Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

The park was somewhat desolate in winter, with a thin layer of fallen leaves covering the withered yellow lawn.

But the presence of these chattering girls made the place lively.

Chen Tingting was taking photos with Lin Xiaoshuang under the ginkgo tree, and her newly bought down jacket looked particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.

"Straighten your legs! Yes, yes, yes! Lift your chin a little!" Chen Tingting directed Lin Xiaoshuang to pose in various ways, just like a professional photography director.

Li Jiaxin leaned back on the bench, quietly watching them make a ruckus.

Bai Li sat next to her, watching the laughter and playfulness not far away, and suddenly felt that this kind of life was actually quite nice.

No need for backstabbing or scheming, no need to drink and act subservient for the sake of sales targets. As long as you keep these ladies happy, you'll have money and a good mood.

"Big brother," Li Jiaxin suddenly spoke, her voice very soft.

"Hmm?" Bai Li turned to look at her.

"Thank you." Li Jiaxin didn't look at him, her gaze remaining fixed ahead, but her grip on the milk tea cup tightened slightly.

"If we hadn't met you, we might be begging on the streets right now."

Bai Li was stunned for a moment.

"Is it that serious?"

"Hmm." Li Jiaxin gave a wry smile.

"Tingting was half a month behind on rent outside the factory, and she wanted to sell her phone to avoid being kicked out. Xiaoshuang was planning to work as a hostess at a nightclub, but we stopped her."

She turned her head, and her eyes, which were usually cold and indifferent, were now filled with seriousness.

"Everyone thinks we're sleazy hooligans, social scum. Only you treat us like human beings and even buy us clothes."

"Big brother, although we may not be very capable, if you ever need anything, just call out and our lives will be yours."

Bai Li looked at her youthful yet determined face and was deeply moved.

He had seen the description of the infatuation value in the system panel.

Friendship is trust, and affection is dependence.

At this moment, he could sense that Li Jiaxin's feelings for him were shifting from simple gratitude to a deeper level of dependence.

It wasn't the kind of lust between a man and a woman; it was more like the unwavering devotion one feels after grasping at a straw in the darkness.

"Don't talk nonsense about fate." Bai Li reached out and ruffled her purple hair, messing up her carefully styled hair.

"Follow me, and you'll only enjoy life; you won't have to work hard."

Li Jiaxin shrank back as her neck was being rubbed, but she didn't dodge. Instead, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a very faint but very beautiful smile.

Just then, a sudden cell phone ring broke the warmth of the moment.

Li Jiaxin took her phone out of her pocket, glanced at the caller ID, and her smile instantly froze.

Two words appeared on the screen: [Grandma].

Her hand trembled slightly, and she took a deep breath before pressing the answer button.

"Hello, Grandma." Li Jiaxin's voice became exceptionally gentle.

A violent coughing sound came from the other end of the phone, which was heartbreaking to hear.

"Jiaxin...cough cough...your parents aren't coming back for Chinese New Year this year either."

"...There's no hot water at home, and Grandma has a terrible headache. She can't even get up to get a drink of water...cough cough..."

The old man's voice was weak and hoarse, as if he had a cold.

Li Jiaxin clenched her fingers tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Her usually cool and aloof face was now deathly pale, all the excitement she had shown while watching the show vanished.

"Grandma, you...you don't move, I'm coming back! Wait for me!"

After hanging up the phone, Li Jiaxin's eyes reddened; the coldness she usually feigned melted away like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.

All that remained was helplessness and panic.

She checked her WeChat balance, her fingers trembling.

The string of numbers stung her eyes: 92.50.

With that little money, you probably couldn't even afford an IV drip.

She has been running away all along.

When I had no money, I didn't dare go home, afraid of seeing the disappointment in my grandmother's eyes, afraid of facing that drafty house.

She armed herself as an invincible, spirited young woman, believing that as long as her hair was dyed purple enough and her tattoos were bold enough, she could live like a human being in this indifferent city.

But now, reality has slapped her hard in the face.

"What's wrong?" Bai Li sensed something was wrong, wiped the smile off his face, and asked in a deep voice.

"My grandma is sick... I want to go home."

Li Jiaxin looked up, tears welling in her eyes, but she bit her lip to keep them from falling, her voice trembling with sobs: "Big brother, I don't want to play with you guys anymore, I have to go back..."

She didn't ask to borrow money.

Even a young woman with a strong sense of self-respect has her own dignity, even if that dignity is worthless in the face of reality.

She felt she already owed Bai Li enough—clothes, food, and so on—and couldn't repay her.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Without saying a word, Bai Li hailed a taxi on the side of the road, opened the door, and shoved Li Jiaxin inside.

"Get in the car."

Chen Tingting and Lin Xiaoshuang also stopped their playful banter and climbed into the back seat without saying a word.

Zhang Qian hesitated for a moment, but wisely sat in the passenger seat.

"Where to?" Bai Li sat next to Li Jiaxin, his calm voice like a pillar of strength.

"The old cotton mill dormitory in the north of the city." Li Jiaxin lowered her head, her voice barely audible.

That was a notorious slum in Ping County, a large, crowded courtyard, and a forgotten corner of the city.

The taxi sped along and, twenty minutes later, stopped at the entrance of a muddy alley.

The driver complained that the road was too bad and refused to drive in.

Li Jiaxin walked ahead, her steps quick.

After navigating through several maze-like narrow alleys, Li Jiaxin stopped in front of a small courtyard.

In the courtyard, several middle-aged women wearing thick cotton-padded coats were playing mahjong around a broken table, the sound of shuffling the tiles deafening.

"Thirty thousand!"

"Bang! Oops, what bad luck today."

Seeing Li Jiaxin rush in with a group of people, the middle-aged women stopped what they were doing and scanned them with their eyes.

"Hey, isn't this the purple-haired girl from Old Li's family?"

An older woman, munching on sunflower seeds, curled her lip, her eyes filled with disdain.

"What, you've finally decided to come back and visit your old woman?"

"He's never home, and this time he comes back with so many shady characters." Another middle-aged woman glanced at Bai Li and smiled sarcastically.

Li Jiaxin ignored them and rushed into the dimly lit little house on the east side with red eyes.

Bai Li stood in the courtyard and coldly glanced at the group of middle-aged women.

That look sent a chill down the spines of the group of middle-aged women, and they swallowed back the gossip they were about to say.

"Keep playing your cards." Bai Li's tone was calm, yet it carried a sense of oppression.

"If you say another word, I'll make a little figure and stick it on your photos every day."

After saying that, he lifted the curtain and went into the room.

The room was dimly lit and filled with the smells of old people and traditional Chinese medicine plasters.

A small, thin figure was curled up on an old wooden bed.

The old woman had gray hair and an unnatural flush on her face, and was breathing heavily with difficulty.

"Grandma! It's me, Jiaxin!"

Li Jiaxin rushed to the bedside, grasped the old man's withered hand, and finally broke down in tears, which fell in large drops.

"Little girl...you're back..."

The old woman struggled to open her eyes, her cloudy pupils moved slightly, and she tried to raise her hand to touch her granddaughter's face, but she had no strength at all.

"Cough cough... water..."

Li Jiaxin frantically searched for water, picked up the thermos on the table, and emptied it.

She stared in despair at the empty thermos, then at her grandmother groaning in pain on the bed, her whole body trembling.

"Get out of the way."

Bai Li stepped forward and pulled Li Jiaxin aside.

He reached out and touched the old man's forehead; it was burning hot.

"High fever." Although Bai Li wasn't a doctor, she still had that much common sense.

For elderly people of this age, a severe cold can really be fatal if left untreated.

"Tingting, go to the convenience store at the alley entrance and buy two cases of bottled water, at room temperature. Also, go buy a new kettle," Bai Li calmly instructed.

"Xiaoshuang, go to the pharmacy at the intersection and buy fever reducers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and a thermometer. If you don't know what to buy, just ask the clerk and get the best."

As he spoke, he took out his phone and transferred 500 yuan to each of Chen Tingting and Lin Xiaoshuang.

"Go! Run!"

"Okay!" The two girls had never seen Bai Li so serious before. They grabbed their phones and ran outside.

Li Jiaxin stood by the bed, watching Bai Li methodically arranging everything, tears blurring her vision.

If it weren't for Bai Li...

If I hadn't met him, what else could I do but cry in my grandmother's arms?

The 90-odd yuan in my pocket was given to me by Bai Li...

At that moment, all self-esteem and pride were shattered.

She used to think that although she was poor, she lived a carefree life.

Now she understands that the carefree attitude was nothing more than a false prosperity built on recklessness.

When the storm really came, she didn't even have the ability to hold an umbrella for her loved ones.