Chapter 001: The residents live upstairs while the dogs are kept downstairs

Withdrawing her hand, the woman spoke: "Xiao Cang, over the years, Huihui has received a lot of care from you. This is a small token of appreciation from Auntie and Uncle. Please accept it; it is only about 80,000 yuan!"

Arriving at the banks of the Pu River, it was already winter, and there were hardly any places to sit on the stone benches by the river. It was easy for the young man to find a stone bench and sit down. He casually picked up a bottle of beer, opened it, and began to drink. Enjoying beer on a night close to zero degrees is not a pleasant experience, yet at that moment, the young man no longer felt the cold of the beer against the chilly weather. Instead, what surged within him was a sense of helplessness and unwillingness, which truly reflected his inner state.

The woman wore gold-rimmed glasses, a gradually darkening turtleneck sweater on her upper body, and a jade pendant around her neck. Although the quality of the jade was not exceptional, it was certainly not something that could be dismissed for just three to five thousand. On her slightly thick wrist, she wore a brand-name ladies' watch, which, at a glance, seemed to be priced around thirty to forty thousand.

Seeing that the woman was about to continue speaking, the young man reached out to interrupt her: "Auntie, I understand everything you are saying. In fact, the matter you are discussing is not as complicated as you think. It is simply a matter of Xinhui saying that we are no longer suitable to be together. I will respect her wishes."

Opposite the young man sat a woman in her fifties. The woman appeared to have a good temperament; even though the passage of time had left its marks on her face, traces of her youthful charm could still be discerned.

At this moment, a battle is raging in the heart of the vast sea: to save or not to save? To save a person? But my swimming skills are not that great

The woman's face showed a hint of embarrassment as she looked at the bank card that had returned to her. Instead of reaching out to push it back, she paused for a moment, seemingly reorganizing her thoughts.

Without any prior indication, he used both hands and feet in the vast sea, and under the influence of this sound, he swiftly emerged from the water's surface. As soon as his head broke the surface, a simple and honest middle-aged face appeared before him

The young man's shout startled the nearby people and tourists, who glanced at him and hurriedly moved away, seemingly afraid of being tainted by his misfortune

The young man's gaze fell upon the girl, filled with a myriad of emotions. At this moment, he himself may not even know how to confront this woman with whom he has shared seven years of vows and promises.

Unfortunately, the two people at the table seem to have no interest in eating, sitting face to face in an awkwardly serious manner.

The small street is quite ordinary, appearing no different from any small street in any city. The only distinction is that this small street belongs to the magical city. Both the weathered, old residential areas and the narrow streets exude a unique charm characteristic of this magical city. Most of the residents here work in the magical city, and they all share a common trait: they walk hurriedly. Even when sitting by the roadside to eat, they maintain the fast pace typical of the metropolis, as if someone were driving them forward with a whip.

The young man gently raised his hand and said, "I do not blame you and uncle"

Opening my eyes, I looked through the river water at the endless prosperity on both banks gradually fading away, slowly transforming into a dull gray. A thought emerged in the heart of the vast sea: I am going to hang around here today!

That young man is in danger

I understand, I understand, it's not that Huihui is unable to speak up, she always feels like she has let you down. Sigh! You are still young and do not understand the thoughts of parents. Who wouldn't want their own daughter to be cherished and live a comfortable life? Your uncle and I do not have many demands, nor do we aspire to marry into a wealthy family. We have just one request: we want to settle down in this magical city. You need to have a small nest that belongs to the two of you. Otherwise, being chased out by the landlord today and then being chased out by another landlord tomorrow, what kind of life is that!

The woman who entered afterwards gently closed the door and said, "Huihui, I have explained everything to Xiaocang, and he can understand!"

I ... ... '' The girl's head drooped even lower, and she merely uttered a single word, 'me', as if she had exhausted her strength, hanging her head in silence thereafter

When the vast sea flows back, one begins to feel as if the river water has frozen one's body, with the upper and lower teeth continuously clattering, and all the strength in the body starts to rapidly drain away

Young people think: Is it meaningful to blame you?

In front of the two individuals was a steaming hot pot of lamb, with chunks of lamb accompanied by the bubbling sound of the broth, emanating an enticing aroma

The young man did not respond, instead he gazed at the girl and softly asked, "Xinhui, is this your decision?"

"Auntie is not in the mood to eat either." The woman glanced at the pot on the table, smiled as she put her bank card back into her bag, and casually picked up the coat hanging on the back of the chair, putting it on.

Cang Hai was taken aback for a moment, and immediately rushed towards the direction of the shout. He stood by the riverbank and, following the direction pointed out by the crowd, saw a faint figure rising and falling on the cold river surface

After downing three bottles of beer, the young man lifted his head and was captivated by the dazzling splendor of the boundless night in the magical city. The Oriental Pearl Tower, countless skyscrapers reaching into the clouds, and the Western-style buildings across the river from the Pearl Tower all appeared transformed, losing their usual appearance. In the young man's eyes, they were strikingly eye-catching, not only eye-catching but also painfully so

Under normal circumstances, one would never dare to jump into the vast sea to save someone. However, at this moment, driven by a sense of reckless abandon, Cang Hai hastily stripped down to just a pair of shorts and leaped into the icy waters of the Pu River in winter.

Another thought suddenly came to mind: given the situation you are in, what are you afraid of? At worst, it is just death, so save the person!

While throwing things, he shouted at the Pearl Tower: "If you have the guts, don't let me get rich. Once I have money, I will buy two houses, one upstairs for living and one downstairs for raising dogs!"

Just as Cang Hai felt that he was about to ride a crane to the West and join the ancestors of the old Cang family for a game of Mahjong, a sudden warmth enveloped him. The lungs that had been emptied suddenly filled with a warm, soothing air, seemingly pure oxygen, causing Cang Hai to feel a bit dizzy from the inhalation

Jumping into the river

After speaking, he pushed open the door and walked straight out. The moment the young man closed the door, his body involuntarily froze, almost being engulfed by a tremendous sense of loss.

After about five or six seconds of silence, she continued, "Xiao Cang, please do not blame Auntie for being harsh. Auntie knows you are a good child and that you are sincere towards Huihui. However, in this city of magic, both of you are outsiders, and it is not easy to establish roots here! Let’s not even mention anything else; just considering the current housing prices in this city, when do you think you two can afford a place to live on your combined salaries? To take a step back, even if you had a 40 to 50 square meter apartment, Auntie and Uncle would not stop you two from being together. But right now, neither you nor Huihui have that condition. You are currently alone, with no one at home to help, and neither I nor your uncle can do much. We are just small civil servants in a county town, and even if we took out our savings, it would only amount to two to three hundred thousand. In this city, not to mention buying a house, even the down payment is insufficient. Where can you find a house here that costs four to five million..."

Gong! Gong!

As night falls, the lights on both sides of the narrow street begin to illuminate one by one. Accompanied by the dim yellow streetlights, the once quiet road starts to buzz with activity, as more and more hurried pedestrians pour in from the street corners. The small street begins to reveal its vibrant side under the night sky, with the incessant calls of street food vendors and the enticing shouts of restaurant hosts filling the entire area.

I have said everything that needs to be said, this matter has nothing to do with our Huihui, if you want to blame someone, blame your aunt and uncle

Evil arises from the edge of courage! Violence originates from the heart!

The water is quite cool, and people are easy to save! When Cang Hai swam over, the person who jumped into the river did not put up much resistance; after struggling for three to four minutes, he was pulled up by Cang Hai. Just as Cang Hai turned around and swam a couple of strokes, another enthusiastic person who had jumped in reached out to take him. It was then that Cang Hai realized he was still a good two hundred meters away from the shore

The woman took a card from her bag, gently placed it on the table, and pushed it towards the young man with her well-maintained fingers, as white as scallions

Just as the young person was about to sit down, a sudden exclamation rang out in their ears: Someone has jumped into the river! Someone has jumped into the river!

In a small street at this time, a pair of relatively unusual individuals sat at a small table by the roadside window in a small restaurant. One was a young man, whose attire was quite ordinary on the street: a dark suit, a light gray V-neck sweater, a light gray shirt underneath, and a dark red tie.

Aunt, I do not know what customs you have, but in my hometown, it is not customary for women to spend money in a romantic relationship. As a man of seven feet tall, what would it mean if I accepted this money from you

Standing at the door, leaning against the railing for about ten seconds, the young man finally came to his senses, gently lifted his foot, and dully made his way down the stairs. In the convenience store, he picked up a case of beer, hurriedly called for a car, and headed straight for the banks of the Pujiang River in the magical city.

The young man nodded slightly and softly said, "Auntie, I understand!"

Cang Hai only heard a voice and felt his body weakly sinking into the river water. At that moment, Cang Hai surprisingly felt neither fear nor panic; his mind was completely blank. He only sensed that the cold river water seemed to be freezing him entirely while continuously pulling him down into the depths.

Cang Hai paused for a moment, then replied: "It's nothing!"

The small street has not been tainted by the dazzling splendor of the night in the magical city; it seems to be forgotten by the great metropolis, much like the weary souls who reside here. On both sides of the small street, food stalls and eateries are filled with youthful faces. These young people have returned here merely for a simple night of rest, in anticipation of embracing the first rays of sunlight in the morning, ready to dive into their respective dreams of the magical city, just like countless mornings before.

Grasping the beer bottle at hand, the young man exerted all his strength, wishing to hurl the bottle towards the Oriental Pearl Tower, almost wanting to smash that tower to pieces.

Having finished speaking, the young man stood up, turned around, and went to the counter to settle the bill. He then returned to the table and said to the woman, "Auntie, take your time eating. I just got back and need to go home to organize some things."

The woman spoke while slightly furrowing her brow, occasionally sighing.

The young man glanced at the bank card on the table, his gaze merely sweeping over it, and then he reached out and pushed the bank card back in front of the woman

The young man waited for about one minute, then with a look of disappointment in his eyes, softly replied: "I understand!"

Little brother, are you alright

After climbing five flights of stairs, the young man reached the door, took out his key, gently turned it, and heard a click as he pushed the door open

After speaking, he turned and walked towards the door: "I forgot to buy something, I will go down for a while!"

The young woman appeared somewhat uneasy and at a loss, as if she had committed a grave mistake, lowering her head and not daring to meet the gaze of the young man entering the room

A voice suddenly rang out in my mind: "You worthless creature, save your life!"

The lights in the living room are on, and sitting on the sofa is a beautiful young woman in her twenties, vibrant and lovely. She has an oval face, elegantly arched willow-leaf eyebrows, a pair of large, beautiful apricot-shaped eyes, a high nose bridge, and lips of moderate size, complemented by long, flowing black hair. With such looks, she would easily attract a return rate of at least seventy to eighty percent if she were to stand on the street.

The young man waited for the woman to finish dressing, and the two of them then stepped out of the small restaurant together. The two walked in silence for over a hundred meters before turning into the entrance of a residential area, then took another turn and walked side by side into an old corridor that lacked even a single light.

The young person's face bore little expression, yet their gaze revealed a sense of loss, reluctance, and a hint of subtle sorrow

It seemed that after speaking, he wanted to reassure his daughter, and then he turned to the young man and asked, "Xiao Cang, right?"