Late at night.
A subway station in the eastern suburbs of Gu City.
The last train's doors closed, and it rumbled out of the station.
A young woman came sprinting onto the platform, but even after a few frantic steps, she still couldn't catch it. She could only watch helplessly as the train pulled away right in front of her.
"Ugh..." The young woman sighed.
What rotten luck.
She'd been so close to catching it.
The ramen shop had closed really late tonight. She'd pedaled her bike as hard as she could for over ten minutes, but she'd still missed the last train.
And the place she rented was way out in the northern suburbs. Missing this train was a real problem.
A taxi was far too expensive. If she rode her bike, she probably wouldn't get home until the early hours of the morning. She'd be exhausted.
If she had no other choice, she'd have to bike home or find an internet café and make do for the night.
The young woman was alone on the platform. As she stared down the empty tunnel and felt the draft blow past her, a chill of loneliness and helplessness crept over her.
She really should've studied harder back then and gotten into a better school...
If all else failed, maybe she should find a boyfriend first. That'd be better than struggling through life all alone...
Just then, a rumbling suddenly echoed from the subway tunnel, and the ground began to tremble slightly.
The young woman brightened. Could that really not have been the last train? Was there another one?
She hurriedly craned her neck to look.
In the darkness, she could just make out a long shape rumbling toward her. But it didn't seem to have its lights on; she could only see two green headlights at the front.
As the young woman wondered what was going on, the lights on the entire platform went out one after another as the shadow drew near. Then the gates at the edge of the platform seemed to open as well, probably because of a short circuit.
In the darkness, she could only sense that the long shape had stopped right in front of her. It seemed to be a subway train.
Why had the power suddenly gone out? How long would it take for the staff to come and fix it? The people on the train must be in a panic, too.
As she wondered, the young woman reached out and felt the subway train in front of her.
Then her hand touched a patch of rough, slimy skin.
A terrified scream rang out in the darkness, but it was cut short almost as soon as it began.
Then came the sound of swallowing, and the squelch of churning slime.
It sounded as if something had fallen into a quagmire.
The rumbling started up again, then faded away completely.
The platform lights came back on, illuminating the place brightly.
The empty platform looked as if nothing had happened.
Only a small hair clip lay on the ground.
"Sis Ke Ke, it's Building Five in Longda Residential District, right?"
Li Fan walked through the residential complex with a suitcase in one hand and his phone in the other.
It was already past ten in the morning. Quite a few older residents were out for a stroll, and inevitably gave Li Fan a few curious looks.
But Li Fan didn't care in the slightest.
Just last night, not long after he'd sent a funding request to Cleaning Association headquarters, he'd received an infuriating reply.
Cleaning Association headquarters had actually approved three hundred million for Collector's territory.
That was way over the funding limit.
Did they think he wasn't conspicuous enough already?!
And that very evening, they'd had someone deliver an initial payment of twenty million.
All in cash.
Li Fan had made up his mind on the spot.
Three hundred million, huh? You think I can't spend it all?
If I don't blow through every last bit of this money, I'll reveal my identity right here and now!
So early that morning, Li Fan had asked Ke Ke for her address and come straight over.
Ke Ke had just finished her morning job and returned from a foreign-language training school.
Her job was teaching classes there.
"Li Fan, what brings you here all of a sudden?"
Ke Ke opened the old security door, which was covered in flyers. She'd just taken a shower and was wearing only an oversized T-shirt and shorts. Looking surprised, she asked him what he was doing there.
She wasn't wearing her glasses, and her long black hair hung loosely over her shoulders. The pleasant scent of shampoo drifted out from the room.
Her face was youthful and radiant, like a fresh-bloomed flower untouched by artifice.
Li Fan held the suitcase and panted as he said,
"I've got something to talk to you about, Sis Ke Ke. Aren't you going to invite me in?"
The old building had no elevator, and hauling the suitcase up to the fifth floor hadn't been easy.
"Oh... Oh!" Ke Ke hurriedly let Li Fan inside and rushed to pour him some water.
The room was old and small, but very tidy. The sofa cover had been washed until it was faded, but it was spotless.
"Sis Ke Ke, don't trouble yourself. Here's the thing: I actually came to give you some money."
As he spoke, he opened the suitcase and laid it on the floor.
It was filled with three million in bright red banknotes, all neatly bundled together. For a moment, they seemed to warm the color of the whole room.
Before the astonished Ke Ke could ask anything, Li Fan continued,
"Didn't you say last time that your sister needed money for her treatment? So I went home and asked my dad for some money. I brought it over as soon as I could. Use this three million for now. Once you've nearly run out, I'll give you more."
As he spoke, Li Fan stood up and waved.
"Sis Ke Ke, I've got a few things to take care of, so I'll get going."
He was in a hurry to keep spending money.
With that, he pulled open the door and started to leave.
Only then did Ke Ke snap out of it. She hurriedly stopped him.
"Don't go! Wait, Li Fan, what's going on? Why are you suddenly giving me so much money? I can't accept this!"
Li Fan's expression turned serious.
"It's simple. The other day, when you told me about your sister, I was deeply moved. I thought colleagues ought to help each other, so I wanted to ease your financial burden a little. Don't worry, it's my dad's money. Spend it however you like."
Ke Ke could hardly process what was happening. She'd heard from a colleague that Li Fan's family was quite wealthy and that his father ran a big business.
But no matter how rich someone was, they couldn't just throw money around like this.
What was this supposed to mean?
She hurriedly said,
"You shouldn't accept a gift you haven't earned. I can't take this money. Take it back!"
Li Fan spoke earnestly.
"Sis Ke Ke, I really just want to help you. I don't have any other intentions! Treating Long Sleep Syndrome takes money, so please accept it! You need the money, and I have plenty to spare. I give you money, and the world is at peace. It's only natural!"
Li Fan sounded so sincere that Ke Ke was left completely flustered.
Li Fan continued, "If you really feel bad about it, just think of it as a loan. An interest-free loan. Pay me back whenever you want—or don't pay me back at all. How about that?"
When Ke Ke looked like she was about to speak again, Li Fan's expression turned solemn.
"Sis Ke Ke, I'm helping you, plain and simple. I don't expect anything in return. I also hope you won't let your sister down just to protect your pride."
"I..." Ke Ke was at a loss for words.
She really did need the money, but she still felt she didn't deserve it.
And she could tell that Li Fan was sincere. There wasn't the slightest hint of pretense in his eyes, and everything he said made sense.
Li Fan hurriedly opened the door. As he left, he glanced back and said,
"I'll leave the money here, then. Sis Ke Ke, I've got something to do, so I'll head back now."
With that, he dashed off.
Ke Ke walked to the window and watched Li Fan jog away through the residential complex. First she stood there in a daze, then a grateful smile appeared on her face.
There really were people this kind in the world...
Just then, her phone suddenly rang.
The call was from an unfamiliar number.
Ke Ke frowned and answered. A middle-aged man's voice immediately came through.
"Ke Ke, come home. Your sister's body won't hold out much longer. How can you keep her alive all by yourself? No matter what, the whole family is waiting for you two to come back."
Determination flashed in Ke Ke's eyes. She glanced at the cash in the suitcase and said,
"Don't worry. Even if my sister and I die together, I'll never take her back to that hellhole. Family? You're all a bunch of lunatics! Dear... Father!"
The man on the other end of the phone sneered.
"Fine, my sweet daughter. So you've grown wings, huh? Found yourself a man to protect you? Think you've got someone to lean on? My family and I will find you sisters. Then we'll see how strong your backing really is!"
He spoke faster and faster, until he was shouting.
"You're members of this family. Even if you die, you'll die at home!"
After leaving Longda Residential District, Li Fan felt a wave of relief.
If he kept spending three million at a time, it wouldn't take long to blow through the whole three hundred million.
But Ke Ke had looked really pretty in her casual clothes. So pure—just like the girl next door.
He wondered what her sister looked like.
Just then, his phone rang. Li Fan tapped the answer button, and Zhang Hongbing's raspy voice immediately came through.
"Fan, I've set you up with someone. The young woman's family is rich too. She's the daughter of the head of Green Tech Group, so you're well matched. It's today at noon, at that Cloud Top Cafe in the Dawn Building. Listen to your uncle: you should still find someone alive. You'd better go, all right?"
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