Suddenly, William Carter could no longer see his own eyes; two small red dots stared at him intensely, then finally disappeared. The hard and icy feeling of the stainless steel streetlight pole gave him a kind of reminder—it made him think that the reality of survival, for himself and perhaps for everyone, was just as hard and cold, carrying a silent cruelty that he could neither avoid nor break through. Those warm, tempting fantasies, no matter how much he clung to them, could only be abandoned. That silent, elusive force was always compelling people to submit.

The so-called huge inheritance was something he had never actually received. His only gain from this trip to Taiwan might just be the cold coin in his hand.

Finally, a car stopped in front of him. In the slowly lowered window appeared the hypocritical face of Henry Bennett. William Carter felt that “hypocritical” was not enough to describe his look, and he kept searching his mind for even more venomous words. If it weren’t for his appearance, he would probably still be on the campus in Beijing right now.

“Get in!” There was no trace of apology in Henry Bennett’s voice. William Carter hesitated for a moment, but still walked over—after all, he recognized from the road sign that it was still forty kilometers to the city center.

The car started moving slowly. Under the shifting light and shadow of the streetlights, Henry Bennett’s face looked uncertain. “William Carter, do you really hate me?” William Carter didn’t speak; his attitude was perfectly clear.

“Actually, some things are just beyond our control. If I chose to resist, my family, everything I have now, would instantly vanish into thin air…” Henry Bennett seemed a bit agitated.

William Carter glanced at him. “Don’t pretend to be a good guy with me. I don’t have the damn time to hate you. Honestly, this inheritance isn’t as important to me as you all think!” Henry Bennett nodded. “I really do hope you can be that carefree. After all, I was the one who dragged you into this mess…”

William Carter leaned back hard in his seat. Henry Bennett continued, “Forget about this. Leave Taipei, go back to your old life!” He handed a leather bag to William Carter. “The plane ticket and passport are inside…” William Carter suddenly started laughing. Henry Bennett clearly didn’t understand why he was laughing. After a long while, William Carter finally stopped, clutching the bag in his hand. “Tell me, was that inheritance really the so-called ‘black gold’ that Old Man Zuo talked about?” Henry Bennett’s lips twitched, as if making a decision. “No!”

William Carter’s gaze was as cold as ice. He understood what those two words from Henry Bennett meant—everything he should have had had been shamelessly seized by these people.

Both of them fell silent. The lights of downtown Taipei were already in sight.

“Stop the car!” William Carter said loudly.

Henry Bennett slammed on the brakes, looking at William Carter in confusion. William Carter pushed open the door and got out, waving his hand at Henry Bennett. Henry Bennett noticed a cold glint flash between his fingers—it was the coin Old Mr. Zuo had given him. Suddenly, Henry Bennett understood: this young man in front of him would not leave so easily. That coin might already be the reason he stayed…

After the rain, many puddles had formed on the road, making crisp sounds as he stepped on them. The crescent moon hung frozen in the cloudless sky, and the stars twinkled faintly. A cold wind blew, a few fallen leaves brushed past William Carter’s face and fell, bringing a slight sting. The neon signs and advertisements along the long street were still lit. There were few people on the street; one or two small taverns were still open, with the silhouettes of people inside faintly visible on the curtains. Somewhere, a few curses in Minnan dialect drifted from a corner. The ever-wandering homeless drifted in the dark corners of the street, with no home to return to and no desire to return.

William Carter stopped at the corner leading to Taoyuan Road, looking for a while at the interest rate chart in the bank window. Then he walked on indifferently. This huge city felt very distant from him, making him feel alienated deep inside, like a wandering traveler. Everyone was just a passerby to him; money might be his only connection to this society. This society didn’t need him—he had been abandoned…

William Carter saw some prostitutes in short skirts sheltering from the wind in the glass booths of public phones, while a few others in long stockings and woolen coats paced in the cold wind, waving at the occasional passing car. It wasn’t until he reached the end of the street that William Carter found an empty phone booth. Just as he stepped inside, it started to rain again outside.

By the light from the tall building across the street, William Carter opened the leather bag Henry Bennett had given him. Inside was a ticket for a connecting flight from Hong Kong to Beijing, a passport, and ten thousand New Taiwan dollars in cash. William Carter sneered and zipped up the bag. Suddenly, he thought of his mother, of her seeing him off at the airport before he left. His eyes began to burn, and tears, echoing the sound of the rain outside, streamed down uncontrollably.

It wasn’t until the glass booth was knocked on heavily that he snapped out of it. A streetwalker in a red miniskirt stood outside, clearly freezing, her eyes rimmed with either eyeshadow or bruises from the cold. Her long, slender legs trembled slightly. Even in such a sorry state, she hadn’t forgotten to flash a seductive smile.