The Upright and Kind Colleague

Late at night.

A subway station in the eastern suburbs of Gu City.

The gates of the final train closed with a rumble, and it pulled out of the station.

A young girl who had just sprinted onto the platform took a few more desperate steps, but ultimately failed to catch it, left only to watch helplessly as the train started moving away before her eyes.

"Sigh..." the girl let out a breath.

What rotten luck.

She had been so close to making it.

She had finished her shift at the ramen shop far too late tonight; she had pedaled her bicycle like a madwoman for over ten minutes, yet she still missed the last train.

The real problem was that her rented place was in the northern suburbs, and missing this train was a major headache.

A taxi was far too expensive, and if she biked the whole way, she wouldn't get home until the early hours of the morning—she'd be exhausted to death.

If there was no other choice, she would have to bike back or find an internet cafe to crash in for the night.

The girl was the only one left on the platform. Looking into the hollow tunnel in the distance and feeling the draft blowing through the passage, she couldn't help but feel a sense of chill and helplessness.

She really should have studied harder back then and gotten into a better school...

If nothing else, she should at least find a boyfriend; that would be better than struggling through this alone...

Just as she was thinking this, a humming sound suddenly echoed from the subway tunnel, and the ground began to vibrate slightly.

The girl couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. Could it be that the last train wasn't actually the last one, and there was another?

She eagerly craned her neck to look.

Vaguely, she could see a long shadow rumbling toward her from the darkness, though it didn't seem to have its lights on, save for two large green lamps at the front.

Just as the girl was feeling puzzled, the lights on the entire platform flickered and died one by one as the shadow approached. Immediately after, the security gates in front of the platform seemed to pop open due to a short circuit.

In the darkness, she could only sense that the long shadow had stopped right in front of her; it looked vaguely like a subway train.

Why did the power suddenly go out? She wondered when the staff would come to fix it. The people on the train must be frantic.

Thinking this, the girl reached out to touch the subway train in front of her.

Then, her hand met a patch of rough, slimy skin.

A shrill, terrified scream erupted in the darkness, only to be cut short the moment it began.

This was followed by the sound of swallowing and the wet churning of mucus.

It sounded like something had fallen into a mire.

Then, the rumbling sound started up again, fading away entirely.

The platform lights flickered back to life, illuminating the area once more.

On the empty platform, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Only a small hairclip lay on the ground.

"Ke Ke, it's Building 5 of the Longda Residential District, right?"

Li Fan was on the phone with one hand while dragging a suitcase with the other, walking through the residential complex.

It was already past ten in the morning, and there were quite a few elderly people out for their morning strolls, inevitably casting a few glances at Li Fan.

But Li Fan couldn't care less right now.

Just last night, not long after he had submitted a funding request to the Cleaning Association headquarters, he had received an infuriating reply.

The Cleaning Association headquarters had actually approved three hundred million in funding for the Collector's pastoral area.

It was far beyond the funding cap.

They were practically begging for him to be conspicuous!

And they had even sent over twenty million in advance that very night.

All in cash.

Li Fan had made up his mind on the spot.

Three hundred million, is it? You think I can't spend it all?

If I don't squander every cent of this money, I'll expose my own identity right here and now!

So, early this morning, Li Fan had gotten Ke Ke's address and come straight over.

Ke Ke had just finished her morning shift and returned from a foreign language training school.

Her job was that of a training instructor.

"Li Fan, why did you suddenly come over?"

The old, iron security door covered in flyers creaked open. Ke Ke, who had just taken a shower and was wearing only an oversized T-shirt and shorts, opened the door for Li Fan and asked with a look of surprise.

She wasn't wearing her glasses, and her long black hair was draped loosely over her shoulders, carrying the pleasant scent of shampoo.

Her face was full of youthful vitality, fresh as a lotus rising from the water, natural and unadorned.

Li Fan lugged his suitcase up, panting as he said:

"I came to see you about something, Sister Ke Ke. Won't you let me in for a seat?"

This old building had no elevator, and hauling the suitcase all the way to the fifth floor was no easy task.

"Oh... oh!" Ke Ke hurriedly ushered Li Fan inside, busy pouring him a glass of water.

It was a small, old room, yet it was kept very tidy; the sofa cover was washed until it had faded, but it was spotlessly clean.

Li Fan said:

"Sister Ke Ke, don't rush. It's like this—I'm actually here to bring you some money."

As he spoke, he opened the suitcase and laid it flat on the floor.

Inside were three million in bright red cash, all neatly bundled, instantly warming the color palette of the room.

Before the astonished Ke Ke could ask, Li Fan continued:

"Didn't you mention last time that your sister's treatment required money? I went home and asked my dad for a sum, and I rushed over today to bring it to you. Use this three million for now, and when you're running low, I'll top it up for you."

With that, Li Fan stood up and waved his hand:

"Sister Ke Ke, I have some things to attend to, so I'll be heading off now."

He was in a hurry to keep spending money.

He grabbed the door handle, ready to leave.

Only then did Ke Ke snap out of it, hurriedly stopping Li Fan:

"Don't go, wait a moment, Li Fan. What is this about? Why are you suddenly giving me so much money? I can't accept this!"

Li Fan said solemnly:

"It's very simple. When you talked about your sister the other day, I was deeply moved. I felt that colleagues should help each other, so I wanted to help ease your financial strain. Don't worry, this is all my dad's money—spend it freely."

Ke Ke found the situation almost impossible to digest. She had heard colleagues mention before that Li Fan's family was quite wealthy and his father ran a big business.

But even with money, you couldn't just do things like this.

What was this supposed to be?

She quickly said:

"I cannot accept rewards for no merit. I can't take this money; please take it back!"

Li Fan said with earnest words:

"Sister Ke Ke, I truly want to help you, no other intentions! Long Sleep Syndrome treatment costs money, so just take it! You need money, I have plenty, I give you money—world peace, it's only right and proper!"

Li Fan spoke with such sincerity that Ke Ke was left momentarily bewildered.

Li Fan continued: "If you really feel bad about it, consider it a loan from me. An interest-free loan; pay it back whenever you want, or don't pay it back at all, how about that?"

Seeing Ke Ke about to speak again, Li Fan's expression turned stern:

"Sister Ke Ke, I am helping you purely, without any conditions. I also hope you won't abandon your sister just for the sake of so-called pride."

"I..." Ke Ke was left speechless, not knowing what to say.

She did indeed need the money, but she felt truly unworthy of it.

Moreover, she could feel that Li Fan's gaze was sincere, without a hint of pretense, and his words were perfectly reasonable.

Li Fan hurriedly opened the door, looking back as he walked:

"I'll leave the money here then. Sister Ke Ke, I have things to do, so I'm heading off."

With that, he slipped away in a flash.

Ke Ke walked to the window, watching Li Fan trot away through the residential complex. She was stunned at first, then a grateful smile appeared on her face.

In this world, there really were such kind-hearted people...

Just then, her phone suddenly rang.

It was a call from an unknown number.

Ke Ke frowned and pressed the answer button. A middle-aged man's voice came through immediately:

"Ke Ke, come home. Your sister's body can't hold on for much longer. Relying on yourself alone, how can you sustain her survival? Regardless of anything, the whole family is waiting for you to return."

A flash of resolve crossed Ke Ke's eyes. She looked at the cash in the suitcase and said:

"Don't worry, even if I die with my sister, I will never bring her back to that hellish place. Family? You are all just a bunch of lunatics! Dear... Father!"

The man on the other end of the line sneered and said:

"Very well, my obedient daughter. Your wings have hardened, haven't they? Found yourself a wild man, found a backer? My family and I will find you sisters, and then we'll see if your backer is as tough as you think!"

His speech grew faster and faster, finally erupting into a roar:

"You are members of this family, and even if you die, you will die at home!"

Leaving Longda Residential District, Li Fan felt a wave of relief wash over him.

At this rate of spending three million at a time, it wouldn't take long to burn through three hundred million.

Still, Ke Ke's casual home attire was truly stunning; she looked so pure, the very image of the girl next door.

He couldn't help but wonder what her sister looked like.

Just as he was thinking about it, his phone rang. Li Fan tapped the answer button, and Zhang Hongbing's raspy voice immediately blared through:

"Fan, I've set you up on a date. The young lady comes from a wealthy family—she's the daughter of the Green Tech Group's CEO. It's a perfect match. It's for this noon at that Cloud Top Cafe in the Dawn Building. Take your uncle's advice: you need to find a living person to settle down with, so you absolutely must go, you hear?"