Before the Curtain Falls (Details Supplemented)

“Clack clack clack!” Zhao Mengyao frantically pressed the elevator button, her head still turned toward the wide-open apartment door—

The moment she stabbed Chen Qin just now,

she admitted she panicked. If she had to go to jail for this...

“No way am I going to prison! I’m still so young!” The real reason Zhao Mengyao brought a knife was to threaten Ye Shuang. If Ye Shuang really ignored her, Zhao Mengyao planned to slash her wrist to scare him.

But when she saw Ye Shuang’s cold, almost psychotic stare toward a stranger, and how he shielded Chen Qin—who she hated the most—behind him, she lost control and charged forward with the knife.

“Ding.” Just then, the elevator doors slowly opened. Zhao Mengyao rushed inside, hit the button for the first floor, and finally exhaled in relief.

Luckily, no one followed.

“What now...” Zhao Mengyao stared at the descending elevator, her face darkening.

Maybe... maybe she could find someone to take the fall. Just say it was them who stabbed him.

There were no cameras anyway. If she didn’t confess, nothing could be proven, right?

Right, her own father. He was old anyway—what did a few years in prison matter? She was still young...

Still had a future.

The elevator doors opened again. Zhao Mengyao hurried out and pulled out her phone.

“Hey, Yaoyao, didn’t I tell you not to call Dad right now?”

“Da—Dad, I’m in trouble. Can you come over?”

“What trouble?”

“I think I killed someone. You... you come over and say it was you who did it! Boohoo, I’m still young. I don’t want to go to jail!”

“...” Silence on the other end. Maybe he didn’t expect his daughter to say something so outrageous.

Standing by the roadside, Zhao Mengyao suddenly heard the wail of police sirens.

“Po-police?!”

Like a startled bird, even though the police car was just passing by, she panicked and dashed onto the crosswalk, completely ignoring the light changing from green to red.

But she hadn’t run far when a gust of wind brushed past her, followed by the screech of tires slamming on the brakes!

“Ah?!!!!!!!”

A red semi-trailer truck, taller than her by a head, appeared. The terrified expression of the driver was clear as the truck’s front slammed into Zhao Mengyao, pushing her all the way into the guardrail!

“Boom boom boom!”

The dozens-of-meters-long guardrail was torn up and flung aside by the unstoppable momentum of the semi.

It finally came to a halt after crashing into the greenery on the opposite side of the road.

Her phone had long since fallen to the ground, but Father Zhao’s voice still echoed from it:

“Sigh... Yaoyao... don’t be afraid. Dad will take the blame for you.”

“Why’s it so noisy over there?”

“Yaoyao, where are you?”

“Yaoyao?”

But the phone’s owner could no longer pick it up. Only a spreading pool of fresh blood remained.

The perspective seemed to pull away, as nearby vehicles stopped and passersby hurried over to see what had happened.

This world is always full of drama.

Life is just like that—no one knows what will happen in the next moment, nor who will bring surprises or misfortunes first tomorrow.

All I can recall is the scorching asphalt beneath the blazing sun, its searing heat unyielding no matter how much blood you pour over it—just like this world, which keeps turning regardless of who’s missing.

……

Abroad, in Los Angeles.

“What?! Where’s my money?!” Tang Hao held his phone, disbelief etched across his face as he listened to the voice on the other end.

“Money? What money?” The man on the phone chuckled. “Hey, Hao bro, we’re brothers here. Why bring up money between us?”

“You actually betrayed me?!” Tang Hao’s hands nearly slipped from shock. His eyes widened, and he struggled to catch his breath.

He never imagined the funds he transferred would end up being used as a bridal dowry.

“Tsk tsk tsk, Hao bro, you sound harsh. Betrayal? What betrayal?”

The man continued,

“Didn’t you treat Mr. Ye the same way?”

“Back then, you should’ve thought about whether one day you’d be treated like this. Isn’t that right, you bastard?”

“You?!” Tang Hao suddenly pieced it together.

“You’re one of Ye Shuang’s men?!”

“Not exactly, but Brother Ye treats his guys pretty well. What goes around comes around. If there’s a chance, of course I’m going to step on you.”

“Don’t blame me for being heartless though—I do have some conscience. By the way, I know a Chinese restaurant that hires illegal dishwashers. If you’re interested, just hit me up.”

After saying that, the call was abruptly cut off.

“Damn it!!!” Tang Hao roared in anger, about to smash his phone. But thinking of the few remaining dollars in his pocket, he clenched his fist instead and shook his hand hard.

“Fuck! Shit! Shit! Shit!”

Tang Hao was now stuck abroad. Returning home was out of the question—if he set foot back, the police would arrest him immediately.

After the Zhao family went bankrupt, many of his covert dealings were exposed. Returning home meant certain death.

“Looks like I can only rely on relatives now,” Tang Hao muttered, holding his phone as if to make a call.

Unbeknownst to him, several dark-skinned men approached, greeting him in a friendly manner.

“Hey, bro!”

Tang Hao hesitated for a moment, instinctively replying, “Yeah, what’s up, brothers?”

The men burst into laughter. “Hey, let’s be friends.”

Before he could react, they snatched the phone from his hands.

“Hey, what are you doing?!” Tang Hao froze, reaching out to grab his phone back—but the next second, another man was rifling through his clothes, pulling out his wallet and passport.

“Just borrowing these for a bit, making friends,” they said, exchanging glances before shoving Tang Hao to the ground and sprinting away.

“Give it back!!!” Tang Hao shouted, staring helplessly at the spot where they’d disappeared. Realizing he’d been robbed zero-dollar style, he scrambled up and gave chase.

They vanished into an alleyway, and even his Rolex watch was gone.

“Fuck!”

Tang Hao was desperate. Realizing he couldn’t catch up, he spotted a patrol car passing by—

“Help me!” he rushed over, “I—I’ve been robbed!”

The two foreign police officers exchanged a glance, then said, “Oh, friend, we’re really sorry.”

Tang Hao was stunned for a moment. “That’s it? What now?”

“Aren’t you going to help me get my money back?” he asked.

“Hahaha, yes, yes, I will help you find it. Please go back and wait patiently,” they said, laughing as they climbed into the patrol car and drove off, leaving Tang Hao standing there, completely bewildered.

They didn’t even bother to ask for any details.

Instinctively, Tang Hao reached into his empty pocket. Alone in a strange land, he felt utterly abandoned by the world.