CHAPTER 5: Payment

Liu Xian was this close to making it out the door.

This close to leaving before reality could come crashing down on him.

But of course, life wasn't that kind.

"Wait," Dr. Fan's voice called out.

Liu Xian flinched.

He turned back slowly, schooling his face into careful indifference. "What?"

Dr. Fan gave him a pointed look. "Payment."

…Oh.

Right.

That.

Liu Xian exhaled, shifting awkwardly on his feet. He hadn't thought about that. He had just stormed in here, dumped the half-dead stray on the table, and expected things to work themselves out like some clueless idiot. Of course there was a fee. Nothing in this world was free.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Uh… how much?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"¥2,000," Dr. Fan rattled off.

Xian's brain immediately short-circuited.

His entire world tilted.

He blinked. Then blinked again. Surely, he heard wrong.

"…Sorry, what?"

"¥2,000," Dr. Fan repeated.

Xian's soul left his body.

What the hell?

It wasn't just expensive. It was insanely expensive.

Like, "you could feed yourself for a whole damn month" expensive.

For a stray.

That wasn't even his.

Damn. He should've just left the damn thing there. It wasn't even his problem. Why had he even bothered?

Would they… call the cops on him if he doesn't provide the money?

His pulse jumped at the thought.

He could already picture it—cuffed, shoved into the back of a police car, the officers muttering about how "of course it's him" and his father looking at him with that familiar mix of disgust and exhaustion.

No. No way. He was not going through that.

Maybe if he ran right now—

A laugh pulled him out of his spiraling thoughts.

Liu Xian blinked, startled.

Dr. Fan was chuckling. Not in a mocking way. Just… amused.

"You can bring the money later," He stated easily. "Whenever you come to take the dog."

Liu Xian stared.

That was it?

No cops? No yelling? No immediate demand for payment?

"…Seriously?"

Dr. Fan shrugged. "It's not going anywhere."

Liu Xian nodded quickly. "Okay. Yeah. Got it."

Then, just to sell it, he even threw in a bow.

"Thank you," he muttered, keeping his head low.

But in his mind?

He was never coming back here.

No way in hell was he stepping foot on this street again.

There was zero chance he would ever be able to raise that kind of money. He was barely surviving as it was. If it was a choice between keeping himself alive or saving some half-dead stray? It wasn't even a question.

The dog was on its own.

With that final thought, he turned and walked away.

The streets were quieter now.

It was getting late, the sky shifting into that in-between color of fading blue and creeping darkness. Streetlights flickered on, casting long, thin shadows across the pavement.

Liu Xian hunched his shoulders, shoving his hands into his pockets.

He hated this time of day.

It was the part where people really started staring.

During the day, they could pretend they weren't looking. Sneaky side-glances. Whispered comments. But at night?

They didn't bother hiding it.

He could feel their gazes trailing after him. Could hear the hurried footsteps of people crossing the street, just to avoid him.

A shop owner leaned out of his store, scowling.

Even the stray cats lurking near the garbage bins seemed to sense something was off.

Liu Xian exhaled sharply through his nose.

He should be used to this by now.

But sometimes… sometimes, it still got under his skin.

He sped up, ignoring everything and everyone, heading straight for the one place he hated just as much as the streets—home.

His house was just as unwelcoming as the rest of his life.

Small. Cold. Silent.

The lights were off when he stepped inside, and for a second, he thought maybe—maybe—he would get lucky. Maybe his father wasn't home yet.

Then a voice shattered that hope.

"You're late."

Liu Xian flinched.

His father was sitting in the dark, just like always. A single cigarette burned between his fingers, the tip glowing faintly. The sharp scent of smoke filled the air.

Liu Xian didn't answer.

He just kicked off his shoes and moved toward his room.

But, of course, his father wasn't done.

"Where were you?"

Liu Xian hesitated.

If he said nothing, his father would pry. If he said the wrong thing, it would turn into an argument that might spiral to another round of beating.

So he settled for something in between.

"Nowhere important."

A pause.

Then—

"You weren't doing anything… weird, were you?"

Liu Xian gritted his teeth, his grip tightening on the doorframe. "No."

His father exhaled slowly, smoke curling in the air.

"…Good."

That was the end of it.

Or, at least, it should have been.

But for some stupid reason, Liu Xian couldn't stop himself from saying—

"I picked up a dog."

A long silence.

Then his father chuckled. "You?" his father scoffed. "Taking care of a dog?"

Liu Xian's jaw clenched.

His father took another drag from his cigarette, exhaling smoke through his nose. "Do me a favor and don't bring any animals into this house."

"I wasn't planning to," Liu Xian muttered.

Another pause.

"Get you disgusting face out of my sight."

Liu Xian's hands curled into fists. "Yes, father," he interjected, and walked into his room, slamming the door behind him.

The sound echoed through the house and Liu Xian father took another drag from his cigarette. "I would be needing more beer," he muttered under his breath.