“The dowry must be 300,000 yuan, not a penny less!”

"I don't care about money, I just want to know how important I am to you."

And, you can't have the house under your mother's name, it needs to be transferred to my name.

In a deep city, by the window seat of Grey Whale Coffee Shop.

Thirty-eight-year-old Jiang Qin looked at the bride before him, and suddenly felt her face a little unfamiliar.

They met through a blind date and have been dating for over half a year. Because they aren't young anymore, they don't have time to drag things out, so they've been discussing marriage recently.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

To be honest, Jiang Qin didn't have much feeling for her, and he believed the other party felt the same way.

After all, I'm in my thirties. Is marriage and having children still about love?

...I just don't want to live alone forever...

Let me know if you have other text you'd like translated! ?

But he didn't speak, instead silently sipping the water in his cup and turning his gaze to the glass window outside, his ears automatically blocking out the other person's voice.

He thought life was actually pretty messed up.

Because his parents said that knowledge changes destiny, he studied hard from a young age, feeling that he would surely be either incredibly wealthy or extremely influential in the future.

>

He wouldn't understand until after he started working that he wasn't even an ordinary person. In early 2016, when he first entered the workforce, he was plied with alcohol by clients at a meeting and ended up in the hospital. He missed the chance to see his grandmother for one last time.

In 2019, the project he was involved in exploded, forcing him to take the blame. He retreated into a rented room and spent five months subsisting on instant noodles, unable to distinguish between dreams and reality.

The subsequent job was relatively stable, but it was very far from where he lived. He worked so hard that his liver felt like it was going to shatter. He even held his pee twice just to save money and buy a car.

In 2022, he finally bought a car, but he found that he couldn't afford the gas and couldn't stop peeing.

After he turned thirty, he found that the rent was rising faster than his salary, so he worked hard to save money and told his parents about his idea of buying a house in the city.

From that day on, there was never any meat on their parents' table again.

But the down payment was still not enough, so his father, secretly from him, worked during the day and drove for Didi at night, almost suffering a brain hemorrhage.

Is poverty really related to laziness?

Jiang Qin has been thinking about this problem for years.

He felt he was already hardworking enough, completely worthy of his name.

Where's the money?

Who exactly took all the money?

When he was little, his parents often told him earnestly that as long as he was willing to work hard, he would definitely succeed.

But when he grew up, the truth he discovered was that as long as you are willing to endure hardship, there will always be an endless amount of it.

Now, his blind date's family wants a dowry of 300,000 yuan.

"Jiang Qin, are you listening to me?"

"Well, I've been listening the whole time."

"Why didn't you say a word? I talked for ages, my voice is hoarse and you just ignored me!"

Jiang Qin put down his water glass, fell silent for a long while, then spoke: "This marriage, maybe we shouldn't get married after all?"

The woman was taken aback for a moment, then flew into a rage: "What do you mean by that?"

“It’s nothing, I just feel really tired and want to go home for a nap.”

“Jiang Qin, you coward, no wonder you're 38 and still haven't found a woman!”

Jiang Qin ignored the woman's roar and strode out of the Western restaurant, walking aimlessly down the road.

As he walked past a construction site, he saw a banner hanging on the wall that read "Construction workers are superior to all others."

So he lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and then burned a hole in it.

He didn't really have too many grievances against that woman, and even thought her demands were quite reasonable.

It's okay to be realistic at 35, isn't it?

He was just thinking about a question.

When will such days come to an end?

People who have never worked are frantically touting that workers are superior, but those who actually work can't say anything, they can only nod and agree, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

But where exactly do I resemble a human being?

I've only ever owned two pairs of AJs in my life, and they were from Putian. You call that being a "high roller"?

As for love?

Jiang Qin didn't even know if this thing existed.

He had been on several blind dates and met several girls introduced by friends. Any of them could be suitable, but the most tragic thing was that they were all just making do.

Looking back on my life, there are so many regrets...

Jiang Qin sighed and took out his phone from his pocket, wanting to find a friend to drink with, but when he opened it, he saw four text messages.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

A credit card payment reminder, a phone bill overdue warning, and a message from my brother saying he's nearby. No one is home today.

The text "<<<

The last one came from his direct supervisor, using heavy and weighty words to tell him that the company's performance has been poor recently and hopes employees can voluntarily reduce their salaries to weather the difficulties together.

Jiang Qin suddenly lost his desire to drink and continued smoking downstairs from the construction site.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

In this era, if you want to be wealthy, you absolutely cannot rely on working a job because the distribution of resources in this society is inherently unfair.

But when he thought about his own age, Jiang Qin couldn't help but smile.

Isn't it a bit unrealistic to start a business at thirty-eight?

His lower back has been killing him for the past two years, and he's also developed neck problems. His sciatica is even more frequent than his urinary frequency.

Dragging this broken body to start a business, even if I succeed, I'll be fifty years old. What's left to enjoy in life? Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

If only I could do it all over again, I wouldn't work any dead-end jobs. If I could, I'd just find a rich woman to be with.

If it really doesn't work out, start your own business. I believe that money can be earned again if it's gone, but once your conscience is gone, you can't earn any more.

Jiang Qin let out a deep breath, rubbed his aching neck, and couldn't help but glance upwards.

What's black and comes right at you?

“...”

“Give him a shot of adrenaline, hurry!”

“…”

Welcome the Olympics, Advocate Civilization, Build a New Style!

"…"

"Where's Director Liu? Ask if the operating room is available. We need it ASAP!"

　　“…”

"My door is always open, with arms wide open waiting for you."

Jiang Qin suddenly felt his eyes were a little stinging, his ears were a bit noisy, his skin was a little hot, and his head was a little dizzy.

In the hazy distance, he saw a very pretty young girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old.

She wore a fluffy floral dress, revealing a small segment of her white and smooth calves. Her high nose bridge, rosy thin lips, slender and curled eyelashes, and bright eyes were all captivating.

Jiang Qin smiled.

For years, he worked diligently, earning a new car and villa for his boss. He never even dreamed of a girl as beautiful as this in his sleep.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate! ?

Such a pretty girl, she'd probably cry for a long time if you slapped her, right?

"Jiang Qin, I really don't want to talk about friends, I'm sorry."

Jiang Qin couldn't smile. He found that the girl in front of him was becoming more and more lively and clear.

She wore a floral dress with daisies, standing gracefully on the red plastic track. She shielded her eyes from the sun with arms as smooth as frost-beating snow, so that she wouldn't be blinded. Even then, the scorching heat was enough to make this beautiful young girl show some irritation.

"If you don't speak, I'll take that as a yes. We're still friends, right?"

Jiang Qin's brow furrowed, his eyes flickering with a hint of solemnity.

This girl, she knows her. She was the head cheerleader in high school, Chu Siqi. She should be married now, right?

For seven years, from high school to college, I pursued her. I almost got rejected and questioned my entire life.

Actually, Jiang Qin wasn't a crazy stalker. He wouldn't do anything like desperately cling to someone.

But the problem was that Chu Siqi kept interfering in his life as a friend, telling him what to do and not allowing him to date other girls. She would occasionally offer him hope and sweet words, truly tormenting young Jiang Qin.

This is the end of the paragraph.

"After I finish my freshman year, I'll consider being your girlfriend!"

"I didn't expect the coursework to be this heavy in my second year. Let's talk about it again in my third year."

"Junior year has a lot of competitions to participate in, I don't have time for dating."

Until her second semester of junior year, she came with a tall and thin boy wearing couple's outfits, holding hands.

That day, she was full of tenderness, her eyes sparkling like a galaxy. She smiled and asked her boyfriend if he thought he was handsome.

After that, he sealed his heart with concrete and never had thoughts about falling in love again. That's how the story came to be of him reluctantly finding someone to marry at the age of thirty-eight.

Before 2008, the concept of "backup boyfriend/girlfriend" didn't exist. It wasn't until after the internet developed that Jiang Qin realized he was actually a backup plan.

She just hasn't found the right one yet, that's why she keeps acting distant. When she's happy, she teases you a bit; when she's not, she ignores you completely.

To put it bluntly, to her he was just a tool to pass the time when she was bored.

The past was vivid in his memory, but at this moment Jiang Qin felt a little dizzy and had some ringing in his ears.

The city south high school in my memory, the school belle of my teenage years.

Could this be...reincarnation?

Still dreaming?

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated!

If it's reincarnation, then what? Why not reincarnate?

Jiang Qin trembled and reached out his hand, grasping at the air twice, but failed to awaken any virtual screens.

Isn't this a fake reincarnator? They don't even give you a complete set of equipment?

"Jiang Qin, can you hear me? I really don't want to talk about love right now."

Okay, I'll do whatever you say.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

Jiang Qin casually replied, then closed his eyes, trying to wake up the golden finger with his thoughts. Unfortunately, he failed. There was really no system.

Upon hearing his straightforward answer, Chu Siqi was somewhat taken aback. Jiang Qin's attitude was filled with indifference, which left her feeling like she had punched cotton – futile and powerless.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

“Didn’t you hear me? I just said no!”

"Heard you, I'm not deaf."

>“Well... then you have nothing to say to me?”

Jiang Qin accepted the unsystematic reality, his gaze fell on Chu Siqi's hand: "What is that thing in your hand?"

Chu Siqi raised the envelope in her hand with a proud and slightly shy expression: "This is the love letter you just slipped me. I told you not to, but you still gave it to me. Please don't write anymore next time."

"Then can you give it back to me? I need it."

Jiang Qin didn't wait for her to agree before taking the love letter back. He took out that page, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he unfolded the envelope again, laid it flat on his knee, and scribbled two lines.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate! ?

Don't do any work if you can just hitch onto a wealthy woman.

Money can be earned again, but once your conscience is gone, you can earn more.

Please let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!