Classic Novel
Chapter 2744
Chapter 2744
"He's a waste of oxygen. From the looks of it, he's probably done it countless times," Rita said. She had already grabbed a brick just in case the homeless man had not come to her aid. If he had not struck the drunkard on the back, it might have been his head that was in jeopardy.
When they relocated to another spot, Rita finally remarked, "Ah, so you can speak. I thought you'd keep quiet forever."
The man did not respond to Rita's jibe. He draped a thin blanket over himself and wrapped a torn cotton jacket around his neck.
"You haven't been through what I have," the man muttered.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
Rita knew what he meant by that. He was implying that she had not gone through what he had and was thus unable to understand the reasoning for his choices. However, she did not understand why he was so reluctant to share what he went through with the reporters since it had already happened to him.
She provided him with another avenue to speak out rather than just remaining homeless on that soon-to- be-repurposed land. Rita frowned and wondered why he refused to speak to reporters, but she received a decidedly unfriendly glare from the man.
"You reporters are all the same. A year ago, I lost my home. Then, after I spoke to reporters, I lost my family too. Now let me ask you: if you were in my position, would you trust a reporter again?"
Rita's heart sank. She had long noticed his aversion to reporters, but she did not expect that the profession itself had such a detrimental impact on his life. She frowned as a result.
"I might not know what happened then, but I'd still like to extend my sincerest apologies to you on behalf of the other reporters. Even though I'm still a newbie who has a lot to learn, I genuinely want to help you in overcoming your current situation. I also want to understand what transpired on this land, such as why the developers appear to be at no fault whatsoever. Some even hail them as the kind of benevolent and rare developers. Why would such a well-regarded developer have such a contentious issue with you and your family? There must be more to this story."
After a lengthy pause, the homeless man offered a bitter smile. "Me and my family, you say? I don't have a family now. I don't even know why I still have this grudge when others have moved on. Perhaps I should've just left like everyone else. Then I won't have to face everything that happened after that. I was naive, and I thought that collective resistance would prevail. In the end, it was all just wishful thinking on my end."
"By 'them", are you referring to the developers? Did they force everyone to leave?" Rita's heart raced as she sensed she was approaching the truth.
"Yes. I'd like to ask them the same question too if I could. I want to know why they had to choose our homes out of all places. I can't understand their motivation. Must we give in to their demands and concede our land just because they want it? What right do they have?"
Rita remained silent for a while before responding, "It could be a win-win situation if they offer you fair terms."
"Tch!" the man scoffed. "You think it's that simple? I've worked so hard for so many years just to own a home. What gives them the right to tell me to relocate? Just because a home is new doesn't mean it'll always be better than my old one."