From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

"Did your ex-girlfriend ever come here with you?"

Su Qing's words snapped me out of my reverie, and I turned my head to give her a fierce glare.

"You really know how to bring up the most sensitive topics, always asking questions that hurt your feelings."

Su Qing covered her mouth and giggled: "Judging from your reaction, it seems she didn't come with you. If that's the case, your ex-girlfriend didn't care about you much at all."

"She did come here once."

Su Qing immediately became interested and leaned forward to ask, "And then? What happened?"

I paused, picked up the bottle, took a sip, and a self-deprecating bitter smile tugged at the corner of my mouth:

"That was it. I sat there for only a few minutes, then left."

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Qing burst out laughing, her tone tinged with amusement.

"Compared to your ex-girlfriend, I'm much more reliable. At least I've been sitting here with you until now, and I haven't complained about how bad this place is."

"What are you comparing yourself to her for?" I rolled my eyes at her again.

Su Qing then realized that her words were a bit beneath her dignity, and immediately stopped smiling: "That's true, comparing myself to her is just lowering my status, it's not worth it."

As she spoke, she moved her chair back, took out a black hair tie from her small bag, and casually tied her long hair, which had been disheveled by the evening breeze, into a low ponytail, revealing a section of her fair and slender neck.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly spoke seriously again: "That father and daughter are having such a hard time, have you thought about donating some money to help them?"

"The delivery riders I used to work with spontaneously pooled together a donation, and I also received a significant amount."

I paused for a moment, then gently shook my head: "But that little bit of money is just a drop in the ocean and can't solve the fundamental problem."

Su Qing nodded thoughtfully, gazing at the dark rows of houses below, her voice lowering:

"I had never seen the hardships of ordinary people before. When I calmed down and thought about it, I realized that if I hadn't come from a wealthy family, my life might not have been much better."

I chuckled and teased, "It's rare that you still have this much self-awareness."

"That's called being insightful, not self-aware," she retorted, unconvinced.

I didn't say anything more, picked up a skewer of grilled pork belly and stuffed it into my mouth, but my heart felt heavy, and even the best barbecue couldn't taste much of its flavor.

An evening breeze swept across the rooftop, causing the warm light strips wrapped around it to sway gently.

In the distance, the dazzling neon lights of the CBD stand in stark contrast to the low-rise, dilapidated urban villages below.

This is the true two sides of Jiangcheng.

Half of it is extravagant and glamorous.

Half of them were carrying a heavy burden, struggling desperately.

I took another swig of beer and slowly said, "You grew up in a high-rise mansion, so it's normal that you can't see the suffering of people at the bottom. Many people work their hardest day and night, but in the end, they still can't get a stable life."

Su Qing stared blankly at the swirling liquid in the glass in front of her, unusually refraining from arguing or making jokes.

Even that lively energy subsided, revealing a rare soft and quiet side.

She picked up her glass, downed the remaining half-glass of beer in one gulp, and murmured a sigh:

"Looking back now, I realize how immature I was. I threw tantrums at my parents at home, threatened to kill myself over an arranged marriage I didn't like, and always felt like I was the most wronged person in the world."

"I squander money every day, going out to play, spending tens of thousands of yuan without a second thought. I never imagined that this little bit of money could save a child's life."

At this moment, she shed all the arrogance and haughtiness of a young lady, and there was no sharp-tongued bickering. She sat quietly in the evening breeze, allowing me to see her softer side.

I didn't respond, and she gave a self-deprecating laugh, continuing in a low voice:

"I've always thought that the greatest difficulty in life is having everything arranged for you by your family and losing your freedom."

"Only today did I realize that all my troubles were just whining. The real suffering is when you've exhausted all your strength and even just surviving becomes a luxury."

I gave a wry smile: "Everyone has their own destiny. The starting point you were born with is an end point that ordinary people can never reach in their entire lives. This is not your fault, and you don't need to feel guilty about it."

"But it just hurts me to see her like this, especially since Tuantuan is so young yet so sensible, it breaks my heart." Su Qing sighed softly.

"There's nothing we can do. There are countless hardships in the world. You saw this father and daughter today, and there are countless similar people hiding in every corner of the city. You just haven't met them yet, so there's no need to be too sad."

Su Qing nodded gently, said nothing more, and turned to look with me at the constantly flashing neon lights in the distance.

The colorful light and shadow fell on her profile, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, making her eyebrows and eyes appear exceptionally gentle.

The rooftop was quiet, with only the sounds of distant traffic and the wind whistling through the eaves.

After a few bottles of beer, a light buzz spread through my limbs, and my tense nerves finally relaxed.

I used to feel like I was all alone in this city, stumbling and falling with nothing.

She was dumped, suppressed, and bullied; she had to bear all the hardships on her own.

I never imagined that one day I would be sitting on such a small rooftop with a rich heiress, chatting about the so-called life.

Su Qing poured herself another glass of wine, but hesitated to drink it. Gazing at the swirling liquid in the glass, she softly said:

"I have something to tell you. This is the first time in my life I've ever drunk beer."

"I can see your face is all red. You shouldn't drink anymore," I advised.

She shook her head, ignoring my comment, and continued speaking to herself:

"Let's not talk about these troubles, let's have a drink."

I didn't say much, but picked up my cup and gently clinked it against hers.

The crisp clinking sound was particularly clear on the quiet rooftop, and the wine in the glass rippled gently, as if it had crushed all the bittersweet experiences of life.

The two tilted their heads back and drank it all in one gulp. The warm liquor spread through their throats and made them feel much more relaxed.

Faint, soft laughter drifted from downstairs, mingled with the sounds of Brother Luo turning over skewers, and the rich aroma of everyday life floated up to the rooftop on the evening breeze.

Su Qing rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the countless tiny stars overhead, and murmured softly:

"Actually, such a peaceful life is quite nice. There's no backstabbing and scheming in wealthy families, no marriage alliances or plots. Just having a simple barbecue and enjoying the evening breeze is so much more comfortable than being trapped in an empty villa."

Looking at her serene and gentle profile, I couldn't help but tease her, "You don't mind me taking you to eat street food and junk food now?"

Su Qing rolled her eyes at me, her tone slightly reproachful: "You're such a spoilsport, you've ruined the whole atmosphere."

"It's my fault, it's my fault. I'll punish myself with a drink to atone for my sins."

After saying that, I tilted my head back and downed a glass. Su Qing's bottle of beer was also empty. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were slightly unfocused. She was obviously a little tipsy.

After we'd almost finished eating the skewers on the table, I took out my phone to check the time; it was already 10 p.m.

The alleyways of the urban village below gradually quieted down, while in the distance, the city center remained bustling with traffic and its lights stayed on all night.

I stood up and said, "Let's go, Miss. It's getting late, we should head back."

Su Qing slowly got up and followed me downstairs.

"Brother Luo, calculate how much tonight."

Brother Luo picked up the calculator and quickly pressed a few keys, then waved his hand cheerfully: "Yezi, seventy is fine, no need to give more."

He always makes a habit of rounding down the price for me, but I know in my heart that we'll eat far more than seventy dollars tonight.

Without saying much, I scanned the code and transferred 100 yuan.