Lu Yan was not only choked by the smoke from his own mouth, but also got a face full of exhaust from that Xiao guy's modified car, as if in revenge.

Big Gold Chain followed Lu Yan out, standing at the entrance of the Seventh District and watching the car drive into the distance. The rear spoiler looked like a pair of wings. He nudged Lu Yan with his elbow: "What's going on, little bro? Did you get the wrong person?"

Lu Yan was in a shitty mood too.

Got the wrong person?

Was it really a misunderstanding?

"Brother Wei," Lu Yan recalled the argument in the hallway just now, feeling embarrassed and apologetic towards the innocent party, although the innocent party was very impolite, calling him a Shamate one after another.

He put out the cigarette in his hand, sighed, and said to Big Gold Chain, "Let me borrow your bike. I'll chase after them and apologize."

If Brother Wei had quills, they would have definitely shot up when he heard the word 'bike,' every single one standing on end nervously: "Anything else, brother, I can agree to, but not the bike!"

The bike Lu Yan was talking about was a motorcycle.

Brother Wei was the big brother in the building. He worked at a debt collection company, and his usual business was the sort where you lick blood from a knife's edge. On his right arm were tattooed four blocky characters: "Repay Your Debts." Before the Seventh District was demolished, he served in the spontaneously organized Women's Federation Committee. A man who was both tough and gentle, he held considerable prestige in the building.

That motorcycle was the most valuable of Brother Wei's few assets.

Black, with the appearance of a Horizon, equipped with a four-cylinder engine. He usually doted on that bike like it was his son.

Lu Yan said: "Are we brothers or not."

Brother Wei was furious: "Last time you took it out, you almost crashed my bike!"

"Almost. That means I didn't crash it, right?"

"If you had crashed it, that would've been terrible! If you'd really crashed it, you wouldn't be here now. The grass on your grave would probably be two meters tall by now."

Lu Yan directly reached for the keys hanging from Brother Wei's waist: "I'll definitely drive steadily this time. I'll always remember that life is precious, and my Brother Wei's bike is even more valuable... Thanks."

"Seriously though," Brother Wei thought of that 'accident' last time, "what was up with you that day? I watched with my own eyes as you almost crashed into a wall."

Lu Yan went silent.

He lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed on the keyring. After a long moment, he smiled and said: "My hand slipped."

Brother Wei was helpless against him and added: "Do you even know which way he went for you to be chasing him?"

"There are only a few roads to the city center," Lu Yan hooked the keyring with his finger, spinning it with a jingle as he walked. "I'll try my luck."

It turned out Lu Yan's luck wasn't bad.

That young master must have been here for the first time. He was most likely using the car's navigation. He had originally planned to follow the navigation's recommended route, but after driving just a short distance, he saw the familiar modified car... and the triangle warning sign 50 meters behind it.

Xiao Heng felt he definitely hadn't checked the almanac before leaving home today, otherwise how could so many surprises be sprung on him in just over ten minutes.

"Boss," Zhai Zhuangzhi said cautiously, "did the car really break down?"

Xiao Heng: "It might just be tired from running and is taking a break."

Zhai Zhuangzhi rubbed his nose, knowing he'd asked a stupid question: "So when will the tow truck arrive?"

"Half an hour, maybe," Xiao Heng said, pressing his temples.

This place was in the middle of nowhere. To the left was an old residential area, and to the right was a deserted orchard.

The weather was hot, and outside it was windy and sun-scorched.

The two brothers in adversity could only sit in the car to pass the time.

"I really didn't know our city had a place like this," Zhai Zhuangzhi said. "Just now, it took me ages to find a small grocery store. Do you know what they were selling in there—it was my first time seeing Wangzi Milk."

'It's my first time hearing someone play the guitar so badly,' Xiao Heng thought.

'First time seeing a Shamate.'

'And especially the first time getting into a fight with someone in a hallway.'

"Right, did you find the person?" Zhai Zhuangzhi remembered the main point of their trip to the Lower District. "What did that woman say? She can't possibly know your dad doesn't plan to raise this child and still dump it on your family... her own flesh and blood, is she really that heartless?"

Just as Zhai Zhuangzhi finished speaking, Xiao Heng's phone screen started to flash.

On the phone screen were three characters: Xiao Qishan.

Xiao Heng didn't answer.

Zhai Zhuangzhi wanted to ask why he wasn't answering, but a glance at the screen made him understand.

Xiao Qishan.

Those three words seemed to have a magical power. The emotion Xiao Heng had been suppressing ever since he came out finally couldn't be held back any longer, almost swallowing him whole, squeezing all the air from his chest in an instant.

The man's solemn and emotionless words seemed to drill through the screen—'Xiao Heng, how did I end up with a waste of space like you.'

Waste of space.

He gradually felt like he couldn't breathe. His fingertips became particularly restless, a restlessness that felt like being burned by fire.

Dry and scorching.

His nicotine craving kicked in.

No one spoke. The car was silent for a few minutes, then someone knocked on their window from outside, asking with concern in accented, non-standard Mandarin: "Little brother, car broken down? There's a repair shop up ahead, want me to make a call for you?"

Xiao Heng rolled down the window.

Outside the window, a strange man was bent over, speaking. He wore gray work clothes and had a scar on his face.

"Thanks, we've already called," Xiao Heng was in no mood to talk to anyone right now, but the other person showed no intention of leaving, so he asked again, "Is there anything else?"

Scar stared fixedly at the watch on the hand Xiao Heng had used to lower the window. He then subtly surveyed the car's interior before saying with a chuckle: "I saw this car from a distance and it looked familiar. I used to have a similar one."

Scar began to talk about his beloved car, describing how he had driven it all over the country. Then, his tone suddenly changed, tinged with a sigh: "But the car is long gone. I donated it. Don't judge me by my appearance. I used to run a food processing plant, had my glory days... but later I discovered that wealth and possessions are all worldly things."

A long speech about his journey from starting with nothing to achieving a brilliant career was omitted.

"So what if you have money? Too much money only makes people feel empty, unable to find the true meaning of life, lost in the torrent of materialism."

"So now, I've put all my focus on charity, helping to turn deserts green, sponsoring poor children in mountainous regions to go to school." Scar took out his phone, opened Baidu with a few taps, and found a photo. The photo showed a dilapidated classroom that couldn't block the wind or stop the rain. "Look, this is the learning environment for poor children. Doesn't it make you sad? Isn't it heartbreaking?"

Zhai Zhuangzhi was stunned as he listened. His eyes fixed on the photo, and he nodded: "This learning environment really is harsh."

Xiao Heng: "..."

"Yes, watching children full of dreams have their wings soaked by the rain, carrying heavy burdens as they move forward."

Scar patted Zhai Zhuangzhi's shoulder. As he became more emotional, his tone grew sonorous and powerful: "That's why I am even more determined to continue on my path of charity! The most important thing for a person is to live out their own value. There are many things in this world more important than money. Little brother, I have three charity projects on hand right now..."

As Scar spoke, he held up three fingers.

Just as Scar was about to detail those charity projects, he heard a familiar voice behind him say: "Haven't had your fingers broken enough?"

Lu Yan was on his motorcycle, one foot on the ground, having stopped right behind Scar.

He had long legs, and the pose looked like a carefully angled movie shot.

"To the poor, you promise to make them rich. To those who aren't short on cash, you switch to charity," said the person at the center of the 'shot'. "Your thinking is very flexible. I praise you."

Zhai Zhuangzhi was still immersed in the charitable atmosphere of poor children with rain-soaked wings. He finally reacted: "You're a con artist?"

Scar felt that this Lu Yan person might be an inescapable curse in his career of swindling.

An insurmountable hurdle.

An unscalable wall.

...

Scar's voice began to tremble: "Why is it you again? Are you ever going to stop? Did I dig up your grave in a past life or something?!"

Lu Yan agreed with this statement: "It might be a special kind of fate."

No matter how unwilling Scar was, he didn't dare take on three people by himself. He looked left and right, then finally turned his head and slipped away to the other side of the road.

Only then did Lu Yan look at the person from the car: "Xiao..." He had no idea what the guy's name was and couldn't continue.

Instead, Xiao Heng got out of the car and directly pushed Zhai Zhuangzhi, who also wanted to get out and watch the fun, back into the vehicle.

Zhai Zhuangzhi's head hit the car door: "What the hell!"

Xiao Heng: "You stay in the car."

"Sorry about earlier," Lu Yan said, looking at him. "It was all a misunderstanding."

Lu Yan looked at the 'I don't really want to talk to you' expression on the man's face and figured this hot-tempered young master probably wouldn't appreciate the gesture.

Lu Yan waited for three seconds.

And found that the other party really didn't appreciate it.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Lu Yan rubbed his nose and added: "The woman from 601 really isn't home today. If you're in a hurry, I can tell her when she gets back."

This scene was destined to be a one-man show. The other party was probably still too lazy to bother with him. Just as Lu Yan was about to leave, the man in front of him unexpectedly said two words: "No need."

Lu Yan felt his first impression of this person wasn't wrong at all. His temper and personality weren't great, and he was extremely cold.

Anyway, the two of them weren't familiar with each other. Having said what needed to be said, Lu Yan didn't plan to ask any more questions: "Alright then... Is your car okay?"

During the conversation, a vibrating sound came from somewhere.

Bzz.

Bzz bzz bzz.

Xiao Heng followed the sound to look at Lu Yan's leg, which was propped on the ground.

He was wearing jeans today. The sound should be coming from his phone, which was pressed tightly against his upper thigh, making any notification vibrate very noticeably.

Lu Yan fumbled for a while before finally pulling out his phone.

It was Brother Wei.

He had only been out with the bike for less than five minutes in total, but Brother Wei was already on the phone, saying impatiently: "You brat, did you catch up to them? If not, just forget it. It's been five minutes. Is my bike okay?"

"I caught up. What could happen?" Lu Yan said. "Your son is my son. I've barely twisted the throttle. The electric scooters on the side are faster than me... Alright, I'll be right back."

Brother Wei nagged for a while longer before finally ending the call.

Lu Yan stuffed his phone back in, turned his head to look at Xiao Heng, and reiterated: "Anyway, I'm really sorry about today."

After speaking, he twisted the throttle and, with the roar of the motorcycle engine, turned around and headed back towards the Seventh District.