Standing Next To You-Chapter 327: Lin Sunji’s realization

Across the street, Lin Sunji waited for the boy to return.

A while later, the boy came back with the exact amount of money in his hand.

"Here." He handed the money to Lin Sunji and scolded, "Next time you sell something, you should have change ready. What if the next customer isn’t as considerate as I am and wants their change right away?"

Lin Sunji didn’t like being reprimanded by a random stranger, even if that stranger was her only repeat customer.

"Then I won’t sell to them. It’s not like I’ll lose anything because they didn’t buy."

The boy gave her a strange look. "How do you expect your business to last if you act like this?"

"Ah, just stop nagging me. Anyway, you bought it. There’s no taking it back." Lin Sunji counted the money. "Hmm. Since you’re my first customer, I’ll give you the next basket for free."

"No need. You already gave me a lot of free stuff last time."

The boy adjusted his glasses and left.

Lin Sunji pouted. She had planned to give him the basket and pretend she sold all of them. She could use her own money to meet the quota.

Sigh. No one would buy from her except that naive student.

Lin Sunji looked at the darkening sky. There was still one basket left. What to do?

Zhong Cheng would surely scold her if she didn’t sell everything.

Tsk. That damn bastard. If she couldn’t sell this, he would add two more to her quota.

To think, she followed him here, believing her spirits would be lifted like he said. But that bastard just left her alone to sell these things. She shouldn’t have believed him.

How would these things cheer her up? They only added to her stress.

While Lin Sunji was comparing her bleak life to the darkening sky, the boy returned, still holding the basket.

Lin Sunji frowned at him. "You can’t return it!"

"...I’m not returning it." The boy was breathing hard, as if he run all the way back. "Why are you still here? This street isn’t safe at night."

Lin Sunji looked at the remaining basket. "...I haven’t sold this yet."

The boy thought for a moment, hesitating as he stared at Lin Sunji. Then he sighed helplessly and took all the money from his pocket. But it wasn’t enough. He pulled his wallet from his bag, but all he had were coins.

Counting the money from his pocket and wallet, it was just enough to pay for the basket.

He stared at it, closed his eyes reluctantly, and handed all the money to Lin Sunji.

"This is enough to buy it, right?"

Lin Sunji glanced at his empty wallet and then at the boy before her.

The boy stood tall, perhaps as tall as her brother, with a close-cropped haircut—the cheapest choice for boys—the military cut. Nowadays, it was uncommon for teenagers like him to sport such a style. Boys his age usually opted for fashionable, well-kept haircuts to impress girls. But none of that could be discerned from his appearance. freewёbnoνel.com

He wore old, thick glasses that didn’t quite suit his features, giving him the appearance of a nerd, a stereotypical country bumpkin.

He was someone whom Lin Sunji would have scorned and looked down upon in the past.

But that was the old Lin Sunji, the one favored by her parents, elevated by everyone, with the world at her feet. The current Lin Sunji, who had tasted downfall, felt differently.

"...Yes, it’s enough. But why are you buying this when you already have one?"

The boy was taken aback by her question. He pushed the money toward her. "Do I need a reason? Just give me the basket and go home."

Lin Sunji accepted the money.

The boy took the last basket, gave a curt nod, and departed.

Lin Sunji remained in place, gazing at her hands.

At that moment, she understood why Zhong Cheng wanted her to sell things on the street—to encounter people like him and witness their way of life.

Lin Sunji had lived her entire life with the world revolving around her. To her, a person’s worth was solely determined by their use.

If they lost their value, there was no reason to keep them around. This was how she judged people and chose her friends.

However, that very mindset had come back to haunt her. Now that she was the one deemed useless, they had abandoned her.

But not everyone lived by those rules.

There were people who, even when they had nothing, would empty their pockets just to help someone get home. This person didn’t know her background or her story, yet they offered their help without expecting anything in return.

To think she would encounter such kind-hearted people among those she looked down upon and disliked.

And to receive unexpected kindness from them left Lin Sunji feeling conflicted.

This experience truly changed her perspective and broaden her horizons.

Lost in her thoughts, Lin Sunji was startled as the rain began to pour.

Feeling the droplets, she chuckled at her own thoughts.

Did she just think this whole thing was useful? How ridiculous.

She was about to seek shelter and call her driver when the sound of a horn jolted her.

A car pulled up in front of her. Zhong Cheng lowered the window from the passenger seat.

"Hop in."

Lin Sunji was taken aback. She got into the car. "You... have you been watching me?"

"This street gets crowded. It’s safe in the morning, but once it thins out, it can be risky."

"So... you’ve been watching me all this time?"

Zhong Cheng glanced at her. "Of course. I needed to see how my student was doing. I also noticed how many times you cheated."

Lin Sunji fell silent. Damn. She thought she was being careful enough.

She peered out the window, pretending to be innocent. "I’ve met the quota, as you instructed. Is this the last batch?"

Zhong Cheng had told her she would be selling products for a month, and today was supposed to be the final day.

"Yeah. Have you learned anything?"

Lin Sunji scoffed inwardly. She wanted to complain, to tell him this was pointless and a waste of time. She didn’t want to admit that she had indeed learned something from the experience.

But just as she was about to speak, she caught sight of the boy who had bought her two baskets running along the sidewalk.

Despite the rain soaking him, he bypassed the bus stop and chose to walk instead.

At that moment, she recalled his empty wallet. And the look on his face as he handed his every coin to her.

Lin Sunji was taken aback. She watched him as he walked away, her expression growing complex.

That foolish student hadn’t even left enough money for his own fare. Instead, he had given it all to her, just so she could get home.

As his figure disappeared into the distance, Lin Sunji slouched back in her seat.

She grumbled, "...So annoying."

Zhong Cheng also noticed the boy. He glanced at Lin Sunji. "This is just the beginning. Now you have to learn how to make the products on your own."

Lin Sunji rolled her eyes but refrained from complaining, which was rare of her.