Chapter 24: Will We Never Meet Again?

The girl in the yellow dress felt like a thousand horses were galloping through her mind. How could this seemingly sharp young man fail to grasp the situation at such a critical moment? She was so frustrated she wanted to stomp her feet; he looked the part of a decent person, but he was as dense as a block of wood! She regretted getting involved in this mess.

But now, she was in too deep. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the street vendor exchanging glances with the two bleached-blond youths—their faces twisted with suspicion and malice. Fortunately, passersby had begun to stop and stare. The "couple" was simply too striking to ignore; one was handsome and tall, the other delicate and spirited.

*In front of all these people, they should be the ones feeling nervous,* she thought to herself.

"Are you joking again?" She stepped forward, wrapped her slender arm around Lin Xiao’s neck, and pulled him down. Caught off guard, his nose bumped into something soft and warm.

*So fragrant...* It wasn't the scent of artificial perfume, but rather the smell of sun-dried cotton mixed with a faint hint of shampoo. As his cheek pressed against her sleeve, he could feel the delicate yet vibrant texture of her skin beneath the fabric.

"If you keep this up, you're not sleeping in the room tonight!" she said, intentionally raising her voice, her tone laced with a coy, feigned threat. "Come on! Walk with me, now!"

The onlookers let out good-natured laughter. A few middle-aged women even wore satisfied, motherly smiles, clearly interpreting this as the bickering of a young couple in love.

Right in the midst of this ambiguous atmosphere, Lin Xiao straightened his back, wriggled out of her "headlock," and said earnestly, "Miss, how can you slander my reputation like this?"

The girl in the yellow dress: "!!!"
The onlookers: "???"

"I’ve never even been in a relationship, let alone entered your room," Lin Xiao said, biting the bullet, terrified that if he spoke too slowly, divine retribution would strike him right then and there.

The girl gritted her teeth and persisted, "Darling..."

"Stop it. We don't even know each other. Do you even know my name?" Lin Xiao interrupted.

The girl: "..."

The bystanders were suddenly full of energy.

"Wow! Girls these days are so bold! Just seeing a handsome guy on the street and rushing up to claim him as a boyfriend?" one woman remarked.

Beside her, a young man said sourly, "Tch! What a waste of her looks. Her taste in men is terrible; what a superficial woman."

"Why are you so bitter? Just jealous, aren't you?" the woman retorted, firing on all cylinders. "If a girl likes a handsome guy, you call her superficial. If she likes someone rich, you call her materialistic. If she picks an average guy, you say she’s blind. Is the problem that your taste is bad just because the one she likes isn't you?"

"I..." The young man was rendered speechless; his heart had been laid bare.

"If I were thirty years younger, I’d have gathered the courage to chase that handsome boy too. He’s just too endearing!" another woman added.

"Hey, handsome, the girl is so brave—why don't you consider getting to know her?"
"Yeah, there's no harm in knowing each other. Maybe it’ll turn into a beautiful story?"

***

The reaction of the onlookers caught both Lin Xiao and the girl off guard. *Wait... how did you manage to drag us into this?*

"Thud!"

Just as they both felt an overwhelming sense of embarrassment, the sound of an object hitting the pavement echoed. Everyone’s gaze turned instinctively toward the source. A bundle of hundred-yuan bills lay quietly on the asphalt.

"This..."

As eyes traced upward from the money, they landed on the side of Lin Xiao’s black backpack, where a clean, twenty-centimeter-long slash was clearly visible. Through the tear, several other neatly bundled stacks of cash could be seen, with one already halfway out.

"A blade! It was cut with a blade!" a woman shrieked.

Her words were like flipping a switch; the entire street erupted. "Pickpockets!" "Catch the thief!"

The crowd scattered. People began looking around warily, carefully moving their own bags to their chests to check them. In the ensuing chaos, the street vendor and the two bleached-blond youths melted into the crowd and vanished without a trace.

The girl in the yellow dress snatched up the money from the ground and stuffed it back into Lin Xiao's bag. Then, she grabbed his wrist and wove nimbly through the crowd. After several turns, they ducked into a side alley.

"Why are you so oblivious?" The girl’s eyes were wide behind her glasses. "Couldn't you tell I was trying to help you?"

Lin Xiao realized now that the sharp-tongued vendor had been acting as a lookout for his accomplices. One had distracted him while the other two silently sliced his bag.

"I know you meant well, and I am truly sorry!" Lin Xiao apologized sincerely.

"Then why did you undermine me?" The girl crossed her arms. "Those three had weapons on them. What if they had been pushed into a corner and lashed out?"

"I am really sorry!" Lin Xiao could only apologize again.

"Forget it, it's over now." She waved her hand, her temper as quick to dissipate as it was to flare. "You should be more careful in the future. Your getup is a magnet for thieves."

Lin Xiao was stunned. He hadn't expected that after causing her so much embarrassment, she would be concerned for him rather than angry. He asked humbly, "What’s wrong with... my attire?"

The girl pointed at his watch. "One look at that watch and everyone knows you're a fat sheep." She pointed to his bag. "And this duffel bag—it's clearly not for daily use; it's meant for carrying money and important documents. Add your naive face to the mix, and how could you not be targeted?"

With her explanation, Lin Xiao finally understood why the thieves had singled him out in the crowd.

***

Had the girl not stepped in, he likely would have been cleaned out.

"Given your brain, it’s probably hard for you to learn, but try to be careful. Bye!" The girl turned to leave with a flourish.

"Wait!" Lin Xiao called out.

"Something else?"

Lin Xiao opened his bag, pulled out a stack of cash, and offered it to her. "Thank you for your help today. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

The girl hesitated for a split second before pushing the money back. "No need. I only helped you so I could feel at peace with myself."

*What did that mean? Feel at peace?*

Lin Xiao persisted, "Without your help, I would have suffered a huge loss today. Please, you must accept it."

The girl smiled, bright as the sun. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't need the money. Looking at your brain, it probably isn't easy for you to make money if you don't take the easy way out. I'm leaving. Be careful."

*Damn it, my intelligence was just insulted!*

Seeing her resolve, Lin Xiao sighed, "Well... goodbye?"

"No, we won't be meeting again."

With that, she waved and ran off, her twin tails dancing in the sunlight. Lin Xiao stood there, watching the yellow figure disappear at the end of the alley. A faint, lingering scent seemed to remain in the air.

She said they wouldn't meet again, and Lin Xiao felt she meant it. She was bright and sunny, yet there was a sense of a terminally ill patient living life as if each second were their last. Was that why she didn't introduce herself or leave contact information? Because there really wouldn't be a next time.

If that were true, Lin Xiao felt a sudden pang of heartache. A lovely girl like that—was her life coming to an end?

With a heavy heart, Lin Xiao left the alley and continued toward Yang Shubai's shop. About two hundred meters away, he witnessed a scene that left him both amused and speechless: the fat cat, Xiaobai, was struggling to drag a mini four-wheeled cart forward.

The round, white cat had a custom harness around its neck, and the plastic cart behind it was piled high with supplies. Though it was covered by a tarp, the cart was stuffed to the brim, weighing at least fifteen or sixteen pounds. Xiaobai was panting so hard its tongue was lolling out. It had to stop to catch its breath every two steps—the heavy burden of life was truly exhausting the poor creature.

Lin Xiao shook his head. "Yang Shubai, you’ve got to be the laziest owner ever. Making a cat run errands for groceries..."

Seeing Lin Xiao, Xiaobai let out a joyful, "Woof?"

The tone and the look in its eyes clearly meant: "Boss, could you give me a hand?"