“BOOM! BOOM!”
A ghastly white bolt of lightning split through the pitch-black sky, instantly illuminating the empty, desolate street.
No, not entirely empty, there was still a tiny delivery electric scooter navigating through the storm.
Ning Zhi sniffled, wearing a bright yellow rubber duck raincoat he had bought on discount at the supermarket. It leaked slightly, but it was cheap enough. He rode through the wind and torrential rain.
Flash after flash of lightning repeatedly tore through the darkness. Rainwater overflowed the pavement, and gale-force winds whipped the trees along the street into a frenzy, making them rustle loudly.
All of this was proof enough of how terrible tonight’s weather was.
Yet, despite such atrocious weather, Ning Zhi was still out delivering food.
“…Talk about bad luck! Facing this kind of weather on my very first day of delivering food. If I didn’t need to pay rent, I’d be heading straight home right now.”
Ning Zhi’s frail body shivered in the wind. He narrowed his pale gray, beautiful eyes into slitted lines, trying desperately to see the road ahead.
Just then, his phone, which was displaying the navigation map, flashed, and an incoming call popped up.
The ringtone suddenly blasted through the heavy night. Ning Zhi startled so badly that his little electric scooter instantly swerved through eighteen wild curves.
Luckily, his riding skills were top-notch, and he managed to pull back into his lane from the adjacent traffic lane.
“Phew, good thing I’m so talented, or else I would’ve gotten into a car accident… Hello, who’s this?”
A rough male voice came through the receiver.
“When on earth are you going to pay the rent? I’ve already given you an extra week! If you don’t pay up today, pack your trash and get the hell out!”
It was the landlord.
“I… I’ll pay it right away.”
“Right away, right away! How many times have you said ‘right away’? If I don’t see the money today, I’m throwing all your stuff out onto the street!”
Panicking, Ning Zhi pleaded repeatedly, “Don’t! Please don’t throw my things out! I’ve already asked my manager for a small salary advance. Combined with what I make from food delivery today, I’ll give you the rent as soon as I get back!”
The voice on the other end sneered cold-heartedly. “Get your ass back here fast, or else don’t blame me for being, ”
The background navigation continued its prompt: “Turn right at the upcoming intersection. Destination is 1.3 kilometers away. Estimated time, ”
Just then, a powerful gust of wind swept up ground water and a flurry of falling leaves, slamming them straight into Ning Zhi’s face.
He couldn’t hold it in,
“Achoo!”
Before he could even open his eyes after sneezing, he suddenly felt a violent impact!
“BANG, ”
The loud crash blended with the crack of lightning across the sky.
Ning Zhi tumbled to the ground along with his scooter, rolling miserably on the wet pavement. His mind went completely blank, leaving only the sound of pattering rain in his ears.
What happened?
Did he… just hit someone?
His cheap raincoat was ripped to shreds, and icy rain poured over him. Ning Zhi wiped the water from his face and scrambled to his feet, his heart thumping with terror.
Then, not far away, he saw a dark figure collapsed against the flowerbed at the turn.
Oh no!
Ning Zhi’s eyes widened gradually. After freezing for a few seconds, he pushed his scooter aside and rushed over.
“A-Are you okay?”
His voice trembled with a tearful whine.
He hesitantly nudged the man lying on the flowerbed, only to spot a pool of reddish liquid spreading in the rainwater beneath him.
Ning Zhi’s vision turned dark, and he stammered in complete panic, “Are… are you still alive? Waaah, I didn’t mean to!”
In a frenzy, he dialed 120 for an ambulance. Following the emergency operator’s instructions, he carefully flipped the man over.
Uh,
Ning Zhi blinked, rubbed his eyes vigorously, and leaned down to take a close look at the man’s face.
Is it really possible to be this unlucky?
Why did the person he hit look exactly like his archenemy?
…Wait, this was his archenemy!
“Alright, you can pay the bill over here.”
Ning Zhi pulled out his crumpled, soaked money and handed it over with complete reluctance.
“Here’s your receipt. You can collect the medication over at that counter.”
His palm felt empty as a light piece of paper was placed in his hand.
Dazed, Ning Zhi took the prescription sheet and politely thanked her, “Okay, thank you.”
It was gone… His rent money was completely gone… He was going to have to sleep under a bridge or on a park bench now.
At the thought of this, Ning Zhi pouted. He felt an urge to cry, but forced it down.
Mom had said that a real man shouldn’t shed tears easily.
It was only two thousand yuan gone, only his family going bankrupt, only being on the verge of sleeping on the streets and becoming a little beggar… There was nothing “only” about it at all!
Unable to accept his reality, the former spoiled young master sneaked into the stairwell and wiped away his tears behind everyone’s backs.
Half a month ago, Ning Zhi’s family suddenly went bankrupt. Their luxury villa was seized, the family company went under, and even his father was taken away by the police, with no news since.
Overnight, he plummeted from the top of the world straight into the dirt.
The friends he used to be close with avoided him like the plague. After being cold-shouldered multiple times, Ning Zhi saw their true colors clearly. He swapped his phone’s SIM card and ran off to fend for himself.
However, the pampered young master was entirely unaccustomed to ordinary life, especially since he had no idea how to take care of himself.
In just half a month, his already delicate health deteriorated further. He got sick every couple of days while juggling multiple part-time jobs.
He had even managed to mess up several of those jobs…
His once vibrant sky-blue hair now clung damply to his shoulders. Having fallen into a puddle earlier, Ning Zhi looked thoroughly disheveled, covered in dirty water marks from head to toe.
…The phone in his pocket began to vibrate again.
Ning Zhi raised a hand to wipe his reddened nose, pulled out the phone, and answered.
“…Hello.”
“Are you fucking coming back or not?! Are you playing games with me? Believe it or not, I’ll throw all your belongings out into the rain right now!”
It was the landlord again!
“I…” Ning Zhi opened his mouth, but didn’t know how to explain that he had no money left.
The once proud and arrogant young master lowered his head, his voice softening into a gentle, pleading tone: “I’m sorry… I might not be able to pay the rent right now, but I, ”
“What ‘but’? Didn’t you just say you had the money? Where is it?”
Ning Zhi’s eyes welled up with red, and he nervously gripped his fingers.
“Don’t be so mean. I… I accidentally got into a car accident just now… I’ll give you the money, just give me a little more time.”
The landlord snapped furiously, “Are you out of your mind? I’m giving you one last day. Even if you have to take out a bare-faced loan, you better pay up! If you don’t, get the hell out!”
Clack. The phone went dead.
Ning Zhi’s chest heaved with anger after hearing that.
So rude!
He would never take out a shady loan.
Clutching the crumpled prescription, Ning Zhi suddenly remembered that someone was still waiting in the hospital room. He scratched his messy hair, hurried over to pick up the medicine, and ran back to the ward.
Looking at Si Yuche lying unconscious on the bed, Ning Zhi suddenly realized a problem far worse than his missing rent.
It wasn’t just that he couldn’t pay rent, he had accidentally run over his archenemy!
Ever since they first met in their freshman year of high school, he and Si Yuche had formed a feud. From then on, they competed over everything and couldn’t stand the sight of each other.
They detested each other to the core.
Before, Ning Zhi was the cherished, spoiled only child of the Ning family, while Si Yuche was merely an illegitimate son who was brought back to the family and treated with cold neglect.
But things were different now… Their roles had completely flipped.
The Ning family went bankrupt, reducing Ning Zhi from a praised young master to a laughingstock. On the other hand, the patriarch of the Si family fell critically ill and passed away, altering his will right before his death to designate Si Yuche as his sole heir. Thus, Si Yuche rose from an unloved illegitimate child to a powerful heir holding absolute authority.
Ning Zhi had heard that Si Yuche was abroad handling Old Mister Si’s funeral arrangements. From the looks of it, he had probably just returned to the country… only to be hit by Ning Zhi’s scooter.
What would happen if Si Yuche woke up, realized Ning Zhi’s family was bankrupt, and found out that Ning Zhi was the one who ran him over?
Ning Zhi’s breathing grew heavy. The plastic bag in his hand crinkled loudly under his tight grip as his eyelashes quivered while gazing at the man on the bed.
It’s over, it’s over, it’s over… Given Si Yuche’s vengeful nature, once he woke up and realized who it was, he would definitely retaliate mercilessly.
Humiliate him, punish him, bully him, trample on him…
He might even call the police to arrest him, extort a huge sum from him, and lock him up in prison forever. He’d leave Ning Zhi with no one to call for help.
Then he would look down at him with contempt, stepping on him like he was a pathetic dog on the street.
“Did you ever think you’d see this day?”
“Ning Zhi, get down on your knees and beg me. Maybe if I’m in a good mood, I’ll consider letting you off the hook. Otherwise, ”
…
Aaargh! I shouldn’t have read so many angst web novels late at night recently!
Ning Zhi scared himself so badly that goosebumps broke out all over his body.
Should I… run away?
In any case, he had already paid the medical bills. He could just ask a stranger outside to call the Si family and tell them to pick Si Yuche up, while he took the opportunity to make a quick escape.
Would Si Yuche send people to hunt him down? Or would he just write it off as bad luck?
…Curse it all! Is there any way to make him lose his memory?!
Ning Zhi felt extremely guilty. After a agonizing inner battle, he concluded that running away was probably his best shot at survival.
Alright. He made up his mind and prepared to slip away.
“…A-Zhi.”
Ning Zhi’s leg froze mid-step. He looked toward the bed in panic.
The man was frowning slightly, scanning him up and down before asking with a displeased expression, “What are you standing over there for?”
Si Yuche struggled to sit up, his face pale as he gestured toward him: “My head hurts terribly. Come over here and let me hold you.”
Who is he calling A-Zhi?
Hearing such an affectionate nickname from his archenemy, Ning Zhi’s immediate reaction was,
Gross.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing the person in front of him soaked through and covered in dirt, Si Yuche’s tone grew heavy: “Why are you dressed like this? Where are the clothes, necklace, watch, and shoes I bought you? Do you dislike them? If you don’t like them, I’ll buy you new ones.”
Ning Zhi remained silent for a moment, as if realizing something.
He blinked and tentatively probed, “The clothes… the clothes were too ugly, so I threw them away.”
The man replied naturally, “Then we’ll buy you new ones.”
Ning Zhi bit his lip and tried again: “…I accidentally lost the necklace.”
The man nodded, “As you should. How could you wear something ugly? If it’s lost, it’s lost. We’ll just buy new ones. If we buy enough, you’re bound to find something you like.”
Ning Zhi’s breathing became slightly rushed: “…I, I broke my watch while using it to crack walnuts.”
The man on the bed paused for a second, then curled his lips slightly: “It’s fine. It happens to be a good excuse to get the latest models. Many limited editions were released overseas recently, I can have someone bring them back for you to crack walnuts with.”
“My shoes, ”
The man smiled and interrupted him: “We’ll buy them all. Anything you want, ”
Before he could finish his sentence, the boy’s previously dim eyes suddenly sparkled. In the next instant, he threw himself straight into the man’s arms!
“Husband, you scared me to death!”