Sui Xin’s name was carefree, but she herself was nothing like it—her whole being was full of rules and rigidity.
Her white and blue school uniform top bore not a single wrinkle, a result only achievable by daily ironing.
Her pants were just as precise—not too loose, not too tight—perfectly hiding her legs so no curves could be seen.
The shoes on her feet spoke volumes—white sneakers, spotless and without a single crease.
She clearly didn’t walk the streets much.
Yet, this girl who never stirred up a speck of dust was now walking toward a group of brightly dyed-haired delinquents.
“Oh my god, no!” Tang Xin clutched her chest in anguish as if she were right there, “Don’t hang out with these people…”
“Can you not put yourself in Professor Yang’s shoes for a moment…”
“No, don’t you have any empathy? Don’t you feel it’s such a pity for a fresh flower to mix with a bunch of cow dung?” Tang Xin frowned at Pei Xingyan’s indifference and asked, “You’re not seriously so immersed in Su Shanshan’s gentle world that you’re not interested in other girls at all, are you?”
… Pei Xingyan sighed, “You better look back over there. I have a feeling things aren’t as simple as you think. She doesn’t seem to want to be with those guys…”
They turned their gaze back again.
Although they were a bit far off and couldn’t catch every detail, it was clear enough that Sui Xin’s face bore only one expression—indifference.
There wasn’t a trace of happiness. As she approached the group, her body even slightly recoiled backward. Pei Xingyan was sure of this—deep down, she actually hated this rowdy crowd.
But that only made Pei Xingyan more puzzled. If she hated these people, then why was she still hanging around them?
C-Could it be coercion?
Pei Xingyan’s mind flickered through many mysterious numbers he had seen before, drifting toward some unsavory possibilities.
Yet the development continued to defy his expectations one after another.
Sui Xin didn’t respond at all to the colorful-haired men’s enthusiastic greetings, instead walking straight over to the women nearby. These women were no better—holding cigarettes between their fingers, sharing puffs from one cigarette among several people. It was even more shabby than when Pei Xingyan’s four roommates were all hungry at midnight but only had one bowl of instant noodles to share.
One girl offered Sui Xin a cigarette, but she calmly waved her off, standing silently to the side.
It looked like she really didn’t want to associate with these people. At least it wasn’t the kind of association born from liking a blonde guy.
“I’m a little lost here,” Tang Xin squeezed Pei Xingyan’s hand, “Isn’t she basically just disgusted by these people…?”
“Exactly.”
“I feel like we’re never going to figure this out at this rate.”
“Exactly.”
“Could you maybe stop saying ‘exactly, exactly’ like a broken record and offer some advice?” Tang Xin sounded a little impatient.
“Wait a little longer…”
“Wait for what?”
“Wait for an opportunity.”
“Tsk.” Tang Xin clicked her tongue impatiently, itching to rush over and pull Sui Xin away.
But Pei Xingyan knew better than anyone—this kind of girl could be more stubborn than a mule, impossible to pull back even with ten oxen. Until he understood why she was doing this, any effort was useless.
He kept watching.
The group stood up, noisy and loud as they walked down the street.
Most immature kids would be shy to draw attention, or at least avoid being the center of it, but some groups took pride in being the laughingstock of the crowd.
“Where are they going?” Tang Xin asked.
“No idea,” Pei Xingyan shook his head as he stood up, “But we can follow and see.”
The two of them followed the group across the street. The brightly dyed hair was easier to track than any marker—once you spotted it, you wouldn’t lose them.
Sui Xin always walked on the outermost side of the road, keeping a certain distance from the main group.
Yet she kept following them, despite the strange looks and pointing fingers she drew.
Tang Xin sighed nonstop all the way, lamenting, “What a good girl… how did she end up with these people?”
Pei Xingyan didn’t have much pity. He believed that one’s fate was in one’s own hands; if someone chose to walk the path of degradation, then they deserved it.
But this girl in front of him was clearly more complicated.
They saw the group turn into a bubble tea shop—the kind that was most common and cheapest along the street.
Pei Xingyan had read online that these kinds of people generally had no money, so they always chose places like this and stayed for the whole afternoon.
But when he quietly moved closer with Tang Xin, he was stunned. He never expected these dozen or so grown-ups to order only two cups of bubble tea—one shared among the men, one among the women.
And they still didn’t have enough money!!!
No wonder these wild boys and girls were all so skinny—at this financial level, it would be strange if they weren’t.
Pei Xingyan thought to himself as he got close enough to hear their conversation clearly by the door.
Everyone was digging into their pockets, putting coins and small bills on the table. A woman who looked relatively sharp counted and announced, “Nineteen yuan total, still short four.”
“What now? Sister, do you have any money?” A guy looked over at Sui Xin, who was still standing with her hands behind her back.
Sui Xin pouted regretfully and just shook her head, not saying a word.
Pei Xingyan chuckled secretly. He felt like Sui Xin didn’t consider these people human at all. He didn’t believe she couldn’t come up with four yuan—in fact, just the unassuming chain on her wrist could probably buy out this whole shop.
She just didn’t see herself as one of them.
This only made Pei Xingyan more curious: then why was she sticking with them?
The men and women dug through their pockets again but still couldn’t scrape up another yuan. Inevitably, the atmosphere exploded into a fight—the guys accused the girls of buying something three yuan more expensive, the girls shot back about acting high-class without money and still drinking bubble tea.
Back and forth, the tension was like a powder keg ready to blow.
Pei Xingyan wasn’t interested in the squabble—his eyes stayed fixed on Sui Xin.
What made his spine tingle was the faintly mocking smile playing on her lips, as if she were ridiculing these societal rejects.
But now was not the time to analyze human nature or psychology. The perfect moment had come.
Without hesitation, he snatched Tang Xin’s phone, called his own number, switched on speakerphone, and muted the call on her side.
Tang Xin was at a loss, watching helplessly as he handed the phone back.
“Go quickly. It’s your turn to take the stage now.” Pei Xingyan whispered in her ear.