Chapter 95: When the Wall Falls, Everyone Pushes

Even as the Qin Feng Empire surged forward, daring to stand firm against established families like Rothschild, on the rubble he had personally crushed in Nanzhou City, a vivid drama of human indifference and worldly cruelty unfolded.

The Qin Zhigang family had completely collapsed.

The company went bankrupt, assets reduced to zero, and they were burdened with debts so massive they could never repay them in generations. The former "Director Qin," once a respected figure in Nanzhou's business circles, had become a "plague-bringer" everyone avoided, even a punchline used by some to warn themselves or simply for amusement.

The once-decent villa they had lived in had long been seized and auctioned off by the bank. Qin Zhigang, with his second wife and son Qin Hao, now rented a single, dim, damp room of less than fifty square meters in a filthy, chaotic urban village on the city's edge. The air was perpetually thick with mildew and the cheap stench of frying oil drifting from next door.

Qin Hao, who once spent money like water and strutted with arrogance, now crouched like a plucked rooster on a creaking, broken sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling choked with spiderwebs. His branded clothes, his sports car, the "friends" who once flocked around him—all vanished. The crushing disparity and brutal reality had nearly broken him; he wandered through each day in a daze, complaining or staring into space, occasionally taking odd jobs only to quit after a few days, complaining they were too tiring or paid too little.

His second wife had long lost her former sharpness and cruelty, spending her days weeping, blaming Qin Zhigang for his incompetence, cursing fate's injustice; sometimes she erupted into violent arguments with him, hurling accusations that drained the last shreds of warmth from their crumbling, temporary "home."

And Qin Zhigang was the most pained of them all. He bore not only the crushing weight of lost wealth and overwhelming debt, but also the humiliation of being abandoned by all and scorned by everyone.

Today, Qin Zhigang mustered his courage and went to see a former business partner—someone he'd once been on decent terms with, someone who had once benefited from his favors—hoping to borrow money or find work, even just guarding a gate, anything to survive.

He rose early, dug out the only still-clean suit from the bottom of his trunk, though long outdated, and carefully ironed it flat, trying to preserve the last shred of dignity. He arrived outside the man's company building, paced for a long time, then finally gathered the courage to walk in.

The receptionist recognized him; a flicker of surprise and barely concealed disdain passed through her eyes, but she still announced him inside.

Moments later, the former "friend," now Director Zhang, stepped out. He did not invite Qin Zhigang into his office, but stood in the bustling reception area, his face wearing an expression of detachment, pity, and faint impatience.

"Lao Qin, what brings you here?" Director Zhang's tone was neutral, neither cold nor warm.

Qin Zhigang forced a submissive, almost groveling smile: "Lao Zhang, I… I've run into some trouble lately. Could you… lend me some money to tide me over? Or is there any job you have I could do? I don't care what it is—I'll do anything!"

Hearing this, Director Zhang's face twisted in discomfort; he sighed. "Lao Qin, it's not that I won't help you. You know how hard business is these days! My own funds are tight too. As for work… our company hires only young people now, with high standards. You… ah, I'm afraid you're not a good fit."

He patted Qin Zhigang's shoulder, his tone "sincere": "Let me tell you, Lao Qin, you should go find your son—Qin Feng! He's such a big boss now; even a drop leaking from his fingers would be enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life! Father and son don't hold grudges overnight!"

These words pierced Qin Zhigang's heart like the sharpest needle. His smile froze instantly; his face drained of color. He had come to Director Zhang only as a final, desperate attempt—and yet he received not just a blunt refusal, but a humiliation disguised as advice.

Occasional employees passing by cast curious, probing glances, making him feel as if needles pricked his back.

"I… I understand. Sorry for the trouble." Qin Zhigang's voice was dry; he nearly fled from there.

Walking down the noisy street, the sunlight was blinding, yet Qin Zhigang felt icy cold. He recalled how, in the past, Director Zhang had smiled at him, called him brother, begged him for help with projects… Now, he wouldn't even let him sit in his office.

This, was reality.

When the wall falls, everyone pushes. When the drum breaks, everyone beats it.

This was only the beginning.

Afterward, he tried contacting several other former "friends," even distant relatives. The outcome was the same without exception.

Some outright refused to answer his calls; some answered, heard his voice, and hung up with a flimsy excuse; others, like Director Zhang, pretended politeness while refusing, always reminding him to beg Qin Feng; worse still, some openly mocked him, saying he deserved it—for abandoning his first wife and son, now he reaped his karma!

Even his second wife's family, who had always doted on Qin Hao, gave him only a few hundred yuan when he came begging, then slammed the door shut, clearly stating they would have no further contact, fearing association.

True abandonment by all, utter destitution.

Qin Zhigang wandered aimlessly down the street, watching the bustling traffic, the expensive goods in shop windows, the well-dressed people laughing and chatting… All of it had nothing to do with him anymore. He had once possessed it all, yet lost it completely—in the most humiliating, disgraceful way.

Crushing regret, like a venomous snake, gnawed at his heart day and night. If only… if only he had treated his first wife better, shown Qin Feng more love, would the outcome have been different?

Unfortunately, there is no remedy for regret.

He returned listlessly to the dim rental room, greeted by his second wife's weeping curses and Qin Hao's vacant stare.

This family had already fallen apart.

He slumped onto the cold chair, staring out the window at the equally gray sky, his eyes filled only with utter despair and stillness.

He finally understood: from the moment Qin Feng decided to strike him, he had already fallen into an endless abyss—not merely the loss of wealth, but the total collapse of social ties, the complete trampling of his dignity.

All of this hurt more than death.

And the architect of all this might have already forgotten him.

Do you need to remember an ant you've crushed?

No.

This tragedy in Nanzhou City meant nothing to Qin Feng, far above in the clouds—it wasn't even a minor footnote. His world was racing forward at light speed, leaving behind only dust crushed under wheels… and the eternal truth:

When the wall falls, everyone pushes.