The experience of becoming a vampire is what?

Alexander stood in the subway, swaying slightly with the movement of the train. He stared blankly at his reflection in the glass in front of him.

It was a middle-aged man wearing glasses and dressed shabbily. His back was slightly hunched, his hair clearly unkempt and messy, revealing a large forehead and receding hairline that hinted at a potential receding hairline. If you were to ask any stranger on the subway, they would probably think he was in his forties.

But in fact, he had just turned thirty a few days ago.

Had he really turned into this ghostly figure?

No wonder when his boss jokingly introduced him to a single woman from the administrative department who was the same age as him, she looked so reluctant and disdainful.

Over the past few years, he had devoted most of his energy to work. He would start work at nine in the morning, rush to catch the last subway home after ten at night, and often worked overtime on weekends, sometimes even on Sundays. Even when he wasn't in the office, he would constantly think about how to optimize code, solve bugs, and improve the product.

Since he started working after graduating, Alexander had been holding his breath, wanting to prove himself and establish himself in this city, to build a family and a career.

In seven years, his salary had increased several times, he had become a technical backbone of the company, acquired a considerable amount of stock options, and even bought a house—although it was a small one outside the city center, less than seventy square meters, and his parents had helped with part of the down payment, leaving him with a large mortgage to repay.

It seemed like he had barely managed to stand on his own, but there was still a long way to go compared to his expectations and demands for himself. So he never relaxed, still pushing himself to perfect projects, help the company go public, and turn his stock options into a massive fortune.

But today, his boss told them that the company had gone bankrupt. Although the money in the company account had been cleared, it was not enough to pay their salaries for the month, let alone severance or compensation.

As an internet company, they didn't have much physical assets apart from their work computers and office furniture. There were also many debts left unpaid.

As for the stock options they held, they were now worth nothing more than scraps of paper.

Although with his experience and skills, it shouldn't be difficult for Alexander to find another job, even if the salary couldn't match what he had before. He shouldn't have a problem making a living.

But those seven years of intense dedication, far exceeding the intensity of a 996 work schedule, had become a joke.

Alexander didn't join his colleagues in arguing with the boss about salaries and compensations. He knew it was pointless. As for those who directly took company property and left, the building management wouldn't allow them to move out given that the company was already announcing bankruptcy. The best they could take with them was their own laptop.

The subway doors slowly opened, and the announcement for the next station sounded. At this moment, Alexander didn't want to think about work or what comes next. He got off one stop early and went to a roadside stall, ordering a dozen beers and a few dishes, intending to drown his sorrows alone.

Actually, Alexander didn't like drinking, and he could even say he disliked alcoholic beverages. He didn't like the feeling of being numbed by alcohol, unable to stay clear-headed and rational.

Of course, on the other hand, it was because he worked in a technical field and wasn't good at or fond of socializing. Usually, he relied on coffee, tea, and energy drinks like Red Bull to keep himself energized, with caffeine as his companion.

Alexander couldn't remember the last time he had a drink. Maybe it was in college, but it definitely didn't exceed a can of beer.

So he didn't know his alcohol tolerance at all.

But after the third can of beer, Alexander's face was already flushed, feeling dizzy, with his stomach churning, making him feel a bit nauseous.

Feeling uncomfortable, he didn't bother drowning his sorrows anymore. He returned the remaining beer, paid the bill, and hailed a Didi car to go home.

From the food stall to his home is very close, only a five-minute drive away. Although he has already received his newly bought house, he has not moved in yet and continues to live in his rented single room while renting out his new house. One reason is that the house is too far from his company. If he were to move there, he would have to spend twice as much time on commuting every day. Another reason is that the rent he receives from renting out the house is more than the cost of renting the single room. Furthermore, since he lives alone and spends most of his time working overtime at the company, living in his own house would be a waste of money.

Alexander supported his dizzy head and returned to his shabby and narrow rented apartment. He didn't even bother to change or wash up and simply collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep.

...

When Alexander woke up, the first thing he saw was the sunlight shining into his room through the window. His first reaction was to think he was going to be late for work! But when he sat up in bed, he realized that he had slept in his clothes and shoes all night and that there was vomit beside his bed. He immediately remembered what had happened yesterday - the company had gone bankrupt.

Rubbing his still numb and painful temples, Alexander sat down on the bed. He was surprised that he was still feeling drunk after one night and only three cans of 330ml beer. It seemed that he was not suitable for drinking.

He picked up his phone, which he had thrown on the bed, to check the time, but found that it had run out of battery and shut off. He was puzzled because he clearly remembered that his phone had over 80% battery when he left the company yesterday. He had barely used his phone while drinking at the food stall last night, but it had still lost all its power from being on standby overnight. It seemed that the battery had degraded significantly after using the phone for over a year.

Thinking this, Alexander charged his phone and then forced himself to get up and clean up the vomit that had solidified on the floor. He changed the sheets and went to wash up and take a shower.

During his shower, Alexander noticed that he had lost a lot of hair and that his skin had become very rough, like the matte casing of his phone. His teeth also seemed to be loosening. After showering, Alexander stood in front of the bathroom mirror, wiped away the water mist, and realized that his eyes were bloodshot, his dark circles were heavy, and his cheeks had become a little thinner. He looked like he had been struggling for days without sleep.

"Drinking once and becoming like this?" Alexander silently decided that he would never drink again to drown his sorrows no matter how hard things got. If he didn't take care of his health, no matter how much money he made, it would be useless.

After changing his clothes, Alexander walked out of the bathroom and turned on his phone, which was now charged to 40%. He found that there were a dozen missed calls, some from former colleagues, some from suspected salespeople, and some from his mother, as well as dozens of unread WeChat messages.

Seeing that his mother's missed call was 35 minutes ago, Alexander quickly called her back. "Mom, what's up? Are you looking for me?"

"Oh, nothing special. Your dad sent you a message on WeChat, but you didn't reply, so I thought it was strange and called you."

"I was in a meeting just now, so I put my phone on silent. I was too busy before and didn't check WeChat much. I'll check it in a bit. Tell my dad not to worry."

His mother's voice sounded concerned. "You guys are working overtime even on Sundays? Take care of yourself. If you don't take care of your health, no matter how much money you make, it will be useless."

Sunday? Alexander was stunned for a moment. Didn't he remember that yesterday, the day he left the company, was Thursday? Pausing for a moment, Alexander returned to the home screen of his phone and checked the date. Today was indeed Sunday!

This meant that after getting drunk and returning home, he had slept for two whole days!

"Mom, work has been really busy lately. But once things settle down, I might have some time off and I can come visit you." Alexander didn't want to worry his mother by telling her that he had lost his job. He figured he still had some savings left and he would quickly find another job.

After ending the call, Alexander wiped his glasses and put them back on. He double-checked the date on his phone: July 14th, Sunday. There was no mistake.

But he was absolutely certain that the day he left the company and drowned his sorrows in alcohol was July 11th, Thursday!

The chat history on WeChat, as well as the Alipay record of him paying for his meal at the restaurant and the ride-hailing record on the DiDi app, all confirmed this.

According to the ride-hailing record, he arrived home around 8:50 PM. He was so drunk and disoriented that he didn't even bother to wash up or change out of his clothes before crashing into bed and falling asleep.

And now, it was 10:47