Shadows

Night fell.

Neon lights came on across the Northern Capital.

The city took on another face.

Commercial Street blazed with lights, a beam from the observation tower pierced the sky, and the glass walls of office buildings reflected the lights of countless homes.

The light pollution was getting a little severe.

But for the Northern Capital, that seemed a minor issue. This was a city that never slept.

For some, the night was when life began to bustle.

Yet even in the most prosperous city, there were corners the light could not reach.

On the outskirts, in the Old City District.

This was one of the few places in the Northern Capital that still looked as it had in the old days—narrow alleys, mottled walls, and a web of overhead wires that cut the night sky into pieces.

Xiao Zhou dragged his exhausted body into a familiar alley.

The soles of his leather shoes had worn smooth long ago. Every step on the uneven road sent pain through his feet.

He had not left work until one in the morning again.

No, "left work" was not right.

His boss had finally gone home, so he had dared to leave.

The events of the day replayed in his head, beyond his control.

"Xiao Zhou, the client isn't happy with this proposal. Do it again."

"Xiao Zhou, work late tonight and get this report finished."

"Xiao Zhou, about your performance rating this month... Look, I'm not trying to lecture you, but young people need to learn gratitude. The company gives you a platform. You need to appreciate it..."

As his potbellied boss patted him on the shoulder and said all this with a smile, his other hand was assigning Xiao Zhou's bonus for the month to his own brother-in-law.

Xiao