Chapter 2

“My father was a good man before he became a gambler.”

He was an accountant at a state-owned factory. Life wasn’t affluent, but it was warm and peaceful.

Until the stock market crash of 2007.

“That year, everyone was crazy about stocks. It was a nationwide frenzy. My dad wasn’t immune to it either. At first, he just played around with some spare cash, but the more he traded, the more addicted he became. He thought his capital was too small, so he got the idea to dip into the factory’s funds. The more he took, the deeper he got. To cover the shortfall, he foolishly borrowed 500,000 yuan from a loan shark, hoping to make a killing in the market and pay it all back without anyone noticing.”

Hearing this, Zhou Ye couldn’t help but sneer. “Rookies are always so delusional and naive.”

“Yeah, my dad always thought he could turn the tide. But every time he lost, and the more he lost, the more desperate he became to win it all back. He lost his job, sold our house and car, and still couldn’t pay off the debt. The loan sharks beat him black and blue and even threatened to kill him. My mom had no choice but to swallow her pride and beg relatives for help. She sold the house and land my grandmother left us to pay off his debts.”

We cried our hearts out together, and Dad swore he would turn over a new leaf.

But before long, he borrowed from the loan sharks again.

“How long would it take to pay back that much money?” Dad said confidently. “One hand of cards, ten grand. With good luck, I can win it all back in three or four rounds!”

After Dad went on the run, Mom and I lived a life of constant hiding. No matter where we moved, the loan sharks always found us. My life quickly spiraled into a quagmire-the harder I struggled, the deeper I sank.

One day, Dad suddenly showed up to pick me up from school.

I hadn’t seen him in months. He said he’d found a new job and that soon, we’d be reunited as a family.

Back then, I was only in my first year of high school, too young to understand the complexities of human nature. I firmly believed that Dad had merely strayed temporarily and would surely mend his ways.

I held his hand, excitedly telling him so many things.

I told him I’d ranked first in my grade and had been selected to compete in a math competition. “Dad, I’ll work hard. I can take out student loans for college. You won’t need to spend a penny!”

He listened absentmindedly, constantly on edge, scanning our surroundings. When I said I was thirsty, he handed me a bottle of Coke at just the right moment.

Dad was so thoughtful. He even twisted the cap open for me.

But his hands were trembling uncontrollably, causing the bubbles to fizz over. I took the bottle without noticing the fleeting struggle in his eyes.

And so, I drank it, cherishing every sip.

The Coke that changed the course of my life forever.