He found his father curling down on the floor with a painful face when he got home. His bad premonition became a reality.
Dai Zhiqiang hurriedly called an ambulance and informed his brother about it. On that day, he also learned about his father's condition.
Dai Zhiqiang felt numb. Sadness, anger, shock were mixed within him. His state of mind was in complete chaos.
Every bit of his happiness was forgotten, and his mind was full of the matter about his father. After that, everything escalated to a worse turn, and he somehow got his family in debt.
It surprised him to find the girl who had helped him before was in the same class as him when the class started. However, as he approached her, she realized that the girl in his class was her twin sister and not the girl who gave him a hand warmer. No wonder the vibe they gave off was so different.
Dai Zhiqiang asked his classmate, Li Chunhua, to send the girl his regards and thanks, but it did not seem that the girl remembered him at all, considering she never looked for him even once after that. Even Li Chunhua said so, so Dai Zhiqiang gave up quickly.
Looking at their status, inevitably, the girl would have forgotten about Dai Zhiqiang. She was a daughter from a prestigious family, while he was just a nobody. Her siblings and childhood friend were the school celebrities and had a promising future ahead of them, while he did not even know what he would become in the future, with how messy his family situation was.
Time passed without him having enough courage to call out to that girl until that day when the girl approached him again first. She gave him candy with the same gentle smile on her face, and at that time, Dai Zhiqiang knew he wanted her to always smile at him like that.
He had completely fallen for her.
***
"Dai Zhiqiang? Is everything okay now?" Li Caiyi looked up at Dai Zhiqiang's arm and asked carefully. They had been standing still for a while now. Li Caiyi wondered if they should hide themselves in a cafe for a bit.
Dai Zhiqiang broke out from his daydreaming and shook his head. "No, I think it's okay now."
"Did you see those loan sharks again?"
"Yeah. They were waiting for me on the road where I usually passed by."
"That's disturbing. Are you going to be okay from now on?" Li Caiyi asked with a worried expression, and Dai Zhiqiang was happy because of her concern.
"I should be okay if I acted carefully like today. I'm sorry we drag you into this, though. Those loan sharks might target you as well if they know you are hanging around us."
"Don't mind me. I'm more worried about you and Shenqiang." Li Caiyi hesitated a bit before she finally asked. "It might be rude of me to ask this, but I want to help you. Can you tell me how much debt you owe to those people?"
Dai Zhiqiang's face turned bitter as if he was forced to chew on a medicine pill. He looked at Li Caiyi gloomily. "You might not want to know. I'm grateful for your kind intention, but this is my family's matter. You don't have to worry about it."
Li Caiyi could not help but feel heartache for the brothers. They were still so young, but they had to live their life getting chased by those people from now on. Only God knew how many dangers they would face from now on.
Shen Qiang said he did not have any family members left in her previous life. Didn't that mean Dai Zhiqiang presumably had gone at that point? If yes, what if those loan sharks were the cause of it?
Li Caiyi was very anxious, yet he did not let her help. They did not know each other for long, but Li Caiyi would not just sit by and let anything happen to Dai Zhiqiang. She was not worried only because he was Dai Shenqiang's brother, but because she sincerely considered Dai Zhiqiang as her friend.
"How can I not worry? You guys are still students. What can you do against those people? Don't endure the burden yourself and let people help you. Can't you see I'm very worried?" Li Caiyi's grip tightened. Amid her overwhelmed emotion, she did not notice they were still holding hands.
Dai Zhiqiang, of course, did not mind this at all. In fact, he was enjoying this. Nevertheless, he fell into a deep silence when he saw Li Caiyi's upset look.
"But you are also a student. Even if you want to help, there's not much you can do," Dai Zhiqiang said helplessly as if trying to reason with an unreasonable kid. "If you are thinking of asking your family to help us, then don't. I'm happy you care so much for us, but that isn't the way to do it. Don't worry, I will think of something to settle this."
Li Caiyi wanted to argue, but Dai Zhiqiang was right. The way she was now, even if she was an adult inside, she had no money or influence she could use to help them. Trying to help them blindly would only add to their burden, so Li Caiyi chose to retreat a step for today.
"I understand. But how much is your debt? It's fine if you just tell me the amount, right? I promise I won't try anything without your permission. I'm just curious. You can tell me that much, right?"
Dai Zhiqiang had a complicated expression on his face. He hesitated, and Li Caiyi had to persuade him for some time until he finally sighed in defeat.
"400.000 yuan." Dai Zhiqiang muttered in a low voice, but Li Caiyi could hear it clearly. She blinked a few times before the reality dawned on her.
She had expected it to be around 100.000 or 200.000 but never had she expected that the amount would be double or triple that. No wonder those loan sharks did not let the brothers go.
Li Caiyi was at a loss for words.
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