Chapter 62

Even Lian Xiaoli didn't believe it. When a few colleagues, at Gu Qian's urging, finally managed to persuade Chen Kangqing to back off, she looked at Bak with a complicated expression and whispered, "Go back to work... this kind of small person gets itchy if you don't scold him for three days!"

Bak, who had already let the water flow, replied, "Let's find the contract. A discount would be great, of course. Buying an apartment isn't bad; I'm still sharing a sofa bed with my dad."

Zhou Xiaoli was surprised, "You really want to buy it? Have you thought it through? Your salary isn't enough to cover the monthly mortgage payments!"

Bak smiled, "I really can't afford the mortgage, so I'll pay in full."

The Black Beauty wanted to touch his forehead but didn't feel that familiar with him. She hesitated and lowered her voice even more, "Are you crazy! This is a mid-to-high-end white-collar apartment. It's almost 8,000 yuan per square meter. If you really want to buy a place to live, wouldn't it be better to buy a resettlement apartment for around 300,000 yuan?"

Bak was puzzled, "Didn't you tell me how good this apartment is, and that the renovation is practically free?"

Her slightly dark face turned a bit red, "That... is a sales technique. The key is, do you really want to buy it?" She really liked to emphasize the key points.

Bak jumped off the table, "Good people will be rewarded... tomorrow." With his style of carrying only a bit of loose change on his phone and nothing else, he really didn't have a wallet or ID. He had spent 39 yuan on noodles and a fried egg at noon, leaving him with only 11 yuan. He rounded it to 10 yuan and took it out, placing it on the table.

Zhou Xiaoli immediately thought he was fooling around and kicked him out the door, "Are you just messing with me!"

Bak waved the USB drive in his hand, "Good people will be rewarded... tomorrow." He walked out confidently, ignoring the hateful gaze of Manager Chen, who was hiding in the glass office.

Looking at Bak's large, dark figure, Manager Chen's small frame would have a hard time if it came to a fight.

Gu Qian came over and whispered to her colleague, "I told you not to pay attention to that big guy. These car wash workers are all talk. See, now he's tricked you."

Zhou Xiaoli tried to calm down, "Even if he doesn't come, Chen Kangqing will still make things difficult for me. I've made up my mind. If I can't handle it, I'll quit. If I can't be a real estate agent, I can always change careers. Do you think a beautiful woman like me will be stuck forever?" Why did her words always sound so tough?

Despite trying to keep her expression calm, the sorrow in her heart still welled up, making her want to cry.

No matter how hard she tried, how strong and optimistic she was, it was still so difficult.

Gu Qian noticed her mood and tried to comfort her, "Women... don't push yourself too hard. With your good conditions, you can find a good man to marry. You're clean and virtuous, so you'll definitely find a good match and enjoy a happy life."

But Zhou Xiaoli stubbornly shook her head, took a deep breath, gathered her things, and forced a smile, "I'm going to visit clients. If anyone looks for me, call my phone." Only when she changed her shoes did she notice the crumpled 10 yuan note Bak had left. She finally smiled a bit, picked it up, and put it in her file.

She stepped out into the scorching midsummer sun, which felt like a steamer.

It was said that the beautiful women of Yuling, this mountain city, had good skin because of the heat, and their good figures were shaped by climbing hills and slopes.

She was busy until nightfall!

Rubbing her swollen legs, she walked home along the sidewalk, her mind blank from exhaustion, and she had forgotten the troubles of the noon argument.

Then she heard a familiar voice, "Beautiful lady! Want a ride? It's free..."

Turning around, she saw the big guy from the neighboring car wash on a motorcycle with dim, broken lights.

Real estate agents were divided by areas, and her main activity area was around the buildings on this street. She had to pass by the office and the car wash on her way to and from work, but to save money, she usually walked instead of taking a taxi.

Really, looking at Bak riding that old motorcycle, no one would believe he could afford a 750,000 yuan apartment. Zhou Xiaoli understood that he was trying to help her out, even if it was a bit overconfident and a bit silly.

Maybe it matched her mood at the moment, and she didn't think he was fooling her. Instead, she felt a bit warm. Without hesitation, she lifted the hem of her skirt, stepped over the curb, and sat sideways on the back of the motorcycle, "Was business good today?"

Bak was surprised, "We always finish work at this time, cleaning the last batch of cars that come in after work. You only noticed now? Hurry up, where do you live? I often see you walking in this direction."

Bak still had his work uniform tied around his waist, which now served as a handle for Zhou Xiaoli to hold onto, "A few blocks over... there's a steep hill behind it. It's the hardest part of my walk every day." For some reason, Zhou Xiaoli felt incredibly tired and really wanted to lean on that broad shoulder for a nap.

Bak rode the motorcycle steadily, but the engine was a bit shaky. Suddenly, a louder engine sound came from a group of much larger motorcycles that roared past, their xenon headlights illuminating the people on the old motorcycle. They saw the girl in the white-collar suit on the back, her face still beautiful even in the dark, and whistled sharply.

Zhou Xiaoli instinctively leaned closer to Bak's back. Normally, she wouldn't choose such a weak position, but a girl's shoulders are always delicate, and there are times when she just wants to lean on someone.

Bak remained unfazed, continuing to ride steadily at about 40 kilometers per hour. The roaring sound of the passing motorcycles didn't change his course, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet again. The street lights were just starting to come on, and the restaurants and bars were bustling, while the old motorcycle's engine purred steadily.

Women are emotional, and in this steady state, the contrast between the surroundings and her own feelings made everything seem distant, except for the back in front of her.

This seemed to be the last straw for Zhou Xiaoli. She closed the small gap between them, let down all her defenses, and leaned her head on Bak's back, sobbing loudly.

Bak's fingers on the brake moved, but he chose to keep going at the same speed. He could feel the fabric of his back being soaked by her tears, but he didn't stop or ask why. Everyone has their own life.

Zhou Xiaoli's sobs continued all the way, and she finally felt a thorough release of her emotions. When the motorcycle started climbing the hill, she reached out to hold Bak's waist tighter, pulled out a pack of tissues from her large bag, and started to wipe her face, her voice still a bit choked.

With a nasal voice, she quietly directed Bak to an old building, finally stopping in front of a seven-story old dormitory. Bak felt it was similar to his own dormitory area, "Your place? Are you a resident here?"

Finally, she touched the fabric of his back, which was still damp from her tears, and got off the motorcycle, shaking her head, "No, it's a rented place. I... I've kept you." For some reason, she didn't mention that she lived with her mother, who wasn't home at the moment.

Bak had no ulterior motives and certainly didn't think about taking advantage of her. He waved, "As long as you're alive, there's nothing you can't overcome. Take it easy... I'm off." This was his biggest lesson from the battlefield: as long as you're alive, anything is possible. Death and loss mean truly having nothing.

Zhou Xiaoli was a bit surprised by his indifferent words and was even more surprised that he didn't try to comfort her when she was vulnerable. Such tactics are usually very effective with girls, so she took a step back, "If you really want to learn about interior design, I... suggest you ask someone from the art school. They're professionals and might have training classes."

Bak was enlightened, "Right, I grew up next to the art school. They... yeah, I'll ask them... I'm off..." Then, just as Zhou Xiaoli was thinking he had just dropped her off and had no ulterior motives, a voice came from the dim headlights, "Prepare the contract tomorrow... I'm not joking."

Zhou Xiaoli, who was feeling a bit down, laughed and scolded, "You're lying again! Trying to keep me up all night?" She turned and went upstairs, feeling much better.

Bak really intended to buy the apartment. Having lived in Europe for years, he had met many successful businessmen, and while he hadn't learned any deep business theories, he understood that Europeans rarely kept their money in the bank to earn interest. With a million or so in cash, it was better to invest in real estate than to earn a negligible interest. After spending so much time looking at advertisements and billboards at the real estate agency, he felt the apartment was worth the price. The renovation, which made it hard to sell, seemed like a good deal to him, as he could move in right away.

The key was... a bit like Zhou Xiaoli's tone. Now that he had two younger sisters, living at home was really inconvenient. The house he had bought before wasn't renovated, so he was thinking about how to convince his parents to move out and live with him.

However, as he was about to turn into his street, Bak had a thought and turned the motorcycle toward the market.

The slow-moving motorcycle was noticed by some of the market stall owners, who recognized the big guy they hadn't seen in a while. Some greeted Bak, and he smiled and waved back, but declined their invitations to sit and have a drink.

Liu Changyuan was still busy at the grill, with his parents doing most of the heavy lifting. Now that things were better, they had even set up fans and a high stool for him to sit and work without being bothered by the smoke.

Seeing Bak's motorcycle, he waved happily, "Bro! Want a drink?"

Bak, who always ate at home, said, "Just need to talk to you... I met some art school students eating here. Can you ask if they have any interior design training classes?"