Wang Shen rushed out of the house and found Xu Xiaolin sitting helplessly on the ground, rubbing her ankle. A few steps away from Xu Xiaolin, the middle-aged woman from before was leaning against the wall with a terrified expression, as if she had seen a ghost. Judging from the terrified, sharp, and slightly aged voice, the scream must have come from this middle-aged woman.

"She, she..." The middle-aged woman pointed her index finger at Xu Xiaolin, her voice trembling. Suddenly, the woman closed her eyes, knelt down in front of Xu Xiaolin with a thud, clasped her hands together, and repeatedly kowtowed, as if worshipping a Bodhisattva, muttering incantations. "Please forgive me, please forgive me, I didn't mean to speak ill of you..."

Wang Shen, standing to the side, couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. Xu Xiaolin glared at Wang Shen, then stood up, gripping the stair railing. She limped over to the middle-aged woman and patted her on the shoulder. The woman trembled violently, her pleas for mercy growing louder. Xu Xiaolin sighed deeply and said, "Sister, have you seen a ghost? You're so scared. I'm a living, breathing person; you can't just curse me like that."

"Don't be surprised if you find this strange, don't be surprised if you find this strange." Unexpectedly, the middle-aged woman completely ignored Xu Xiaolin's words and kept kowtowing.

"If you keep bowing, I'll eat you up!" Xu Xiaolin deliberately lowered her voice, making her vocal cords tremble, and uttered these words.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman immediately straightened up, but her eyes remained tightly closed, and her lips continued to tremble.

"Big sister." Wang Shen walked to the middle-aged woman's side and gently patted her shoulder. The middle-aged woman's body trembled violently again, but she didn't dare to make a sound. "Big sister, open your eyes and look, it's me."

This time, the middle-aged woman finally heard Wang Shen's voice clearly, and the trembling in her body gradually subsided. She mustered her courage and squinted her eyes a crack. Wang Shen stood before her and smiled. The middle-aged woman finally opened her eyes fully, grabbing Wang Shen's hand as if she had seen a savior.

"Big sister, now you believe I'm not a ghost?" Xu Xiaolin turned slightly behind Wang Shen and looked at the middle-aged woman.

"Ah!" The middle-aged woman couldn't withstand the shock and cried out again.

"Don't be afraid, big sister, she's not a ghost," Wang Shen comforted her.

"But, but she looks so much like..." The middle-aged woman hadn't quite believed Wang Shen's words yet, and she secretly glanced at Xu Xiaolin again.

People can be similar, and things can be the same.

"If you put it that way," the middle-aged woman looked at Wang Shen, then stared at Xu Xiaolin. "Looking closely, there really is a slight difference."

Wang Shen quickly helped the middle-aged woman up from the ground. "Sister, didn't you go to square dancing? Why are you back so soon?"

"Ugh, those damn old women! They danced for a bit, then said it was too windy today and they wouldn't dance anymore. How can they do that? If you're not feeling well, you shouldn't come out to dance. It's such a downer." The middle-aged woman said, patting the dust off her bottom.

Wang Shen glanced at his watch; it was almost time. "Alright, then we won't bother you any longer, ma'am." With that, Wang Shen helped the middle-aged woman upstairs, locked Han Mo's door, and then helped Xu Xiaolin downstairs.

As soon as Wang Shen stepped out of the apartment building, the garbage collector was already waiting not far away. "Wait here for me, I'm going to get something." After saying that, Wang Shen jogged towards the direction the garbage collector was standing.

"Hey! You're finally here. I thought you dumped me." The moment the uncle saw Wang Shen, the anxiety on his face vanished, and a smile slowly spread across his face.

"How could I? Did you bring the things?" Wang Shen asked, pulling two hundred-yuan bills from his pocket.

"Everything's here: my coat and shoes. I threw the rest away." The man handed Wang Shen a black plastic bag and took the two hundred yuan from him. "Remember to call me next time you get something like this." The man was a little carried away. He put the two hundred yuan in his pocket, drove his garbage truck, and disappeared into the alley again.

"What is this?" Xu Xiaolin limped over to Wang Shen's side, staring at the black plastic bag in Wang Shen's hand for a long time.

"It's nothing." Wang Shen didn't want to waste any more energy making up a lie, nor did he want to be honest with Xu Xiaolin, so he simply brushed it off with a few words. "Let me take you home first. Did you drive here?"

Xu Xiaolin nodded.

"Then I'll drive you home."

"Didn't you drive?"

“I’ll drive you home first, then I’ll come back to get the car.”

Xu Xiaolin nodded and, limping, was helped into the car by Wang Shen. The car sped along the brightly lit road. Xu Xiaolin opened the window slightly, and the cool night breeze blew into the car, making her hair a little messy.

"It's been a long time since I've enjoyed the city's night view so comfortably," Xu Xiaolin said gently, leaning her head against the car window and looking at the neon lights outside.

“Yes, everyone is so busy, it’s hard to find time to appreciate these worthless things.” Wang Shen looked at the traffic ahead and began a brief conversation with Xu Xiaolin.

"You think this is worthless?" Xu Xiaolin turned her head and stared at Wang Shen with a surprised expression.

"I can't tell whether it has value or not. It's just that I'm not as sentimental or thoughtful as you writers." Wang Shen shrugged, realizing his slip of the tongue.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!