"You're leaving?"
Da Mei looked down at his leg.
As a doctor, she knew he hadn't fully recovered. What was the point of leaving now?
"Why so sudden? Your leg..."
"It's fine. It's almost there."
"...Perhaps you've been out of touch with your family for over a month. They're used to it, they won't miss these two days..."
Da Mei genuinely felt it was too hasty for him to leave now, but Min Er rushed out indignantly right after.
"Da Mei, let him go, hurry up and go!"
"Am I not working hard enough? Not only do I work twenty-four hours a day, but I also have to come back to bring him food and take care of his bodily functions!"
"He's not family to me, and I don't have to serve him for life. He can walk now, why isn't he leaving? How long do you plan to let him mooch off us?"
"If you keep him here, you can take care of him yourself. I'm done! Hmph!"
After saying that, Min Er walked away, looking wronged as if she had been bullied, her face flushed.
Da Mei didn't know what had happened between the two of them. The words she wanted to say to persuade Zhan Bei Jue back into her mouth, she swallowed.
Watching Min Er walk away, she sighed and said to Zhan Bei Jue.
"She's genuinely tired and suffering. Perhaps she was wronged again today and is in a bad mood. What she said was just her being angry, don't take it to heart."
Zhan Bei Jue looked at Min Er's thin and worn-out retreating back. He felt more heartache and bitterness, and he had no right to resent her.
"I understand. She's a good person."
Da Mei added a bit more.
"Min Er, this girl, was originally a young lady from a very good family. If it weren't for that financial crisis..."
"Anyway, their family went bankrupt. It's said they also owed a lot of debt. Her father moved from the city center here to avoid creditors."
"We've been neighbors for over three years. I've watched her father's alcoholism get worse and worse, her mother getting sicker and sicker, and despite her working day and night, their lives haven't improved."
"She's only twenty this year, alas, she has no friends, no entertainment, no one to talk to about her troubles. She's too pitiful."
Yes, she was very pitiful.
But what could he do?
The current Zhan Bei Jue didn't even know where he was going next.
He had no money and knew very well that whatever he wanted to do, the first step had to be having money.
So he walked slowly along the street, paying attention to every poster at the entrance, trying to find a job posting to get a job to make a living.
But after walking for more than an hour, his legs started to ache, and still, no one was willing to hire him.
Just by looking at his appearance, they knew he was a foreigner. As soon as they met, they asked for his documents.
If this continued, he would probably never find a job.
And this wasn't the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part was that before he could find a place to stay, the sky became overcast, as if it were going to rain.
What did it mean to have misfortune never come alone, and when it rains, it pours? Zhan Bei Jue understood it now.
The rain started falling out of nowhere, and it was heavy, ceaseless.
He had no choice but to sit outside a coffee shop.
The feeling of being unable to do anything was truly frustrating.
He felt uncommonly dejected the entire afternoon.
He wished he could tear open his head and see what was missing inside, how could he be so useless?
At first, many people sought shelter from the rain. Gradually, everyone bought umbrellas, took taxis, or someone came to pick them up. Only he remained.
The sky grew darker. Zhan Bei Jue leaned against the wall alone, like a wandering spirit.
Suddenly, a pair of faded yellow sneakers with oil stains on the uppers appeared in his vision.
The shoes were soaked in water and didn't move closer, just stood there quietly.
Zhan Bei Jue's eyes lit up. Following the shoes, he looked slowly upwards and saw Min Er, whom he hadn't seen all afternoon.
She held a tattered umbrella, her face slightly pale from running vigorously.
They looked at each other. After a few seconds, she reprimanded Zhan Bei Jue with displeasure.
"Aren't you coming back with me?"
The house was not lit, and it was dim. They could barely see the outlines.
Min Er tiptoed and brought Zhan Bei Jue into her room.
Closing the door, she threw a T-shirt at him to dry himself and turned on the dim bedside lamp.
Through the simple yet warm furnishings in the room, Zhan Bei Jue realized this was her boudoir.
After haphazardly wiping himself dry and putting away the T-shirt, he put his hand on the doorknob.
"I'll leave when the rain stops tomorrow. I'll sleep in the basement tonight. Thank you for letting me come back."
After saying that, he was about to go out. Min Er hurried to stop him.
"Don't move."
"?"
"My mother has been unwell lately and keeps going to the basement. You can't go there anymore."
"..."
"Just stay here. I brought dinner back. You must be hungry, eat first."
As she spoke, she took out two plastic bags from the cloth bag she was carrying.
One bag contained rice, and the other contained a jumble of leftover dishes mixed together.
Zhan Bei Jue had been eating like this for a month and had gotten used to it.
They spread out the bags and placed them on a small wooden table by the window. One sat on the edge of the bed, the other squatted, and they began to eat with spoons.
In the past, even the leftovers would have been better than this.
Who would have thought that one day, the dignified CEO of Zhan Corporation would be eating other people's leftovers and enjoying it so much?
Seeing him eat heartily and return without holding a grudge, Min Er felt secretly happy.
She pushed a piece of beef towards Zhan Bei Jue and was about to apologize for the incident at noon when suddenly,
"Crash!"
The glass was hit hard.
Zhan Bei Jue reacted extremely quickly, dropped his spoon, and was about to stand up to look outside. Min Er stopped him in time.
"Don't move!"
"?"
"Shh, I know who's here."
They stopped eating and listened intently to the sounds outside.
Amidst the drizzling rain, the jovial voices of several men soon followed.
"Mr. Shen, it's been a few days. You seem to be living well. You're out drinking even in the rain, looks like your daughter has earned some money recently."
"How about it? Is the rent ready? Hurry up and invite us in for a chat."
Rent?
Zhan Bei Jue understood. It was Min Er's landlord.
The group didn't walk; they sounded more like an earthquake, entering the house with a clatter so loud they might as well have been shaking the house apart.
Min Er wiped her mouth, reached into her pocket, felt around, stood up, and instructed Zhan Bei Jue.
"Don't go out. If you go out, it'll be trouble. Go into my closet and wait. I'll be back later."
Zhan Bei Jue stood inside the closet, covered by her clothes. Min Er pulled the door shut and walked out.
Soon, a rascally voice came from outside the door.
"Only this little? Who are you trying to fool?"
"I told your father long ago that someone else wanted to rent this place, and the rent has increased now."
"You think it's too expensive and can't afford it, so you should give it to someone else. But now he's not giving it to someone else and not paying the rent, what do you want? Do you want to rebel?"
"Don't give me any of your nonsense. I'll give you two options: First, pay me the difference immediately. Second, pack up and get out. Choose!"
Min Er stood in front, lowering her head and saying nothing.
Her father, who was drunk beside her, suddenly sobered up.
Gritting his teeth, he lunged forward, grabbed her hair, and started hitting her.