"One pack of instant noodles, that's 15 yuan."
The cashier took out a barcode scanner, but the customer handed over a 20-yuan note instead.
"Alright, here's your change: 5 yuan."
As she spoke, the cashier couldn't help but glance up at the slender young girl standing at the counter.
Clad in the uniform of nearby Yinshan Academy, she had waist-length hair, a delicate and petite face, skin so pale it bordered on sickly without a trace of foundation, yet her gem-like eyes were as still as an ancient well, carrying a faint chill.
She really was a beautiful girl.
After taking the plastic bag with the noodles and her change, the girl stepped out of the convenience store.
As the automatic door slid open, a cool, misty breeze carrying the scent of wet asphalt rushed in, brushing her cheeks.
She lifted her eyes slightly. The rain mist draped the neon-lit skyscrapers in a gauzy veil, softening the city's clamor into a quieter hum.
It was raining…
After stuffing the noodles into her shoulder bag, the girl opened her umbrella, but a flicker of movement caught her peripheral vision.
It was a man.
Around twenty-six or seven, dressed in a black suit with a collar torn open roughly, his tie hanging askew around his neck. He seemed to have been there for a while—empty beer cans littered the ground at his feet.
The moment their gazes met, the man smiled abruptly and spoke:
"Little sister, a pretty young thing like you staring at strange men on the street? That's dangerous, y'know."
As he spoke, he shifted his stiff body slightly, his calf knocking into a beer can with a sharp clink.
"Didn't realize I'd been sleeping on the street so long, huh." Ye Shuang murmured, the smile on his face more of a bitter grimace.
His recent days could be summed up in a single sentence: unemployed, dumped, orphaned.
Sitting on the convenience store steps, Ye Shuang gazed listlessly at the distant skyscrapers.
In this bustling city, there was no room for someone like him.
A lifetime of struggle might not even reach the starting line of others.
What was the point of living, anyway?
His eyes fell on a puddle nearby, raindrops pitting its surface. He felt like one of those drops—falling into the world without a ripple.
No one cared where he came from or where he was going.
"Crinkle." The sound of plastic cut through the rain, and Ye Shuang saw the girl who'd been watching him edge closer, a package in her hand.
A pack of…
Instant noodles?
Master Kang Five-Pack Instant Noodles, Lao Tan Sauerkraut flavor.
Ye Shuang: "…"
After a moment of silence, he looked at the girl trying to push the noodles into his arms. "Why are you giving me this?"
The girl stared at him for several seconds before whispering faintly, like a mosquito:
"Empty stomach… hurts."
Ye Shuang froze, instinctively taking the noodles. He looked at her earnest gaze, then took out his phone. Through the cracked screen, he saw the time: 12:12 a.m.
"It's late. Go home," he said. "Your family must be worried."
At that, the girl's beautiful eyes dimmed slightly. She looked at him once more, then turned and left, umbrella in hand.
"How am I supposed to eat such a big pack? It's not even the cup kind." Ye Shuang watched her slender figure fade into the distance, then glanced at the noodles in his hand.
He laughed self-deprecatingly. Maybe this kid didn't realize he had no place to stay?
Right—nowhere in this city belonged to him.
But the weight on his heart felt a little lighter. Receiving kindness from a stranger, after all, brought a flicker of warmth.
Especially from such a pretty girl.
Ye Shuang slowly stood up. The alcohol still lingered, making his head spin, his mouth so dry it was hard to swallow.
He cracked open the last beer to rinse his mouth, then fished out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket. As he looked in the direction the girl had gone, he froze.
In the distance, two men flanked her white umbrella, jostling her roughly.
There were even tugs at her clothes.
"Fuck, preying on students?!" Ye Shuang crushed the beer can in his hand, charging into the growing downpour in a single stride.
On the girl's side, the two men were now dragging her.
"Come on, it's already midnight—just hit the bar with us. You don't look like you wanna go home anyway, little missy."
"Let's go, there are plenty of students your age at our place. Everyone has a good time."
Pushed between them, the girl could only hug her umbrella, frozen with fear, unable to even cry out.
When the men saw she wasn't resisting, emboldened by her beauty, one reached out to grope her.
"SLAP!"
A hand landed across his face, mixing with rainwater, the sharp crack sending a spray of droplets into the air!
"AAH?!" The man collapsed into the mud, clutching his cheek, while his partner stood dumbfounded, too shocked to move.
Ye Shuang stood in the puddle now, alcohol and rain mingling, his tall frame radiating menace.
"Y-you… I warn you, if you touch my bro—"
"I'll beat both of you!" Ye Shuang yanked the girl behind him, then kicked the other man to the ground.
Before they could react, he grabbed the girl's wrist and ran, weaving through the rainy night,rain soaking them both within seconds.
Bai Yuyou stared blankly at the man pulling her along. For some reason, she didn't feel like stopping.
"Should be safe here."
Soon, Ye Shuang reached a bus stop. Noticing he was still holding her wrist, he let go quickly.
"Did I hurt you? Sorry, I was in a rush."
Bai Yuyou shook her head. Wet strands of hair clung to her pale face, making her look even more delicate.
That's when Ye Shuang noticed her soaked clothes, the fabric clinging to her skin, leaving little to the imagination.
"Your… underwear—" he blurted, then averted his gaze.
Bai Yuyou just tilted her head, her expression still neutral.
"It's okay now. Where's your home? I'll walk you back," Ye Shuang said, shifting his eyes. "Don't go out alone this late again, got it?"
Bai Yuyou nodded, pointing to a building across the street.
"Is that your place?" he asked. When she nodded, he looked toward the underground passage. "Let's go."
Her home was a run-down residential complex, not far from the convenience store.
The security guard, an elderly man, was fast asleep in a rattan chair in the booth—probably lulled by the rain.
"Here we are?" Entering the complex, Ye Shuang scanned the six-story building and its dark green iron gates before looking away, avoiding certain views. "Go in—don't let your parents worry."
But then, Bai Yuyou reached out and tugged at the hem of his shirt.
In the dim light of the gate, her expression reminded Ye Shuang of a stray animal huddled under a streetlamp.
"Fine, I'll walk you up." Seeing the pitch-black stairwell, he assumed she was scared after what happened.
But when they reached the fourth floor and she pulled him into an apartment, he realized something was wrong.
"Huh?"