“How can you be so thickheaded? I can give it a try. If I win, it’d be nice to give it to my wife and daughter.” The old man was immediately displeased when he heard that.
The woman’s face took on a troubled look. She furrowed her brow, irritation showing in her eyes.
“You’re not a scammer, are you?” The old man raised an eyebrow, his voice tinged with suspicion.
At his words, the impulse rising in Ke Ruobing was instantly suppressed by reason.
She stared at the woman, scrutinizing her.
“Of course not. This is a legitimate prize draw.” After hesitating for a moment, the woman handed the old man the QR code on the flyer.
The old man pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to Ke Ruobing. “Young lady, could you scan it for me? I really can’t figure this stuff out.”
Ke Ruobing took the phone and demonstrated the steps for him again, just as she had before.
“Old man, these things are actually pretty hard to win,” the woman tried to salvage the situation, though the smile was gone from her voice.
As the phone screen changed, an astonishing result appeared—they’d won second prize!
Seeing it, the woman exclaimed, “Young lady, you’re so lucky! You’ve won another electric scooter.”
Watching the woman’s half-convincing performance, Ke Ruobing had mostly come to her senses.
She shook her head gently and said with a smile, “I don’t want the scooter. You can have it.”
The woman’s face immediately darkened, her eyes full of displeasure.
She glared at Ke Ruobing, her voice edged with discontent. “Other people might not win even with a chance this good, and you’re just throwing it away? No wonder you can’t find a job.”
Ke Ruobing seemed not to notice the sarcasm in her words and nodded in agreement. “It really is hard to find a job these days.”
“You—”
The woman was about to fly into another rage, but the old man cut her off. “Well, things really are tough these days. It’s hard to find a job.”
The woman shot him a furious glare, then snatched up the flyer. “If you don’t want it, fine.”
The old man glared right back at her. Shameless—picking on a kid who didn’t know any better.
Ke Ruobing handed the phone back to him and said quietly, “Thank you.”
The old man waved his hand to show it was nothing. Then, narrowing his eyes with curiosity, he asked, “Why are you out looking for work at a time like this? You look like you’re still in high school.”
Ke Ruobing shook her head gently and replied in a low voice, “No. I’m starting university in a month.”
“Oh? Which school are you planning to go to?” The old man immediately grew interested.
“Jianghai University.”
“Jianghai University? That’s a good school.” The old man smiled and nodded approvingly. Then he changed the subject. “I remember Jianghai University has financial aid for students from low-income families. Why are you looking for work? Is something wrong at home?”
Ke Ruobing shook her head again and said softly, “I don’t want to rely on my family.”
Seeing how well-behaved the young woman was, the old man couldn’t help considering something.
After a moment’s thought, he said, “How about coming to my house to tutor my kid? He’s always saying there’s no point in studying, and it gives me a headache. Look, I even had to make a special trip out to buy his favorite fried chicken and dessert just to coax him into reading.” As he spoke, he lifted the bag of food in his hand.
Ke Ruobing hesitated briefly, then decided to turn him down politely. “Thank you for the offer, but I’d still like to look for other work on my own first.”
“All right, then.” The old man nodded. He was a little disappointed, but understood.
Just then, the Number 45 bus came rolling up again and stopped beside the bus stop.
“When you’re out and about, young lady, keep your wits about you so you don’t get cheated. I’ll be off now.” As he spoke, the old man got up to board the bus.
Ke Ruobing watched the Number 45 bus, lost in thought.
A Number 45 bus had already come by earlier. The old man had stayed behind on purpose to help her…
With that thought, Ke Ruobing hurried after him.
“What is it? Changed your mind?” the old man asked.
Ke Ruobing shook her head and answered honestly, “No. This is the bus back.”
“Oh? I’m getting old. My head’s all muddled,” the old man said with a laugh.
Ke Ruobing smiled faintly and thanked him earnestly. “I really am very grateful.”
The old man waved a hand. “You’re always thanking me, young lady. I only did a little thing. There’s no need to be so polite.”
When the bus doors opened, they both got on.
The old man took a seat in the middle, while Ke Ruobing went to sit at the back.
As the bus started moving, nausea rose in Ke Ruobing’s stomach. Her brows knitted, and the urge to throw up grew stronger and stronger.
Fortunately, the bus reached its destination after only a little over twenty minutes. As soon as it stopped, Ke Ruobing rushed off and let out a forceful breath, then another wave of nausea swept over her.
“Are you all right, young lady?” The old man immediately came over and asked with concern.
As soon as he spoke, the nausea in Ke Ruobing’s stomach seemed miraculously to ease.
“I’m fine.” Ke Ruobing smiled faintly, though her face was a little pale.
The old man gave Ke Ruobing a thoughtful look. “If you change your mind, come to this address at nine tomorrow morning.” He took a notebook from his pocket, wrote down the address, tore out the page, and handed it to her.
“All right.” Ke Ruobing carefully took the slip of paper.
Seeing that Ke Ruobing’s color had improved a little, the old man turned and left.
Ke Ruobing looked at the address on the slip of paper. It was just a short distance ahead.
She could walk there; there was no need to take the bus.
As Ke Ruobing hesitated, her phone suddenly vibrated. A text message appeared on the screen.
【Ruobing, where are you? You should come home now, shouldn’t you? Your father is really worried about you.】
【Don’t keep holding a grudge against your family. You’ve been away for so many days, and you don’t have any money. How are you going to manage?】
Ever since Bai Qingqing had answered the phone that time, Kong Wanqing hadn’t called again. She’d switched to sending text messages instead.
Ke Ruobing glanced at the two messages without replying, put her phone away, and turned back toward the residential compound.
She hadn’t gone far when her phone rang again. This time, it was a call from Ke Ruobing’s father, Ke Jie.
Ke Ruobing didn’t answer. She let it ring a few times until the call ended on its own.
Then Ke Jie’s messages came through.
【Answer the phone! Ke Ruobing!】
【Where on earth are you? Do you know how worried your mother and I are?】
【Are you out fooling around with some punk? No wonder you won’t listen to your mother and father anymore.】
Ke Ruobing barely glanced at the messages before guessing that Kong Wanqing must have said something again.
She ignored them and kept walking.
When she got home, she saw Bai Qingqing sitting alone on the sofa, watching a show.
When Bai Qingqing saw Ke Ruobing return, her face lit up. “You’re back! Come on, let’s eat together. The takeout just arrived, and my Big Brother was called away by the dean, so it’s just the two of us. Lucky us.”