It was New Year’s Eve, and I was on a live broadcast when my sister called. I spoke first. “Wishing you peace, joy, and a long life.” My sister scoffed. “But I wish you no joy and no longevity at all. I hope you suffer for a lifetime.” I had severed ties with her the year she was at her lowest. Now, having achieved immense success, her first order of business was to exact her revenge. My voice remained steady. “Peace, joy, and a long life.” My sister’s patience wore thin. “Enough. I could never bless you. If I must, then I wish you eternal pain.” The host hesitated, then reminded her. “Ms. Quinn, that was just a recording of Mr. Quinn’s call. When he left, he was indeed, as you said, in a lot of pain.” 1 “When he left?” Scarlett Quinn froze, then sneered. “I hope you mean when he died.” The host paused, then gestured behind her. On the large screen behind Scarlett, my face appeared. In the video, I slapped the camera lens. Rain plastered my hair and shirt to my skin, making me look utterly wretched. My voice was laced with impatience. “Stop filming. I don’t agree.” Then, a sweet, clear voice, brimming with sincerity, replied, “I’m really not a fraud. I’m a vlogger documenting the human condition. I can help you.” I turned from the overflowing trash can, leaning closer to the lens. “Oh, really? Can you cure my cancer?” The girl faltered. I quirked a smile. “Don’t waste your breath. Find someone else.” “Wait… I can try!” She reached out, grasping my arm as I turned to leave. I appraised her, from head to toe, then chuckled, pointing to her T-shirt, belt, pants, and shoes in succession. “Twenty bucks, sixty, forty, fifty. Oh, and that camera, a second-hand find, right? Do you know how much this illness of mine costs?” I held up five fingers to the lens. “Half a million.” The girl’s breath hitched. I smiled, turning to walk back into the rain, bending over each trash bin. “Little Black? Little Black, where are you?” She followed. “What are you looking for?” “A dog.” “Is he yours?” “No. I passed out earlier from a flare-up, and he licked me awake.” The girl remained silent. I looked up. “If you have nothing to do, don’t linger. There are many people in this world you can help. Don’t waste your time on me.” My hand covered the lens. The screen went dark. 2 [Rebirth – 2023.10.11, 9:32 AM – A Quinn Never Needs Pity] “You’re Jack Quinn, Scarlett Quinn’s brother, right?” I was sweeping the back kitchen of the coffee shop when I heard her, and I frowned. “Why are you here again?” The girl’s voice came from behind the camera. “Everyone online is saying you’re disloyal, but they don’t know you have cancer. I want to film a series documenting your story. Can I?” I shook my head. “Let them say I’m disloyal. I’ve worked hard to cultivate this persona. Are you going to ruin it for me?” “Wait!” She quickly grabbed my arm. “But you’re penniless now. Where will the medical fees come from? Let me help you. I have some savings.” I turned, a wry smile on my face. “Guess why I cut ties with my sister?” She paused. I pulled my arm free, waving her away. “I have a job. I don’t need your help. You should go.” “I asked around. You only make two thousand a month here.” “Still don’t need it.” I turned my back, then glanced over my shoulder, smiling. “A Quinn never needs pity.” No sooner had the words left my lips than I suddenly collapsed to my knees. “Mr. Quinn!” The camera shook violently. On the ground, a growing pool of blood spread. “You!” Luna’s voice trembled. The camera was tossed aside, and a slender girl was rushing to help me. “Come on, I’m taking you to the hospital!” I pushed her away with a raised hand, grabbed a rag, and wiped the floor clean, then used the back of my hand to wipe a smear of blood from the corner of my mouth. “No need.” Then I walked to the sink and washed the blood from my face. Luna’s voice was shaky. “Please, let me help, okay?” I finished cleaning the last trace of blood, turned, and looked at her earnestly. “A Quinn never needs help from anyone.” With that, I walked out of frame. 3 [Rebirth – 2023.11.15, 3:21 PM – Little Black Doesn’t Know He’s Dying, Only That He Has a Home] “What do you mean?” In the pet hospital, I stared at the vet, stunned. The vet sighed, shaking his head. “The original owner probably abandoned him because they knew he wouldn’t last much longer. This little dog was starving every day, and bullied by other strays… he’s already…” I smiled. “I know. Are you going to say he doesn’t have much time left?” The vet hesitated, then nodded, just like my own doctor. Luna frowned. “Is there really nothing that can be done?” “…Just give him good food and make him comfortable.” Silence filled the room. I stroked Little Black’s head. “No wonder we found each other.” Little Black’s tail wagged furiously, and he constantly nudged against me, tongue lolling, bright black eyes wide. Luna gave a bitter smile. “He thinks you’re his owner.” I paused. “Is that so worth celebrating?” Luna nodded, stroking the dog’s head. “Little Black doesn’t know he’s dying. He only knows he has a home again.” I was silent for a moment. I patted the dog’s head. “Then I’ll call you Little Black.” Little Black barked a joyful “Woof!” Cradling Little Black, I walked out of the pet hospital. I turned to face the camera. “You found Little Black and brought him to me. In return, I’ll let you film your series about me.” 4 [Rebirth – 2023.12.31, 9:00 PM – Wishing You a Long Life, Part One] “Where did you get this?” I frowned, looking at the videotape Luna brought. She shook the tape, smiling. “A good vlogger thoroughly understands their partner.” She put the tape into the player, and on the old TV left by the previous tenant, a boy in a tailored suit appeared, bending down to look at the camera. In that moment, my eyes still held a glimmer of hope. “Hello, hello! Happy New Year 2015! Wishing everyone peace, joy, and that all your wishes come true!” “You were so lively back then.” Luna sat beside me, a smile in her eyes as she watched the video. I leaned back on the shabby sofa in my rental apartment. “Did you dig up every video from my social media accounts?” “I found them interesting, so I watched them.” I didn’t speak, just watched my past self sitting amidst a pile of gifts. A familiar voice sounded. “Don’t rush, big sis will help you open them.” Scarlett walked into frame, sitting beside me. I raised my hand, making a “Stop!” gesture. “No! Sis. Quinns always stand on their own two feet!” The scene shifted. My sister fastened a watch to my wrist. “Happy New Year, Jack.” Click! The video captured my wide, beaming smile. Then, boisterous laughter erupted, and I smeared a little cream on my sister’s face. She froze, then laughed, raising her hand. “Freeze! Don’t think I won’t hit you just because it’s your birthday!” The video was filled with my joyous laughter. And here, watching it, I suddenly laughed too. I wiped the corner of my eye, my sigh laced with a tremor. “After Mom and Dad passed away, everyone thought I was pathetic. But actually, I wasn’t pathetic at all. I still had my sister, and my friends…” The wind howled through the drafty rental. I pulled the blanket tighter around me, tears silently tracing paths down my cheeks. My reddened hand was enveloped by two small, warm ones. Luna looked at me earnestly. “I’ve saved some money. Let’s go to the hospital for treatment tomorrow.” I sniffled, then chuckled. “Your account doesn’t even have a hundred followers, and you eat instant noodles with me every day. How much money could you possibly have?” Her fair hands clenched on her faded denim jeans. “It’ll… help a little.” “No need. I have good news for you. I’ve saved two thousand dollars. I can get one chemotherapy session now.” Luna paused, then smiled. “Is that enough? I can give you more.” I stubbornly shook my head. “No. A Quinn never needs help from anyone else.” I lifted my chin at her, proudly. “Don’t worry. My current income can cover my medication. Look, these are what I bought with my wages.” With that, I grabbed a handful of colorful pills, tipped my head back, and swallowed them all. Then I frowned, silent for a long time, before finally rubbing my chest and exhaling a long breath. I looked up. Luna was watching me, her eyes a little red at the corners. I chuckled. “Taking a handful of pills in one go, pretty impressive, right?” Luna lowered her gaze, a bitter smile on her lips. “Yeah.” 5 [Rebirth – 2023.12.31, 11:45 PM – Wishing You a Long Life, Part Two] In the video, two people, content after a good meal, leaned back on the sofa, waiting for the New Year’s chime. Luna looked at me. “Is that all you’re eating?” I was a little tired. “Stomach aches. Any more, and I’ll throw up.” Luna was silent for a moment, then finally spoke. “Ms. Quinn… she succeeded. Her new project’s revenue exceeded a hundred million.” My eyes were closed. “I know.” “Go back to her. She’ll cure you.” I shook my head. “Why? Do you want to die like this?” “Did you think I imagined myself living when I cut ties with her?” Luna choked. Then she spoke, her voice trembling slightly. “Why did you cut ties with her? Wouldn’t it have been better to face it together?” I chuckled. “Mom and Dad always said, a Quinn never needs help from anyone, yet the Quinns helped a whole lot of relatives. But you know what? When my sister went bankrupt, not a single one of those relatives offered to help. Do you know how I felt, watching my sister humble herself, begging those relatives to pay my tuition?” My breath hitched, and I clenched my teeth. “My sister never begged anyone. After all those relatives rejected her, she took me to a tiny rental, less than twenty square meters, about the same size as this one. She said that she alone could get us, a brother and sister, back to our old life. That’s the sister I admired – even when she had nothing, her ambition soared. But…” I smiled, looking at Luna. “What do you think she’d do if she knew I was sick?” Luna stared at me, speechless. “She’d kneel before those relatives.” As I said this, my heart trembled. “Actually, when she was trying to get my tuition, she almost knelt down. Thankfully, I stopped her, haha…” I wiped away tears from the corners of my eyes. “When I left, she and her partners were gradually building things up. Guess whether her partners would still invest if she had a family member who was a financial black hole?” Luna’s voice wavered. “Jack…” I raised my hand, stopping her. “Cancer will kill me, but half a million dollars will kill her.” Luna clenched her fists. I sighed, smiling. “The day I left, I flayed her with words. She finally grabbed my arm, crying, begging me, saying things would get better soon, that she’d definitely get us back to our old life. The glamorous and successful woman you see now – you can’t imagine how pathetic she looked then, haha…” Luna spoke softly. “How did she finally let you leave?” I recalled. “I told her she was useless, that her past achievements were only thanks to Mom and Dad. And that her current wretchedness was disgracing our parents’ memory. I told her if she still cared about family at all, she should let me go find my own happiness. And then, she slowly let me go.” The New Year’s chime rang. Fireworks exploded outside the window. I raised my hand and wiped the tears from my face.
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