The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Shaolong stood outside a restaurant, his stomach growling as he gazed at the packed tables inside.
After being extorted by that old man and young boy, he hadn't eaten for over a day and was dizzy with hunger.
His remaining shred of pride prevented him from begging.
He never imagined he would ever fall so low.
But he truly had nowhere else to turn. A warrant for his arrest had been issued online, and in this vast, bustling city, there was no place for him to hide.
He had to give patrolling police officers a wide berth, lest he be arrested and thrown into jail.
*Bang!*
A passerby, rushing along, bumped into him, causing him to stumble.
The person turned back, glanced at Jiang Shaolong, who was wearing a designer suit but looked disheveled, and covered their nose.
Having not bathed in two days, his messy hair and unshaven face had given Jiang Shaolong a foul odor.
"Can't you watch where you're going?" the passerby scowled in disgust. "Looking so pathetic, why don't you just die?"
Jiang Shaolong trembled with anger.
To be bullied like this, even after falling to such depths.
But he dared not retaliate. He turned and walked away with unsteady steps, swaying as he went.
Passing by a small alley, he saw several white garbage bags discarded outside a house. Half of the contents of one takeout bag were exposed, revealing uneaten leftovers.
The rice and the dishes slick with red oil made his aching stomach convulse.
He was so hungry!
His remaining sense of reason urged him to resist this temptation.
However, after a moment of hesitation, he finally succumbed. He glanced around, saw no one paying attention to the spot, and quietly walked over, picking up the takeout bag.
Indeed, there was half a plate of rice with toppings. Not much of the topping remained, mostly just cold rice.
Yet, his heart was filled with elation.
Opening the bag, he found no chopsticks. He used his hands to grab the rice and wolf it down.
The feeling of a full stomach made him feel much better.
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached, and a young woman walked by.
Looking up, Jiang Shaolong met her gaze and clearly saw disdain, contempt, and a hint of fear in her eyes.
This fear was the fear of a vagrant like him committing a crime.
Jiang Shaolong froze in place.
The woman quickened her pace, covering her nose as she hurried away.
Jiang Shaolong dropped the remaining food, squatted on the spot, and tears welled up uncontrollably.
Living like this was worse than dying!
How had he fallen to this point?
He fled in panic, wandering like a lost soul.
Slowly, the boundless hatred surged in his heart once more, consuming his soul.
If not for Chen Fan, how could he have ended up eating scraps from the trash?
If not for Chen Fan, why would he be divorced?
If not for Chen Fan, how would he have become a wanted criminal?
If not for...
Everything, absolutely everything, was brought about by Chen Fan!
This hatred was irreconcilable.
As he walked, he suddenly spotted a car parked by the roadside.
The license plate looked familiar.
In the driver's seat, a man sat, smoking, seemingly waiting for someone.
He recognized the man as Liu Zhe. Two days ago, after his incident, he had tried to borrow money from him, but not only did he not get a cent, he was severely ridiculed instead.
After all, he used to be the young master of the Jiang family, and he had some friends of dubious character. Liu Zhe was one of them.
Before his downfall, this man would call him "Young Master Jiang," fawn over him, and wait for any scraps of favor to fall from his fingertips, all while fawning obsequiously.
But as soon as trouble struck, he immediately turned his back.
Consumed by hatred, Jiang Shaolong's malice flared. He picked up a brick from the ground and walked over.
Having fallen to eating leftovers from the trash, what else did he have to fear?
He yanked open the passenger door and sat down directly.
"Who the hell are you?"
Liu Zhe, in the driver's seat, cursed.
Jiang Shaolong sneered and swung the brick at Liu Zhe's head. "Liu Zhe, don't you recognize me?" he said fiercely.
With a yelp, Liu Zhe looked at the destitute and fallen Jiang Shaolong, whose eyes were red with fury. "Young... Young Master Jiang?"
"Cut the crap, hand over the money!" Jiang Shaolong's face contorted, his features twisted in a savage roar. "Or I'll smash you to death!"
"I... I'll give it, I'll give it!"
Terrified by Jiang Shaolong's unprecedented ferocity, Liu Zhe quickly took out his wallet.
There wasn't much money in the wallet, only a little over a thousand yuan. Fearing Jiang Shaolong wouldn't be satisfied, he hastily said, "Th-that's all I have, Young Master Jiang..."
Snatching the money, Jiang Shaolong felt an immense surge of exhilaration.
He didn't dare linger. "If you dare call the police," he threatened menacingly, "I'll come to your house and kill your whole family!"
Though he said this, he quickly got out of the car, discarded the brick, and took off running.
He ran for a long distance and saw no one chasing him. He gasped for air, looking at the wad of cash in his hand, and suddenly had an epiphany.
Ultimately, one had to be ruthless. Without ruthlessness, one would only end up eating leftovers from the trash.
With the money, he first went to eat a hearty meal, then headed to a bathhouse to shower.
After cleaning himself up, he felt much better, no longer looking like a vagrant beggar.
Using the remaining money, he bought a fruit knife and went to Fantasy Apparel.
"Who are you looking for?"
The receptionist at Fantasy Apparel asked.
"Is Su Yingxue here?" Jiang Shaolong asked.
After all, he was once the young master of the Jiang family. Although his clothes were still a bit wrinkled, after cleaning himself up, he looked presentable again.
The receptionist, not suspecting anything, said, "I'm sorry, it's the weekend today, and most of the company is on holiday."
Jiang Shaolong froze. He had been so caught up in his fugitive status that he had completely forgotten it was the weekend.
After robbing Liu Zhe, his malice had gotten the better of him, and he no longer cared about anything. He had come directly to Fantasy Apparel, intending to kill Su Yingxue.
Since he couldn't get revenge on Chen Fan, he would kill Su Yingxue first.
As for the security guards and numerous employees at Fantasy Apparel, and the possibility of failure, he couldn't be bothered to consider it.
But he hadn't expected it to be the weekend.
"You can call her."
The receptionist suggested.
"I lost my phone, and I don't have her number anymore."
Jiang Shaolong was disappointed and said, "I'll go to her house to find her."
Seeing that Jiang Shaolong's tone suggested he was quite familiar with Su Yingxue, the receptionist said, "Designer Su might not be home. This evening at seven, there's a designer competition at the convention center. At this time, Designer Su should be preparing for the competition!"
Jiang Shaolong was greatly surprised by this information. He said his thanks and changed direction, heading towards the convention center.
Upon arriving at the convention center, he saw a long line of people queuing to enter, creating a noisy and chaotic scene.
He found a young man and asked, only to learn that there were rumors that the popular singer Meng Dandan would be participating as a model, causing a frenzy for tickets.
Tickets for such fashion design competitions were usually cheap, only twenty or thirty yuan, but scalpers had already inflated the prices to five or six hundred yuan.
The current Jiang Shaolong had no such money, and he felt a surge of resentment.
It seemed he would have to wait outside.
After waiting for a while, he saw a group of people walking over.
His gaze fell on the person at the front, and Jiang Shaolong sneered.