Chapter 1 The Beginning of a Dream
The downpour was like a waterfall, lightning flashing and thunder roaring within the icy steel walls of First Central Hospital.
Inside the advanced VIP maternity room, the air was fresh, and the environment was extremely elegant.
At this moment, a handsome doctor with deep and spirited eyes and distinct facial contours stood by the bedside, speaking in a serious voice to the young and beautiful woman lying there.
"Sister, I'm not trying to pressure you, but let me be frank. The child's organs are atrophied, and the nerve development is incomplete. The chances of survival are very low. Even if by some miracle the child does survive, there is a high probability of a disability and mental retardation. And it's not just severe—it's likely there will be no basic cognition at all."
"Is there really no way?"
The woman in front of him asked tearfully.
"Ah, there's absolutely no hope."
The doctor slowly removed his glasses, wiped them, and heaved a helpless sigh.
"My poor child."
The woman in front of him had also completely despaired—as if her child had been sentenced to death.
"However, by coincidence, there was a young couple next door who died in a car accident on their way to the hospital for delivery. The only silver lining is that the fetus was saved. We can simply swap the two babies. Afterwards, I'll erase all the evidence. As for this child, I'll find a way to adopt him and take care of him personally."
"But I can't bear to part with him."
"You must let go, considering his current state. If he were born into a wealthy family, it's very likely he would be considered a disgrace and be eradicated. Even if he isn't eradicated, he would live his life amidst ridicule. Moreover, your current position is unstable, and if this mess comes out, you might get caught up in it too. At that point, it's not just your status that's at risk—our family will be implicated as well. Think it over for yourself!"
"I understand."
The woman, with tears streaming down her face, made her resolve and responded.
"Good! I'll go handle it now."
With that, the doctor turned and left the delivery room.
Before long, a healthy baby born from the car accident was brought in by a nurse and placed beside the woman.
The woman looked at the baby next to her, tears falling drop by drop.
When everything had settled down, the doctor headed towards the ordinary ward outside. He arrived at Ward A302.
He pushed open the ward door but found it empty. He stood there, dumbstruck, and shouted loudly.
"Someone come here!"
"Dr. Xiao, what's wrong?"
Several nurses ran over in a flurry.
"Where is the infant?"
"Taken away by the deceased's family..."
......
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Twenty years later, in Demon City, outside the high walls of Z country.
In a room with dim lighting and a hint of oldness in the air.
The lightbulb flickered erratically, and the television emitted a static noise. At this moment, a dark figure sat up in bed, wrapped in a blanket, and slowly turned their head.
A young man with disheveled hair and a frail face appeared.
The alarm clock also started ringing.
"Buzz buzz--"
Su Mo got up, turned off the alarm clock, got dressed, and walked to the kitchen to look inside. The vegetable basket was empty, and then he went to the fridge and opened it to find it cleaner than a face.
Su Mo could only sigh helplessly.
"Time to work again."
After washing up, he walked to a corner of the room, picked up a worn-out hessian sack from the ground, and left the room.
The moment he opened the door, dazzling sunlight streamed in.
Shielding his dark eyes with his hand, the bright sunlight reflected on his pale face, revealing his handsome but sickly features. His thin lips moved slightly, a lazy smile at the corners of his mouth.
Su Mo walked onto an old street which, despite its age, was located within a busy city's urban village.
The small storefronts on both sides of the street had old apartments above them. Due to their age, most of the exterior wall coating had peeled off, leaving them pitted and uneven.
Su Mo walked up to a convenience store nearby.
The store owner, a 200-pound lady, beamed a radiant smile upon seeing Su Mo and handed him a bottle of orange juice.
Su Mo unscrewed the cap and started drinking.
"Do you want some bread too?"
Aunt Li asked with a smile on her face.
"No need, I'll just grab something at the bun shop next door."
Su Mo replied tersely, then shook the old snake-skin bag in his hand.
Realizing something, Aunt Li hastily said, "Wait for me a moment!"
She then hurried to the cash register, counted a stack of money, walked out, and placed it into Su Mo's snake-skin bag, saying cheerfully.
"Here's this year's rent, a total of twelve thousand yuan, please keep it safe."
"Oh,"
Su Mo responded, and turned around to leave.
Aunt Li quickly called out to Su Mo.
"Wait."
"What is it?"
"The lease will expire next year; can it be renewed? About the rent..."
Aunt Li looked at Su Mo somewhat nervously, aware that the new street outside charged a starting rent of a hundred and twenty thousand yuan per year.
"Same as always."
Su Mo replied lifelessly, waving his hand dismissively.
"Thank you so much, take your time!"
Aunt Li beamed with joy, almost unable to contain her happiness.
Su Mo, his expression cold, headed to the next store, beginning to collect rent from each tenant.
Along the way, the owners of hair salons and small restaurants greeted Su Mo cheerily.
"Good morning, landlord!"
"Good."
Su Mo replied curtly.
They all smiled and dropped the rent into Su Mo's bag.
By noon, Su Mo dragged his heavy snake-skin bag to an Internet cafe named Four Seasons on the outskirts.
The Internet cafe looked a bit old but was excellently located, directly opposite a high-level university on New Street.
"Uncle Wang!"
Su Mo rarely initiated conversation.
A grey-haired man came out and quickly went to help Su Mo with the bag.
"Xiao Mo, why don't you do a transfer instead of collecting cash?"
"When Grandpa passed away, he made me promise to always collect cash. He said if people have nothing to do, they easily run into trouble."
"That's true, I guess. I hardly ever see you go out, you can't keep this up."
Uncle Wang nodded in agreement.
"There's nothing fun about going out alone."
"Fair enough, but by the way, you've come at the right time; I have something to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I might not renew the lease."
Uncle Wang said to Su Mo with a helpless sigh.
Su Mo was taken aback, and he asked, puzzled, "Why not renew? The rent here is very cheap; I wouldn't rent it to anyone else. If it really comes down to it, I might as well not charge you this year's rent. After all, you were one of Grandpa's best friends."
The reason Su Mo kept the rent so low was that twelve years ago, when he and his grandfather moved to the city from behind high walls with nowhere to go, the local neighbors took great care of them both.
Later, his grandfather acquired all the real estate and land in this urban village from a property developer and managed it centrally.
Two years before his grandfather passed away, he had also told him to keep things as they were until they decide to move away.
"Xiao Mo, I appreciate your sentiment. I'm aware of everything you mentioned. But what you don't know is that the Internet cafe business is unsustainable. Young people these days don't like this stuff anymore; they all use VR equipment. Especially with the recent release of the groundbreaking technology ZR and the epic first installment, Star Ring, who would still play with these outdated computers? We don't even see a soul all day."
"So if you're not going to run the Internet cafe, what do you plan to do?"
"I'm thinking of retiring back to the countryside."
"But I remember that your relatives in the countryside always relied on you sending them money. Without the cafe, how will you have an income?"
ps: Completed series include "The Chronicles of Hippo", "Blue Star Journey", and "Please Call Me the Master of the Hall". If you're interested, feel free to check them out, thank you!