Xi Jing changed into the clothes from earlier and came out; Chuzheng had already opened the door.

She was looking outside, seemingly examining the surroundings.

This place was an old building, with a corridor leading past numerous tenants.

Xi Jing’s room was near the center, and it was a bit of a walk to get downstairs.

Right now, many doors were open, and people were constantly going in and out, bustling around.

Chuzheng, being an unfamiliar face standing there, naturally attracted some attention.

But the people here seemed more concerned about what to eat tomorrow, so while curious, no one really meddled.

"Crying, just crying! How did I raise such a troublesome creature?" A man from the neighboring room cursed as he left, carrying a box that looked like a repairman’s toolbox.

The man left while cursing.

He was the one yelling at his kid late last night.

Xi Jing finished tidying his clothes and came out, running to lock the door: "I’m ready."

"Mm."

Chuzheng walked towards the stairs, with Xi Jing following her, head down.

As they reached the house near the stairs, a head suddenly popped out: "Shorty, stop."

Xi Jing’s body noticeably stiffened, his grip on his clothes tightened.

A middle-aged man, reeking of alcohol, came out from inside, looking disheveled, as if he hadn’t groomed himself in ages.

"Go, buy me a bottle of wine." The middle-aged man ordered Xi Jing.

Xi Jing whispered, "I don’t have money..."

The middle-aged man’s voice grew rough: "I don’t care if you have money or not, hurry up. Standing there, do you want a beating?"

With that, the man raised his hand to hit Xi Jing.

Xi Jing didn’t intend to fight back; he instinctively dodged backward. However, the expected pain didn’t come, instead, the middle-aged man let out a miserable scream.

The scream was particularly piercing, prompting heads to peep out from all the rooms behind.

The middle-aged man’s wrist was being twisted in an odd position by a girl.

Everyone on this floor hated this drunkard, but he hung around with unsavory characters whom they dared not offend, so people usually stayed clear of him.

Occasionally, the drunkard would snatch something from them, but not excessively, so they endured it, as dealing with frequent visits from his shady friends would be worse.

Only the lone child on this floor was regularly bullied by the drunkard.

Everyone was busy with their own troubles, with no time for others, so they typically just watched and then went back to their own business.

They never expected to witness such a scene today.

The girl appeared small, slender, and frail, like she’d topple with the slightest breeze.

Yet, the drunkard’s flabby body had no resistance against her.

Chuzheng kicked the drunkard in the lower half, causing him to scream again, clutching somewhere and writhing in pain on the ground.

Chuzheng grew more irritated and delivered two more kicks, leaning down, and threatened in a low voice: "Lay a hand on him again, and I’ll kill you."

Her words weren’t loud, and with the drunkard groaning loudly, Xi Jing standing at the back couldn’t hear clearly.

Facing Chuzheng’s cold gaze, a shiver crept up the drunkard’s spine, seemingly dulling the sharp pain and stirring fear in his heart.

After kicking the drunkard, Chuzheng felt her spirit soaring, with her mood uplifted.

Chuzheng left, pulling Xi Jing along downstairs, soon disappearing from everyone’s view.

People exchanged looks, slowly emerging to peek at the drunkard lying on the ground.

"Who was that girl just now?"

"Don’t know... That kid’s relative?"

"Can’t be; he hasn’t had any relatives coming by all this time."

-

Xi Jing stumbled while being pulled downstairs by Chuzheng, the last few steps causing him to bump into Chuzheng’s back.

Holding his forehead, Xi Jing panickedly apologized: "Sorry..."

Chuzheng felt speechless, as she couldn’t vent her frustration at seeing him like that.

"Where’s a place to buy clothes?"

Xi Jing touched his forehead and whispered, "There’s a mall not far ahead."

Chuzheng pulled him along again, and this time, Xi Jing almost stumbled, but Chuzheng’s pace was slower than before, allowing him to keep up.

After walking a few steps, Xi Jing realized she was holding his hand.

The girl’s hand was fair and tender, evidently from not doing any labor, and well maintained.

Xi Jing stiffened.

She...

Considering his rough hands and wounds, Xi Jing immediately wanted to withdraw his hand.

Yet Xi Jing was too afraid to struggle, ending up awkwardly following Chuzheng.

Fortunately, Chuzheng seemed focused on something besides him, not paying much attention to him.

Waiting at the green light, Xi Jing found his voice: "Are you okay now?"

"I’m fine now."

Xi Jing paused, then asked, "Why were you passed out on the road?"

Chuzheng: "..."

Suddenly remembering that he might’ve seen her in a pathetic state, she wondered whether she should silence him.

Ultimately, recalling this should be a Good Person Card situation, she resisted the urge, repeated to herself how important the Good Person Card was, and stiffened her expression: "An accident."

"Oh..."

Xi Jing obediently didn’t press further.

-

The mall Xi Jing mentioned was different from what Chuzheng had in mind; it was essentially a wholesale market.

Chuzheng first bought herself two sets of clothes, which cost her very little; clothes were really cheap in this place.

Chuzheng pulled Xi Jing into a men’s clothing store: "Pick what you like."

Xi Jing pointed incredulously at himself, seemingly unable to believe Chuzheng wanted him to pick clothes.

Chuzheng nodded.

"I... don’t need... too expensive..." Xi Jing shook his head repeatedly.

"You..." Chuzheng took a deep breath: "You saved me, it’s a thank-you gift, hurry up and pick."

"I just brought you home, didn’t do anything else, there’s no need..." Xi Jing still refused, believing he deserved no reward for merely putting in a bit of effort and doing nothing significant.

Chuzheng released Xi Jing’s hand, placed an arm over his shoulder, gently nudging him closer: "What color do you like?"

Suddenly being embraced, Xi Jing’s face first flushed red, then he started to struggle.

Chuzheng held him down, glaring: "Don’t move, do you want to make a scene here?"

Xi Jing: "..."

Looking around, indeed, people were glancing their way, heightening his blush and quickening his heartbeat.

"What color do you like?" Chuzheng asked again.

Xi Jing pursed his lips, shaking his head.

Not asking further, Chuzheng simply pointed to two sets of clothes, requesting the clerk bring out his size.

"Do you want to try them on yourself, or should I help you?"

Xi Jing: "..."

Feeling cornered, his eyes watered slightly, and as Chuzheng moved to assist him, he grabbed the clothes and headed to the fitting area.

Watching the curtains fall, Chuzheng raised her eyebrows slightly, feeling even happier.