have to share a bedroom with Wen Qing anymore.

The bus slowly arrived, and there wasn’t a single vacant seat. Li Wenshui stood by the window, knowing that his home was far away, and the ride would often take two hours. In those two hours, he had seen almost half of the city. He knew how prosperous and respectable the city was, but he also understood how undignified his own survival was here. Yet, the city offered endless hope; as long as one was alive, there was hope.

By the time he got home, the sky had already darkened. Li Wenshui picked two green vegetables from the garden and made a simple bowl of vegetarian noodles. As he ate, he searched for food pictures online and posted a photo of a steak with filters and a gym picture to his Moments, setting it so that only the manager, who loved to browse Moments, could see it. Within five minutes, the manager sent a message.

Li Wenshui scooped a spoonful of chili sauce into his bland noodles and opened the chat.

Manager: “Wenshui, you went to the gym?”

Li Wenshui didn’t respond. A little while later, his phone rang again.

Manager: “That gym looks familiar, is it the VP’s?”

Li Wenshui: “Have you been there too?”

Manager: “Did you hook up with the VP already?”

The message was sent, then immediately retracted, but Li Wenshui still saw it. It didn’t matter; he wanted the manager to think that way.

The chat showed “The other person is typing…” for a long time.

Manager: “Wenshui, why didn’t you say you know the VP? You’re really low-key, haha. I was a bit harsh this afternoon, don’t take it to heart. Recently, there’s a project for a beauty blogger, let’s have dinner and talk about it sometime?”

The manager’s attitude changed completely, his tone friendly, a stark contrast to when he had scolded him earlier. Li Wenshui realized that leveraging Liang Jin’s influence might actually be useful, but he didn’t expect it to work this well, whether it was with Zhao Mingcheng or the manager. This made him realize, for the umpteenth time, how great it was to have power. Just catching a bit of its light was enough to solve problems that seemed impossible to deal with on his own.

Looking at the bland noodles in his bowl and the shabby, dimly lit room, Li Wenshui couldn’t help but envy and resent Liang Jin for having been born into such a good family.

In the following days, Li Wenshui continued to wait for news while working part-time. He waited and waited, and a week passed without anyone calling him.

During his lunch break, Li Wenshui sat in the alley behind the hotpot shop, holding a box of lunch. Tentatively, he sent a message to the manager: “Manager, has there been any update on the support program?” He stared at the screen, eating hastily from the box. The meal consisted of one meat dish and one vegetarian dish, but they had been left out too long and had cooled down, so the taste wasn’t great. Li Wenshui wasn’t picky with his food, as long as he could fill his stomach, he was fine.

A reply came in, and Li Wenshui quickly looked at his phone.

Manager: “No.”

A cold, indifferent response. The manager’s attitude made Li Wenshui feel uneasy, so he cautiously asked again: “You mentioned last time that we could go out for a meal sometime?”

Manager: “No time.”

Li Wenshui sent a few more messages but received no further replies. His heart sank. What Liang Jin had promised didn’t happen, and the project the manager had mentioned was also gone. Something must have happened in between.

“Xiao Li, hurry up, it’s time to switch shifts!”
“En—” Li Wenshui didn’t have time to think further. He finished the remaining food in big bites. In such a high-traffic restaurant, lunch breaks were short, and if you didn’t finish, you’d go hungry.

By 10 PM, Li Wenshui walked out of the hotpot restaurant, exhausted. The smell of oil and smoke clung to him, and with every step, the scent seemed to dissipate, constantly reminding him of his poverty. At this time, the bus to the bungalow district was no longer running. Li Wenshui slowly walked along the bridge, the shimmering reflections in the river beneath him.

The phone rang. Li Wenshui saw the caller ID and stopped, leaning against the railing to answer.

“Wenshui, why haven’t you contacted me these past few days? If I don’t contact you, can’t you contact me first?” Luo Jianan said.

Li Wenshui casually ruffled his hair, which had been messed up by the wind. “I’ve been too busy these past few days. Have you finished your thesis? Send it to me and let me have a look.”

Luo Jianan was momentarily at a loss for words. “…You only care about the thesis. I’m going camping tomorrow. Are you coming?”

Li Wenshui kicked a stone on the ground, bored. “I’m not going. Be careful and don’t go to any too remote places.”

“Come on, my cousin is coming too. It’ll be more fun with more people!” Luo Jianan’s voice was filled with excitement.

Li Wenshui stopped in his tracks, standing up straight. “Is Liang Jin going too?”

“Yes,” Luo Jianan replied, her voice cheerful. “You don’t need to bring anything, just come along!”

Li Wenshui agreed, “Alright, I could use a break too.”

“That’s right! You’re always so busy. Life is short, you should enjoy it while you can!” Luo Jianan was as happy as a child. “Wenshui, I want to eat the candied cherry tomatoes you make.”

Li Wenshui smiled. “I’ll make some for you. I really don’t understand why you think they’re so good; they all taste the same, right?”

“They’re not the same. You make the best ones!”

On his way back, Li Wenshui bought half a pound of colorful sugar crystals. He went to his garden, picked some freshly ripened cherry tomatoes, and by the time he finished preparing them, it was already past midnight. He placed the tomatoes in a clean glass container. After everything was ready, Li Wenshui walked towards his bed. As he passed the mirror, he suddenly slowed down, staring at his pink hair that seemed out of place in the dim room. He became a little lost in thought.

The rain had continued for half a month, but the next day the sky was clear and the weather was perfect for camping.

Liang Jin sat in the car, wearing sunglasses, and looked at Luo Jianan, who was gazing around outside the car. “What are you looking at? It’s time to go.”

Luo Jianan, full of excitement, waved toward the distance. “Over here! Hurry up!”

He walked over, pulling Li Wenshui, who was dressed in sportswear, toward the car. His face was full of surprise. “Wenshui, you dyed your hair back to black!”

Li Wenshui’s soft, dark hair gently swayed in the wind, making his skin appear even fairer, clean and pure. Feeling the displeased gaze from Liang Jin, Li Wenshui turned his head. A deep red mole at the corner of his eye added a striking beauty to his look. He smiled and waved at Liang Jin. “Sorry to bother you, Liang.”