Being carried onto an ambulance at the start? But this is America!

On the long table, the pizzas were quickly devoured, and Camilla's stew received unanimous praise.

Under the influence of alcohol, people start talking non-stop.

Camilla spontaneously sang a beautiful Spanish folk song.

Li Ping clapped and tapped his feet to the beat, feeling that Camilla sang exceptionally well.

She said her dream was to be a singer, and that her voice had an unpolished yet moving power.

After a few rounds of drinking with Li Ping, Fletcher began to perform his self-created stunt, a blend of street dance and drunken penguin walk, with unsteady steps, which drew laughter from the crowd.

Li Fan and the equally large-sized De Wen inexplicably felt a sense of mutual respect.

The two tacitly huddled in the shadows at the very edge of the long table, quietly eating their pizza and sipping their beer, trying to minimize their presence, like two big kids who had accidentally wandered into an adult gathering.

The lights flickered, shadows moved, and the aromas of food, alcohol, laughter, conversation, and even the occasional faint siren in the distance filled the air…

The mixture of elements made this night under the overpass exceptionally beautiful.

Amidst the rising steam from the mixture of alcohol and food, Li Ping took advantage of this welcome party to truly get to know the other people in the camp.

Behind every individual is a story of immigration, bankruptcy, or failure, shattered by reality.

Jermaine, a muscular, weary, and bewildered middle-aged Black man, was twenty-nine years old.

He had never seen his father since he could remember. He grew up in a gang-run neighborhood until he was nineteen, and then spent three years in jail for drug possession.

When he emerged, the world had changed a lot, and he bore an indelible mark of crime.

"A good job? Bro, they won't even give me a chance to go into the warehouse and move boxes."

He took a big gulp of beer, his voice muffled.

"After I got out, my original gang had already been taken down by the police. My ex-girlfriend said that someone like me was not qualified to take care of my son. He is now eleven years old, the same age as me back then. He is a very smart and lively boy."

He was silent for a few seconds, looking at the worn-out can in his hand. "Over the years, I've been collecting scraps, doing odd jobs, and selling my blood every month. I send whatever little I can save, hoping he won't follow in my footsteps."

My dream is to find a job that doesn't look down on my past, even if I have to start from the bottom.

Then, maybe they can bring my son over.

Li Ping picked up his glass and clinked it heavily against Jermaine's: "Jermaine, you will do it, for your son."

He downed the rest of the vodka in one gulp, the fiery liquid flowing into his stomach and spreading throughout his body.

Next was Zach, a white young man with thick glasses and a skinny frame.

He was once a top student in the computer science department at a community college, burdened with heavy student loans, and dreaming of a job offer from Silicon Valley.

However, due to the economic downturn and the lack of support from his family, he was forced to drop out of school due to an accident.

Without an impressive academic background or internship experience, his resume went unanswered.

Rent, loans, minimum payments... credit scores plummeted, and eventually the landlord evicted the tenant.

"Now I use public Wi-Fi to take on online jobs that pay around ten dollars an hour—labeling images, doing pointless click tests."

Zack pushed up his glasses, his smile bitter. "My goal is to save up four thousand dollars, enough for the deposit and rent of the worst apartment. Sounds ridiculous, right?"

"Not funny at all, Zack."

Li Ping poured another glass, looked at him earnestly, and said, "We are both young, and the future holds countless possibilities."

Zack...that sounds like a name that can change the world. Cheers! To your first four thousand dollars, and to the four million dollars to come!

Zach paused for a moment, looked at Li Ping, and his eyes behind his glasses gleamed.

He nodded vigorously, clinked glasses with Li Ping, and followed suit by gulping down a large mouthful of strong liquor. He was immediately choked and coughed, but his face regained some color.

Then there's Una, a short Mexican woman with rough hands but a determined look in her eyes.

In 2017, she risked crossing the border with her five-year-old daughter to escape her abusive husband and the chaotic country.

But the mother and daughter were forcibly separated as soon as they entered the country.

She was detained for illegal entry, while her daughter was placed in the refugee children placement system.

After several months of hardship, Una was released, and her daughter had been taken away by a good foster family and entered the complex and cold legal and welfare procedures of the United States.

"Now I clean parking lots, wash dishes, and babysit children for other newcomers like me. I work three jobs."

Una's voice was soft, but her determination was evident.

"Attorney Roland gave me hope. She said that as long as I had a stable address and a proper work record, she could help me go to court and get my Emma back..."

She didn't say anything more, but just wiped her eyes hard.

Li Ping silently picked up a bottle of juice, poured a glass for Una, and handed it to her with both hands: "Una, you are the bravest mother I have ever met, for Emma and for yourself."

He didn't drink alcohol, but instead offered her a glass of juice instead, and solemnly toasted her.

......

After the round, Li Ping felt a heavy weight in his heart.

The atmosphere at their camp was good; no one was using drugs, which made it all the more heartbreaking.

Nobody is really lazy or a villain.

Behind each person lies a shattered American dream, cut raw and bleeding by the high cost of living, the cold legal system, the fragile credit chain, and the merciless disease or accident.

The laughter and alcohol tonight have only temporarily numbed these wounds.

Li Ping's ability to drink the entire room's worth of alcohol clearly shocked everyone.

Even Mike, a veteran who claimed to be a seasoned alcohol expert, started to stare blankly and stammer after a few more rounds.

"I admit it, kid, this place might be a bottomless pit..."

Mike, slurring his words, put his arm around Li Ping's shoulder, reeking of alcohol, and the conversation began to drift toward traditional male sexual acts.

"But listen to me, boy, you might be able to drink, but I bet... you've never tasted true happiness!"

"Someday, Old Mike will take you to broaden your horizons. I know a place in the east where you can get it for twenty dollars..."

"Hey, Mike!"

Roland's voice broke in, tinged with displeasure.

She walked over and, seemingly casually but firmly, pulled Li Ping away from Mike's arm. "He's still a minor. Don't let your experience corrupt him."

True feelings cannot be measured in dollars; they are between hearts…

"Come on, Bro!"

Mike waved his hand, his eyes still blurry with drunkenness, and looked Roland up and down in his androgynous attire, muttering incoherently.

"You're a fake bro, you'll never understand... what real men need for pleasure! And what women need!"

Mike's casual remark silenced Roland.

Her ex-wife Nova had also yelled similar things at her, accusing her of not being able to give her true happiness and a complete family.

Even though she had once dreamed of having a child through IVF.

The air froze awkwardly for a few seconds.

Seeing this, Camilla quickly stepped in to smooth things over, pulling the drunken Mike aside to discuss which cheap whiskey tasted worse.

Seeing Roland's suddenly darkened face and slightly trembling shoulders, Li Ping took a slice of pizza and sat down next to Roland, who was drinking silently.

Tonight, Roland wasn't wearing that suit; instead, he was wearing an old but clean denim jacket and cargo pants, with a frayed denim hat on his head.

Under the flickering lights of the camp, her fair and delicate skin and exquisitely sculpted features stood out even more.

"Attorney Roland,"

Li Ping hesitated before speaking, handing over a slice of pizza, "I've always been curious, how could someone as capable as you..."

He pointed to the surrounding campsite under the bridge.

Roland silently took the pizza without eating it immediately.

She tilted her head back and took another big gulp of whiskey. The alcohol made her eyes red and also broke the tension in her emotions.

She needed an outlet, and this seemingly naive yet mature Asian boy might be a safe listener.

"I've been too good to her..."

Roland's voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a suppressed pain.

"She was so good to me that she took it all for granted, and then when I needed her, she wouldn't even come a step with me."

She began to speak intermittently, and Li Ping listened silently, while eating Camilla's stew and the pizza in his hand.

The story is not complicated: Roland and Nova are childhood sweethearts who come to Los Angeles from their small town to study.

She was a tomboy who knew her orientation early on and bravely pursued love; Nova was the only white moonlight in her heart.

Their university years were golden; they were an enviable couple.

But after graduation, marriage, and entering society, the gilded bubble quickly bursts.

Nova works an ordinary office job, but she is obsessed with the luxurious lifestyle on Instagram and her dream of becoming an actress, spending a lot of money.

Both of them had student loans, with Roland naturally bearing the majority of the burden.

Rent, bills, Nova constantly maxing out her credit card, which Roland then filled out for her...

Roland worked tirelessly, making a name for herself in the corporate legal field, and her income soared, bringing her close to the threshold of middle class.

Then, she made a fatal romantic mistake.

On the day she received the offer from the top law firm, she decided to surprise Nova.

She first pretended to be frustrated and told Nova that she was about to be fired from her original law firm due to a major mistake and was about to lose her job.

She fantasized that Nova would hug her and comfort her, saying, "It's okay, we'll get through this together."

Then she revealed the real surprise: a better job and a prepared gift (an LV bag bought on loan).

However, Nova's reaction completely stunned her.

How much savings do you have at home?

"How much longer can you hold on?"

After two calmly brutal questions came an even colder decision: "Let's get a divorce. I don't want to go downhill with you."

He unleashed his pent-up anger that day, giving Roland a thorough dressing-down.

She claimed to like men, but in reality, she had secretly dated men and had already cheated on Roland several times.

Roland was heartbroken.

The divorce proceedings proceeded swiftly, and based on Roland's income at the time, the court ordered her to pay a substantial alimony payment.

Fortunately, the marriage was short-lived, so alimony only needs to be paid for one year.

To make matters worse, the extreme depression she experienced led to a minor car accident, resulting in medical bills and even affecting her onboarding for her new job...

Ultimately, his savings ran out, his credit collapsed, and he was embroiled in lawsuits.

She fell faster than anyone imagined, and in just over a month, she plunged directly into this bridge arch.

"I was so stupid, why did I have to surprise you like that..."

Roland poured the last bit of whiskey into his mouth, his throat bobbing, his voice thick with nasal congestion and tears.

"If we had told her the good news directly, we might still be doing well now..."

She raised her hand and vigorously wiped her face, and Li Ping could see the water stains on her smooth chin that hadn't been wiped away.

She was as helpless as a man.

"...You actually still want to stay together?"

After listening, Li Ping remained silent for a long time.

Camilla said she was "more manly than a man," and Li Ping finally understood.

Li Ping would sympathize with any man in this situation; this experience was truly manly.