Zay woke up from his deep sleep, feeling very tired at his study table. It was the result of staying up too late studying for his upcoming university entrance re-exam, which was just around the corner.

  Greeting his groggy, half-open eyes was the sight of books and papers spread across the table, like a scene straight out of a battlefield.

  The math and literature books faced off, as if determined to prove which one was better—or harder. Physics seemed to exist in its own realm, lodged halfway inside the bookshelf, the other half hanging in the air, mysteriously refusing to fall. The history book lay open, stretching across nearly half the study desk—thick as, if not thicker than, a dictionary—pushing the other books beyond its territory. Behind them, a pile of books from various subjects rose high, with the chemistry book perched at the top like a champion, standing proudly above the fallen.

  Tiredly looking down at the notebook pinned beneath his hands, Zay’s sleepy face couldn’t help but turn wry.

  Just yesterday, he remembered the notebook was still as good as new—but now, wrinkles were everywhere, not to mention a few unreadable scribbles and stray ink lines that made the rest of the content even harder to read.

  The warm sunlight streamed through the open window, while the wind blew the light curtain, making it seem as if it were floating. Those were surely the reasons he had woken from his sleep.

  With a sigh, he stood up from the chair at the study table, arching his aching back, which had suffered a lot after a whole night of sleeping in a bad position—and maybe doing a few more small stretches.

  Zay took one last look at his small, simple apartment. With only the most basic necessities and little to no decoration, it didn’t look much different from a newly bought one.

  He took a few minutes to go through his basic morning routine, then grabbed a random brown coat that hung in his small wooden closet along with the key to his motorcycle, and headed outside for breakfast and work.

  ***

  The wind brushed gently against Zay’s face, blowing his hair up comically as he rode his motorcycle leisurely toward the construction site where he worked.

  On the way, he didn’t forget to grab a small breakfast, having heard from the foreman that today’s workload would be heavy.

  "Thank you, have a nice day."

  Zay smiled and gave a small nod to the polite clerk girl while stealthily glancing at his nearly empty wallet after paying her, then continued on his way.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  After slowing down for a while, he stopped his motorcycle in the shadow of a random tree by the road.

  Taking out the breakfast he had just bought, he decided to make the most of his remaining time while couldn’t help but look around at the scenery.

  The empty street was bathed in sunlight. On the right, a line of trees stretched alongside a few abandoned plots of land that had long become a playground for local kids. Far off to the left stood a huge building under construction — the very site where he worked. Closer by, rows of old houses stood in ruins, remnants of a neighborhood the landowner had bought and demolished to build his own town.

  Finishing his breakfast shortly after, he half resisted but eventually sighed and started his motorcycle. A new day had come, and work was overflowing. He headed straight to his workplace.

  ***

  It was already late in the afternoon, the orange sunlight spreading everywhere, warming the heart.

  After receiving his day’s pay from the foreman, Zay couldn’t help but feel happy.

  “Here’s your payment for today’s work, young man,” the foreman said.

  "You’ve been working so hard every day. I feel bad I can’t raise your pay. Here—just a little bonus from my own pocket. Keep it up, okay?" The tall and burly foreman of the construction site said as he handed Zay his payment for the day.

  "Thanks… thank you so much," Zay said, accepting the payment and the bonus with trembling hands. It was the biggest amount he had ever earned on his own.

  "A-and please, sir, you don’t have to worry about raising my pay. I’ve only been working here a few months. Compared to the others who’ve been here for years, it’s… it’s only natural things are this way."

  "And this is actually a lot for me, sir!"

  Zay continued shortly after slipping the money into his nearly empty wallet.

  He said as much, but in his heart, he still felt a little down. Even though he had worked so hard for so long, the money he earned each day was barely enough to cover his basic needs. After a month of saving, he could only afford a few books, despite trying his best to spend as little as possible.

  Hearing that, the foreman gave him a few firm pats on the shoulder.

  "Haha, okay. I have to go pay the others. Take care of your health, young man."

  After the foreman said that, he walked away while Zay remained bowing toward him.

  "Thanks again, sir!"

  But halfway down the path, the foreman turned back.

  "Ah, I don’t think I told you this—but we’ve got a day off tomorrow. It’s been years since the owner started this project, and now that it’s nearly done, he wants to celebrate with us.

  I figured you didn’t even know, judging by how clueless you always are."

  "We’ve got a big banquet tomorrow for all the workers—paid for by the generous owner of this project. Make sure to come back here in the afternoon, okay? We’ll head to a restaurant nearby with the others."

  Zay smiled happily. Just hearing that he didn’t have to work tomorrow already made him feel a lot better—let alone getting a free dinner with his colleagues.

  "Yes, sir! I’ll definitely come tomorrow, and I promise I won’t be late," Zay said while still bowing.

  Of course, he would never be late when there was free dinner up for grabs.

  "Haha, that’s nice. Then I’ll see you tomorrow!"

  The foreman turned back and kept walking, waving to Zay as he went. This time, he was truly gone.

  The cheerful sound of the foreman’s voice lingered in the air, mixing with the warm orange sunlight of the approaching sunset—gently warming Zay’s heart.

  Tomorrow would be a good day, and he was already looking forward to it.