The hospital emergency room was brightly lit, the air thick with the smell of disinfectant. Anna sat anxiously on a bench, holding Lily in her arms. Lily nestled against her, her face flushed and her breathing rapid.
"Doctor, how much longer?" Anna asked the nurse.
"Three more patients ahead of us, soon," the nurse replied dismissively, turning to leave.
Anna sighed, gently patting Lily's back. Lily coughed, her little hands gripping Anna's clothes tightly. Anna's eyes reddened, but she forced herself to hold back tears. She knew she couldn't break down now, or Lily would be even more frightened.
Levi pushed open the door, still wearing his soaked down jacket, his hair plastered to his forehead, water droplets sliding down his cheeks.
"How is she?" he asked.
"The doctor said it's the flu, she needs an IV," Anna said, "The medicine... will cost 120 euros."
Levi fell silent. He'd been owed 120 euros for the day at the construction site, leaving him with less than 20 euros.
"I...I'll think of something," he said.
"What?" Anna's voice held a hint of despair. "Where's the money you earned today?"
"The site manager said the boss didn't come, the money..."
"Owed again?" Anna interrupted him. "Li, this is the third time this month! When are you finally getting your money?"
Li Wei lowered his head, avoiding her eyes. He knew she was right. In this year of economic hardship, wage arrears were a daily occurrence. And he was always the one owed.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"What good is 'sorry'?" Anna's tears streamed down her face. "Lily has a fever, we need money, we need it immediately, right now!"
Li Wei clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. He wanted to say, "I'll borrow money," but he'd already borrowed from all his relatives and friends. He wanted to say, "I'll sell my blood," but that was too late. He wanted to say, "I'll go deliver some more," but it was already late at night, and orders were scarce.
"I'll deliver one last order," he said.
"What?" Anna was stunned.
"The last order," Levi repeated, "I got a big order, 20 euros delivery fee, plus a 5 euro bonus if I deliver it within half an hour. 25 euros in total."
"Now? It's still raining outside..."
"It's okay." Levi turned and left, "Wait for me."
He ran out of the hospital, jumped into his car, and opened the food delivery app. The order showed: a Chinese takeout, to a villa on the outskirts of the city, about ten kilometers from the hospital. The note read: "Deliver within 30 minutes, or you'll get a bad review."
Levi started the car and sped into the rain. The rain intensified, the wipers swung wildly, but still couldn't clear the water from the windshield. There were few cars on the road; the occasional one that passed splashed large sprays of water. Li Wei gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, afraid of missing a single intersection.
The time was 11:40 PM; the order needed to be delivered by 11:55 PM. He had 15 minutes.
He floored the accelerator, the car speeding across the puddle-filled road. Li Wei's heart pounded, but his mind was exceptionally clear. The 25 euros, plus the 20 euros he had left, made 45 euros. Adding the 50 euros in Anna's purse, it was 95 euros. Not quite 120, but at least he could pay part of it.
As long as he could pay part, the hospital wouldn't stop treatment.
Suddenly, a red light appeared at an intersection ahead. Li Wei slammed on the brakes, the car spun on the slippery surface, nearly crashing into the guardrail. His heart pounded, his hands trembled. Thankfully, there was no accident.
But another minute passed.
11:42 PM, he had 13 minutes left.
The green light came on, and Li Wei accelerated again. This time, he was more cautious, but also faster. The car, like a sharp knife, tore through the rain, speeding through the night.
23:48, three kilometers to the destination. Time was running out.
Just then, his phone rang. It was the food delivery platform's notification—"Your order may be late, please deliver as soon as possible."
Li Wei gritted his teeth and floored the accelerator. The car roared, the speedometer pointing to 120 km/h. On the highway in the rainy night, this speed was suicidal.
23:51, one kilometer to the destination.
Suddenly, a stray dog appeared ahead, crossing the road. Li Wei slammed on the brakes, but the road was too slippery, and the car went out of control. He screamed inwardly, frantically turning the steering wheel, trying to avoid the dog.
Bang!
The car crashed into the roadside guardrail with a loud thud. Li Wei's forehead struck the steering wheel, and blood streamed down his face. But he had no time for that. He glanced at his phone—11:53 PM, two minutes to go.
He gritted his teeth against the excruciating pain, pushed open the car door, and jumped out. The delivery box had been knocked open, spilling its contents all over the floor. Ignoring the spilled food, he grabbed the few edible items and ran towards the villa.
The rain was still falling, and his whole body was trembling. Blood mingled with the rain from his forehead, stinging his eyes. But he dared not stop, for time was ticking away, and Lily was waiting.
At 11:55 PM, he reached the villa's door. He rang the doorbell, panting heavily.
The door opened, and a woman in an expensive dress appeared. She looked at Li Wei, soaking wet and covered in blood, and frowned: "Why are you so slow? You're late!"
"Sorry, on the way…"
"I don't need your excuses!" the woman interrupted, taking the delivery. "Bad review!"
The door slammed shut in front of Li Wei.
He stood in the doorway, rain soaking his body. His phone vibrated—a negative review notification, delivery fee deducted, account credit score downgraded to a dangerous level.
He took out his phone and opened his bank app. His account balance showed €18.45. He hadn't received a single penny of his earnings for the day because of the car accident and the negative review.
Li Wei's heart sank completely.
He turned around, preparing to go back to his car. Suddenly, a blinding light shone from behind him, followed by a sharp horn blaring. He turned and saw a truck speeding towards him, brake lights on, but unable to stop in the flooded road.
He tried to dodge, but his body wouldn't obey him. Excruciating pain, cold, exhaustion, despair… all the sensations intertwined at that moment, overwhelming him.
Bang!
Li Wei was thrown into the air, crashing heavily to the ground. The world spun, distorted, and gradually went black before his eyes. His last thought was of Anna and Lily—they were in the hospital emergency room, waiting for the money he would bring home to save their lives. But he failed.
Utterly failed.
Darkness engulfed him.