Chapter 3: Strange Guest

Lin Jianqing didn’t want to work part-time, but he had a younger sister and a seriously ill mother to support.

The burden of this broken family suddenly fell on his twenty-one-year-old shoulders.

Fortunately, the bubble tea shop treated him well. In exchange, he had to work from morning until night—unless he had class, he was expected to be here.

The large shop had only one cashier—him—and with the constant flow of customers, he never stopped moving. Only when the crowd thinned did he stuff a few bites of bread into his mouth to stave off hunger.

To keep up with order output, the kitchen was fully staffed.

Even when the front counter was overwhelmed with orders, the kitchen could handle it easily.

But in the end, it was Lin Jianqing who suffered. He was the only one at the front, and most customers came specifically for him.

Still, it wasn’t until evening that the perpetually busy Lin Jianqing noticed something.

In a corner of the shop’s seating area, a strange customer had been sitting the entire time.

It was Shen Huaixue—the same woman who had been dragged in by force that morning. The wheat-skinned girl had already returned to the dorm with her induction cooker, leaving Shen Huaixue alone to observe Lin Jianqing from the shop.

“Excuse me, classmate, we’re about to close.”

At first, Lin Jianqing thought the girl in the seating area was waiting for a friend.

Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Lin Jianqing didn’t react in time, but his body instinctively tried to pull away.

It was an automatic self-protective response. Then, looking at her face, he couldn’t help but frown.

She was a girl. And besides… Lin Jianqing didn’t like physical contact with others—especially strangers.

He tried to pull his hand back, but found he couldn’t break free.

The size difference between a man and a woman was too great, and Lin Jianqing could feel her grip tightening.

“Classmate, could you please let go?”

Lin Jianqing was eager to leave, staring at her face.

Cold, handsome features carved like sculpture—such looks could indeed outshine many peers…

But when he met her beast-like pupils, fear instinctively crept into his heart.

Her grip grew tighter, and his fear deepened.

He used all his strength to struggle, but she only squeezed harder. Soon, several bloody scratches appeared on his wrist.

“Let go… let go, or I’ll call the police!”

By now, Lin Jianqing was the only one left in the shop. The kitchen staff had already clocked out, and the owner was nowhere to be found—off god knows where.

Originally, Lin Jianqing just needed to count the money and head back to the dorm, but facing this woman, a wave of terror rose in his heart.

In this female-supremacy world, Lin Jianqing had seen countless news reports about women sexually assaulting men in public.

The school even regularly gathered male students for classes on how to protect themselves outside.

Hearing Lin Jianqing threaten to call the police, Shen Huaixue finally came to her senses, as if waking from a dream. She let go, and under her nails were bits of Lin Jianqing’s skin, stained with bright red blood.

“I’m… sorry.”

Shen Huaixue stood up, trying to approach him to check his injury.

“Let me take you to the hospital. I’ll cover the costs.”

“No need. Just go. If you stay two more minutes, my wound will have healed.”

Lin Jianqing stepped back as she moved closer, his gaze icy as he outright refused.

Her reaction only made him more uneasy.

“Let me compensate you. WeChat or Alipay?”

Seeing him refuse, Shen Huaixue pulled out her phone.

“Compensation?”

The word caught Lin Jianqing off guard.

“Yes, compensation. Look at your wrist—I scraped it. It’ll definitely affect your work tomorrow.”

Shen Huaixue spread her hands as she spoke.

“No…” Lin Jianqing wanted to refuse.

But then he thought of his empty wallet, his mother who needed money, and his younger sister—still in middle school, “eagerly awaiting” support.

‘Getting something for nothing… that doesn’t count, right? At least she grabbed me and made me bleed.’

‘A few dozen bucks in compensation should be reasonable.’

“You can call the police if you want. I did hurt you, and if I want your forgiveness, I’ll have to pay damages…”

“Stop. Alipay. Give whatever you want, then get out. I need to head back.”

The strange woman seemed about to say more, but Lin Jianqing cut her off.

‘What terrible luck today. Did I run into some psycho?’

If he weren’t worried about causing trouble for the shop, he would have already slammed the door and left.

With that, Lin Jianqing opened his Alipay payment code and held it out in front of her.

“Transfer.”

Shen Huaixue didn’t say anything else; she simply took out her phone.

Ding-dong!

“Alipay received: 500 yuan.”

A mechanical voice rang out.

500 yuan?

Lin Jianqing hadn’t expected her to give him that much.

He thought she might give him just ten or twenty as a token, but never this.

Staring at the number on the screen, he felt a little embarrassed.

But the guilt vanished in an instant.

That crazy woman gave it willingly—why should he feel burdened?

Five hundred yuan. As extra food money for his family, it would significantly improve their quality of life this month.

“Um, sorry. I was really rude earlier.”

Just as Lin Jianqing confirmed the amount on Alipay, the woman across from him changed her demeanor.

Now she was polite and gentle, the picture of a proper lady.

“It’s nothing. Well, since it’s settled, please leave. I need to close up.”

Hearing this, Shen Huaixue didn’t overstay her welcome. She obediently walked out of the shop.

Watching her tall, retreating figure, Lin Jianqing waited until he was sure everything was fine before daring to turn off the lights.

Thinking back, he grew more and more frightened.

‘Was that a pervert?’

‘Whatever. Let’s go back first.’

‘And this 500 yuan—how should I spend it?’

‘Better save it for emergencies.’

As Lin Jianqing headed back to the dorm, he passed a solitary streetlamp.

Shen Huaixue, who should have left long ago, appeared in the darkness beyond the lamplight.

Her shadow, merged with her jet-black hair, made her look like a demon in the dark.

Unfortunately, Lin Jianqing was a man and couldn’t sense the aura of an S-level Awakener radiating from her.

Glancing at the number on his Alipay, he simply muttered about the weirdo he’d just met and then returned to his dorm alone.