Chapter 554: The Human Heart
After having nothing, Eric couldn’t go anywhere. He was heavily in debt, and his wife and children had left him. From a high and mighty entrepreneur, he had become a down-and-out man who had to haggle over that little bit of money even to have a meal. At his age, this was really quite hard to accept. Even if he comforted himself that he would have a chance to make a comeback, to be honest, this was not a simple matter. How many people in life had been able to successfully start a business again after experiencing bankruptcy? First of all, the problem of funds was enough to make people worry, not to mention that Eric owed so much money.
The loan sharks had finally come to his door, chasing him for debts. But how could Eric possibly have the money? These people could only beat him up, search him for the money that Yu Jiayang had given him before, and then stuff it into their pockets.
“Wait, this money was lent to me by Kevin!”
“Your rival? You’ve really fallen to such a state that even your rival has to pity you. Look at yourself, like a dog. If you hadn’t lost this contest, would you have fallen to this state?”
The man who was leading the debt collection had kicked Eric into a corner of the wall, his face full of mockery. He had been a debt collector for a long time and had seen all kinds of people. People like Eric were not in the minority. He had seen many of them.
Eric was covered in injuries, his nose was bruised and his face was swollen, and his clothes were also stained with a lot of dust.
“No, you’re not allowed to say that about him…”
“This is a fact, Eric Adams. You lost to him. You were a complete failure in business. Look at yourself. You have nothing, nothing at all. Look at your rival. He beat you and took everything from you. His company is bigger and bigger than before. He is about to reach the Fortune 500 that you once dreamed of, and his wife and children are very happy, and his family is perfect. These are all things you don’t have.”
“Shut up! Don’t say any more!”
The man laughed and kicked him two more times.
“But do you dare to say that you don’t hate him at all? I believe you would think so. I’ve seen too many people like you. A person is just such a creature. Everyone is selfish. They say such nice things on their lips, but in their hearts, isn’t it just that? I’ll be back. Remember to get the money together next time.”
They had left.
Eric was leaning against a corner of the wall alone, in a daze. He had no money in his hands, and not many friends he could rely on. Many of his friends had refused to take him in. At this time, very few people were willing to lend him money. Besides his rival, Yu Jiayang, almost no one would lend him money.
Once a person is down and out, all his usual drinking and gambling friends are gone. On the contrary, the rival he had been competing with all along had become his only comfort. He had also thought about whether to go and borrow some more money from Yu Jiayang, but his heart was always a little uncomfortable.
He was walking on the road. After simply applying some medicine, he had come to the entrance of the Yu family. He stood at the entrance, hesitating whether to go in. Suddenly, from a distance, he had heard the sound of playing in the courtyard. The sound was that of a child.
“Mama, mama…”
“Coming, coming. Don’t go too far. Don’t leave mama’s sight. Be good.”
“Mama, I also want one!”
“Haha, Yueyue, you also love to act spoiled. Come on, you two sisters together.”
Eric had secretly peeked and had found that it was Catherine and her two daughters playing in the courtyard. Her face was full of smiles, and the two girls were also laughing very happily with their mother. The affection between a mother and her daughters was really enviable to a bystander.
Eric had watched for a while, and he had chosen to leave.
Unfair.
For some reason, he had such a thought in his heart.
Yes, he felt it was unfair. They were both rivals, both people who worked in the same circle. Why were they of the same people but of different fates?
He said he didn’t hate Yu Jiayang. Yu Jiayang had helped him. He understood all the principles. He also understood that this matter had nothing to do with Yu Jiayang. He had just had bad luck and had gone bankrupt. This had nothing to do with Yu Jiayang directly.
Yes, he was very clear in his heart.
But he couldn’t help but be jealous.
He even felt that his heart was particularly unbalanced. Why did he have everything, and why did he, Eric himself, have nothing? Especially now, with the days of having one meal and not the next, worrying about food and lodging every day, and also having to solve the problem of debts. Most importantly, the contrast in his life was too great. In the past, he had lived in a magnificent and luxurious place, indulging in a life of luxury, and had never been short of money. But now, to repay his debts, to survive, he had to learn to be frugal. For Eric, who was used to a good life, this was really hard to accept.
For a moment, he couldn’t accept the blow, let alone endure such a hardship.
He was in a lot of pain.
“Why…”
“On what grounds…”
His heart was extremely unbalanced. The jealousy was getting greater and greater, and the gap in his heart was also getting bigger and bigger. But in the end, he couldn’t help but be hostile to Yu Jiayang.
Yu Jiayang would sometimes find Eric and would verbally say he would lend him some money. But Yu Jiayang had recently discovered that Eric was becoming more and more cold to him, and his eyes were also getting stranger and stranger. Yu Jiayang felt uncomfortable and had reduced the number of times he had met with him. And then Eric had become even more unbalanced.
Sometimes, everyone knows that they have to be reasonable, to be sensible. But the human heart is ugly. When a person starts to be down and out, the first thing they think of is surely themselves. And after a long period of suppression, their heart will surely have a time of distortion.
Humans are all selfish. No one has truly achieved selflessness. Those who can achieve selflessness are not ordinary people. More people are considering themselves, thinking about how to make themselves more comfortable. It’s like when a person does something, if they don’t do it well, the first thing they think of is not to reflect, but to think of pushing the blame to others. That way, they can make themselves more comfortable.
When a person has done something wrong, to want to ask others for forgiveness is not because they really want to change, but to make their own heart more comfortable.
Human nature is like this.
“This is not fair! Why can he have everything, and I have nothing? He has a company, he has employees, he has money and status, he has a wife and children. And me? Where are mine…”
Eric had fallen into a vicious cycle. He really couldn’t figure it out, nor could he walk out of this vicious cycle.
He had already driven himself crazy.
He said that his rival was a friend, and that he could not be harmed. But a person’s heart, where was it so easy to guess? Eric had gone bankrupt, his wife and children had left him, he had nothing, and he was also in huge debt. For a moment, he really couldn’t figure it out.
Jealousy, hatred, all sorts of negative emotions surrounded him, causing him to be unhappy every day, and to be trapped in a vicious cycle every day, unable to walk out.
One day, he really couldn’t go on. He had almost driven himself crazy. Eric had taken a risk and had stolen a wallet on the street, and then he had been caught and had been beaten fiercely. This night, he was holding the wall, his injuries making it difficult for him to move. He sat down against a corner of the wall. The night was so lively, the people on the road were laughing so happily, and the little children were so happy with their parents. But what about him? He had once had this happiness too.
Eric was unwilling, very unwilling. On what grounds did he have to live this kind of life? On what grounds did he have to become a contemptible, low-class person? He was originally a person from high society, a person who belonged to the upper class. He should be in a magnificent hall, savoring red wine, enjoying a high-end steak, wearing a luxurious suit, and talking to people. That was high society.
And not like now, with one meal and not the next, with people chasing for debts at his place of residence every day, and the money in his hands only decreasing and not increasing. And the high-interest loan he had taken out had plunged him into an increasingly difficult life.
He didn’t want to go on like this.
“Dammit! Dammit! On what grounds do I have to live a life worse than a pig or a dog! Go to hell, you damn God!”
“Why does that guy have everything? Why can he have a perfect family? Why did my wife have to leave me? It’s not my fault!”
“Why do you have to be so far away from me? You said such nice things before, that you were my eternal friend. Bullshit! Dammit! If I had money, if I were like before, I wouldn’t be like this!”
“Rather than living a life worse than a pig or a dog, I’d rather die!”
At this moment, his twisted heart had made him completely lose himself. From this day on, he could no longer walk out of this vicious cycle.
…
A few days later, Eric had washed his face in a park. After wiping it clean, he was thinking of finding some decent work to earn some money.
Walking on the road, Eric had suddenly found Catherine going out with her child, holding Little Linna in her arms, and holding Little Xiayue’s hand. Her whole person was smiling brilliantly. She was still saying something to her child, but her two children seemed to be very happy. Although Catherine was known as the Hollywood queen, in private, she was also a mother. At home, she was a mother who doted on her daughter, and at work, she was an extremely serious actress.
The more Eric looked, the more he disliked it. Looking at Catherine’s brilliant smile, and also the smiles of the two children, the fire of jealousy in his heart had made him unable to control himself.
He clearly knew that that was wrong, that it was not okay. But he couldn’t control the thoughts deep in his heart. At this moment, he had been dominated by his emotions.
“Alright, Nana, you can also come down and walk a bit. You can’t always be in mama’s embrace. You have to learn to walk independently.”
Catherine had put her own child down. Little Linna had a look of reluctance, still wanting her mama’s embrace. She reached out and grabbed her mama’s clothes, looking at her own mama with pleading eyes.
“No, you have to walk by yourself. You can’t act spoiled. Otherwise, mama won’t bother with you anymore.”
Catherine pretended to be angry to scare her. The very young Linna’s eyes immediately became teary, and she hugged her mama’s thigh, wiping her tears.
“No, no…”
She was reluctant to leave her mama’s embrace, reluctant to leave her mama’s warmth. Even if it was acting spoiled, she still wanted to get more of her mama’s care.
Catherine was a little soft-hearted, seeing this child so lovable. But she still hardened her heart. She held Little Xiayue’s hand with one hand, and Little Linna’s hand with the other.
“This way, there will be no problem. Come on, you two have to hold on to mama’s hand. Do you understand?”
Catherine took her two children and walked into the mall with a beaming smile. At this time, she was still maintaining a brilliant smile as usual. Besides Little Linna being a little not so happy, it seemed that there was nothing different from usual.
Eric wrapped his own coat tightly, a trace of something he himself did not notice in his eyes. He had followed them. At this moment, he surely did not know what he would become in the future…
Little Linna had followed her mama into the mall, and had been shopping for a long time. Catherine had even bought her new clothes. Little Linna looked very happy. She had followed Catherine and was walking on the way home, smiling brilliantly. Eric looked at that back, at that mother and three, and then at the youngest child. He had an even bigger idea in his heart.
Yes, he could have many choices, more choices. But first of all, the matter of money, he had to solve it. To be able to get money in a short time, and also to make his rival, Yu Jiayang, heartbroken, there was only this one low-class method.
He had started to think of some things…
