The cold, unyielding glare of the fluorescent lights did nothing to warm the stark white room. On the iron chair, the unconscious man's eyelids fluttered, heavy and disoriented.
Twelve years ago, before his world fell apart, Xiaobo's family had been riding the erratic wave of the nouveau riche. His father had unexpectedly hit the jackpot, acquiring a small diamond mine as a speculative gift. But the sudden influx of astronomical wealth had immediately gone to the man's head; unable to manage the fortune, his father squandered it all on reckless gambling and women. Xiaobo had barely managed to finish his final year at Ming De High School, but the prospect of going to university vanished into thin air. They were drowning in debt, and the mine had completely run dry.
It was during this desperate financial spiral that a mysterious woman had approached Xiaobo. She offered him a life raft: 500,000 dollars in cash. The condition? He had to permanently harm Zi Han.
