Qiao Yicheng's new home had been allocated by his workplace—a small one-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. This had not changed just because Qiao Yicheng's brother-in-law was Wang Yan. The space was only that large, the standard was only that high, and there was no way to assign him a bigger place.
Public opinion could melt metal. Even those sitting high above had to consider the negative impact and could not go too far. The bigger the city, the more rules there were.
Wang Yan's help had merely allowed Qiao Yicheng to receive an apartment sooner, and the best one available within the allotted conditions. After all, even among one-bedroom, one-living-room apartments, the floor space varied.
Though the new apartment was small, it lacked nothing inside. Sofa, bookcase, television, refrigerator, washing machine, water heater, air conditioner—the furnishings were quite complete.
And at that moment, the newlyweds, exhausted after a busy day, were on the soft bed in their bedroom.
Reeking of alcohol, Qiao Yicheng lay on the bed, tired yet relaxed, with a feeling of release.
"Whew, it was finally over. This day was more tiring than working overtime to meet a deadline. How come you don't seem to feel anything?"
"What could be more tiring than counting money? No matter how exhausted I was, seeing such a huge pile of cash perked me right up."
Ye Xiaolang smiled brilliantly, showing more than a dozen teeth as she sat cross-legged on the bed, surrounded by the gift-money envelopes from the guests.
"Over four thousand yuan—that's enough for an ordinary person to earn in two years. I told you to invite more people, but you wouldn't listen. Look how much money we lost." Ye Xiaolang's eyes shone.
"We'll have to return the favor later. We've collected all this now, but it'll hurt when it's