Late at night. Jiangzhou City, Superpower Management Bureau apartments.
Wei Song stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, clutching the string of copper keys, and remained silent for a long time.
He then pulled his phone from his pocket, lit up the screen, and found his mom's number in his call history.
Taking a deep breath, he hit dial.
RING! RING! RING!
It rang for a long time. Just as he was about to hang up, the call connected.
"Hello... Little Song?"
Her voice was hoarse and heavy with exhaustion. The clatter of pots and pans could be heard in the background—she must still have been washing dishes.
Wei Song's throat bobbed. "Mom, it's me."
"Why are you still up so late? Do you... do you have enough money?"
On the other end of the line, Zheng Jingfeng's voice grew urgent. She had a faint suspicion about her son's predicament.
"I'll transfer you 2,000 yuan in a bit. Take it, for emergencies."
