Just then, a sound even more grating than the slammed door accosted Xu Ke's ears.
"Xu Ke, kicked out, were you? I told you that you couldn't compare to me."
A man in a bespoke Armani suit and an Omega watch approached, holding a bouquet of ninety-nine vibrant, freshly bloomed roses. He stared at Xu Ke with a mocking gaze.
Li Jun.
Siao Jia's ex-boyfriend.
Li Jun was brimming with confidence, a stark contrast to the disheveled Xu Ke, who had just taken a fall.
Xu Ke gritted his teeth. "Was this your doing?"
"Don't put it so harshly," Li Jun said with a smirk. "Siao Jia came to me herself. She said her brother needed money and you didn't have any, so naturally, she had to find me."
"I stopped pursuing Siao Jia and gave you a chance to take her, but you're useless."
"You bastard." Xu Ke's eyes gradually reddened, and his fists clenched tighter.
Li Jun took a theatrical step back. "What? You gonna hit me? Oh, I'm so scared, Xu Ke."
After saying his piece, Li Jun arrogantly raised his hand and began slapping Xu Ke across the face. With each resounding smack, he taunted, "But what can you do when I'm friends with your boss? I'm fucking betting a poor bastard like you is too worried about losing your job to dare touch me."
Xu Ke was so angry he ground his teeth.
Li Jun grew even more emboldened, cruelly provoking him, "Oh, and I forgot to tell you, Siao Jia isn't bad in bed, but she's a little worse than those young models. Barely usable, I guess."
"Hahahaha."
Li Jun roared with laughter, his satisfaction growing as he watched Xu Ke's defeated expression.
"You goddamn asshole."
Xu Ke roared and swung his fist.
Li Jun, having anticipated the punch, dodged easily. "Can't even hit me, you loser," he taunted.
But being in poor shape, Li Jun slipped while dodging and fell hard to the ground, letting out a wail. "Ahh..."
At that moment, the apartment door swung open.
Siao Jia rushed out, her expression changing drastically. "What happened?"
Li Jun immediately clutched his stomach. "I was just greeting him when he punched me in the stomach."
Without asking for an explanation, Siao Jia slapped Xu Ke hard across the face.
SLAP.
The sound echoed sharply in the corridor.
Siao Jia yelled angrily, "You've disappointed me so much."
Xu Ke's cheek reddened and began to swell. He was utterly astonished. Li Jun framed him, and Siao Jia believed it without a moment's hesitation? He still couldn't believe Siao Jia could be this ruthless.
A triumphant gleam flashed in Li Jun's eyes.
Xu Ke took a deep breath and let out a cold chuckle. "Fine. If you're going to be this heartless, why should I bother saving face for you?"
His eyes turned a ferocious crimson.
Seeing this, Siao Jia became even angrier. "What? Are you going to hit me?" she shrieked. "You dare touch me? My brother and Li Jun will make you pay!"
Xu Ke's voice thundered, "Those two worthless fools? I could take them both out with one punch!"
"Then try it!" Li Jun immediately shot back, indignant. Who was he calling a worthless fool? He was certain Xu Ke wouldn't dare to act!
Xu Ke turned his head and glared at him. "Heh, I've never seen someone so eager to die."
If Li Jun was going to accuse him of assault, then he might as well commit to it.
Before Li Jun could react, Xu Ke launched a vicious kick.
THUD!
The sound exploded in the hallway. Caught completely off guard, Li Jun was kicked so hard his face contorted in pain as he screamed, "Ahh..."
He never expected Xu Ke would actually hit him! And right in front of Siao Jia!
Siao Jia panicked. "You..."
"Me what?!" Xu Ke roared. "Say one more goddamn word and I'll finish you both."
At this, Siao Jia finally grew afraid. She never thought the normally good-natured Xu Ke would actually snap and turn violent when pushed too far.
Just then, Chang Xiujuan hurried out of the apartment. "My good son-in-law, what's wrong?" Distressed, she helped Li Jun up and then turned to yell at Xu Ke. "Didn't I tell you to get lost? Why are you still here?"
He was retching bile from the force of the kick, but Li Jun cowered in fear, not daring to say a word. His bodyguards weren't around; there was no way he could fight Xu Ke.
Xu Ke looked at the furious mother and daughter and the trembling Li Jun, then sneered with contempt. "Siao Jia, since you're being kept, let me offer you some advice: work on your skills. Li Jun says you're much worse in bed than those young models."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Siao Jia's face turned livid. "What do you mean 'kept'?!" she shrieked.
But Xu Ke ignored her and left.
As Li Jun was helped to his feet, he watched Xu Ke's retreating back, his face twisted with pain and resentment. "You dare to oppose me? Just you wait and see..."
「In Xu Ke's new apartment.」
A message arrived from the gym. "You've been fired. You were absent for three days, so you will not be paid for this month."
Xu Ke wasn't surprised. He laughed at himself. Three years of my career, my love... all because I was blind. My parents in Jiang City used up all their savings, borrowed from all our relatives, and I worked day and night taking extra classes and part-time jobs, just to make the down payment for this apartment. And in the end, I have nothing.
He laughed bitterly.
Just then, a text message popped up. "...A payment of 8,134.56 yuan for the mortgage principal and interest will be deducted on or before February 28th. Please ensure a deposit of 6,829.44 yuan is made."
Another message arrived, this one from his college roommate. "Bro, my wife's been on my case. Uh... think you can pay me back that five thousand? If cash is tight, three thousand would work for now."
An app notification followed. "...2,534.69 yuan will be automatically deducted from your balance, debit card, etc., on February 9th. You can log in to..."
The notifications kept pinging.
Xu Ke felt his blood run cold. So much money... how can I possibly pay it all back? I'm at the end of my rope.
At that moment, a voice message from his mother arrived. He looked down and pressed play.
His mother's usual rambling voice filled the silence.
"Ke, are you asleep yet? Do you have enough money? You have to tell me if you don't. I still have some. Marriage is a big deal, so don't be careless about it.
"By the way, I also have a set of gold jewelry here. I started saving it for you and Siao Jia ever since you two started dating, for your wedding...
"Your father's been trying to save money, so he quit smoking. I know he scolded you last time, but he really does want what's best for you. He doesn't want you to be buried in so much debt just to get married. Don't hold it against him.
"He went out to borrow money from your second uncle. You know your father's temper, stubborn and proud. Your uncle can be so prickly, so they're bound to end up arguing.
"The pig farm is doing well. Pork prices have gone up a lot, so don't worry about us.
"Make sure you eat more vegetables and fish. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, and don't get too tired. If something's wrong, tell your father and me. Don't bottle it all up.
"Okay, I'm going to bed now."
The voice message ended.
CLANG.
The phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor.
Leaning against the wall, Xu Ke dug his hands into his hair, biting his lip so hard it nearly bled. Still, a wretched whimper escaped from between his clenched teeth. His eyes were bloodshot, and tears streamed down his face like rain...