PD Chapter 33: Can’t Move an Inch Without Money (Part 1)

A gentle morning sun pierced through the thin mist, gradually waking the streets that had slumbered all night.

He Linzhou strolled leisurely along the street with Chun Mei, heading toward the small park behind their apartment complex. Maybe it was because he didn’t take Chun Mei out yesterday, but early this morning—before dawn had even fully broken—she was barking wildly at the door, every fiber of her being screaming, “Get up, you lazy bum, and take me out!”

He Linzhou had tried to pull the covers over his head, struggling to catch a few more minutes of sleep, but there was no way to ignore her. Resigned, he crawled out of bed, took a quick shower, and headed out with her.

Yawning, He Linzhou stretched and ruffled his still-damp hair. Last night, Wen Xunchuan had locked his bedroom door. He’d knocked before leaving this morning, but there was no answer, so he ended up wearing the plain white cotton loungewear he’d borrowed from Wen Xunchuan’s bed.

As they walked out of the complex, he noticed that the leash suddenly got harder to pull. Looking over, he saw Chun Mei squatting low in front of a steamed bun stall, an intense expression on her face.

He Linzhou thought, Oh no.

Sure enough, an unpleasant stench wafted out from her direction.

“Ah! How could you poop right here!” He Linzhou was on the verge of breaking down. He fished a few pieces of newspaper out of his pocket, standing helplessly beside her, trying to ignore the unfriendly glances from people at the breakfast stall.

He looked at the sky, the ground, and even the greenery by the roadside—anything to distract himself. Thirty seconds had never felt so long.

As soon as Chun Mei’s back legs straightened, he quickly held his nose, wrapped the poop in newspaper, and dashed off with her, fleeing from the piercing gazes of the onlookers.

After nearly fifty meters, he finally found a trash bin. Tossing the newspaper inside, he gave his hands a disgusted shake and shot a glare at the shameless Chun Mei. “My dear ancestor, couldn’t you hold it in for just a bit longer? Did it have to be right when people are eating?”

Chun Mei had been wagging her tail excitedly ever since they left, completely ignoring his scolding. She looked up and barked cheerfully, “Woof!”

“You’re still barking! You have the nerve to bark!” He Linzhou rolled up a clean piece of newspaper and tapped her lightly on the head, muttering, “Shameful, so shameful. You might not care, but I do…”

Just as he was lecturing the heartless little mutt, a voice called from behind, “Xiao Zhou.”

He Linzhou turned around to see a black BMW M760LI parked by the curb. A smile broke across his face. He walked over to the back window and peeked in, flashing a grin at the woman inside. “Hehe, I knew you wouldn’t leave me hanging, Mom.”

Mother He gave him a sidelong glance, snorting. “So you still remember you have a mom?”

“How could I ever forget you?” He gave her a sheepish grin.

Mother He glared at him, saying, “You’ve found a place to live, but you didn’t even call. Do you know how much trouble I went through to find you?”

“Well, I didn’t want Dad to get angrier. If he started blaming you and you two got into a fight, then if some third party or fourth party suddenly shows up with a kid, he might not side with you anymore.”

“Ugh, this kid! Watch what you say!”

“Just joking, just joking.” He Linzhou chuckled, leaning against the window, and reached out his hand, calling, “Mom…”

Mother He slapped his hand playfully, feigning annoyance. “What do you want?”

“Ah!” He Linzhou exaggerated a yelp, pulling his hand back and rubbing it. “Why do you all love hitting my hand so much?”

Mother He’s ears perked up, catching something in his words. “Oh?” She looked at him intently. “Someone else dares to hit you? Who’s important enough for that?”

He Linzhou glanced at her, shrugged off the question, and said casually, “Oh, no one.”

Mother He gave him a knowing look, tugging at the loungewear he was wearing. “That little doctor from No.2 Hospital, perhaps?”

For a second, He Linzhou almost retorted with, “Are you investigating me?” But the thought made him laugh. “What’s with our family lately? You two earn so much money; can’t you go live it up a bit? Stop staying at home watching trashy dramas.”

Mother He gave his forehead a playful smack, annoyed at his nonsense. He Linzhou leaned back, pouting, and embellished his situation, half complaining, half pleading, “I’m broke, see? So I’m temporarily staying at his place, working as a housekeeper—doing laundry, cooking, serving tea, fighting with the dog for the couch at night. Sometimes, I even lose…”

After putting on this exaggeratedly tragic show, he stretched his hand out toward Mother He in the car, pitifully asking, “…so please, just a bit of money?”

Mother He listened to his nonsense with a cold expression, knowing her son’s ways all too well. Serve tea and do laundry? He was more likely to demolish the place.

“If you’re that pitiful, just come home with me now.”

He Linzhou’s eyes lit up. “Did Dad finally come around?”

“No.” Mother He sighed and advised, “But you could at least go back and talk to him…”

“There’s no way I’m apologizing!” He Linzhou said instantly.

“…Just how precious is that head of yours? You can’t bow it even once? Do you know what ‘tactical retreat’ means?”

But He Linzhou just stiffened his neck, determined. “This time, I’m going to fight Dad to the end, to prevent future issues.”

“…Such stubbornness!” Mother He was so exasperated by this father-son duo that she didn’t know what to say. Angrily, she pulled a phone and a wallet out of her bag and shoved them into his hand. “Fine, don’t ever come home again! Let’s see what you can achieve out there! Lao Zhang, drive.”

He Linzhou took the wallet, grinning as he waved at the back of the car. “Take care, then!”

He slipped the phone into his pocket, opened the wallet with excitement, but then froze. He let out a low curse. “Damn!”

He’d thought his dear mom might slip some money in there, but it was exactly as he’d left it at home. Inside were his ID card, a few defunct bank cards, and some small bills—not even enough for two nights at a hotel.

Frustrated, he pulled out his phone to call his mom, preparing to cry about his “barely getting by” life. But as soon as he unlocked the phone, it shut off, low on battery.

He yelled at the black screen, “Ah! Couldn’t you at least charge it for me?”