"Apologies, Owner Yang." said the representative, with two security guards accompanying him. "I am just doing my job here; therefore, please take this process open-mindedly." he added.
Those words from his lips sounded apologetic, but his expression tells otherwise. As a matter of fact, speaking out these sentences while he proceeded with his job was a necessity as it made his work much easier.
After all, these bailiff agents were paid a commission depending on how many debts and repossessions they successfully recovered each month.
He then took an industrial lock out of his tool case to lock the metal gate leading to the factory's core building. After ensuring that any attempt to open the lock was futile, the representative set up his finishing touch.
It was a Notice printout that justified the repossession process happening right now. With a cable tie on four corners, the notice was nicely tied on the gate. This last step also signifies that the building is no longer an asset to this pitiful individual called Yang Chunqiu.
"Owner Yang, please excuse me as I have something else to follow up on before leaving the premises. My two colleagues here will walk you to where you parked your truck." said the representative.
"If you have anything else, please don't hesitate to contact our agency or the bank's support team. I won't be sending you off, then." the representative added. Paired with his poker face and guiltless tone, his words were like cold water poured on Yang Chunqiu's head.
They sounded logical and made sense. Still, it was merely a better choice of words than something like, "This building is no longer yours, so get the hell out of our agency's property!"
After saying what he had to, the representative walked away without giving Yang Chunqiu time to respond.
What followed afterward was almost something everyone expected. There's no physical contact in the escorting process. Yang Chunqiu is ushered swiftly to the parking, where his truck awaits.
Sat quietly on the driver's side after getting into his truck, Yang Chunqiu took a minute to think about where everything had gone wrong. But before he could relish the silence inside the truck, the guard had already started knocking on his windshield, urging him to move the truck out.
Not even an extra minute was given to Yang Chunqiu to recall his memory of fifteen years with this factory building that was once his. With all these disappointments and the ruthlessness of society stacking up on him, Yang Chunqiu ignited the engine and drove off from the parking ground.
Right after his truck left the open parking, the barricade was lowered. This signifies that Yang Chunqiu was no longer linked with the factory building from this second onward. It was hard to believe, but that's how simple it was for the bank to possess the asset that belonged to him.
The process of taking a loan, accumulating debts, being unable to clear his repayment, and getting summoned to the court until the land was repossessed by the bank happened so swiftly as if it had been planned prior.
Just as Yang Chunqiu thought he couldn't get more unfortunate, an accident followed.
The weather changed for no reason, and a downpour struck the route he had to take on his way home. Due to the terrible road conditions and aged tires, Yang Chunqiu lost control of his truck while taking a sharp corner and rolled downhill while still in the driver's seat.
He had a blackout right at that moment, without a glimpse of a flashback.
Until... The sound of a middle-aged woman echoed beside him.
"Third young master... It's time for you to wake up," said the middle-aged woman. Her voice was neither happy nor unhappy and more like a servant delivering a wake-up call.
Feeling that everything was a dream, Yang Chunqiu was unwilling to open his eyes, although he had already woken up.
Meanwhile, it puzzled him as his bed was as flat as a wooden board, and the pillow around his head was undoubtedly hard as a rock. These discoveries gave Yang Chunqiu a mixed feeling. In addition, the woman's voice was both familiar and distant to him.
The familiarity came deep inside him like he had known and used to this voice since birth. Simultaneously, it felt distant because Yang Chunqiu's mind clearly couldn't recognize whose voice it belonged to.
"Wait... Wh-What did you call me just now?" the more he thought about it, the more the realization hit Yang Chunqiu. Everything around him felt foreign, unlike what he was used to. Even the air was fresher than the putrid, contaminated one he was used to breathing before he got into the car accident.
"This nanny called you the third young master," the middle-aged woman casually responded to Yang Chunqiu's sudden question.
Turning around with his eyes opened again, Yang Chunqiu finally realized that everything had changed. This place was no longer the Earth, which he had lived for forty years, but foreign. There was a hint of ancientity in his surroundings, including the traditional clothing worn on him.
He also looked much more clearly at the middle-aged woman who called herself his "Nanny." From her outer appearance to her clothing, language, and speech, she wasn't lying.
Yang Chunqiu's room also had an exquisite look with ample gold decorations, jewelry, and wooden furniture. This means his status as the "Third young master" doesn't seem to be made up.
Still, the problem is...
"Where was this place? Is this still the Earth he knew?" Yang Chunqiu wished he could ask the question but knew there was no answer.
"Are you still drunk? We've told you plenty of times to not try the random alcohols brewed by the disciples from the Burning Spirit Sect, but you just had to ignore our words. You should be feeling lucky that you didn't die from alcohol poisoning..." The nanny nagged Yang Chunqiu for his recklessness a few days back but didn't realize what she had said had come true.