Guilt was indeed the constant companion of thieves.
Fei Chaichai hadn't expected her casual remark about "buying a lottery ticket" to be overheard, though she had to admit her voice had been a bit loud.
Fortunately, Li Yuyuan didn't seem suspicious. Not daring to make any more rash moves, she decided to play along, scooping up the bamboo basket from the ground and directing: "Th-then let's go. Let's go buy a lottery ticket."
With that, she stared straight ahead, legitimately avoiding that unsettling gaze, and set off confidently in the direction she'd come from.
But just as she took a step forward, a tug from the basket pulled her back.
Fei Chaichai looked down in confusion.
This bamboo basket was probably Zhang Fei's toy on a regular basis.
Though clean, the handle was gnawed and pitted, which only made the left hand blocking her path look even more coldly pale like jade.
This was a prime opportunity to admire the tattoo up close.
But Fei Chaichai's eyes held no appreciation for art—she only noticed that the tattoo seemed to be inked over a scar, and she couldn't help but lean in for a closer look.
Two words suddenly dropped from above her head: "Drool."
"!"
Fei Chaichai instinctively turned around, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, only to find it completely dry.
"…There's no drool." She turned back to ask.
"On the basket." Li Yuyuan released his grip, shoved his hands into his pockets, and as she bent down to check the basket again, he finished his sentence: "Dog drool."
"…"
Tricked again!
Fei Chaichai lifted her chin, ready to settle old and new scores together: "Then why the hell did you pull me back for no reason!"
Li Yuyuan: "You were going the wrong way."
"…Oh!"
Even if she wasn't in the right, Fei Chaichai was determined to make a statement. She tossed her hair, abandoned the bad man, and turned around to set off anew.
Her slender silhouette radiated pure fury.
Li Yuyuan strolled along behind her, pondering how to clean up his own mess.
But as they passed the third tree, the girl suddenly turned around with her hands behind her back. The anger on her face had vanished, replaced by nothing but curiosity, and she asked him without a trace of resentment: "By the way, you don't have any other cats to feed, right?"
On a tranquil summer night, the path was quiet and secluded, with the occasional chirping of insects the only sound in the world—like an ant trying to topple a tree.
Li Yuyuan's steps faltered slightly, the calm in his eyes gently disturbed.
She really didn't hold grudges.
For the first time, he tasted the feeling of kicking cotton. He tugged at the corner of his mouth and lowered his head, his expression relaxed, and dangled the leash in his hand, deflecting the question to "Zhang Fei": "Ask him."
"?"
Just to deal with her, he'd even use his dog?
Fei Chaichai looked down on such behavior of sacrificing the dog for oneself: "If you don't want to answer, just don't answer. What kind of man pushes Zhang Fei out to take the fall."
That was a direct insult.
But Li Yuyuan didn't react much. His gaze swept over her face, which was written with contempt, and he said lazily: "Is it possible that the one picking up cats to feed everywhere isn't me, but him?"
"…"
They said a fall into a pit teaches you wisdom.
But she'd eaten so many falls at Li Yuyuan's hands that she was practically stuffed, and still hadn't gained much wisdom. Even now, she couldn't tell truth from lies in his words.
But not being able to tell didn't matter.
This time, Fei Chaichai willingly fell for it.
After all, "Zhang Fei the chivalrous cat rescuer" was far more plausible than "Li Yuyuan voluntarily feeding stray animals," and far more convincing.
At least it convinced her.
Li Yuyuan had already caught up to her pace, walking along the curb with the dog.
Fei Chaichai turned back around, accepting the explanation in a second, thinking she hadn't misjudged him after all: "See, I told you—"
Wait.
Now wasn't the time to speak the truth.
She quickly swallowed back "you're not that kind-hearted" and replaced it with: "Like master, like dog! Your dog is just as kind as you are."
Li Yuyuan: "You might as well just insult me directly."
"…"
Was he saying her compliment was that bad?
Fei Chaichai refused to accept it and set up another round: "The cat was fed by Zhang Fei, but there's no way he's the one who took it to get neutered."
Nowadays, feeding stray cats was no longer seen as a good deed—instead, it was considered a harmful act done to satisfy one's own desires, leading to an overpopulation of strays.
Neutering had become especially important.
And the notched right ear of that orange cat was the mark of neutering.
She didn't believe this flattery could land on the dog's ass this time, and she was ready to shower Li Yuyuan with praise the moment he admitted it.
But this time, he neither denied nor admitted it. What he said was: "He paid for it."
"…"
Fei Chaichai understood now.
Li Yuyuan didn't think she was bad at complimenting—he simply had no interest in being the good guy.
For the third round, she took his advice and went straight for the insult: "You're worse than a dog!"
That one was clearly spoken from the heart.
The moment she finished, Li Yuyuan stopped walking, changed direction, and unhurriedly stepped up onto the curb.
Fei Chaichai assumed he was just getting closer for easier conversation and didn't think much of it, continuing to focus on honing her insult skills.
But the light around her suddenly dimmed.
She looked up.
The streetlamp was perfectly intact, glowing brightly as usual.
The source of the problem was Li Yuyuan. He'd crossed the safe distance and showed no sign of stopping, still closing in on her.
Close enough that his black jacket brushed against her arm, intentionally or not, leaving a faintly cool sensation in its wake.
Fei Chaichai flinched as if burned, snapping back to reality. She darted out from under his towering shadow and said warily, "You… what do you want now?"
"To prove that you were right to curse me."
Li Yuyuan said it as casually as if he were commenting on the weather, his pace unhurried.
But step by step, Fei Chaichai was still backed into another street by him, her face a mask of confusion the entire time.
Prove?
Prove that he was worse than a dog?
What was there to prove about that! He wasn't planning to get back at her, was he?
After deciphering this meaning, Fei Chaichai was speechless for a full three seconds, refusing to take the fall: "Weren't you the one who told me to curse you just now? What's with changing your tune now!"
Li Yuyuan let out a low hum. "Count it as your bad luck?"
"…………"
Ah—pfft!
Since the soft approach didn't work, Fei Chaichai had no choice but to go harder.
She raised her fist, holding it up in front of her as a warning: "You've seen how formidable I am. If I accidentally hurt you later, don't blame me for being too rough!"
The man who would normally quibble with her over even a single "thank you" was today, for once, surprisingly agreeable. He conceded, "Mm, I won't blame you."
Yet in those eyes of his, cold to the extreme, Fei Chaichai could find not a trace of the gentleness that matched his words.
It was more like the final patience of a beast before it savors its prey.
This snapped her back to her senses immediately. Without another word, she resorted to the surefire way to win a fight—she turned and ran!
The moment she spun around, she stirred up a wisp of evening breeze that slipped into those pitch-black eyes.
The night in his gaze blurred into a hint of amusement.
Li Yuyuan was somewhat inconsistent in word and deed—he said he wanted to prove something, but in reality, he couldn't even be bothered to chase after her. He watched with leisurely composure as she fluttered away like a little bird, flapping her wings and flying off in an instant.
Unfortunately, she hadn't gotten far when a piercing motorcycle roar suddenly sliced through the air beside Fei Chaichai's ears.
The night seemed to be torn open by the sound, and the light and noise that had been absent for so long came flooding in all at once.
The bustling street unfolded before her eyes.
Neon lights flickered all around, crowds jostled, shops lined the street in close succession, lively and vibrant—there were even two lottery ticket stores.
Fei Chaichai froze in place, loosening the fist that had never gotten to be used.
It seemed Li Yuyuan really was proving to her through actions that he was indeed worse than a dog.
He clearly had no intention of doing anything bad to her—he just wanted to guide her out of the alley—yet he insisted on scaring her like that.
Fei Chaichai didn't understand. She whipped her head around and said irritably, "Li Yuyuan, you've been an adult for quite a few years now, haven't you? Aren't you ashamed to bully a young girl?"
"Not ashamed." Li Yuyuan answered with complete candor.
Just as he'd said, he truly had no sense of shame. Leading the dog, he ambled slowly to her side and said without a hint of embarrassment, "After all, I'm worse than a dog."
"…………"
What a curse!
She'd never believe his nonsense again!
Fei Chaichai regretted it deeply. Learning from her mistake, she shoved the bamboo basket into his arms: "Carry it yourself!"
After her outburst, she turned and walked into the convenience store, planning to buy herself a bottle of oolong tea to cool down her temper, lest she couldn't hold back and curse at him again.
But when she came out, the man and dog at the intersection had vanished without a trace.
Fei Chaichai stood dumbfounded at the door, clutching a pile of snacks.
Where were they?
Could he have gotten impatient and just left?
Fei Chaichai hurriedly rushed to the intersection to look.
But from behind her came a few tapping sounds—no particular rhythm, like someone randomly knocking on glass, yet the lazy air it carried was strangely familiar.
She slammed on the brakes and followed the sound.
Outside the convenience store that occupied a street corner, a few tables and chairs sat empty.
The man who had disappeared was sitting at the corner spot, one hand propping up his face, the other resting on the back of the chair beside him, fingers slightly curled, looking like he was about to knock on the window again at any moment—until she spotted him, and only then did he withdraw his hand.
And "Zhang Fei" was crouching nearby, wagging his tail at her.
Fei Chaichai looked and let out a sigh of relief.
Good thing Li Yuyuan had at least a shred of conscience, or else her main quest tonight really would have been buying lottery tickets.
She strode over, tore open a cheese stick, and while bending down to feed the dog, mocked the dog's owner: "How is it that you can't even measure up to half of Zhang Fei? You got tired after just a few steps and had to sit down."
The June heat was still brewing.
A breeze blew, and it dissipated without a trace.
The only thing still dancing in the moonlight was the young girl's soft hair, brushing faintly, almost imperceptibly, against that hand resting on the chair's back—as light as a wisp of mist drifting through April.
Uncatchable, unkeepable.
It only awakened a barely perceptible itch that seeped into the blood and spread along the tattoo.
Li Yuyuan's dark lashes drooped, his voice as calm and low as ever: "It just goes to show I'm inferior to a dog in every way."
"…"
Why couldn't this topic just be dropped?
Fei Chaichai shot up abruptly and slammed her hand down hard on the table, ready to argue it out with Li Yuyuan—but she vaguely felt that the texture beneath her palm wasn't quite right.
She looked down.
What her palm was pressing on wasn't the tabletop, but two scratch-off lottery tickets, one from each of the two stores.
Who had bought them went without saying.
But wasn't this just her stalling tactic? Why was Li Yuyuan taking it so seriously?
Fei Chaichai suspected this was a trap, so she didn't rush to change her attitude. She crossed her arms, turned her head away, and let out a "hmph."
Li Yuyuan could tell she wasn't satisfied. He slowly raised his eyes, looking at her disdainful profile, and raised an eyebrow. "What, you want the grand prize?"
The girl didn't answer.
He took that as a yes, nodded with a simple "fine," and got up to buy more.
"…Hey."
Was this guy a little too cocky?
As if he could make her win the lottery just because she wanted him to.
Fei Chaichai naturally didn't believe Li Yuyuan had some superpower to manipulate lottery tickets.
Besides, she preferred scratch cards anyway, so she stopped putting on airs. She pulled out a chair, hugged her snacks, and sat down across from him, saying with reluctance, "Forget it, this is fine. Good enough to pass the time."
As she spoke, she rummaged through her pockets.
The next second, a lighter was placed in front of her.
Metal texture, sharp edges—more convenient to use than the coin she could never find.
Her thoughts had been read, but Fei Chaichai wasn't too happy about it, because she couldn't figure out why Li Yuyuan was suddenly showing her kindness one after another.
But she didn't take it out on the tool. She commandeered the lighter and continued nitpicking verbally. "You bought the tickets, and the lighter's yours too. If we scratch out zero in the end, that just means you've got bad hands."
After she finished her disclaimer, the first scratch card was done.
She checked it.
Won two hundred and eighty.
Fei Chaichai, who had never won big before: "…??"
It had to be a coincidence!
She immediately scratched another one, then another, and just like that, refusing to believe it, she scratched through the entire booklet.
In the end, her cumulative winnings came to three thousand five hundred.
Fei Chaichai fell silent.
Li Yuyuan took in her frustration, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He picked up the oolong tea and placed it horizontally against her forehead, blocking her head as it sank lower and lower. He casually explained the phenomenon. "Looks like your luck is pretty good."
"Huh?"
It… was?
Fei Chaichai hadn't expected the credit to be given to her. She immediately perked back up, opened another booklet, and made peace with him through a smile. "Then the winnings from this one go to you!"
But Li Yuyuan said, "No need."
"Why?" Fei Chaichai didn't stop her hands or lift her head, completely immersed in the world of lottery tickets, scratching with such fervor that she forgot everything else.
As she moved, her bangs rose and fell, revealing that the mosquito bite on her forehead had faded considerably.
But other marks hadn't been completely erased yet.
Li Yuyuan's gaze quietly wandered over her arms, his reason simple. "You waited all night just to buy lottery tickets. The money should all be yours."
Fei Chaichai: "Who said I was here for lottery tickets."
She refuted without a second thought.
Li Yuyuan's index finger, propped against his cheek, tapped lightly.
The little bird was poking its head around outside the cage, thoroughly enjoying itself, so he didn't disturb her. He kept his eyes lowered and asked casually, "Then what was it for?"
The question she'd been avoiding all night was raised at the most unexpected moment.
Fei Chaichai held up another winning scratch card in both hands, wiggled her body, shrugged her shoulders, and swayed her head, speaking her heart to Li Yuyuan without reservation.
"Why—I came to take advantage of you, of course!"