The doors of the apartment building were all tightly shut. The voices of gossip rose and fell like waves crashing against rock—even sealed in, they still possessed the fire-drawn force of moths hurtling toward flame.
Wen Nan caught sight of Xiao Die standing there in shock. His father had murdered his mother. He no longer sat so high above the rest of them. He had lost the right to mock Xiao Die.
Xiao Die did not want to comfort Wen Nan. Through her best friend Lu Na, she had already learned that Wen Nan was the one spreading all those ugly rumors about her at school.
"Go home and rest early. Even in a small apartment building like this, there's no shortage of unrest."
It was the older neighbor. And only now did Xiao Die finally learn his name: Su Mosheng.
"Why aren't you going home?"
Xiao Die stood in place. She had a premonition that the apartment building would soon be home to even more unrest.
"I'm sorry—I was just thinking about summer part-time jobs."
"So you're planning to find a part-time job after the college entrance exam?"
"Yes. I'll need money for university later. I want to work hard and build a life for myself."
"Auntie Li told me you write very well. You could try submitting your writing, maybe even writing a novel. Writing can also be a way to save your own soul."
Xiao Die often wrote diaries and poetry, and her essays were frequently praised by teachers and read aloud as model works. But she had never once considered writing a novel.
"Older neighbor, thank you for the suggestion. It's late now—you should rest too. This apartment building always feels so strange, like something terrible is about to happen."
Su Mosheng moved closer to Xiao Die, reaching out as if to pat her gently on the head—but his hand stopped halfway, then withdrew.
Xiao Die felt a little shy, and quickly closed the door behind her.
The class president witnessed this scene, and he felt a fury he could not put into words. At the very moment his family was struck by tragedy, Xiao Die actually had the nerve to flirt with Su Mosheng.
After dealing with his family's affairs, Wen Nan lay alone at home, staring up at the ceiling. The ceiling began to spin. He did not know if it was his own despair, or an illusion. His life was about to plummet from the ceiling to the floor. He could not accept such a reality.
Reality is an illusion. Illusion is black reality. We are all trapped in this New Earth, chasing phantom realities.
Su Yue, chairwoman of BR Group, removed her trench coat and tossed it into the car parked below the apartment building. The sound of her high heels cutting through the night was exceptionally sharp.
Wen Nan's room was black—a bottomless, swallowing blackness. He sat there until he heard a knock at the door.
"Hello. I'm your mother's dear friend. She once asked me to look after you."
His mother's dear friend?
Wen Nan opened the door with cautious skepticism. Before him stood an elegant, noble woman of striking beauty.
"Wen Nan, may I come in and talk with you?"
Wen Nan recognized the woman as Su Yue, the chairwoman of the multinational corporation BR Group. He had already tasted what it meant to fall to the very bottom. So this time, he would hold on tightly—even to a phantom that did not belong to him.
Su Yue took out a letter, and from it fell a check. Written on that check was an astronomical sum.
"Xiao Wen, from now on, Auntie will be like family to you. But this money comes with a condition. You'll need to help Auntie with something."
"Does it have to do with Su Mosheng?"
"Yes. Xiao Wen is a smart child, just like your mother was. Your mother loved you very much. Auntie also loves her only child. So Auntie hopes you'll take good care of Mosheng."
"It's not just about taking care of him, is it…"
"Mosheng would rather live in poverty than become the president of BR Group. I need you to watch him—and report every single move he makes to Auntie."
"Fine."
Wen Nan thought of that check and the brilliant future it promised. He thought of that hateful Xiao Die and Su Mosheng. And he resolved to take his revenge on them in his own way.