Chapter 1: Chapter 1 A wealthy man is a man indeed; without money, a man's life is tough.

Huaxia, Donghai City.

Dusk had fallen, and it was the sweltering summer season. Donghai City's temperature, even at night, reached a frightful near 40 degrees Celsius.

The wide roads were lit up with colorful neon lights, a mesmerizing yet worrying nightlife slowly began.

One could spot slim girls either in shorts or in mini skirts,, their snow-white thighs resembled ice cream, tempting passersby to grab a handful.

Girls of the 21st century, regardless of their looks, generally maintained slender figures.

In the area of Zhongshan Park, a rowdy commotion broke out as if a woman was cursing in the streets.

Quite a crowd had gathered around, the protagonists being two women and one man.

The man, named Ye Ling, was 25 years old. He had graduated two years prior. His appearance was delicate, around 1.85 meters tall, dressed in a thin shirt.

His expression was wooden, as if his soul had been lost.

Next to Ye Ling stood a girl a little younger than him, seeming to be around 23 or 24.

She was extremely beautiful with a slim melon seed face, pink cherry lips, a fair complexion delicate enough to be broken by a blow, a fine and perky nose,, and over three thousand strands of long hair cascading behind her, exuding an ethereal elegance.

The girl's name was Lin Yuqing. Not only was she beautiful, but her figure was also top-notch. Nearly 1.7 meters tall, she weighed just under 60 kilograms.

Within those 60 kilograms were a pair of snow-white breasts concealed under an orange shirt,, nonetheless proudly straining against the fabric.

The round, perky buttocks atop those tender white thighs made one salivate with desire.

She was the embodiment of a devilish figure!

Standing opposite Lin Yuqing and Ye Ling was another woman.

This woman was also good-looking, though not quite up to Lin Yuqing's standard, yet her face was heavily made-up. The light breeze carried the strong scent of her cheap cosmetics.

Her name was Liu Fei. Her long hair was permed and dyed a violet hue, appearing quite fashionable, adorned with brand clothing from head to toe,, holding a renowned Italian designer handbag,, the look in her eyes towards Ye Ling filled with sarcasm.

"I'm talking to you, Ye Ling, will you answer?"

Liu Fei glared coldly at Ye Ling, mocking him, "We've been together since college, but what have you given me? What can you give me?"

"Don't tell me about being a man with potential. You're already 25. I can wait, but can you afford to wait like I do?"

"All I want is to enjoy the happiness of this world during the prime of my youth—is that wrong?"

"What should a woman rely on if not her youth? On you?"

"Hah, forget it. You're just a useless mud that can't be propped up against a wall. If I keep following you, I'll probably never wear clothing worth tens of thousands, never hold a handbag worth several tens of thousands,, and never drive a BMW worth hundreds of thousands!"

Liu Fei's voice was loud and utterly heedless of the disapproving glances from many people around her, but she kept saying what she wanted and doing what she intended.

As far as Liu Fei was concerned, a woman should take advantage of her youth, especially one with good looks like herself. If she didn't splurge in her youth, what would she splurge on when her beauty faded?

"Yes, you're kind, you love me, I know all that."

"But have you ever considered what life is? Can love be eaten like rice? What I like is material things,, vanity. Your emotional support means nothing to me. If you were really capable, you'd better off gifting me a brand-name handbag."

"Forget it. Just consider your family's impoverished little mountain village—you have no money, no background, no connections. And you're just a mere junior college graduate, working yourself to death for just a few thousand a month, still needing to eat, drink, and pay the rent. When will you be able to buy me a handbag? Hmph, that might take an eternity!"

"You're just a loser, a complete and utter loser!"

"Enough!"

Lin Yuqing couldn't stand it any longer, her pretty face ablaze with anger.

"Liu Fei, how mercenary you are!"

"When you utter these words, do you ever think about the time you were sick,, and Brother Ye Ling went to buy medicine at two or three in the morning,, then ran over ten miles to deliver it to you? Do you ever think about when your father was critically ill,, and it was Brother Ye Ling who stood in line for an entire day—got beaten by scalpers—just to obtain a specialist appointment for your father?"

"Now that you have money and have hooked up with a rich guy, you come to insult Brother Ye? Are you even human?"

"Am I trying to insult him? He's the one who came looking for a scolding!"

Liu Fei glared at Lin Yuqing, then turned to Ye Ling with a sneer, "I already told him I wanted to break up,, but he insisted on pestering me. How could I not scold him?"

"In your eyes, is money really that important?" Ye Ling lifted his head,, his eyes tinged with red.

"What do you think?"

Liu Fei had not a shred of pity as she said, "In my world, money is second to nothing. Is that clear enough for you?"

After speaking, Liu Fei opened her handbag and took out a bank card, throwing it at Ye Ling's feet.

"Let's say that we were together for a few years and you were good to me. I'm not heartless. This card has 50,000 yuan in it, consider it a repayment for your care over the years."

With those words, Liu Fei turned and walked away.

"Take your filthy money!" Ye Ling said with a dark expression.

"Oh, you're rejecting it?"

Liu Fei pursed her lips and giggled, "Do you think I don't know about your current situation? No job, and you've been owing rent for over three months. If you don't pay soon, you'll probably be kicked out by the landlord, won't you? You've been reduced to this, yet you still care about your pride?"

"Even if I have to beg, I won't beg for your money," Ye Ling said coldly.

"Fine."

Liu Fei's expression changed. She picked up the bank card, snorted coldly as she left, "Just hope you have the capability, and may you never come begging to me in your life!"

"Just because she's clinging to a rich second-generation? What a joke! Women like her are nothing but playthings in the eyes of those rich playboys, and sooner or later she'll be dumped," Lin Yuqing said with fury on her pretty face.

Ye Ling didn't speak, his expression wooden as he walked off into the distance.

Clearly, the hurt Liu Fei had inflicted on him was not insubstantial.

"Ye Brother, where are you going? Wait for me..." Lin Yuqing chased after him.

"I want to be alone for a while," Ye Ling waved his hand, signaling Lin Yuqing not to follow.

Lin Yuqing's pretty face showed concern, but she listened to Ye Ling and did not continue to follow.

Ye Ling didn't know how long he had walked; unknowingly, he had arrived on a wide avenue.

It was already the early hours of the morning, with very few cars and pedestrians on the road. Ye Ling walked aimlessly, crossing the street like a zombie, heading to the other side.

"Beep beep!"

Just then, two dazzling lights lit up in the distance, followed by a blaring horn.

A convoy of cars, at least twenty in number, all luxury vehicles, with even the least of them being a Porsche Panamera, were speeding at least 150 mph, taking advantage of the early morning to street race.

The cars quickly approached where Ye Ling was, but he seemed oblivious to them.

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The horn sounded even more ear-piercing.

The drivers of the first few luxury cars cursed upon seeing Ye Ling and swerved to avoid him.

However, the drivers in the cars behind had not seen him, and among them, a fire-red Ferrari carried a very beautiful young girl whose face suddenly turned pale because her car was now right in front of Ye Ling!

"Screech!!!"

The harsh sound of braking echoed as the Ferrari, due to its high speed, ground a layer of black smoke from the tire against the pavement.

But her car was moving too fast, and Ye Ling was too close when she noticed him. Although she braked, Ye Ling's figure was thrown far away like a kite with its string cut.

This scene was also witnessed by the other drivers, who immediately abandoned the race and stopped their cars, running towards Ye Ling.

"It's over, it's over, I've killed someone..." The girl in the Ferrari went pale, her beautiful eyes wide with panic.

"Boom!"

At that moment, the already somber weather suddenly thundered, a massive bolt of lightning striking down, hitting Ye Ling squarely.

The owners of the luxury cars were stunned by this spectacle!

"Qing Xin, are you alright?" A handsome young man knocked on the car window.

Startled, Han Qingxin quickly got out of the car and asked anxiously, "Is he... is he dead?"

The young man hesitated, then said, "He must be dead, given the speed of the car..."

Han Qingxin's mind went blank.

"But before he died, he was struck by lightning. If he really is dead, we can claim it was the lightning that killed him," the young man said.

"Come quickly, he's not dead yet, he's still breathing!" Suddenly, a voice full of surprise came from afar.

Han Qingxin was stunned, then hope appeared in her eyes, and she quickly ran towards Ye Ling.

At this moment, Ye Ling, having been hit hard by the Ferrari, had nearly every bone in his body broken, and with the additional strike from the lightning, he looked completely charred as if he had been scorched.

"Let's just leave him to his fate here. Otherwise, the story of our racing tonight will come out, and Qing Xin's involvement in hitting him won't stay hidden. If he dies here, we can still say it was the Heavenly Thunder that did it," the young man said hesitantly as he looked at Ye Ling, who was barely breathing.

Han Qingxin immediately shook her head firmly and said, "He's not dead yet; I will take him to the hospital. It was my car that hit him, I will take full responsibility for this. I can't just watch him die here."

"But..."

The young man wanted to say more, but Han Qingxin interrupted, "There are no 'buts.' I won't tell anyone about the racing, nor will I rat you guys out. I will take full responsibility for this incident."

After speaking, Han Qingxin took out her phone and dialed 120 for an ambulance.