It was another busy day at work.
The smile on Bennett's face disappeared the moment he got into the car. It was replaced by a deep sense of exhaustion, both physical and mental.
His wife had called his office today, telling him that he hadn't gone back to visit her father for a while, which made his wife think that they had been neglected and treated unfairly.
Everyone knew in their hearts who was the stronger party, but Bennett could only endure it silently.
The two had a fight. Bennett had to listen to his wife's various complaints, apologize, and bear with it.
There were very strict requirements for promotion in the bank. It was not as simple as having people's appreciation and ability, especially in an important position like the credit department.
In such a position, a person could have a lot of small problems and could not be very capable. However, they had to have two requirements that some people might think were funny, but they were also rules that society had tacitly agreed upon.
First, they had to be cautious.
Second, they had to take full responsibility for society.
The first requirement was easy to understand. They had to not do things that were too risky. In fact, this was not a complete requirement. The bank had a special risk assessment department, and they would tell the person in charge about the foreseeable and unforeseeable consequences of their different decisions.
The second requirement was harder to understand, but its core was very simple. It was to have a complete family, including their own family, the family one level above them, and a complete social relationship.
The Federation's sociologists, as well as some criminal research organizations, had come to a conclusion after studying various cases over the years.
A person who had a stable family relationship after reaching adulthood was significantly less likely to commit crimes than those who did not have a family relationship, did not have any marriage or children, and lacked social interaction.
Marriage and family were a kind of social responsibility. In a relatively mild way that everyone could accept, it was a person's responsibility. When people had responsibilities, they would restrict themselves.
In fact, this was a kind of shackle that society placed on individuals in the process of development and evolution. It was also the most suitable shackle for a modern civilized society. It would trap a person deep in an invisible net, unable to struggle, and eventually become a part of this net.
Bennett did not plan to have too many conflicts with that woman in the short term. He saw coming to Saibin as a turning point in his life. After he replaced Joe Griman, he would consider divorcing his wife.
Anyway, he didn't have too many assets. Even if he gave it all to the other party, it wouldn't matter. From then on, he could start a new life.
When he thought of this, his spirits were slightly lifted.
When the car came out of the underground garage, a few pigeons that had been perched on a trash can by the sidewalk flapped their wings and flew into the sky.
There were fewer and fewer birds in the city, and it was difficult for them to meet people who would take the initiative to feed them. They had to look for food that was unlikely to appear in the cold winter.
This cold winter not only brought cold to people, but also made animals feel tormented.
Bennett's car slowly came to a stop in the parking lot opposite the strip club. He was wearing a windbreaker and a wide-brimmed hat. The brim of the hat was pulled low, so no one noticed him, let alone a person entering a strip club.
Yesterday, he had a very strange experience here. When he went back and recalled everything, the result was very sad.
He realized that he couldn't remember the face of his first girlfriend. Under the merciless destruction of time, the face that appeared in his dreams every day had faded and become blurry.
That unforgettable and unforgettable face in his memory was so blurry that he felt his heart ache once again.
He used to think that this love would never fade in his life, but it was obvious that he couldn't do it.
Until … that girl's face gradually replaced that face. He didn't know if it was because he remembered something, or if it was because the two of them were very similar.
Due to the conflicts in his family and the infighting in his work unit, he shouldn't have come here one after another, but he instinctively wanted to see that girl.
After showing his VIP card, he pointed at the girl in the VIP area again. The girl had changed into a new set of clothes today. It was a … pink dress with some yellow flowers on it.
The moment he saw the girl, Bennett's mind went into a trance. In his trance, he suddenly remembered a fragment of a time in the past. It was a sunny day at the end of spring, at the beginning of summer. In his memory, he was chasing the wind, and the wind was chasing a girl. There was only joy in his heart …
Happy times were always short. Satisfied, Bennett took out his wallet and counted out 20 dollars. Then, he paused and counted out another 10 dollars, making a total of 30 dollars. He put the money in the girl's hand.
Actually, he could give the girl more. In the deepest part of his heart, he knew that this was just a transaction of happiness with money. However, whether it was because he was pursuing a false illusion or because he didn't want the girl to become greedy because of his pity, he restrained himself from giving more money.
Just as he put the money in the girl's hand, he was stunned. He noticed the bracelet on the girl's wrist.
It was a very old silver bracelet. Some parts of it had already turned black, but Bennett could tell at a glance where it came from.
He grabbed the girl's wrist, but he didn't expect the girl to break free.
The girl's expression was not as rich as before. At this moment, she coldly stuffed the money into her chest. "I'm sorry, sir. The service is over."
She was like a completely different person from the previous second. Such a rapid change was like a splash of cold water on Bennett's head.
Yes, she had completed her service. According to the rules, she could leave.
However, Bennett was a little anxious at this moment. This bracelet overlapped with the one in his memory. That was the first time in his life that he spent all his spare change on a girl. That bracelet was the most beautiful and pure thing he had ever done!
He still remembered that on the back of the second four-leaf clover on this bracelet, there were two initials. Those were the initials of his and his first love's names.
"I'm sorry. I scared you …" Bennett explained. His gaze was still locked on the bracelet that he bought for someone else. "Where did you get this bracelet?"
The girl shook her head. "That has nothing to do with you, sir."
She began to pack her things. Actually, there wasn't much to pack. Seeing that the girl was about to leave, Bennett excitedly pulled out a few twenty-dollar bills from his wallet. "Give me another job!"
The girl looked at Bennett a few more times. She snatched the money and put it away. "If you can't do it, I won't return it to you."
Bennett sat back on the sofa and nodded. The girl wouldn't leave immediately, so he calmed down a little. "No problem, but you have to answer my question. Because I'm your …"
The girl rolled her eyes and started her new job. Bennett soon found out about the bracelet's origin. It was given to her by the girl's mother. He also saw the initials of the two initials.
His calm heart was once again stirred up. The numerous conflicts in his family made him yearn for the pure feelings he had in the beginning. It had almost become a sacred yearning in his heart!
But soon, the girl told him a truth that he didn't want to know in his life.
"You know my mother?"
After the girl finished her second job, she lit a cigarette.
Bennett nodded awkwardly. "Your mother and I used to be good friends."
The girl put on a fake smile. This expression annoyed Bennett. "I'm not joking. I really know your mother."
The girl raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Yes, at least half of the ten men you meet near my house will say that …" She seemed to be humorous, but the things she said weren't funny. "And they definitely know my mother better than you do."
The silence lasted for a long time. Bennett suddenly said something he shouldn't have. "You shouldn't do this!"
"You look down on me …" The girl threw the remaining cigarette butts on the floor and began to pack her things. "I know. Look at the windbreaker you're wearing. How much does it cost?
Three hundred? Five hundred?
Or a thousand? "
"Eight hundred and eighty dollars."
Bennett replied softly.
The disdain and mockery on the girl's face deepened. "Eight hundred and eighty dollars, sir. Do you know how many times I have to nag … to earn that much money?"
She spat out a mouthful of saliva, and hatred appeared on her face. Her emotions also affected her movements as she packed her things.
She shoved the things into her bag forcefully. "I believe that this is just one of many things in your wardrobe. What right do you have to demand that of me?"
The girl looked up at him. "Do you think I like to nag … you?"
She raised her middle finger, cursed the b * tch, and slammed the door.
Before Bennett realized what he had said was worse than what he had done, a muscular man walked in. He looked at Bennett, who was sitting on the sofa, and revealed a smile that did not make people feel at ease.
"Sir, please respect everyone. I don't want to be rough, and I believe you don't want to get hurt either. Also, we won't meet again, right?"
Bennett couldn't sleep that night. He only fell asleep very, very late. He had a very strange dream. The blurry memory was overlapping with another memory. He had experienced a lot in the dream, and he was extremely tired.
When he opened his eyes after dawn, he made a decision. He wanted to change that girl.