Wang Haoran and Wang Qiang both opened their mouths, not quite knowing what to say.

Just then, Anya and the female doctor finished taking notes and getting all the data they needed. Anya skipped over to Li Wei’s side and familiarly looped her arm through his.

"This is my girlfriend, Anya," Li Wei said, introducing them. "And this is my classmate and his father."

Wang Qiang didn’t recognize the brands, but Wang Haoran had paid plenty of attention to luxury goods back in China. Seeing the prominent Chanel and LV logos on Anya’s clothes, not to mention her manicured nails, the gloss of her hair, and her radiant complexion, he knew instantly that she was from an incredibly wealthy family.

Anya gave a reserved nod, then completely lost interest in them.

After saying goodbye to Wang Qiang and Wang Haoran, Li Wei left the hospital.

Hearing the roar of a sports car engine from below, Wang Haoran couldn’t help but look out the window. A silver-gray Porsche 911 was merging into the traffic, looking completely out of place among the ordinary cars. The vehicles in front and behind it subconsciously made room, allowing the Porsche to slip in effortlessly.

Wang Qiang hobbled over on his crutch and joined Wang Haoran, both of them falling silent.

Not long ago, he had arrogantly looked down on Don Quixote and Li Wei for living in Sunset Park. After all, his family was living in the middle-class neighborhood of Flushing back then.

Now Li Wei had an impossibly beautiful, wealthy girlfriend, drove a Porsche 911, and had even gotten into Yale University. Fame, fortune, a beautiful woman—Li Wei had it all.

Wang Haoran stared dejectedly at the Porsche’s taillights, lost in thought.

...

Late that night, Wang Haoran finished his shift in the kitchen and dragged his exhausted body home. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

His parents were already fast asleep. The only sound was the occasional scraping of Wang Qiang’s cast against the floor as he tried to relieve the itching of his healing wound.

Wang Haoran burrowed under a thick pile of blankets, waiting for his body heat to warm the cold sheets.

Even though it was late, he was in no mood to sleep.

School during the day, work in the afternoon and evening... not a single moment of his time was his own. Only now. This was his time.

He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through TikTok.

Maybe it was because of his IP address, but his feed was full of inflammatory content and posts from elitist Chinese expats. The more Wang Haoran watched, the angrier he got, and he couldn’t stop himself from getting into flame wars with people online.

He got into a heated argument in the comments of a short video titled, "After 3 Months in America, I’ve Discovered It’s a True Paradise."

Wang Haoran: Stop misleading people. You’re only showing the good side. Try getting sick in New York. You wouldn’t even dare to call an ambulance. The poor live worse than dogs here. It’s all the smell of weed and homeless people everywhere.

Some Elitist Expat: Using a VPN doesn’t make you an expert on the US. You mainland haters need to check yourselves. Let me guess, "China is winning again," huh? How about you get a passport before you talk.

Wang Haoran was absolutely livid. He wanted to post a photo of his current apartment, but he was too ashamed. All he could do was rage impotently.

Suddenly, he refreshed the page and saw that Li Wei’s account had also replied to the video.

Li Wei: Location: Manhattan. Pic for proof.

Below the comment was a photo he’d taken from his car window, showing a homeless person on the street.

But no one was paying attention to the homeless person’s tent in the photo. Instead, the replies were all things like:

[HOLY SHIT, A PORSCHE!] [CHECK HIS PROFILE, HE’S GOT A CADILLAC ESCALADE TOO!] [FUCK, A JPMORGAN CHASE PRIVATE BANKING CARD!] [SICKKKKKK] [THE REAL MVP RIGHT HERE!] [WHO IS THIS YOUNG MASTER?] [DADDY!]

The tone of the conversation had gone completely off the rails.

Wang Haoran sighed, turned off his phone, and burrowed deeper into his gradually warming blankets.