I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

"Hmm? Maybe it's because the buildings here basically look the same. It's normal to have such thoughts." I said and paid him the money.

"That's right..." He thought about it and didn't hesitate any longer, "Thank you for your patronage."

..........

I finally understood why the driver said he seemed to have been here before, and why it was impossible for an oncoming taxi to appear at the same time and on the same road. All unreasonable things must have unreasonable reasons. What seemed like a coincidence triggered a tragedy for me.

That’s right, Ye Jin even ridiculed me for this. In fact, logically speaking, my judgment was correct...and I have found the cause of the error.

The moment I walked through the front yard, I noticed someone standing at the door. I knew that figure very well. But it wasn't the one I expected to see...

"what...."

She appeared to be talking on her phone. Noticing me approaching, she glanced behind her, a smile of surprise spreading across her face before ending the call. No, it wasn't a call to someone else, it was probably to me. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my phone with me, so of course I didn't receive the message.

"Sheji, I thought you weren't home~ That's great, it wasn't a wasted trip."

Beneath the white sunhat was a head of beautiful, long silver hair, gleaming beautifully in the sunlight. Yes, just by looking at the slightly odd hair color, I could tell that the person before me was my editor-in-chief.

"...Actually, I'm just not home."

"I just went out to eat." Ye Jin answered first, then snatched the key from my hand, "If you have anything to say, let's talk inside. It's so hot..."

"..."

I don't have anything to say about this behavior. Just assume that she hasn't learned to be polite to others.

"Well, now that I'm back, my trip wasn't in vain."

Rather than the reason for her coming, I would rather confirm my previous guess.

"...You just came here by taxi, right?"

And I did.

"Eh?...Yeah, yeah." She nodded, then as if she understood something, a nervous expression appeared on her face. "Could it be...is there something wrong?"

...This reaction is also very interesting.

"So... the driver is a man in his forties, right? And he's the kind of guy who's good at talking. He's wearing a dark blue short-sleeved shirt..."

I then verified my idea.

"That's right... So what happened?" Anxiety flashed in her eyes. "Why do you know so much about this, Sheji? Wait, could it be that... Is that uncle some dangerous person?"

It seems that she has a very rich imagination. Although it is not clear what she imagined, judging from the tears in the corners of her eyes...she must have been told similar news by someone and then felt insecure.

“…”

But this reaction is too big... It's like looking at a frightened animal.

"Ahem...that..."

I was going to say no.

"Hmm..."

Xiaoye in front of me suddenly moved a little closer to me.

But looking at Xiaoye who seemed to be trembling and frightened in front of him, although he felt a little reluctant, he still couldn't help but want to scare her again, because her next reaction was really curious.

It's not that I have any sinister attributes. If I had to say...it was probably revenge for being ridiculed by Ye Jin. That's right, the oncoming taxi was actually called by Xiao Ye when he came to my house.

"Didn't you watch the news?" I lowered my voice to sound mysterious. "Actually..."

. . . . . . . . .

"sorry..."

This is my apology from the bottom of my heart.

In order to express the guilt that cannot be easily washed away and the refreshing feeling of guilt that is like a bitter wine going down my throat, cough... I even used a legendary apology gesture that most people have never heard of.

It is called "The Tiger Lands on the Ground".

As the name suggests, this apology is completely different from those slutty, cheesy ones like "Apology Shows Chest" and "Apology Shows Belly." It's a uniquely manly way of submission, with dramatic ups and downs, openings and closings, clean and neat, without appearing to lose its dignity.

"it's all my fault..."

I lay flat on my back with my head down, not daring to look up.

First, I want to apologize to that uncle. Defaming someone else's reputation will result in legal consequences, but I damaged the reputation of a hard-working person out of my own selfish desires. This is truly unforgivable.

"What's wrong? Tell me!"

The person sitting on the sofa with an angry look on his face was not the victim Xiao Ye, but Ye Jin, who had nothing to do with the matter.

"...Well..."

Only then did I dare to raise my head, and then I couldn't help but glance at Xiaoye behind her. She was curled up on the sofa without looking at me. She seemed to be very scared because of what I said before, or maybe she was just angry with me... In short, she didn't seem to want to talk to me now.

But to be honest, I just added fuel to the fire.

"talk!"

Ye Jin's behavior is what is called being unforgiving even when one is right... The matter itself had nothing to do with her. She just gave Xiao Ye a few words of advice and then acted as a judge.

"Uh...I shouldn't have bullied her."

But who would have thought that she would actually want to call the police because of what I just said. Luckily I stopped her in time and explained it to her, otherwise this matter would have definitely become a big deal...

"You, a man, actually bully a girl! Do you think this is still the time when you casually lifted up girls' skirts in elementary school?"

"!"

Xiaoye behind her couldn't help but look up at her white dress after hearing this.

"Who lifted a girl's skirt in elementary school? Don't make such nonsense without any evidence!"

"How dare you say such things!"

She picked up a pillow and threw it at me.

“...Ah...I’m sorry...”

But I was thinking the same thing about Xiaoye, who had a delicate expression. Should I call it instinct? I don't know why, but when a girl expresses fear of something, guys who are close to her will sometimes deliberately try to scare her. While this can lead to a life of loneliness, it's still quite amusing overall.

If we analyze it further, men might simply like women to show this side of themselves, because the more insecure a woman is, the more likely she'll be relied upon. That's why some people deliberately take women to haunted houses, across suspension bridges, and to horror movies... Well, if it's simply to see the expression on a woman's face after being bullied, then there's something seriously wrong with her.

Fortunately, I am not...probably not.

"...that uncle is my lifesaver, how can you say such bad things about him?"

"...You're exaggerating..."

It wouldn't matter if I walked back that distance directly.

"Shut up, you shameless old thief! How dare you ramble here!"

"..."

I'd better keep silent.

"Don't you know that everyone in the world is willing to eat your flesh alive? How dare you, a shameless pervert, do such a filthy thing in front of me?"

"That... malicious slander is wrong."

Although I am not in a position to say such things now, it is really not good to exaggerate.

"You've done something like this and you still don't repent. Repent!"

“I’m already repenting…”

It should be clear from seeing how skillfully I kneel down and ask for forgiveness that I am sincere now.

"Really... What are you thinking about all day long?" Ye Jin couldn't help but sigh, then turned to Xiao Ye beside him, "Okay, okay... Don't be angry, be good, I've already taught him a lesson..."

This familiar feeling...really feels like a scene where a child seeks justice from an adult after being bullied.

“…”

She turned and looked at me.

"...Do you really know you're wrong?"

"Yeah...I shouldn't have said anything without thinking and slandered someone's innocence."

"anything else?"

"...I shouldn't have told you a lie just because you were scared."

"Really... well, never mind... I forgive you."

She seemed to no longer be bothered by what had just happened, her mood returned to normal, and she stood up from the sofa.

"It's all because of what you just said... I forgot about the important things..." She took a deep breath and seemed to finally remember the purpose of coming here today. She looked at me and said, "I have something to say to you. Let's go upstairs."

"...Oh."

I don't know what's going on...

"Um!?"

Ye Jin on the side seemed to have noticed something.

"Is there anything that can't be said here?"

"..." Xiaoye didn't know how to respond to this question for a moment, and finally looked at me for help.

Yeah, that's right. I'm the one you can rely on in the crucial moment.

"What are you talking about! Do we need your consent to talk to each other? Xiaoye, ignore her and go upstairs first. I'm going to teach her a lesson downstairs first."

"Eh? Don't let me ruin your relationship..."

Xiaoye seemed a little worried about this.

"It's okay, just go ahead." I had gotten rid of that powerless posture at this point, and was talking to her in a standing position, trying my best to look safe and reliable.

"Then...please don't quarrel."

"No, no, no~"

Ye Jin on the side responded first, with a smile on his face that seemed normal at first glance, but in my opinion, it was full of murderous intent.

"So..."

She finally went upstairs slowly, looking back every few steps, and from the sound she had entered my room.

“...hiss—whoosh…”

Take a deep breath.

"Plop"

The unprepared forward bend with the head lowered to touch the ground with the forehead, this clean and free-spirited posture is the "Tiger Landing".

"sorry!"

I used it twice in one day. Today is indeed an extraordinary day.

. . . . . . . . .

"Are you hiding something from me?"

Ye Jin didn't seem to care about what I just said, and didn't pay any attention to my move. He just leaned lazily on the pillow behind him and turned on the TV with the remote control.

"....No."

The reason I said "no" wasn't because I really didn't, nor did I think I could make her ignore it. From her tone, I knew she must have noticed something. However, it seemed like I was hiding a lot from her, and I couldn't confirm what it was. So I said this so that she could tell me what she noticed and avoid revealing information she didn't know.

"...The girl just now, you two are in a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship, right?" she confirmed with me.

"Yeah...right."

I breathed a sigh of relief and then sat on the sofa behind me.

"...Did I tell you to sit? Keep kneeling."

"I do not want it."

"Ah, forget it." She didn't say anything else, just kept switching programs with the remote control in her hand. Finally, she locked onto the science and education channel, which was playing "Man vs. Wild."

"...has six times the protein of beef, and you can eat it just by removing the head..."

She calmly turned down the volume.

"I actually doubt whether you two are really boyfriend and girlfriend."