A life of success begins with being a landlord.

Fugui Mao replied to me, "Yinping Mountain? It's about a hundred li away. Brother Zu, are you going to Yinping Mountain? I'll take you there."

"Oh, never mind, I was just asking." I hung up the phone.

A hundred li is not very far.

It only takes a little over an hour to get there by motorcycle.

With that in mind, I went downstairs to the tobacco and liquor store and bought a map of Dongguan.

The tobacco and liquor store also operates as a small newsstand, with plenty of maps. There's a large transient population here, and many out-of-towners buy a map when they come.

After buying the map, I turned around and bumped into a woman.

"I'm sorry... dear sister!"

I quickly apologized, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Liu Haomei.

This girl stood behind me, not saying a word, and I had no idea what she was up to.

"Brother Wang, what's the rush?" Liu Haomei raised an eyebrow and smiled at me.

"I bought a map, just for fun. Why are you back? Aren't you at work today?"

"I worked half a day, and I have the afternoon and tomorrow off." Liu Haomei pointed to the newsstand: "I'll buy a couple of books too, so I can read them and learn something when I have some free time."

I shook my head: "With so many books at Sihai Printing Factory, isn't that enough for you?"

"That's not a book I like to read."

Liu Haomei bought two books and lost her money: "Let's go, Brother Wang, I'll go to your 302 for a cup of tea. I heard Sister Li went out again, right?"

I led Liu Haomei upstairs and said with a smile, "Sister Li is gone, what are you planning to do?"

Liu Haomei glared at me, her eyes surprisingly filled with resentment.

Once inside 302, I put down the map and prepared to pour tea for Liu Haomei.

Liu Haomei rushed over and hugged me tightly: "Brother Wang, I missed you so much... I missed you so much!"

"Sister, don't do this..." I panicked, not knowing what to do.

"Brother Wang, I'm already yours. That night in room 508, you were drunk and mistook me for Chunyan." Liu Haomei looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"I don't want anything, all I want is for you to love me!"

"Okay, sis, I..."

"Brother Wang, don't say anything else, just love me."

Liu Haomei covered my mouth with her mouth.

My mind went completely blank.

Suddenly remembering the despair of being held at the head by four shotguns, a moment of life and death, I no longer refused Liu Haomei's enthusiasm.

Life is short, so enjoy it while you can.

I picked up Liu Haomei, drew the curtains, and then we both collapsed onto the sofa.

……

After an unknown amount of time, the dust settled.

Liu Haomei lay in my arms and suddenly burst into tears again.

"Good sister, are you... regretting it?" I hugged Liu Haomei and caressed her.

"Brother Wang, I'm crying because I'm happy."

Liu Haomei kissed me tenderly, saying, "Just now, I felt like we became one person. That kind of spiritual connection... I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just felt incredibly happy."

"Okay, thank you for liking me."

I felt guilty: "But Chunyan and I... I'm afraid you'll hate me in the future."

"Brother Wang, don't think too much. Just enjoy the present and your youth."

Liu Haomei smiled and reached for the clothes: "Anyway, I won't cling to you."

I nodded and dressed Hao Mei myself.

Dressing up a beautiful woman is also a pleasure.

But halfway through getting dressed, Liu Haomei pushed me away and laughed, "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Go ahead." I gently slapped Liu Haomei, then scratched her.

"Salted pig's trotters," Liu Haomei said with a laugh, then got up and went to the bathroom.

However, Hao Mei's walking posture was a bit strange, unlike usual.

"Hey sis, why are you walking so strangely?" I asked, knowing the answer already.

"I'm not telling you." Liu Haomei turned around and rolled her eyes at him.

After coming out of the restroom, Liu Haomei lay back on the sofa, snuggled in my arms, and chatted with me.

As they chatted, Hao Mei fell asleep.

I found a thin blanket and covered Hao Mei with it, then went to the balcony to look at the map.

It's too late to go to Yinping Mountain today, so I plan to go early tomorrow morning.

Around 4 p.m., Awen called me and invited me to dinner.

Liu Haomei was also woken up, got up and hugged my arm:

"Brother Wang, why didn't you wake me up? We finally got to be alone together, but you fell asleep, wasting two hours of our time."

I playfully flicked Liu Haomei's nose: "Haomei, you haven't slept for two hours, are you trying to kill me with exhaustion?"

"Ugh, I didn't say we'd be doing 'that' for two hours straight." Liu Haomei pinched me. "I'm going to take a shower, then we can go eat together later, okay?"

I pinched Liu Haomei: "Of course! Having a beautiful woman by your side is so prestigious, and you can take advantage of her anytime."

Anyway, it's Awen's treat, so I don't have to pay.

My sister went to take a shower, and I was ordered to go to room 508 to get her a change of clothes.

At dusk, in a private room on the second floor of Changhong Restaurant, I met Awen with Liu Haomei.

Awen has lost even more weight, and his eyes look even more melancholy.

"Awen, how many days has it been since you were discharged from the hospital? Are you still taking your medication?" I gently patted Awen's shoulder.

"It's been three days. I stopped taking the medicine; I don't want to." Awen smiled bitterly, then looked at Liu Haomei: "Did Azu change girlfriends? Or did he date two?"

It seems that having two girlfriends is normal here, and no one is surprised.

Liu Haomei giggled and said frankly, "Brother Wen, I'm Brother Zu's friend, but not his girlfriend. I love Brother Zu, but unfortunately, Brother Zu doesn't love me."

I glanced at Liu Haomei and said, "You're lying through your teeth!"

I just gave you so much love, and you said I don't love you?

"It doesn't matter," Ah Wen shook his head and smiled, then asked me, "Ah Zu, I want to see Ah Mei, can you help me?"

I countered, "What brings you to Ah Mei?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to see her." Awen looked at Liu Haomei, then hesitated.

Liu Haomei understood and stood up, saying, "I'm going to make a phone call. You guys chat first."

After Liu Haomei left, I closed the door to the private room and told Awen to speak his mind.

Ah Wen's eyes suddenly reddened, and he whispered, "Ah Zu, I've thought it through. I don't want to drag Ah Mei down anymore. I know I'm not good enough for her, and I can't ruin her life."

I frowned: "Did someone say something to you?"

"No. These are just my honest thoughts."

"Stop talking nonsense!" I looked at Awen:

"Amei still loves you deeply. The nonsense you're spouting now, talking about breaking up, will be a fatal blow to her. She might even do something drastic."

Awen looked at me and said, "So I didn't dare say this, and I wanted to discuss it with you..."

"Ah Wen, thank you for trusting me."

I lit a cigarette: "But tell me the truth, do you still like Ah Mei now? How much do you like her? Be honest."

Awen was stunned, speechless.

I pressed on, "If I hooked up with Amei right now, slept with her, and had sex with her, would you be angry or jealous?"