Chapter 2

After walking several blocks and passing a few traffic lights, Ethan finally reached the apartment building where he lived.

He did not go upstairs right away.

Instead, he took out a pack of cigarettes and stared at the warning printed on the box.

Smoking is harmful to your health.

The warning was not particularly noticeable.

He found it deeply ironic.

He did not know whether his advanced lung cancer had anything to do with smoking. For a programmer who worked overtime almost every day, cigarettes had been his only luxury.

He lit one, took a deep drag, and a strange question crossed his mind.

Could the nicotine in cigarettes kill cancer cells in the lungs?

He watched the cigarette slowly turn to ash, the smoke rising and disappearing into the air.

All of a sudden, Ethan wanted to cry.

His life was just like this cigarette.

People had been taking from him, using him up, and in the end, he would become smoke.

Then ashes.

When he finished the cigarette, he fought back the urge to light another one and walked into the building. He pressed the elevator button.

A dozen seconds later, the elevator doors opened.

Before he could step inside, Mrs. Parker came over pushing a stroller. She rammed it straight into Ethan’s leg.

“Ethan, move aside and wait for the next one. It’s time for my grandson to drink his milk.”

The elevators in the residential building were small, but even so, two or three people and a stroller could fit in without any problem.

Mrs. Parker’s grandson simply did not like sharing the elevator with other people.

In the past, Ethan would definitely have let them go first.

This time, he ignored her, stepped into the elevator, and pressed the button for the sixth floor.

Mrs. Parker’s face darkened. She pushed her grandson into the elevator and started muttering under her breath.

“Young people these days have no manners at all. No respect for the elderly, no care for children. No upbringing whatsoever. Honestly, these country bumpkins.”

Before Ethan could respond, her grandson had already stood up in the stroller.

“Grandma, I want to press the buttons.”

“Of course, darling!”

Mrs. Parker’s expression changed instantly. She picked up her grandson with a bright smile.

No one was holding the stroller. When the elevator moved, it rolled forward and bumped into Ethan’s leg again.

The little boy moved with practiced ease. Tap, tap, tap.

He pressed every single floor.

The elevator stopped at every level.

Apparently, Mrs. Parker was no longer in a hurry for her grandson to drink his milk.

Ethan could not be bothered to argue with an old woman and a child.

He was not in a rush anyway.

When the elevator reached the sixth floor, Ethan tried to get out, but the stroller blocked the door.

“Mrs. Parker, move aside,” Ethan said.

“I’m over sixty years old, and you expect me to move for you? Do you have any public decency? Don’t you know how to respect the elderly and care for children? Can’t you wait until we get off first? You really have no manners.”

What she meant was that Ethan should ride up to the eighth floor with them, let the grandmother and grandson get out first, and then take the elevator back down to the sixth floor.

After saying that, she deliberately turned the stroller sideways, blocking the elevator door completely.

She was still angry that Ethan had not let them ride the elevator alone.

Ethan did not speak.

Words would not work anyway.

He pressed the door-open button and did not let go.

The elevator stayed stuck right there, neither going up nor closing.

Mrs. Parker’s face turned red. She warned him, “Let go. I have a heart condition.”

Ethan still did not let go. With concern in his voice, he asked, “Is it serious? If it flares up, will you die on the spot? There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you.”

Mrs. Parker huffed angrily. “Let go of the elevator door. If you have something to ask, ask already.”

Ethan looked at her with complete seriousness.

“When you go to the crematorium, will you cut the line there too?”

Mrs. Parker’s breathing grew heavy. Her left hand gripped the stroller while her right hand flailed in the air, as if she wanted to claw at him.

After assessing the difference in strength and realizing she did not have the advantage, she began gathering every insult she could think of.

Ethan pulled a cigarette from his pocket and said, “If I can make your heart condition flare up, I’ll be doing society a favor.”

He put the cigarette between his lips, took out his lighter, and made a show of lighting it.

The elevator was small and cramped. Mrs. Parker was actually afraid he would smoke and choke her precious grandson.

Her throat moved a few times. With tremendous effort, she forced back the flood of curses in her head, pulled the stroller aside, and cleared a path.

“If you’re in such a hurry to meet your maker, then go. Just wait until my son and daughter-in-law get back. You’ll regret this.”

Ethan put the cigarette away and stepped out of the elevator.

Then he turned back to Mrs. Parker and said, “You finally learned how to be considerate today. Thank you. Goodbye.”

Mrs. Parker choked as if something had lodged in her throat.

Her throat bobbed up and down, and the breath stuck in her chest nearly made her pass out. Thousands of curses rushed to her mouth at once, and she did not even know which one to start with.

Before she could explode, Ethan unlocked the door, stepped inside, and quickly shut it behind him, cutting off whatever noise Mrs. Parker was about to make.

His wife, Megan Leedon, came out wearing a bathrobe.

The robe was thin. She had just taken a shower, and she was wearing nothing underneath.

She sat down on the sofa, crossed her legs, and frowned.

“You’re back early today? Bring me the hair dryer. I’m going out drinking with Chloe and the girls tonight, so make me some chicken soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Don’t forget.”

Ethan usually worked late. Coming home before six was indeed early for him.

He picked up the hair dryer and handed it to Megan.

Megan did not bother hiding the disgust on her face.

“Get away from me. Go rinse your mouth and wash your face. You smoked again, didn’t you? How many times have I told you? If you smoke and don’t wash your face afterward, you’re not allowed inside.”

“You’re my sweet little darling. I could never love you too much...”

The loud music started blasting again.

It was the neighborhood seniors doing their evening dance workout in the courtyard. Every evening at six sharp, they showed up like clockwork, more punctual than most people heading to work. They kept going until eight, when the group finally called it a night so they could go home and catch their favorite TV shows.

Ethan’s apartment happened to face the courtyard, so he suffered the worst of it.

The surrounding residents had complained countless times. Some had even called the police, but nothing worked. The officers could not do much about a group of people whose average age was sixty-five. In the end, their suggested solution was simple.

Install double-pane soundproof windows.

Ethan was a programmer. Whenever his team had to meet a project deadline, he often worked through the night and came home the next afternoon. Just when he was about to rest, the dance group’s massive speakers would start blasting.

To get them to lower the volume, he had once bought several cases of soda and given them to the dancers.

The older men and women drank the soda, and danced even harder.

Today, Ethan was done putting up with it.

He walked into the storage room.

When he came out again, there was an iron hammer in his hand. It had been left over from when the apartment was renovated years ago.

Megan looked at Ethan with contempt.

This spineless loser always put on a tough front, but when it came time to actually do something, he always backed down.

“Don’t chicken out. Smash the speakers, and I’ll let you take me however you want tonight.”

Ethan swung the hammer lightly in his hand, testing its weight.

Then he opened the door and left Megan with nothing but his back.

Megan felt something was off.

This coward seemed like a completely different person today. There was a hard, quiet edge to him, the kind that said he was done talking.

She did not even bother drying her hair. She went to the balcony, pushed open the window, and leaned out, wanting to watch Ethan embarrass himself.

It would make great material for mocking this useless man later.

Ethan went downstairs.

Near the entrance of the building, several large boxes of fruit were stacked on the ground, along with six twelve-liter jugs of purified water.

They all belonged to Tanya Watson from the ninth floor.

Tanya was a young married woman. Every time she bought fruit, she bought several huge boxes at once. Supposedly, she got them at wholesale prices. The more she bought, the cheaper they were.

When she saw Ethan come out, she immediately called out to him.

“Ethan, move the fruit and water into the elevator for me. My door isn’t locked, so just put everything in the kitchen. Stack it neatly, and don’t bump into the fridge.”

The old Ethan had never known how to say no.

Tanya often ordered him around and treated him like free labor.

Ethan held the iron hammer in one hand and glanced at her.

“I’m busy. Move it yourself.”

Tanya instantly flared up.

“I’m a woman, and you expect me to carry things this heavy? Is something wrong with your head? We’re neighbors. I’m only asking you for a little help. It’s not a big deal. How can you be this selfish?”