After a phone call with the speakerphone on, the beautiful seafood merchant finally seemed to believe I wasn't a gambler, and she gave an awkward smile.
The beautiful seafood merchant's real name was Qin Manli. Her strong aversion and disgust towards gamblers stemmed purely from her ex-boyfriend.
Unlike other seafood merchants who peddled clichés, Qin Manli chose the seafood business not due to family reasons, but simply because she felt it was a quick way to make money.
Because Qin Manli was indeed very beautiful and had a great figure, her seafood business was quite thriving.
Although Qin Manli's business was doing well, her judgment of people was a complete mess.
The few boyfriends she had found in succession were all gamblers!
Moreover, these gamblers had, for various reasons, swindled a lot of money from her.
Her previous boyfriend had cheated her out of almost all her remaining money!
Without money, Qin Manli could only work day and night to do business.
This was also the real reason why she appeared by the river early in the morning.
Five hundred yuan for an all-night session of six hours, for an outdoor rendezvous!
If Qin Manli hadn't appeared on my escape route, if it weren't for her profession being too sensitive to be seen in public...
If it had been anyone else who had stumbled upon me inexplicably, and then watched me, covered in injuries, just collapse, their first reaction upon coming to their senses would surely have been to call emergency services and the police.
Fortunately, I met Qin Manli.
Whether it was out of a desire to avoid trouble or for some other secret reason, she saved my life.
That's why, when I was on the phone with Cheng Minglang earlier, I directly asked him to pick me up and to stop by the bank to withdraw some cash.
Not much, just ten thousand yuan.
...
About an hour later.
When Cheng Minglang and his companions found me here with ten thousand yuan in cash, Qin Manli finally completely believed that I wasn't a gambler. Looking at the ten thousand yuan I handed her, Qin Manli suddenly became hesitant and conflicted.
It seemed she was struggling with whether or not she should accept the money.
If she didn't accept it, it would seem too pretentious.
If she did accept it, getting ten thousand yuan for doing nothing made her feel uneasy.
So, just as Cheng Minglang was helping me off the bed and about to push the door open...
After accepting the ten thousand yuan, out of her high level of professionalism, Qin Manli suddenly blurted out, "Since you're here, there's no rush to leave! How about this?"
Walking to a position beside me, Qin Manli smiled at Cheng Minglang and his companions and said, "Except for the injured one, I'll find a sister to accompany each of you?"
"Whether it's flying in the sky or swimming in the water, I'll arrange everything for you. It'll be a fair exchange for your efforts!"
"Otherwise, if you let me take this ten thousand yuan without doing any work, I'll feel uneasy and uncomfortable!"
Before I could speak, Han Jinlun's eyes immediately lit up, and he asked, "What's the appearance level of your sisters?"
"Let me state in advance, I'm very picky! Not just any ugly duckling can catch my eye!"
Hearing this, Qin Manli rolled her eyes and replied, "Don't worry! My sisters are all exceptionally beautiful!"
"If you guys are willing, I can call them to open up! Their shop is right behind mine anyway."
Hearing Qin Manli say this, Han Jinlun turned his gaze to Cheng Minglang.
When it came to going out and having fun, my ten words had nowhere near the impact of Cheng Minglang's single punch.
So, most of the time, Han Jinlun acted according to Cheng Minglang's cues.
Of course, Han Jinlun wasn't completely clueless.
However, when he saw pretty girls, especially those dressed a little revealingly, once the "power of arousal" was awakened, Han Jinlun had trouble controlling himself.
Cheng Minglang stared straight ahead at Han Jinlun and replied coldly, "Are you out of your mind? What time is it and you're still thinking about this!?"
Being scolded so mercilessly by Cheng Minglang in person, the light in Han Jinlun's eyes immediately dimmed considerably.
Then, Han Jinlun, along with Cheng Minglang, helped me up and supported me out of the room, preparing to head for the door.
Seeing this, the experienced Qin Manli shifted her gaze to me and asked, "Judging by your appearance, you must be their leader, right?"
"You don't seem to have any major problems, and it wasn't easy for them to come all this way to pick you up!"
"Besides, this late summer heat is quite intense. If you get overheated, this is a good opportunity to cool down!"
"So, arrange a sister for each of them to relax. Don't worry, it'll all be covered by that ten thousand yuan! And I guarantee they'll be satisfied!"
To be honest, I was truly impressed by Qin Manli's peculiar way of thinking.
She wanted to earn the ten thousand yuan, but at the same time, she felt uneasy taking it without providing any service.
It seemed she was accustomed to a mutually beneficial, equal exchange where she received money with one hand and delivered goods with the other.
Although Qin Manli's thought process was indeed a bit strange, she wasn't like those greedy seafood merchants outside.
This scene did add something new to my understanding.
Was it similar to the code of honor among thieves?
Come to think of it, this Qin Manli was quite interesting!
I suppose this could be considered my first unexpected gain after escaping death?
Don't misunderstand! When I say interesting and gain, I don't mean what you might be imagining.
Setting aside her background and her full-arm tattoos, purely based on her face and figure, Qin Manli was in no way inferior to Yu Shuang and Yang Yuanyuan!
With such a stunningly beautiful face, yet confined to doing seafood business here, wasn't that a bit of a waste of talent?
Considering that Qin Manli had saved me and that she acted with a certain degree of principle, I decided... to give her a hand!
What I meant by giving her a hand wasn't to persuade Qin Manli to reform.
To be honest, I don't have the "good" habit of persuading decent people to go astray or persuading seafood merchants to reform.
I wanted to make the best use of her, to maximize the value of Qin Manli's face!
In this seafood shop, Qin Manli's personal value was five hundred yuan profit per six-hour all-night session.
If she could be of use to me, I could guarantee that her personal value would increase tenfold from the start!