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

"Big brother."

Chen Tingting turned her head and whispered in his ear:

"You're so nice to us, could it be that you've taken a fancy to one of us?"

The straightforwardness and boldness unique to the young woman caught Bai Li off guard for a moment.

Chen Tingting continued speaking:

"Is she interested in me? Or our Xiaoshuang? Or... someone like Jiaxin?" she said, gesturing towards Li Jiaxin across the aisle.

Li Jiaxin was listening to music with her headphones on, swaying gently to the rhythm, and didn't hear the conversation on the other side.

This question left Bai Li speechless.

He can't exactly say, "What I'm interested in is the rebates you offer me."

He was silent for a moment, then offered a seemingly plausible reason:

"We're all from the same county. It's not easy being away from home, so let's help each other out if we can."

However, Chen Tingting just scoffed, her eyes filled with a worldly-wise mockery.

"Alright, brother, aren't all men the same?"

She lowered her voice, leaned closer, and a playful smile played on her lips:

"At first, I talked to you about life and ideals, but once we got to know each other better, wasn't it just a way to seduce your mother?"

Bai Li knew that the young woman spoke roughly, but this was too rough, so he couldn't respond for a moment.

He could only cough lightly and follow her lead to ask:

"From what you're saying, your circle is pretty chaotic?"

This question made the playful expression on Chen Tingting's face disappear.

She sat up straight, her expression becoming somewhat serious.

"We're pure, morally upright young women," she said, her voice tinged with annoyance at being misunderstood. "We're not like those sleazy bastards!"

She glanced back at Lin Xiaoshuang, who was already somewhat dazed, and then at Li Jiaxin across from her, as if she wanted to defend her sister.

"Don't let our appearance fool you—dyed hair, tattoos, tongue piercings—we're perfectly clean!"

"We're still virgins, unlike those sluts who follow a big brother today and sleep with him tonight."

These words surprised Bai Li somewhat.

He re-examined Chen Tingting in front of him.

With their flamboyant red hair, tattooed arms, tongue piercings, and foul language, they solemnly proclaim their purity here.

This contrast did not make Bai Li laugh; instead, it gave rise to an even stranger feeling in his heart.

Perhaps realizing that her tone had been too harsh, Chen Tingting softened her stance.

She looked at Bai Li, a sly glint in her eyes.

"But... you're so good to us, big brother, we can't let you spend your money for nothing, can we?"

As she spoke, she quietly extended her right hand in front of Bai Li's eyes.

She made an OK sign with her thumb and forefinger.

Then, she gently swayed her arms up and down in front of Bai Li.

Finally, he whispered in Bai Li's ear in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Would you like to give it a try?"

Bai Li's mind went blank for a moment, and her heart was pounding like crazy.

What kind of plot is this?

Is this something I should have to endure?

"No need, no need!" Bai Li almost instinctively shrank back, waving her hands repeatedly, "This...this is in the car!"

Bai Li's reaction seemed to please Chen Tingting.

Seeing Bai Li's somewhat flustered appearance, she finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, laughing so hard that she leaned her whole body against Bai Li.

"Haha, look how scared you are, bro, I was just kidding!"

She laughed so loudly that passengers in the rows in front of her turned around to look.

Bai Li felt somewhat helpless. He knew that this might be a joke, but it probably contained a bit of sincerity.

These girls repay others in such a direct and unreserved way.

The carriage gradually quieted down, leaving only the clanging sound of the tires rolling over speed bumps.

The fatigue from the long journey, along with the drowsiness after a full meal, began to spread silently.

The sounds of conversation gradually thinned out.

Bai Li felt a slight thud on his left shoulder.

He turned his head.

Lin Xiaoshuang, who had been quiet all along, had fallen asleep sometime earlier.

Her small head tilted to one side, her soft cheek resting on Bai Li's shoulder, her nostrils fluttering gently with her even breathing.

In her sleep, she shed the label of "young and energetic girl" and simply resembled a tired child who had found a safe and secure corner to lean on.

A faint scent of cheap shampoo mixed with the fragrance of a young girl lingered around Bai Li's nose.

Bai Li's body stiffened for a moment, but ultimately he did not move.

He looked at the girl's peaceful sleeping face, her long eyelashes drooping, making her look pitiful.

The anger that Chen Tingting had stirred up in him subsided without him even realizing it.

A feeling completely different from simply calculating rebates quietly began to grow in his heart.

It was a wonderful, satisfying feeling of control.

He lowered his head, his gaze sliding from Lin Xiaoshuang's sleeping face to Chen Tingting, who was leaning against his right arm.

Crossing the aisle again, I saw Li Jiaxin, who had put her headphones back on and stretched out her long legs.

These three money trees...

No, these three girls.

From this moment on, their future seemed to be inextricably linked to their own.

Bai Li leaned back in his seat, watching the night rushing past the window, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.