After getting the money, the three girls bought only one bag of instant noodles for five yuan.
They had no bowl, so Chen Tingting carefully poured hot water directly into the packaging bag and held the opening shut with her hands.
A few minutes later, three heads huddled together, sharing a single pair of disposable chopsticks, taking turns bite by bite.
As for the remaining five yuan, they chose to buy a bottle of mineral water, which they also shared.
When they finished the noodles, they didn't forget to tidy up and throw away the trash.
Thanks to that ten-yuan kindness, the three wild girls had clearly warmed up to Bai Li.
"Hey bro, want a smoke?"
Chen Tingting fished a Nanjing Mengdu cigarette from the edge of her black stockings and held it out to Bai Li.
Bai Li glanced at it, shook his head, and pulled out a pack of Yuhuashi.
He tore open the packaging, stuck one between his lips, then passed the pack over.
"Have mine." The three girls' eyes lit up again.
"Holy crap, bro — Yuhuashi?!"
"Big bro, you're seriously generous!"
Each of them pulled one out and lit up, taking a deep drag with looks of pure satisfaction on their faces.
To them, Yuhuashi was top-shelf — only big bosses and company executives smoked that kind.
Cigarettes build bridges; liquor paves roads.
When a person meets a stranger, often the only chance to connect is by offering a cigarette.
Before that cigarette burns out, there's a good chance they'll be talking freely.
And with this exchange, the wild girls had completely let their guard down around Bai Li.
"Bro, which part of Yun City are you from?"
"Bro, check out my tattoo — cool or what?!"
Chen Tingting excitedly rolled up her sleeve to show Bai Li her Prajna half-sleeve tattoo.
Purple-haired Li Jiaxin kicked off her shoes too, propping her leg — clad in torn fishnet stockings — up on the seat to show off the uncolored rose tattoo on her ankle.
The atmosphere grew lively.
Just then, a greasy voice cut in.
"Well, well, little bro's got money to burn — even treating them to Yuhuashi?"
A passenger wearing a thick gold chain and sporting a big belly had appeared in the aisle at some point.
He had clearly watched the whole scene of Bai Li giving money and cigarettes, and his eyes were full of contempt.
He assumed Bai Li had been played by these wild girls — a total sucker.
The fat man's lecherous gaze swept back and forth over the three girls, lingering especially long on Li Jiaxin's bare ankle and Chen Tingting's chest.
"Damn, they're young."
"But little bro, take some advice from me — girls like these are fine for a bit of fun, just don't go getting attached." As he spoke, he reached out to touch Li Jiaxin's leg.
Bai Li's expression turned cold. He had a deep dislike for people who provoked others out of nowhere.
But before he could say a word, Chen Tingting and Li Jiaxin exploded.
"Who do you think you are, talking trash about our big bro, you fat pig?"
Chen Tingting shot to her feet, jabbing a finger right in the fat man's face:
"Say one more word and I swear I'll beat your sorry ass with Xiao Shuang's stinky shoe!"
Lin Xiaoshuang immediately backed her up: "Sister Tingting's right!"
Li Jiaxin reacted just as fast, snapping her raised leg back down, her eyes ice-cold:
"No mirror around? Surely you've got piss — someone splash it on him so he can wake the hell up."
Their response was direct, brutal, and reeked of street-life swagger.
The fat man was startled by the sudden onslaught, then flushed with humiliated rage:
"Hey, you ungrateful little delinquents — what are you playing innocent for? You think I won't—"
"I think you what? If I'd known sooner, I'd have had your old man knock you out before you were even born."
Chen Tingting stepped forward, grabbed one of Lin Xiaoshuang's legs, and made a show of reaching for her shoe.
That fierce, no-nonsense energy made the fat man crumble instantly.
He looked at Chen Tingting's ferocious glare, then at Bai Li sitting beside her with a completely indifferent expression, and finally retreated back to his own seat.
Just like that, the confrontation was settled by the wild girls.
Bai Li watched them, feeling a strange, striking sensation in his chest once again.
He hadn't expected at all that something as small as a pack of instant noodles and three cigarettes could make them stand up for him with such fierce loyalty.
It was so different from the relationships he'd encountered in the big city.
Their worldview was the polar opposite of the calculating, cold-hearted society he'd come from.
"Bro, don't even bother with that idiot," Chen Tingting said, sitting back down with lingering indignation.
"It's fine." Bai Li shook his head, looking at the girls with fresh eyes.
"Oh right, bro, you still haven't told us which county in Yun City you're from!" Lin Xiaoshuang steered the conversation back.
"Ping County," Bai Li answered.
"No way! Seriously?! We're from Ping County too! What a coincidence!"
The three girls erupted again, as if they'd found long-lost family.
Lin Xiaoshuang was so happy she kicked off her shoes and propped her cartoon-socked feet up on the seat, curling herself into a ball.
With such a big movement, Bai Li could faintly make out a white cotton Strawberry Bear print.
She herself seemed completely oblivious, still chattering away excitedly:
"Bro, when we get back to Ping County, we'll take you out! I've got tons of girlfriends, all really pretty — I'll introduce you!"
Bai Li subtly turned his head away and gave a noncommittal reply:
"We'll see."
Now, looking at these loud, rough-mannered girls, he felt none of the irritation he'd had at first.
After all, who would find their own cash cow annoying?
There were still more than twenty hours left before they arrived in Yun City.
Bai Li leaned against the window, watching the night scenery blur past outside, already running calculations in his mind.
These three cash cows with enormous potential — how should he go about nurturing and cultivating them next?
A bold and clear development plan was slowly taking shape in his heart.