"Xiao Se, thank you for lending me the money. This lipstick must be very expensive, right?"

When I held the lipstick in my hand, it was shaking. It was so hot that I was afraid it would melt. It was a metal case with diamonds, and it was expensive, limited edition, and hard to buy. Even though Xiao Se's family was rich, it was a gift for Wanzi. Now that she's his girlfriend, he has to spend his own money.

A lipstick costing 1,400 is indeed very expensive, something a college student can't afford. But Kuai Zui's family is usually very well-off, and he usually earns his allowance by asking around. He patted Kuai Zui's arm and said, "It's only 400. Don't think too much about it. Come with me to a place."

The allowance I received from home these past few days has run out. There's money for Xiaofei's caregiver and nutrition fees, plus lipstick. The performance outfit we bought was a custom-made designer piece, and we haven't paid the balance yet. Every time I ask for money, my dad makes demands, and I'm tired of them.

The two walked to a hardware store that closed before 10 p.m. This store always did good business, so it didn't need to stay open too late. The exterior was decorated in a magnificent style, with the threshold being gilded. The lights inside were still on, shining on the gold ornaments on the display shelves and making them sparkle. The most eye-catching thing was the chandelier with copper bells that were said to be worth millions, all inlaid with pure gold.

Kuai Zui glanced at the sign: Xiao Shi Hardware, and swallowed hard. This was owned by Xiao Se's family, supposedly the largest hardware store in the entire Mangshi. What was he doing here?

Xiao Se looked around and saw that the streets were deserted. There were a few discarded bricks in a trash can not far away. He picked them up and smashed them against the glass. The alarm inside immediately went off, and a red beam of light shone on him. His eyes stung and burned. The camera began to rotate its lens in all directions.

"Xiao Se, are you crazy! Why are you robbing your own family's property?"

"That's not my house, it's a place my father gave to my stepmother. What are you standing there for? Keep watch!"

He rushed into the hardware store, unzipped it, and started stuffing jewelry into the display case. He filled two baskets with jewelry, weighing about three kilograms in total. It should be worth a lot of money on the market. Anyway, it was all the old man's stuff he was stealing, so it didn't matter where he stole it.

The man with the quick tongue was trembling with fear outside. He glanced at his watch; eight minutes had already passed since he went inside. Every minute was agonizing. He had never done anything like this before—it was robbery!

A head popped out from the broken headboard, and Xiao Se jumped out and grabbed Kuai Zui, running away as fast as he could.

However, Lin Weiwei, who was drinking cappuccino in the coffee shop across the street, overheard their actions. She immediately looked out the window at the two familiar figures. Weren't they Liu Yidao and Xiao Se? They were robbing people in the middle of the night.

"The hardware store across the street has been vandalized. Everyone stay indoors, in case the assailants are armed."

"I was terrified! Thieves these days are getting bolder and bolder; they even dared to steal from the biggest hardware store in Mangshi!"

"Mom, I'm scared..."

"Sweetie, we'll go out when the police arrive."

This coffee shop is small and inconspicuous. The lights are dim at night, and you can hear the sirens outside while listening to the soft music playing.

This lazy bum has started committing crimes; what a delinquent! Lin Weiwei picked up her phone and dialed 110, providing the police with all the information about Xiao Se and Liu Yidao. As a special agent, she resolutely refused to allow this kind of thief to appear among the people; Earth's affairs should be left to the police.

Sure enough, the police responded quickly to the tip-off call and had officers retrieve the information of the two individuals from the database. Since it was so late, these two delinquent youths must have gone home or back to school, and as police officers, it was necessary to inform their parents.

Xiao Se carried the heavy hardware on his back and ran at the front, while Kuai Zui, being rather fat, ran slower and was panting heavily, which slowed his pace considerably. They tried to hail a taxi along the way, but no taxi driver was willing to stop; they all waved them off, saying they were out of service and didn't take any passengers.

Upon hearing the police sirens, Xiao Se shoved Kuai Zui into the public restroom. "Listen, Kuai Zui, keep this a secret for me. If I go in, at most my family will notice I haven't been seen for a few days and bail me out. But it's different for you. Li Tao only started dating you, don't disappoint her."

The police training dogs followed the scent and ran towards them. Xiao Se continued running and then turned around.

Desolate...

Kuai Zui was so scared he didn't dare make a sound. He hid in the women's restroom, listening to the barking dogs and sirens outside. His eyes were getting a little wet. Good brother! Please don't get caught.

All that could be heard was the police shouting through a megaphone at the dark figure, "Student, turn back before it's too late! If you run any further, we'll shoot!"

Xiao Se ran to the market street, clutching the heavy object tightly in his arms, afraid it would fall. Panting, he raised his hands and turned to face the blinding lights of four or five police officers. The officers immediately grabbed his wrists and took him back to the police station.

The siren grew fainter and fainter until it could no longer be heard. Only then did Kuai Zui stagger out. As soon as he came out, he saw Lin Weiwei standing at the bathroom door, her phone in her hand recording.

"Liu Yidao, go and defend yourself. You're an accomplice."

Lin Weiwei stood with her hands on her hips, looking at him with disdain as he fled into the women's restroom in fright. All men are liars; it turns out that the expensive lipstick he gave Li Tao was obtained with dirty money. She'd teach him a lesson he wouldn't forget on Mercury Island, and the recording continued.

Kuai Zui seemed to understand something; it turned out that Lin Weiwei had called the police—it was truly unbelievable. He still reeked of a foul odor. Shaking his head, he looked at her with utter disappointment and despair. "Lin Weiwei, we're classmates! How could you do this? Just when everyone was starting to accept you, you dealt them this blow?" He gripped her arms tightly, shaking her merciless body with force.

Pleading won't help! You have to accept punishment for your crimes, and that's the same on every planet.

Kuai Zui stared at the scrolling recording timer on his phone, leaning his head against the wall, utterly at a loss. Once Lin Weiwei had him, there was no escape. She wasn't an ordinary person; no matter how he tried, he couldn't escape her grasp. He sniffed. This girl was truly ruthless. "Fine, I'll go and defend myself! I'm telling you, you'll regret your decision today."

They're all minors; they'll at least have to spend a few days in detention. Looking at the bright moonlight, I thought Lin Weiwei had changed after all these days, becoming more approachable and loyal. I never expected her to be so ruthless in this matter. If it weren't for filming the promotional video, for Xiaofei's caregiver fees, for his lipstick…

If you're a man, you should share the hardships. Gathering his courage, he walked in the direction the police officer had driven away.

Lin Weiwei then put away her phone, pausing the recording. "One thought can lead to heaven or hell," she thought, "we're all educated people. Books record things like this. It's not that I'm heartless, but I don't want you two to go down a path of no return."