Pretty women are all liars. Haven't I learned that bloody lesson enough times?
In recent years, quite a few college students had been tricked and sent abroad. At this thought, Xue Yang quickened his pace.
He had rented a room near the university. The original plan was to use it as a place to stay when he visited Chen Ying during her internship, assuming his confession was successful. Now, it had become his private sanctuary for nursing his wounds.
Who would have thought that as Xue Yang walked, the little loli would follow him?
She trailed him cautiously, not too close and not too far. Whenever Xue Yang stopped, she would quickly duck behind a lamppost like an ostrich, thinking that if she hid her head, no one could see her.
Xue Yang couldn't help but chuckle at her endearingly clumsy antics.
With that goofy-cute look, it's hard to believe she's a con artist. It's far more likely she's the one who'd get scammed.
Xue Yang stopped, turned around, and spoke to the little loli.
"Are you lost? How about this? I'll call the police for you, and they can take you home."
When in doubt, call the police. It was the right thing to do.
Just as he pulled out his phone, the little loli panicked. "Don't call the police! I'm just lost… I'm really just lost… As long as I get to a place I recognize… I can find my own way… Really."
It was a classic case of protesting too much. Sometimes, the more you insist on something, the more suspicious you seem.
"You're a girl, all alone in the middle of the night. Since you're lost, calling the police is the best option."
"Please, don't call the police!" the little loli pleaded, finally squatting down and sobbing loudly. "I'm begging you…"
It seemed she had suffered some great injustice and run away from home in a fit of pique.
Back in high school, after arguing with his parents, Xue Yang had also entertained the thought of running away. He never went through with it, though, because he wanted to study hard and get into Yanbei. Now that he had finally been admitted, his parents were completely at ease, and there was no longer any need to run away. Going to university was, in itself, a form of leaving home.
Xue Yang walked over to the little loli and softened his tone. He didn't want to get involved, but his conscience wouldn't let him walk away. At his core, he was a good person.
"Stop crying. I won't call the police, okay? But you have to tell me the truth. Did you run away from home?"
The little loli nodded, her small frame wracked with sobs, like a frightened kitten.
"Mhm."
"Do you have a phone or a wallet on you?"
"I forgot to bring them."
Xue Yang was speechless.
Running away from home with absolutely no experience… Her courage is admirable, but I can't condone this.
"What's your plan after I lead you to a familiar street? Find a convenience store and sit there until morning? And what about after sunrise? You have no money, so you can't buy food. You have no ID, so you can't check into a hotel. You're an adult, right? You should know it's almost impossible to get by in the outside world without money."
The girl remained silent.
"Right now, food, clothing, and shelter are all problems for you. And here's the most crucial point: what will you do if you run into a bad person? There are predators who specifically target naive young girls, selling them off to remote mountain villages as brides for old bachelors who can't find a wife. Do you want that to happen to you?"
Xue Yang never thought that he, a student, would one day be lecturing someone under these circumstances. But, he had to admit, this feeling of guiding someone else wasn't bad at all; in fact, his own mood improved considerably.
The little loli's face went pale. She clutched her dress tightly, clearly scared out of her wits.
"So, you see, it's best to let the police take you home!"
She still didn't respond.
"If you don't want me to call them, then I'm leaving. And don't follow me anymore. I'm just a college freshman; I can't help you with anything."
At times like this, being a student is the perfect cover. After all, I'm just a broke college kid.
What Xue Yang didn't know was that his status as a student helped the little loli make her decision. "Could I… stay at your place for one night?"
Xue Yang was stunned into silence again.
"Just for one night. I'll leave tomorrow, I promise. I won't bother you… If that's not okay… then never mind…"
The little loli lowered her gaze, standing forlornly under the lamppost. The light stretched her shadow out, accentuating her look of despair and helplessness. She didn't want to ask a stranger for help either, but… what Xue Yang said made sense. Yet, going home now would be far too humiliating.
What should I do?
Xue Yang walked a few steps before stopping again. He turned back and called out, "Hey! Just one night?"
We're both kindred spirits in misery. What's the harm in helping her out? Besides, she'll be gone in the morning anyway.
And so, Lin Xi followed Xue Yang.
All she knew about him was that he was a freshman at a nearby university. She knew nothing else. She didn't even have anything for self-defense. If he tried to do something, there was nothing she could do.
Lin Xi quickly ran through all the possibilities in her mind. Suddenly, she bent down and picked up a palm-sized rock from the ground. If he dared to make a move on her, she would smash his head with it!
Yes! That's the plan!
Lin Xi silently congratulated herself on her quick thinking. Little did she know, Xue Yang had seen through her every move but chose not to say anything.
"We're here!"
While Lin Xi was still lost in her wild imagination, they arrived at the apartment Xue Yang was renting.
It was a one-bedroom, one-living-room unit in an old, run-down apartment complex. The entire place was about thirty square meters, and you could see it all in a single glance. For a student to afford renting a place like this near Yanbei was quite an expense.
But honestly, to Lin Xi, a place like this wasn't even as big as a single floor tile in her family's mansion. Any one of the parking spaces in her family's garage was much larger than this.
Can people really live in a place like this?
"How can you live in a place like this?"
"I rent it myself. I only come here occasionally. For a student, being able to live in a place like this is already pretty good. You can sleep here tonight!" Xue Yang said, pointing to the sofa in the living room.
Lin Xi was slightly stunned. "You want me to sleep on the sofa?"
Xue Yang smiled faintly. "Otherwise? Did you want to sleep with me?"
Lin Xi immediately tensed up. See? He's finally showing his true colors! He really is after my body.
Although Lin Xi was usually well-protected, she surfed the internet enough to know that most men were animals driven by their lower halves. She had followed him tonight out of desperation. She couldn't just spend the entire night shivering outside, could she? And what if she really ran into a bad person?
At first, Lin Xi had thought Xue Yang would take her back to his school dormitory. She never imagined he had rented an apartment off-campus!
"Sleep on it or don't, it's up to you. You can also just sit here until dawn and leave before I wake up."
With that, Xue Yang went into his room. He returned with a white T-shirt and a pair of sports shorts and tossed them onto the sofa. "Change if you want. The bathroom is right by the door. There's hot water."
After all, Xue Yang was just an eighteen-year-old boy. Now that he had actually brought Lin Xi back, he had no idea how to act around her.