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

"Here, we can create a suspended ceiling, with lights shining down..." Xiao Wang spoke with great enthusiasm and high spirits.

The tablecloth hung down, obscuring most of the view.

Her red-soled high heels were nowhere to be found.

A jade foot wrapped in black silk was moving restlessly.

Xiaoyue's delicate and smooth stockings occasionally brushed lightly against Bai Li's ankles, their touch slippery and warm, separating at the slightest touch, making one's heart itch.

Bai Li was a seasoned veteran and could remain unfazed by such provocation.

His eyes were fixed on the design drawings, and he was listening intently.

"Buzz—Buzz—"

The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

The screen displayed the four large characters "Stupid Dog Bai Jian".

Bai Li glanced at it, reached out and pressed the mute button, then placed the phone screen face down on the table.

……

Outside the door, a cold wind howled.

Bai Jian squatted by the street at the entrance; if you gave him a bowl, he'd look like a beggar.

"Why do I feel like a husband kneeling helplessly at the entrance of a restaurant, forced to watch his wife and boss discuss business over drinks?"

Bai Jian sniffed the snot that had come out of his nose from the cold, and took out his phone to check the time.

"They've been inside for almost forty minutes, haven't they?"

Why haven't they come out yet? And they're not answering their phones?

Is it really that complicated to buy furniture?

"It's alright, my cousin is probably trying to find a way to reject the designer from Mingjiang. Once he does, he'll definitely come to me with money right away."

Bai Jian muttered to himself, trying to convince himself with this reasoning.

"No, the more I think about it, the more uneasy I feel. I need to make another call."

……

Inside the Mingjiang Decoration store.

Bai Li's phone screen lit up again; it was still Bai Jian.

Xiao Wang was talking enthusiastically when he saw Bai Li about to press the mute button again, and suddenly stopped what he was doing.

The foot under the table also stopped, its toes slightly raised, pressing against Bai Li's shinbone with a hint of threat.

"Call it!"

Xiao Wang's alluring eyes narrowed slightly, her tone carrying a hint of assertiveness:

"Why aren't you answering? Are you afraid your cousin will hear me explaining this to you?"

Bai Li raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

Xiao Wang leaned forward, lowered her voice, and parted her red lips slightly:

"If you don't answer, I'm not going to talk anymore~"

After saying that, she opened her phone and started scrolling through short videos.

Bai Li had no choice but to answer the phone. This woman was truly skilled in design, and he was still listening with great interest.

"Feed?"

Bai Jian's urgent voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Xiao Li! You finally answered the phone! How did it go? Have you finished choosing? I'm freezing out here!"

Bai Li leaned back on the sofa, her tone languid:

"Not yet, it's too difficult to choose. The firmness of the genuine leather, the resilience of the sponge, we have to test them one by one, it's not something that can be done quickly."

As they were talking, Xiao Wang, who was standing next to them, suddenly began to explain:

"Mr. Bai, as you can see, we used the top-of-the-line sound-absorbing cotton for the soundproofing in this bedroom. We guarantee that no matter how loud you make noise inside, no one outside will hear you..."

The voice was clear and professional, transmitted through the phone.

Bai Jian on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment:

"Hey? Xiao Li, I heard someone talking about soundproofing? Isn't that about the renovation? Didn't you buy furniture?"

Bai Jian's alertness instantly spiked.

Bai Li remained calm and composed, casually spouting nonsense:

"Oh, you misheard. That's their store's announcement, they're advertising. You know, furniture stores these days all offer whole-house customization, so it's normal for them to use some decorating-related terms."

"Is...is that so?" Bai Jian was inwardly doubtful, but could only force a smile.

"That's right, that's right, there are so many different kinds of products these days. Okay, take your time choosing, make sure you pick carefully!"

"Don't worry, cousin, I'll always be waiting for you outside!"

"Okay, I'm hanging up."

"beep--"

The phone hangs up.

Xiao Wang couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Bai Li lie while simultaneously listening intently to his renovation ideas.

"What the heck..."

Xiao Wang fiddled with the stylus in his hand, his eyes gleaming with a smug look.

"When you came here just now, you said no, but your body was telling the truth... even though your ears were so engrossed in listening."

Bai Li looked at her:

"Your expertise is undeniable; of course I'm captivated. Please continue, and elaborate on the bathroom design you just presented."

He genuinely thought the plan was good.

Although Xiao Wang is a bit frivolous, his professional skills are undeniable. He accurately identified several pain points, especially the bizarre requests from Lin Xiaoshuang and the other two women, for which he provided very reasonable solutions.

He's definitely a million times better than that idiot Bai Jian.

Seeing Bai Li thoroughly enjoying his explanation, Xiao Wang's desire to conquer him exploded.

She quietly took out her phone and switched it to video recording mode.

The camera was focused on Bai Li.

In the video, Bai Li is staring at the iPad screen, nodding frequently with a satisfied and admiring expression.

"Actually, you can design something even bolder. Keep talking, don't stop."

Video recording is complete.

Xiao Wang's fingers flew across the keyboard.

As her neighbor was Bai Jian's company, she naturally had Bai Jian's contact information.

She clicked on Bai Jian's profile picture.

Send video.

Xiao Wang's red lips curved slightly, and she murmured softly:

"Hmph, you'd never guess your cousin was so engrossed in listening...?"

……

Outside.

Bai Jian was squatting on the curb smoking.

He was thinking to himself that after Bai Li gave him the money, he would first fix up his beat-up BMW, and then go order two things that didn't eat cilantro...

"Ding-dong."

The WeChat notification sound has gone off.

Bai Jian took out his phone and saw that it was a message from "Master Craftsman Xiao Wang".

"Why is this woman messaging me?"

Bai Jian clicked on it with a puzzled look.

It's a video.

The video has started playing.

Inside stood the very person who had kept him waiting anxiously at the door—his dear cousin, Bai Li.

Bai Li's face was flushed, and her eyes were glazed (actually, the floor heating inside was too hot), and she kept nodding.

And that Xiao Wang, her voice was so sweet it could melt in your mouth:

"Mr. Bai, are you satisfied with this proposal? If so, we can continue our discussions in more detail."

In the video, Bai Li replied in a hoarse voice:

"Yes, that's spot on. I really like it. Please be sure to... have a more in-depth discussion."

As the video ends.

Bai Jian's eyes widened first, and then his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

"What...what is going on?!"

"Renovation plan?! In-depth discussion?!"

Bai Jian's mind went blank.

Recalling Bai Li's words on the phone earlier, such as "the furniture is difficult to handle" and "I don't have time to come to your place," and then looking at the satisfied scene of Bai Li in the video.

This isn't buying furniture.

This is clearly a discussion about home renovation!

Moreover, the discussion has gone deep and is almost finalized!

"No...it's impossible..."

Bai Jian suddenly stood up, but because he stood up too quickly, he swayed twice due to insufficient blood supply to his brain and almost fell into the green belt.

"They're lying to me...they're all lying to me!"

"You promised I'd do it!"

A sense of betrayal mixed with the panic of losing a huge sum of money instantly overwhelmed Bai Jian's reason.

"I don't believe it... I don't believe my cousin would do this to me..."

"Even though I'm usually pretty inhuman, I don't believe it!!!"

He staggered toward the door of the Master Craftsman Decoration and pushed it open forcefully.

"Get the hell out of here!"

All the sales assistants were startled.

Ignoring everything else, Bai Jian rushed straight to the negotiation area with red eyes.

He saw it.

He saw Bai Li leaning back on the sofa, looking quite content, while the mature woman in black stockings, Xiao Wang, was smiling as she handed him a contract.

At that moment, Bai Jian felt like his world had collapsed.

"No!!!"

Bai Jian's agonizing screams echoed throughout the exhibition hall.

He rushed halfway, but his legs gave way, and he felt as if all his bones had been removed. He slid down the wall and collapsed limply onto the carpet.

He held his head in his hands, his fingernails digging deep into his hair, his voice filled with despair and sorrow.

"How could this happen..."

"Cousin...aren't you already someone else's client...?"

"They...they clearly agreed to come here...I've already been calculating the profit..."

On the sofa, Bai Li turned around at the shout.

He looked at Bai Jian, who was lying on the ground, without the slightest remorse on his face.

Because Xiao Wang had been giving a very professional explanation, he kept nodding to signal for him to continue.

It feels like we've known each other for ages, otherwise my parents' house would have been renovated and you'd be here two years ago.

In Bai Jian's eyes, this expression was a sign of great satisfaction and even admiration for the master craftsman!

He had never seen Bai Li show him any appreciation.

Bai Li stood up and looked down at this idiot.

"Cousin, you're here."

Bai Li straightened his collar, his tone tinged with helplessness:

"I just had an in-depth discussion with this designer... she... is really much more capable than you..."

"In every aspect, my mind... is now completely filled with her thoughts..."

Bai Li seemed to still be savoring the design details from earlier:

"I've fallen deeply in love with her ideas... that seamless feeling is something you can't give me."

"But don't worry, cousin... I still... acknowledge your professional skills... really."

"But... I'm sorry, cousin, after hearing her thoughts, there's no going back..."

Bai Jian felt his heart bleed as he listened.

My money!!

This is like killing someone by breaking their spirit!

"You...you..." Bai Jian pointed at Bai Li, his fingers trembling, unable to utter a single word.

At this moment, Xiao Wang, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, came up.

She walked to Bai Li's side in her high heels.

"Mr. Bai really knows how to compliment people."

Xiao Wang turned his head and looked at Bai Jian, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, a victor's smugness flashing in his eyes.

"Now that Boss Bai is here, I'll confirm this again in front of him."

Xiao Wang's voice was clear and crisp, carrying an aggressive tone:

"Whose idea is better?"

Bai Li looked at her and said without hesitation, "Yours..."

"What's so good about my idea?"

Bai Li: "Everywhere... is fine... perfectly meets the requirements of me and Xiao Shuang."

"Shout it out loud, isn't my idea great?"

Bai Li chimed in, "Great... fantastic... I love your ideas the most... I didn't want you to stop listening to what you were saying..."

Boom!

Bai Jian felt as if the last bolt of lightning had struck the top of his head.

It’s over.

It's all over.

Bai Li was completely captivated by the master craftsman's decorating ideas.

Xiao Wang smiled with satisfaction:

"Cheng Hui, the total is estimated at 30." She took out a POS machine with elegant movements: "Mr. Bai Li, would you like to pay by card?"