“Don’t be so distant!” The man in the tank top stepped forward and grabbed Tiantian’s arm, which she didn’t resist the entire time. “Little sister, we’re really not bad people. Just rest here—I dare anyone to lay a finger on you!”
Tiantian narrowed her eyes and studied the three men before her. Each wore a different expression, clearly lost in their own thoughts.
“Such a small building can’t possibly fit so many people,” Tiantian replied with a smile still on her lips. “Big brothers, you take your rest. We’ll make space for you.”
“Hey!” The tank-top man tightened his grip on Tiantian, refusing to let go. “Little sister, really, no need to be so formal. If space is tight, you can sit right on my lap!”
With that, he plopped down on the spot, one hand gripping Tiantian while the other slapped his thigh repeatedly. “Come on!”
“Hey, Lao Fang,” a middle-aged man in a suit spoke up from behind, his tone sharp. “Cut it out with the handsy nonsense. When are you ever going to fix that bad habit?”
At the reprimand, the man called Lao Fang immediately released Tiantian and turned back with a laugh. “Hey, I was just joking around with the girl! You two know me—I’m just a joker at heart.”
The suited man strode into the room, scanning the interior before slowly sitting down once he confirmed no one else was present.
“Sorry about that, little sister,” he said, looking up at Tiantian. “We don’t mean to harass you. Do as you please.”
“Alright, thank you.”
Sensing that the suited man might still be reasonable, Tiantian nodded in acknowledgment before taking Zheng Yingxiong’s hand. The boy turned back to grab his backpack.
As the two walked past the three men, about to leave, the suited man suddenly spoke again: “Wait.”
Tiantian paused, then turned to see him staring at the plastic water bottle she had left on the ground.
“Oh, little sister,” the suited man chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong… I just saw you two drinking earlier and wanted to ask—do you have any extra water?”
All three men were drenched in sweat. At that moment, a sip of water was more precious to them than gold.
“I…” Tiantian hesitated, then bent down to ask Zheng Yingxiong, “Little brother, do you have any water left in your bag?”
Zheng Yingxiong listened carefully before slinging his backpack off and rummaging through it. He looked up and said, “No.”
“Hmm…” Tiantian nodded, then turned back to the suited man. “Big brother, I’m sorry. We only have this one bottle.”
“Fine. Leave the bag and go,” the suited man said.
The abrupt demand made Tiantian freeze for a second, but she quickly regained her composure. After exchanging a glance with Zheng Yingxiong, she took the backpack off his shoulders and carefully set it on the ground. “There’s some food inside. Take it if you want. We’ll be on our way.”
“Sister, but—”
“It’s fine,” Tiantian interrupted, gently patting his head. “These uncles need to eat too. Since we’re not hungry yet, let them have it first.”
Her words were firm—spoken as much for Zheng Yingxiong as for the men, making her stance clear.
Zheng Yingxiong nodded understandingly and fell silent. The two pushed the bicycle toward the door.
“Leave the bike too,” the suited man added.
It was then that Tiantian realized the most dangerous among the three wasn’t the tall young man or the sleazy tank-top guy, but this seemingly upright man in a suit.
The air grew tense.
“Big brother, our base is a ways from here,” Tiantian said with a forced smile. “There aren’t any other shelters nearby, and we need this bike to make it back before dark.”
“I said leave the bike,” the suited man replied coldly, his gaze piercing. “I don’t care about your excuses. I only care about results.”
Knowing she and Zheng Yingxiong were outnumbered, Tiantian had no choice but to lean the bike against the wall. Still, she tried to reason with them. “This bike is old and barely holds two people—only me and this kid can really use it. There are three of you. Are you sure you want it?”
Her words deftly laid out multiple practical issues while subtly sowing discord among the men.
With no way of knowing if the encroaching darkness would shift again, and with three men fighting over one bike, logic dictated that the leader—if the suited man truly was in charge—should let Tiantian take it.
But scarcity breeds desperation, and desperation leads to violence.
That’s what happens when you test loyalty against survival.
“You—” The suited man narrowed his eyes, as if seeing through Tiantian’s ploy, but remained silent.
“I understand,” Tiantian said quickly, not giving him time to react. “Take the bike. We’re leaving.”
“Tie them up,” the suited man ordered.
“What—?”
Before Tiantian could process it, the tank-top man lunged forward eagerly. “Hah! I’ve been waiting for this!”
His grimy hands reached for Tiantian’s arm.
“Sister, watch out!”
Zheng Yingxiong yanked Tiantian behind him and charged forward, drawing his “sword” from his waist and slashing at the man.
But the “sword” was nothing more than a flimsy newspaper fold. When it struck the man’s leg, it didn’t even flatten the wrinkles on his pants.
“Piss off!” The tank-top man smacked Zheng Yingxiong to the ground and kicked him. “You think we’re still out there? Think anyone’s gonna indulge a brat like you here?”
Zheng Yingxiong lay sprawled on the floor but clutched his paper sword stubbornly, refusing to make a sound.
As the tank-top man rained down kicks, the boy crawled determinedly toward his crown.
“Brat! Brat!”
Seeing “Lao Fang” grow increasingly violent, Tiantian mustered her courage and shouted, “Stop!”
Panting, Lao Fang finally halted. Zheng Yingxiong coughed—evidently, he’d been holding his breath through the pain.
He immediately scrambled to his crown, carefully folding it before tucking it into his pocket.
The three men turned their attention to Tiantian, who knew she stood no chance against them in a fight.
Biting her lip, she spoke calmly. “Let the child go. After that… I’ll do whatever you say.”
“Sister…” Zheng Yingxiong looked up at her in disbelief. “You should be the one to leave… I’m a ‘hero’…”
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