Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

There was a three-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Li Mengmeng's voice came through the receiver, albeit intermittently.

"No...no."

She sniffed.

"Mengmeng is so big now, she won't cry anymore."

Bai Li, holding her phone, asked while changing her shoes:

Are you home?

"I'm here." Li Mengmeng's voice was very soft, completely lacking her usual clingy confidence: "Where else could Mengmeng be if she's not home?"

As soon as she finished speaking, her speech suddenly quickened, as she was eager to cover up her pause with another topic.

"Brother Bai Li, did you eat well today?"

"Is Yaoyao's cooking delicious?"

"Don't worry, Mengmeng is eating well too."

Bai Li pushed open the door of Villa No. 1 and walked into the courtyard.

He didn't reply.

On the phone, Li Mengmeng was still rambling on and on, her words incoherent.

"Brother Bai Li, you must eat lots of food from now on."

"Don't always stay up late revising scripts at night."

"Only then can your body remain healthy."

"Sister Zhang Qian and Sister Tingting are very nice people, and Yaoyao is also very interesting."

"We're all together now, so let's make sure we stay close in the future."

Bai Li stopped on the steps.

Li Mengmeng is usually very jealous; if anyone glances at him, she'll grumble about it for ages.

Now, however, he's unusually praising others.

This doesn't sound like everyday conversation at all.

It was more like a farewell, or rather, an explanation of what was to come.

Bai Li walked out of the courtyard and looked at the villa next door, number two.

Upon seeing the scene over there, he stopped in his tracks.

Two Lalamove light trucks were parked haphazardly on the roadside a dozen meters away.

Four or five movers wearing blue vests were going in and out of the open gate of Villa No. 2.

Bai Li's body underwent a comprehensive systemic transformation, giving him a level of sensory perception far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Even from a distance of more than ten meters, he could hear every word of the workers' hushed conversation.

Two workers carried a huge solid wood bed frame down the steps of the villa.

The worker in front reminded him, "Be careful! Go down the steps slowly."

"These pieces of furniture are expensive, so be careful not to bump or scratch them. If you chip a piece of paint, we'll have worked for free for half a month."

The worker behind adjusted his grip and said, "Alright!"

"I've been working in the moving industry for several years, but this is the first time I've come to this wealthy area of ​​Genting Highlands to pick up customers."

He glanced back at the luxurious facade of Villa No. 2: "It's truly luxurious."

"I just don't understand why this homeowner would suddenly start selling both the house and the furniture?"

"I think that leather sofa set was only recently purchased; it was all snapped up by the secondhand market."

Another worker carrying two high-end dining chairs walked over and wiped the sweat from his face with his shoulder.

"Don't ask unnecessary questions!"

"Who can predict what will happen to the rich? We're in the moving business, so we just need to do our job."

"Hurry up and move them, there's another truckload coming."

Bai Li stood still.

Li Mengmeng heard no response from Bai Li through the phone receiver, and her voice was filled with panic.

"Hey, Brother Bai Li?"

Are you listening to me?

Bai Li looked at the furniture being stuffed into the cargo compartment.

He recalled that just a few days ago, this little girl had run up to him and boasted that she had taken some treasures from her father's study and was saving them as a dowry.

Now they've even sold the bed and dining chair, and now they want to sell the house too.

This goes far beyond the scope of ordinary difficulties.

Li Fugui was a prominent figure in Ping County, so for him to be reduced to selling his house and furniture, it must have been a serious matter.

"Mengmeng," Bai Li asked, "Where are you?"

"I..." Li Mengmeng gritted her teeth and raised her voice a little, "I'm at home."

Bai Li looked at the double-door refrigerator being carried out from the doorway and laid his cards on the table.

"I'm right at your doorstep."

"There are a lot of movers moving your furniture right now."

"The house was sold?"

The other end of the phone went silent instantly; even the sound of sniffling disappeared.

Bai Li continued, "This bed, this refrigerator, and the sofa."

"Everything's been moved out. Where were you standing when you called me?"

"Li Mengmeng, you've really gotten something out of you."

You even lied to me.

There was only a slight electrical hum in the receiver.

Bai Li's tone softened.

"Mengmeng".

"Tell me what's wrong."

"obedient."

"I'm here."

There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the line.

Then, a suppressed sob pierced through the static.

Li Mengmeng's defenses completely collapsed.

The little girl who usually calls Bai Li "brother" and always tries to get the better of others by acting cute is now crying her heart out.

"Brother Bai Li..."

"sorry!"

"Waaaaah..."

"Mengmeng didn't lie to you on purpose, and she didn't ignore your messages on purpose."

She cried so hard she could barely breathe, her voice completely hoarse, losing all its usual sweet, childlike quality, replaced only by fear and helplessness.

"Mengmeng..."

"Mengmeng's family went bankrupt..."

"The house is gone, and so is the money."

"I don't want to drag you down with me, sob sob..."