A skilled servant

What is luck? Luck is when, while squatting over a latrine, someone else’s wallet falls in, and you only drop your lighter. Xu Feng always believed he was lucky. Just the other night, he and a classmate had been flirting with a woman at a bar. His classmate received a slap in the face, while Xu Feng only got spat on. Of course, Xu Feng had started the flirting. Staggering slightly from drunkenness, Xu Feng made his way home, thinking about the test results from the hospital. He wondered if he had exhausted all his luck over the past twenty years. “Boom…” A flash of lightning split the sky, followed by the roar of thunder. July weather was as fickle as a woman's mood—changing suddenly. The lightning tore through the sky, making it as bright as day. Xu Feng looked up to see the sky covered in a layer of gray, ominous clouds. “Damn it, it's going to rain.” Xu Feng shook his head but didn’t quicken his pace. He continued to walk with unsteady steps. The cool breeze before the storm sobered him up a bit. “Hey, young man, it’s going to rain soon. Hurry up and take shelter!” An old man selling items under an awning called out to Xu Feng as he noticed his unsteady walk. Xu Feng turned to look. The old man’s face was lined with wrinkles, showing the marks of age. Xu Feng didn’t follow his advice to take shelter but instead smiled and said, “Old man, it’s going to rain heavily soon. You’d better pack up and head home.” The old man smiled back, his wrinkles bunching together without any harshness, giving him a kind appearance. “Haha, let’s wait a bit longer. I usually sell until two in the morning, and it’s only midnight now.” Xu Feng took a couple of steps forward, casually picking out a few items from the old man’s stall. He handed over a hundred-yuan note without haggling. A person who still kept their stall open at two in the morning must be struggling in life. Ten or twenty yuan might not mean much to Xu Feng, but for the old man, it might be essential for his livelihood. So, Xu Feng rarely bargained with stall vendors, even though he had dated a girlfriend who loved to haggle. He would always stop her from doing so. If there were any other options, who would want to be out selling goods at this hour? The old man took the hundred-yuan note, fumbled in his pocket, and awkwardly said, “Young man, I can’t give you change. Maybe you can come back another time.” Xu Feng smiled and said, “How about this? I’ll take a few pairs of sandals.” Xu Feng thought to himself that since he was already carrying things, he might as well buy a few pairs of sandals from the old man. If necessary, he could slap some brand labels on them and sell them to his brand-conscious friends. He could probably make a few hundred yuan! “But a hundred yuan is still too much,” the old man said honestly, looking a bit uneasy. The sandals were only ten yuan a pair, and the items Xu Feng had chosen added up to just over seventy yuan. Seeing the old man’s reaction, Xu Feng was about to grab a few more pairs of sandals when his gaze was drawn to a stone. It wasn’t particularly attractive—just a regular brick with some moss that had turned it green. “Old man, I’ll take this stone for a hundred yuan,” Xu Feng said, thinking that he could use this stone to smash the BMW parked downstairs. It was an eyesore. The old man was taken aback by Xu Feng’s request. This stone was something he had picked up from a demolished old house to weigh down his stall's cover and prevent it from blowing away. It wasn’t worth anything! “Young man…” The old man was about to say something when Xu Feng cut him off. “Let’s just do it this way.” Without waiting for the old man’s reply, Xu Feng grabbed a few pairs of sandals and the stone, then walked away. The sky continued to rumble with thunder. Xu Feng’s comical appearance—carrying the stone in one hand and the sandals in the other—made a few passing women laugh, covering their mouths. Xu Feng whistled at the women, but before he could flirt, they shouted, “Stop whistling or I’ll pull your feathers out!” Xu Feng broke into a sweat, thinking that modern women were becoming increasingly bold. ... The thunder continued, but the rain still hadn’t come. As Xu Feng entered the elevator and saw the BMW parked downstairs, he looked at the stone in his hand and grinned. He planned to throw it down to smash the BMW, hoping it would finally stop bothering him. Xu Feng took the elevator up to his home on the twentieth floor, thinking that dropping the stone from this height would surely make a big dent. “Hmm... You’re back early tonight,” a surprised voice suddenly rang out as Xu Feng was about to turn on the lights, startling him. He quickly turned on the lights and saw a beautiful woman standing before him. He smiled and said, “Coming over this late, aren’t you afraid I’ll keep you here for a little ‘research’ on romantic movies?” The woman in front of him wore a light purple chiffon dress with elegant large patterns and sparkling rhinestone buttons that revealed a bit of her snowy-white skin. Her long, dark hair fell over her shoulders, and her face was as fresh as spring, with a straight nose, rosy lips, and a chest that was prominently displayed. Her slender legs were accentuated by tight pants, creating an alluring figure. Xu Feng looked at her greedily for a while. The warm, teasing gaze from Xu Feng made Lin Xi’s face flush slightly. She scolded him playfully, “A dog’s mouth can’t spit out ivory. But why are you carrying a brick?” Xu Feng laughed, tossing the sandals aside and walking to the balcony. He opened the glass doors, and at the height of the twentieth floor, the wind blew fiercely, making it slightly painful. “Are you crazy? It’s about to rain heavily, and you’re opening the windows,” Lin Xi said angrily, trying to close the glass doors. Xu Feng grabbed her hand, which felt warm and soft like a piece of warm jade, stirring his soul. “Let me enjoy the breeze for a bit,” Xu Feng said softly, rubbing his tired head. Lin Xi, feeling Xu Feng’s hand, stiffened slightly but didn’t struggle. Her eyes, sparkling with concern, fixed on Xu Feng. She suddenly sensed an unusual exhaustion from him, which she found hard to believe, as Xu Feng had always been carefree and indulgent in her memory. “What happened?” Lin Xi asked tenderly, her feelings for Xu Feng evident. Seeing Lin Xi’s concern, Xu Feng nervously avoided her gaze and forced a smile. “Nothing’s wrong!” Xu Feng had always understood Lin Xi’s feelings for him. Over the years, he had lived a life of pleasure and indulgence, with numerous women. Yet, Lin Xi had remained by his side. Lin Xi believed that Xu Feng would settle down once he had enough of his wild ways. Even now, she still thought so. “Go home. Otherwise, Aunt Lin might come here looking for you,” Xu Feng said with a smile. After graduating from college, Xu Feng had indulged in nightlife and pleasure, and Lin Xi was the last piece of purity in his life. Despite knowing that he could probably seduce Lin Xi if he wanted to, Xu Feng had never pursued her. This wasn’t to say Xu Feng was a good person. In fact, according to his past relationships, Xu Feng was fundamentally lecherous and unscrupulous. However, Lin Xi was different. After Xu Feng’s parents passed away, Lin Xi’s family had taken care of him. Even his last year of college tuition was lent to him by Lin Xi’s parents. Xu Feng had long considered Lin Xi’s family as his own, making it difficult for him to harm their daughter. Even though he knew Lin Xi wouldn’t resist him. Recalling the test results from the hospital, Xu Feng slapped his head, not expecting the end of his life to come so soon. Remembering that his parents had died of a congenital genetic disease, Xu Feng had anticipated this day. This was also why he hadn’t harmed Lin Xi, and why he had lived indulgently, thinking that since he didn’t have much time left, he might as well live it to the fullest. Lin Xi looked at Xu Feng, who was urging her to go home with a smile. Despite having faced such rejections many times before, she still felt a pang of hurt. “I don’t want to go home tonight.” This clearly suggestive statement warmed Xu Feng’s heart. Lin Xi was undoubtedly the most refined and beautiful woman he had ever met, and although Xu Feng had thought about something happening between them, his rationality had always held him back. However, seeing the stubborn look in Lin Xi’s eyes, Xu Feng felt unable to resist her allure. He walked to the edge of the balcony, where the rain was now pouring heavily. The rain drenched him instantly. Before Lin Xi could stop him, Xu Feng said with a laugh, “I just bought a brick. I’m going to throw it down and smash that BMW. If I don’t hit it, then it’s up to you. What do you say?” Lin Xi nearly laughed out loud when she heard Xu Feng had bought a brick. She knew Xu Feng had always disliked the BMW parked downstairs but had never admitted it was out of jealousy. “Alright!” Lin Xi smiled. She knew the BMW’s owner, a typical rich second-generation who often showed off and even drifted in the neighborhood. If Xu Feng could hit it, she would feel quite satisfied. Xu Feng walked to the edge of the balcony, and the rain pounded him even more fiercely, creating a drumming sound. Lin Xi watched Xu Feng’s distinguished, tall figure, feeling like he was embedded in the misty rain scene outside. She suddenly felt a surge of sadness. Just as Lin Xi watched Xu Feng raise the brick to throw it, a lightning bolt once again split the sky, striking down with a blinding flash. Lin Xi’s eyes widened in astonishment as the lightning, originally heading south, twisted in an impossible angle and struck the brick in Xu Feng’s hand. The brick shattered into dust, and in its place, a purple jade appeared. This purple jade absorbed all the lightning, and a brilliant purple lotus flower erupted from Xu Feng’s hand. Under the purple lotus, Xu Feng’s body began to disintegrate into stardust, slowly vanishing into the void. As his body turned to starlight, the sense of death from the purple lotus spread throughout Xu Feng’s consciousness, engulfing his lecherous soul.