Chapter 3

“Stop!”

Vivian shouted behind me.

I did not stop.

The elevator at the end of the hallway happened to open, and I strode in, pressing the close button.

The elevator doors slowly shut, cutting off Vivian’s furious face.

When I walked out of the hotel entrance, cold wind and fine rain hit me head-on.

I wrapped my thin coat tighter around myself and stepped into the rain.

My phone vibrated crazily in my pocket.

They were all calls from Vivian.

I turned it off, pulled out the SIM card, and threw it into a trash can by the road.

I returned to the large apartment in the city center.

Everywhere there was filled with Vivian’s presence.

The walk-in closet was full of custom suits she had bought for me, and the shelves were lined with expensive skincare products in matching sets.

I found an old suitcase.

I only packed a few of my old clothes, several professional books, and a broken laptop I had used for five years.

I did not touch a single one of those glittering luxury watches or designer bags.

I neatly placed the black card, car keys, and access card Vivian had given me on the shoe cabinet in the entryway.

Then I took one last look at the “golden cage” I had lived in for three years.

With a bang, I closed the door.

Dragging my suitcase, I took the last night bus.

I arrived in the city’s poorest neighborhood.

This place was the gutter of this glamorous city.

The alleys were cramped, sewage covered the ground, and the air was filled with the sour stench of cheap takeout mixed with drains.

I knocked on the door of a rental agency with a red light on.

“What’s the cheapest room you have?”

The landlady looked me up and down, then spat out a sunflower seed shell.

“Top floor, no AC, shared bathroom, six hundred a month, three months up front plus one month deposit.”

“Fine.”

I paid the money and got the key.

The room was only ten square meters.

There was a wooden plank bed and a wobbly wardrobe.

The wall paint was peeling, and there was a yellow water stain on the ceiling.

I sat on the hard bed board, listening to the snoring and a baby’s crying from next door.

It was very noisy.

But I felt freer than I ever had before.

Early the next morning.

I went to the hospital.

Mia Reed lay on the hospital bed, her face as pale as a sheet of paper.

When she saw me, she forced out a smile.

“Liam, you didn’t come see me yesterday.”

“Yesterday… I had overtime.” I walked over and tucked the blanket around her.

“Liam, where’s Vivian? She hasn’t come in a long time.” Mia asked innocently.

My heart stung.

“Mia,” I looked into her eyes and said seriously, “don’t mention her again from now on. We have nothing to do with her anymore.”

Mia froze.

Although she was sick, she was not stupid.

She looked at my tightly furrowed brows and seemed to understand something.

“Liam, is it because of me…” Her eyes reddened. “Am I dragging you down?”

“Nonsense.” I held her ice-cold hand. “You’re my only family in this world. As long as you’re okay, I’m not afraid of anything.”

After I left the ward, the head nurse at the nurses’ station stopped me.

“Liam, the money in your sister’s account is only enough for three more days. Her targeted medication afterward costs fifty thousand per injection, so you need to find a way quickly.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

I walked out of the hospital and stood on the busy street.

The sunlight was harsh.

I touched the jade pendant hanging around my neck.

It was the only thing my father had left me.

I gritted my teeth, turned around, and walked into a pawnshop on the corner.

“Final sale, one hundred thousand.” The owner studied it with a magnifying glass for a long time before naming a price.

“This is high-grade glass jade!” I said in a suppressed voice.

“Young man, the market isn’t good right now. The quality of this pendant is average, so that’s the price. Take it or leave it.” The owner looked like he knew he had me cornered.

I closed my eyes.

Mia’s pale face flashed through my mind.

“Fine. I’ll pawn it.”

With the one hundred thousand in hand, I immediately deposited it into the hospital account.

That one hundred thousand would only last half a month.

I had to find a job as soon as possible.