The three of them sat down. Because Haicheng’s grilled fish was quite special, Bai Yueming had specifically brought Yun Hui to try it.
“Yun Hui, Meng Yao, you two find a seat first. I’ll go to the front desk to order.”
Because the place was too crowded—it was the peak weekend rush—Bai Yueming went straight to the front desk to order.
Meng Yao and Yun Hui found a corner and sat down.
The area was packed with people, even the aisles were barely passable for one person.
They struggled quite a bit to snag one of the few four-person tables.
“Yun Hui, I’m going to the restroom.”
Meng Yao placed her phone on the table and headed to the bathroom.
Yun Hui frowned and instinctively tucked Meng Yao’s phone into her own bag—there were too many thieves around; she often lost things.
Bored, she scrolled through short videos when a woman sat down across from her.
The woman had short hair and wore a baseball cap, sitting down quietly. A few strands of black hair fell across her forehead, adding a touch of mystery to her appearance. She wore minimal makeup—just a light lipstick and a hint of eyeliner—which perfectly complemented her cool, detached aura.
“What’s your name?” Her voice sounded a bit like Yin Han Sou’s.
Hearing the somewhat familiar tone, Yun Hui jerked her head up like a fish biting a hook.
When she saw it wasn’t the Yin Han Sou she’d been longing for, her brows furrowed into a deep frown.
“You’re in the wrong seat.”
She picked up her cola glass with her right hand and took a small sip. “No mistake. I’m asking, what’s your name?”
Seeing Yun Hui didn’t answer, she raised an eyebrow. “Quite cautious.”
Yun Hui’s round eyes narrowed warily. She shifted slightly toward the edge. “You’re in the wrong seat!”
The person across from her casually sized Yun Hui up, a flicker of excitement in her eyes. “Want to try?”
Yun Hui shook her head, instinctively looking around for Meng Yao and Bai Yueming—but there were too many people; she couldn’t find them at all.
How did she get targeted like this!
Yun Hui stood up, grabbed Meng Yao’s bag, and prepared to move to another seat.
Xi Yue’s hand swiftly reached out to grab Yun Hui, trying to pull her into an embrace.
Unexpectedly, Yun Hui was surprisingly strong. She twisted away from Xi Yue’s grip, picked up Meng Yao’s bag, and prepared to leave.
A tall figure suddenly appeared beside Yun Hui, her voice filled with anger. “Xi Yue, get the hell away from her right now.”
Xi Yue nonchalantly sipped her cola, her eyes fixed on Yun Hui like a hungry wolf.
“Yueming, since when did you have a friend like this?”
Bai Yueming grabbed Xi Yue by the collar, gritting her teeth as she spoke. “I don’t care about others, but if you lay a finger on this one, you won’t get away with it.”
Having spent a long time in the scene, Bai Yueming knew quite a few “oranges.” The crowd in the circle varied, and Xi Yue was the type with skin as thick as a city wall—a persistent, clingy “rotten orange.”
“What’s her name?” Xi Yue maintained her grabbed posture, her gaze unabashedly fixed on Yun Hui.
The incident started half an hour earlier when Bai Yueming posted a photo of the three of them on her social media with the caption: Taking a southern little friend out for grilled fish.
Xi Yue saw Yun Hui in the photo and followed the scent straight here.
Beside them, Yun Hui trembled like a startled fawn, quickly hiding behind Bai Yueming as if she’d found her savior.
She wasn’t stupid—this person clearly had intentions toward her!
She didn’t have the gentle gaze of her sister, nor her attentiveness! And she certainly didn’t have that unique tenderness of her sister—this was purely lust at first sight.
Compared to her sister, aside from putting on an act, she was nothing!
Yin Han Sou, who was far abroad, sneezed at an inopportune moment. Due to the seriousness of the occasion, she held it back silently, muffling the sneeze within her body.
That sneeze truly cleared Yin Han Sou’s meridians.
…
Xi Yue smiled faintly. “If you don’t want to cause trouble in the shop, let’s talk outside.”
She never wasted effort. Snatching someone away wasn’t difficult—she had plenty of people at her disposal.
Bai Yueming glanced warily out the window. There were likely people waiting outside.
Unexpectedly, Yun Hui suddenly spoke up. “I’ll go out and talk with you, just the two of us.”
Xi Yue nodded in satisfaction and followed Yun Hui outside.
Bai Yueming tried to follow but was stopped by Xi Yue. “If you come along, I can’t guarantee my people won’t act.”
Bai Yueming frowned, deeply regretting her decision at that moment—why had she dragged Yun Hui out in the first place? Now they were being targeted by a pack of hungry wolves.
The worst part was that she couldn’t gather enough people on such short notice.
What was Xi Yue? A local ruffian! There was no reasoning with her.
Bai Yueming glanced worriedly at Yun Hui, whose face was flushed but expression calm.
…
In the pitch-black alley, Yun Hui stood under a streetlight, eyeing Xi Yue warily. “What do you want?”
Xi Yue pinned Yun Hui against the wall. “Do you really need to ask?”
Unbeknownst to her, Yun Hui was carefully measuring her opponent’s proportions, searching for the most vulnerable point—the height of her neck.
“I’m telling you… don’t… don’t mess with me.”
This wasn’t because Yun Hui was shy; she stuttered when nervous, a habit that had started at some point.
“What? If I mess with you, do you think you can fight back?”
Yun Hui lowered her head. “I can… beat you.”
Pfft! What nonsense.
“You can beat me? Little girl, do you even know how much you’re lacking?”
“If I say I can beat you, I can. How much I’m lacking doesn’t matter—I can beat you.”
Xi Yue was amused by the young woman in front of her. “Fine, if you can beat me, I’ll let you go. How about that?”
Yun Hui’s eyes lit up. “Re… really?”
Xi Yue: …
She took a few steps back, her posture extremely provocative. “Come on, give it a try.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, a leather boot slammed into her jaw.
Immediately after, Yun Hui’s knee struck her abdomen with force, and then her arms wrapped around Xi Yue’s neck.
In an instant! A powerful force lifted Xi Yue by the neck, and as her body crashed to the ground, excruciating pain shot through her entire being.
Bai Yueming, who had secretly followed Xi Yue, was utterly stunned.
This gentle, seemingly harmless Yun Hui… actually…
The shock she witnessed was beyond words!
Xi Yue curled up on the ground, groaning in pain.
“Sorry… I… I told you I could beat you…” Yun Hui stammered.
Xi Yue wanted to curse, but she figured if she kept it up, she’d probably get hit a few more times.
“Don’t you know hitting people is illegal?”
Yun Hui didn’t know.
She tugged at her pant leg. “I’m going back… you… you should go to the hospital and see an orthopedist later…”
Xi Yue: ?
Bai Yueming was both shocked and amused. Why did such words sound so adorably silly coming from Yun Hui?
Yun Hui fled the alley and ran into Bai Yueming at the intersection.
“Yueming?”
Bai Yueming wore a complicated expression. “Have you trained before?”
Yun Hui instinctively glanced back toward Xi Yue. “I’ve been training for several years…”
Bai Yueming frowned, “It’s all my fault. I’ve been in this circle for years and have dealt with all sorts of people… If you hadn’t learned self-defense, I wouldn’t dare think about what could have happened tonight.”
Yun Hui glanced around, “Don’t think about it anymore, let’s go eat fish!”
The mention of food made her forget everything.
Her neighbor’s older sister once told her that when Yun Hui was little, she had lured her to her house for an entire day with just a bowl of instant noodles.
Back then, her parents were frantic, almost calling the police to search for her.
It wasn’t until she got hungry in the evening that she finally ran back home to eat!
Bai Yueming glanced guiltily at Xi Yue in the alley before turning and leading Yun Hui into the restaurant.
The rain had just stopped, and puddles still dotted the ground.
The evening lights pierced through the water, casting endless reflections.
As Yun Hui and Bai Yueming walked along the road, the reflections seemed to reveal another world.