"What?" Xia Mu Zhu exclaimed, her eyebrows shooting up in fury. "They dared to rob you? That's way too much! They're breaking the law! Let's go, we have to report this to the police!"
Fuming with anger, she seized Lin Yu's hand, intending to drag him to the nearby police station to make a report.
"Sister, it's useless; I've already reported it," Lin Yu said, allowing Xia Mu Zhu to pull his hand, his tone marred by disappointment. "But there were no cameras, no evidence of the robbery; the police can't do anything about it."
Xia Mu Zhu stopped abruptly, still clutching Lin Yu's hand as she stood stock-still before slowly turning around, her eyes red with frustration. "Then what should we do? Is there no place to seek justice when we're bullied like this?"
Watching Xia Mu Zhu's eyes brimming with helplessness and injustice, Lin Yu's heart clenched painfully.
Deceiving such a genuinely kind girl—he really felt like the worst.
Burdened by guilt but considering the harrowing fate that might befall the unsuspecting Xia Mu Zhu, Lin Yu steeled himself to continue as planned.
"There's no other way; the police need evidence, and we don't have any," Lin Yu remarked, with a distressingly resigned and despondent look in his eyes that seemed to accept the harsh realities of society.
Seeing Lin Yu's dejected state, Xia Mu Zhu felt a wave of compassion. After some hesitation, she began rummaging through her purse.
Quickly, she pulled out a stack of money and offered it to Lin Yu, saying, "Take this. The whole thing started because of me; it's my responsibility. I won't let you suffer unnecessarily."
"No way!" Lin Yu repeatedly refused.
"Listen to me! I'm not short on money; you don't have to do this," Xia Mu Zhu said as she stepped forward, determined to press the money into Lin Yu's hands. He defensively covered his pockets, retreating from her grasp like the banknotes were burning coals.
After a bit of back and forth, Lin Yu finally suggested, hopelessly outmatched by Xia Mu Zhu's insistence, "Sister, how about this? I'll accept the money, but you keep it for me. As you've seen, keeping it with me isn't safe. When it's time to pay for college, or if I need it, I can ask you then, okay?"
Xia Mu Zhu pondered and decided his proposal was reasonable. Abandoning her insistence, she prepared to put the money back in her purse, but then she looked up at Lin Yu with a concerned expression, asking, "But with your money gone, do you have enough to get by?"
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"Yes," Lin Yu nodded affirmatively, and with a reassuring smile, he added, "I'll get my paycheck tomorrow. Life might be tight, but I can manage."
Hearing his response, Xia Mu Zhu finally took the money back, storing it securely in her bag. After zipping up her purse, she looked at Lin Yu again, her voice laced with lingering concern, "Don't push yourself too hard. Remember, you can always come to me if you need help, no need to be reserved."
Taking in Xia Mu Zhu's caring words, Lin Yu smiled sheepishly, finding it somewhat awkward to speak, "Actually, there's something I need your help with right now."
"What's that?" Xia Mu Zhu asked, showing genuine concern.
"My paycheck isn't until tomorrow, so tonight... " Lin Yu looked at Xia Mu Zhu hopefully and ventured, "Sister, could you treat me to dinner?"
"I thought it was something serious!" Xia Mu Zhu let out a small sigh of relief, her soft-spoken voice asking, "What would you like to eat?"
"Anything is fine with me," replied Lin Yu, not particularly choosy about his meals.
"Can you handle spicy food?" Xia Mu Zhu suggested. "There's a great Sichuan restaurant nearby, very authentic."
"Absolutely!" Lin Yu nodded eagerly, admitting, "I love spicy food!"
The sun was setting in the west, casting the heavens in a trio of colors: a golden hue from the fading sunset, the cool onset of night in the east, and a shifting hue of blue caught in between—evolving from a pale sky blue near the receding light gradually deepening into a profound dark blue before it succumbed to the night.
The ever-changing blue at the center like the red flag in a tug-of-war, indicating the midpoint of the battle between light and darkness—a contest that, like millions before, ended as the sun triumphantly submerged its radiant body into the western mountains, dragging the blue along into the dark range, leaving the heavens to the blackness, accepting defeat.
With the last strand of blue pulled from the skies, the streetlights burst forth like a battalion of lesser suns, illuminating the world with their dim glow.
Beneath one such light, a garishly dressed youth with bandages wrapped round his head, paused to sniff the fragrant aroma wafting through the air.
"That's a delicious scent of stewed fish!" he couldn't help but remark in admiration.
"Do you want fish? There's a fantastic grilled fish restaurant nearby. We could also go there," said the woman, about a step and a half ahead, pausing in her tracks.
"But the fish there doesn't taste the same," the youth replied with a hint of dejection. He inhaled deeply, the fish scent lingering in the air reminiscent of something more personal. "It smells like home. Ever since Mom left, it's been so long since I've tasted this kind of flavor."
The woman stood still for a moment, her eyes—deep as the ocean—brimming with profound pity and compassion.
In that instant, the bag she carried dismissed her uncertainty; inside were a few yellowfish struggling for air, prompting a spark of inspiration. She looked towards the youth with a gleam of delight and suggested, "Would you like some stewed fish? Why not come home with me, and I'll cook it for you? My fish stew is quite good, actually."
"Is that really okay?" the youth's hopeful gaze grew brighter, but soon his expression fell, and he said in a disheartened tone, "Wouldn't that upset your boyfriend, though?"
In Lin Yu's internal monologue at that moment:
Yue~!
I can't take it anymore.
I'm going to be sick.
This kind of talk is just too nauseating!
I can't keep up this act!!!