Chapter 0001: A Will from Canada

In April, the city of Haidao was still a bit chilly with the lingering cold of spring.

At 7:30 in the morning, Owen Sutton couldn’t sleep anymore, so he threw on a coat and leaned against the headboard, staring blankly out the window.

He had been in this city for eight years already—came here for college, and stayed after graduation.

Owen Sutton attended the best university in Haidao, Central Ocean University. After graduating, with the help of his bunkmate William Grant, he got into a branch of the best state-owned enterprise in Haidao, CNOOC, working as an HR in the Human Resources Department.

He did this for four years. Then, last month, a beautiful new file administrator joined the HR department. The manager assigned Owen Sutton to show her the ropes. Normally, this would be nothing, but the new administrator was so outstandingly beautiful that she caught the eye of a rich second-generation in the company.

What happened next was simple and cliché. The rich kid got jealous seeing Owen Sutton getting close to the pretty girl. He warned Owen Sutton several times, but Owen Sutton didn’t take it seriously. Eventually, the two had a direct argument that escalated into a physical fight.

What started as a woman problem became much more serious after the rich kid got beaten up by Owen Sutton. He immediately contacted some cronies in the finance department and set up a trap to frame him, falsely accusing him of stealing a sum of cash from the finance department.

This was a huge setback—Owen Sutton not only lost all his savings but was also fired from the company!

Looking back, leaving CNOOC might not have been a bad thing. Owen Sutton had long wanted to strike out on his own. The problem was, he was now broke—he’d paid all his money to the company.

To make matters worse, this month was also when he had to pay the rent for the second quarter. After scraping together everything he had, he barely had enough for a meal, let alone the rent.

Just as he was worrying about money, there was a sudden knock at the door!

Owen Sutton opened the door to see the landlord’s stern face. There was no doubt—the landlord was here for one reason only: to collect the rent.

Although Haidao is in the north, its proximity to the sea makes it a natural, high-quality port, so the economy developed quickly. It counts as a second-tier city in China, with high housing prices and expensive rent.

Owen Sutton was renting a small one-bedroom apartment, with a monthly rent of one thousand yuan, paid quarterly—three thousand yuan at a time. The worst part was, at this point, Owen Sutton didn’t even have three hundred yuan!

There was nothing he could do. Owen Sutton could only put on a smile and beg the landlord for leniency. The landlord was clearly displeased and finally said stiffly, “I’ll give you two days. I’ll come for the money the night after tomorrow. If you still can’t pay the rent, you can get out!”

The words were harsh, but Owen Sutton had no strength to be angry.

A hero can be brought down by lack of money—Owen Sutton was now forced into such a desperate situation.

After seeing off the landlord, Owen Sutton lay on the bed, exhausted, his mind filled with confusion about the future and frustration with his current predicament.

He was almost thirty, yet he was a man with no career, no house, and no car. Thinking of his aging parents with graying hair, Owen Sutton felt a deep sense of grievance and pain!

Just then, the door was knocked again, and the landlord’s shrill voice rang out: “Little Owen, open up, hurry and open the door!”

Hearing the landlord’s voice, Owen Sutton’s frustration and despair were replaced by anger. The landlord was really pushing it—he’d already said he’d give him two days to come up with the money, so why was he back so soon?

Owen Sutton suppressed his anger and opened the door, only to find the landlord accompanied by a policeman wearing a peaked cap and uniform.

Upon seeing him, the policeman asked, “Are you Mr. Owen Sutton?”

Owen Sutton nodded, and the policeman said, “Alright, please come with me. Someone is looking for you.”

Before Owen Sutton could say anything, the landlord hurriedly said, “Officer Officer Parker, I have nothing to do with Little Owen. If he’s committed any crime, it has nothing to do with my property.”

Owen Sutton had no idea what was going on. He thought it might be something to do with the previous incident, so, dejected, he followed the young policeman to the police station.

When they arrived, the young policeman took him straight to the chief’s office.

Entering the office, Owen Sutton glanced around and saw two sharply dressed men sitting on the sofa, while a pot-bellied middle-aged policeman was making tea for them.