Let's have dinner together tonight.

At that moment, Li Zhiyan recalled the initial ten blows and felt deeply ashamed. Yet, it soon became clear that he was, in fact, a man of exceptional prowess. Realizing his own strength, Li Zhiyan’s confidence swelled within him.

Soon, the door opened. Due to her torn stockings, Shen Hongmei now stood with bare legs. Those snow-white, supple, and shapely legs made Li Zhiyan shiver involuntarily, stirring an urge to caress them once more. But recalling Shen Hongmei’s scolding from last night, when she had said, “I am your own mother,” he felt a tinge of awkwardness.

Shen Hongmei clearly intended to let the matter drop, acting as if nothing had happened. If he dared to touch her legs now, he would surely be slapped. Last night, she had been drunk and had taken the initiative, but that was no longer the case. To try anything now would be pure folly.

“Aunt Shen, I’ve brought the medicine for you.”
“These are the stockings.”
“Thank you, Li Zhiyan,” she replied.

Sitting on the sofa, Shen Hongmei gently slipped off her high heels, unfazed, and put the stockings on in front of Li Zhiyan. Despite what had transpired between them last night, she still regarded him as a child in her heart, treating the incident as if it had never happened.

“Li Zhiyan,” she said, after putting her heels back on, opening a bottle of mineral water in the hotel room, and taking the contraceptive pill.
“Aunt Shen.”
“Don’t dwell on what happened last night,” she said softly.
“It was just an accident.”
“Don’t carry any psychological burden. Just pretend it never happened.”

Looking at Shen Hongmei’s inner strength, Li Zhiyan felt her aura matched her towering height of 6 feet.
“By the way,” she continued casually, moving past the incident, “Xiaoyan, it must be tough for graduates to find jobs nowadays, right?”
Li Zhiyan nodded.

“It really is difficult. There are too many university graduates now; they’re almost worthless,” he said. “It’s like graduating straight into unemployment. I’ve sent out many resumes, but they’ve all gone unanswered.”

After finishing her medication, Shen Hongmei stood up.
“I’ll be off now. We’ll get in touch tonight.”
“Let’s add each other on WeChat.”

Just as she finished speaking, her phone rang. She didn’t answer immediately but instead showed Li Zhiyan her WeChat QR code. If it hadn’t been for Li Zhiyan last night, she might have fallen prey to that disgusting man. She felt grateful to him for sparing her such a fate.

Li Zhiyan scanned the QR code and added her as a friend. Only then did Shen Hongmei answer the call, standing and walking away. With her high heels on, she reached a height of 6 feet 3 inches. Li Zhiyan suddenly felt like a little pony.

Watching her leave while on the phone, he sank weakly onto the sofa. This was the heart of a successful, mature woman—so strong and unyielding.

Before entering, Li Zhiyan had entertained the thought of starting a romance with Shen Hongmei.
“It was just a dream…” he sighed.

His gaze then accidentally fell on the torn stockings in the trash can. The bin was stuffed with tissues, making the ripped, laddered stockings on top stand out conspicuously.
“I can’t just throw these away. The maid might secretly sell them…”
Determined to nip such a possibility in the bud, Li Zhiyan picked up the stockings and slipped them into his pocket.

When checking out, he was told he’d be charged 40 yuan for overstaying two hours. After a long discussion, his 200 yuan deposit was fully refunded. Gradually, his strength returned to his legs.

The pairing of a 20-year-old and a 42-year-old was indeed a recipe for wildness. The more he thought about it, the more he believed young men should be with mature women—it was the perfect match.

Walking along, Li Zhiyan resolved that when Shen Hongmei contacted him, he would try to talk about being together. The ecstasy of last night was unforgettable. He knew that if he didn’t take the initiative, their relationship would remain as if nothing had happened, with no follow-up. He was determined to claim those long, luscious legs that outmatched even his own life.

“But first, I need to renew my social assistance benefits.” With less than 3,800 yuan in his bank account, those two thousand yuan were crucial. Entering society made him realize how hard his parents had worked. Everyone wanted to rest and enjoy life, but without diligence, hunger was inevitable.

Arriving at the designated lottery shop, he asked, “Boss, how are the scratch cards priced?”
“This one’s 20 yuan, that one’s 30, and the other’s 50.”
“I’ll take ten of the 20-yuan ones.”

This time, Li Zhiyan bought ten scratch cards for a little thrill. Grabbing a bottle of chilled cola, he paid the boss first, having seen videos online where winners who didn’t pay had their prizes snatched away. He wasn’t about to gamble on the boss’s conscience—trusting morality to overcome human weakness was unwise.

To his surprise, after scratching off all ten tickets, he won a total of 2,100 yuan—a true stroke of luck.
“Kid, your luck’s amazing!” the boss exclaimed.
“I’m going to film a TikTok!”
“Don’t show your face!”

After helping the boss shoot a faceless video, Li Zhiyan cashed in his winnings. His balance now exceeded 5,800 yuan, granting him a newfound sense of security.

As the clock neared three in the afternoon and the heat became unbearable, Li Zhiyan hailed a Qingju bike to his usual internet café. He couldn’t endure lying in his rented room during the day. Settling into his old spot, enjoying the air conditioning, and logging into his game, he finally relaxed.

“Even if this intel gives me nothing else…” he mused, “two thousand yuan a day on scratch cards adds up to over 700,000 a year.”
“That could buy a luxury Mercedes E300, with 200,000 to spare.”

Li Zhiyan’s heart brimmed with unprecedented hope. With future intel, he no longer belonged to the realm of ordinary men.

Just after five in the afternoon, a WeChat message notification appeared. Shen Hongmei had accepted his friend request and sent a voice message. Li Zhiyan’s mind involuntarily returned to her curvaceous figure and those long, snow-white legs. His heart tingled with a familiar itch—the madness of last night was truly unforgettable.

“Li Zhiyan, are you free tonight?”
“Aunt Shen has something to discuss with you. Let’s have dinner together.”