In Binhai City, the sky in June was like an emotional palette stirred by an invisible hand, with uncertain weather and almost perverse mood. Half an hour ago, the scorching sun was pouring down like thousands of golden arrows, baking the city into waves of heat waves, but now the dark clouds suddenly surged, like a huge black curtain pressing towards the sky.
The big raindrops, wrapped in strong winds, hit the greasy glass windows of the "Old Alley" hot pot restaurant with crackling sounds, instantly creating turbid and twisted water marks, as if even the world was shedding turbid tears for what was about to happen.
The cheap butter pot bottom in the store was bubbling with fine bubbles under the continuous heating of the induction cooker. The spicy and pungent steam wrapped in the noisy voices one after another, like an invisible net, covering the entire space and making it suffocating. The air was filled with the strong smell of chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns and butter, which made people's eyes sore and their breaths were full of stickiness and heat.
Chen Fan's heart was gloomier than the ever-changing weather outside the window, and more tormented than the boiling pot in front of him. He sat stiffly on the plastic chair, his back pressed tightly against the mottled wall, his eyes staring blankly at the girl opposite him, as if his soul had been taken away.
The girl's name was Li Wei. She used to be the warmest light in Chen Fan's life and the source of motivation for him to work hard in this cold city. Or, until ten minutes ago, she still had the sweet identity of "Chen Fan's girlfriend".
Today, Li Wei carefully put on a delicate makeup. Her eyebrows were as slender as willow leaves, the tail of her eyes was slightly raised, and her eyelashes were curled and slender. Against the background of eye shadow, her eyes looked deep and charming. The red lipstick on her lips was bright and eye-catching, but it also had a hint of coldness that kept people away from her. The white dress she was wearing was light in texture, and the hem was embroidered with tiny flower patterns, swaying gently in the wind.
Chen Fan remembered that in order to buy this dress, he only ate steamed buns and pickles every day for half a month, lived frugally, and spent half a month's salary to buy it. When Li Wei received the dress, she smiled like a flower, with surprise and touching light in her eyes, and said that this was her favorite gift and her favorite dress.
However, at this moment, wearing this dress that carried countless sweet memories, she looked at Chen Fan with eyes full of strangeness and alienation, and even mixed with a hint of contempt that was not easy to detect. That look, as if Chen Fan was just an insignificant stranger, a burden she was eager to get rid of.
"Chen Fan, let's break up." Li Wei's voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the noisy voices in the store, like a sharp knife tempered with ice, piercing Chen Fan's heart accurately and ruthlessly. At that moment, Chen Fan felt as if his heart had stopped beating, and his breathing was stagnant in an instant.
"Why?" Chen Fan's throat was as hoarse as sandpaper, and every word he said seemed to tear the wound in his throat. He couldn't figure it out anyway. Just last week, they were still nestled in that small rental house, dreaming about the future together. Li Wei was still gently nestling in his arms, whispering that she would work hard with him to have a warm little home of their own in this steel forest made of reinforced concrete, but now, everything has changed.
"Why?" Li Wei seemed to have heard a big joke, with a sarcastic smile on her face. She picked up the latest Apple phone on the table, and the light of the screen instantly illuminated her slightly mean mouth and the disdain in her eyes.
"You still have the nerve to ask why? Chen Fan, take a good look at yourself. Three years after graduation, you are still an inconspicuous little real estate agent, earning a pitiful 5,000 yuan base salary every month. You rent that small and shabby house in the urban village that is more than ten square meters and even sunlight can't get in. What can you give me for the future? What can you give me for the life I want?"
As she spoke, her eyes inadvertently glanced out the window. At this moment, a black BMW 5 Series slowly stopped by the roadside, and the double flash flashed in the rain, which was particularly eye-catching. The car, like a ruthless mockery, stung Chen Fan's eyes.
"You can't give me the future I want." Li Wei's tone was cold and resolute, and every word was like a knife.
Chen Fan followed her gaze and his heart sank inch by inch, as if he had fallen into an endless abyss. He recognized the car, and he also recognized the man who gracefully stepped down from the driver's seat and opened a black umbrella. He was Ma Chao, a rich second-generation with a slicked-back face, and a college classmate of Chen Fan and Li Wei. When they were in school, Ma Chao had been pursuing Li Wei relentlessly, sending flowers, gifts, and showing his courtesy, using endless means. However, at that time, Li Wei chose Chen Fan, who seemed to have more "potential" temperament. When Chen Fan thought he had gained a true love, reality gave him a hard blow.
Now it seems that Li Wei just felt that the appreciation rate of the "original shares" was too slow, so she decided to give up Chen Fan and turn to this "blue chip stock".
Ma Chao walked into the hot pot restaurant with an umbrella, elegant and graceful steps. He walked straight to their table, and his eyes never stayed on Chen Fan for half a second. His eyes were completely locked on Li Wei, and his tone was full of pampering: "Weiwei, why are you eating in such a place? There is so much smoke here, what if it damages your skin? Let's go, I have already booked a seat at "Binjiang No. 1."
"Binjiang No. 1" is the top French restaurant in Binhai City. The per capita consumption alone is Chen Fan's living expenses for a month. The luxury and refinement there are unattainable for ordinary people like Chen Fan.
Li Wei's face immediately bloomed with a bright smile that Chen Fan had not seen for a long time. That smile was even sweeter and more moving than when they were in love. She stood up without hesitation and naturally took Ma Chao's arm, her movements were skillful and intimate, as if they were a perfect match made in heaven, and Chen Fan was just an unnecessary bystander.
From beginning to end, Li Wei never looked at Chen Fan again, as if he had completely disappeared from her world.
"Wait a minute." Chen Fan finally came back to his senses from the huge shock and humiliation. He stood up suddenly, clenched his fists, and his nails dug deep into his palms. The sharp pain made him regain some sense of reality. His voice trembled slightly because of anger, with a trace of unwillingness and despair: "Li Wei, for you, I saved money and was reluctant to buy myself a new dress or a good meal. When you were sick, I took care of you all night long, without taking off my clothes; you said you wanted to start a business, and I even wanted to use the money I had prepared for my mother's surgery to support you. Have you forgotten all this?"
"Surgery fee?" Li Wei frowned, a trace of impatience flashed across her face, and her eyes were full of disgust, "Chen Fan, please be more mature, okay? What can you do with your 30,000 yuan? In my opinion, it's not even enough for the price of a necklace. Stop using these cheap self-touching to kidnap me, okay?"
"Cheap?" Chen Fan felt his blood rushing up, and his eyes went dark, as if the whole world was spinning. He never thought that the sincerity he had given was so worthless in Li Wei's eyes.
Ma Chao next to him finally looked at him, his eyes full of arrogance and disdain, as if he was looking at a homeless, annoying stray dog on the roadside. He slowly took out a thick envelope from the inner pocket of his suit and threw it on the greasy table, making a muffled "pop" sound.
"Here is 50,000 yuan." Ma Chao's tone was light, but full of disgusting superiority, "30,000, it's my return on behalf of Weiwei. The other 20,000 is for your mental damages. Take the money and don't bother Weiwei anymore. People, you have to know yourself. If you don't belong to your circle, don't force yourself to squeeze in. It's really ugly."
After saying that, he hugged Li Wei, turned around and left, and his back gradually disappeared at the door of the hot pot restaurant.
When Li Wei passed by Chen Fan, she paused and said coldly in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Chen Fan, face the reality. Love is much safer in a BMW than in the back seat of your broken electric car."
"Boom" A flash of lightning streaked across the sky outside the window, and the pale light illuminated Chen Fan's distraught face. At that moment, his face looked extremely haggard and pale, and his eyes were full of despair and pain.
He was like a sculpture, frozen in place, with the vague discussions and pointing of other diners in the hot pot restaurant in his ears. Those eyes, like countless tiny needles, densely pierced his body, leaving him with a wound, and every look seemed to be mocking his failure and embarrassment.
Humiliation, anger, heartache, all kinds of emotions intertwined together, like an invisible big hand, tightly strangled his throat, making him unable to breathe, and his chest was stuffy and panic.
It was unknown how long it took before Chen Fan walked out of the hot pot restaurant in a daze. The cold rain instantly drenched him to the bone. The rain mixed with tears and slid down his face, and he could no longer tell the difference between the two. He walked aimlessly on the street, like a wandering soul who had lost his direction. The neon lights of the city became blurred in his eyes. The lights that once symbolized dreams and hopes now seemed extremely dazzling and ironic, as if they were ruthlessly mocking his innocence and stupidity.
"Buzz..." The phone in his pocket vibrated.
Chen Fan took out his phone woodenly, and the three words "Manager Wang" jumped on the screen. This was the boss of his real estate company, who was always bossy to his employees and had a bad temper.
He swiped the phone to answer it, but before he could say anything, the deafening roar of Manager Wang came from the other end of the phone: "Chen Fan! Don't you want to do this anymore? You dare to stand up the client you made an appointment with this afternoon? Do you know who that is? That's Mr. Ma! He has complained to me! You are fired! Get out now! Forget about this month's salary!"
"Beep...beep...beep..." The phone was hung up mercilessly.
Chen Fan was stunned. Mr. Ma? Ma Chao? He understood instantly that this was not a coincidence at all. This was a complete conspiracy. Ma Chao not only stole his girlfriend, but also destroyed his job and forced him into a desperate situation. What he wanted was to make Chen Fan lose everything, get out of this city completely, and disappear from his world.
"Ah!" Chen Fan finally couldn't bear it anymore, and let out an extremely suppressed roar towards the heavy rainy night. That voice was filled with endless pain, unwillingness and despair, as if to vent all the grievances suffered along the way.
Why? Why did all the misfortunes befall him? He worked hard, went out early and came back late every day, running around; he saved money just to gain a foothold in this city; he was full of hope for the future and looked forward to a better life, but reality gave him the loudest and cruelest slap in the face.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, as if it was going to drown the whole world. Chen Fan's body was getting colder and colder, and his heart sank to the bottom of the valley. Maybe it would be nice to end it like this. This thought, like a poisonous snake, quietly climbed into his heart and lingered in his mind.
After an unknown amount of time, Chen Fan dragged his legs, which were as heavy as lead, back to his "home" in the village in the city. The rental house of more than ten square meters was dark and damp, and the air was filled with a disgusting smell of mold. The instant noodle boxes in the corner of the wall piled up into a small mountain, recording his bitterness and helplessness these days. Everything here was silently laughing at his failure, and every corner was filled with depression and despair.
He threw himself heavily on the hard bed, staring at the yellow ceiling with lifeless eyes. It was over, everything was over. Love was gone, work was gone, dignity was gone, he seemed to have lost everything. He didn't even dare to think about his mother who was far away in his hometown, still waiting for money for surgery. The woman who raised him with great difficulty was the last line of defense in his heart, but now, he could hardly hold on to this line of defense.
Despair, like a tide, completely swallowed him up, and he felt that he was about to be drowned in this endless darkness.
Just then, a sudden vibration broke the silence. "Buzz" Chen Fan thought it was an illusion, but the sound continued. He subconsciously reached into his pocket and took out his old domestic mobile phone that had been used for three years and the screen was cracked.
It was not a call, nor a text message. On the screen, a black dialog box similar to a chat software that he had never seen before suddenly lit up. There is no software icon and it cannot be exited. It is like a virus implanted in the system, weird and mysterious.
In the dialog box, there is only one avatar, which is gray. An unfamiliar number shows "unknown source". Then, a message popped up.
"Chen Fan, I am you ten years later".
Chen Fan's brain "buzzed" and went blank. What? A prank? A new type of fraud? Or did his spirit finally collapse and he had hallucinations? He pulled the corners of his mouth and wanted to laugh, but it was uglier than crying. Even at this point, there are still people who come to make him happy. Fate seems to always play a joke on him.
He wanted to turn off his phone, but found that the power button had no response. The black dialog box firmly occupied the entire screen, as if declaring its sovereignty.
Just when he was about to smash the phone, the second message popped up.
"Don't ask why, and don't doubt it. Listen, this is our only chance to change our destiny. Three days later, the A-share listed company "Binhai Technology" (stock code: 60XXXX) will issue an announcement because of the breakthrough technology progress of "Loongson 1" developed by its subsidiary. After that, the stock price will be pulled out seven consecutive daily limits"
Seeing this, Chen Fan's breathing suddenly stagnated. Binhai Technology? He knew this company, a local half-dead technology company, whose stock price has been lying on the floor all year round, no different from a pool of stagnant water. Almost no one would pay attention to such a company.
Breakthrough technology? Seven daily limits? How... is this possible? His first reaction was to disbelieve it. It sounded too absurd, like a fairy tale. But the other party's next words made the hairs all over his body stand up.
"Put all your money, including the 30,000 yuan surgery fee you prepared for your mother in the rusty iron box under the bed. Remember, it's all."
The rusty iron box under the bed and the 30,000 yuan surgery fee! Chen Fan suddenly sat up from the bed, staring at the screen of his mobile phone as if he had seen a ghost! This matter is his biggest secret! This money is what he saved from his teeth in the past two years. Every penny is the result of his hard work. It is his mother's life-saving money! He has never told anyone, even Li Wei, who just broke up, only knows that he has a savings, but does not know the specific amount and location.
How can this "self ten years later" know everything clearly? ! Fear and huge confusion ran through his body like an electric current. He felt his scalp numb and his back cold.
He subconsciously turned over and got out of bed, lying on the ground, and dragged out the dusty iron box from under the bed. He opened the lock, and there were three neatly stacked banknotes tied with rubber bands inside. Not a penny more, not a penny less, exactly thirty thousand.
Chen Fan's hand holding the mobile phone began to tremble violently. Could it be true? Is there really such an incredible thing in this world? A huge, crazy idea rose in his mind.
What if...what if all this is true? Seven daily limits! According to the 10% limit on the rise and fall of A-shares, seven consecutive daily limits mean that the stock price has doubled! His 30,000 yuan will become 60,000! Excluding the principal, a net profit of 30,000! This money can not only solve his mother's urgent needs, but also is the only life-saving straw that Chen Fan can grasp in this desperate situation!
But what if it is fake? What if this is a carefully designed scam, then the 30,000 yuan will be lost! There will be no hope for his mother's surgery! He can't afford this risk!
Chen Fan's heart was caught in a battle between heaven and man. Reason told him that this was too absurd and unbelievable. How could there be such a bizarre thing in the world. But the extreme humiliation he suffered today, and the heart that was crushed by reality and longed for revenge and turning over, were clamoring frantically, asking him to gamble! If he wins the bet, the sky will be wide open, and he will completely get rid of his current predicament; if he loses the bet, he will be doomed and lose his mother's last hope.
His eyes were red as he stared at his phone. Veins on his forehead bulged, his breathing became extremely heavy, and his inner struggle and entanglement reached a peak.
Just when he was hesitant and about to be torn apart by this huge pressure, the phone screen lit up again. It was still the mysterious dialog box, and it was still the "self in ten years". A new message, like a heavy hammer, hit his heart hard.
"Remember, after this incident, don't trust anyone, especially your so-called "good brother" Zhang Wei."
Zhang Wei! Chen Fan's pupils suddenly contracted! Zhang Wei, his brother who slept in the lower bunk in college, was the only person he could call a friend in this city. They skipped classes together, played ball together, and talked about dreams together. They used to talk about everything. Just now, he was still thinking about whether to borrow some money from Zhang Wei to tide over the difficulties
Why? Why can't even Zhang Wei be trusted? This message from the future not only predicted wealth, but also warned the interpersonal relationships around him. In an instant, Ma Chao's arrogance, Li Wei's determination, Manager Wang's roar, and this warning about "good brothers" intertwined and exploded in his mind. He suddenly felt a piercing chill, as if he was in an ice cellar.
This world seemed to be much more complicated and dangerous than he had imagined. He tightly grasped the phone, his knuckles turned white due to the force, and the blue veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible.
Gamble or not? Believe or not? Chen Fan's eyes moved from the cold phone screen to the iron box under the bed containing his mother's hope. In just a few seconds, his eyes went from confusion, fear, struggle, and finally solidified into an unprecedented madness and determination!
He had been forced to the edge of the cliff, with a bottomless abyss behind him. Since there was no way to retreat, he would live towards death!
At this moment, the phone screen lit up for the last time, as if knowing that his inner struggle had reached the end. This time, the message was very short, only one sentence, but it carried an unquestionable commanding tone and a hint of indescribable urging.
"Do you want your mother to lie on the hospital bed, waiting to die in despair?"