Last night at a KTV party in Shanghai, I spent 3.8k to hire a young lady to sing with me.

She was incredibly sweet and looked like she’d stepped right out of a comic book. We played dice, and when she lost, she had to sing a love song as a penalty. Not only did she sing, she even sang two extra songs. Her voice was soft, and as she sang, she leaned on my shoulder and said, “Brother, this song is for you.”

As we played, she suddenly pulled out a half-finished bottle of juice from her bag, with her lipstick mark still on it. She smiled and handed it to me: “Brother, try it, see if it’s sweet?”

In that moment, it struck me—I hadn't been teased so affectionately in a long time. That feeling of being cared for, it was like being back in my school days sneaking candy—warm and sweet.

Later, I got a bit tipsy. She saw my eyes squinting and quickly came over to support me, gently patting my back and telling me to stop drinking. She let me rest my head on her lap, humming a little tune to lull me to sleep. In that moment, the world went quiet. All the deals and stress faded away, leaving only this unexpected tenderness. Love? Maybe not, but who cares—life always needs a little happiness like this.