Bipolar disorder is basically a ticking time bomb.
Thanks to Monica's generous genes, Ian had inherited this bomb.
Now, the timer had hit zero. The bomb exploded.
2114 North Wallace Street.
The phone vibrated insistently. Bzzzt~ Bzzzt~
Ian lay curled up, motionless. He heard it, but he didn't have a single ounce of energy tof care.
The whole world felt like it had ceased to exist. Nothing had any meaning anymore.
Ian just wanted to lie there. To lie there until the end of time, or until he died.
The phone finally stopped vibrating.
The world went quiet again.
On the other end.
Carl put down his phone. He had no intention of calling again. He shook his head at Mickey. "No answer."
Mickey desperately wanted to tell Carl to call again, to keep calling until Ian picked up, just so he could hear Ian's voice—even if it was just from a distance.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a good excuse.
Mickey exhaled a puff of smoke, forcing himself to act nonchalant. "Whatever. Forget it."
---
Noon.
Over the past few months, thanks to Dexter throwing work his way, Tommy had made some serious cash. He walked into Dex Restaurant with Kermit, ready for lunch.
Now that he had money, Tommy wasn't being stingy.
Lunch was on him.
Seeing Tommy, Veronica hurried over. She took their orders first, then started chatting with Tommy about the renovations for her new house.
Tommy listened and chuckled. "Veronica, you're not in a rush for that renovation, right? I gotta get Dexter's house built before autumn, and on top of that, he just bought a new apartment building that he wants me to fix up."
"I seriously can't handle any more work right now."
Veronica didn't know about the apartment building. She was surprised. "When did the boss buy another apartment building?"
Tommy was smart enough not to spill too much. He laughed it off. "Just the day before yesterday, I think. You'd have to ask him for the details; not my place to say."
The truth is, environment really shapes a person. Most of the time, this influence is subtle, and the person being changed doesn't even realize it.
Veronica was a perfect example.
Working at Dex Restaurant for over half a year, dealing with dozens, sometimes hundreds, of wealthy customers every day, plus being somewhat "forced" by Dexter to read a book now and then...
Veronica had changed a lot. Compared to the version of her that was just "Fiona's best friend," she had made clear progress.
"Okay, I'll ask him later," Veronica said, not pushing it.
Tommy smiled. "You and Kev bought that house at the right time. lately, folks from other neighborhoods seem to be sniffing around here, looking to buy property."
"That house you just bought? You could probably flip it in a couple of months and make a decent profit."
Veronica didn't know much about real estate. She was shocked. "Really?"
Tommy nodded with a smile. "Absolutely. Dexter has a great eye. He bought all those properties early. Tsk tsk. Impressive."
Hearing this, Veronica was intrigued.
If more rich people really started buying houses on the South Side...
Damn, that money would be easy to make.
Veronica fell into thought.
---
For the past few days, Svetlana had been swamped getting her second fruit stand up and running. She had been busy as hell.
Yesterday, she finally finished.
This afternoon, Svetlana walked into Dex Restaurant, planning to treat herself to a good meal as a reward.
Vivian greeted Svetlana, asking cheerfully, "Long time no see. Is the second fruit stand ready?"
Svetlana smiled in response. "Just finished yesterday."
Ever since leaving the Paradise Massage Parlor, shedding her identity as a "handcraft artisan," and—more importantly—having a life with actual prospects, Svetlana had been changing too.
By now, Svetlana no longer wore that perpetual expression of hating the world. She had become much more cheerful and optimistic.
You could say that now that she was making money and living better, Svetlana was finally starting to enjoy the "American Dream."
"Congratulations," Vivian said with a grin.
Svetlana looked up at Vivian and thought for a moment. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, go ahead," Vivian replied with a smile.
"How do you manage to stay so happy all the time?" Svetlana had been curious about this for a while.
Vivian answered without thinking. "Because there are so many beautiful things in this world."
Svetlana's brow twitched slightly. "But there are also many, many ugly things, aren't there?"
Vivian smiled brilliantly. "Yes, but I don't see the ugly things."
Svetlana: "????"
Is that even allowed?
---
While Svetlana and Vivian were talking.
A Mercedes pulled up in front of Dex Restaurant.
Mickey, cigarette dangling from his lips, got out of the car with Carl and headed toward the restaurant.
Reaching the entrance, Mickey conscientiously tossed the half-smoked cigarette away.
Seeing Mickey, Mandy immediately walked over, concern written on her face. "Here for lunch?"
Mickey gave Mandy a look like she was an idiot. "No, I'm here to take a sht. What do you think?"
Mandy: "?? Fxxk you!"
Mickey grinned, amused for a split second. "Is Dexter in the kitchen?"
"Yeah," Mandy replied.
"I need to talk to him. You keep working. Go wipe some tables, don't slack off," Mickey threw out the "big brother" order and walked straight toward the kitchen.
Faced with this version of Mickey, Mandy flipped him the bird without hesitation.
Mickey saw it, chuckled, and ignored it.
Inside the kitchen.
Dexter was working at a leisurely pace, grilling some meat.
Mickey walked in. His eyes were complicated, and he looked at Dexter with an expression tinged with sadness.
Dexter casually picked up a skewer of grilled meat and handed it over with a smile.
For a "Pure Love Warrior" like Mickey to show this kind of reaction, Dexter didn't need to guess what it was about. "Ian?"
Mickey had just taken the skewer. Hearing the name, his body trembled slightly. After a moment of thought, he bit the bullet, nodded, and gritted his teeth. "I need your advice. But you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even Bianca!"
Dexter grinned, his interest piqued. "I promise. Shoot."
Mickey devoured the meat skewer in one go before speaking. "Me and Ian... we had a problem. I almost killed him. I shot at him. I don't know how to fix it."
Dexter: "????"
Whoa.
That intense?
Dexter was instantly hooked, the fire of gossip burning in his eyes. "Come on, give me the details. Why did you try to kill him?"
Mickey didn't want to give details.
I mean, how do you explain that in detail?
He hesitated again and again.
"He keeps bugging me. Wants me to be his boyfriend publicly," Mickey finally said. "If I didn't agree, he threatened to break up with me. He pushed me too far, so I shot at him."
Hearing this.
Yeah, that tracked perfectly.
In their relationship, Ian, with his "love brain," definitely had a habit of forcing Mickey's hand like that.
And honestly, it wasn't healthy.
Dexter smiled, thought for a moment, and asked, "You've never loved anyone before this, have you?"