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

3 PM, Pingxian Long-Distance Bus Station.

A slightly dilapidated bus came to a stop, belching black smoke.

As soon as the car door opened, three brightly colored heads popped out.

"Ouch, my back is killing me." Chen Tingting stretched, her red hair standing out starkly in the gray station.

She was carrying two snakeskin bags, which were full of homemade sausages and local specialties.

Lin Xiaoshuang and Li Jiaxin, who followed behind, were in no better shape, carrying large and small bags, looking like a group of refugees.

"Big brother said he'd come to pick us up, but where is he?" Lin Xiaoshuang looked around, stamping her feet to keep warm.

"They're probably still on their way. This place is so congested." Chen Tingting threw the burlap sack on the ground and took out her phone to call for help.

Just then, a midnight blue Panamera slowly drove up, its deep engine sound standing out in the noisy station square.

The taxis and private cars around them unconsciously kept their distance, afraid of scratching this walking gold mine.

The car window rolled down, revealing Bai Li's angular face. Sunglasses sat atop his high nose, and a half-smile played on his lips.

"Get on the bus, we're fleeing famine."

The three girls froze instantly.

Chen Tingting nearly dropped her phone, her mouth agape: "Holy...holy crap? Who's this? Is this Big Brother?!"

Lin Xiaoshuang stared wide-eyed, her mouth practically watering:

"He's so handsome... How come he looks like he's been using a beauty filter after only a few days?"

Although Li Jiaxin didn't speak, a hint of shock flashed in her usually aloof eyes.

She keenly noticed that Bai Li's skin had improved, his features seemed more defined, and he exuded a captivating aura.

"What are you still standing there for? Put your things in the trunk." Bai Li took off his sunglasses, and his peach blossom eyes curved slightly, making the three girls' hearts skip a beat.

The group hurriedly stuffed the pile of rustic-looking snakeskin bags into the trunk of the luxury car.

Fortunately, this Panamera has a hatchback design and plenty of space, otherwise it really wouldn't have been able to fit all this sausage and dried radish.

Once the group got into the car, a sense of awkwardness arose spontaneously.

"Big brother... did your friend borrow this car?" Chen Tingting sat in the middle of the back seat, barely daring to sit properly, touching the leather seat with her hands and marveling at it.

"Just bought it," Bai Li replied casually.

"Bought...bought?!"

A trio of gasps erupted in the carriage.

At this moment, Zhang Qian, who had been sitting in the passenger seat without daring to turn around, timidly turned around:

"Yes, it was just mentioned, over a million."

Seeing Zhang Qian there, and even sitting in the passenger seat, Chen Tingting's eyebrows instantly shot up.

But before she could react, Bai Li shut her down with a single sentence.

"Don't make such a fuss. Zhang Qian has been running errands for me these past few days, she's been working really hard." Bai Li glanced at Chen Tingting through the rearview mirror:

"From now on, we're all on the same side, so let's not form cliques."

Bai Li's words are like an imperial edict.

Although Chen Tingting was a little annoyed that the blue-haired monster had taken the passenger seat, she obediently shut her mouth when she saw Bai Li's unyielding gaze.

"Um... big brother, did you get some minor cosmetic procedures done these past few days?"

Lin Xiaoshuang couldn't resist any longer and leaned closer to the back of the seat in front of her, staring at Bai Li's profile:

"This is so good-looking! It's even more handsome than those cross-dressing bloggers I follow on TikTok."

"That's right, my brother was born with a good foundation." Zhang Qian interjected tactfully, her tone carrying a hint of pride.

The car sped along and finally stopped in front of a Hanting Hotel.

"Get off the bus and get your luggage."

Chen Tingting stared blankly at the bright hotel lobby: "Big brother, aren't we going back to that little hotel we used to go to?"

They used to stay at that small hotel for only 25 yuan a day. It was a bit run-down, but they were used to it.

Although the Hanting Hotel isn't exactly a top-tier hotel, in their eyes it's already a high-end establishment.

"That place is always being renovated, the soundproofing is terrible. And the hot water is intermittent; it's a living hell." Bai Li locked the car.

"We've booked two long private rooms for you."

When checking in at the front desk, Bai Li simply scanned the QR code.

"Two double rooms, one month's rent."

The three girls, holding their room keys, entered the carpeted room with its own bathroom and large windows, and excitedly jumped onto the bed.

"Wow! This bed is so soft! And there's a TV!" Lin Xiaoshuang rolled around on the bed.

"There's even free bottled water and tea bags!" Chen Tingting exclaimed like a country bumpkin visiting a grand garden.

Bai Li leaned against the doorway, watching them make a ruckus.

"Alright, stop looking like you've never seen anything like this before." Bai Li pointed to the next room:

"Zhang Qian lives in 302, and the three of you live in 301. I won't be staying here; I need to go home for the next few days."

Upon hearing that Bai Li was going home, the four girls' eyes dimmed slightly.

Zhang Qian, in particular, was overflowing with reluctance in her eyes.

But she knew that Bai Li had parents and a normal family, and couldn't hang out with them forever.

"Just wander around the county town for the next few days and buy some clothes for the New Year. Eat and drink as you please, and let me know if you run out of money."

Bai Li took out his phone and transferred 500 yuan to each person: "Don't try to save me money, you hear me?"

"Understood, big brother!"

"Take care, brother!"

Watching Bai Li's tall figure disappear into the elevator, the four girls in the room looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Hey, don't you guys think that Big Brother is becoming more and more like a domineering CEO?" Chen Tingting lay on the bed in a starfish position, staring at the ceiling.

"Hmm." Li Jiaxin was packing her luggage and placing the few bottles of cheap cosmetics on the table. "And the scent he had... made me feel especially at ease."

Zhang Qian sat on a chair in the corner, stroking the room key in her hand.

She didn't speak, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

At this moment, the four girls, who were initially somewhat distant from each other, felt a strange resonance because of the same man.

They are weeds marginalized by this world, and Bai Li is the only one willing to water them.