When Worlds Apart Collide

Back when I was 20, I supported a girlfriend.

I paid for her education and even found the best doctors for her mother, who had cancer. The sweet, brilliant girl stayed with me for four years.

However, my family went bankrupt after my parents died. I even injured my eyes and broke my legs.

I watched her have a heart-to-heart talk with her childhood friend, tears in her eyes. I left without a word, and she never sought me out.

Years later, I saw her again while picking up trash outside a hotel. She had become a wealthy CEO and was about to marry her childhood sweetheart. Her gaze at me was cold and indifferent.

I bitterly asked, "Do you still hate me?"

Yet, with tears streaming down her face, she replied, "Yes… I wish you were dead."

Back when I was 30, I became homeless, picking up trash for a living.

That day, I was picking up trash on the streets with a woven sack as usual.

It was only 10:00 AM, but that street was particularly lively. Yet, everyone who walked past me would cover their nose in disgust.

I knew they despised me, but I had long been used to this sort of gaze.

Slightly lowering my head, I continued picking up trash from a trash can in front of a hotel.

The trash reeked, but I still rummaged through it, wearing rough gloves and straining on tiptoe.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the hotel entrance.

A luxury car slowly pulled up at the hotel entrance. The staff stood in a line, hands clasped before them, greeting the guests with utmost respect.

The next second, a familiar figure got out of the car.

I narrowed my eyes, and the moment I made out that face, a sharp jolt ran through my chest. I almost lost hold of the bag in my hands.

It was Joey Taylor.

Joey wore a custom-made wool coat, the tiny gems on her high heels were like sparkling stars beneath her feet, while priceless jewels swayed around her ears.

She was still as beautiful as she was 6 years ago, but her face now bore the proud bearing of a noble.

A man was standing beside her. It was Marcus Gray, Joey's childhood friend.

Marcus wore a perfectly-tailored suit, and the watch on his wrist gleamed in the sunlight.

Perhaps the drive tired her out, Joey seemed quite exhausted, and even her long brown hair was a little messy.

Marcus gently tucked her loose hair behind her ear. Then, he held her hand, and they smiled at each other.

Their lovey-dovey scene was like a thin needle stabbing into my heart.

Nonetheless, I still kept my eyes wide open, greedily taking in every view of Joey's face. I knew this might be the last chance I'd see Joey in real life.

She was now a CEO and one of the wealthiest people in the world. She was no longer a person living in the same world as me.

Soon, she'd be moving her company headquarters overseas, and moving overseas with Marcus.

If I wanted to see her, I could only see her through public advertisement screens, and only know about her situation through the news.

Thinking about this, my heart hurt so badly that I could barely breathe.

Not far away, Joey straightened up, then bent down again to carry a little girl about 5 years old out of the car.

The little girl had just woken up, rubbing her eyes while calling out to her, "Mom!"

I stood in the corner, feeling the cold wind blowing through my tattered cotton jacket, then piercing into my heart.

When I saw Marcus gently protecting Joey and her daughter, tears welled up in my eyes.

It turned out that their kid was already this big.