Crown, who had just gotten home from work, shook his head as he looked at the messy living room. He walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and took out an unopened bottle of chilled Corona beer. As he made his way toward the sofa, he popped the cap off with a casual flick of his wrist.
With a precise "three-pointer" toss, the bottle cap landed perfectly in the trash can. He tossed the scattered clothes on the sofa aside and lay down.
"Hic~" Crown let out a long burp, followed by a "hiss~" sound from his mouth. He patted his belly contentedly.
Just then, the bedroom door opened.
"Crown, I think we need to talk."
Crown's full name was Crown Bruce. He was born in Ace City, Asia Continent. Both his parents were factory workers with limited means. As the oldest child in the family, he had two younger brothers and one younger sister.
Due to his family's poverty, they couldn't afford the high college tuition fees, so Crown entered the workforce at an early age. He had done all sorts of jobs: waiter, loader, delivery rider—you name it.
Once, while delivering food, he chased away a homeless man who was about to sexually assault a drunk woman outside an apartment building. This act of bravery led him to win the woman's heart.
However, the gap in their social status was enormous. The woman was Margaret Clemens, the daughter of a locally renowned entrepreneur. In contrast, Crown was just the son of factory workers; his ancestors might even have been farmers.
"My father told me again today that I should break up with you," Margaret said to Crown with a serious expression as she sat down on the sofa.
"Why?"
"Because you can't support me, Crown," Margaret stated bluntly.
"Honey, I'm already working as hard as I can. I'm so busy every day that I don't even have time to clean the house," Crown replied helplessly.
"I know, I know you are, Crown. But time waits for no one. My father has already started looking for a new boyfriend for me," Margaret said, her words hitting Crown like a bolt from the blue.
"A new boyfriend? Why would your father do that? That's not fair, Margaret!" Crown's voice gradually rose. "That's not fair to me!"
"Crown, that's just how this society works—it's survival of the fittest, and money talks. Even though you satisfy me in bed, I think my father is right. If we actually got married, married life would be the end of me. With your current ability, you can't support a family—let alone the fact that you still have two brothers and a sister to take care of. You understand that, Crown!"
Crown had no response to Margaret's words, because they were the truth. Even though he worked hard every day, his daily wage was only a few dozen dollars, never even reaching $100. Moreover, he had to send a sum of money to his younger siblings every month for their living expenses. It wasn't much, but it was enough to cover the three children's food costs. Especially since Margaret was the daughter of a well-known entrepreneur—she spent more on a single purchase of cosmetics than Crown earned in an entire month, several times over.
"I see, Margaret. I wish you happiness," Crown said sadly, knowing that things could no longer be reversed.
Upon hearing this, Margaret went into the bedroom, packed up her personal belongings, then returned to the living room and said to Crown, "I love you, Crown, but reality has defeated us. I hope you find someone better in the future. Goodbye, my dear."
"Goodbye, my dear Margaret."
"Bang!" With the sound of the front door closing, Crown lay on the sofa, his eyes empty and lifeless.
"Buzz~buzz~buzz..." His phone on the coffee table started vibrating. Crown fumbled with his right hand on the coffee table to pick it up.
"Hello?"
"Crown? My dear child, it's your mother. Your father was hit by a stray bullet fired by gang members during a shootout while he was on his way home from work. Luckily, he was sent to the hospital in time, but since the bullet hit his head, he's been in a coma ever since the surgery. We don't have enough money to cover the medical expenses anymore."
"I was wondering if you have any extra money?"
When Crown heard the news, his head spun. "Damn it! Why is the world treating me like this? What's the point of me being alive? A life with no future, nothing but darkness, endless work, my girlfriend leaving me, and now my father is in a coma—my family has nothing left!"
"Crown, are you listening?" Rosalind Bruce continued on the other end.
"I'm listening, Mom. I get it. I still have $1,500 here. I'll send it to you right away. If that's not enough, I'll figure out more ways. Mom, the hard times will pass eventually—there's light ahead. Don't worry," Crown said, trying to comfort his mother.
"Okay, I hear you, Crown. My child, you're the best," Rosalind said, her voice breaking as she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Mom, go take care of Dad. I'll handle the money. Everything will be okay."
"All right, goodbye, my child. Take care of yourself. Mom loves you."
"I love you too, Mom. I will. You need to take care of yourself too—you can ask your younger brothers and sister to help with some things."
After hanging up the phone, a flame of anger ignited in Crown's chest. He was utterly fed up with this terrible world.
"I have no choice. If we don't have enough money later, and I can't find a job that pays quickly, I'll have to borrow a loan from a loan shark, then find a way to pay it back fast," Crown thought to himself as he searched for prices on a second-hand platform. "Also, if I sell the black-and-red Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG that I've been keeping as a collection and never had the heart to wear, that should help us get by for a while longer."
"Buzz~buzz~buzz..." Looking at the caller ID showing "Landlord" on his phone screen, Crown suddenly remembered that today was the day to pay the rent.
Because Margaret used to stay over occasionally, Crown had rented a somewhat upscale apartment. The rent was $1,000 a month, with a $1,000 security deposit. Since Crown's salary was too low, Margaret had been covering the rent before.
"Hello, good evening, Ms. Landlord," Crown forced himself to sound cheerful, mustering up his energy.
"Good evening, Crown. It's almost time to pay next month's rent—are you ready?" the landlady asked, her tone unceremonious.
"Uh... something came up, Ms. Landlord. I don't plan on renewing the lease, so I need to move out next month."
"Okay, Crown. Since you didn't tell me in advance, I need to deduct half of your security deposit—$500."
"...Ms. Landlord, please listen to me. The reason I..."