The temperature at the construction site was still unbearably hot. Outside the door, waves of heat surged through the air until even the atmosphere itself seemed frozen.
The small electric fan was coated in greasy dust as it desperately blew air toward the foreman, lifting one corner of the shirt stretched over his stomach and exposing his swollen belly.
Inside the humid, stifling office, only the whirring of the fan could be heard. Sweat covered the foreman’s neck and back as he tilted his double chin upward and looked sideways at Yuan Wei. Although his posture was one of disdain, he somehow found himself unconsciously holding his breath in front of him.
What was there to fear about a young man barely in his twenties?
The foreman sneered inwardly, yet still didn’t dare meet Yuan Wei’s pale eyes directly.
Yesterday, a large group of people had come looking for him by name, demanding that he fire Yuan Wei. If he refused, they threatened to make sure he would never get work again.
He didn’t want trouble. Besides, whether Yuan Wei stayed or left made little difference to him, so he simply called Yuan Wei over.
Yuan Wei had been standing there for quite a while, his eyes fixed on the ground the entire time. Silent and motionless, the scent of blood on him drifted continuously into the foreman’s nose.
The foreman coughed and tapped the table with his thick fingers.
“I’m talking to you. Did you offend someone?”
Yuan Wei raised his eyes, his gaze landing over coldly and distantly.
“If you have something to say, say it directly.”
The foreman choked for a second, thinking this kid really was straightforward. Was he fearless, or just stupid?
Sitting up straighter, he adjusted his sweat-soaked collar.
“I’ll be direct then. A group of people specifically demanded that you get the hell out of here. Otherwise, they’ll make sure none of us can keep working here. As the leader here, I have to think about everyone else too. How about this, I’ll pay you this month’s wages, and you go find another job, alright?”
Yuan Wei’s gaze sharpened instantly, and the foreman immediately shouted, “Don’t blame me for this! You caused your own trouble, it’s already generous enough that I’m not making things harder for you!”
Yuan Wei held out his hand.
The foreman jumped in fright and sprang up from his chair instinctively. “W-What are you doing?!”
Yuan Wei said, “Money.”
The foreman nearly choked on his own breath.
So it was a false alarm. Embarrassed, he sat back down, though he only dared perch on the edge of the chair. He counted out a stack of cash from the drawer. At first he wanted to slap it onto the table, but after thinking about it, he gently set it down by the edge instead.
“Three thousand five hundred in total. Count it carefully, don’t say I cheated you.”
Yuan Wei tucked the stack of money into his clothes, nodded once at the foreman, then turned and walked out.
The foreman watched his figure gradually disappear from sight before finally gritting his teeth.
“What the hell am I scared of him for?”
As soon as Yuan Wei stepped outside, Jiao Xing hurried over.
“Little Yuan, what did the foreman say to you?”
Yuan Wei stopped walking and glanced at him.
Jiao Xing looked confused. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Yuan Wei said, “Work hard. Stop slacking off.”
Jiao Xing stared at him with a complicated expression. “…Huh?”
Looking toward the dirt piles in the distance, Yuan Wei said, “I’m quitting. Thanks for taking care of me during this time.”
Jiao Xing: “…AHHH!!!”
Yuan Wei waved a hand and strode away.
After Su Youtian finished eating the food Yuan Wei left on the table and washed the dishes, she wanted to help tidy up his house. But the place was already so clean that she felt anything more would just be unnecessary fussing.
Tuotuo only ate a little. Probably because Su Youtian had spoiled its appetite, it only took a few bites of the plain steamed buns and vegetables.
Su Youtian poked its little belly.
“Sigh, your useless dad can’t afford to raise you. You’re destined to live with Mommy.”
【Don’t make it sound like you two got divorced.】
Su Youtian ignored the System. She wandered around the room before finally stopping silently in front of Yuan Wei’s mother’s memorial photo.
The woman in the photograph looked quietly at her with eyes just as gentle and deep as Yuan Wei’s.
Su Youtian bowed toward her.
“Auntie, please don’t worry. Yuan Wei will be alright in the future.”
“He… he’ll have lots and lots of money, and lots and lots of love too. He’ll be incredibly happy.”
“When I go back, I’ll write an extra story for this novel. Maybe I’ll make it so you never meet that scumbag in the first place. You deserve a peaceful and happy life…”
【If she never met Yuan Wei’s father, then Yuan Wei would disappear.】
Su Youtian gritted her teeth. “Then I’ll write her into a rebirth story. Can’t it be a parallel world?”
【Sure. You’re the author, you make the rules.】
Su Youtian took a deep breath and said sincerely toward the memorial photo, “Auntie, I’ll definitely give you an especially wonderful life. What do you think about becoming the richest woman in the world? Every morning you could wake up surrounded by handsome young men and their perfect bodi…”
【Enough! You’re even making dirty jokes about Yuan Wei’s mother? Do you have any conscience at all?!】
Su Youtian declared righteously, “As a fellow woman, Auntie will definitely understand. Cold-hearted data like you could never understand a woman’s dreams!”
The System said weakly, “I don’t understand, but if Yuan Wei ever finds out you arranged that many young pretty boys for his mother… he’ll kill you.”
Su Youtian shrank her neck. Before leaving, she still said to the memorial photo:
“Auntie, if you have a preferred type, remember to appear in my dreams and tell me. I definitely wi…”
【Enough already! Are you done or not?!】
After returning home, Su Youtian spent the entire day buying pet supplies for Tuotuo. Sitting on the floor, she took things out of the bags one by one.
“See this? I bought this ball for you.”
Tuotuo lifted its little head and stared at the ball with intense longing.
Su Youtian took out another bag and squeezed it in her hand.
“See this? Dog food!”
Tuotuo barked excitedly and pounced toward her.
Su Youtian revealed a sinister grin.
“I’m telling you, only by following me can you enjoy good stuff like this. What’s the point of following your useless father? From now on, be obedient, listen only to me, and remember to support me in my old age, got it?!”
Tuotuo’s entire dog body trembled, and it let out a long howl.
The System said helplessly, “You’re getting addicted to acting.”
Su Youtian set the dog food down and sighed.
“I keep feeling like I treat Yuan Wei worse than I treat a dog. Yuan Wei is still suffering at the construction site.”
【Then go comfort him. Show him more care.】
Su Youtian shook her head. “I’ve seen through everything now. Every time I get close to him, you assign me another ridiculous task. Supposedly it’s me courting death, but since he never loses his temper, he’s the one getting hurt instead. I’ve decided. I’ll stay home with my puppy and grow old alone. I’m never stepping outside again.”
【…Is that really necessary?】
Su Youtian said painfully, “You don’t understand. You don’t understand the feelings of an old mother. Watching your son get abused right in front of you, who could bear it? Who could bear it?!”
The System finally lost its patience and was just about to tell her to shut up when Su Youtian suddenly thought of something and scooped Tuotuo into her arms.
Tuotuo blinked its tiny eyes at her in confusion.
Thoughtfully, Su Youtian said, “The family hierarchy is kind of messed up. So I’m not your mommy, I should actually be your… grandma?”
【…Know when to stop already.】
Holding the puppy tightly in her arms, Su Youtian cried sorrowfully:
“It’s all Grandma’s fault. Grandma didn’t find you sooner and let your cruel mother abandon you. Your useless father didn’t take good care of you either. From now on you’ll live with Grandma, okay? Grandma will raise you, and you’ll take care of Grandma when she’s old, alright?”
The System finally exploded:
【If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll shock you!】
Su Youtian immediately put Tuotuo down and prepared to start rolling around on the floor again.
The System hurriedly surrendered. “Fine, fine, fine! I’m scared of you already. Finish three more tasks, and I’ll give you a vacation, okay?”
Su Youtian instantly sat upright. “A vacation? Three hours or three minutes?”
【Do you really think I’m that awful? I’ll give you three years off.】
“Three years?!”
Su Youtian was stunned. “You’re not lying to me?”
【As long as you complete three more tasks, I’ll give you a three-year vacation. During those three years, I won’t assign you a single task.】
Su Youtian was skeptical. “Three years? By then Yuan Wei will already have become a CEO, right? By that point it’ll be too late to fix anything, won’t I just get tortured even worse?”
【Sooner or later you have to go through this anyway. So, are you agreeing or not?】
Su Youtian pondered for a moment. “Deal. Whoever breaks the agreement is a puppy!”
Yuan Wei spent several days at the labor market without finding a suitable job.
A young man his age should have been easy to hire, but seeing the bloody aura around him and the bruises still visible on his face, employers were afraid of getting dragged into trouble and all turned him away.
On the fourth day, an older acquaintance he had met in prison came looking for him.
The man’s name was Chang Lun. Back then, he had gone to prison because of financial issues. During one of the prison gang fights, he had only been standing off to the side watching the chaos when he got dragged into it. Yuan Wei had blocked a punch for him.
Chang Lun immediately remembered the favor. Seeing that Yuan Wei wasn’t bad by nature and had only ended up in prison because of a moment of impulsiveness, he felt it was a pity.
So he told Yuan Wei that if he ever got out and found himself with nowhere to turn, he could come look for him.
Who would’ve thought that after all this time, Yuan Wei never contacted him once.
Worried, Chang Lun asked around through connections and eventually found him.
In front of the barbecue stall, smoke billowed through the air while the charred aroma of grilled meat mixed with the heavy scent of spices drifted around them.
Chang Lun sat down boldly, rolled up his sleeves, and chugged half a bottle of beer in one go.
Wiping his beard covered in beer foam with one huge hand, he burst into laughter.
“After all these years, it still tastes the same!”
Yuan Wei silently drank half a glass of beer as well, the tension in his face easing slightly.
Grinning widely, Chang Lun bit into a skewer of meat.
“Little Yuan, not to criticize you or anything, but why didn’t you contact me? What, you don’t trust Brother Chang?”
Yuan Wei shook his head. His gaze swept across the bustling crowd in the distance, the pale color of his eyes tinted with a touch of warmth beneath the city lights.
“No.”
Chang Lun clicked his tongue, taking it as the stubborn pride of youth.
“Come on, why are you being polite with your Brother Chang? Your Brother Chang now…”
As he spoke, he tugged open his collar to reveal a thick gold chain hanging around his neck.
“…isn’t the same as before.”
Yuan Wei glanced at his stomach, swollen like he was eight or nine months pregnant, and tugged slightly at the corner of his mouth.
“Definitely not the same.”
“Right?” Chang Lun laughed proudly and lifted his wrist, making all the bead bracelets around it clatter noisily. “If you’ve got any difficulties, just tell me. Your brother here isn’t someone who forgets where he came from. If you hadn’t helped me back then…” He patted his own face. “…my looks would’ve been ruined.”
Yuan Wei looked at the layers of fat wobbling on his face and silently nodded.
Chang Lun said, “People always say repay grudges and return favors. How about this, come work with me now. As long as I have food to eat, I won’t let you starve!”
Yuan Wei stared at the bubbles rising in his beer glass.
“Brother Chang, you don’t need to worry about me. I didn’t help you back then expecting anything in return.”
“What are you saying?” Chang Lun frowned. “Maybe you don’t care, but I do. How about this, just tell me what kind of job you’re looking for, and I’ll arrange it for you directly.”
Yuan Wei still shook his head.
Chang Lun bluntly said, “I know you don’t really care about money, but you’ve got to think about the future, right? A bachelor like you can eat whatever and sleep anywhere, but what about your girlfriend? Your future wife and kids? You can’t make them suffer alongside you forever.”
Something flickered in Yuan Wei’s eyes, becoming hazy again within the drifting smoke.
Chang Lun knew he’d hit the right point, so he stopped pushing and started talking about his own work instead.
“Right now I work with film crews, helping recruit people, hire actors, coordinate props and schedules. It’s not exactly easy work, but the real headache is dealing with all the social connections. If I didn’t have so many contacts, I couldn’t handle it at all.”
Yuan Wei silently listened to him.
This was one of Yuan Wei’s good points. You could call him quiet, and he could go an entire day without saying a single sentence. But if you said he kept secrets well, then he was also the perfect listener. Especially when those pale eyes looked at you, even if he was secretly annoyed inside, he could still make you feel like he was listening attentively.
Yuan Wei’s silence greatly boosted Chang Lun’s desire to talk and his sense of vanity.
After downing another half bottle of beer, Chang Lun slammed the bottle onto the table.
“I’m telling you, only after working with film crews do you realize how filthy the entertainment industry really is. All the casting couch nonsense, all the publicity stunts, all the scheming back and forth, it makes your head hurt. Especially since I handle actor recruitment. Everybody tries to shove people at me. Their aunt’s kid, their neighbor’s son-in-law, everybody.”
Yuan Wei tilted his head slightly, occasionally blinking to show he was still listening.
Chang Lun continued animatedly, “Just a couple days ago, I finally found a girl for the fourth female lead role. The poor girl had struggled in the entertainment industry for years, she was pretty and could actually act too. But right before filming started, she got kicked out. So I asked around, and turns out one of the investors forced someone into the role instead. Heard she’s just some ordinary college graduate who hasn’t even filmed a single drama before, and in a few days she’s entering the crew directly. Tell me, isn’t that ridiculous?!”
Yuan Wei silently clinked glasses with him.
Chang Lun’s face had turned slightly red. He burped and thought hard for a while.
“I remember that girl who got in through connections was called… called what again?”
Clicking his tongue, he rubbed his forehead.
“The name was pretty special. I remembered it after hearing it once.”
“Right!” He slapped his forehead. “It was something like Sheng… Sheng Xia!”