The woman's eyes were bright and sparkling, with a hint of playfulness.
Chu Xing felt as if a few drops of lemon juice had been added to plain water.
It's sour, and a little sweet.
Chu Xing strutted along, sitting somewhat cramped on the back of the electric scooter.
Seeing his somewhat aggrieved expression, Song Mai pondered for two seconds and then:
"Why don't you ride, and I'll sit in the back?"
The man pinched the bridge of his nose and refused without hesitation.
He'd rather sit on the back than ride this pink electric scooter, at least then no one would notice him.
Evening, sunset.
The electric car moved forward at a leisurely pace, stirring up gentle breezes.
The woman's long hair was blown up, and Chu Xing could smell the faint scent of shampoo on her.
It wasn't as complex and strong as perfume; it was fresh and clean, which instantly eased some of his fatigue.
But that sentence came back to mind again.
He suddenly spoke up: "You have a problem with me?"
Song Mai was taken aback by the question: "What?"
"Songmai".
The man suddenly grabbed her waist, startling Song Mai. She quickly pulled over and stopped the electric scooter, which screeched as it scraped against the ground.
"What's wrong?"
Chu Xing stood up from behind, his feet firmly planted on the ground.
He walked up to Song Mai, and under her gaze, pinched her chin, then suddenly said:
"A man can't be told he's no good, don't you understand?"
Song Mai was completely confused. She thought about it countless times in her mind, but she didn't seem to have said anything like that.
With the man's handsome face right in front of her, and his actions somewhat ambiguous, Song Mai kept leaning back.
But the electric scooter seat is only so big. When she leaned back to a certain angle, she suddenly fell backward, as if she was about to fall over at any moment.
However, just then, Chu Xing swiftly grabbed her waist, and before Song Mai could react, she was already back in her seat.
Chu Xing had already withdrawn his hand.
Whether out of fear or for some other reason, Song Mai's heart was pounding.
The man's hand reached for her chin again, and just as Song Mai's heart was pounding faster and faster, his hand gripped the buckle on Song Mai's helmet and pressed it hard, making a "snap" sound.
Chu Xing patted her helmet:
"Make sure you wear your helmet properly."
Song Mai bit her lip, her heart skipping a beat at that moment.
I see……
A thin layer of cold sweat appeared on her palms as she gripped her trouser leg. She suddenly let go and paused for two seconds before finding her voice.
"Thank you, thank you..."
The two remained silent the entire way. Song Mai was slightly distracted and nearly ran a red light several times.
When they got close to the neighborhood, Chu Xing suddenly spoke up: "Aren't we going to buy a cell phone?"
Song Mai thought about her wallet balance, then smiled and shook her head.
"Payment will be in two days, hang in there a little longer."
The man pursed his lips: "Let's go to the supermarket to buy some groceries first."
This was the first time Chu Xing had suggested going to the supermarket. Song Mai thought he might want something to eat, so she agreed without hesitation.
After picking out a few seasonal vegetables, Song Mai turned to the man behind her and asked, "Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
"I'm fine with anything." The man shook his head.
At first, Song Mai thought he was just being polite, but after asking him several times and getting the same answer, Song Mai stopped asking.
Chu Xing was pushing the shopping cart toward the checkout counter when Song Mai called him back.
When he turned around, Song Mai had already walked towards the residential area not far away, and he quickly followed.
Song Mai touched a folding bed repeatedly.
"What do you think of this? Is it the right size?"
She gestured to indicate the man's height while measuring the folding bed.
Watching the woman's retreating figure, Chu Xing's heart softened; it seemed quite nice to be cared for.
"Well enough."
Song Mai pushed his folding bed and lay down for a while. Seeing that it was quite suitable, she dragged the folding bed toward the cashier.
"Didn't you run out of money?"
The man was puzzled: why buy a folding bed instead of a cell phone?
Song Mai didn't even turn her head.
"There's still a little bit left. Don't worry about the phone; I have a computer at home. I can log into WeChat on the computer to check messages. It's fine if I'm at the office during the day. Besides, I'll get paid soon, so I can't let you sleep on that little sofa forever, can I? And this is a special offer; it might not be available in a couple of days."
As she spoke, she pointed to the discount tag on the folding bed.
When paying the bill, the man glanced at the total price: five hundred and thirty-eight yuan.
He stopped Song Mai.
"I'll do it this time."
Song Mai grabbed his hand, pushed the wallet back into his grasp, and pulled a wad of loose change from her own tattered wallet, tossing it to the cashier before saying in a serious tone:
"Grandpa Chu asked me to take care of you, so you have to listen to me. Besides, you saved me last time, so consider this my way of thanking you."
She was very poor, but she always felt compassion for those who shared her plight.
She hadn't really looked into Chu Xing's family situation before, thinking that once the one-year contract expired, they would go their separate ways, and there was no need to know too much to avoid getting involved in trouble later.
But after hearing what Grandpa Chu said today, she felt a pang of sympathy for him.
Perhaps their circumstances were different, but their shared lack of love always made her want to give him some care.
Perhaps, feeling cared for will make the world seem a much brighter place.
Song Mai carefully stuffed the change into her small wallet, while Chu Xing, listening to her inner thoughts, tightened his grip on the folding bed.
Does it feel brighter?
He looked out the window.
Perhaps so.
After paying, Song Mai was stopped at the supermarket entrance by a young man dressed like an insurance salesman. He was wearing an ill-fitting suit and a tie.
"Is there something you need?"
The young man pointed to a wooden box not far away, with the words "Lottery" written on it.
"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. May I ask how much you have spent?"
After Song Mai truthfully stated the amount, the man immediately said, "You two are really lucky! It's the supermarket's anniversary sale today. Spending over 500 yuan gives you a chance to win a prize. Our prizes include..."
He introduced them one by one.
Only at the very end did they point to the grand prize plaque displayed not far away.
"The grand prize is a brand new mobile phone worth 12,999 yuan! It's an amazing deal!"
Song Mai didn't pay attention to the phone; she kept looking at some small appliances next to her.
She has never had the luck to win any prizes, let alone the first prize or the grand prize.
It would be great if I could get a small appliance.
The young man pushed the raffle box in front of her: "Give it a try."
Song Mai casually pulled a card out of the box, and her pupils dilated immediately after just one glance.
Special Prize!
She rubbed her eyes and looked at them several times before she could believe her eyes.
She grabbed Chu Xing and handed him the card.
"Look! The grand prize! We really won the grand prize!"
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