"Life has always been the most precious thing. You've had a happy life ever since you were little. Focus on making money, and don't think about killing yourself again, you hear?"
"But my love is gone," He Min said timidly.
"You're already in your thirties, pushing forty. Not only are you unmarried, you still believe in that stuff like some girl in her twenties?"
"I was still twenty-nine two hours ago. And love matters, bro. You don't understand." He Min shook her head and sighed, looking as though she had it all figured out.
"Cut the crap. My relationship with my girlfriend is ten thousand times stronger than this so-called fourteen-year relationship of yours. I actually wish she'd run off with another man, but she won't. What am I supposed to do?"
"You have a girlfriend too? Is my sister-in-law pretty?" He Min suddenly perked up.
Zhang Youzhi could no longer be bothered to correct the way this older woman addressed him.
"She thinks I have good taste too. Sadly, pretty soon none of this will have much to do with me anymore. She'll have a life of her own."
"Huh? Why are you breaking up?" He Min asked, eager to hear more.
"We haven't." Zhang Youzhi shook his head and fell silent.
"You haven't? Good, don't break up. Bro, you must be a man with a story." He Min patted his shoulder knowingly.
Zhang Youzhi wanted to tell her he didn't have a damn story, but held back. He could tell this woman was quite the chatterbox.
Seeing that he didn't want to talk, He Min stopped asking. Feeling the cold wind, she simply edged a little closer to him.
They soon reached the residential complex where He Min rented her apartment. Zhang Youzhi walked her to the entrance of her building, then planted himself firmly on the spot. No matter how hard she tugged, he wouldn't budge.
"Bro, come home with me. I won't do anything to you. I know you have a sister-in-law."
The poor thing was so anxious she'd even gotten her words mixed up.
"Bro, wash your face properly and take a shower. I bought my ex-boyfriend a new outfit, and luckily I never gave it to him. You can wear it for now. You two are about the same build."
"Listen to me. Stay at my place tonight, and tomorrow I'll rent you somewhere to live..."
He Min kept talking as she tugged Zhang Youzhi toward the building, but she couldn't move him at all.
"No need. I'll head back myself." Zhang Youzhi gave her a gentle smile.
Seeing that she couldn't pull him along, He Min changed tactics.
"All right, then, bro. Give me your phone number. I lost my phone in the river, and I'll buy a new one tomorrow. I'll memorize your number for now." As she spoke, He Min returned the oversized shoes she was wearing to Zhang Youzhi.
"I don't have a phone. I don't use one." Zhang Youzhi shook his head.
He wasn't going to deliberately burden himself with more ties in the little time he had left.
"That won't do either. I can't just let you go back under that bridge. It's dangerous there."
He Min clung to his sleeve and refused to let go, no matter what he said.
Zhang Youzhi gave it some serious thought, then spoke.
"The thing that matters most to me is under that bridge. I can't stay away from it for too long."
Putting that together with their conversation on the way, He Min instantly dreamed up a tragic, beautiful love story.
Seeing her conflicted expression, Zhang Youzhi knew his bullshit had worked. He turned and walked away.
He Min agonized over it for a long while before finally shouting, "Bro, you have to stay there tomorrow! I'll bring you some things. We'll find somewhere else for you to live and start a new life. Face every day with a smile, bro!"
By the end, He Min's voice had taken on a tearful edge.
Zhang Youzhi waved, stuck his hands in his pockets, and strolled away.
I'm moving out tonight as soon as I get back!
He Min ran upstairs, quickly grabbed her keys, tidied herself up a little, and changed her shoes. Then she drove the "really ugly black car" out of the underground garage and retraced their route, flashing her headlights the whole way. Finally, she spotted Zhang Youzhi near a phone booth.
"Bro, are you making a call? Get in. I'll drive you back. I brought you some new clothes." He Min briskly rolled down the window and shouted.
The black sedan's headlights dazzled Zhang Youzhi. When he saw those four rings, he couldn't help letting out a silent sigh.
An Audi A6. The car he'd always dreamed of.
Zhang Youzhi got into He Min's passenger seat.
After two hours of walking, the little bit of liquor they'd drunk had mostly worn off. Neither of them smelled of alcohol anymore, and they were perfectly clearheaded, so it hardly counted as drunk driving.
There was also a photo of He Min with a man on the passenger seat. Seeing Zhang Youzhi take an interest in it, she snatched it up and tossed it out the window.
Zhang Youzhi said nothing and simply let her drive him back.
Along the way, He Min kept trying to persuade him to leave the bridge, but Zhang Youzhi remained unmoved.
When he got out, He Min handed him a quilt as well, then pointed to the spot where the two of them had sat on the ground drinking.
"Bro, I'll come here tomorrow morning to pick you up."
"Okay." Zhang Youzhi agreed.
Half an hour earlier, before He Min had found Zhang Youzhi in her car.
Zhang Youzhi was calling Number Two from the phone booth.
"Number Two?"
"Mr. Zhang, don't you sleep at night?" A yawn came from the other end of the line.
"How did you know it was me?"
"Our satellites track your location in real time. I was woken up in advance as soon as you started walking toward the phone booth."
"Impressive." Zhang Youzhi had lost track of how many times he'd praised their company for being so damn capable.
"Thanks for the compliment," Number Two replied lazily.
"Here's the thing. I've brought your company a job. Interested?"
"AUW, you're starting work ahead of schedule!" Number Two exclaimed in delight, drawing out the last syllable with a Beijing lilt.
"Starting work, my ass. I'm not one of your employees. I only brought you this job because of our personal friendship."
"Same difference, same difference." Number Two laughed on the other end.
"Here's the situation. I met this love-obsessed woman whose boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend. From her description, I think those two scumbags had been having an affair for a long time and were deliberately pushing her to kill herself.
"If I'm not around, she might get upset again and try to end her life. Then I remembered your company offers some kind of guaranteed romance service, right? Could you set her up with that?"
"It's our romance expert service," Number Two corrected.
"Same difference."
"All right, the price for that service alone is 6,888, right?"
"Correct."
"Then arrange for a boyfriend to drop into her life. She's pretty well-off. Once you've finished the service, mention my name, and she'll pay up without a fuss."
"Hmm, on credit..." Number Two fell silent for a moment.
"All right, I'll take the job. Just for finding us a client ahead of time, I won't blame you even if I have to cover the cost myself. Don't worry. Our company has seen plenty of love-obsessed women like her. Our romance expert will have her thoroughly sorted out, guaranteed."
"Your company, not our company," Zhang Youzhi reiterated with a frown.
Number Two ignored him. "We'll verify her information automatically. Is there anything else you need help with?"
"When your staff calls my girlfriend, have them use a gentler tone. Don't think voice modification solves everything. She's very smart."
"Rest assured, we're professionals. Our phone operator has studied your tone and manner of speaking more times than you can imagine."
Zhang Youzhi promptly hung up. He had already spotted a bright beam of light heading toward him.
Before you continue