Chapter 18

Although a certain person’s outburst was within expectations, as far as the other two people involved were concerned, they had clearly forgotten this group’s existence entirely.

Cheng Lingxue enjoyed the sundae in her hands in small bites, not sparing even a glance for the red-haired man who was flying into a rage. She simply did not take him seriously at all. Now that Xie Shuyun was here, there was no need for her to make a move.

On the other hand, Xie Shuyun was truly a little confused.

When she saw someone troubling Cheng Lingxue, she had rushed over before she could think too much. Since she could not use her hands, she could only kick him. She had used her full strength. So how was this person still jumping around alive?

Her gaze followed the direction of the red-haired man’s pointing hand.

Ah.

She had misunderstood.

The person who had been kicked away was still lying on the ground, unable to get up. His companions wanted to help him but could not, because the moment they moved him, he cried out in pain…

That was enough to show just how much strength Xie Shuyun had used just now.

“What do you want?”

The red-haired man’s gaze circled around the uniforms on the two of them. Then he very simply stretched out his palm.

“One hundred thousand for medical expenses. Add compensation for emotional distress and so on. Give me five hundred thousand, and I’ll leave. Otherwise, I’ll call the police. What you did counts as malicious injury. The cameras recorded everything clearly. If you don’t pay, I’ll report it.”

As he spoke, he even pointed at several cameras around the corner, crossed his arms, and raised his chin.

After a few seconds of silence, Xie Shuyun realized that the other party had no intention of changing his words and could not help feeling speechless.

“…Are you stupid, or do you think I’m stupid? You were clearly the ones who started trouble first. What we did counts as self-defense. And five hundred thousand? Why don’t you just go rob someone?”

“What do you mean, started trouble with her? Do you have proof? We didn’t even touch her. How can you say we were causing trouble? At such a young age, don’t randomly slander people.”

The red-haired man sneered and spread his hands quite shamelessly.

He knew very well where the cameras in this area were. Several of them were broken, and the camera pointing at this spot just happened to be one of them. But these two girls definitely would not know that. It was perfect for scaring them.

“Then why don’t we just call the police directly?”

Xie Shuyun’s words made the red-haired man freeze. He read the original at bailiantales.comhad not expected the other party to not play by the rules.

He looked arrogant on the surface, but inwardly, he was muttering. These people were children from rich families. There was no guarantee they did not have connections. If the police came, it would be very disadvantageous for him.

The thought flashed past. The red-haired man immediately put on an expression as if he were the one taking a loss. He curled his lips and said,

“For something like this, do we really need to call the police? Are you a kid? Do you need to go crying to your mommy over something like this? Forget it. Final price. One hundred and fifty thousand. Are you paying or not? Give the money, and I’ll immediately take my people—”

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Xie Shuyun lean close to Cheng Lingxue’s ear. Like a little servant begging a queen, she rubbed her hands somewhat embarrassedly and asked softly,

“Lingxue, although this is a bit sudden, when the police arrive later, can you show them your bite-prevention collar? With its recording function, logically speaking, it should be able to record everything within a ten-meter radius centered around you. It’s just right to use as evidence.”

With her thin lips lightly holding the spoon, Cheng Lingxue finally moved her gaze away from the sundae. Like a proud cat whose fur had been smoothed down, she condescended to give her attention to the person beside her, whose expression was full of ingratiation. Then she nodded slightly.

“…Mm.”

The two of them conversing as if no one else were present directly left the red-haired man stunned.

There was even such a method?

How come he did not know about it?

Could it be that they were bluffing just like he was?

But when he saw that Xie Shuyun had really taken out her phone, he immediately did not dare stay any longer.

He might be a local tyrant in this area, but he still did not dare clash head-on with the police. Besides, those police officers had always wanted to find a chance to deal with people like them.

Glancing at the companions behind him, he looked darkly at the two girls.

“Consider yourselves lucky. We’re leaving!”

“Boss, what about Dahei…”

“Find a cart and push him to the usual place.”

Watching them retreat like the tide, and then watching someone push the green-haired man away on a cart that had come from who knew where, it was Xie Shuyun’s turn to be dumbfounded.

She did not know whether to keep holding the phone or put it away. She could only mutter to herself,

“Why did they all leave? Didn’t they want money?”

Clink.

The spoon and glass made a soft, crisp sound. In an instant, Xie Shuyun threw that group of people to the back of her mind and turned to look at Cheng Lingxue.

“Lingxue, you finished eating? Here, I have tissues. Wipe the water off your hands. Give me the glass.”

As she spoke, Xie Shuyun took tissues out of her bag, pulled one out for Cheng Lingxue, then took the cup and ran back to the shop to trouble them with recycling it.

When Xie Shuyun returned and saw Cheng Lingxue standing gracefully in place waiting for her, her footsteps paused. The corners of her mouth curved slightly, and a smile appeared on her face.

“There’s still ice cream at the corner of your mouth.”

As she spoke, under Cheng Lingxue’s slightly embarrassed gaze, she pulled out another tissue. Then she gently wiped the corner of the other girl’s thin lips.

Her fingertip accidentally touched those alluring thin lips. They were even softer than the palm she had touched before. Her fingertip clearly did not use any strength, yet it sank lightly into the soft flesh of Cheng Lingxue’s lips, like cotton candy—delicate, soft, and springy, making one reluctant to let go.

Her gaze shifted slightly.

She seemed to see, through the tiny gap between those lips, a hint of soft pink that invited imagination.

Just as Xie Shuyun was still lingering over the sensation on her hand, she keenly sensed the person in front of her leaning back slightly. She immediately looked up and met Cheng Lingxue’s eyes.

The originally embarrassed gaze had turned into faint anger. Her pitch-black pupils grew even deeper, like a black hole that could suck a person in and grind them to pieces. At the same time, the temperature around her dropped.

Xie Shuyun shivered and finally realized how inappropriate her actions had been just now.

This…

This was basically harassment!

She really wanted to slap herself.

Why had her hand just reached out like that!

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I… I didn’t mean to. Here, you… you wipe it yourself…”

Xie Shuyun panicked and stuffed the tissue into Cheng Lingxue’s hand. Then she quickly turned around, not daring to turn back immediately. Instead, she first lightly held her heated cheeks.

Wu-wu-wu…

Too embarrassing!

Yet even though she was inwardly annoyed, she still could not help raising her right hand and looking at the pad of her index finger. It seemed as if the soft sensation still remained there, along with the girl’s faint fragrance.

Her thumb gently rubbed against it, as if savoring the feeling, yet also as if trying to rid herself of that sensation that tugged at her heartstrings.

Behind her, Cheng Lingxue smoothed out her tightly furrowed brows and let out a long breath, using it to calm her disturbed emotions. Her eyes lowered slightly.

Xie Shuyun’s action just now had made her recall some unpleasant experiences.

Back then, this person had also liked touching her lips. Like teasing a pet, she would rub and tug at them with her fingertips. It had been both disgusting and uncomfortable.

At that time, she could only endure it in disgust.

But unlike in her memories, Xie Shuyun’s movement this time had been very gentle. Anyone could easily feel the care behind it.

Cheng Lingxue took a deep breath and told herself that this person was already different. She could not compare her to the figure in her memories.

Only then did the dull ache in her heart feel a little better.

Her gaze landed on the ear half-hidden in someone’s stray hair. It was actually tinged with a faint red. This could not help making her somewhat surprised.

This person could actually feel shy over something like this…

But it was only wiping her mouth. Was there really a need to turn her back like that?

It was not as if Cheng Lingxue were changing clothes.

Just as Cheng Lingxue lightly stroked her chin, muttering inwardly while quietly observing, Xie Shuyun’s hesitant voice came over.

“Um, are you done?”

Hearing Xie Shuyun’s voice like that, a rare trace of mischief surfaced in Cheng Lingxue’s heart. She crossed her arms, raised her willow-like brows, and asked,

“Done with what?”

“…Ah?”

With her back to Cheng Lingxue, Xie Shuyun blinked. Scratching her head, she carefully turned her head to glance over. Seeing that Cheng bailiantales.comLingxue was no longer angry, she quickly turned back around and waved her hands.

“Nothing. Let’s hurry and go. It’s already very late. Qin Yu will worry.”

Cheng Lingxue did not make things too difficult for Xie Shuyun. The two girls walked side by side slowly along the road.

As more and more pedestrians got off work and school, the distance the two had originally kept became difficult to maintain. They had to dodge the people coming toward them at any time. Their arms bumped into each other from time to time, making Xie Shuyun lower her head more and more. Out of the corner of her eye, she kept observing the girl beside her, hoping to dodge first before Cheng Lingxue became unhappy.

Unexpectedly, the girl beside her did not get angry. Instead, when they passed by a glass window, she stopped and stared inside.

Looking carefully, Xie Shuyun discovered that it was a small pet shop. The glass wall shone with a warm goose-yellow light, and paired with the cozy arrangement inside, the place felt very comforting.

Behind the glass wall were several cages. Inside were all kinds of well-cared-for puppies and kittens. Some had their heads buried in food bowls, drinking water or eating feed. Some were biting toys, entertaining themselves in an extremely adorable way.

Through the gaps, it seemed there were also quite a few other small animals inside. Some older puppies and kittens could also be touched, attracting many customers with children to visit.

Looking at Cheng Lingxue’s side profile, Xie Shuyun seemed to be able to see a trace of longing in the girl’s calm expression.

Although she did not know exactly what she was looking at, that did not stop Xie Shuyun from taking out her phone. She glanced at the time, quickly typed a message and sent it out, then came to Cheng Lingxue’s side and asked gently,

“Do you want to go in and take a look? There’s still time. We’re not in a hurry.”

Cheng Lingxue turned her head. The warm yellow light from the shop seemed to dye her dark pupils with a hint of softness too.

When she met Xie Shuyun’s eyes, she seemed a little dazed. All kinds of emotions flashed through them so quickly that Xie Shuyun could not catch them at all, unable to sense what the girl was thinking.

The only thing Xie Shuyun could capture was a passing glimmer of moisture and loneliness.

Before she could confirm it, Cheng Lingxue had already turned her gaze back to the display window. She lowered her head slightly, seeming to think. In the end, she nodded.

“Let’s go in and take a look.”

The girl’s voice was tinged with a slight hoarseness.

Xie Shuyun, lips slightly pursed, wisely did not investigate further.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew over, stinging Xie Shuyun’s eyes.

The figure of the girl leading the way in front of her became blurry. The faint loneliness wrapped around her seemed to drift and spread with the wind, becoming even more distinct.

Why was she so sad?

So lonely?

The doubt in her heart made Xie Shuyun involuntarily stretch out her hand, wanting to grab hold of the girl who was still walking forward…