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My name is Xia Xiang, and I'm currently unemployed. Two months ago, unable to tolerate my bald boss's constant nitpicking, I snapped back at him, and unfortunately lost my low-paying job in the editorial department three days later. Two months later, I'm still unemployed. Either jobs don't want me, or I don't want them. Touching my increasingly empty wallet, I'm worried. Why is finding a job so difficult these days?

I have a husband named Zhang Peng, who is currently a manager in the IT department of a foreign company. His monthly salary is equivalent to eight times what I used to earn when I was working in the editorial department. He is an ambitious person; making a name for himself is his ideal, and studying abroad is a desire that he has developed in the last two years.

I met Zhang Peng at a gay bar two winters ago. He was quite eye-catching standing at the bar, wearing a crisp white shirt and a flashy tie. He had clear, bright eyes, a relaxed demeanor, and chatted freely with the men around him. But he wasn't my type. I've always believed that the more outstanding a man's appearance, the less likely he is to stay, so my gaze usually only lingers on those with ordinary but enduringly attractive looks. Zhang Peng seemed to be getting along well with the people around him, and when he saw me walk past him, he just gave me a meaningless glance. I think at that moment, neither of us had any particular feelings for the other.

That night, I didn't hook up with the man I wanted. He was a male escort, and while I don't dislike people in that line of work, I didn't want to sleep with them. It was quite late, and most of the people who had found partners at the bar had left. I glanced around and saw Zhang Peng still sitting there drinking. He waved to the man next to him, smiled, and said goodbye. I thought to myself, "Someone as good as him, how come he hasn't found a partner? Is his standard too high?" Looking at the others, none of them caught my eye. "Fine, he'll do," I thought. "It's so cold tonight; I don't want to come all this way for nothing and then have to go home and warm the bed alone."

Drinking to bolster my courage, I braved the embarrassment of rejection and approached Zhang Peng.

Without any special opening remarks, I said to him, "It's really cold today. Would you like to add a blanket tonight?"

He stared at me intently, then suddenly burst out laughing. He replied, "Sure, come to my house."

I thought my relationship with Zhang Peng was just a one-time thing, but after we finished that day, he lay on top of me, sweat beading on his forehead, his face flushed, and said, "I didn't realize your skinny waist was so strong. I love making love with you. So, how about leaving the blanket with me forever?"

I was quite surprised by Zhang Peng's invitation. After all, I'm not a particularly good-looking man, and I never thought he would be interested in me, let alone say something like living together. After thinking for a moment, I replied, "You don't know, this blanket is quite selfish. If it stays in one place, it won't allow any other blankets to be in that place. They'll fight."

Zhang Peng chuckled and said, "Don't worry, my bed isn't very big. Adding an extra blanket in winter will be enough."

I was still hesitant about his directness, so I asked again, "What about in the spring? What happens to the extra blankets? Are they thrown away?"

Zhang Peng reached out and tugged at both of my ears, his smile widening. "You're really thinking ahead. Who knows what will happen in a few months? Maybe that fighting blanket will just run away on its own."

"That's true..."

"Let's stay here for now. I heard this winter is going to be colder than last year. It's much better to have someone warm the bed at night than to sleep alone, right?"

After thinking for a while, I finally nodded.

Indeed, having someone to warm the bed on a winter night is much better than sleeping alone.

I stayed with Zhang Peng, and unexpectedly, it lasted almost three years. Only after we got to know each other did I realize that our compatibility wasn't just physical. We loved watching the same type of movies, we both liked wearing loose, casual clothes, we loved pets, especially adorable puppies, and when we slept, we both liked to cross one leg over the other's stomach. Zhang Peng was a "four-high" young man: tall, highly educated, high-income, and with refined taste. I was two levels below him; not only did I have no income, but my taste was also far inferior. When I had nothing to do, I often wondered if he would run away if he met a better man than me. Zhang Peng, however, said he thought it was fine this way; precisely because I was two levels below him, he could comfortably remain the master of the household.

In these nearly three years, we've weathered the storms of love. Although things have calmed down a bit now, it still feels sweet. Isn't life supposed to be simple yet fulfilling?

I thought Zhang Peng and I would be together for a very long time, until one of us stepped through the gates of heaven first, and that we would shatter the myth that "comrades don't last." But I was wrong. In the two months I've been unemployed, Zhang Peng has changed. At first, he cared about me a lot, keeping an eye on job news in newspapers and websites, always encouraging me with a smile, saying, "Try this job, you can do it." But now he doesn't care at all.

A month ago, Zhang Peng started going out more frequently after work, and he didn't come home for dinner for several nights. Before leaving home, he would always change into a nicer outfit and check himself in the mirror. When I asked him where he was going, his answers were always either to a colleague's or to work overtime. His evasive expression told me he was just making excuses.

One night, I was lying in bed and asked him, "What if I can't find a job?" He turned over and said to me with his back to me, "Then we'll just starve." Actually, what I wanted to hear was, "It's okay, take your time, you'll find one someday," or "Silly girl, I'm here for you, you won't starve." Anything that would warm my heart.

Another two weeks passed, and one day I ran into Shi Ji by chance in Times Square. He was a friend I'd known for years from the gay bar, a big mouth with a kind heart, but always unlucky in love. Seeing me, he chuckled and patted my shoulder, blurting out without any restraint, "Hey kid, did you break up with your guy?"

Zhang Peng and I haven't been to a bar in ages. After thinking for a moment, I teased him, "We broke up. What, you have a good girl to introduce me to?"

"When did this happen?" Shi Ji asked thoughtfully.

"Um...it happened a few days ago, and I'm feeling really upset about it." I frowned, putting on a pitiful look.

Shi Ji sighed, and what he said next made my previously calm heart tremble violently. He said, "I knew you two broke up a long time ago. I saw him get out of a Mercedes-Benz a few days ago, and the guy next to him was pretty handsome. I thought maybe he was having an affair, or maybe he broke up with you and found someone new. I didn't expect I was right about one of them. Dude, don't be sad. I don't have any good options right now, but when I find a good man, I'll definitely introduce you to him first..."

I didn't hear what Shi Ji said next; all that kept repeating in my mind was, "He got out of a Mercedes-Benz, and the man next to him was quite handsome." Dejected, I returned home to an empty house. I glanced at my watch; it was almost seven o'clock. He probably wasn't coming home for dinner again today. Could he be with that Mercedes-Benz guy Shi Ji mentioned?

Suspicion is the root of all conflict. From the moment I suspected Zhang Peng of seeing other men, I stopped trusting him as much as before. I observed his words and actions, paid attention to his conversations on the phone, and even dug his unwashed clothes out of the washing machine, sniffing them like a ravenous dog. Although I couldn't find evidence of his betrayal, his thoughtful gaze as he watched my back, the frequent phone calls he received from the same man, and his unusual behavior of not making any sexual advances towards me for the past month all told me, without a doubt, that he had betrayed me.

Why? Because I lost my job? Because I have no money and no car?

I never expected the harsh reality to arrive so quickly. After a long day of sending out resumes, I returned home exhausted. Just as I was about to step inside, I was startled to see two pairs of shoes by the door. After a moment of stunned silence, I understood.

I gave a wry smile. I had originally planned to take a nice shower and get a good night's sleep, but now it seems that's not going to happen.

The December night wind blew past my ears, and I shivered; it was cold. There were no other pedestrians on the wide street besides me, and I felt a little lonely.

I've been wandering around for over five hours since I left home, and not a single penny of the twenty yuan in my pocket has disappeared. It's not that I don't want to spend it; the vending machines, lamb skewers, beef skewers, ramen... so many cheap snacks on the street have been tempting my poor stomach. But this is all the money I have right now, and once I spend it, it's gone. I can't bear to part with it.

Private cars, their headlights blaring and accompanied by the cold wind, whizzed past me. I chuckled and muttered to myself, "They're all fucking rich. I'm the poorest one here."

Looking at the black sky and the black ground, I pondered where I would stay tonight.

Several people flashed through my mind, but my final thought fell on Xia Yu. She is my sister.

With a sigh, I looked around. It was still quite a walk from Xueyuan Road to Beitaipingzhuang. I was truly born to be a laborer.

"Hey! Handsome, wanna go clubbing?" A black Lexus suddenly sped up in front of me, blocking my way, and a red head popped out of the window and shouted at me.

I was startled, and upon closer inspection, I realized that the person who had stopped me was a fashionable young man.

Red Hair looked at me with hazy eyes, his cheeks flushed and a smile playing on his lips.

I glanced at him twice, then looked back at the route his car had taken, and finally concluded that he was a drunkard.

I walked around his car and continued walking forward.

It'll probably be a little while before I get to Xia Yu's place. Hopefully, I won't get a scolding if I go to see her at this time.

"Hey! I'm talking to you. It's my treat, buddy, get in the car."

He's definitely a drunkard, and quite drunk at that. Isn't he afraid of being robbed by a thug if he just invites a complete stranger into his car? Or is he just taking advantage of the fact that I'm a law-abiding citizen?

I quickened my pace and walked forward, ignoring what he said.

Behind me, I heard the sound of a car door opening and closing, followed by hurried footsteps approaching. I turned around, and there was that red-haired guy.

What are you going to do?

I spoke from a meter away from Red Hair.

"You're such a weirdo. Why don't you even give me the time of day when I ask you to hang out?" Red Hair said, his eyes half-open and half-closed.

Looking at his swaying body, which seemed like he could fall over at any moment, I was surprised that he hadn't had a traffic accident while driving like that.

"Dude, I don't know you."

"Don't you recognize me?" Red Hair looked surprised. He straightened his hunched back, strained his eyes, and looked me up and down, left and right, three times. "How could you not recognize me? I'm Chili Pepper!"

When he introduced himself, I couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry, I really don't know you. We're not in the same department. I'm Onion."

"Huh?" The red-haired guy named Chili tilted his ear and stumbled toward me.

"An onion? You're an onion?"

Before I could answer Red Hair's question, which was both cute and funny, he suddenly collapsed in front of me with a thud.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?"

I called out twice, but the person at my feet didn't respond.

I rolled my eyes, thinking to myself, "Could this guy have acute alcohol poisoning?"

He gently kicked the red-haired man's shoulder with his torn leather shoe, but the man still didn't react.

Looking around, I had no choice but to squat down and forcefully flip Red Hair over.

"Hey, are you dead?"

Red Hair suddenly opened his eyes wide, grabbed me and shouted, "Tell me, why don't you want me? How many people in the world are as good as me? Haven't I been good enough to you? I've practically poured my heart out to you, what more do you want? Why don't you want me? Why the hell don't you want me?"

My shirt was quickly soaked through, and I stared in surprise at the stranger who had suddenly burst into tears in my arms, unsure of what to say or do.

He...got dumped too?

Looking at the luxury car with its lights still on in the distance, I sighed, "I only got dumped because I was broke. You seem pretty rich, so how did you get dumped too?"

Ten minutes later, Red Hair suddenly went silent again. I called him a few times, but he didn't respond. I looked down and, oh my god! This guy had actually fallen asleep in my arms, with snot and tears streaming down his face.

Seriously?! This is the middle of the night, and I'm sitting on the sidewalk with some drunk guy who just appeared out of nowhere?!

What should I do? Should I leave him aside and go find Xia Yu? It seems my kind compassion won't allow me to do that, and if I leave him there, he might really be kidnapped in a little while.

What should we do?

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