Chapter 3 – How Much Do We Owe?

After the three people finished their meal and came out of the restaurant, it was precisely 2pm in the afternoon, a time when the sun is scorchingly hot above their heads. ZhouXiang squinted his eyes and looked up. Just across the street in front of him is a huge LED advertising screen on top of the commercial building. The screen is broadcasting a commercial. Because the poor lighting with the building in the way, the screen was not clear for a few seconds. Just by chance, a cluster of birds flew by and blocked the sun. Everything on the screen is replaced by a commercial for a luxury brand watch. A man walked out from a purely black backdrop.

ZhouXiang’s expression suddenly changed.

It is a man in his early twenties. His tall and perfect figure wearing a pure white suit created a strong contrast to the dark backdrop. He raised his head slightly to reveal an exceptionally handsome face. This face had no expression; his chilling expression and tightly pursed lip reveals an unapproachable aura. He is putting a diamond watch on his wrist. Even with such a simple gesture, he did it with such elegance and grace. It is extremely captivating. Many passersby on the street either turned their heads around or froze just to stare at him.

A piercing pain struck his heart, ZhouXiang’s expression paled as he took a deep breath.

YanMingXiu? Why would he……why would he do commercials? With his influential family background, why would he sell his looks to the commercial industry?

CaiWei snorted next to him, his tone full of resentment.

ZhouXiang suddenly regained his senses and adjusted his facial expression for fear that CaiWei would notice something unusual.

The matters between him and YanMingXiu, CaiWei is fully aware. Because of that, CaiWei is full of hatred toward YanMingXiu. This had not changed these two years.

It seems that one person’s influence on another, is really not easy to dissipate.

To CaiWei, two years had passed. But to ZhouXiang, everything that happened between him and YanMingXiu was just a week ago. Even the last phone conversation he had with YanMingXiu, he still remembered it very clearly. He can still distinctly remember the scent on YanMingXiu’s body, his overbearing and willful demands, his always persistent in his own ways of hurting others and his uncaring personality. In fact, even his smiles, his temper, his undoubted love for WangYuDong are all so vivid in his mind. He wanted to forget all this as soon as possible. To him, these things just happened a few days ago. It is said that time is the best medicine but the time he had was too short. He thought that he was starting a new life again, not seeing and thinking of him, so he could completely forget this ill-fated failed relationship. Unexpectedly, on just the first day of being discharged, he is again forced to see YanMingXiu. In fact, it’s likely that in the foreseeable future, he’d still have to keep seeing him.

Seeing ZhouXiang and CaiWei looking at the commercial on the screen across the street, ChenYing also looked and then praised, “How can a boy look so beautiful? So beautiful.”

CaiWei responded disdainfully, “Being beautiful doesn’t mean shit. He’s just a bastard.”

ChenYing is stunned, “Xiao Cai, you know him?”

CaiWei responded depressingly, “Yea, I know.”

“What about him? He’s not a good person?”

CaiWei forcefully smiled, “Auntie, the entertainment industry is chaotic; there aren’t many good ones.”

ZhouXiang resisted the urge to ask CaiWei about YanMingXiu. The lesser he knew, the better off he is. It would be best for YanMingXiu to completely disappear from his life.

The watch commercial on the screen is over. ZhouXiang sighed secretly but the trembling in his heart did not disappear. He is powerless. He offended WangYuDong, had a fall out with YanMingXiu, fell off a cliff…all this gave him insomnia at night. To him, it all happened not long ago. He needed time. What he needed the most right now is time.

After CaiWei took them home, ChenYing was bashful for the longest time, too embarrassed to say “Xiao Cai, normally Auntie Chen should ask you to come up to chat but this rented apartment is too shabby. I’m embarrassed to ask you to come up. Today, thank you.”

CaiWei bunched his brows and looked at this old residential area. The area is bad, the surrounding environment is ghetto; it’s really not a good place. He sighed silently in his heart. In order to treat ZhouXiang, ChenYing depleted her entire savings and owed a lot of debt. Although ZhouXiang had awakened, the hard lives for the mother and son had only just begun.

After CaiWei left, ChenYing led ZhouXiang upstairs. The seven-story building is at least twenty years old. The corridor is dark, the stairs narrow, and the walls are so dirty that you could not see its original colors.

This little apartment that ChenYing rented is merely a bit over 40 square meters with only one bedroom. Although she tried to clean and tidy it up, it still couldn’t conceal the owner’s dire financial needs.

ChenYing smiled, “I cleaned up the bedroom and also bought a bed. From now on, I’ll sleep in the living room.”

ZhouXiang quickly said, “Mom, I’ll sleep in the living room.”

“That won’t do. You just left the hospital. You need to nurture your body. I’m used to sleeping on the hard bed from the hospital. It’s fine.”

ZhouXiang, “Mom. That’s not right, I can’t let you sleep in the living room while I sleep in the bedroom.”

The two argued for a while. ChenYing could not win over him so she could only agree.

ChenYing brewed a pot of tea, took out a big photo album and went to sit on the sofa in the living room. Then she slowly told ZhouXiang about his past.

ZhouXiang was an ordinary child growing up in the imperial city. His father was a civil servant. His mother was an accountant. Initially, they had a good life, but his father passed away when he was in college. Adding on, with his accident when he was 24 years old, one can well imagine how painful and miserable ChenYing’s life was.

He was not very interested in ZhouXiang’s past, but the more he knew, the more sympathy he has for this woman.

ChenYing talked and talked and then started crying. “My life is really bad. I almost can’t go on anymore. Son, it is good that you woke up, otherwise, I really won’t be able to keep going.” In the two years, she held onto that miracle, not knowing when it will come; using that as her motivation all along; this thin and frail small woman looks a lot stronger than her outward appearance.

ZhouXiang held her shoulders so she could heartily cry in the arms of her beloved son.

After ChenYing unleashed her pent up emotions, she was embarrassed. Seeing ZhouXiang sitting healthily in front of her, she could not help but laughed.

ZhouXiang asked, “Mom, the time I was in the hospital, you owed a lot of money right? Take out the (bank) book and let’s take a look.”

Immediately after he mentioned this, ChenYing’s expression turned bleak again. She hesitated a bit, stood up, and pulled out a book from the drawer from the TV cabinet.  In the book, all the loan strips were clipped together carefully and neatly. ChenYing was previously an accountant, it was very organized.

She sighed heavily, “There were some savings in the beginning, but your hospitalization fees were too high. I sold both of our two condos. The real estate market was not good at the time. If it was sold during these two years, the price would be nearly 1 million more but at that time, we desperately needed the money……”

ZhouXiang turned over the heavy loan slips page and asked quietly, “Mom, how much do we owe?”

ChenYing sniffled, “My retirement is about ¥2,000 a month. Later, I went to borrow money from other people…relatives, friends, and colleagues. They saw my phone number and won’t even pick up……”  ChenYing quietly said, “Now, we still owe ¥370,000.”

¥370,000……

ZhouXiang calculated his previous savings. If he did not count the condo and the car, his savings is about ¥200,000. The old condo unit was given by his father’s previous employment but the location is very good. Two years ago, it would have sold for ¥1.3 million. His car is second-hand but it can be sold for about ¥20,000-¥30,000. He can’t sell the condo because he and ChenYing also needed to live in it. From his calculation, paying off the ¥370,000 is not too hard…ZhouXiang was just calculating when he inadvertently looked at the picture in the old photo album. He suddenly realized that he is no longer that ZhouXiang. He is already ‘dead’!  How were his bank accounts and property managed and who helped him managed it? He knew nothing. How could he use a different identity to get back his own assets?

ZhouXiang sweated profusely. So essentially, he not only turned into pauper but one with ¥370,000 in debts?

ChenYing saw his unsightly expression, she also looks depressed. Her son had awakened but the hard livelihood is far from over.

ZhouXiang glanced at her. Although this woman is not his mother, he thinks that he has the responsibility to take care of her for the rest of her life because he took over her son’s body, making her lose her son forever. He, on the other hand, got a renewed treasured life. He can’t just accept that. He should also take up the responsibility that this life should have taken and complete his obligations.

ZhouXiang cleared his mind and closed the book, “Mom, don’t worry too much. We’re both living fine. The money is earned by people. The debt can be paid off one day.”

ChenYing forced a smile, “You’re right. We must be optimistic. With you waking up, mom sees hope. Tomorrow morning go to Xiao Cai’s place to work. I’ll also go to look for a job.”

ZhouXiang grasp onto ChenYing’s hands, “Okay.”

ZhouXiang didn’t sleep well at all that night, thinking over and over again on how to earn money. Finally, he decided to find out as soon as possible how his assets were handled after his death. By morning, he had only dazedly slept for a short time.  After he got up, he realized that he didn’t think of YanMingXiu at all last night. This is a good sign.

He washed his face, got changed, then went to CaiWei’s company to report to work.

End of the Chapter