The strange sensation left Lin Jian stunned in the middle of the bustling night market, but that wonderful feeling was soon interrupted by the beautiful woman behind him.
“Are you okay?
Do you want to sit down and rest?” Ye Ziqiu asked softly.
“No need, no need.” Her voice pulled him back to reality.
He quickly squatted down, piled all the books together, wrapped them in the old bedsheet, and hoisted them over his shoulder.
“Huh?” When the massive pile of books landed on his shoulder, Lin Jian let out a soft gasp of surprise.
When he had carried the books here earlier, they had been incredibly heavy, bowing his back under the weight.
But now, the load on his back felt lighter than an elementary schooler’s backpack.
Lin Jian found this incredibly bizarre.
He knew something was wrong with him, but he wasn’t exactly sure what.
He needed to get out of here as quickly as possible and find a quiet place to examine himself.
Seemingly forgetting about the beautiful woman beside him, he lugged the large bundle and headed toward the end of the street.
Ye Ziqiu hurriedly followed.
Afraid that the large bedsheet might fall, she even raised both hands to lightly support it from behind.
“Walk a bit slower, you just bled…”
She was frantic with worry.
She wondered what kind of person he was.
He had clearly gotten his head busted open, yet he refused to go to the hospital and was in such a rush to leave.
Was he just incredibly stubborn?
Hearing her voice, Lin Jian, who was walking ahead, immediately turned around and looked her up and down.
“Hey beautiful, do you feel guilty because I got beaten up for your sake?”
Ye Ziqiu pondered for a moment before nodding.
“Yes.
After all, you were attacked because you were trying to save me.
I have a responsibility to help you get to the hospital.”
Lin Jian waved his hand impatiently.
“No need for the hospital.
If you really feel that guilty, why don’t you come home with me tonight and play some poker with me?”
“Play poker?
I never gamble!” Ye Ziqiu stated righteously.
“Damn it.” Lin Jian was completely defeated.
He rolled his eyes, glared at her, and snapped fiercely, “If you aren’t going to play poker with me, then stay away from me.
Stop following me.
I’m annoyed right now!” With that, he continued to stride away.
Ye Ziqiu didn’t chase after him this time.
She had caught a glimpse of the ferocity flashing in his eyes, causing her heart to skip a beat.
Although this man had stepped up to save her, it didn’t mean he was a good person.
Recalling how he had looked at her with lust and gotten a nosebleed earlier, she broke out in a cold sweat.
She thought she had been too emotional.
What if this guy was also a bad person?
Since he wouldn’t let her follow him, she decided to let it go.
If she had time tomorrow night, she would come over again, buy a few of his books, or even give him some money for medical expenses.
Only when Lin Jian had walked far away and disappeared from her sight did she turn in the opposite direction.
At the same time, she dialed a number.
The call connected quickly.
“Oh my, isn’t this President Ye of the Recovery Group calling?
Are you feeling lonely and looking for company?
Hahaha…” A silvery laugh rang out from the phone.
The woman on the other end had a very sweet and extremely suggestive voice.
“Stop messing around, Xue’Er.
I want to ask you something.” Without waiting for an answer, Ye Ziqiu got straight to the point.
“Just now, a man wanted to take me back to his place, but he asked to play poker.
I don’t understand why taking me home has to involve playing poker.
Is there some hidden meaning behind that?”
“Holy crap!
Who?
Which man wants to take you home to play poker?
So wild?” The woman on the other end had clearly jumped out of her seat.
“What do you mean wild?
Is there some inside joke about playing poker?” Ye Ziqiu asked, perplexed.
“Hehehe.” Xue’Er snickered wickedly over the phone.
“First, tell me if you agreed to go play poker with him or not.”
“No, he left.” Ye Ziqiu turned around and glanced back again.
Even though she knew he was already out of sight, she couldn’t help but check.
“Alright, then I’ll explain it to you.” Xue’Er said playfully, “Playing poker is a card game, you know that, right?
And when I slap the cards onto the table, what kind of sound does it make?”
“What kind of sound?” Ye Ziqiu thought for a moment.
“A SLAP sound, right?”
“Yes, aren’t you smart.” Xue’Er continued her wicked chuckle.
“Then what if I continuously slap the cards onto the table?”
“Then it would be SLAP SLAP…
Ah?” Halfway through her sentence, Ye Ziqiu trailed off.
She finally realized what playing poker really meant.
“Hahahahaha…” Xue’Er burst into loud laughter through the phone, as if she could perfectly picture Ye Ziqiu’s embarrassment.
Ye Ziqiu fumed, “Hooligan!
Shameless!
Despicable!
Scumbag!” Spitting out a string of curses, she was utterly furious.
That man was indeed no good.
He was simply too wicked to make such a shameless request.
“President Ye, hurry up and tell me.
Who exactly invited you to play poker?
This is too thrilling!” On the other end, Xue’Er couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of this.
“Nobody.
I’m hanging up.
I’m so mad!” With that, Ye Ziqiu angrily hung up the phone.
Meanwhile, Lin Jian lugged his large bundle back to the nearby Agricultural Bank District.
This residential area was built in the 1980s and was extremely dilapidated.
Although the government had been renovating old buildings in recent years, they had only given it a cosmetic facelift; the inside remained as run-down as ever.
Lin Jian’s home was on the third floor.
Upon opening the door, he saw his mother, Lin Jing, reading a book.
“Lin Jian, what happened to your head?
Did you get into another fight?” Glancing up casually, Lin Jing spotted the bloody scabs covering Lin Jian’s head and the stains on his clothes.
“Mom, I’m fine.
I just need to wash up, it’s nothing.” Lin Jian set the books down, turned, and went straight into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.
Lin Jing walked up to the bathroom door, her voice choking with emotion.
“Lin Jian, you’re twenty years old now.
Can you please give me some peace of mind for once?
Can you find a proper job?
“I might not expect much from you, but if you keep fooling around like this every day, won’t your life be ruined?”
“Mom, stop it.
I’ll go look for a job tomorrow, okay?”
“There are bandages and disinfectant on the sink shelf.
Open the door, and let me bandage it for you.”
“No need, no need.
This is just…
huh?”
“What’s wrong, Lin Jian?
Don’t scare me.”
“It’s nothing, Mom.
Just rest, I can handle it myself.”
“If you really want to find a job, then go to the Recovery Group.
Mr.
Liu from downstairs has told me several times that their security department is currently hiring guards.
They don’t require any educational background.
You wouldn’t even need a probation period if you went.
It pays 4,500 a month and covers social security and housing fund.
“Lin Jian, are you listening to me?” At this point, Lin Jing’s voice choked up again.
Liu Fei from downstairs had already mentioned this security guard job to Lin Jian, but Lin Jian had rejected him flat out, nearly cussing him out in the process.
Lin Jing also knew about this.
However, it was a legitimate job after all.
A multinational corporation with government investment that paid pension insurance.
Although the salary wasn’t high, it was enough if they were frugal.
But Lin Jing also knew that Lin Jian had no desire to be a security guard.
He wanted to make his own way in society.
Inside the bathroom, Lin Jian heard his mother’s silent tears.
Suddenly, he softened his tone.
“Mom, don’t cry.
I’ll go find Mr.
Liu in a bit and ask him to take me to onboard tomorrow.
Later, can you help me buy two cartons of cigarettes?
I’ll give them to Mr.
Liu.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll go buy them right now, right now!” Hearing that Lin Jian finally agreed, Lin Jing was so excited that she practically flew as she walked.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Lin Jian let out a bitter smile as he stared at the completely empty reflection in the mirror.
That’s right.
He was clearly looking in the mirror, but his reflection had completely vanished.