When Liu Jun saw his father, what met his eyes was an ashen face. Even the face from that hot day when he suffered heatstroke while delivering goods looked better than his current complexion. Initially when his father called repeatedly saying they were in trouble, asking him to come discuss things, he thought his father was playing some trick. Seeing was believing – now he was anxious, asking repeatedly whether they should go to the hospital.

“I’m finished. The tax inspection department says someone reported us for several tax evasion violations, and I have to bring all vouchers and account books from the past three years to the inspection department next Monday. Tell me, every year I’ve been flattering them properly, so why won’t they give me any face today? No warning at all, just directly notifying us of an audit?”

“Isn’t an audit quite normal? As long as we keep good books and your tax avoidance isn’t discovered, won’t that be fine?”

“I knew you’d answer like that. But is the problem that simple? First, why not audit earlier or later, but come knocking today specifically?”

“Because I sued Yang Xun?” Liu Jun’s eyes widened like light bulbs. “Yang Xun is making a preemptive strike by reporting us?”

“With Yang Xun’s connections, does he even need to report to us? Let me tell you, book auditing is my fatal weakness. Not many domestic account books are kept completely honestly – they can’t withstand scrutiny. Didn’t you say when reading tax law a few days ago that we had several improper accounting practices? If even you could see it, the tax bureau knows even more clearly where each enterprise manipulates things. Usually, the tax bureau shows mercy considering my tribute payments, but when they investigate… Even if you completely win your lawsuit against Yang Xun and successfully execute judgment, the compensation wouldn’t cover what Yang Xun could make the tax bureau fine me in retaliation. Now, do you believe it? Hurry up and withdraw the lawsuit.”

Liu Jun was stunned. His logically clear mind took a long time to sort out these relationships. He believed Yang Xun was now somewhere in the city, looking down on him with disdain, watching him reach a dead end, swallowing back his ridiculously confident attitude from a few days ago. What spread through his heart was deep humiliation.

“Sigh, even after withdrawing the lawsuit, I still have to deal with the audit. Since they’re auditing us, if they don’t find something wrong, they lose face and can’t get by. What a sin.”

What kind of logic was this? Liu Jun stared blankly at his father, saying these things, unable to understand what logical relationship existed between auditing and face. Liu Shitang sighed, and though his stomach was full of anxiety, he still had to comfort his son. “A Jun, don’t treat withdrawing the lawsuit as losing it. We didn’t lose – we just don’t have as much power as Yang Xun.”

“If we’re not as powerful, we have to be prey to the strong?”

Liu Shitang looked helplessly at his son and sighed with emotion: “Your mother insisted on educating you with textbook theories, never allowing me to discuss society’s dirty affairs at home, afraid of corrupting you…”

“Dad, are you saying that growing up in a theoretical environment made me unable to read the situation?”

Liu Shitang hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Dad, I’m sorry. The tax bureau matter can only be resolved by you alone. I’m going to court right now.”

Liu Shitang watched his son straighten his back and leave, his heart aching. But he had no choice. After thinking for a while, he rubbed his face, put on a smile, and called Yang Xun. Yang Xun did him the favor of taking his call and listening to his pleasant words. Although he didn’t agree to a dinner invitation, he finally promised that “this matter ends here.” But he warned Liu Shitang to control his son, who “couldn’t see clearly.” Liu Shitang held his head and sat motionless on the sofa for an hour, estimating that Yang Xun had finished making phone calls to rearrange his Qianjin Factory from afar, before picking up his bag to go to the tax bureau with a smile on his face.

Liu Jun was forced to withdraw his lawsuit, his mood approaching the boiling point. Coming out of the court, he looked at the iron-gray sky above with an iron-gray face, unwilling to go home, and drove straight to the suburbs. He suspected a heavy thunderstorm was coming soon, and he wanted to climb mountains in the thunderstorm. Only this way could he avoid exploding.

But the rain never came. Even the treetops wouldn’t move, just remaining stuffy and oppressively hot, making people unable to breathe. Just like his mood. Liu Jun climbed with his head down. This kind of place had almost no tourists except on weekends, and he climbed with unstoppable determination, easily reaching the summit. Just as he stood straight on the mountaintop, suddenly the wind picked up. Sand and stones flew on the summit, and rolling thunder came crashing from the distance. Liu Jun’s chest felt refreshed, and he suddenly wanted to roar out his pent-up frustration on the mountaintop. But thinking it over, he couldn’t figure out what to shout, so he just kept pounding his chest and yelling loudly, “I am Liu Jun, I will always be Liu Jun! I am Liu Jun, I will always be Liu Jun!…”

After shouting meaninglessly but wildly, Liu Jun finally felt much better. Yes, he was Liu Jun, still Liu Jun, unchanging and unshakeable. But he would pay more attention to methods and approaches. What were the setbacks? He would have the last laugh. He wanted to become a true, strong person, not a bandit. He didn’t believe he could be a match for those short-sighted people.

But this scientific youth ultimately didn’t dare stand on the mountaintop as a human lightning rod. After shouting comfortably and feeling as if he’d collapsed, he began walking back slowly. After just a few steps, it started raining. Wild wind and rain, lightning and thunder – the mountain wilderness enhanced the rain’s momentum. But the rainwater was cool, and all the stuffiness, all the pent-up anger, gradually faded under the rain’s washing. Liu Jun walked leisurely in the rain as if strolling in a courtyard, enjoying the rainwater and falling flowers, his mood gradually calming.

When he walked down the mountain, the sky had darkened somewhat. Ahead was still an open lawn, then the ticket checkpoint and parking lot outside the mountain gate. Liu Jun was still in no hurry, slowly stepping through puddles toward the exit. But he saw from afar that under the small house’s eaves at the checkpoint stood over ten children led by two adults, each pressed against the wall to avoid getting wet. These children were disobedient – the two adults would press down one only to grab another, in a frantic mess, extremely embarrassed. Liu Jun wanted to tell himself he was badly hurt today and had no energy to care for others. But seeing the helpless women and children in the misty rain, his face scrunched up, squeezing away some raindrops, he decided to walk toward that group of women and children.

Getting closer, Liu Jun realized the children before him were somewhat different from normal people – either mentally impaired or physically disabled. The only intact one was a clever little boy helping two teachers tightly hold a little girl with vacant eyes. Liu Jun quickly asked: “Is there anything I can do? My car is outside – a sedan.”

A completely soaked teacher with good temperament said: “Thank you. Our vehicle is on the way and should arrive soon. If convenient, please help us watch the children together – they’re very afraid of thunder.”

Liu Jun crouched down, gathering three restless children in his arms, treating them as gently as possible. This way, his body was completely exposed outside the eaves, shielding the children from wind and rain. Crouching, he was at eye level with the little boy, so he made a face at him. The little boy also freed one hand to grab his eye corner and mouth corner, sticking out his tongue to give him a face back. Liu Jun finally laughed. “Little friend, you’re excellent.”

“I’m a big man, it’s what I should do.”

Liu Jun looked at this tiny big man and laughed more. “Uncle needs to learn from you – not to fear anything and be a good big man.”

Above his head came the female teacher’s voice: “Thank you. We originally took advantage of today’s cloudy weather to bring the children out for fresh air. The lawn here is open with no distractions, planning to return promptly at four o’clock. We didn’t expect the vehicle would have a temporary assignment and come late to pick us up. Then we ran into this heavy thunderstorm.”

“The ticket person is really bad – left with his umbrella and abandoned us outside without any compassion,” the little boy loudly complained.

Hearing the words “compassion,” Liu Jun realized, “You’re volunteers?”

The little boy jumped to answer: “Yes, I’m the youngest volunteer at the welfare institute, and Mom is the most beautiful volunteer at the welfare institute.”

Liu Jun replied casually: “Uncle applies to be the strongest volunteer.”

“No way, my dad is the strongest volunteer. I’m also very strong – I know taekwondo, tai chi, and monkey boxing. I’m Popeye the sailor who eats spinach.”

“Wow, your English pronunciation sounds great.”

“Right, I sing English songs even better.” The little boy became proud and forgot about the girl he was holding, starting to sing “one little two little” while twisting his little bottom and dancing. His mother laughingly reminded him not to forget being a good volunteer, so he quickly rushed through the rain curtain to bring the girl back, but didn’t miss a single word in his mouth.

Talking and laughing, time flew by, and the van finally arrived. Liu Jun carried one child in each arm, helping get them into the vehicle. After settling everything, he helped close the door and only then saw clearly that the front door read “Donghai Corporation.” He guessed this van should be donated by Donghai Corporation, the city’s industrial pillar. Seeing the little boy waving at him from inside the car, he felt very happy – the kind of happiness that comes after doing good deeds. This seemingly weak happiness diluted much of his inner depression. He decided to see the good deed through to the end, following the van to the welfare institute, helping teachers and volunteers carry the children down and send them to the bathroom for washing. By this time, the sky had darkened.

These children were different from normal children – after getting soaked and frightened, they had both feces and urine, very troublesome. Liu Jun rushed to wash the dirtiest children before the ladies could. The female volunteer praised him: “You’ll be the best husband and the best father in the future.”

Liu Jun self-deprecatingly said, “Just got dumped by my girlfriend.”

The female volunteer smiled: “So you climbed mountains and got soaked in rain? I feel sorry for your ex-girlfriend – she missed such a good person.”

“Today was about something else. I was forced to yield to injustice and felt very troubled. But looking at these children, what do I have to be troubled about?”

“Good luck to you. But let me correct you – the children aren’t pitiful. Their hearts are very pure and beautiful. It’s we who are too complicated and often can’t feel happiness.”

“Right.” Liu Jun blurted out. Yes, compared to others, he had already gotten enough and shouldn’t complain about heaven and others over a little setback. “Right. I also want to be a volunteer. In the future, I can repair all the equipment at the welfare institute.”

“Hey, you can’t compete with our Keke’s dad – that’s his job. Otherwise, when he comes here, he won’t know where to put his hands.”

The two talked and laughed. Besides brief self-introductions – the female volunteer’s surname was “Liang” – both maintained distance without deeply probing each other’s identity or privacy. After cleaning up the children, they could finally go home. Liu Jun was surprised to see that, in the night after the rain, parked in the courtyard was the female volunteer’s car – a brand new Porsche 911 that had just come out last year. He couldn’t help whistling: “Carrera 4, hardtop, handsome. Liang, shall we race?”

“That would be an unfair victory.” The female volunteer got in the car with her son. Liu Jun had just started his engine when he heard a roar beside his ear – the black 911 accelerated almost instantaneously, flying out of the welfare institute. Liu Jun’s modified Jetta accelerated at its maximum speed, but by the time he got out, the Porsche had long disappeared. Wow, handsome car, handsome person. Liu Jun estimated from common sense that this 0-100 acceleration took at most just over 4 seconds – Miss Liang had real skill. Liu Jun’s eyes lit up with admiration, completely forgetting his accumulated worries. He shouted in his car along with strong rhythmic music: “I still have pursuits, I have material pursuits, I want to make big money and buy good cars.”

Turning a corner, he saw the Porsche with flashing red lights waiting for him. He rolled down his window and shouted: “I admit complete defeat.”

The mother and son in the car said goodbye to him, then flashed away again without a trace. This time Liu Jun didn’t chase desperately – he had originally assumed the woman couldn’t handle fast cars, but one trial revealed everything. But he muttered to himself: “Oh my, this car must eat up so many traffic tickets daily to drive enjoyably.”

Almost as soon as Liu Jun got home, he heard the phone ringing loudly. He picked up the phone to hear his father’s relieved voice: “A Jun, you’re finally home. Your phone was off all afternoon – Dad was worried sick.”

“Dad, I’m fine now. Tomorrow the sun will still rise. Dad, are you okay? You sound like you’ve been drinking. Do you want me to pick you up?”

“I’m already home. The old man wouldn’t honor me by eating for long. It’s good that you’re fine. From your voice, you should be okay now.”

“The audit – how did it go?”

“The audit still has to happen – a notice already issued can’t be withdrawn. Let them draw some blood, as long as there’s no big problem. A Jun, let me ask you – have you figured out who leaked our secrets?”

Liu Jun looked at the exquisite dinner on the table, somewhat dramatically rubbing his chest, suppressing his temper: “Haven’t found anyone definite. I’ll focus on this matter next.”

“A Jun, thinking about this matter makes me angry too, but what can we do? We’re not as powerful, so we can only avoid Shi Yiji from afar. Not provoking them isn’t enough – it’s best if they don’t know we exist, to avoid being coveted by thieves. But the person who leaked our secrets…” Liu Shitang paused here, and Liu Jun believed his father’s stern gaze was fixed on some spot in the house. “I will never let them off easily.”

After Liu Jun hung up the phone, he found paper and bent over his desk to write: “Aunt Fu: Please rest assured, I won’t expose you, but I’m also unwilling to eat your cooking anymore. I originally thought you were a soul engineer like my mother, but I feel sorry for you – what you’ve gained surely can’t compensate for what your soul has lost. Liu Jun.”

The next evening, when Liu Jun returned home, he found the room cleaned but no dinner on the table. The note was still on the table, but below it was an added line of delicate handwriting: “Who is truly virtuous!”

Liu Jun immediately connected the “who” in “who is truly virtuous” to his father. He smiled bitterly – his father wasn’t someone worthy of respect or loyal treatment. He, too, had been moved to expression by recent events, pulling out his pen to write another paragraph: “Others’ behavior should not become my reason for doing evil.” But thinking it meaningless, and having no reason to demand others’ behavior, he crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it in the trash. He couldn’t even manage himself – because of Yang Xun’s words and actions, he hated Yang Xun to the bone. He wasn’t a saint – how could he control himself to remain calm as water?

But he could only lie low completely, without any solution. It wasn’t that he had no solutions – he had no solutions for Yang Xun.

Just then, a phone call came in from a number he didn’t recognize. “I’m Yu Shanshan. Do you remember me?”

“Oh, Miss Yu, long time no see. What’s the matter?”

“I have something to give you. Please buy me dinner.”

Liu Jun’s mind conjured beautiful big eyes, but his heart still held another pair of azure blue eyes. “Sorry, I’m very tired today and don’t plan to go out. I’ll treat you another day.”

“But what I’m giving you is very important – no matter how tired you are, you have to come. Your payment for thanking me is one dinner, then we’re even. OK?”

Liu Jun had seen many girls acting coquettishly in front of him since childhood and was long accustomed to it, but seeing Yu Shanshan speak so directly and, as if there was something important, he had to agree and immediately drove to the small restaurant Yu Shanshan had designated. He had a premonition that this Shi Yiji employee would only look for him about Shi Yiji matters. He was very willing to know.

Finding that restaurant, it had a tiny storefront with a dirty environment. Many people sat shirtless at tables placed along the street, drinking beer and eating. Liu Jun didn’t see Yu Shanshan, so he asked the waiter for a table and sat down. The small, dirty shop was packed, so his table was placed far from the shop entrance, where even the lights were stingy. He was indeed very tired today, having climbed up and down doing surveying for the old foundry workshop, seeing if they could give the old workshop a new face and upgrade the equipment inside. When the beer arrived, he saw the accompanying glass so blurry it looked suspicious, so he simply drank straight from the bottle.

After a while, he heard someone behind him say: “Hey, can the comrade who’s been severely beaten still sit straight?”

“This comrade’s spirit stands tall and firm.” Liu Jun turned around to see Yu Shanshan, dressed in loose robes despite the hot weather – a men’s round-neck T-shirt on top and denim shorts below. The blue T-shirt even had several white paint drops, as if she’d rushed over from some construction site like a migrant worker. He stood up to offer her a seat, grabbed a bottle of beer, and asked: “Want some?”

“Yes. Without beer, there’s nothing here to quench thirst.” Yu Shanshan pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Liu Jun. “Two foreign companies that the company has negotiated with just came to inspect the company and confirmed large-scale production of your product.”

Liu Jun’s face was full of bitterness – one of them was exactly his former client. “Thank you, but seeing this only adds to my troubles.” He didn’t know Yu Shanshan’s intentions, and now he dared not trust others. Who knew? Yu Shanshan had previously been an inadequate honey trap protagonist. He pushed the note back to Yu Shanshan. “Your Mr. Yang won’t even let me through the door now. It’s better not to cause you trouble with my affairs. What shall we eat? Or should we change restaurants?”

“No changing restaurants. This place is known as one of the city’s four small dirty restaurants, famous for being dirty but also for being delicious. Of course, you can’t order cold dishes.” Yu Shanshan waved to call the waiter over, reciting four dish names like counting treasures, not asking Liu Jun at all before ordering. After the waiter left, she slapped the note back to Liu Jun and whispered: “Don’t suspect I have any bad motives. Since I’ve done this kind of thing, betraying the company, I don’t plan to go back and continue working as if nothing happened. I’ll resign in a few days – I’ve stayed the full year and had enough.”

Liu Jun was completely confused. “Thank you, but you don’t need to sacrifice anything for me. I’ll solve my problems.”

“Mr. Liu, I respect your talent and persistence, which is why I’m helping you get angry about Mr. Yang’s rogue behavior. Some things the law can’t punish him for, but heaven will still strike down thunder – I’m helping you be lightning. But I’m not sacrificing for you. I was recruited by the Japanese joint venture partner back then, promised entry to an advanced R&D center, but when I was assigned here, Shi Yiji had already changed bosses. Before my seat was even warm, Shi Yiji changed bosses again. The R&D center naturally had no trace either. They wanted to assign me as an office decoration, but I firmly refused. The result of my resistance was still being assigned to the import-export department as decoration. Fine, for the household registration, I did it. Now that the year is up, my file and household registration won’t be returned, so of course I’m resigning. It has nothing to do with you. Keep the note – you absolutely cannot let Mr. Yang succeed. This is the solemn voice of many righteous comrades at Shi Yiji.”