Chapter 1

It is the year 2333, on the planet Waterball, in summer, and it is very hot.

Xiao Yan, a man, and Nalan Yanran, a woman, have just come out of the marriage registration office. On the somewhat old street, people are coming and going, seemingly bustling, but Xiao Yan's heart is very cold.

He and Nalan Yanran have known each other for so long, from their first meeting, to marriage, and now to Xiao Yan's bankruptcy and divorce. Everything seems so ridiculous.

Holding the divorce certificate tightly in his hand, Xiao Yan said with a bitter smile, "Was it all about money when you were with me back then?"

"No!"

Nalan Yanran is very beautiful, even now as a mother of a 6.5-year-old child, she is still more beautiful than most girls. Xiao Yan was overjoyed for years to have married her, but now, he can only swallow his pain.

"But the divorce now is because of money! Xiao Yan, you're not young anymore. In two years, you'll be 30. I've given you my youth and even had a child for you. I've done enough for you. But over these years, I haven't enjoyed a single moment of happiness with you. I can't even see any hope. I once thought that your kindness to me was love, and that love could last forever, but now I'm tired. I want to start a new life while I'm still young."

"I can temporarily let you have custody of our daughter, but if you can't even take care of her, I will take Jiajia away. Even if I have to find her a stepfather, it's better than her staying with you, a good-for-nothing."

Mentioning Jiajia, Xiao Yan immediately became angry.

"No, absolutely not! Jiajia is my daughter. I will never allow you to take her away from me, and I will never allow her to follow your future good-for-nothing stepfather!"

Xiao Yan's extreme reaction also provoked Nalan Yanran. She has a great figure and high beauty, but at this moment, she is extremely harsh and cold. "Haha, if you really care about Jiajia, you should know what you have now. If I don't divorce you, my family and I will have to help you pay off your debts. With such heavy debts, what can you give Jiajia? You can't even provide her with the best basic education, let alone food, clothing, and shelter. Do you want her to stay in the countryside with you forever?"

"Xiao Yan, I won't say more. I'll give you half a year. If I don't see any improvement in half a year, you should voluntarily bring Jiajia to me. From then on... we will have nothing to do with each other."

Saying this, Nalan Yanran turned to leave.

The years Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran spent together flashed through his mind like a movie slideshow. He knew that once she left, they might never see each other again.

Because Nalan Yanran's hometown is not in this city.

Xiao Yan's heart ached. He subconsciously reached out and grabbed Nalan Yanran's hand, which was still as soft and smooth as it was when he shyly held her hand for the first time years ago.

"What are you doing?" she asked coldly.

"Do you still love me...?"

When Xiao Yan asked this with such passion, they looked at each other. Even though this man looked haggard from lack of sleep and had not shaved due to his misfortune, his handsome face still showed that he was once very attractive, and even now, it still touched the heart.

At this moment, both of them had tears in their eyes.

"I once loved you..."

Nalan Yanran finally pulled her hand away from Xiao Yan's and turned to leave.

...

However, Xiao Yan did not see that in the sunlight, a crystal tear instantly slid down Nalan Yanran's beautiful face.

Not only did she once love him, but life is hard, and love alone is not enough to survive.

...

Xiao Yan immediately squatted down in pain, tears streaming down his face.

He deeply regretted it, truly regretted it.

Why did he use all his savings, even take out loans to start a business, invest so much, and open a restaurant, spending nearly a million on renovation and rent, only to lose everything? He refused to accept his fate, refused to admit defeat, and took out another loan to open a milk tea shop.

This shop, which his wife Nalan Yanran strongly opposed at the time. She said she was willing to live a hard life with Xiao Yan, work together to pay off the debts, and not open another milk tea shop.

But at the time, Xiao Yan was like a gambler, red-eyed with desperation. He gathered all the money he could and opened another milk tea shop, which failed even faster.

And he lost everything.

Now, holding the divorce certificate, he has even lost his beloved wife.

...

He, a grown man, cried on the ground, and all the passersby seemed to mock this failure.

Xiao Yan had more than once gone to the rooftop, with high debts, his house and car sold, and his wife leaving him. He thought about jumping off the building.

But every time he wanted to give up, he thought of Jiajia, his daughter. She is so young and cannot be without a father.

So, in countless sleepless nights, he persisted.

He found several jobs.

During the day, he worked on construction sites, and at night, he stayed up late writing. As long as it could earn money and was not illegal, he was willing to do anything.

At this moment, Xiao Yan's phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he grabbed his hair in pain.

It was a debt collector.

His mood was at its lowest, but he had to put on a smile. Although it is said that the debtor is the boss, that is only true for those who default. Xiao Yan did not consider himself such a person. When he started his business, his relatives, friends, and the bank trusted him and lent him money. Now, although he has failed and lost everything,

For his daughter, he must live on and work hard, no matter how bitter and tiring it is. He must pay off all his debts in his lifetime, support the elderly, and raise Jiajia. Because he is a man, he must bear all this.

No matter how much he can bear, he must bear it.

...

The debt collector scolded Xiao Yan for more than half an hour before finally calming down and hanging up.

Throughout this process, Xiao Yan remained sitting on the ground. The passersby only saw him as a madman.

The call had ended, but Xiao Yan still stared at his phone in a daze, wondering how to repay the 100,000 debt.

Plop!

Because it was hot in the summer, Xiao Yan was sitting under a tree. A swallow or sparrow, seeing the down-and-out man below, directly dropped a few droppings on him and then flew away happily.

"Damn it—"

Xiao Yan's hands, phone screen, and head were all covered.

He cursed in anger.

They say that when a person is down, they step on dog droppings and even get a toothache from drinking cold water, but Xiao Yan was sitting and still got bird droppings, which was very unlucky.

Xiao Yan wiped the droppings off his head and hands, then used the corner of his pants to clean the phone screen. This phone was the most valuable thing he had now, and he had to take care of it, making sure not to damage it or let it get wet.

However!

A shocking scene appeared. At some point, his phone automatically opened the QQ communication app, and a message appeared: [Congratulations, Mr. Xiao Yan, for joining the Marvel Chat Group.]

[Identity has been bound]

[Gender: Male]

[Age: 28]

[Current Group Member Level: LV1]

[Voice, fingerprint, gesture, iris, and face recognition functions have been activated. You can enter the Marvel Chat Group using any phone with the Tencent communication app.]