Chapter 4

The room was in a mess, and all of Li Qi's things were gone. She had moved out while Xu Mo was away, without even informing him.

Xu Mo sighed. He had anticipated this outcome but didn't expect it to come so soon. He took out his phone, intending to call Li Qi to ask what had happened, but she had already blocked his number, clearly determined to cut ties with him completely.

His belongings were few, and with Li Qi gone, the room felt instantly empty. He looked at the bed, which was also empty, with only a sheet and a quilt remaining.

His eyes narrowed sharply. "Looks like I need to buy a quilt. Otherwise, how can I survive this weather with just one quilt?"

But when he touched his wallet, his expression turned gloomy. Although he had earned little money over the past two years doing odd jobs, he had spent even less and had some savings. However, as his situation worsened, Li Qi became more dominant, and they entrusted all their earnings to her. When she left, she naturally took the money with her.

Xu Mo's wallet contained only a few dozen yuan. He sighed again. "I need to find a part-time job as soon as possible to earn some money. But for tonight..."

He didn't take off his clothes, wrapped himself in the quilt, and lay down. The room had no heating, and soon the cold began to seep in. He shivered uncontrollably in the quilt.

The cold made his mind increasingly clear, driving away any drowsiness. How could he fall asleep? He curled up, pulling the quilt tighter, but the cold seemed to come from inside the quilt, taking away all the warmth, making his surroundings feel like an ice cellar.

His limbs were icy cold, and only his chest retained a bit of warmth. A faint 'rustling' sound came from outside the window, and the wind howled, blowing snow. The branches, heavy with snow, creaked under the wind, as if they might break at any moment.

Thinking of his situation, he felt like crying but held back. His mind was in chaos, with only one thought: "Am I going to freeze to death like this?"

Then a sudden resolve emerged. "No, I can't die. I absolutely can't."

After a moment, he could no longer bear it and got up from the bed, moving his stiff limbs. He glanced out the window; the snow was getting heavier, pressing down on the branches, which creaked under the weight, as if they might break at any moment.

He struggled out of bed and stood on the floor, thinking: "If I exercise, I'll warm up, and then I can go back to bed."

He did intense exercise for about ten minutes, and his body began to warm up, even breaking into a light sweat. Feeling warm, he returned to bed and tried to sleep again.

But the warmth soon dissipated, and he was woken by the cold. He sighed in frustration, exercised again, and tried to sleep once more.

At that moment, a strange thought flashed through his mind: "If I could maintain the warmth from exercise even when I'm still, that would be great. At least I wouldn't feel so cold."

But the thought passed quickly, and he turned his mind to other things: "Tomorrow, I'll borrow some money from a classmate to buy a quilt. I'll pay him back when I earn some money. If nothing else, I can borrow a quilt from him."

That night, he tossed and turned, never getting a good night's sleep. He exercised about ten times, but each time he lay down, the heat quickly dissipated, and he was woken by the cold again.

The next morning, the snow was still falling. He got out of bed, feeling hungry and dizzy from the night's exertion. He had planned to have breakfast but, looking at his wallet, decided to go to his classmate's place on an empty stomach.

He had been poor and down on his luck for the past two years and had few friends in the city. Apart from Li Qi, he only had one university classmate.

The classmate's name was Wang Zhen. They hadn't been particularly close in university, but after graduation, they had stayed in touch since they lived in the same city.

Wang Zhen lived nearby with his girlfriend, about two or three kilometers away. Xu Mo walked through the snow, taking about ten minutes to reach their place.

It was a weekend, and Wang Zhen didn't have to work. With the snow, he hadn't gone out. Seeing Xu Mo, he was surprised and invited him in. His girlfriend was also at home, glanced at Xu Mo, greeted him, and said nothing more.

Their rented apartment wasn't large, a single-bedroom layout, about twenty square meters, divided into a bathroom and a toilet.

The apartment had no heating, but they both wore thick down jackets, so they didn't feel the cold.

Wang Zhen invited Xu Mo to sit down and asked with a smile, "What brings you here? I've been busy lately and planned to visit you guys, but I didn't have the time. By the way, how's Li Qi? Why isn't she with you? Is she doing well?"

Xu Mo hesitated, unsure how to answer. He had planned to ask for money but didn't know how to bring it up in front of Wang Zhen's girlfriend. He mumbled a few vague responses and, after a moment, said, "The weather changed so suddenly, it got so cold."

"Yeah," Wang Zhen said with a smile. "My girlfriend was complaining last night about the lack of heating, saying she couldn't sleep."

His girlfriend turned and interjected, "I didn't..." She glanced at Xu Mo, seemingly realizing something, and stopped.

Wang Zhen looked at Xu Mo's clothes and said, "I'm wearing so many layers and still feel cold. You, on the other hand, are wearing so little and act like it's nothing. You must be really cold-resistant!" He touched Xu Mo's clothes and laughed, "If I didn't know you, I'd think you were some kind of immortal. But your cold resistance is almost like you're becoming one. Ha ha!"

Xu Mo sensed a hint of sarcasm in his words, glanced at his face, but saw no malice, so he dismissed it as his own imagination.

After a moment, he asked, "How's work going?"

Wang Zhen sighed and waved his hand, "Don't mention it. I work so hard and only earn a few hundred yuan a month. I can barely afford to eat. The landlord collected the water and electricity bills and the rent the other day. I managed to pay the bills, but I still owe the rent. The landlord is pressing hard, and I was planning to borrow some money to pay it."

He paused and continued, "Unlike your Li Qi, who got a promotion at her new job. In a few years, you two might even be able to afford a down payment on a house. Ha ha!"

Xu Mo's eyes darkened, and his face showed disappointment. Wang Zhen's words dashed his hopes of borrowing money. He looked around the room, which didn't seem to have any extra quilts.

He lost the will to talk and, after a moment, said his goodbyes. Wang Zhen smiled and said, "Why don't you stay for a meal?"

His girlfriend glared at him, "We haven't bought any groceries yet."

Wang Zhen said, "Then let's go buy some."

"Give me the money," his girlfriend held out her hand.

Wang Zhen slapped his forehead, "I forgot. I just paid the bills the other day, so I have no money left." He turned to Xu Mo, "By the way, we have two leftover buns from yesterday. I was going to share them with my girlfriend, but since you're here, I'll give you mine. I'm thick-skinned, so I can go a day without eating."

"No, thank you," Xu Mo finally realized the problem and left without looking back.

Wang Zhen didn't see him off and closed the door with a 'bang' as soon as he left.

Xu Mo walked down the stairs, dazed. Before he had gone far, he heard Wang Zhen and his girlfriend talking inside. His girlfriend asked, "When did I complain about not being able to sleep?"

Wang Zhen laughed, "You didn't. I just said that to deal with him." He snorted, "He wouldn't come to me for nothing. He probably came to borrow money, so I cut him off before he could ask."

His girlfriend giggled, "I didn't know you were so cunning."

Xu Mo's heart raced, and he stopped to listen.

Wang Zhen continued, "You have to be careful about lending money. He doesn't even have a job. What if he can't pay me back?"

His girlfriend said, "What about Li Qi?"

Wang Zhen replied, "Li Qi is Li Qi, and he is he. They're just dating, not mother and son. Why should she pay his debts? Li Qi even complained to me about breaking up with him. If they do break up, who will I ask for the money?"

His girlfriend laughed, "If he knew what you think, he'd hate you."

"Hate me?" Wang Zhen suddenly laughed coldly, raising his voice, "I hope he hates me. Li Qi told me he seems smart but is actually a fool. He can't even lie and hasn't found a job in two years. His life is already ruined. He might end up like a stray dog, starving to death on the street. Ha ha! The fewer friends like him, the better. I'd rather have none at all."

"Shh! Lower your voice. He's not far away. Don't let him hear," his girlfriend reminded him.

Wang Zhen laughed coldly, "I want him to hear. I want to cut ties completely, so I don't get dragged down." His voice grew louder.

Xu Mo stood outside the door, hearing every word clearly, and clenched his fists. The always smiling face of Wang Zhen now seemed unbearably hateful.

He felt an overwhelming sense of oppression and frustration, as if he might burst at any moment, wanting to shout and scream to release his inner turmoil. But reason overcame his impulse, and his expression gradually calmed. He walked down the stairs and into the icy, snowy world without a word.

Behind him, the snow left two neat rows of footprints, lifeless and devoid of vitality, much like his current life.

But at this moment, who could have imagined that it was this life filled with pain and despair, this desperate situation, that would give birth to the world's first immortal?