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墨書 Inktalez
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The loud banging on the door jolted Lin Xiaofan awake from his cot, the metal frame creaking under the sudden movement. Rubbing his tired eyes, he glanced at his phone—1:23 AM, May 20th, his 25th birthday.
“Lin Xiaofan! How much longer are you going to delay your rent?” The landlord, Old Wang, bellowed through the thin composite door. “If you don’t pay up today, I’ll throw all your stuff out for the dogs!”
Lin Xiaofan felt a tightness in his throat as he tiptoed to the door, peering through the peephole to see Old Wang’s face flushed with anger. Behind him stood two burly young men, each holding a burlap sack, clearly ready to clear him out.
“Uncle Wang, just give me three more days. My salary is coming soon…”
“Bullshit!” Old Wang kicked the door hard, causing dust to rain down from the frame. “You said the same thing last month! If I don’t see any money today, pack your things and get out!”
Cold sweat trickled down Lin Xiaofan’s back as he shakily unlocked his phone and opened the banking app. The blue light of the screen was painfully bright in the dim room, showing a balance of 47.85 yuan. A notification for credit card repayment flashed ominously: Minimum payment due: 3289 yuan, overdue by 15 days.
Ding—
His phone chimed again; it was a voice message from his mother.
Pressing his ear to the speaker, he heard her tearful voice seep into his ears: “Xiaofan… they’re here again… They said if we don’t pay up, they’ll take our house… Your dad borrowed two hundred thousand for his treatment back then…”
His nails dug deep into his palm, yet he felt no pain. The cheap clock on the wall ticked away, each sound like a countdown.
“Mom, just give me one more week,” he replied through clenched teeth, his voice barely audible. “I’ll find a way.”
After hanging up, Lin Xiaofan slumped into the creaky chair. The less-than-ten-square-meter rental room reeked of mildew, and water stains on the ceiling resembled mocking faces. His desk was cluttered with rejected job applications, each stamped with a glaring “Not Hired.” In the corner, a takeout box lay abandoned while cockroaches feasted on his “birthday banquet”—half a bowl of spoiled instant noodles.
His phone vibrated again; it was an email from HR.
“We regret to inform you that due to company restructuring…”
Lin Xiaofan didn’t finish reading before shutting off the screen. He had anticipated this outcome—after a month of overtime and working until dawn every day, he still couldn’t keep this job that paid five thousand a month. His supervisor’s parting words echoed in his mind: “Xiaolin, it’s not that I don’t want to help you; your performance this month has been too poor…”
Outside, the city’s neon lights flickered on as traffic roared past through the cheap glass window. Lin Xiaofan grabbed his crumpled coat and dashed out of his room, fearing he might be trapped inside if he hesitated even for a moment.
The May night air was damp as Lin Xiaofan wandered aimlessly down the street. His shadow stretched long under the streetlights like a destitute stray dog. Passing by a luxury store, he caught sight of the latest smartphone displayed in the window with a price tag of 9999 yuan—equivalent to two months’ salary.
“Sir, please help…” an elderly beggar reached out with her bony hand.
Lin Xiaofan instinctively patted his empty pockets and quickened his pace away from her. Turning around the corner, he spotted a 24-hour convenience store with bright lights cutting through the night.
“Welcome,” said the cashier without looking up as her fingers flew across her phone screen.
Lin Xiaofan lingered in front of the shelves for quite some time before finally picking up the cheapest cream cake—priced at 49.9 yuan. This would be his birthday gift to himself and possibly his meals for the next two days. On the other side of the shelf, several stylish young people were selecting imported beers, their laughter piercing through him like daggers.
“Is that all?”
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