A writer has arrived in the Chinese entertainment industry.

On this day in October, just after the Cold Dew solar term, the lingering summer heat was still raging in Chongqing, with temperatures soaring to 35 degrees Celsius, making Su Liu, who had just come out of Chongqing North Station, feel unbearably hot and humid.

"Damn it, what kind of weather is this?" he cursed under his breath.

Su Liu misjudged the temperature difference between the two places and was wearing a light blue jacket and jeans. Less than a minute after getting off the train, his scalp started to itch from the heat.

He took off his jacket, revealing a T-shirt with a strange pattern printed on the chest. It was the cover of his first novel, and the publisher was currently running a promotion, selling a lot of this kind of merchandise.

At this moment, the scorching sun in the South Square was equally tormenting everyone. He glanced at the bustling crowd around him, took out his phone, and started calling for a ride-hailing service.

"This area should be covered, right?"

He skillfully opened the software interface and placed his finger on the destination input field.

"Where's the address again?" Su Liu switched back to WeChat, glanced at the messages, and then entered "Nancheng Police Station, Tongliang County" in the destination field.

Then came the long wait.

He waited until he felt like he was about to explode in the heat of the oven, but still no word from the chef taking his order. Frustrated, he walked out of the square.

Several middle-aged men approached with predatory eyes, their gazes constantly glancing at Su Liu from the very beginning.

"Hey handsome, where are you going?"

"To Tongliang County," Su Liu replied, casually asking, "How much?"

"Tong Liang, Tong Liang isn't going."

Su looked puzzled. "Why aren't you going?"

"It's too far." The man said and started walking back. He said something to the people around him, and they all shook their heads and walked back.

"If I go to Tongliang then..."

The man pointed and said, "Go over there and take the bus yourself."

At this moment, another dark-skinned, thin man approached. He wiped the sweat from his brow and stammered, "Tong Liang... you can go too... it's just..."

Judging from his appearance, Su Liu knew he was going to raise the price on the spot, and he wanted to see just how shady the taxi driver community really was.

Just tell me how much it costs.

"Well... I'll take five hundred from you."

"Five hundred! You actually dare to shout that!"

Even though she was mentally prepared, Su Liu was still taken aback by the price.

"Oh dear, that place is remote and far away. It's not worth it for us to go there and come back empty-handed."

"It shouldn't cost five hundred, three hundred at most. Take it or leave it."

"Three hundred... then three hundred it is. I'll work a little harder." The man looked troubled.

The people who came before me made the mistake of relying on past experience. Who would give up taking a bus and spend hundreds of dollars to take a taxi to Tongliang?

However, the dark-skinned, thin man immediately recognized Su Liu as a sucker—young, from out of town, and seemingly well-off. So he acted promptly, quoting the outrageous price of five hundred. Sure enough, although the young man managed to haggle down two hundred, he still made a huge profit.

It wasn't until he got into the car that Su Liu realized that this bastard's expected amount was probably three hundred, no, maybe even less.

He immediately glared fiercely at the thin, dark-skinned man in the driver's seat. The man noticed Su Liu's gaze and grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth.

"Handsome, what's wrong?"

"It's okay, drive faster!"

Yesterday, Su Liu suddenly received a call from someone claiming to be from the Tongliang County Police Station in Yuzhou, saying that his father had died and asking if he could come over.

For a moment, a sense of absurdity washed over him. "Are telecom frauds this blatant these days?" he wondered. But the next instant, he realized that he did indeed seem to have a father.

If a man who abandons his newborn son and runs away can be called a father.

Speaking of which, this inexplicable man caused him a lot of trouble in his life. However, it was too long ago, and Su Liu had no trace of him in his mind.

More than two hours later, the taxi finally arrived in Tongliang County.

"Handsome, I'll just drop you off here on the side of the road."

"Wait a minute, we're going to the South City Police Station!"

"Oh dear, I'm not familiar with this area."

Su Liu immediately took out her phone, opened the map, and handed it to him.

"Look at the map."

The man smacked his lips, showing a disgusted expression, "There are so many motorcycles by the roadside, you can just go down and hail any one."

Su Liu took a deep breath, too lazy to argue any further.

"Alright, alright!"

He got off the car and hailed a motorcycle taxi on the roadside. By the time he arrived at Nancheng Police Station, it was almost 5 p.m.

"Hello, Officer Luo, yes, it's me, I've arrived."

Shortly after hanging up the phone, a man who looked to be in his thirties came out of the office and greeted Su Liu warmly as soon as he saw him.

"Su Liu, right? Come in, come in and let's talk."

Su Liu followed Officer Luo to the reception room. The latter hurriedly invited Su Liu to sit down and poured her a cup of tea.

"All we have here is plain boiled water."

"Thanks."

He sat down opposite Su Liu and began to speak casually, as if making small talk: "How is it? You just arrived this afternoon?"

"Yeah, I took a train for over ten hours. Speaking of which, you taxi drivers are really awful. Not only did you rip me off for several hundred yuan, but you also refused to take me to my destination."

"How could such a thing happen? These people who are ruining the city's image will all be arrested sooner or later."

Su Liu's hand holding the cup suddenly stopped, his expression stiff with a hint of absurdity.

"Officer Luo, you must be joking."

"Hahaha," Officer Luo rubbed his hands together, chuckled dryly, and said, "We contacted you this time because your father recently passed away due to illness..."

"Wait a minute, a while ago? How long ago?"

Officer Luo stroked his chin and thought for a moment, "It must have been more than a month."

"More than a month! And you're only contacting me now?"

"We only just discovered that your father has a son like you." His expression was slightly embarrassed. "Originally, this matter didn't require our police intervention, but... anyway, for some reason, we accessed his household registration information, found Yue Wang Village in Chuzhou, and that's how we found you."

Su Liu scratched his head, puzzled, and asked, "So, this person's funeral arrangements have all been taken care of, right? Why are you still looking for me?"

"Well... after all, he's your father, so we still need to inform you."

"Shouldn't you just talk about this over the phone? Was it really necessary to call me all the way from Shanghai?"

"Don't you want to...?"

"Of course I don't want to."

Officer Luo was speechless at Su Liu's answer. After a long pause, he continued, "Well, since we're already here, we should at least go and take a look."

Su Liu shook his head helplessly. Now, all he wanted to do was get back as soon as possible.

"You're wrong, comrade. At times like these, you need to cut your losses and stop wasting time."

"Young man, don't be so cold-hearted," Officer Luo said with a smile. "Besides, you have a lovely little sister."

"Huh? Wait a minute, what little sister?" Su Liu froze instantly, like a robot that had suddenly crashed.

"Oh, so this is your dad's daughter. She just started high school and should be getting out of school soon. We'll go pick her up first."

It's not surprising that this person remarried and had another daughter. However...

Why should I have to meet a stranger?

"Well... we should at least tell her that her older brother is here."

Seeing the other person's stammering manner, Su Liu instantly understood.

"Is there no one else at her house?"

Officer Luo nodded slightly.

"Wow." He couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Officer, you're so despicable. You don't expect me to take on any obligations, do you? I'm only 20 years old. I'm not capable of that."

"But aren't you a bestselling author? Financially speaking, you should..."

How did you know I'm a writer?

Su Liu is a mystery novelist. In China, mystery novels are a niche genre. Compared to serious literature, youth literature, and romance novels, mystery novels are even less popular than science fiction, with a very limited audience.

Although he can barely be considered a bestselling author, in China, his name is only known among mystery novel enthusiasts.

Officer Luo laughed heartily, "I'm one of your most loyal readers."

Su looked on incredulously. "Really?"

"Of course, it's perfectly normal for a police officer like me to enjoy reading detective novels."

"Even if you say that, don't try to fool me."

"Sigh!" Officer Luo suddenly sighed, his brows furrowing slightly, looking distressed.

"Your sister, this child is so pitiful..."

"Hey, hey, don't..."

Officer Luo ignored everyone and continued, "Her family situation has never been good. The neighbors say her parents argue every day, often to the point of being furious, and they often neglect their daughter." At this point, he muttered under his breath, "That kind of parents."

"Her father had just fallen ill when her mother suddenly disappeared. She was only in the second year of junior high school at the time, and could only receive a meager subsidy to take care of her seriously ill father while attending school."

"I know she's pitiful, but..."

"Two years have passed like this, and I find it hard to imagine how a girl could have survived those two years."

"I know, I know, officer, I know it's hard for her, but it has nothing to do with me."

"His father passed away recently, and he has no relatives on his father's side, as you know. As for his mother's relatives, they are all declining... it's as if they don't want her."

"This isn't a question of whether we want it or not. We're a country ruled by law, we have laws."

"That's what they say, but at this time..."

Officer Luo's slightly encouraging gaze fell on Su Liu's face, as if to say, "That's right, it's you!"

"Oh, you've found me, haven't you? You've found a sucker like me, haven't you? At a time like this, you should be looking for her mother first, shouldn't you?"

"We haven't found it yet," Officer Luo said, sounding slightly embarrassed. "And even if we did find it, it wouldn't be of any use."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Why do you say that? Your sister... sigh, I have a daughter too, and I really can't bear it. I heard she..."

"Stop, stop, Officer Luo, I know what you mean. But even my father is a stranger to me, let alone this sister who suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

Officer Luo himself knew that this matter was completely unreasonable, but with suffering right in front of him, he could not stand idly by no means.

"The child is innocent." He struggled for a long time before finally managing to utter this one sentence.

What kind of logic is this? There are so many innocent people in the world, why would we need one more?

"Officer Luo, put yourself in my shoes. If you were in this situation, what would you do? Don't tell me you would gladly accept it."

"Of course I will accept."

"That's too diplomatic of you to say it!"

"At least let her finish college properly."

Su Liu exclaimed dramatically, as if he had heard something incredible, "Wow!"

"She still wants to go to university? If you ask me, her most urgent task right now is to drop out and find a job to support herself."

No matter how tough things get, you can always survive; that's just how humans are. In today's society, as long as you're willing to work, can't you support yourself? When you reach that age where even sighing feels like a struggle, you just find any man to marry and spend the rest of your mediocre life washing dishes and changing diapers. Isn't that how the script is written?

only......

"I give up," Su Liu sighed, as if his spine had been removed. He raised his hands above his head in a standard surrender gesture. "Please take me there."

Officer Luo's bitter expression suddenly vanished, replaced by a cheerful one, making him seem like a completely different person from the one who had just been sighing and lamenting.

He patted Su Liu on the shoulder and said, "I knew you were a good person."

"Don't give me that 'nice guy' card." Su Liu shook off the hand on his shoulder in disgust.

As a novelist, Su Liu may harbor a dream of changing the world. Saving the world might be too much trouble, but occasionally changing someone's life in passing doesn't seem so bad.

Officer Luo drove his police car excitedly, taking Su Liu towards Tongliang Middle School.

To be honest, this is the first time I've ever ridden in a police car in both my lives, so it's quite a novel experience.

"Xiao Su...can I call you that?"

"Then shall I call you Lao Luo?"

"Haha, whatever you want, Xiao Su. What was the reason your dad... passed away back then?"

"Who knows?"

"Your dad didn't actually get divorced back then, did you know that?"

"Really? Maybe, after all, he just disappeared so suddenly, he didn't even have time to get a divorce."

"So, he didn't register with anyone here..."

"That means they are not legally married."

"Yes, so the whole thing becomes more complicated."

Su Liu couldn't help but chuckle, "How interesting."

"Sigh, how could anyone abandon their own child? Your mother raised you all by herself; it must have been incredibly difficult for her."

"Oh, no, my mom ran away later too."

Officer Luo felt as if he had been choked, inwardly cursing himself for bringing up the topic.

"Well... then you and your sister really are... in the same boat."

Su Liu turned her head and looked at him expressionlessly. "Officer Luo, are you serious?"

......

It was afternoon dismissal time at Tongliang Middle School. Ran Xiaoqing quickly packed up and left the classroom, heading towards the school gate. She kept her head down, gripping her backpack straps tightly, her eyes fixed on the ground, as if as long as she couldn't see others, no one could see her.

The school has a boarding system. Ran Xiaoqing lives in a village near the south of the city, which is more than an hour's walk away. Logically, staying in the dormitory would be more convenient. However, she has always chosen to commute to school because she can save money by eating at home.

Because of her family's special circumstances, her homeroom teacher granted her special permission not to attend evening self-study sessions.

"Xiao Qing."

A voice suddenly came from behind.

Ran Xiaoqing flinched as if she had been electrocuted, pretended not to hear, and quickened her pace.

Several girls ran up to her and blocked her way.

"Xiao Qing," a girl wearing a white tank top with one pant leg rolled up to reveal her calf reached out and grabbed Su Ling's shoulder.

"We've been calling you from behind, didn't you hear us?"

"I didn't notice," Ran Xiaoqing said softly.

"Huh? What did you say?"

Several girls exaggeratedly brought their ears close.

"I...I..."

"Xiao Qing, I heard your dad died, is that true?"

"Isn't that right?" Several girls nearby chimed in.

Ran Xiaoqing involuntarily wanted to back away, but the group of people had formed a circle around her, so she couldn't go anywhere.

"Oh dear, you have neither a father nor a mother, what are you going to do now?"

"I saw her rummaging through the trash cans looking for bottles last time," a girl next to her said in a teasing tone.

"Collecting bottles?" The woman in the white tank top became interested. "Why are you collecting bottles?"

"Let's sell them, hahaha."

"The bottles can still be sold," she turned to Ran Xiaoqing and asked, "Xiaoqing, how much can one bottle sell for?"

Ran Xiaoqing gripped the backpack straps tightly with both hands and remained silent.

"Say something," the man in the white tank top pinched her cheek, "How much does a bottle cost? A dollar?"

"No...no."

"What about the 50 cents? Surely you don't even have 50 cents?"

"Hahaha," the girls all laughed, "Fengxian, you asked so many questions, you don't mean you want to pick them up too, do you?"

Fengxian, also known as White Vest, immediately waved her hand upon hearing this, "That won't do. They all have to be saved for Xiaoqing. No one can take them from her."

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she asked Ran Xiaoqing, "You must have saved a lot of money from collecting so many bottles, right? Your dad's dead, so you don't need it anymore. How about lending it to me?"

Upon hearing this, the others also began to stir up trouble.

"Yes, yes, we classmates should help each other."

Just as Ran Xiaoqing was trembling with grievance and a tear was about to slide down her cheek, a gust of wind swept in. The figure shot out like a cannonball, breaking through the formation and pulling her behind him.

"Are you alright?"

Ran Xiaoqing suddenly looked up, grabbed her hand, and looked into the other's bright, sparkling eyes.

"Weiwei, I'm fine."

Upon seeing the newcomer, Fengxian immediately flew into a rage and revealed her true colors.

"Tian Xiwei! I'm making friends with her, what's it to you! Get the hell away from me, I don't have time for you right now."

Tian Xiwei shielded Ran Xiaoqing behind her with one hand, puffed out her chest, and confronted her with a fierce look.

"I'm standing right here, come at me if you dare!"

She had long seen through this group of bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. If she didn't want to be bullied, she had to be even fiercer than them.

"You think I wouldn't dare?"

Fengxian raised both hands and grabbed at Tian Xiwei's hair, but unexpectedly she grabbed nothing and her hands were instead held under her armpits.

Then came three slaps in quick succession, leaving Fengxian completely stunned.

When she forcefully shook off Tian Xiwei, a large red mark was left on her left cheek, which looked even more swollen than her right cheek.

"Are you all dead?!" she yelled hysterically at the other girls. "Didn't you see I got beaten up?!"

The group, who had been stunned by Tian Xiwei's swift and skillful movements, immediately reacted and prepared to take action.

But others aren't stupid. When they're outnumbered, are they going to just sit there and wait to die?

Tian Xiwei grabbed Ran Xiaoqing's hand and, without hesitation, turned and ran wildly toward the school gate.

"Don't run away if you dare!"

Fengxian hurriedly led her men to catch up, but after only a few steps they saw a police car parked at the school gate. Feeling guilty, the group exchanged glances for a moment and decided to let them go.

On the other side, Tian Xiwei was laughing as she looked back at the pursuers. Unexpectedly, she wasn't paying attention and bumped into someone with a thud.

"Ouch!"

"Aww!"

Su Liu got out of the police car and had just walked through the school gate when he was violently struck.

"Hey kid, watch your step!"

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Tian Xiwei quickly apologized.

Ran Xiaoqing quickly stepped forward and said, "I'm sorry, Weiwei didn't mean it."

"Xiao Qing".

Ran Xiaoqing looked in the direction of the sound and saw Officer Luo waving at her.

"Ah, it's Uncle Luo."

Faced with Su Liu's probing gaze, Officer Luo explained, "Xiao Qing, Ran Xiao Qing, she is your sister."

Ran Xiaoqing's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at the handsome man in front of her, then lowered her head again.

"You're Xiaoqing's brother?" Tian Xiwei asked with a curious look. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Little girl, are you Xiaoqing's classmate?"

"Hello, Uncle, my name is Tian Xiwei. We are not in the same class, but we are good friends."

Hmm? Tian Xiwei? Su Liu scrutinized her for a moment and realized that he really had no eye for people; he couldn't see any celebrity resemblance in her.