“Huh? Why?” White Li stopped walking.
Lin Du said a few words into his phone, reported the address and situation, and only looked at her after hanging up.
“You’re a party involved. You have to wait for the police to come and give a statement.”
“But—”
“It’ll be quick.” Lin Du tucked his phone back into his pocket. “You can leave after giving the statement. It won’t take too long.”
White Li instinctively wanted to find another excuse, but meeting those calm eyes, she couldn’t say anything.
“…Alright.”
She walked back sulkily, leaned against the base of the wall, and glanced at her bracelet.
The night wind blew into the alley, making her shiver.
“Cold?”
“Not really, not really.” White Li pulled her jacket tighter and squatted in a corner sheltered from the wind.
Things went much smoother after that. About ten minutes later, a police car stopped at the mouth of the alley. Two officers got out, surveyed the scene, and incidentally woke the three hoodlums.
When Red Hair and Green Hair woke up, their eyes instantly cleared quite a bit. When Yellow Hair woke up, he was still trembling. Seeing White Li, he shrank back as if he’d seen a natural predator.
“She… she’s not human! She’s a monster, a monster!”
“Stop yelling in the middle of the night. How many times is this? Shut up.”
The officer nearby grabbed Yellow Hair and half-dragged, half-pushed him into the police car.
The car door slammed shut with a thud. Yellow Hair’s shouts became muffled, and he was still desperately pounding on the window in the back seat.
The other officer glanced at Red Hair and Green Hair squatting in the corner. Both were hanging their heads, silent.
“What did you two see? You look like you’ve lost your souls.”
Red Hair shook his head vigorously. “N-nothing… I didn’t see anything…”
Green Hair also shook his head, his gaze evasive.
The officer frowned, turned, and looked toward White Li and Lin Du standing at the alley entrance.
White Li maintained a bewildered expression on her face, her heart uneasy. If they started pressing for details now, she’d be done for…
Sigh, I really need to keep my cool next time.
“He’s always like this,” said the officer who had put Yellow Hair in the car, walking over and gesturing with his chin toward the police car. “An old hand, a bit touched in the head. Last time he insisted he was possessed by a monster.”
“Alright then.” The questioning officer shook his head, jotted a few notes in his notebook, then beckoned to White Li. “You tell me, what happened?”
“Um… well…” White Li pretended to hesitate, glancing at Lin Du.
“I’ll explain.”
He stepped forward, saying only that he was passing by after school, heard noise in the alley, came to look, saw three hoodlums bullying someone, so he called the police and then helped subdue one of them.
White Li listened beside him, mentally giving him a thumbs-up.
This guy’s story is pretty solid. If I had to tell it, I might accidentally give myself away.
The officer recorded the statement and asked White Li a few more questions.
White Li repeated the version Lin Du had just given. The officer nodded and didn’t press further.
“Alright, it’s getting late. You two head home soon,” the officer said, closing his notebook. “We’ll contact you if needed for follow-up.”
White Li thanked him repeatedly, pushed the shared bike with its dented basket, and walked out of the alley with Lin Du.
The sky was completely dark now. Shops lining the street were lit, and the smell of stir-fry wafted from the residential buildings.
White Li pushed the bike, Lin Du walked beside her, and the two walked in silence for a while.
She was still mulling over what had just happened.
This guy is way too easygoing. Not only did he not get angry after being kicked, he even covered for me in front of the police. If it were someone else, they’d probably have flipped out by now.
Should I apologize again?
But now I’m a monster. Do I still need to follow human morals?
Then again, if I want to gather information now, I have to get along with the people around me. And if I can really go back someday, I’ll still have to live in human society. Basic manners are still necessary.
Just as she was thinking this, Lin Du suddenly spoke.
“Where do you live?”
White Li was taken aback, answering instinctively, “That neighborhood up ahead… Sunshine Garden.”
Lin Du was also taken aback, then the corner of his mouth twitched.
“What a coincidence. I live there too.”
White Li blinked. “Really?”
“Building Three, sixth floor,” Lin Du said.
“……”
The two looked at each other, silent for a few seconds.
Several thoughts raced through White Li’s mind. This is way too much of a coincidence!
Same class is one thing, but living in the same neighborhood too?
Could he be sent by the organization to monitor me?
No, people in the organization are all monsters. This guy is a genuine human.
Maybe it really is just a coincidence?
“Haha, what a coincidence,” White Li said, scratching her head and turning to look at the supermarket by the street. “Um… let me buy you a bottle of water. As thanks for earlier.”
She immediately regretted it after saying it. How much money is left in my wallet?
I should’ve moved faster when beating them up. Maybe I could’ve made those three hoodlums drop some coins.
She secretly unzipped her wallet and peeked inside. A few crumpled bills, not enough for two drinks combined.
Lin Du followed her gaze, then waved his hand.
“No need. It’s getting late. Let’s hurry back.”
White Li felt as if pardoned, but had to be polite on the surface. “How can I feel okay about that…”
“It’s fine.” Lin Du was already walking toward the neighborhood entrance. “We have class tomorrow.”
White Li locked the bike and followed. The two entered the neighborhood one after the other.
Arriving at Building Three, Lin Du stopped.
“I’ll head up first then.”
“Okay, okay. Thanks again for today, really.” White Li nodded at him. “Um… I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”
“Alright.” He took out his phone from his pocket. “Add me as a friend?”
White Li also took out her phone and scanned the code. Watching the friend request pop up on the screen—the profile picture was blank, the nickname just a single “L.”
She tapped accept, looked up to say something, but Lin Du had already turned and entered the stairwell.
“…This guy really is strange.”
White Li muttered to herself and walked toward the safe house.
As soon as she pushed the door open, the bracelet reached its limit.
Her tail emerged from behind, spreading out fluffy, swishing a couple of times in the air.
She flopped onto the bed, staring at the newly added friend on her phone. After thinking for a moment, she changed the name to “Lin Du – Back Row.”
Rolling over, her stomach suddenly growled.
Haven’t eaten dinner yet.
“Let’s order a combo meal… and have a delivery person buy a tank top too…”
She tossed her phone aside. Her tail drooped weakly over the edge of the bed.
—
On the rooftop of Building Three, Lin Du leaned against the railing, lost in thought.
He dialed a number and put the phone to his ear.
“So?” A male voice came from the other end. “Did you find the source of the reaction?”
Lin Du was silent for a few seconds. Images flashed through his mind: the white light in the alley, the frostbite marks on the hoodlums, the chill in the narrow lane.
And the kick that almost turned him into a man with a single testicle…
“No,” he said. “It was just an ordinary robbery.”
“You’re sure?”
“Sure.” Lin Du’s tone was flat. “Three hoodlums bullying a student. I passed by and helped out.”
Silence on the other end for a few seconds, then a light chuckle.
“Alright then. Get some rest.”
“Mhm.”
Hanging up, Lin Du looked at the newly added friend on his phone. The nickname was “White.”
He closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh.