Xiao Heng sneered, "Don't tell me you don't even have fifty cents on you."

"Who are you looking down on?"

A man has to have his dignity, no matter how poor, Lu Yan said as he pulled the money out of his pocket again.

Lu Yan was currently straddling the motorcycle, about half an arm's length from Xiao Heng. He leaned forward, two folded bills pinched between his fingertips, and stuffed them into the open collar of Xiao Heng's shirt. "Keep it safe, it's a huge sum."

From this angle, Lu Yan could see his collarbone. This young master had a good figure, a model's build... he couldn't see clearly any further down.

"What are you doing," Xiao Heng pulled the "huge sum" out from his collar, his expression looking like he wanted to punch him again, "...take it back."

What's wrong with fifty-five?

It's the blood and sweat of the working people.

"Take it."

Lu Yan didn't take it.

Making the young master repeat himself three times was already a rare feat. "Take. It."

Lu Yan still didn't take it.

Xiao Heng threw his cigarette away, took two steps forward, and without another word, pinned him down on the bike.

Lu Yan was pinned without any warning.

"Don't move," Xiao Heng was looking for a place to put it, but with Lu Yan pinned down like this, there was no convenient spot to stuff the money. In the end, he simply shoved it into his back jeans pocket. "Keep it for yourself, I don't need it."

"..."

The jeans were already tight, and the sensation of Xiao Heng stuffing something into them was too intense. Lu Yan hadn't thought much of it when he'd stuffed the money into the other guy's collar, but now he finally understood that you can't just shove things in random places. "Fuck! Where are you stuffing it!"

Xiao Heng didn't reply. After stuffing the money in, he finally let the man go.

Lu Yan's elbows were propped on the handlebars. When he got up, two indentations were pressed into his skin. He felt a sense of defeat, as if he had been the one to start acting like a hooligan, only for the other party to be even more ruthless.

As it turned out, Xiao Heng really wasn't short on money.

When he opened his wallet, there were two rows of bank cards inside.

Xiao Heng casually pulled one out.

The men at the side had just been beaten up. They never would have imagined he was here to pay back the money. They said in a daze, "You, you're going to help her pay it back? One million two hundred thousand?"

Lu Yan also said, "You're really going to help her pay it back?"

Lu Yan had originally thought that at most, he might help argue with the loan sharks a bit. This kind of compounding interest was, in the end, just a shameless tactic.

Besides, he and Kang Ru were complete strangers.

More than strangers, if Lu Yan's guess was correct, that child was probably the one Kang Ru had with his father out of wedlock... Are people these days really so merciful towards their father's mistresses?

However, after Lu Yan pondered for a long time, the young master uttered two words:

"I'm rich."

"..."

Alright.

We get it, you're rich.

So rich you don't know where to spend your money.

The leader scrambled up from the ground, went to the truck to get something, and ran back. Only when he got closer did Lu Yan see it was a mobile POS machine. The joyful expression was written all over his face; he no longer cared about the beating he had just received. "We support card payments here. Whatever is convenient for you, card or cash, both are fine."

They were quite well-prepared.

Xiao Heng swiped the card.

One million two hundred thousand, paid just like that.

Without even batting an eye.

Lu Yan discovered that he truly did not understand the world of the rich.

This group of people had to run around for their business, so their truck was equipped not only with a payment machine but also a company seal and loan contracts—they had everything.

In just over ten minutes, Kang Ru's loan contract and proof of repayment were packaged in a file folder and handed to Lu Yan. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"You take it back to her," Xiao Heng said. "It's on your way."

It really was on his way, right next door.

Lu Yan opened it and checked, confirming no documents were missing. "I can give it to her for you."

Although the process was a bit rough, the matter was considered successfully resolved.

After putting the folder away, Lu Yan pushed his motorcycle and walked out of the garage with Xiao Heng.

As they passed the formidable green trash can, Lu Yan didn't know if Xiao Heng had chuckled mockingly first, or if he himself couldn't hold it in. "...Don't laugh. You think I want to push this thing? This goddamn shithole only has one trash can!"

Xiao Heng indicated that he had no desire to listen to his bullshit.

"..." Lu Yan rubbed his nose and changed the subject. "I didn't see you drive today. How are you getting back later? Taking a taxi?"

Xiao Heng grunted an "en" and asked in return, "Got any more cigarettes?"

Lu Yan tossed the whole pack to him.

After tossing it, Lu Yan didn't linger. But after driving for two hundred meters, he hit a red light. Stopping, he looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Xiao Heng was still back there, not having left. The man was sitting on the curb, smoking. He was injured, and after a couple of drags, he lowered his head—it was a posture that completely contradicted his personality, one that even looked somewhat vulnerable. The suit jacket he had taken off during the fight was tossed carelessly at his feet.

It was already late at night.

Except for the brightly lit area around Phoenix Terrace, the vicinity of the garage was mostly dark, with not even many streetlights. Xiao Heng was completely hidden in this darkness.

For no reason, Lu Yan felt that he looked a lot like a homeless stray cat or dog.

Of course, if it were Xiao Heng.

He'd have to be a competition-grade breed that cost tens of thousands at least.

The red light in front of him blinked twice.

...

However, homeless.

Lu Yan averted his eyes, thinking the idea was absurd.

......

Kang Ru didn't return to the building until noon the next day.

In order to wait for her, Lu Yan had specifically set an alarm. When Kang Ru came upstairs, he was still eating lunch. His temporary meal buddy, Brother Wei, was sitting beside him, listening to his heroic tale of beating up the loan sharks last night.

"There were five of them," Lu Yan said while picking up a piece of eggplant with his chopsticks. "Five guys are nothing to me. I just rolled up my sleeves and went at them—"

Although Brother Wei was tense from the thrilling fight scene, he still retained a sliver of reason. He also picked up a piece of braised eggplant and lamented, "Yan, that doesn't sound like you."

Lu Yan hadn't expected to be called out while bragging. "Brother, what kind of misunderstanding do you have about me?"

Brother Wei: "What kind of misunderstanding do you have about yourself?"

Brother Wei had lived in this building longer than Lu Yan. He had a thorough understanding of Lu Yan's all-talk-and-no-action personality. And even if he did act...

"The first time the demolition company came, you couldn't even beat one of them."

Brother Wei said in a nostalgic tone, "I still remember the sight of you getting sent flying in just a few moves..."

"..."

Hearing this, Lu Yan reached out, took the bowl and chopsticks from Brother Wei's hands, and then pointed to the door. "You, get out."

Brother Wei: "What's up? Didn't we agree that if I lent you my bike, you'd treat me to a meal?"

Lu Yan planted one foot on the ground to stand up, walked over to the cabinet and rummaged for a bit, finally pulling out a cup of braised beef instant noodles. "Is this flavor okay with you?"

Brother Wei was in disbelief. "??? Are you even human?"

The two joked around for a while.

As Brother Wei stood at the door holding the braised beef noodles, Kang Ru happened to walk up. She was still wearing the same clothes from the night before, and under her eyes were dark circles that even a thick layer of concealer couldn't hide.

"She's here, she's here," Brother Wei darted into the room and said. "She's back."

Lu Yan picked up the bowl he hadn't had a chance to return and the file folder, pulled the door open, and stood in front of Kang Ru. "I borrowed this from you last time and never returned it. And this, someone asked me to give it to you."

Kang Ru looked at him for a moment.

Before she opened the file folder, she never would have imagined there would be two contracts inside.

One of them was so familiar she couldn't be more familiar with it—the very contract that had bound her for a full five years, the one where the black words on white paper turned into sharp blades in her nightmares, slicing her to death by a thousand cuts. At the bottom was her own signature.

But in truth, it wasn't that familiar.

Because when she had signed this contract, she hadn't even been able to read its contents carefully. A close female co-worker from her factory had told her, "There won't be any problem with this contract. This is my cousin. He'll definitely give you the lowest interest rate, even lower than the bank's. You don't have to worry."

So she had held that pen and signed her name, stroke by stroke.

Kang Ru had once been just like all the other girls who came to Xiajing City to work. She had simple wishes, coming to the big city to find job opportunities. "You can't pay back the money?—Can't you figure something out?"

"Miss... I have a job here, makes money fast, want to consider it?" Countless hands had pushed her into the abyss.

She felt herself rotting away, piece by piece.

If she could still close her eyes and endure this life, then she would endure a little longer. If she couldn't, then she would just die.

But the child was an accident. She had gone to a small clinic once for an abortion. The money was paid, but at the last moment, she pushed the doctor away and ran off the operating table barefoot—she knew she would regret this decision later, but she still pushed away those cold instruments and equipment.

All her regrets couldn't compare to the moment the child was born. She felt the world become a little brighter.

Kang Ru dazedly turned the page of the contract and found another sheet underneath.

On that paper was written:

The debt of one million two hundred thousand yuan owed by Ms. Kang Ru (Party B) has been fully paid off. From the moment this agreement takes effect, there are no longer any creditor-debtor relations between Ms. Kang Ru and this company.

Lu Yan had never seen someone cry like that.

Kang Ru bit down hard on the back of her hand, her waist slowly bending. The bag on her shoulder slid off, and then a suppressed sound escaped from between her tightly clenched teeth. Tears streamed down, splattering on the floor.

[Lu Yan]: I gave her the stuff.

[Xiao Heng]: mm

[Lu Yan]: She's been crying nonstop, repeatedly saying sorry and asking where the child is. Are you bringing the child over tomorrow?

[Xiao Heng]: mm

No matter what he sent, the reply was always an extremely perfunctory "mm," so lazy he couldn't even be bothered to switch the input method to Chinese.

Kang Ru cried until she was completely drained. Lu Yan helped her back to her room, then came out and typed a reply.

[Lu Yan]: Are you a broken record? Can you use a different word?

This time, Xiao Heng's reply was even more concise.

[Xiao Heng]: o

...

After Lu Yan finished washing the dishes, Xiao Heng took the initiative to send a few messages to explain.

[Xiao Heng]: Preparing formula, inconvenient to type.

The other was a voice message.

Lu Yan opened it, and the first thing that came out was a "Sha—," then the young master paused before continuing, "...thanks."

'You were about to say Shamate, weren't you???'