Saturday evening. Old family apartment. Same cracked stairs. Same garlic-and-mildew smell.
Mother opened the door smiling. "Wei-wei! You've come! I made braised pork!"
Father nodded from the table. Sister Li Na on the sofa with boyfriend Wang Hao — tattooed, smirking.
Li Wei set two paper bags down.
"First bag," he said calmly. "Instant noodles. The brand you took from my backpack before pushing me."
Confusion.
"Second bag — 100 million RMB cash."
He unzipped it. Red bricks of money filled the table.
Gasps. Tears. Greedy hands.
Mother sobbed happily. Father touched stacks reverently. Li Na's eyes shone.
"The condition," Li Wei said.
Everyone froze.
"From now on, we are strangers. No calls. No visits. No messages. One attempt — I reverse every transfer and tell your creditors where the cash is."
Sister laughed nervously. "Gege, you're joking—"
He met her eyes — the same eyes that watched him fall.
"In five years, when the dead walk, remember I gave you everything... and you still chose betrayal once. There will be no second chance."
He walked out.
Screaming erupted behind the door.
Li Wei descended the stairs. For the first time in two lives — he felt light.