Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

"Big brother, thank you..."

As they left the cosmetics store, Lin Xiaoshuang clutched the shopping bag tightly in her arms and whispered to Bai Li.

Her eyes were red, and there was a glistening of water inside.

In all her life, no one, except her parents, had ever been this kind to her.

"What are you thanking me for? I told you it's an investment." Bai Li ruffled her hair, his tone relaxed.

"Big brother, don't worry! If anyone dares to say a bad word about you in the future, I'll be the first to tear their mouth apart!" Chen Tingting patted her chest and made a promise, her eyes full of determination.

Although Li Jiaxin didn't say anything, she unconsciously moved closer to Bai Li.

The three girls carried brand-new cosmetics in their hands, their faces beaming with genuine smiles, and their steps were much lighter as they walked down the street.

Passing by a milk tea shop, Chen Tingting suggested:

"Big brother, let us treat you to milk tea!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Lin Xiaoshuang nodded repeatedly.

"Okay." Since today's investment quota has been used up, Bai Li naturally won't stop their little requests.

Four people walked into the milk tea shop and each ordered a cup.

Chen Tingting rushed to pay, even though it was only a few dozen yuan, a satisfied smile appeared on her face, as if she had accomplished something great.

I found a seat by the window, and the sunlight streamed through the glass, warming me comfortably.

The girls couldn't wait to take out their newly bought cosmetics and display them on the table like treasures.

"Big brother, do you think this color is pretty?" Lin Xiaoshuang asked expectantly, holding up the mauve lip gloss.

"It looks good, and it suits you very well," Bai Li praised sincerely.

The girl blushed with satisfaction and happily put the lip gloss back into her bag.

Bai Li watched them chattering about cosmetics and felt a strange sense of satisfaction welling up inside her.

He was fascinated by the joy of personally cleaning these dusty pearls, allowing them to shine with their original brilliance.

He was already starting to plan in his mind what to do next: get them a new outfit.

That typical outfit of a "young and energetic girl" really buries their true potential.

Just then, a female voice, tinged with uncertainty and surprise, came from not far away.

"Bai Li?"

Bai Li paused for a moment while holding the milk tea cup.

That voice... sounds somewhat familiar.

He looked up and followed the sound.

At the entrance of the milk tea shop stood a woman wearing a Chanel-style jacket, a white pleated skirt, and high-heeled ankle boots.

She wore exquisite makeup and had chestnut-colored wavy hair, exuding an air of pampered elegance.

Xia Qing.

Bai Li's ex-girlfriend.

Bai Li's eyes were calm and undisturbed, her heart unmoved.

Back in college, he and Xia Qing were considered the perfect couple.

However, after graduation, the pressures of reality came one after another, and the two broke up two and a half years ago.

I never expected we would meet again in this way.

Xia Qing clearly didn't expect to run into Bai Li here.

Her eyes were filled with surprise, but even more so with a condescending scrutiny.

She walked over quickly, her gaze lingering on Bai Li for a second before falling on the three girls dressed in flamboyant attire opposite him, her brows furrowing imperceptibly.

"It really is you, Bai Li." Xia Qing stopped in front of his desk.

"I thought I was seeing things. Why are you back?"

Her words sounded like concern, but her rising tone betrayed her true thoughts.

In her opinion, Bai Li's sudden return to this small county town meant he was definitely not going to make a living there anymore.

"Yeah, I came back to take care of some things," Bai Li replied indifferently, without even standing up.

Bai Li's indifference caused Xia Qing's smile to freeze for a moment.

The three girls beside her also sensed that something was wrong; the eldest brother seemed to dislike this woman.

Moreover, the woman's tone was very unpleasant, giving off an air of superiority.

Chen Tingting stopped her playful fight with Li Jiaxin and asked softly, "Big brother, who is this?"

After Bai Li whispered about his ex-girlfriend, Chen Tingting began to look Xia Qing up and down.

Although the woman in front of me looked quite refined, I couldn't compete with the fact that everyone around me was an eighteen-year-old girl!

Chen Tingting quickly figured out how to break Xia Qing's defenses, and she said in a provocative tone:

"Auntie, why are you hitting on me like that? Can't you see this guy is one of ours?"

As expected, Xia Qing's face immediately darkened.

Aunt?

She's only twenty-four years old this year, how come she's already an aunt?

But having been someone who had drifted through society, he immediately began to speak in a sarcastic and unsettling tone.

She ignored Chen Tingting and instead turned her gaze to Bai Li, her tone accusatory:

"Bai Li, are all your friends this rude?"

"They're my sisters," Bai Li said slowly, taking a sip of her milk tea. "I spoil them. Any objections?"

Xia Qing was speechless, choked by his words.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, took an invitation from her bag, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Bai Li.

"I'm getting engaged next week. If you're free, come over for the wedding banquet."

"And another thing, my fiancé runs a tobacco and alcohol wholesale business around here, and he drives a Mercedes."

Xia Qing's words clearly conveyed a sense of boasting.

"I don't have time to go." Bai Li's reaction remained indifferent, and she didn't even glance at the invitation.

His reaction left Xia Qing with a bellyful of boastful words stuck in her throat, unable to come out or go, making her extremely uncomfortable.

She felt like she had punched a piece of cotton.