Jiang Man believed he was but an insignificant speck of dust in this world of suffering, hidden among the crowds, expected by no one, cared for by no one.

But he forgot: though dust on the ground is tiny and ordinary, once it falls into someone's eye, it becomes an eyesore, a thorn in the flesh, a filthy thing one longs to remove.

Six years ago, Jiang Man chose the gold bars without hesitation and signed the custody waiver with Zong Yanlei.

Six years later, he reappeared before Zong Yanlei and asked for two million without preamble.

From then on, Jiang Man was the biological father of Zong Yanlei's child, and also the blackmailer he despised most.

***

The dreams of my childhood
Were devoured by mold;
My Solomonic sorrows
Drilled through the moon.

—Federico García Lorca