“…The torrential rain, which has lasted for two days, is expected to cease tomorrow night. Viewers are advised to… ensure all win… dows are…”
The black scissors continued to gnaw at the television’s power cord, snipping out several jagged notches. Once the scissors were returned to the kitchen drawer, a pale finger brushed over the scattered fragments of the cord on the floor, making them look more natural.
Wei Zhi knocked on the closed door of the study.
“Qikun, I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”
“It’s so late. Where are you going?”
“A mouse chewed through the TV’s power cord. I’m going out to buy a replacement,” Wei Zhi said. “I’ll also stop by the delivery station to get the deposit back for my e-bike.”
“We have mice?” A flash of suspicion crossed Ji Qikun’s eyes.
“Maybe I left a window open, and one crawled in through the pipes. I’ll call an exterminator tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to worry about that deposit,” Ji Qikun said. “It’s dark and raining outside; it’s not safe for you to go out.”
“I have to buy the power cord anyway, or I’ll have nothing to do tonight,” Wei Zhi replied. “Don’t worry, I won’t be long.”
“…Then take the car. The keys are in the entryway,” Ji Qikun said apologetically. “I have an online meeting, otherwise I’d go with you.”
“Just focus on your work.”
“Be careful on the road. Come back quickly,” he urged, pressing a light kiss to her forehead.
Wei Zhi grabbed the keys and her phone from the shoe cabinet in the entryway and stepped out of Ji Qikun’s apartment.
The black Bentayga slowly rolled out of the underground garage. The wipers swept rhythmically across the windshield, clearing the sheets of pouring rain. Wei Zhi gripped the steering wheel, her face flickering in and out of view behind the glass as it blurred and cleared.
The delivery station looked exactly as it always had. After Wei Zhi explained that she would no longer be working as a part-time courier, she reclaimed her initial deposit.
“Coming out in this heavy rain just to get a deposit back? Are you short on cash?” the station owner asked casually as he handed over the money.
Wei Zhi paused, then gave a bitter smile. “My brother needs it.”
“A brother, huh? No wonder you worked so hard before.” The owner clicked his tongue. “Whose car is that?”
“My fiancé’s.”
“Your fiancé is that rich, yet you were out delivering food?”
“That’s why I’m not doing it anymore.”
The deposit was finally transferred back to Wei Zhi’s WeChat wallet. She tucked her phone away and thanked the owner.
Wei Zhi returned to the car under her umbrella. The moment she opened the door, rain sprayed inside. Ignoring the moisture, she shook out her dripping umbrella, hurriedly started the engine, and drove toward the agreed-upon location.
It was nine o’clock in the evening. Jiangdu City was being lashed by the storm, and the streets were lit only by solitary lamps. Their dim, yellow halos were distorted and elongated by the rain, reflecting off the empty roads.
Wei Zhi’s heart felt as though it were being pulled by an uncertain weight, like a heavy object suspended by a thin thread, dragging her spirit down with it. The wipers moved back and forth with a mechanical, rhythmic thud.
She parked the car outside the Blue Sky Residential Area and entered the main gate under her umbrella. The security gate was a mere formality; it swung open with a simple push. The guard on duty was in his small shack, listening to a radio broadcast of the latest lottery numbers. Wei Zhi walked past, and the guard didn’t even look up.
She answered her phone, which had been vibrating in her coat pocket for some time.
“Are you here yet?!” Wei Lai’s impatient voice came through, muffled by the sound of the downpour.
“I’m here,” Wei Zhi said. “Are you there?”
“I’ve been here forever! If you don’t show up soon, I’m leaving!”
“Two minutes, at most.”
The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet. Wei Zhi hurried forward, rain trickling off the edges of her umbrella. The trees in the complex’s green belt swayed in the wind and rain, their branches like ghostly fingers reaching out to grab something invisible.
A roar that seemed to shake the very earth rumbled from the distant horizon.
She instinctively stopped and looked toward the sound of the thunder. The night grew thicker in the storm, like ink spreading rapidly through water, swallowing the last traces of light. All that remained was the endless darkness and the whispering dialogue of the rain.
Steeling herself, she walked the final stretch. Building Unit 3 was right in front of her. The yellowed tungsten lights in the stairwell made the entire hallway look as though it were coated in a layer of greasy grime.
She stepped quickly into the entrance, collapsed her umbrella, and looked at Wei Lai, who was standing in the dim light.
“Where’s the money?” he asked immediately.
“What’s the rush?” Wei Zhi found a dry spot on the stairs and sat down, pulling a few small snack cakes from her coat pocket. “Have you eaten?”
“…What are you trying to do?” Wei Lai looked suspiciously at the snack cakes in her hand.
The familiar transparent packaging, the pale yellow decorations, and the round buns inside reminded him of the past.
“Can’t we talk for a bit before I transfer the money? Do you really not have even this much time?” Wei Zhi asked.
Wei Lai hesitated for a moment, then sat down beside her.
Wei Zhi tossed two snack cakes to him, tore open one for herself, and took a large bite.
Wei Lai watched her for a while before tearing open the packaging of one of his own.
“You loved these when you were a kid,” Wei Zhi said as she ate, staring out at the storm that was growing even more violent outside the stairwell.
Wei Lai said nothing.
“Do you remember once, when we were little, the school organized an autumn field trip? You didn't go, but I did.”
“…Of course I remember,” Wei Lai said, eating the snack cake half-heartedly.
He now understood that the once-fragrant milky scent was merely a masterpiece of artificial flavoring—a cheap fantasy for the poor. Once the wrapper was torn, everything was revealed to be a lie.
Only the poverty flowing through his marrow was real.
“When it was over, the teacher gave everyone a snack cake. I specifically saved mine to give to you.”
“Do you really think I’d believe that?” Wei Lai sneered.
“Believe it or not, it doesn’t matter. The cake never made it to you anyway.” Wei Zhi lowered her head and took another bite. “It got squashed by accident on the bus ride back.”
“I only realized it when I got home. I was too embarrassed to give it to you then, so I threw it in the trash.”
Wei Lai remained silent, simply stuffing the cake into his mouth in large gulps.
“I often wonder how we ended up like this. We weren’t like this in the beginning, remember?” She looked at Wei Lai beside her.
“I get it. You want to play the emotional card and hope I’ll have some grand epiphany?” Wei Lai’s expression turned mocking.
“I just want to know the answer.” Wei Zhi looked into his eyes. “Why do you hate me so much?”
*Hate—*
That word, coming from Wei Zhi’s mouth, peeled back the thin membrane growing over Wei Lai’s heart, exposing the raw, red flesh beneath.
It was a possibility he had never consciously considered, yet he found he didn't want to refute it. In that moment, he suddenly realized that he did, in fact, hate her.
He hated her even more than he hated their father.
Their father was the one who would sometimes hold him high and other times kick and beat him. However, the ones he hated most were the mother who couldn't protect him and the sister who had escaped the swamp one step ahead of him.
“…Only you got out.”
Wei Lai’s throat seemed to be under immense pressure; every word felt as though it were being squeezed out. He looked at Wei Zhi with undisguised malice.
“We promised to protect each other, but you abandoned me and ran away alone.”
*I hate you.*
*That’s why I have to drag you back into the hell we came from.*
*Only in the poisonous swamp can we depend on each other.*
*Come back, Sister.*
“Come back to our home. We can be like we were before.” He suddenly changed his initial stance, looking at her with a fervent gaze. “Will you agree?”
“I can’t go back,” Wei Zhi said.
The warmth instantly vanished from Wei Lai’s face. He looked at her coldly and said, “Then we have nothing left to talk about. Transfer the money. I don’t have time for small talk.”
“Is there really no room for sentiment?”
Wei Lai stood up and tossed the empty wrapper aside.
“Hurry up. If you don’t transfer it, I’m going straight to Ji Qikun.”
The stairwell fell silent for a long moment.
“I want to see the item first,” Wei Zhi said.
Wei Lai was prepared. He pulled a red-covered bankbook from his pants pocket, flipped it open to flash it in front of Wei Zhi’s eyes, and immediately stuffed it back into his jeans.
“Satisfied? Transfer the money.”
“Give it to me, and then I’ll transfer it.”
“Are you dreaming?” Wei Lai furrowed his brows. “Do you think I’m an idiot? If I give it to you, will you still pay me? Stop talking nonsense. Are you transferring it or not?”
Wei Zhi took out her phone and opened a text message from the bank to show him her balance.
“I only managed to scrape together twelve thousand.”
“Are you playing me?” Wei Lai flew into a rage. “You could get the money for Mom, but you can’t get it for me? Who are you trying to fool! Give me the phone!”
Before Wei Zhi could react, Wei Lai snatched her phone. When she tried to grab it back, he shoved her hard against the wall.
Her shoulder slammed into the hard surface, a sharp pain radiating from the bone. Wei Zhi gritted her teeth, watching Wei Lai fiddle with her phone. After a moment, he handed it back.
“Enter the password,” he threatened.
Wei Zhi slowly took the phone and entered the code. Wei Lai immediately snatched it back again. She watched as he opened another system on the phone, found a lending app, and tapped into it.
Wei Lai skillfully checked her remaining credit limit, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. “Didn't you say you couldn't get more? You can still borrow thirty thousand. Do it. Now—”
“For four whole years after Mom got sick, I worked during the day and delivered food at night, robbing Peter to pay Paul just to get the money. Do you know why I chose to meet here? Because for four years, I ran up and down stairs like these every single night as if my life depended on it!”
Wei Zhi’s voice was hoarse, her calm facade finally crumbling.
“At home, you drank whatever you wanted and ordered whatever food you liked. Out there, I wouldn't even buy a bottle of water. I’d endure the thirst until I got home to drink plain tap water, and you—”
“Everyone has a sob story!” Wei Lai interrupted her loudly. “Stop telling me this useless crap! You chose to suffer. Mom could have taken medicine that cost a few hundred a month, but you insisted on the imported stuff. Is that my fault?!”
Wei Zhi’s eyes were bloodshot as she stared at him with a mixture of fury and agony.
“…Wei Lai, aren't you afraid of divine retribution?”
“Retribution?” Wei Lai laughed out loud. “Haven't you heard? ‘Murder and arson bring a golden belt.’ Retribution? What even is that! I’m giving you one minute to take out the loan, or I’ll call Ji Qikun right in front of you.”
Wei Lai pulled out his own phone.
Looking at the phone he was ready to dial at any second, she was forced to borrow another thirty thousand from the online lending platform she had just partially paid off.
The money hit her account shortly after. Wei Lai watched her intently as she completed the transfer, his greed appearing even more distorted under the grimy light.
With a notification chime, Wei Lai received the transfer.
He picked up his umbrella leaning against the wall, a malicious smile playing on his lips. “See you next month, Sis. Remember to pick a day with better weather next time.”
Wei Zhi stood in the cold, damp stairwell. Her gaze pierced through the narrow passage, landing squarely on the slightly tilted umbrella. Beneath it, Wei Lai didn't look back; he walked straight out into the torrential rain.
The faint halo of the tungsten light was swallowed by the deep, heavy night. Every drop of rain falling from the sky felt like a sharp blade, slicing through the silence of the darkness.
Those blades fell upon Wei Lai, one after another.
The light from Wei Lai’s phone was faintly visible beneath his umbrella. Wei Zhi could almost imagine the jubilant expression on his face as he stared at his wallet balance.
He looked down at his phone, his right foot stepping onto a manhole cover submerged beneath the rainwater.
With a sharp *clack*, the cover flipped. Wei Lai vanished into the storm.
A moment later, Wei Zhi began to scream.
***
**Glossary**
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 添越 | Bentayga | A luxury SUV model by Bentley. |
| 蓝天小区 | Blue Sky Residential Area | The name of the housing complex where Wei Lai lives. |
| 小面包 | Snack cakes / Small buns | Specifically, the cheap, individually wrapped sponge cakes common in Chinese convenience stores. |
| 杀人放火金腰带 | Murder and arson bring a golden belt | A Chinese proverb meaning that the wicked often prosper while the good suffer. |
| 下水井盖 | Manhole cover | A removable plate forming the lid over the opening of a manhole. |
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