When that guy lunged at me, I instinctively took a step back.
The little girl had long hair that swept through the cool air in an arc. She punched Officer Chen right on the arm.
The way she glared angrily made it easy to imagine the dirty little secret between the two of them.
Officer Chen dodged Hua Lian'er's arm and shrugged indifferently. "I'm going this time too."
"I knew you weren't being that nice. Tell me, you deliberately got close to me before because of this, right?"
So there was some sort of feud between these two?
I nudged the fat guy beside me. "Where did you pick up this little firecracker?"
The fat guy looked a bit guilty. It was obvious he knew something was off.
"I didn't do anything. I definitely didn't offend this little miss. It was just an accident."
"Accident? I don't believe a word of it."
If I believed him, I wouldn't be me.
I rubbed my faintly aching arm and looked at the little girl beside me, her eyes blazing with anger. For the first time, I felt a bit at a loss.
"Miss, can I say something?"
The girl rolled her eyes at me and nodded indifferently. "Go ahead. Let's hear what you have to say."
I looked at the fat guy and didn't hesitate to throw him under the bus.
"I heard this guy offended you before. Thank you for being so magnanimous. This thing is really too dangerous. Maybe you should just forget about it?"
I didn't say anything else but just looked back. There was an old man on a hillside not far away, looking in our direction.
He seemed quite old, with graying beard and deep-set eyes. He gave me the feeling of someone of the same generation as my second uncle.
"Is this the floating master?"
I gave the fat guy a look. He looked back in that direction and nodded at me.
"Yeah, this is that old master. I saw him once before."
"Did your grandfather give you permission to go?"
My words made Hua Lian'er turn to look at me seriously. The little girl shrugged indifferently. "I don't care if he agrees or not. Anyway, I've made up my mind about this. It doesn't matter if you guys agree or not."
She was quite domineering. I couldn't help but smile wryly. "Since that's the case, I won't interfere anymore."
Hua Lian'er looked at me in surprise and patted my shoulder. "I didn't expect you to be so sensible."
"Of course. And could you stop getting so touchy with my buddy?"
The fat guy couldn't stand it anymore. He stepped forward a couple of steps and slapped the girl's arm away.
I smiled helplessly, stepped forward to separate the two of them, and looked at the old man behind us.
"What's your opinion on this, sir? It's very dangerous out there. I'm not sure I can protect this girl."
Hua Lian'er shook her head and sneered disdainfully. "You think you can protect me? You're being a bit too confident, aren't you?"
This girl was quite good-looking, but why was her mouth so venomous?
I looked behind me. There was someone looking at us warily, their eyes full of calculation.
I felt a bit uncomfortable but didn't say anything. I just waved my hand.
"I'd like to have a good talk with you."
I pulled Hua Lian'er aside. Her gaze shifted from Officer Chen to me, and she sized me up and down.
Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, her eyes lit up. She was like a kid who had found a fun toy.
"I heard you know Yan Yan. Is that true?"
I was quite surprised to hear this. I didn't expect the circle to be so small.
I shook my head. "We just know each other. Our relationship isn't as close as you think."
Hua Lian'er rubbed her chin. Her eyes were darting around. Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she came over with a sly smile.
"It doesn't matter. Even if your relationship isn't that good, I've understood something."
She looked around furtively and then leaned in. "I think you're quite interesting. I've known him for so long, and not many people have managed to make an impression on him."
I thought to myself, where did you get the idea that I've made an impression on him? The only time I got along with Yan Yan in a harmonious way was probably back then.
Now that I know that guy has been calculating me, how could I have any good feelings for him?
"Don't blame him. He's had a tough time. But you're really likable."
The girl's sarcastic tone made me frown, but I didn't say anything. I turned to look at the fat guy.
"Are you really set on going with us?"
Hua Lian'er nodded. She looked quite cute and playful, but I could sense a trace of hostility from her slender body.
This girl was okay when she kept her mouth shut. Once she opened it, or even just made a move, she could be quite fierce.
I stared into her eyes for a moment, then smiled and said directly, "I think you might really need something."
I turned around, took out a map from my bag, and handed it to her under her surprised gaze.
"I think you need this."
Hua Lian'er looked at me in disbelief, as if I were some kind of monster. "Are you kidding me? I need this?"
Her reaction made me want to laugh, but I quickly shook my head. "I'm not kidding. I'm serious. In case we get separated, you'll need this."
"But if you give this to me, you guys won't have any advantage, will you?"
What a strange one from the Chen family!
Hua Lian'er's words made my heart skip a beat. Maybe I could find what I was looking for from her.
But I hesitated for a moment and didn't say anything. I turned around and quickly walked away. Hua Lian'er's gaze on my back showed some change.
After a moment of hesitation, she followed me again. I looked at her in surprise, wondering why she was following me.
Hua Lian'er seemed to understand my thoughts and added with a smile, "Who said I'd just leave after you gave me the map? You wish. Don't worry, I won't leave so easily. Anyway, this fat guy owes me a lot. He broke my master's most precious treasure and thought he could just walk away. There's no such good thing in this world."
I sighed helplessly. What was going on? Fatty, you've really gotten me into a big mess.
But the fat guy didn't seem to care. He shook his head and revealed the truth directly.
"Come on. Your words can only fool these kids. If you want to follow us, just say so. Who doesn't know you've never had any friends?"