The memory of nearly drowning and choking on seawater in the ocean was truly terrifying, but thinking back on it now, Tan Yin still didn’t regret it. “I wasn’t thinking about anything when I ran over to save him. I just felt like people should have some fire in them sometimes, right? Don’t they say it’s in moments of crisis that humanity truly shows itself? Maybe that was my humanity’s inner light at work.”

“Did you ever think about it? If I hadn’t been there today, if you’d had bad luck, you might really have died. Do you think your kindness is worth that much? If you’d really died, do you think they’d remember your kindness? They’d only wish they could erase your existence entirely, just to avoid being blamed.”

“Isn’t that why I have you though?” Tan Yin laughed, cutting Chu Hang off. She kicked at the sand beneath her. “Haven’t you heard? Kindness is a choice. Even if this world grows colder and colder, as long as there’s still one kind person in it, I think society still has hope. And don’t you think I’m basically a little ray of sunshine?”

Chu Hang frowned, clearly unable to follow the leap in Tan Yin’s logic. “What?”

“‘Because lighting up someone else’s darkness is the instinct of light itself.'” Tan Yin’s eyes sparkled as she stared at Chu Hang. “When someone’s in trouble or in danger, reaching out to help them — maybe that’s just instinct, coming from me, an agent of light. They say the mark of maturity is accepting that you’re not the protagonist of your own life story, just an ordinary passerby, but I’ve always felt like I’m the main character with the cheat code in this script of life. Don’t you think I’m incredibly lucky? Fell off a building and didn’t die, got struck by lightning and didn’t die, fell into the ocean and didn’t drown — I’m basically a walking glitch. If this were a cultivation story, I’d probably be a reincarnated cockroach spirit — maybe even an imported species, like an American cockroach?”

In that moment, for the first time, Chu Hang didn’t frown at one of Tan Yin’s rambling non-sequiturs. He stared at her almost blankly, as though trying to see straight through her to some other soul. His expression carried a faint trace of distraction, and after a long pause, he finally looked away and said quietly, “You said almost exactly the same thing she did.”

“Huh? Who?”

“My sister.”

Tan Yin looked surprised. “You have a sister?! I heard you were an only child!”

“I used to.” Chu Hang’s gaze turned toward the sea, his voice fragmenting a little in the sea breeze. “She’s dead.”

“I’m sorry.” Tan Yin looked embarrassed and apologetic. “I didn’t mean to bring up something like that.” She tried to change the subject. “By the way, do you like seafood? To thank you for saving my life, how about I treat you to seafood tonight?”

But instead of following her lead, Chu Hang continued on the heavy topic, sweeping a flat glance at Tan Yin. “She was six years older than me. She was only eighteen when she died — died saving a drowning child.”

Tan Yin froze.

“It was a five-year-old girl. Her parents were off nearby chatting with friends. She fell into a river, the current was strong, and she was about to drown — my sister jumped in to save her.” Chu Hang lowered his eyes, his voice low. “The child was saved in the end, but my sister was swept away by the current. The river connected to a reservoir, and it took three days to recover her body — by then it was unrecognizable.”

Even now, recounting such a painful memory, Chu Hang’s voice remained remarkably calm — but beneath that calm was a carefully suppressed resentment and fury. “But do you know how that child’s parents treated us afterward? The very day it happened, they moved away and transferred the child to a different school, vanished without a trace. Not a word of thanks. Not a word of shame. Not a single apology.”

Chu Hang took a deep breath and gave a cold laugh. “Years later, I finally found them, and when I confronted them and asked why, do you know what they said? They said they were afraid we’d try to extort them, afraid of carrying the burden of a death on their conscience affecting their child’s healthy upbringing, afraid the neighbors would point fingers and disrupt their normal life. ‘We’ve always been grateful to your sister, but your sister chose to save her herself, no one forced her to — you can’t blame us.’ How laughable. My sister’s life, her kindness, and that’s what it bought her.”

Tan Yin had no idea what to say to something so heavy. In the face of the grief of losing someone dearly loved, no words could do anything — some pain could never truly be understood by someone else.

“Time really flies. It’s already been seven years since she passed.” Chu Hang glanced at Tan Yin. “I saved you because I don’t want anyone to get hurt over an act of bravery ever again. Don’t ever do something like that again.” He looked away, his voice soft. “Because of my sister, I don’t want you to die. But I won’t always be there beside you.”

“Well then, why don’t I just stick with you all the time? That way you’ll always be right beside me, and we can build up our relationship along the way, too?”

“…”

Seeing that her words had, as expected, swept away the heaviness in the air, Tan Yin was relieved to see Chu Hang’s face come back to life. She let out a breath. A moment ago, the hatred and pain in his eyes had run too deep — his whole being had seemed gray and steeped in melancholy — but now, with him glaring at her, gritting his teeth, he had returned to his usual self.

For some reason, in this moment, Tan Yin found herself wanting to see him happy.

Chu Hang, sure enough, quickly returned to his usual unwillingness to acknowledge her, and the two walked on in silence for a while. Then Tan Yin heard Chu Hang’s voice again — a bit curious, a bit disbelieving, hesitant—

“Were you… really struck by lightning?”

Buddy, I swear it’s the absolute truth — if I hadn’t been struck by lightning, where would my superpowers have come from!

Tan Yin spread her hands helplessly. “Of course I really got struck. That’s why I keep telling you I have great luck, that I’m chosen by heaven, the ultimate cheat code. If you ever have trouble, you should worship me — who knows, maybe your luck will improve too.”

Chu Hang clearly wanted to hold back, but after some visible effort, he finally couldn’t help himself and, glancing at Tan Yin, said with a resigned sigh, “Are you sure being struck by lightning makes you chosen by heaven and not cursed by it?”

“…”

Chu Hang, oh Chu Hang, I think that lightning should’ve struck you instead! Tan Yin thought angrily. Next time it thunders, when I go invisible, I’ll make sure to plant a lightning rod right on you!

Though it had turned out to be a false alarm, all that thrashing about in the water had still taken a toll on Tan Yin’s energy. She showered and changed in her room and then fell into a deep sleep. By the time she woke again, night had already fallen. Darkness had settled over the beach — and this was the best time of day at the seaside, without the scorching sun of daytime, yet not cold either. The sand still held onto the day’s warmth, the evening breeze blew gently, and the air was moist and fresh.

Though Tan Yin had graciously extended an invitation, Chu Hang clearly wasn’t interested and had mercilessly turned her down. But even if Chu Hang wasn’t going to show up, the seafood still had to be eaten.

Tan Yin followed Jiang Yilu, winding this way and that, until they arrived at a food stall not far from the beach. This roadside stall was nowhere near as elegant and clean as the high-end hotels, with tables set up right out in the open — plain, even downright simple round tables paired with plastic stools — yet the place was nearly packed full, with an extremely high table turnover rate.

“I saw this place recommended online by locals — cheap, good value, no ripping off customers, and most importantly, the seafood is fresh enough, no shortchanging on portions, and the flavor is way better than those fancy hotel restaurants.”

Jiang Yilu, sharp-eyed as ever, quickly claimed a spot and pulled Tan Yin down to sit with her. Just as she was about to say something with a laugh, she turned around and, looking as though she’d seen a ghost, flew into a rage. “Xu Yu, no matter where I go, I can’t seem to shake you off!”

Tan Yin turned toward the sound and discovered that, sure enough, at the table right behind them sat Xu Yu and Duan Yingfei. The seat between them was empty, clearly saved for Chu Hang, who was apparently off somewhere at that moment.

Before Xu Yu could even respond, Duan Yingfei struck first. “Please, we got here first. If anyone should be complaining about not being able to shake someone off, it should be us.” She gave Tan Yin a pointed look. “And honestly, some people really ought to know when to stop. How can someone still not give up after being rejected so many times?”

Just then, Chu Hang walked back to his seat from outside.

Tan Yin wasn’t sure whether Chu Hang had heard, but she felt she needed to set the record straight. “Duan Yingfei, I’m warning you — you study law, so don’t go slandering people with no evidence, spouting nonsense like that. Right now, my feelings toward Chu Hang are nothing but respect, as pure as the respect I have for my own father. How could I possibly harbor inappropriate feelings for someone I see the same way I see my father?”

Tan Yin continued righteously, “And honestly, even my respect for my dad has a bit of self-interest mixed in — my respect for Chu Hang is actually even purer than that! See, I don’t try to scheme money out of Chu Hang…”

Chu Hang had only been pressing his lips together and watching Tan Yin up to this point, but at these words he finally couldn’t help but interrupt her. “Don’t scheme money out of me?” He gave a cold laugh. “Then give me back my two hundred fifty.”

Tan Yin, quick on her feet, replied immediately, “There’s no way I’m giving that money back — we split it evenly, that’s only fair. If you’re still upset about it, how about I call you Daddy?”

“…”

Just as Tan Yin and Duan Yingfei were sparring back and forth, and Jiang Yilu and Xu Yu were locked in a mutual glaring match, the waiter finally arrived with the food, setting the restaurant’s signature dish, spicy chili crab, on both tables.

With delicious food in front of her, Tan Yin found herself utterly unable to resist, and too lazy to keep responding to Duan Yingfei’s contemptuous glances, she dug in with relish.

Although the two tables were clearly both reluctant to be near each other, this food stall was simply too popular — not having to wait for a table at all was already lucky, let alone being able to move seats. So Tan Yin and Duan Yingfei’s tables ended up sitting right next to each other, and aside from Chu Hang’s expression of total detachment, the other four practically radiated hostility.

Eventually, after glaring at Xu Yu for a long while, Jiang Yilu gave up, apparently feeling her eyes were overworked, and began digging through her bag for eye drops.

Soon, following the spicy crab, more seafood dishes began arriving one after another, and the two tables finally reached a temporary truce in the face of good food, everyone eating in silence.

Tan Yin had just finished two pieces of spicy crab when her phone rang. She glanced at it — it was a call from Dezhiwei, the food delivery service she worked for. Tan Yin immediately pulled off her disposable plastic gloves, grabbed her phone, and walked out of the food stall, circling around to a somewhat quieter corner to answer the call.

It was nothing major — Dezhiwei was running a limited-time promotional delivery deal next weekend, and with discounts, order volume was usually high, meaning delivery volume would naturally be higher too. So they were coordinating in advance with all the part-time delivery riders to confirm whether they could work next weekend. Tan Yin had nothing going on next weekend, so she readily agreed.

But when she hung up and turned to head back, she was blocked by several figures approaching her.

“Hey pretty lady, out here on your own?”

“Give your big bro your number, huh? Bro can tell we’ve got a connection. Later tonight I’ll take you out for karaoke and drinks — bro knows every bar on this strip, wherever you wanna go, I’ll take you.”

The one leading the group was a rather burly man, not particularly old, but already carrying an oily, thuggish air about him. He wore a tank top, and while he wasn’t quite covered head to toe in exaggerated tattoos, some messy ink peeked out from under his shirt, and a thick gold chain announcing his status hung around his neck… Behind him followed three others, presumably his underlings, all sporting flashy, non-mainstream hairstyles, wearing careless, cocky expressions, reeking of alcohol…

Tan Yin quickly scanned her surroundings. She was some distance from the food stall now, and although the stall was noisy and bustling, everyone there was busy eating, chatting, and drinking, completely oblivious to what was happening to her. Farther beyond was the now largely empty beach, with no one else passing nearby…

This environment wasn’t looking great…

Weighing her options, Tan Yin knew all she could do now was stall for time. She smoothed her hair back, forced a shy smile, and put on a coy voice. “Sorry, I don’t drink, and I don’t go to bars — too chaotic there, not really my scene. Thanks anyway, big bro.”

Just as luck would have it, while she spoke, Tan Yin spotted Duan Yingfei walking out from the food stall. She seemed to be looking for a restroom, wandering around, and then her gaze landed on Tan Yin.

Tan Yin practically couldn’t wait to blink and signal frantically for help.

Meanwhile, the thug leader who’d been called “big bro” broke into a delighted grin. “Don’t drink, huh? Bro’ll teach you.” He leaned in closer to Tan Yin. “Pretty lady, you know what bro’s strong at?”

Tan Yin said flatly, “Big bro, I have no idea.”

Just as Tan Yin said this, Duan Yingfei finally walked past her — but just as Tan Yin breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Duan Yingfei would turn back and go alert someone, Duan Yingfei instead gave her a dismissive glance, looked over at the thug leader, and said with contempt and mockery, “Talk about not being picky. Couldn’t land Chu Hang gēge, so now she’s just settling for whatever’s available, huh.”

“…”

With that, Duan Yingfei walked off, chin held high… walked off… off…

Tan Yin watched her retreating figure, her heart sinking through the floor. This was it, done for. After finally hoping Duan Yingfei would pass by, of all things she was so prejudiced against her that she assumed she and this “big bro” were enjoying themselves together, and just walked off in contempt!

In that moment, Tan Yin could only feel like coughing up blood at the sky. And her forced compliance just now, in the thug leader’s eyes, had clearly read as meek and easy to bully. With no one around, Tan Yin’s earlier feigned submission had emboldened the leader, and he moved closer, reaching out to try to wrap an arm around her waist. “Pretty lady, since you’re here on vacation, bro’ll take you around.”

Tan Yin nimbly dodged his wandering hand. “No need for that, big bro. I’m here with my boyfriend.”

The thug leader and his lackeys exchanged a knowing look, pressing Tan Yin toward a corner while teasing her, “If you’ve got a boyfriend, how come you’ve been out here so long and he hasn’t come looking for you?”

One of the leader’s followers, evidently quite professional at flattery, chimed in slickly, glancing slyly at his boss. “Boss, she really does have a boyfriend!” The follower gave the boss a shameless wink. “Just now, well, she didn’t — but now that she’s got you, boss, isn’t that not wrong either? What she said isn’t wrong, is it — she is here with her boyfriend, after all.”

This flattery clearly hit the mark with the boss, who laughed heartily. “That’s right. Come on, let’s introduce you to our turf, meet a few more brothers.”

As soon as he finished speaking, several underlings surrounded Tan Yin, closing in, while the boss stepped toward her, clearly intending to drag her off by force.

Tan Yin was practically ready to cry. With no one around, escape truly seemed impossible now. She could no longer afford to keep stalling, and, forcing herself to sound calm, said, “Big bro, I really do have a boyfriend! He’s right there in the food stall! If he doesn’t see me come back soon, he’ll come looking for me! He’s extremely possessive — pathologically so — the moment he sees me exchange even one extra word with another man he gets jealous, and if he saw something like this, it would definitely lead to a confrontation. He’s also got violent tendencies — he doesn’t act rashly, but when he does, he’s sure to hurt someone…”

“Hahahaha.”

“Then bro’d love to meet him. Pretty lady, why don’t you call him out here, let’s see whose fists are tougher, bro’s or his.”

“Sis, a garbage boyfriend like that isn’t even worth being loyal to. Our boss here definitely wouldn’t control you this tightly…”

All that answered Tan Yin was the laughter of these thugs. As he laughed, the boss reached his groping hand toward Tan Yin’s hand — clearly, his earlier show of fake refinement had exhausted his patience, and now his true impatient nature was showing, and he began trying to grope and touch her. Tan Yin struggled to dodge, but surrounded as she was, the boss still managed to grope her face twice amid the chaos.

They were too far from the food stall, which was already loud with everyone chatting, and the sound of the wind and waves along the beach made everything else seem tiny and insignificant. Even if Tan Yin screamed for help now, it likely wouldn’t draw anyone’s attention; running? Surrounded and watched by these several thugs, running wasn’t an option either.

I’m dead, I’m dead, today I really am going to be a tragic beauty who dies in protest against heaven’s injustice.

Tan Yin had never in her life encountered people this dangerous, never faced this kind of threat, and had no idea how to handle it.

Tan Yin’s heart was panicked and afraid, and though her face still maintained an outward calm, cold sweat had already broken out on her palms. Even though it was still quite warm by the sea, her hands were trembling involuntarily…

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you going back?”

Just as Tan Yin was on the verge of despair, a hand — its movements slightly rough — grabbed hers. Slender, strong, with clearly defined knuckles, though the grip on Tan Yin’s hand was a little unnatural, the posture carried an undeniable, commanding force. Instinctively, she gripped that hand tightly back, and inwardly, strangely, she felt herself settle. She stopped trembling.

It was Chu Hang.