As soon as the man opened his mouth to speak, he was jabbed in the side by the person next to him. The one who jabbed him said confidently, "Why do you care how he earns money? As long as he pays back what he owes us, that’s all that matters. Why bother with so much?" After saying this, the person continued, "You better pay us back as soon as possible. My family urgently needs the money. It’s best if you can pay the sixty thousand within ten days."
"Sixty thousand in ten days? Are you kidding ?" Xu Ke shouted, disbelief written all over his face.
"I’m not joking with you. My mom is hospitalized, and we need money every day. Sixty thousand in ten days is already very lenient. If I give you any more ti, the hospital will kick my mom out. If you don’t have money, you could borrow it from your friends," the man said naturally.
Xu Ke, hearing this, did not relax; instead, his expression looked even worse. "I don’t have any friends who can lend money," he muttered, his head hanging as if in great sha, his hand clenching tightly to his pants.
"What should we do then? We can’t delay our money either. We’re not well-off and need it soon too," soone said.
"Don’t worry, I’ll definitely give you the money. Just give so ti to take so photos. Once I sell them, I’ll pay you back imdiately," Xu Ke said, tense yet hopeful, looking at their faces.
But there was no chance these people, instructed by the young man, would give in so easily. They insisted they urgently needed the money, not giving Xu Ke a chance to raise it. Even Xu Ke’s suggestion to go out for so photography and then repay was rejected.
"If you want to take photos, do it in our town. There’s no way we’d let you go out. Who knows if you’d leave and never co back? With China being so big and its population so vast, if you ran, we’d never catch you, and we’d get nothing," the man said.
His words gained the agreent of the others, who all felt it was risky to let Xu Ke leave the town, fearing he wouldn’t return.
No matter how Xu Ke promised he’d co back on ti, it was useless; they wouldn’t listen to any persuasion or accept anything as a substitute for money. In short, they wanted nothing but cash.
"Enough! Stop talking," said the young man. The others, who had been arguing, suddenly quieted down.
"I brought him here to play with you. If he doesn’t repay you in ti, I’ll pay you instead. You’re worried about him, a foreigner, running away. I’ve grown up here; you should trust ," the young man said, frowning deeply.
The few people looked embarrassed by the young man’s words. "Fine, for your sake, we won’t push him. We trust you," they said, pocketing the note Xu Ke wrote and leaving the young man’s house together, only leaving behind a ss.
Looking at the suddenly empty living room and his now empty bank card, Xu Ke had an expression of wanting to cry but having no tears. His eyes beca hollow, lacking the previous spirit. Combined with his greasy, unwashed hair of several days, his dirty face with eye gunk, and clothes that seed worn for days, the young man felt a surge of pleasure.
"So what if you’re a photographer? So what if you’re educated? In the end, you’re still wallowing in the mud like , looking even worse." The young man felt as if he’d drunk a cold soda on a hot sumr day, the pleasure making him want to squint his eyes and shout aloud.
Although the young man felt remarkably pleased, his face showed concern for Xu Ke. Watching Xu Ke stand there like a statue, he asked, "Are you okay?"
"Don’t worry, I’ll definitely repay you," Xu Ke said after standing silently for a while, his grateful eyes looking at the young man when he finally reacted to his words.
"There’s no rush. You can take your ti. But there’s one thing: you can’t leave this town. Although I’m willing to help cover that debt, you should consider my concerns. You’re only here because of the hotel matter. My understanding of you is based solely on your account. If you leave, it’ll be like a fish in the sea, impossible to find. You owe not two hundred or even two thousand, but two hundred thousand, not a small amount for ," the young man said, looking serious.
"I know I’ve dragged you into this. I won’t gamble again. I’ll use this ti to earn money and repay you as soon as possible," Xu Ke said after a mont of silence, as if he’d made a resolution.
Though Xu Ke’s words were determined, the young man didn’t take them to heart. Every gambler says the sa after losing, but how many truly change their ways? The young man doubted Xu Ke was such a person, and even if he was, it didn’t matter. If he could lure Xu Ke into falling once, he could do it again. He wasn’t worried.
Of course, these thoughts remained within the young man. Outwardly, he encouraged Xu Ke, "I believe in you."
It was a pity there wasn’t a mirror. If there had been one, the young man could have seen how false his eyes were, his expressions not matching his words, appearing vicious and deceitful.
In contrast, Xu Ke’s acting was much better. His sadness and despondency made the young man let down his guard easily. He patted Xu Ke on the shoulder before heading to his room to sleep.
As Xu Ke looked at the closed door, the despondency on his face gradually disappeared. Though his appearance remained, it seed as if he’d undergone a dramatic change.
Over the next few days, Xu Ke searched for jobs but found nothing. anwhile, the young man consolidated all of Xu Ke’s debts, now becoming his sole creditor instead of several people.
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