At 6:21 in the evening, the sunset glow had not yet faded, and a gentle breeze blew. Li Ran obediently parked his bike in the corner by the gate outside the neighborhood, standing rigidly beside it.
He stood still like a statue. At first glance, both he and the bike seemed utterly devoid of presence.
“Hey, isn’t this Little Ran?” A hearty greeting came from across the street.
An elderly couple with full heads of silver hair approached with cheerful smiles, looking quite pleased.
Hearing the voice, Li Ran lifted his gaze and stared blankly ahead, still not moving from the spot he’d designated as his waiting area for Chi Mo.
It was as if taking even two steps forward would make it impossible for Chi Mo to find him.
“Grandma.” As the two elders drew near, he called out obediently and sweetly, “Grandpa.”
Cheng Ai Mei, Grandma, smiled and said, “What are you doing standing here? School’s not out for summer vacation yet, and you’re already looking for a new job? Did Little Liu agree to let you work as a security guard?”
Li Ran shook his head. “No…”
He didn’t know how to explain it specifically.
But after Grandma Cheng and Grandpa Ye approached, the tension and emptiness in his heart strangely filled up a little.
If he met Chi Mo later and Chi Mo really demanded ten thousand in compensation,
he would work hard to pay him back.
He wouldn’t be afraid. And he certainly wouldn’t back down.
A few years ago, the two elders had retired and moved into the wealthy district across from his home.
They were the only rich people Li Ran knew after his parents’ divorce.
Having toiled hard their whole youth, in their old age they lived in the affluent area, always dressing neatly and going out hand in hand with each other every day. It made Li Ran feel that happiness had a tangible form.
Back then, the old couple had taken the initiative to talk to the fair-lipped, white-toothed Li Ran, praising how handsome the kid was. Before long, they grew familiar, and Li Ran stopped suspecting they were human traffickers trying to abduct him.
Even after they became acquainted, Li Ran still wasn’t good at talking and would clam up at the sight of people.
But he called “Grandma Cheng” and “Grandpa Ye” sweetly and diligently. The two elders, who didn’t have their own grandchildren, always beamed with joy.
One day later on, Li Ran realized that calling “Grandpa Ye” sounded a lot like “Yay yay yay.” Honestly, if spoken a bit faster, it even sounded a little cheeky. So he dropped the surname.
Just Grandpa and Grandma—intimate.
The old couple was so delighted they couldn’t stop grinning.
Cheng Ai Mei asked, “So why are you standing here instead of going home? I thought you were doing the ‘waiting-for-wife stone’ thing.” She amused herself with her youthful mindset and joke. “Dating someone?”
“No, no… I’m just about to head back.” Li Ran seized the moment to grip his handlebars, pretending to push the bike away. “I was just out here getting some air.”
While Grandpa and Grandma, who hadn’t seen him in days, looked him over like their own grandson—saying he’d gotten thin and needed to eat more—he made sure they couldn’t hear before muttering to himself with self-awareness, “No girls like me… I’m too boring. Not romantic, no flair, and in debt.”
Once Cheng Ai Mei stopped her stream of chatter, Li Ran asked, “Grandma, have you and Grandpa been traveling to nearby cities again lately?”
Cheng Ai Mei replied, “You bet. Staying cooped up at home all day isn’t any good; these old bones will rust from idleness. And there’s that cold-faced dog king at home who’s been bossing us around since he arrived a couple months ago. Totally out of control. I’m not bothering with his sour face. We’ve been back two days, and we’re leaving again tomorrow.”
Ye Ze nodded deeply in agreement. “Exactly. Annoying as hell. He even nags when we play on our phones at night, won’t let us stay up late. Crazy. I’ve worked my ass off my whole life just so I can stay up late playing on my phone now. Damn it, daring to make me go to bed early and rise early!”
Cheng Ai Mei’s gaze suddenly sharpened. “Did you find that phone and tablet he confiscated last time?”
“Didn’t I tell you at noon? In the desk drawer in the study,” Ye Ze said. “You got Alzheimer’s already? Don’t tell me you forgot? I’m warning you, don’t you dare get Alzheimer’s. I haven’t enjoyed my peaceful days with you long enough yet…”
“Shut your mouth! You’d get Alzheimer’s before I do.” Cheng Ai Mei grew even sharper and said, “The dog king’s not off work yet.”
“Right. Let’s go!”
After Cheng Ai Mei and Ye Ze waved goodbye and walked a good distance away—like thieves slipping into the wealthy district across the street, vanishing from sight—Li Ran’s slow brain finally caught on that they were going home to sneakily play on their phones.
Sneak, sneak, “sneak” phones…
Even in retirement, they couldn’t freely play on their phones. Kind of tragic.
“Sorry, something came up.” Chi Mo stepped out of the Cullinan. “It took a bit longer.”
He saw Li Ran standing almost at attention. “Waited long?”
Less than twenty minutes—not bad. But Li Ran was too honest; he’d stood there so long without changing posture or moving a muscle that his legs felt stiff.
“No… not at all,” Li Ran said.
Shen Shu wasn’t there; he’d already gotten off work.
This was the first time Chi Mo stood face-to-face with Li Ran. He was very tall and exuded an overwhelming presence—shoulders broad enough for two of Li Ran’s, legs long enough to reach Li Ran’s waist.
The impeccably tailored black suit on Chi Mo added a touch of solemnity and an unyielding ruthlessness that brooked no defiance.
Without exaggeration, Chi Mo was a highly dangerous creature. Li Ran, who could only handle pet cats or rabbits in the wild, felt his breath hitch, terrified that any slight movement would turn the Chi Mo in his imagination into a ferocious beast or bird pouncing to bite his neck.
Li Ran suppressed his trembling, aware he wanted to shake but didn’t dare. Still, a thin sheen of sweat broke out on his back.
Using the last bit of daylight, he locked onto the scratch on the car body.
It successfully diverted his attention.
He confirmed he hadn’t remembered wrong; the side of the Cullinan that had been scratched was the one right in front of him.
The Cullinan’s body gleamed pristine, without a single scratch. It had already been repaired.
Li Ran pointed at the car and asked breathlessly, “Mr. Chi… how much?”
“No need for you to pay.” Chi Mo nonchalantly stepped back a bit to reduce the pressure and said,
“…Huh?”
Chi Mo said, “I found the guy who hit you. You deal with him yourself.”
“Huh…?” Li Ran stared blankly, too dazed by the huge surprise to catch it, lost only in confusion and shock.
Two minutes later, a middle-aged man on an electric bike arrived at the entrance of the old neighborhood, his face ashen.
He clearly didn’t want to come but obviously had no choice due to certain reasons.
Upon seeing Li Ran, he apologized sincerely without a word. “Sorry, kid.”
“Really sorry. Uncle was in a rush and didn’t see you. It wasn’t on purpose.”
If he truly hadn’t noticed, he could have stayed after hitting someone to take responsibility. Instead, he’d fled faster than anyone there. Li Ran had looked around everywhere but couldn’t find the culprit, so he’d shouldered it all himself.
His heart had been hurt—and broken.
Now, this man said sorry only because he’d been unlucky enough to be caught by Chi Mo. No choice. Last resort.
The logic was sound; even if Li Ran cursed him out, it’d be justified.
Li Ran straightened his back. “You…”
The perpetrator’s eyes reddened with tears. “Young man, Uncle really didn’t hit you on purpose. I was just rushing. I have a family to feed—elders above, kids below, so many mouths waiting for me to earn money to put food on the table. It’s so hard. Please be magnanimous and forgive Uncle. Don’t make things difficult for me, boo hoo hoo…”
He wiped the tears from his eyes, crying heartbroken and remorseful.
If Li Ran didn’t forgive him, he’d be the unreasonable villain.
In truth, this scumbag was used to cutting people off; this was routine for him, performed without any mental strain.
Anyone facing him would feel pity.
—Except Chi Mo.
Shen Shu too.
Chinese people were inherently reserved, preferring to avoid trouble. If you couldn’t find the hitter afterward, you’d chalk it up to bad luck and endure. The hot-tempered perpetrator usually either denied it outright or played nice—always one trick that worked.
When he hit Li Ran, he’d worn a helmet and mask; the electric bike was his sister’s, and surveillance couldn’t directly ID him. When Shen Shu found him, he’d acted all cocky and denied it. Shen Shu didn’t waste words—just “oh”ed and punched him in the gut.
Using precise force—no bruise. Even a hospital check wouldn’t detect injury. The man was terrified, doubled over in agony on his knees, immediately surrendering with hands up.
But upon seeing Li Ran, he figured the kid was easy to fool. And Li Ran seemed scared of Chi Mo; their relationship probably wasn’t close.
He instantly turned his back to Chi Mo and started crying. Sincerely.
Sure enough, Li Ran frowned, at a loss for words.
At that moment, he did something even he found unbelievable.
He sought help from Chi Mo.
Li Ran looked at Chi Mo pitifully, pleading with his eyes for assistance.
Chi Mo raised a brow but stayed silent, meaning Li Ran should handle it himself.
And he watched from the side, hoping for a satisfactory resolution.
The current Li Ran clearly couldn’t manage it.
His feet, which had initially wanted distance, unconsciously shifted half a step toward Chi Mo. Li Ran mustered all his strength and said, “…Mr. Chi.”
Chi Mo knew that for someone like Li Ran, the first time he asked for help, he had to assist—there was no “maybe” option. Otherwise, no matter what insoluble problem Li Ran faced later, he wouldn’t reach out a second time. It wasn’t pride; he was just timid. Troubling someone once had already exhausted his courage.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Li Ran felt Chi Mo sigh ever so faintly—though no sound escaped those thin, cool lips.
Twilight deepened, and the streetlights in the old neighborhood and wealthy district flickered on one by one, illuminating the street. Chi Mo pulled a cigarette case from his pocket, took out a cigarette, and bit it between his lips.
A lighter sparked a flame; Chi Mo raised his hand to light it. Then he glanced up at Li Ran—still a minor. He let go, snapping the metal lighter shut to extinguish the flame, leaving the cigarette unlit.
“You need to support your family; this kid’s still young, at the age to be supported.” Chi Mo eyed the tearful middle-aged man coolly, his tone indifferent. “He knows to follow the rules every day; you don’t. I don’t have time to waste on you. Don’t bother me.”
His tone suddenly turned impatient, making Li Ran shiver.
The perpetrator hadn’t expected Chi Mo to intervene. The gut wound wasn’t from him, but Chi Mo’s coldness felt worse than Shen Shu’s punch. Any more foolishness, and it wouldn’t end with just one hit.
He immediately stammered that he’d compensate fully—the Cullinan, the mountain bike, everything.
At 8 PM, Li Ran realized the Cullinan repair money was now fully on the middle-aged man; he no longer owed Chi Mo. Watching 80 yuan transfer into his account via the payment QR code, he felt light on his feet.
50 yuan for a new tire.
30 yuan for new handlebars.
The handlebars had nothing to do with the man, but he’d compensated anyway.
He’d made a profit.
Thousands, tens of thousands, even millions were like water to Chi Mo—beneath notice. He hadn’t really wanted the man’s money; a good attitude of remorse would suffice.
But after kicking the iron plate, even pennies he’d have to pay. Chi Mo wasn’t a good guy.
Full compensation for his crime, and the middle-aged man cried rivers of tears—this time genuine. He vowed never to cut people off or run reds again; he’d be a law-abiding citizen. The soft-hearted Li Ran felt some pity—and wanted to laugh a little.
“I found the guy; you don’t owe me money—you owe me a favor,” Chi Mo said leisurely.
The old neighborhood’s streetlights perfectly embodied “old”—dim and gray, some flickering from bad connections. Chi Mo stood there, cigarette between his fingers, staring unabashedly at Li Ran’s face.
Like a snake. Or more like a ghost.
Li Ran instantly shelved his joy at profiting 30 yuan and nodded like a pecking chick. “Mm-hmm!”
“Since that’s the case, you probably won’t pretend not to know me or delete my contact again,” Chi Mo said, his lip corner twitching slightly—like Satan tempting humanity with the poisoned apple. “Right, good boy?”
