Chapter 6

Once she decided to do it, she did it. That afternoon, Su Linye went to find the homeroom teacher.

Old Xu’s sparse brows twisted into a knot. He looked at her for quite a while. “You’ve thought it through?”

Su Linye nodded, a little embarrassed. “I’ve thought it through. I was young and ignorant before.”

Old Xu: “…………”

He touched the top of his head and said nothing.

He pulled out an application form and handed it over for her to fill in.

“Since you’ve thought this through, consider the part-time job the school arranged for you again too.”

Su Linye sharply caught the sound of money. She abruptly lifted her head, the cowlick on top swaying. “What part-time job?”

“…………” Old Xu’s tone was unhurried. “A part-time job in the library. One and a half hours every evening. You’ll be responsible for organizing books and registering book borrowing information. The monthly subsidy is one thousand.”

“I’ll do it!” Su Linye’s eyes lit up. “Teacher, I’ll do it!”

Old Xu slowly took a deep breath and tried his best to stay calm. “As long as you’ve thought it ​Read on BaiLianTales​through. I’ll report it for you today, and you can start tomorrow.”

Tears welled in Su Linye’s eyes. She took one step back and bowed ninety degrees. “Thank you, Teacher.”

“No need to thank me.” Old Xu nearly went into cardiac arrest. “The school also gives you a two-thousand-yuan subsidy every month. Add this to it, and it should be enough for you to live on. That thing you…”

He stopped halfway through.

Old Xu was afraid that if he said it out loud and the other party did something abnormal again, his heart really would stop, so he simply did not say it. He waved his hand and let her leave.

Su Linye retreated step by step, then turned around handsomely, flicked the hem of her school uniform, and left with the wind.

Old Xu: “…………”

He took a sip of cold tea and told himself that high school students were right in their chuunibyou age. This was normal.

Then he heard a “bang” outside, followed by Su Linye’s howl.

She had probably hit the doorframe.

Old Xu: “…………”

Old Xu felt like he was about to turn into a bubble machine today.

He lowered his head and glanced at the confiscated phone on his desk, pondering for two seconds.

Better give it back to her when school let out for the week.

Su Linye managed to finish her homework during the last self-study period of the afternoon while feeling like she was clawing at her heart and lungs. She generously handed it over to her desk mate, then, bathed in the school bell and her desk mate’s grateful gaze, packed her bag and left school.

Yuanhua High School did not require first- and second-year students to attend evening self-study.

Su Linye calculated it. School ended at five in the afternoon. If she took out another hour and a half, that would only be six-thirty. There would still be a lot of time before bed, just enough for her to find another part-time job. Even if it only paid a few hundred or a thousand per month, together with the school subsidy and the library job, she would have more than three thousand. After saving for two months, she could return the accident-scam money to Lu Jiang.

Su Linye curved her lips and clapped her hands.

Perfect!

The school was in the city center, with plenty of shops around it.

She went down the street asking one by one. Either they were not hiring, they wanted long-term workers, or they were hiring short-term workers who could come in for three or four hours a day, and they stressed that they did not want minors.

After walking out of yet another shop that had rejected her, Su Linye wiped away her sweat in the hot wind blowing toward her.

The cherry blossom tree by the road was tall, its branches growing freely, covered thickly in bright, fresh green leaves. When the wind brushed past, they swayed slightly.

Standing in the shade, Su Linye felt a hint of coolness.

She took out the cheap bread she had bought from the supermarket and crouched beneath the tree to gnaw on it.

As she chewed, her eyes spun around, trying to find a new target.

A leg in a black-and-white school uniform blocked her view.

Su Linye: ??

“Boss.” Xi Panpan crouched in front of her with her obedient baby face. “Are you not going to evening self-study?”

“It’s you.” Su Linye ate the last bite of bread and neatly folded the wrapper. “I want to find a part-time job.”

Xi Panpan tilted her head in confusion. “Find a part-time job? Boss, aren’t you going begging anymore?”

Su Linye: ???

What?

Was she hallucinating?

Xi Panpan knew from her expression that she did not remember, so she obediently said, “Every weekend, we go to the streets on the other side of the city to act and beg. I play your unfortunately deceased younger sister, and you cry while shouting, ‘My poor little sister!’ Or I play your disabled, slow-witted older sister, while you hang a sign around your neck and play the strong, deaf-mute younger sister.”

Su Linye: “…………”

The original owner really was an astonishing person.

The corner of her mouth twitched. “…You didn’t choose somewhere nearby because you were afraid of running into people you knew?”

Xi Panpan shook her head. “It’s because once before, we were begging two streets away and Director Jia saw us. She told us not to beg anymore and said she would find you a part-time job. You thought it was troublesome, so you simply ran somewhere farther away.”

“…………” Su Linye went numb.

No wonder the school had found such a good job for her. She had thought it was special help for a high-achieving poor student, but it turned out it was because of the original owner’s outrageous antics.

No wonder Old Ban had hesitated back in the office.

So that was it. So that was it.

The original owner really was something.

She had staged an accident scam, cursed Read on BaiLianTalespeople in front of the homeroom teacher, and begged on the street.

Su Linye sighed for one second, then stood up and patted her clothes. “Have you eaten?”

Xi Panpan shook her head. “Not yet.”

Su Linye asked, “What do you want to eat?”

Xi Panpan said, “Boss, I’m not hungry.”

The moment she finished speaking, her stomach gave a “gurgle.”

Xi Panpan covered her stomach, her face slightly red.

Su Linye held back a laugh. “Perfect. I didn’t eat enough either. Let’s buy a pancake to gnaw on.”

There were little stalls by the roadside. The two of them found one that looked delicious and quickly bought two jianbing.

Then they crouched by the roadside again and ate without caring about appearances.

The sun gradually set, and large swaths of orange-red sunset clouds spread across the sky.

Holding her pancake in both hands, [bailiantales.com]cheeks stuffed full, Su Linye said vaguely, “Why don’t you come live with me? You can’t study properly at home anyway.”

Xi Panpan ate a little more gracefully than she did. She chewed and swallowed slowly in small bites before saying quietly, “Boss, I should still live at home. If my little sister is at home alone, they’ll bully her.”

Su Linye frowned and folded the finished paper bag into a neat square. “It won’t work for you and your sister to stay there either. You might as well move in with me. At least we can look after each other, and you won’t have to worry about being mistreated.”

Xi Panpan finished the last bite of her pancake, her expression serious. “Boss, I know you’re doing this for my own good. But right now, my dad and the others can’t wait for us to fend for ourselves. If I move out, not only will they stop giving me living expenses, I’ll also be eating and drinking off you.”

She slowly shook her head. “That won’t work.”

Su Linye still wanted to say something, but Xi Panpan curved her eyes at her. “Boss, I’ll take care of myself. Don’t worry.”

Since she had already made up her mind, Su Linye could not say much else. She stood and reached a hand out to her. “Then tell me if you run into any difficulties. I have part-time jobs now, so I’ll be able to earn quite a bit of money later.”

Xi Panpan looked at her extended hand and said embarrassedly, “My hands are all oily.”

She casually wiped them on herself and stood up.

Su Linye did not pay it much mind. She withdrew her hand and placed it above her eyes, looking toward the horizon. “It’s getting dark. Hurry home.”

A crescent moon hung in the pitch-black sky. With her backpack on, Su Linye slowly strolled along the street, thinking she would try her luck a little more.

The city night was noisy, with people and bailiantales.comcars coming and going. Farther away, in the city center, office buildings were brightly lit.

Many small shops were hidden in alleys. Su Linye followed the signs and found quite a few, but unfortunately, there still was not anything suitable. Without much hope, she found the last shop, thinking that if this did not work out, she would go home and rest first, then try again tomorrow.

The air conditioning inside the shop was set very low, the atmosphere lively and warm. The fragrant, spicy aroma drifting out made people’s mouths water.

It was a hotpot restaurant packed with customers.

The owner inside was a young woman with a very straightforward manner. After hearing Su Linye’s situation, she said, “The shop really does need hourly workers. Around eight or nine in the evening is when we get pretty busy.”

Without showing it, she looked Su Linye up and down.

Su Linye stood quietly and let her assess and judge.

That cautious gaze finally landed on her face. The owner calculated to herself for a while, then made the decision. “Two hours of work every day, from seven to nine. Thirty yuan per hour, two hundred for full attendance. Two thousand a month. How does that sound?”

Two hours of work, thirty yuan per hour, plus full attendance. This treatment could not be better.

Su Linye nodded repeatedly, her cowlick swaying along with her. “Yes! Thank you, Boss.”

The woman smiled. “No need to be so polite. Just call me Sister Yun.”

Su Linye was very generous. “Sister Yun really is both beautiful and kind.”

Gu Yun could not help laughing. “You little kid, what a sweet mouth.”

Su Linye was modest. “I’m just telling the truth.”

Gu Yun could not resist reaching out and pinching her cowlick, asking something she had been curious about from the start. “How does this thing stand up? It goes against common sense, doesn’t it?”

Su Linye did not mind at all. She even leaned her head forward a little. “Actually, I really want to know too. It’s probably because my sleeping posture is too terrible.”

Gu Yun was amused again and withdrew her hand. “All right. Go back and rest properly today. Come to work tomorrow.”

Su Linye said goodbye to her and happily went out.

Outside, the sky was even darker. Su Linye looked up and saw stars she had not seen in a long time.

With the corners of her lips curved, she started walking.

Outside the shop, the view suddenly opened up. There were open-air food stalls by the roadside, with red lights, wine, and clinking glasses all around.

As she walked all the way back to the rundown urban village, the surroundings became quieter and more secluded, seeming a little eerie. Even the streetlights flickered between bright and dim, occasionally letting out crackling sounds of electricity.

Su Linye tightened her grip on her backpack bailiantales.com straps and still had the idle mood to let her thoughts wander. If a horror movie were filmed here, it would save a lot of money.

However, her steps slowed slightly, and her gaze swept over the swaying trees and the corners of walls hidden in the darkness.

She kept feeling that there was no one here anywhere, yet also that there were people everywhere.

Goosebumps rose one by one. In the hot early autumn, Su Linye inexplicably felt a chill. She did not dare think about it anymore and quickened her pace.

“Yo-ho, there’s even a high schooler here?”

Su Linye’s whole body stiffened. She instinctively looked toward the voice.

Several men and women with hair dyed in all sorts of colors were standing crookedly about three meters away from her.

Two of them carried baseball bats, and another held a small knife, tossing it up and down to play with it.

Su Linye’s legs began to go weak.

She pretended not to hear and lowered her head, walking forward.

“Hey, I’m calling you. Are your damn ears deaf?”

Su Linye: Not me, not me, not me. You don’t see me, you don’t see me, you don’t see me.

Heaven did not grant her wish. Hurried footsteps came from behind and to the side. Su Linye’s scalp tightened. Just as she was about to run, a hand grabbed her bag.

Su Linye immediately prepared to abandon the bag, but those people had already surrounded her in the middle.

Rationally, she stopped moving. After preparing herself mentally, she pinched her noodle-soft legs and lifted her head, revealing a stiff smile. “G-good evening. Have you eaten?”

A gust of wind blew past. The people beside her fell silent for two seconds.

A girl wearing black lipstick said, “Who’s saying good evening to you? Take out your money.”

Su Linye trembled. “If I had money, would I still be living here?”

Perhaps feeling that what she said made sense, the girl paused, clicked her tongue, then took half a step back and kicked a yellow-haired boy forward. “You do it.”

The yellow-haired boy looked ferocious. “Like I care that much. If you don’t have any, borrow some! If I don’t get money today, you can just wait to get beaten.”

He hefted the bat in his hand.

Su Linye looked at the weapon, which was thicker than her arm. Her legs softened again, and she nearly fell flat, but she stubbornly held herself up. “Th-then I’ll borrow it tomorrow. Can I give it to you tomorrow night?”

Another man with dirty braids could not stand listening anymore. He came up and directly grabbed her by the collar. “Quit fucking yammering. stolen contentTake the money out right now. If you can’t, believe it or not, I’ll kill you.”

The man’s eyes were filled with bloodthirsty, brutal irritation, and there was a scar on his face.

Su Linye suppressed the fear in her heart, dug into her pockets, and took out the change left from buying things that evening. She spread it in her palm and offered it over. “This is all I have.”

The man with dirty braids looked at the few coins, then slapped her hand away. His anger grew even stronger. “Damn it, are you messing with me?!”

With force, he threw her hard to the side.

Su Linye lost her balance and stumbled two steps, but just so happened to fall out of their encirclement.

In that instant.

Her brain heated up, and she shot forward like an arrow leaving the string.

In just two short seconds, only her back could still be seen.

Those people froze in place for one second, cursed under their breath, and chased after her.

This side of the city was relatively quiet overall.

Su Linye could no longer feel the existence of her legs. There was only one thought unauthorized copy in her mind: run. Hurry up and run.

Fortunately, she had experienced this sort of thing plenty of times as a child, and her escape experience was unusually rich. Her skills were practiced and smooth.

She was about to run out of that dimly lit block.

But ahead, there were three or four more people surrounding a girl.

Seeing that the other party was about to lay hands on her, Su Linye had no time to care about the people behind her. She seized the timing, took off her backpack as she ran and gripped it tightly, then charged in from the side and hurled someone away with one swing of the bag. Without seeing clearly who it was, she grabbed the hand of the girl in the middle, turned, and kept sprinting.

Adrenaline surged wildly. Her face and neck ran red, and sweat slid from her forehead into her eyes, stinging with sharp pain. Her chest was like a broken bellows, wheezing as she breathed.

At some point, her hair tie had fallen off. Her hair, which fell past her shoulders, came loose and was lifted by the oncoming night wind, dancing in the air like a butterfly about to spread its wings and fly.

Maybe a long time passed. Maybe it was only a few minutes. The person behind her reacted and used force to pull her to a stop.

Then gently broke free from her hand.

Su Linye first looked back nervously. Seeing that no one had chased after them, she finally relaxed and bent over to calm her racing heartbeat.

“Why were you running so fast?”

A familiar voice.

Su Linye instantly lifted her head.

Lu Jiang had also run for a while, yet she still looked cool and clear. At this moment, those black eyes were quietly watching her.

Su Linye was somewhat pleasantly surprised. “Lu Jiang? How is it you?”