No way, Paul Grant didn’t believe it. He looked at David Clark, and David Clark was already laughing, saying, “Never heard of that? That’s the result of violating the national family planning policy. Haven’t you seen the ‘Guerrilla Team for Extra Births’?”

“You’re making fun of me again, aren’t you? Where I’m from, there are families with seven or eight kids. I only have five siblings,” said Sam Parker.

Paul Grant was dumbfounded and reached out his hand, asking, “Five!?”

“Yeah, two older sisters, one younger brother, one younger sister, plus me—five,” Sam Parker said proudly.

“Five? Wow. That’s enough for a game of mahjong and still have some left over,” Paul Grant said in shock.

But there was something even more shocking: five siblings plus their parents, all working in different parts of the country. Sam boasted about all the places he’d been and the things he’d seen, leaving Paul Grant wide-eyed. David Clark occasionally chimed in, and Paul Grant finally understood—Sam was really hard-won. His eldest sister is called Ian Parker, the second sister is Ryan Parker; “引” (to attract) and “来” (to bring)—finally, they attracted such a precious son.

Hearing this, Paul Grant went from shock to amazement, then burst out laughing so hard his whole body shook. At this point, it was clear: Sam was just an adorably silly oddball, so naïve he couldn’t even tell good from bad. Thinking of this, Paul Grant didn’t blame him at all for losing that job. After all, he’d been so busy every day, it had been a long time since he’d been this happy.

After taking the elevator down and stepping outside, problems hit them head-on. The hot, dry air made it hard to breathe. Sam, probably feeling guilty, immediately ran to a cold drinks stand by the street, bought a few bottles, hurried back to hand one to Paul Grant, then shoved another into David Clark’s hand. Just as he was about to open his own bottle, his eyes paused, then he separated the two and ran back toward the lobby.

Paul Grant and David Clark turned to look. Oh, he was doing another good deed. Ian ran to the entrance, grinning, and forced the drink into the hands of the girl who had just come out. Then, as if afraid she’d give it back, he quickly ran back, looking as happy as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over him in the dead of winter.

“Ian, I’m starting to feel reluctant to let you go,” David Clark said with a smile.

“Where are you planning to go?” Paul Grant asked.

“Going to the seaside for a few days,” said Sam Parker.

“Wow, so romantic,” Paul Grant said with a laugh.

David Clark interrupted, sipping his drink, “Come on, his sister got married in Qingdao, and he’s going to freeload off his brother-in-law again.”

Paul Grant burst out laughing, while Sam Parker looked smug. He said, what’s there to be embarrassed about freeloading off your brother-in-law? He’s sleeping with my sister for free anyway.

This time, Paul Grant choked on his drink, coughing for a long time before straightening up. David Clark waited for him to recover, while Sam went off to buy a cheap popsicle to suck on. The more you looked at him, the funnier he seemed. David Clark smiled and asked Paul Grant, “Now do you see why I really treasure this friend?”

“I do. I wish I had a friend like this with me every day,” Paul Grant replied with a smile.

From the Baolong Building where the job fair was held to the Wanliu Bridge where they were going to eat, it was actually quite a long walk—two intersections and a pedestrian bridge. The three of them chatted and laughed the whole way, not feeling lonely at all. And along the way, something interesting happened: every time they looked back, that girl who had also lost her job was still within sight, always with her backpack, looking at them in a dazed way.

Sam Parker couldn’t bear it a few times and wanted to go back and invite the girl along, but David Clark stopped him. It was hard enough to leave a good impression—if he said a few more words with that big mouth, she’d probably think he was a creep.

True enough, Sam Parker clearly didn’t have much confidence in his own image, so he let it go. But as they neared Wanliu Bridge, he couldn’t hold back anymore and shouted from afar, “Hey, come on, let’s eat together!”

Strangely, the girl quickened her pace and walked up to them. Now they could see more clearly: she was an oval-faced girl, her ponytail swaying as she walked—really pretty. In Beijing, you could see beautiful women from all over the world, but none of them had ever shocked David Clark as much as this girl… Damn, she actually stood next to Sam Parker, and it didn’t seem gross at all.

“Unbelievable,” David Clark muttered under his breath.

“You’re just jealous of Sam. First time he does a good deed and he gets such a big reward,” Paul Grant teased.

“I’m talking about the girl. She can look at Sam’s face without getting nervous, scared, or grossed out. That’s a first for me,” David Clark said in amazement. Looking back, Sam Parker and the girl kept a safe distance, but weirdly, they were chatting.

“I’m not surprised. When someone’s hit a wall everywhere and has nowhere to go, they become especially sensitive to sympathy and care from those around them. Even just a kind smile, a bit of spare change, or a simple meal… sigh, so pitiful. I never met such a warm-hearted person like Sam back in the day,” Paul Grant said with a self-deprecating smile.

That look made David Clark want to say something but stop. He realized this boy with a feminine face also had a story, but he didn’t ask. With such a lonely look, it must be a past too painful to recall.

Two in front, two behind, these two odd pairs walked on and on, finally reaching their destination: No. 18 Wanliu Bridge. But then something else happened—the four of them stood there dumbfounded, staring at the entrance to No. 18, hardly able to believe their eyes.