The Death Knell

The reason why he is still working overtime in the office is not because he is not tired, but because he finally managed to take a photo of eating a banana today, so he has to post it no matter what.

Although the editor-in-chief didn't like this news at all, he at least gave him an inconspicuous small box and an inconspicuous link on the website.

I could have gone home and written a manuscript, but unfortunately I fell asleep while typing at home a few days ago, knocked over my coffee cup and burned the computer motherboard. I haven't had time to repair it these days.

The most critical problem is that he has no money. He has to pay rent, eat, buy cigarettes and alcohol, and has no extra money to buy computer accessories. Now I just hope that the click-through rate of this news will be higher, and the editor-in-chief can give me a bonus of dozens of dollars.

After thinking about it, he pressed the last button and handed the news to the backend, waiting for the responsible colleague to handle it when he took over.

He sighed. It was quiet in the dark office, and the night was deep. Only the orange lights of other buildings outside the window were reflected, making it look distant and dull.

He straightened his tie, rubbed his sore eyes, and drank the cold coffee in one gulp.

Turn off the computer, cut off the power, lock the office door, and walk out of the building.

He was like thousands of the same wandering soul, floating numbly in this city, drifting towards the place he called home.

Fortunately, the season was not bad. In summer, even if the night was deep and the temperature was not low, he could drive back slowly.

Su Ming had mixed feelings about the editor-in-chief. He hated the other person's snobbishness and foul-mouthed words, but he was also grateful that he never really fired her and that he could at least have a basic salary to support his family every month.

But if this continues, will there really be any chance of success? This city is so big that ordinary people are just numbers on the statistics table.

Su Ming drove on the empty street, accompanied only by dim street lights. Looking at the bustling entertainment venue across the road not far away, the luxuriously dressed people laughed loudly, and he could only sigh with envy.

Keep driving with your head down, go home and sleep.

"Pfft...pfft..."

"Farke!"

The more anxious he was to get home, the worse his luck became. His car was an old Ford that had an unknown number of hands. It made two weird fart sounds just now, and then broke down on the side of the road.

Su Ming was so angry that he slammed his hands on the steering wheel and cursed loudly.

But this is not a vending machine. A few punches and a few kicks will return it to normal.

And I don’t know what the malfunction was, but thick smoke came out of the vents of the air conditioner, instantly filling the entire cab.

"Cough cough cough... cough cough..."

Su Ming struggled for a long time, finally unbuckled his seat belt, pushed open the car door, and lay down on the roadside and coughed. His eyes, nose, and trachea all hurt, and he felt dizzy and almost dying.

"Hahaha......"

The people across the road burst into laughter standing at the door of the luxury nightclub. They immediately saw the classic car filled with smoke, like a fish tank filled with white mist.

Not long after, another person ran out covered in smoke and fell to the side of the road, coughing non-stop.

It’s so interesting, and it adds something new to the boring nightlife.

No one intends to help him, everyone is just a bystander watching the excitement. Anyone who drives such a broken car looks like a pauper, and it is more comical for people who see a bleak life to be unlucky unexpectedly.

They not only want to watch it, but also take pictures with their mobile phones and quickly send it to Twitter. The most important thing is to earn a wave of likes from their friends.

At this moment, an open flame suddenly burst out from under the hood of the car, instantly lighting up everyone's faces.

"Wow~~~!"

The crowd of onlookers became more excited, more people took out their mobile phones, and more people who heard the news ran out from various night entertainment venues.

Feeling the heat wave behind him, Su Ming hurriedly crawled forward, turned around and stood up, and felt extremely heartbroken as he watched his car burning hotter and hotter.

"Fake!......Fake!" He took several steps, but was forced back by the flames.

This was his only means of transportation. It was due to the lack of finances and the disrepair that it ended up like this.

But I had to snatch the guy who was eating out of the car, the SLR camera and a complete set of lenses borrowed from the newspaper. Those things were not cheap at all.

But the fire was getting bigger and bigger, the hood was scorched black, and the rolling heat wave made it impossible for him to get close. Even the bystanders consciously stepped back in a large circle to avoid being affected by the vehicle explosion.

I don’t know why, but Su Ming is very afraid of fire. His girlfriend at home often laughs at him because he doesn’t even dare to use the oven.

In such a situation, he could do nothing but wander around in panic on the roadside, shouting for help.

There was no help at all. Metropolis is the largest city in the United States, and the people here are extremely indifferent. No one will meddle in other people's business.

Maybe it's possible for older people, who have the excellent moral character of the old times, but this street is an entertainment street, so what good people can be found here in the middle of the night?

In addition to the rich second generation who are drunk and drugged, there are also gangsters who watch the scene and collect protection fees. If we expect these people to be enthusiastic to help, why not kneel down and pray to see if God will let it rain?

Just when Su Ming was about to despair, two people suddenly rushed in from outside the crowd. A man wearing glasses started to put out the fire in Su Ming's car with a hand-held fire extinguisher.

The other woman started taking photos constantly and took out a voice recorder to interview passers-by, looking very excited.

After a few minutes, the fire was extinguished and the people who had no fun to watch dispersed.

The man took off his glasses, wiped the sweat from his face with his shirt sleeves, smiled, walked to Su Ming on the roadside, and patted his shoulder.

"Slade? What's that about you? Are you hurt?"

Su Ming was just afraid of fire. After the flames were extinguished, his mood became much more stable: "I'm fine, thank you, Clark."

"You're welcome. We are colleagues. Even if we are not colleagues, if someone needs help on the road, it is what I should do to help."

The strong man grabbed Su Ming's arm and checked it back and forth. After making sure there was nothing wrong, he showed a relieved look.

"They... don't think so." Su Ming looked at the people leaving. The backs of each one were almost carved from the same mold.

Clark's smile also stiffened. He rubbed his hands, pulled Su Ming to his car, and helped him find his camera and lens bag from the smoke-filled car.

Then he found the towing cable and hung the wreckage of Su Ming's vehicle behind his own car. Fortunately, only two front wheels were punctured, so he should be able to tow it back.

After doing all this, he also sat in the passenger seat, opened the storage box, took out a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Su Ming: "It's wrong of them to do that. Helping others is what all humans should know."

Su Ming, who was sitting in the back seat, sighed and took the mineral water bottle without unscrewing it. Instead, he first checked whether the camera and lens were damaged.

It was a blessing in misfortune, perhaps because the appearance of Clark and Lois really brought some good luck, and these expensive gadgets were all intact.

It's just that the backpack is a little dirty and covered in white foam from the fire extinguisher.

He unscrewed the water bottle and took a few sips. Just as he was about to talk to Clark, the driver's door opened and Louise got in with a smile on her face.

She suddenly saw the blackened Su Ming and realized that it was wrong for her to smile like that. She immediately suppressed it and her face turned red.

"Sorry, Slade, I just thought of a piece of good news and got a little excited." Louise stretched out her hand sympathetically to hold the back of Su Ming's hand: "I'm also very sorry for your loss."

Su Ming didn't get angry because of these trivial things. After all, it was someone else who helped rescue the camera.

"It doesn't matter. I'm a reporter too. I can understand that feeling." Clark kept staring at Louise's hand, which made Su Ming feel very awkward. He pulled his hand back in embarrassment and leaned on the back seat of the car: " Can you tell me about the news topic? Isn’t it also making fun of me?”

Louise shook her head, her golden-red hair spread out: "No, I have already thought of the news title, which is 'Vehicles on fire on the road, citizens watch indifferently', what do you think? I want to condemn these indifferences Insensitive people dig out the problems that exist in society and put them in front of everyone's eyes."

Su Ming nodded. There seemed to be no problem with the topic: "I just don't know if the editor-in-chief will pass it."

"No problem, whatever I want to publish, the editor-in-chief will approve it." Louise turned around with a smile and started to start the car: "I am a social and livelihood reporter, not a paparazzi in the entertainment industry... .”

Clark's face elongated, he winked at her secretly, and shook his head slightly. The entertainment paparazzi that Louise mentioned was Slade...

Louise shrunk her neck, pursed her lips, and stopped talking.

Today, there were more than a dozen news stories in a row, and the two of them have been busy until now. Maybe she drank too much coffee, and she was a little too excited, saying the wrong things and doing the wrong things.

She was really confused. Hey, she knocked on the top of her head with her fist and looked at Su Ming apologetically in the rearview mirror.

Su Ming just smiled. There was nothing to be angry about. After all, what people said was the truth. He was indeed an entertainment paparazzi, or a street paparazzi who had not found any big news in several years.

I have long been accustomed to being discriminated against. The truly successful paparazzi are the ones who have photographed the scandals of big stars, negotiated privately to extort a large sum of money, and then immediately quit.

I have never heard of anyone winning a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on celebrity scandals. Among reporters, entertainment paparazzi are at the bottom.

However, although the reputation is not good, the money scene is broad and it is not a dream to get rich overnight. This is why Su Ming entered the industry in the first place.

Not to mention that the family is poor, but at least they have little savings, and they are still an orphan. What else can they do except gamble on whether they can get lucky? Any other issues must be considered before you have a full meal!

Clark touched his hair and changed the topic in view of the low air pressure in the car. He asked where Su Ming lived. Louise drove Su Ming home first.

Su Ming stopped being polite and told the address of his rental house. The car turned in another direction. The two men also started chatting, talking about rugby or horse racing, and the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

But at this moment, Louise, who was driving the car, seemed to think of something and suddenly asked: "Slade, does your car have insurance? If you don't have insurance, wouldn't it be burned if it was burned..."

Clark started to wink again. Colleagues knew about Slade's family background to some extent, so how could they have money to buy insurance?

Su Ming smiled and said nothing, like a Bodhisattva in the temple: "..."

And deep down in his heart, he has already nicknamed Clark and Lois the 'heart-breaking siblings'. Yes, lovers eventually become brothers and sisters.