Tang Ke

Tang Ke held her head tightly with both hands to protect her face. She couldn't figure out what she had done wrong and how things had developed to this point.

The frivolous voice still lingered in her head. "Didn't you say you were willing to play with us?" "We just asked you to pose for a picture, and you can't even do that?" "I think she's after our money."

"Hey, one hundred dollars for a photo, want to do it?" "Speak up, mute?"

The noise stung my eardrums, my head began to buzz, and my throat tightened as if it were being strangled by a strong hand.

Suddenly the sound stopped. Tang Ke tremblingly opened one eye and vaguely saw a slender figure at the entrance of the alley.

"Who are you? Can't you see someone is using this place? Are you looking for trouble?" The young man leading the three spat and kicked away the stone that had just been thrown at his feet. The stone hit the wall with a crisp sound, then fell and was buried in the snow.

Shi Youchen clearly hated meddling in other people's affairs, but somehow, since returning from District 9, he'd found himself increasingly susceptible to influence. It had been quite a while since his last solitary training, and lately, when he'd thought about the various people he'd met and the various experiences he'd had in the past two months since becoming a psychic, he'd been overcome with emotion several times.

The result of being soft-hearted is that you end up having to act out a clichéd heroic act of saving a damsel in distress in a place you are not familiar with.

Shi Youchen's mouth was tense under the mask, and he rushed towards the three people without saying a word.

...

The environment was too restrictive, and the mask made it increasingly difficult to breathe. Even though he insisted on exercising and was definitely not thin, he still fell behind.

Tang Ke's legs went weak and he squatted against the wall, watching the four people fighting in confusion and fear.

"This guy is a lunatic, damn, what bad luck."

"You're fucking awesome, aren't you? Ah! A hero saving the damsel in distress, right?"

"Fuck, this guy is really ruthless."

The insults from the three people became increasingly unbearable to hear, but Shi Youchen still didn't even utter a single groan.

After an unknown amount of time, the sudden blare of sirens extinguished the three men's excitement. They stared at each other, then took off their boots. Shi Youchen leaned against the wall, took off his hat, and pulled his twisted mask down, exposing his nose and breathing greedily.

Tang Ke stared at his movements in a daze. After a while, she seemed to realize that this man had no intention of attacking her, so she choked up and said, "Are you...are you okay?"

The cold air filled his lungs, and Shi Youchen felt his chest sink into another kind of unspeakable pain. He coughed violently for a while, and the corners of his eyes were stained with mist. He glanced at the girl with red eyes in the corner and said, "You can go."

Tang Ke was stunned. Her legs were so weak from fear that they almost gave way. She clenched her fists and supported herself against the wall, moving towards the alley entrance, looking back every step of the way.

Because she was distracted by Shi Youchen over there, she didn't notice the figure that suddenly appeared, so when she turned around again, she bumped into him without any surprise.

...

"Is that so?" the man in old-fashioned sunglasses mused after listening to the girl's disjointed explanation. "I heard a commotion when I was taking out the trash just now, and it didn't sound like the usual drunken brawls they make."

Shi Youchen calmly observed the young man who claimed to be the owner of MIST Bar.

He originally wanted to treat the injuries himself after Kang Ke left, but unexpectedly, a kind-hearted boss showed up and took the two of them into his lounge to check their injuries.

"That...the sound of the siren..." Tang Ke asked softly, hugging his shoulders and huddled in a corner of the sofa.

"That's my recording material. Shops like ours have to be prepared for this. After all, this is an accident-prone area!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, waving it towards the two of them with a hint of pride. "Most people would be scared if they heard this."

Tang Ke's nose felt sore again and her eyes were filled with tears. She couldn't imagine what would have happened to her tonight if these two people hadn't come to her rescue, so she buried her face in her arms and whispered "thank you".

Under the watchful eyes of his boss, Shi Youchen skillfully disinfected the wound on the side of his face and applied ointment.

"Judging from your movements, do you often get into fights?" Youchen was slightly taken aback when he heard this, but he quickly covered it up. He screwed the bottle cap tightly and said nonchalantly, "I'm used to having others handle it all the time."

"Oh, I see." The boss's hand, stretched out towards the table, paused in the air for two seconds before he picked up the water cup on his right. "It's getting late, and it's not safe for you to go back alone. Let me take you there."

He spoke to Tang Ke, gently rubbing the rim of the cup with the tip of his index finger.

All these actions fell into Shi Youchen's eyes.

He didn't want to assume anything malicious about anyone, but the atmosphere surrounding the bar owner vaguely made him feel a little uncomfortable. Plus, since he had already done this, he might as well be a good person to the end, so -

"I'll come too." Shi Youchen's calm tone contained a sense of oppression as he walked towards the young man.

After a while, the three of them sat in a dark purple vehicle with flowing lights painted on both sides and sped towards the northern part of the old city.

Shi Youchen was indeed stunned by this modified car that looked very much like the owner of a nightclub. He only came to his senses halfway through the journey and began to doubt whether his worries were unnecessary.

Tang Ke's anxiety dissipated a lot. She was now quite relaxed and even started to talk to the man in the driver's seat who was still wearing sunglasses. "Why are you wearing sunglasses? It's obviously night time."

The man stepped on the accelerator again. "I have an eye disease and cannot stand strong light or alternating light. This can be considered my umbrella of protection!"

"Oh, I see. But you were driving so fast, I couldn't tell."

"That's right. I know this whole area very well."

Shi Youchen did not participate in their conversation. He just calmly looked at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window.

Only when they entered a somewhat run-down residential area did the man slow down noticeably. "It's the building up ahead," Tang Ke said, her previous awkwardness completely gone. She pointed to one of the buildings and said, "Thank you, come upstairs for some tea!"

Before Shi Youchen could frown and refuse, the man said cheerfully, "It's so late, your parents should be resting, right? Won't it disturb them?"

Tang Ke waved her hand. "It's just me and my mom at home. She's sound asleep and won't wake up. I'm really grateful to you for tonight. I feel bad for sending you back in such a hurry."

The man glanced at Shi Youchen in the back seat and received a barely perceptible nod. Then the two of them followed Tang Ke up five flights of stairs, entered the house, and sat down in the living room, which wasn't spacious but tidy enough.

While Tang Ke was boiling water, she heard Shi Youchen ask, "Is that the smell of medicine?" She replied, "Well, my mother isn't in good health, and we're always boiling medicine at home. I'm sorry."

Shi Youchen didn't mind at all, as he had smelled the aroma of medicine for a long time before his grandmother passed away. Perhaps it was the familiar smell that brought back memories, and his eyes were gradually drawn to the photo hanging on the wall.

When Tang Ke came out of the kitchen carrying a kettle, he saw Shi Youchen standing there staring at the photo of himself and his mother on the wall.

"What's wrong?" she asked in confusion, then found a box of tea from the cabinet under the coffee table.

Shi Youchen took a deep breath and said, "Is the woman in the photo your mother?" After Tang Ke's affirmative answer, he added, "She looks quite similar to someone I know."

Tang Ke carefully brewed two cups of tea, poured himself half a cup of boiling water, closed the kettle lid and said, "Really? That can be considered a kind of fate! My mother is an only child."

The bar owner blew on his paper cup, then stood up and approached the photo with interest. "Hmm? You and your daughter don't look much alike. Do you look like your father?"

Tang Ke was about to pick up the paper cup when her hand shook and the scalding hot tea splashed onto the back of her hand. She instinctively cried out in pain.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" The man didn't expect that his words would cause such a big reaction in her, and he was suddenly at a loss.

Tang Ke wiped the water off with the corner of her clothes, shook her head and said, "I'm fine. This cup was spilled. I'll pour a new one." Shi Youchen watched her slightly trembling hands as she unscrewed the lid of the dark green iron box of tea with some difficulty. He knew at a glance that it was the kind of canned tea sold in grocery stores.

Sizzling hot steam rose as Shi Youchen took the paper cup handed to him by Tang Ke. He glanced at the red area above the other person's knuckles, his thoughts in a mess.

Unexpectedly, Tang Ke took the initiative to say, "There are only my mother and I in my family." Perhaps what happened tonight made her uneasy. She unconsciously exerted some force on her hand, and the water level in the cup slowly rose, about to overflow under the brim of the cup.

She glanced at the half-open bedroom door with a complicated expression and said, "My mother has been in poor health for years, and my family's financial situation is limited. The burden of medical expenses is getting heavier and heavier, so I have no choice but to try my luck and see if I can find a job."

Although Shi Youchen didn't know why she suddenly started pouring out her heart to two people of the opposite sex who had just met for the first time, he still said aloud because of the photo, "Perhaps, if you agree, I can check your mother's health." He was a little embarrassed, as he rarely lied. "I'm a doctor."

At the same time, he had silently organized all the responses in his mind, so that he could answer Tang Ke if he asked about specific work information.

At this moment, the bar owner pushed up his sunglasses and said as if waking from a dream, "Oh! So that's why you treated the wound so skillfully just now! I see!" As soon as these words came out, Tang Ke's gratitude to Shi Youchen was instantly overflowing with words. She said without a trace of doubt, "Thank you so much!"

Then she blushed a little and said, "Um... I don't know your name yet." Shi Youchen's previous heroic act of saving the beauty, coupled with his appearance, had already made the inexperienced girl's heart beat fast.

"My last name is Shi." It was a very brief self-introduction, without even giving the full name, but the girl, who was in love, did not realize the deeper meaning behind it.

"Mr. Shi, thank you so much for tonight. If you hadn't shown up, I..." Tang Ke bit her lower lip in hatred. "I really just wanted to find an opportunity to make money, but I didn't expect them to lie to me."

She said this, but her heart was as clear as a mirror.

In fact, her family was not poor. Her mother worked hard in her early years and saved a lot of money. However, she did not expect to meet the wrong person. Soon after her marriage, he cheated her of almost all her property. Later, he became ill in order to take care of her when she was young. Now the family’s money is not enough to support her to finish high school in City A, so her mother said she wanted to sell this property.

But Tang Ke knew that this house meant so much to her mother; it was the only thing that scumbag hadn't been able to steal. So she refused to agree, even arguing with her mother for the first time. In her moment of losing control, she declared, "I have ways to make money, so this house must not be sold!"

Unexpectedly, she died before she could accomplish her mission. What happened today was the first severe slap in the face given by reality, waking her up from her hazy dream.

At this time, the boss said quietly, "If my guess is correct, your mother must have worked in a place like ours."

What he said was quite tactful, but others could understand the meaning at once, and Shi Youchen was no exception.

Tang Ke's face flushed and paled. She had never expected someone to guess and speak so directly. Just as her shame and anger were about to overwhelm her reason, she heard the man's voice continue, "Don't be impatient. Listen to me, okay?"

The boss scratched the back of his head and said, "I don't discriminate against any profession. It's better to say that I have an extraordinary obsession with places like this."

"Because my father was once a man who indulged in pleasure, I've always had a... well, I don't mind you laughing at me, a strange feeling towards places like these."

"This is the main reason why I chose to take over MIST."