Self-Discipline, Weakness, and the Past

Good morning, Mr. Bennett!

As soon as Bennett got out of the car, the bank employees in the parking lot stopped and greeted him with smiles warmer than the morning sun.

Bennett would also greet them with a smile. At first, he felt very uncomfortable because he was a small figure in the state branch of the bank and had almost no presence. People wouldn't be so ingratiating and would greet him with a sunny "good morning."

But after arriving here, everything changed.

After locking the car door, he turned around and greeted the person who had greeted him, "Good morning,... sir."

The man whose name was replaced by six dots was instantly satisfied, and his steps seemed to become lighter.

In this atmosphere, he greeted people along the way until he entered his office.

He felt that if he met a few more people, his mouth would go numb, and he recently discovered an interesting little phenomenon: he remembered the names of most of the bank employees.

It has to be said that this is a very magical little social trick. Just by saying hello, people can remember their names. Sometimes Bennett can't help but sigh that the office environment of this subordinate organization is much more complicated than that of the branch office.

He had barely sat down for a minute when his personal secretary came in with a tea tray containing a pot of steaming coffee and a few small pastries.

His secretary was a girl, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with long blonde hair and a very nice figure.

Perhaps because the bank's heating was on, the Female Secretary, who was wearing a wool sweater, had a flushed and hot face. She walked to the desk and placed the tea tray on it.

"Mr. Bennett, here's your coffee. And these are some pastries I made last night. I hope you'll try them!" The girl was a little nervous. A small cookie-like thing fell to the ground. She quickly apologized and bent down to pick it up.

Seeing the girl's skirt clinging tightly to her hips as she bent over, Bennett's breathing quickened slightly. He picked up his coffee, ignoring its still slightly high temperature, and took a sip.

The scalding hot coffee did not relieve his heat and dry mouth; instead, it made his blood boil even more.

"Do you need my help?" he asked considerately, and casually placed his hand on the girl's tightly wrapped skirt, as if he genuinely just wanted to offer some assistance.

He could feel the girl's body trembling slightly, which made him realize he had been somewhat presumptuous. He quickly withdrew his hand and apologized for his rudeness, "I'm sorry, I didn't notice that was..."

The girl blushed and hurriedly stood up, apologized, and quickly left.

He looked at the closed door, then fixed his gaze on the coffee cup in front of him, as if he saw something in the slight ripples on the surface of the coffee.

The warm, soft touch still seemed to linger in his mind. He sighed softly, thinking how wonderful it was to be young.

Bennett is only forty years old this year, but he takes good care of himself and looks like he is only thirty-six or thirty-seven.

He was actually already married; his wife was not the result of his free choice in love, but rather a transaction.

His wife's father was Middle Class manager at the bank, and it was through these connections that he successfully entered the bank. However, to his disappointment, his wife's father did not provide him with much help afterward, because his wife's father suddenly collapsed during a social event. Although he was taken to the hospital in time, he lost his ability to work.

From then on, Bennett had to struggle alone in the bank. He wasn't particularly driven by money. His wife's family was wealthy, and he himself had worked in the bank for many years, accumulating a considerable amount of income, both legitimate and illegitimate.

He was very clear that if he tried to make money now, he would only get a small amount. He couldn't ruin his future for a sum of money that wasn't much to him.

When his position is promoted in the future, his income in all aspects will also increase. From a long-term perspective, strict self-discipline can help him go further.

He didn't have any other bad habits, and he didn't gamble.

Perhaps because his marriage stemmed from a transaction, he maintained an oddly respectful, even somewhat... subservient, attitude towards his wife at home.

His wife often mocked him about the purpose and purpose of their marriage, making it even harder for him to hold his head high at home, especially after his wife's father became paralyzed, at which point his wife became even more sarcastic.

This led Bennett to develop a rather peculiar hobby: whenever he had enough personal time, he liked to visit strip clubs and get up close and personal with the strippers.

Apart from that, he has no bad habits, and even if he does, they are legal.

Strip clubs do not offer sexual services. According to Federal law, only when a certain process occurs and money is involved can it be considered solicitation... but the behavior of strippers does not count, as it is not within the scope of Federal Law.

This is his only personal quirk, and it's legal.

He never messed around with women in the office, even though he was well aware of how dirty the banking system was, especially at the bottom. He never joined in and instead remained chaste.

He didn't want his future to be destroyed by his own hands over some small problems; he should have lofty ideals and a bright future! After missing this little surprise that left him with a lingering sense of satisfaction, he began to remind himself not to let desires control his mind, and he started to focus his attention on his work.

He gradually became deeply engrossed in the documents, enjoying the feeling. Every document required his signature to enter the process. Nominally, he was Qiao Geliman's assistant, but everyone knew that the moment he gained the power to approve, Qiao Geliman was already sidelined.

He was the supreme ruler of this department. All he had to do was wait quietly for Qiao Geliman to finish his work in the middle of the year, at which point he would take over Qiao Geliman's position. Just thinking about it made him excited! The day's work ended quickly. Being busy makes time fly by. He said goodbye to his colleagues and left the bank. Sitting in the car, he couldn't help but think of his secretary and that round buttocks.

A surge of anger rose within him; he needed to relax.

He immediately changed direction and drove towards a nearby strip club with a nice atmosphere. Because of his work, his family hadn't moved here yet, and perhaps they didn't want to. His wife had to take care of her father, and she didn't want to come to this rural place and smell cow dung, even though there were no cows or cow dung on the streets.

This gave Bennett a lot of free time to do what he wanted. He parked his car, pulled his round-brimmed hat down low, and stepped into the strip club.

As soon as he entered, he smelled a very special scent, and a smile appeared on his face.

He exchanged a box of change at the counter—in strip clubs, change is an essential item for everyone, and it plays a very important role.

He then randomly chose a stage to sit on and asked a waiter to bring him some of his favorite drinks.

Most strip clubs have a highly uniform decor. First, there are many different stages, and around each stage is a bar where people can sit, drink, eat, and of course, throw coins to encourage the strippers on stage to perform more energetically.

What made Bennett a little uncomfortable was that there were too many people here today, even more than before the strike. The area around the bar was packed with people, ordinary citizens who reeked of sourness and alcohol, drinking heavily and shouting for the girls on stage to take off everything else.

The noisy environment displeased Bennett; he was a refined man and didn't want to sit with these people.

As people tossed handfuls of five-cent and ten-cent coins onto the stage, the girl, who was barely dressed in the cold winter, danced even more energetically. Soon, she became so hot that she had to take off some clothes to relieve her rising body temperature.

After watching for a while, Bennett stood up with the money box in his hand. He walked to the much quieter VIP service area on the other side, and after showing the card representing his VIP status, he entered a large hall.

The girls here are dressed in all sorts of colors; some wear clothes that only nuns would wear, some wear police uniforms, and some...

Here, as long as people have the money, the girls can satisfy all their needs.

Just as Bennett was about to choose a girl dressed as a nun, his gaze was drawn to a girl who had just come in from backstage.

She was a young girl who looked to be around twenty years old. She was wearing a very common high school uniform. What made Bennett unable to take his eyes off her was her appearance; she looked exactly like his first love.

After a moment of confusion, he came to his senses, called out the girl's name, and entered an empty private room.

Soon, a girl in a school uniform walked in, carrying a backpack across her shoulder. Her still somewhat immature face already showed a heartbreaking maturity.

"Sir, before we begin, there are some arrangements..." After receiving Bennett's consent, the girl began the game. "Do you want me to be a good girl or a Bad Girl?"

Who are you to me?

How would you like me to address you?

Bennett, sitting on the sofa, suddenly became somewhat expectant.