Jiang Xinnian

Jiang Liu's family was broken.

His parents divorced when he was seven or eight years old—a memory so distant that even if he hadn’t lost his recollection of it, he could only recall fragments.

But brokenness and lack of love were two different things.

He himself felt that although life was tough, at least it was peaceful.

Except when the man who should be called "Dad" by blood relation showed up.

"Jiang Xinnian, are you trying to ruin this job for me too?"

Ji Chunhua stood at the entrance of the supermarket, tears welling in her eyes as she shouted.

Though she called it shouting, her voice wasn’t loud.

Ji Chunhua had once been a kindergarten teacher, so she always spoke softly and gently.

"I’m just here to convince you to move out. Stop living at home."

"Where else am I supposed to live? You’re trying to gamble away the one house we have left!"

"I’ll pay to buy the house, alright? But the money will have to come in installments later."

Jiang Xinnian was a tall, lean man, his face deeply lined by time. Beneath the sun-darkened skin from years of wearing sandals, one could faintly glimpse the handsome man he’d once been.

Jiang Liu’s own good looks owed much to his father’s genes.

The onlookers gradually pieced together what was happening.

This Silver Plaza supermarket was close to Jiang Liu’s neighborhood, Jiangwan Community, and many of the bystanders were old neighbors.

"That Jiang Xinnian is a complete bastard. After all these years of gambling, he’s still sucking the life out of his wife and kid."

"Poor Chunhua."

"This is nothing. Jiang Xinnian used to come home and cause scenes when he ran out of money. Where would Chunhua even get cash for him?"

"People like this still exist nowadays?"

Jiang Xinnian had long grown numb to the pointing fingers and whispers.

But Ji Chunhua wasn’t like that—she had pride.

And this was her workplace. A domestic dispute like this wouldn’t just disrupt her job; it would hurt the supermarket’s business too.

"I’m begging you, Jiang Xinnian. Just stop, alright?"

"Promise me, and I’ll leave."

How could Ji Chunhua agree? She and her son lived in that house. Where else could they go?

And as for him "buying" it—Ji Chunhua had learned the hard way that a gambler’s word wasn’t worth the air it took to speak it.

She was at her wit’s end. Though many in the crowd voiced support, no one could do anything against a shameless scoundrel like this.

Insults rolled off him like nothing.

It made everyone furious.

If only someone would step up and beat him up.

One man, unable to stomach it any longer, moved to intervene—only to be pulled back by someone who knew better.

"Don’t even think about touching him. He’s a seasoned con artist. Lay a finger on him, and he’ll extort you dry, showing up at your doorstep every day to make a scene."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a shoe came flying out of the crowd, smacking Jiang Xinnian square in the head.

"Which bastard hit me? Don’t you dare hide!"

Jiang Xinnian whipped around, scanning the crowd with a vicious glare.

But the assailant wasn’t hiding.

The airborne shoe was just the opening act.

Jiang Liu burst from the crowd and delivered a solid kick to his gambling-addict father.

A young man’s kick was no joke.

"Old man, how’s that for a filial greeting?"

"You hit me? Let me tell you, I’ve got six chronic illnesses, nerve damage, high blood pressure—"

"Go ahead, extort me. Let the Jiang family line end with me."

At first, Jiang Xinnian didn’t realize it was his son who’d kicked him.

But at those words, his head snapped up, eyes lighting up with delight.

"Son! It’s you! What’s with the grand welcome?"

"Want a few more kicks?"

Jiang Liu said it, but he didn’t move.

He had no qualms about beating up his deadbeat dad.

The reason he stopped was the sight of his mother’s tear-filled eyes.

If this kept going, Jiang Liu would get his anger out, Jiang Xinnian would get a beating, and the crowd would get their entertainment.

The only victim would be his mother.

All she’d get was heartbreak.

Jiang Liu waved at his mom, then grabbed Jiang Xinnian by the collar and dragged him away. He was going to settle this today.

"Son, loosen up. Your old man doesn’t have many decent clothes left."

"Save the sob story!"

Father and son made their way to a narrow alley—a locked fire escape passage where neighborhood kids usually played in the sand.

Watching his father plop down unceremoniously and rub his hands together, Jiang Liu narrowed his eyes.

"Spit it out. What is it this time? Money?"

"Son, want a smoke?"

Jiang Liu pushed the offered cigarette pack away, silently telling Jiang Xinnian to cut the crap.

Jiang Xinnian straightened his wrinkled, aged white shirt and took a deep drag, as if the pain from earlier had vanished.

"Your old man might not be much, but I’m not the monster you think I am. Tell me—how many times in all these years have I come home asking for money?"

His expression was weary, the smoke curling in the air as he leaned against the "Fire Escape" sign. The weight of years seemed etched into his face.

Just looking at him and hearing his words, even Jiang Liu almost bought it.

The way he said it made it sound like he’d never asked for money at all!

As if he were some carefree sage, laughing at the world’s misunderstanding.

"Last time was July 17th—300 bucks, said you had no money for food. Before that, early May—500, said you were stuck in a foot-wash parlor and they’d break your legs if—"

"No, no! I mean when have I ever asked for money to gamble?"

"A grown man like you, if you weren’t gambling, how could you not have money for food? If Mom hadn’t been afraid of us fighting in public and giving people a show, secretly handing you cash to leave, I’d have let you starve in the streets!"

Father and son locked eyes, their similar features sparking with tension.

As always, Jiang Xinnian was the first to back down.

"Fine, forget that. But I’m serious—you and your mom can’t stay here anymore."

"Cut the crap. I’d love for Mom to live in a villa, waited on by maids, with a swimming pool out back. But we both know that’s not happening."

Jiang Liu wasn’t having any of it.

"Jiang Liu, I’m not joking this time. You’re being targeted."

"What, am I some big shot now? If someone’s spending money to have me watched, I’ll turn myself in and have them give whatever they’ve saved to Mom."

The idea of being "targeted" was laughable to Jiang Liu.

Even if it were true—so what?

Were they after his poverty and misery?

Some shadowy organization, coveting his Piggy Bank savings since middle school?

A demon from a fantasy novel, trying to possess his good-looking body for cultivation?

Or maybe the ashtray he won in a pharmacy raffle was actually an emperor’s chamber pot?

Give me a break!

Aside from his handsome face and the slight "paunch" he’d developed, Jiang Liu had nothing worth taking!

"There are things even I haven’t figured out yet. Just convince your mom to move, and be careful from now on."

"Really? Gonna be a cryptic old man now?"

Jiang Xinnian clearly didn’t get the internet slang—he had no idea that being a "mystery-spewing NPC" was a cardinal sin.

But it seemed there were many things he hadn’t figured out yet.

Yet Jiang Liu keenly grasped the crux of the matter.

"So my car accident wasn’t an accident?"

"From what I know, it wasn’t."

"Could it be that you owed someone money and refused to pay, so they went after your son? If that’s the case, you’re downright despicable, Jiang Xinnian."

"No. For years now, my reputation’s been no better than a money-grubbing beast. Who would threaten a beast by targeting its offspring to get their money back?"

The trail went cold there.

But Jiang Liu’s sharp instincts picked up on another key detail.

Jiang Xinnian seemed unusually invested in him.

A father keeping tabs on his son wouldn’t raise eyebrows—for anyone else. But how exactly was Jiang Xinnian getting his information?

The two hadn’t seen each other in months. Where was he getting these updates?

"Jiang Xinnian, when you were digging into my life, did you happen to find out who my girlfriend was?"