Chapter 1: The Beginning
1225 Words
Slap-
The slap resounded on Joe Smith’s face with a crisp sound. This was the third time Joe had been slapped today.
The one who slapped him was none other than the granddaughter of the Andrew Family, Nicole Andrew; the sheer force of the slap displayed her impeccable shape and appearance.
"Darling, sorry, I was wrong!"
Slap-
That was the fourth slap.
"I have told you not to call me darling in front of others. Call me ‘Young lady’."
"But...but there is no one else here!"
Nicole pointed to the two dogs next to them, "What about them?"
"Yes... but they are dogs."
"Not even in front of a dog."
"Am I not even as good as a dog in your heart?"
Slap-
The fifth slap!
"I am warning you one more time, do not compare yourself with my dogs, or you will suffer!"
"How can you treat me like this?"
"As a son-in-law, you should act according to your status. You must obey me, otherwise, get out of this house. Will you?"
"I..."
"Yes?"
"Yes, I can."
"Feed my dogs, and then get out. Don’t let them starve!”
"Yes, young lady."
When Nicole walked out, Joe touched his cheek and smiled with satisfaction.
"Ten slaps yesterday, five today. Cool, I am making progress. Keep working hard, and you’ll have s*x with her in no time, then... make her suffer what I have suffered!"
A month ago…
Joe felt that his name was totally a joke. It was similar to Joy, but he never felt any joy that life gave him.
Nothing at all.
He was an orphan and grew up in an orphanage. This alone was miserable enough, but life seemed to go against him, and after kicking him to the ground, life stepped on him without mercy.
And it had stepped on him several times.
At three, he fell from the second floor of a building and broke several bones, which almost claimed his life.
At six, he fell into an abandoned well behind the warehouse of the orphanage and almost drowned.
At nine, he was bitten by a wild dog, and had to receive a rabies vaccine, with no one by his side.
When he was twelve, the orphanage caught fire and he was trapped inside. If it had not been for a sudden heavy rain, he would have been burnt alive.
At fifteen, he was struck by lightning. After intense CPR, he finally had his life saved, but with a twenty cm scar on his back.
At eighteen, he was "driven" out of the orphanage because he was now an adult. Although he felt panicked about the outside world, he still had a trace of fantasy and expectation for it. After all, he was about to start a new life. How could it be worse? Was it worse than that orphanage which was like a prison?
Unfortunately, what happened later proved that the situation had indeed become worse.
Wages were very low; being bullied by colleagues; having nowhere to live, and having no one to care for him made him feel like dirt. At least there was food to eat and a bed to sleep in at the orphanage. But now, he did not even have that.
But all this was nothing to him. Although it was very hard, at least he felt free.
Joe usually slept under the overpass. Everyone seemed to leave him alone; however, it was not until a snowy winter night when he was robbed of the remaining few dollars did he realize that even the homeless had their own "territory".
That night was New Year's Eve.
Sitting on the roadside with a blue nose and swollen face, he listened to the firecrackers and looked at the sky full of fireworks, laughing until the tears flowed down his face.
Since then, he had lived a miserable life like a poor dog.
He had thought about ending his life and had stood on the roof of a tall building many times. But every time he looked down at the bustling city and the endless crowds, he would feel that it was a bit useless to die so easily.
"Just try to stay alive. Maybe there will be a turnaround soon." He used to comfort himself.
Although he knew it was all bullshit.
When he turned twenty-one, he met the first person in his life who was concerned about him.
It was the owners of a small restaurant; the couple took Joe in and gave him food, lodging and give him a small amount of pocket money. Although they often looked at Joe like peering at their prey, Joe still felt grateful and felt that there were still good people in the world.
Until one day, the boss told him very tactfully that he hoped that Joe would marry his daughter and become his son-in-law. In return, they would give this small restaurant to Joe. Joe declined tactfully, saying that he was still young and did not want to think about marriage for the time being. The real reason for his rejection was the boss's daughter was a bit insane, she was short, fat and ugly. It would be better to be a bachelor than to marry such a woman. The owner insisted but Joe still refused them. It was either marry his daughter or get out.
Joe chose to get out immediately.
Time flied; he was twenty-two now. And finally, God seemed to show some sympathy to Joe.
It was a foggy day, and Joe was picking up rubbish along his "business area" as usual.
This was his biggest gain in the past few years. He finally had a place of his own! Well, to put it bluntly, they were just twenty trash cans on a pedestrian street. But he was very satisfied, because these twenty barrels of garbage were enough for him to cope with the cheap rent and basic food and clothing, and he even had money to buy a few books from the thrift store.
As for buying books, it was not because of his eagerness to learn, but because it was the cheapest kind of spiritual consumer good. A thick old book only cost a few dollars. After reading it, he could treat it as scrap. It was a great bargain.
Joe searched every trash can patiently as usual, not letting go of any shredded paper or bottles. The first, second, third... When he reached the tenth trash can, he sat on the wooden bench nearby to rest as usual.
It was very foggy, so the chairs were damp, and no one wanted to sit down to have a rest except for beggars like him.
He inadvertently shook his hand back, and he touched something soft. Joe turned his head and saw that it was a beige handbag, which looked very high-end and valuable. His eyes widened in surprise, he thought there would be money inside it, or something very valuable.
He had fantasized about this situation countless times, but it was the first time his dream came true.
Joe reflexively looked around. No one saw him, and there were no surveillance cameras nearby, so he quickly put the bag in his bag and hurried back to his house.
- Writer
