Chapter 2 of the City of Compound Interest: Red Rose

Original Blue Star Network Notes Blue Star Network Notes

July 25, 2025 23:58 Zhejiang Listen to full text Starred

In July 2022, Hangzhou, dark clouds came suddenly, like a gray bed sheet covering half of the sky.

At the entrance of the Yuhang District police station, under the sycamore tree by the roadside, sat a middle-aged man about 33 years old, wearing a pair of flip-flops, gray shorts, and a blue and white short-sleeve shirt that was so wrinkled it was unrecognizable. There were seven or eight cigarette butts on the ground.

He lit another cigarette, holding it with his right hand while sliding his phone with his left hand.

You guessed it right, that's me, Blue Star.

An ordinary person who came out of a rural area in Ganzhou. A person who relies on writing and on the "compound interest system" to make a living.

Now, coming out of the police inquiry room, sitting under this tree, it feels like my feet are rooted.

Messages in the compound interest group are popping up nonstop.

Some question, some comfort, some remain silent.

I scrolled for a while, not wanting to go back, and chose to remain silent.

Input box, enter: Liu Ming.

I sent a message: "I'm coming to find you now, where are you?"

He quickly replied: Come to West Lake and take a walk. Move around a bit, break a sweat, it will be good for you right now.

Immediately afterwards, a location was sent.

I stared at the screen for a few seconds, moved my finger, and replied with a "good."

I opened Didi to book a ride.

Then, I smoked two more cigarettes.

The wind is a bit damp, the sky is starting to turn gray, as if it's about to cry.

It started to rain just as I got on the bus.

The window was gently tapped by the rain, and the driver turned on the wipers, which squeaked and squeaked against the windshield.

I didn't speak, leaning against the back seat, watching the dim streetlights outside stretch, shorten, and stretch again.

There is a radio in the car.

The host's voice was lazy, as if just waking up: "The next song is dedicated to everyone who yearns for love, Eason Chan's 'Red Rose'."

As the prelude begins, I close my eyes, but what emerges in my mind is not love.

It's Lin Feng.

It was his last check-in message.

"As I kept writing, I just ran out of energy."

I opened my eyes and stared at the driver's bald head, suddenly asking:
"Master, do you know that someone jumped off a building in Hangzhou a few days ago?"

The driver didn't look back, made a right turn with a bit of a lazy tone, and said: "The news mentioned it, right there by the Binjiang, the head got smashed to pieces, oh, I don't know the specifics." That son of a turtle is so irresponsible, he doesn't even think about how to take care of his wife and kids in the future!

I sighed, adjusted my posture slightly, leaned forward and said: His name is Lin Feng, he is a friend of mine in the compound interest group.

The master turned back to take a look at me: Oh, he's your friend? Then why would he jump off a building? He's still so young; it's better to live like a dog than to die a good death.

I stared at the rain curtain outside the window, the sound a bit muffled:
He wants to turn his life around through writing, has accumulated a huge debt, doesn't have any skills, and just wants to try writing articles, making videos, gaining followers, and making money... He said he has read my work and knows that I was once in debt, and he believes he can do it too.

The driver remained silent and continued driving.

I whispered, "I just came out of the police station and only learned that he had left a few days ago."

I stared at the rain lines outside the window, saying one sentence at a time:

"He has a daughter. Some time ago, he wanted to buy a piano for her, but he didn't have enough money and was urged by his creditors, so he took a gamble - he took out another online loan to trade cryptocurrencies and open contracts, but ended up getting liquidated."

"Later, the person just left."

The car was quiet for a long time, only the sound of rain.

The driver sighed and said, "Sigh... what a hard life it is."

I asked, "Do you mean... am I responsible?"

The driver didn't answer immediately. After a while, he said: "You didn't push him to jump off the building, and you definitely weren't on the scene when he jumped, so what responsibility do you have? Besides, choosing to die is his freedom, and you can't control that. Were you very close to him?"

I smiled, a bitter kind of smile, "He transferred me six thousand six, considering him my paying student."

"That's even less your concern. People are too anxious these days. They always want to achieve everything in one go, to get rich overnight. Our ancestors used to say to take it step by step."

I nodded and didn't say anything else.

After driving for a while, we arrived at West Lake.

The driver suddenly turned to me and said, "That girl... you can help her out, organize some donations. The person is gone, and the girl is still young. She'll have to live on as she grows up."

I looked down at my phone, and Lin Feng's profile picture was still lit up.

My finger is hovering over the screen, I haven't clicked in.

A few seconds later, I whispered:

I will find a way.

I wonder what Liu Ming will say after hearing this.

But... I want to ask him.