Although the bruises on his face had started to fade, they were still far from looking "normal." The swelling around his left eye had gone down enough for him to open it fully, but the dark ring of bruising around it remained very noticeable.
His nose was still slightly crooked, and the split on his lip had ford a dark red scab.
With a face like this, going outside wasn't just risky for selling gold — he'd probably alert the security guards the mont he approached a gold shop.
"Fuck… dical bills are so expensive…"
Luke looked at his bank balance, which had shrunk again, and felt his heart ache.
Thankfully, he had dical insurance that covered most of it. Otherwise, the full-body check-up and pile of dicine would have easily cost several thousand yuan.
Even so, he still had to pay over two thousand yuan out of pocket.
Two thousand yuan!
That was enough to buy a huge batch of "starting supplies" on Pinduoduo!
His Huabei balance was 8,000 in debt, and his credit card installnts were another 12,000… After two years of working since graduation, he hadn't saved any money and had instead accumulated over 20,000 yuan in debt.
Tsk tsk tsk!
These numbers felt like thorns stabbing into his heart.
Who was to bla? The bad economy? Society…?
In the end, it was because he just wasn't capable enough and couldn't compete?
That was what he told others. When no one was around or during self-reflection, he would curse angrily: Damn capitalists, they all deserve to be chopped up and fed to dogs… bullshit about too many people… fuck "too many people, too few resources"!
He took a deep breath…
His finger slid across the screen, and he transferred 4,000 yuan to his father via WeChat.
His account balance instantly dropped to just over 7,000.
Still, this amount was more than he had at any point in the past…
While he was frowning and calculating whether to pay part of the minimum credit card repaynt first or use the remaining money to buy another batch of more practical supplies for the other world, his phone screen suddenly lit up with a buzzing vibration.
It was a WeChat video call request from his father.
Luke's heart skipped a violent beat. His finger hovered over the screen, then jerked back as if burned.
A video call?
How could he answer a video call looking like this?!
With his still-bruised face, crooked nose, and split lip…
Any close-up shot would make his old father's heart stop from shock.
He could already imagine his father's stunned reaction, the endless questions, and the trouble he would never be able to explain.
He couldn't answer.
Without hesitation, his thumb swiped up and rejected the video call.
Almost at the sa ti, he tapped the voice call icon and called back.
The call connected almost instantly.
"Hello? Xiao Ke?"
His father, Lu Dashan's voice ca through the speaker, carrying a trace of hidden worry. "Why didn't you pick up the video? Are you busy?"
"Dad, no, I was just in the toilet, not convenient for video. What's up?"
Luke cleared his throat, trying hard to make his voice sound normal — even a little relaxed.
There was a two-second silence on the other end. Then Lu Dashan's voice lowered slightly: "Nothing much… just wanted to check on you. Your mom said you haven't called ho in over a month, and sotis you don't pick up when we call. Are you… running into trouble again?"
Luke's nose suddenly stung.
His father was always like this — not very talkative, but always accurately hitting the hidden difficulties he tried to conceal.
He rembered the last ti he lost his job. He had also gone a long ti without contacting ho. His father had sent him so money without asking anything, only saying "Use it for now."
"Dad…"
He opened his mouth, his throat tightening.
The wounds on his face seed to ache faintly too.
He wanted to say everything was fine, that the money he just sent was proof.
But the careful probing and deep-hidden worry in his father's voice made the light "I'm fine" stick in his throat.
He couldn't let his parents keep worrying and guessing like this.
A thought ford in his mind in an extrely short ti.
Perhaps a "well-intentioned lie" — a story that could put his parents at ease without revealing anything impossible to explain — was currently the only option.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his tone, and tried to make his voice sound calm, even carrying the fatigue and determination of a "startup entrepreneur."
"Dad, sothing did happen. But now… it's mostly over."
He paused, as if making up his mind: "Actually, the reason I didn't co ho for New Year last year and haven't contacted you much recently isn't because I was busy with work… I've been working on sothing myself."
"Huh? Working on what?" Lu Dashan's voice rose, filled with confusion and tension.
"Starting a business." Luke spoke the two words. His heart beat faster, but he kept his tone steady.
"I… tead up with so old university classmates and started a small company. We're doing… um, foreign trade related stuff, and information consulting."
He made it up on the spot, keeping the field as vague as possible.
"So ti ago, the company ran into problems. Cash flow was really tight. I was so busy I didn't have ti to tell you, afraid you'd worry."
"You kid!"
Lu Dashan's voice carried reproach, but mostly heartache: "Such a big thing and you didn't even discuss it with the family! If you're short on money, why didn't you say sothing? How much did you lose? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Dad. I'm perfectly okay. It's not like I had much money to lose…"
Luke quickly replied, touching his still-throbbing cheek with a bitter smile inside: "It's just that the money I invested nearly went down the drain. But recently I got lucky and closed a deal, so things are easing up and I even made a small profit. That's why I just sent you four thousand. It's not much, but use it for now."
There was silence on the other end.
This silence lasted longer. Luke could hear his father's slightly heavy breathing and the faint voices of coworkers in the background.
"Xiao Ke, tell your dad the truth. What exactly are you doing?"
After a long while, Lu Dashan's voice ca again, lower and heavier, yet carrying a power that made Luke's heart tremble.
"You didn't… go down so crooked path, did you? If you're really short on money, your dad can swallow his pride and ask your uncles and your maternal uncles. We have many relatives — we can scrape so together. But you must not do anything illegal!"
Luke's eyes instantly turned red.
His father would rather beg relatives for money than suspect his son had gone down the wrong path, yet he couldn't hide his deepest worry.
"No! Dad, really no!"
He spoke firmly, his voice trembling slightly from emotion: "It's legitimate business. The thods might be a bit… unconventional, and the path a bit new, but it's definitely legal! It was just extrely difficult at the beginning and very grueling. Dad, you have to trust !"
"Then what exactly is your business? How much can you earn per month? Is it stable?" Lu Dashan pressed, clearly unable to feel at ease without knowing.
"This… the specific details are quite complicated. It involves so… newer models and resources. It's hard to explain clearly right now."
Luke forced himself to continue the lie.
"But the direction is definitely correct. Dad, just give so more ti. No need for a year — at most… half a year, or even three months! I promise, once the company gets on track and the business starts running, earning several hundred thousand or even a million per month won't be a problem!"
He spoke through gritted teeth, both painting a pie for his father and setting an almost crazy deadline for himself.
The gold dragons of Westeros, the debts on Blue Star, his parents' expectations…
All the pressure condensed into this tiline.
"By then, you and Mom can finally relax! I'll pay off the entire mortgage on the house in the county! If my sister and brother-in-law want, they won't have to work so hard anymore — I'll arrange everything!"
"No one in our family will have to work anymore!"
His voice was choked with emotion, yet exceptionally resolute.
"Dad, your son has really found his path this ti! Just believe in one more ti! Just once!"
There was another long silence on the other end.
Then, Lu Dashan suddenly let out a low, short laugh.
That laugh was filled with complicated emotions — bitterness, helplessness, but ultimately turning into a heavy, resigned kind of support.
"Alright, your dad is old and doesn't understand you young people's new tricks." Lu Dashan's voice returned to its usual steadiness, even carrying a bit of forced lightness.
"You've always had your own ideas since you were little. Once you set your mind on sothing, ten oxen couldn't pull you back. Since you say you've found the right direction… then go all out."
He paused, his voice lowering with a near-humble earnestness Luke had never heard before: "Your dad and mom will try our best not to burden you. Don't worry about the house mortgage — I can still manage. As long as you're safe and well out there, that's better than anything. When you have ti… call your mom more often. She doesn't say it, but she thinks about you every day."
"Dad…"
Luke's tears finally burst out uncontrollably.
He bit his lip hard to stop himself from crying aloud, nodding vigorously even though his father couldn't see:
"I know, I know… I'll call Mom in a bit. You two… take care of yourselves."
"Okay." Lu Dashan replied, seemingly unsure what else to say. "Then… let's leave it at that. You do your thing. Take care of your health and don't push yourself too hard."
"Got it, Dad. You rest early too."
After hanging up, Luke stood frozen in the center of the room, gripping his phone.
His face was wet — he couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears.
His father's last few words hit him like heavy hamrs.
"Try our best not to burden you."
He suddenly wiped his face, rushed into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water fiercely onto his face.
The icy water stung his wounds, bringing clear pain and slightly cooling his turbulent emotions.
He stared at the still-miserable but gradually changing face in the mirror.
He couldn't hesitate anymore. He couldn't show any more weakness.
He took out his phone, found his mother's number, and dialed.
This ti, his voice was steadier, deliberately carrying the busyness and hope of a "startup youth."
He repeated the "entrepreneurship story" he had told his father, making it smoother and more "reasonable," even adding so details about "eting clients" and "running channels."
His mother listened on the other end, repeatedly urging him to stay safe, not overwork himself, and not get cheated.
Her voice was filled with unconcealable relief and concern.
After hanging up with his mother, Luke leaned against the cold tiled wall and slowly slid down to the floor.
The bathroom light was blindingly white.
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