Sun Yufei dusted off her clothes, her beautiful eyes squinting into a line. "Just average. World’s third-best."

"Senior, if you get another opportunity like this, remember to call me."

Sun Yufei spoke with some annoyance, "These scumbags’ tricks are getting more and more sophisticated. Besides, I’ve already been ’exposed,’ so it’s not so easy to lure the fish to the hook anymore." It took her a lot of effort just to get him to meet her this time, and it was almost all for nothing.

Si Wen patted her chest and said, "No worries! Don’t you still have me?"

Hearing Si Wen’s words, Sun Yufei’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Oh, right! I still have you. This is great, we can do this again. From now on, we can use your name to lure people out, and then we’ll..."

The two of them hit it off immediately and began to scout for their next target. They found one soon enough.

Meanwhile, Xue Yang and Lin Xi had finished dinner and were walking back toward Tongfang Residential District.

They walked hand in hand down the street as neon lights hung from above like colorful ribbons, decorating the city in a brilliant tapestry of colors. The stream of cars flowed by like a gentle river, with the occasional vehicle speeding past to break the momentary stillness. The streetlights gradually brightened, illuminating the city’s grandeur and vitality. On either side of the road were towering buildings, from skyscrapers to smaller, more distinctive shops. The stars twinkled in the night sky, casting down soft rays of light that perfectly complemented the glow from the city below.

Even though they had walked down the street just like this not long ago, it somehow felt like a lifetime ago.

As they entered the residential district, the streets grew more crowded. The sound of bustling voices added a human warmth to the air, an atmosphere completely different from the feeling inside the villa.

Lin Xi loved this kind of lively energy.

And it wasn’t just her; Xue Yang enjoyed this sort of environment, too. This was something they had in common. They liked the same things, which helped them avoid many unnecessary arguments. They didn’t even need a "breaking-in" period like other couples. In their hearts, they always thought of each other first. As long as the other was happy, they were happy.

"You don’t have to be with Si Wen tonight?"

"She went out with Senior Yufei," Lin Xi said. "She sent a message saying she wasn’t coming back tonight."

Lin Xi had been a little surprised when she received the message. But then she remembered they were in college now. They didn’t have to live on campus, nor did they have to commute from home every day. Simply put, they were free. So, Si Wen staying out for the night wasn’t such a big deal.

Still, Lin Xi couldn’t help but feel a little worried. She had a feeling Si Wen had been acting a bit strange lately.

Xue Yang was slightly surprised. "Si Wen went out with Yufei?" When did those two get so close?

"Yeah. What’s wrong?" Lin Xi asked. In her memory, Xue Yang was rarely this surprised.

"It’s nothing. If she’s out with Yufei, there’s no need to worry." If nothing else, Sun Yufei would never drag Si Wen into any real trouble. At most... they might just go beat someone up.

"Why is that?" Lin Xi asked.

"I trust Yufei."

"Ahh."

Xue Yang trusted Sun Yufei, and Lin Xi trusted Xue Yang, so she didn’t press the matter.

Just as they were about to head home, Xue Yang’s phone rang. He pulled it out and saw it was Jiang Wei. Not thinking much of it, he answered the call. As soon as the line connected, Jiang Wei’s anxious voice came through.

"Xue Yang."

"Sister Jiang, what’s wrong?" Xue Yang asked.

Jiang Wei’s voice was thick with tears. "My mother is sick and needs surgery, and Sisi is also in the hospital. Could you please come to the hospital and help me look after Sisi? I don’t trust anyone else. I’m really out of options. Please, can you?"

"Sister Jiang, don’t panic. I’m on my way."

"Okay, thank you, Xue Yang."

Jiang Wei must have been frantic to call him. It seemed that besides Xue Yang, she really had no one else to turn to. Jiang Sisi had been particularly difficult during her hospital stay, so anyone she hired couldn’t stand it for long. Jiang Wei was afraid her daughter would be mistreated if she forced a professional caregiver on her. After a few days of this, Jiang Wei had lost a noticeable amount of weight, and her exhaustion was plain to see. If not for all this, she never would have thought to call Xue Yang.

After hanging up, Xue Yang explained the situation to Lin Xi.

"Xiao Xi, you should head back first. Sister Jiang’s mother and daughter are both in the hospital. I’m going to go help."

"Tomorrow’s the weekend, so we don’t have classes. I’ll go with you."

"We might have to stay overnight."

Lin Xi asked, "Are you sure you can handle a little girl all by yourself?"

Xue Yang fell silent. He thought about it and realized he wasn’t sure at all. She was a little girl, after all. If she needed to use the bathroom or something, how was a grown man like him supposed to help? While the hospital had caregivers, there was no telling what kind of trouble a little girl could stir up. A child might not be able to do much, but they can certainly stop you from getting anything done.

"It will be too hard on you," Xue Yang said, not wanting to put Lin Xi through that.

"Hey, it’s no problem. Let’s go," Lin Xi said, grabbing his hand and pulling him along, not giving him another chance to object.

Seeing her determination, Xue Yang didn’t argue further. He let Lin Xi pull him to the parking lot, and they got in the car and drove toward the hospital where Jiang Sisi was staying.

About half an hour later, they arrived at the pediatric ward.

"I want my mommy! I just want my mommy! WAAAAH!"

Before they even entered the room, they heard Jiang Sisi’s heart-wrenching sobs.

Jiang Wei wasn’t there; she was standing vigil outside her mother’s operating room. The person with Jiang Sisi was a hired caregiver, but it was obvious she couldn’t handle the child. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this was why Jiang Wei had called him.

Xue Yang pushed the door open and went inside.

Jiang Sisi, her face streaked with tears and snot, paused when she saw someone enter. When she recognized Xue Yang, her terrible wails finally stopped.

The caregiver let out a huge sigh of relief. "You must be the people General Jiang said were coming to see Sisi, right? Her IV drip is finished. This congee was prepared for her, but she hasn’t touched it. Since you’re here, I’ll leave her with you. My shift is over, so I’ll be leaving now."

With that, the caregiver practically fled from the room, afraid they might change their minds if she lingered a second longer. This little terror is impossible to look after. Earning a few hundred bucks has never been this hard. I’d rather not earn it at all.

Xue Yang and Lin Xi walked over to the bed. Looking at Jiang Sisi’s pale little face, they couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. The last time they saw her, she had been such a spirited little girl. Now, not only was her face pale, but her lips were nearly colorless. She had lost a lot of weight, too.