Chapter One: First Arrival in a New Place

In July, Tanzhou is scorching hot. As soon as David Carter stepped off the train, he almost turned back—this damned weather! Compared to the air-conditioned train car, Tanzhou was practically a furnace. But after feeling the two hundred or so yuan in his pocket, he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked straight toward the station exit without looking back.

David Carter was twenty-two this year. He graduated from junior college two years ago and has been struggling in society ever since. But things hadn’t gone well for him; his faded jeans and the shirt already worn through at the seams had long betrayed his situation.

“Mister, looking for a place to stay?” As soon as he walked out of the train station exit, a middle-aged woman grabbed David Carter and greeted him enthusiastically. David Carter was dressed plainly, clearly not well-off. She was experienced and knew that young men like him cared a lot about saving face and didn’t know how to refuse others. Normally, she’d charge thirty yuan a night, but for him, she’d ask for forty, knowing he wouldn’t dare haggle.

“No, I’m not staying.” David Carter replied coldly. He would never spend money around the train station—what looked cheap was actually full of traps.

“Cheap, only forty yuan a night.” The middle-aged woman was momentarily stunned that David Carter refused, but she didn’t give up. She stepped forward and tried to pull him away by the arm. She knew well that people like him, who hadn’t seen much of the world, were very thin-skinned.

“Forty?!” David Carter exclaimed in exaggerated surprise, at the same time sidestepping so the woman grabbed at thin air.

David Carter felt the two hundred or so yuan left in his pocket and could only quicken his pace to avoid the woman’s pestering. He didn’t care about others’ looks or opinions; it was just that his financial situation was pressing. Even staying at a forty-yuan-a-night hostel was a luxury for him.

“Young man, don’t go! Our place is not only cheap, but we also offer special services.” The middle-aged woman didn’t want to let David Carter go and chased after him with a suggestive smile.

This time, David Carter didn’t stop, walking straight ahead without looking back. You make do with what you have—he knew his own situation very well.

“Can’t even afford forty yuan? What a pauper!” Seeing David Carter leave, the woman tore off her friendly mask and spat out insults. Many people, unable to stand her contemptuous look and ridicule, would end up coming back even after trying to get away.

David Carter paused when he heard this and glanced back at the woman. His gaze was complicated, a mix of anger and mockery, but he said nothing more. Walking ahead, he spotted a brick by the roadside, bent down, and picked it up. The woman, seeing that David Carter didn’t dare talk back, became even more smug, muttering and cursing nonstop. Her vicious insults came in endless variety, like a machine gun, never repeating herself. But just as she was cursing with gusto, a brick suddenly flew from somewhere, falling from the sky and hitting her squarely on the forehead. Blood gushed instantly, splattering everywhere.

“Ow!” The woman clutched her bleeding forehead, rolling on the ground in pain, wailing like a banshee. Although the train station was crowded, no one helped—at most, people stopped to watch as if it were a sideshow. David Carter slowed his pace at this point, but after a brief smile, as if admiring his own handiwork, he quickened his steps and left the station.

“Young man, nice move.” Just as David Carter reached the plaza outside the station, a voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

David Carter hadn’t expected anyone to notice him. He turned to see a thin old man with graying hair but bright, piercing eyes that seemed to see right through people. He was carrying a bag too, probably just off the train himself.

“Sorry you had to see that.” David Carter replied with a simple, honest smile. After two years in society, he’d seen all kinds of things. But his gaze was drawn to the old man’s bag. Though he couldn’t see what was inside, it seemed to have an invisible pull that deeply attracted him.

“Though she spoke rudely and was in the wrong, your reaction was a bit extreme. Be careful next time,” the old man said, studying David Carter closely, surprise flickering in his eyes. He had thought David Carter was a hot-headed youth, but in his eyes, he saw steadiness and determination.

“Thank you for your advice, sir.” David Carter took a step back, bowed slightly, and said sincerely.