When no one expected it, Yu Lian had already noticed the three people, but wasn't sure. It wasn't until Yu Xiaoyan stood up just now that the three men passed behind her and stole her wallet.

A closer look revealed the man's extremely skilled technique; his movements were so fast that it took less than a second for Yu Xiaoyan's bag to be slashed open. It would be difficult to notice unless one was specifically watching.

Yu Lian's speed was somewhat affected by her foot injury, but her stamina was astonishing. Noticing a young woman chasing them, the three thieves immediately devised a plan based on their extensive experience—they would split up and escape. Those carrying wallets were Yu Lian's primary targets. She had already memorized the faces of the others and could sketch them precisely within ten minutes.

She focused her attention on the main culprit, and as she drew closer, the culprit suddenly ran into a dead end. Just as Yu Lian noticed something was wrong, two other people appeared, scaling the wall.

"Hmph, little girl, trying to be a hero in broad daylight, you're pretty silly."

Yu Lian showed no fear on her face, having already made a general assessment of the three people in front of her.

"Those who know what's good for them will get out of the way right now, or else..."

Upon closer inspection, the main culprit had somehow acquired a gleaming knife. Yu Lian glanced around at the surroundings and objects—it was a dilapidated, deserted alleyway, devoid of any suitable tools, except for a piece of withered wood, its hardness unknown.

At the crucial moment, Yu Lian hesitated for half a second before answering. The other person, however, thought the young girl in front of her was ignorant and arrogant.

"Alright, then let me show you what it's like to be stabbed in the back!"

The ringleader, his eyes bloodshot, charged at Yu Lian without warning. Yu Lian assumed that the three, so experienced and cunning, must also be quite skilled. But she was wrong.

A moment later, two screams erupted from the alley. Not from the main culprit, but from his two henchmen. Yu Lian kicked one of them away without hesitation. But because she habitually extended her injured leg, she also suffered a backlash from the force. However, in front of the bad guys, she pretended to be completely unharmed and said to the men in front of her with great force, "Hand over your wallet."

This time, seeing their leader lying motionless on the ground, the two hesitated but ultimately returned the wallet. Taking the wallet, Yu Lian watched the three leave. She didn't chase after them, but silently memorized their faces.

After confirming that the person had gone far away, she squatted down in pain. The thought of not only having to limp out of the hospital later, but also being scolded by her parents in addition to the doctor's nagging, made the current pain seem insignificant. From today onwards, she would receive the same treatment as Yu Xin at home.

"Do you need any help?"

This dilapidated demolition site is usually deserted, so encountering someone here is truly a miracle. Looking up, Yu Lian could hardly believe her eyes.

"He Lin?"

"It's me, no doubt about it." His tone was stiff, with a hint of reluctance.

"No."

Yu Lian leaned against the wall to stand up, not wanting to trouble others. She could feel the unbearable pain with every step she took, so she stopped, afraid to move any further.

"Hey! Don't go!"

After refusing, He Lin left without hesitation. Her shout only caused the other person to pause briefly before resolutely walking deeper into the alley.

"Heartless! Xu Fang was absolutely right."

Helpless, she glanced at her watch. Now she could only wait for Xu Fang to realize something was wrong and come looking for her. Yu Lian took a piece of candy out of her pocket, and just as she was about to put it in her mouth, she saw a man and a woman appear in the distance. She subconsciously thought it was Xu Fang and her cousin, but immediately realized it wasn't—their clothes were different.

Only when she could see clearly did she confirm the other person's identity—He Lin had returned, this time with a young girl.

"She carries you on her back."

Yu Lian understood. He Lin hadn't left heartlessly; he'd gone to find someone to help him. Instinctively, she felt a pang of guilt—she'd just been calling him heartless. Yet, the next second she'd accepted their help, and to avoid suspicion, they'd even sent a girl instead.

"Hello, sister, can you still stand up?"

"Yes, but I can't walk."

"Okay, I'll help you up, I'll carry you on my back."

He Xinglan helped the person up little by little, then squatted down and carefully carried him on her back.

"Brother, hurry back and see if Dad is back yet. If he's not, I'll carry this sister to the hospital on my back."

As she spoke, Yu Lian was mentally calculating the distance from here to the nearest hospital—no exaggeration, it would be exhausting.

"No need to trouble yourself. If you could help me make a call, I'll have someone come pick me up."

"Sister, don't be so polite. It's just a small favor, don't worry about it."

He Xinglan's enthusiastic attitude made Yu Lian feel a little uneasy. Finally, after He Lin left, she received a warm response.

"Sister, aren't you my sister-in-law?"

"No, why would you think that?"

Hearing this answer, He Xinglan was somewhat disappointed. She had thought that her brother treated the sister on his back differently, and that he must like her. But hearing someone deny it with her own ears, her last glimmer of hope vanished. After all, no one would joke about something like this.

"Oh, my brother seemed a bit anxious when he came back. I've never seen him worry about anyone outside the family before; I thought he was secretly dating someone behind our backs."

Yu Lian didn't know how to comfort He Xinglan's disappointment. She couldn't very well suggest introducing someone to He Lin. They weren't close to begin with, and He Lin certainly wouldn't tell his family about his acting career and making money by pretending to be her boyfriend.

Halfway there, He Xinglan started to struggle. But the alley seemed endless, and Yu Lian was torn between letting her put her down.

"What's your name?"

"My name is He Xinglan, and I'm He Lin's younger sister. Are you a student at school, older sister?"

"I'll call you Xinglan. I'm not a student at the school, and your brother and I are just nodding acquaintances; we're actually not that close. I hurt my foot while catching a thief, and your brother happened to be passing by..."

These words completely overturned He Xinglan's previous assumptions—it wasn't that her brother disliked others, but rather that others disliked him. She never imagined that her brother would come to this.

"I see. But actually, my brother would never go there. He must like you; he just happened to see you catching the thief. Otherwise—even though our family isn't well-off now, my brother's love of cleanliness is a habit he developed since childhood. There's occasional construction dust over there, and it's always been dusty because no one cleans it. He wouldn't go there."

He Xinglan's bluntness left Yu Lian momentarily speechless.

"Haha, I see. Your brother is really a good person."

"No, he's not. He must care about you to go there. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't even glance at them. My brother only gives his attention to people he's interested in. Sister, are you married? I'll have my parents come and propose marriage."

Clinging to He Xinglan's back, Yu Lian felt an unbearable torment. If this continued, she didn't know what other shocking things the little girl would say next.

"I'm sorry, Xinglan, I don't have any plans to date at the moment. Marriage and having children are not part of my current plans."

Hearing this, He Xinglan wasn't discouraged at all; instead, she became excited, her steps becoming lighter: "Sister, you've really found your life partner! My brother is also a very career-driven person. You know, he's basically always in the lab these days, oblivious to everything else. He's the smartest person in the school. Don't you both like smart people? My brother is perfect for that. Sister, you look smart too. When you two get married and have children, you'll definitely have an exceptionally intelligent child, the kind that everyone envies."

Yu Lian was confused by He Xinglan's words, which gave her an absurd feeling that "if this thing is not promoted soon, it will expire and become obsolete."

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like