Fu Cheng's breath caught in his throat for two seconds before he could finally breathe again.
He knew Shen Lu was only sharing the bed with him because of her sore back. It wasn't that he thought what she was doing was wrong.
And yet, he was incredibly nervous.
He had never been so close to a girl before.
Even when Shen Lu was his nominal fiancée, they had never even held hands.
'Are we fast-forwarding straight to sharing a bed now?'
Although, he knew nothing would happen.
While Fu Cheng was lost in his own wild thoughts, Shen Lu fell asleep almost instantly.
And she slept soundly, at that.
Fu Cheng took up more than half of the 1.2-meter bed. If Shen Lu hadn't been so petite, they wouldn't have been able to fit, no matter how close they pressed together.
Shen Lu was indeed a still sleeper; she woke up in the exact same position she fell asleep in.
Sleeping on a bed felt truly wonderful, even if it was just an iron slab without a mattress, blanket, or pillow.
"Beds really are the best for sleeping," Shen Lu remarked. She decided she would squeeze in with Fu Cheng again tonight.
There was no need to ask Fu Cheng about it. He was unconscious most of the time anyway, so it wasn't like he could object.
After a quick wash and breakfast, she ate her fill and fed Fu Cheng. Then, Shen Lu had to head out to scavenge for junk again.
The sun was out a little today, and the temperature had risen by a few degrees.
Shen Lu's forehead was beaded with sweat. Her haul was poor, and she was growing frustrated.
The detector's red light flashed as it passed over a lens-like component. A jolt of joy went through Shen Lu. She bent down to grab it, but someone else was faster, snatching the component right from under her hand.
'Someone just snatched it from me?!'
Shen Lu frowned at the person who had snatched it. It was a woman of about forty, gaunt and swarthy, with murky eyes. The two lines running from her nose to her mouth were long and deep, giving her a harsh, cruel look.
"Ma'am, I saw that first." Shen Lu didn't want to start a fight over nothing, so her tone was still polite.
"Does it have your name on it? Will it answer if you call?" the woman snorted. "Get one thing straight. This is a landfill. Finders keepers."
"You call this 'finding'?" Shen Lu's face hardened. "This is blatant robbery!"
"So what if I snatched it? If you've got the guts, you can snatch things too." The woman didn't give Shen Lu a second glance. With her delicate skin, she was no match for someone who had clawed her way up from the bottom for decades.
No exaggeration, she could slap the girl so hard she wouldn't know which way was up.
She, Liu Chunhua, had a reputation in the No. 3 Landfill. Most people didn't dare try to snatch junk from her.
Shen Lu's already foul mood soured even further.
She'd been at the No. 3 Landfill for days, deliberately scavenging in less crowded areas to avoid conflict. She never thought someone would come looking for trouble even when she was being so careful.
A vicious glint flashed in Shen Lu's eyes. She absolutely despised bullies who preyed on the weak.
'People like her were just asking to be taught a lesson.'
Shen Lu slipped a hand into her pocket, gripping her stun baton tightly. She said coldly, "Ma'am, I suggest you give that back to me. Or things are going to get ugly."
Liu Chunhua casually picked up a steel pipe and pointed it at Shen Lu. "Tough one, aren't you, little girl? Don't blame this auntie for getting rough."
Shen Lu's lips pressed into a thin line. She stared intently at Liu Chunhua, already formulating a plan to take her down.
Liu Chunhua showed no mercy just because her opponent was a young girl. She swung the steel pipe straight for Shen Lu's temple.
She went straight for a killing blow—a truly vicious move.
Shen Lu quickly assessed the situation and took half a step back, putting her just outside the pipe's range.
She raised her hand, about to grab the pipe, when someone suddenly shot out from the side, snatched the bag Liu Chunhua had set down, and took off like a shot.
"Zeng Xiaodao!" Liu Chunhua roared, spinning around to chase the person who had snatched her bag.
That bag contained her entire morning's haul; there was no way she was letting Zeng Xiaodao get away with it.
Shen Lu stood dumbfounded. The turn of events was far beyond anything she had imagined.
'When did Zeng Xiaodao get here? Did he snatch the woman's bag just to get me out of this bind?'
Shen Lu stood frozen for a moment, then put the stun baton back in her pocket and went back to scavenging.
'It's not like I can catch them anyway. Better to stick to what I can actually do.'
About half an hour later, Zeng Xiaodao ran back.
Shen Lu glanced behind him. There was no sign of the woman.
Zeng Xiaodao was breathing a little heavily. "Why were you fighting with Granny Liu? She's known for being completely reckless here in the No. 3 Landfill."
Shen Lu explained simply, "She snatched my find."
Zeng Xiaodao gave her a long, searching look. "You know, I'm starting to think you're pretty damn tough."
Those metal towers have been piled there for who knows how many years. No one ever dares pull anything from the middle of them, terrified the whole thing will collapse and crush them.
But Shen Lu dared.
Liu Chunhua has been getting by in the No. 3 Landfill for decades. She has a reputation, and most people don't want to cross her.
After all, she's notoriously vicious—to herself, and even more so to others. And she holds a grudge.
Get on her bad side, and you won't know a moment's peace for a long, long time.
But Shen Lu didn't seem to care at all. She was even ready to fight her.
"So I should just stand there and let her walk all over me?" Shen Lu shot him a disapproving glance. "We're all just scavenging in a landfill. How impressive can she possibly be? I don't see why I can't stand up to her."
The rules here are complicated, yet simple. They can be summed up as: respect is for the strong.
Anyone with real power or ability would never end up scavenging in a landfill.
Even if they did, it would only be temporary. That woman has been stuck here for so long without ever getting out. That just shows you her limits.
Zeng Xiaodao burst out laughing. His laughter grew louder until he was doubled over. "You're right. She's really not that impressive."
Shen Lu rolled her eyes at him in disgust.
'What's so funny all of a sudden? Weirdo.'
"You can talk. What about you? You provoked her for no reason, and you're still carrying her bag, aren't you? You stole her entire morning's haul. Aren't you afraid she'll come after you with everything she's got?"
"She can't catch me." Zeng Xiaodao lifted his chin smugly. "In this landfill, there's nothing I can't snatch if I want to."
"Wow, you're so amazing," Shen Lu scoffed sarcastically. "I guess I should crown you the King of Junk."
'What's there to be so proud of?'
Zeng Xiaodao ignored her sarcasm and tossed the bag onto the ground. "Here. And don't say I don't treat you like a friend. You get to pick two things first."
Shen Lu froze, turning her head to look at him. "You're letting me pick?"
"Yeah. Hurry up. You pick two things, I'll pick a few, and we'll give the rest back to her." Zeng Xiaodao stroked his chin. "She's getting on in years. It's not easy to find valuable junk."
More importantly, if he took it too far, Liu Chunhua would go completely berserk.
He himself didn't mind, but he had a grandmother to think about. He couldn't drag the old woman into his troubles.
Shen Lu hadn't expected Zeng Xiaodao to say that.
'Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.'