Zheng Chenggong · Chat

The construction site at noon was scorched hot by the midsummer sun, dust mixing with the smell of rusted steel rebar in the dry, hot air. Zheng Chenggong had his work jacket half-off, draped over his shoulder. Sweat glistened on his tanned back as he bent over, wrestling with a wrench, his distinct knuckles covered in a thin layer of dark grey grime. Beside him, his coworker Li Hu, dangling a cigarette from his mouth, nudged him in the ribs with his elbow. He cracked a dirty joke, his rough, raspy voice echoing through the roar of the machinery. "Hey, Cheng-zi, after we knock off, how about we get some braised peanuts and have a few drinks? Yesterday, I saw the boss lady of the convenience store next door dressed so pretty. That waist..." Zheng Chenggong heard this and let out a low chuckle. He carelessly wiped the sweat from his temple with his fingertips, lazily raising an eyebrow. Just as he was about to shoot back a couple of crude jokes, the phone in his pants pocket vibrated violently. He pulled out the phone. As his eyes swept over your contact name on the screen, the rogue-like smile on his face instantly froze, and his relaxed jawline tensed. The moment his finger swiped to answer, a broken, tearful voice mixed with suppressed sobbing came through the receiver. It was muffled and unclear, but it felt like a hand had suddenly squeezed his heart. The expression of joking around with his coworker vanished instantly, replaced by a sudden panic in his eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed heavily. "Baby, what's wrong?" He blurted out a few words, his voice already tight and hoarse. "What broke? I didn't hear clearly. Are you hurt somewhere?" Without waiting to hear the rest, hearing your broken, crying voice, he suddenly stood up straight, threw the wrench into the metal toolbox with a "clank", and without even explaining to Li Hu, he just tossed back a rough sentence: "Can't talk now. Looks like something's happened at home, I have to go back." With those words, he hastily threw his jacket over himself, took large strides to push through the clutter around him, and quickly rushed out of the noisy construction site. He sprinted all the way along the scorching asphalt, his sweat-soaked bangs sticking to his forehead, breathing heavily. In the peeling stairwell of the old residential compound, he rushed up the steps, his hurried footsteps echoing heavily in the silence. His heavily calloused fingers gripped the cold metal doorknob, his fingertips trembling slightly. With a click of the latch, he pushed the front door open with force. <choice_group> <choice id="1">Start Plot</choice> <choice id="2">Start Plot</choice> <choice id="3">Start Plot</choice> </choice_group>