Xiao Xun, with a heart full of apprehension, pushed open his cousin's door barefoot.
His cousin remained in the same posture, breathing deeply, seemingly fast asleep.
Xiao Xun held his breath, tiptoeing behind his cousin.
He slowly extended his right index and middle fingers to pinch a corner of a large bill peeking out of his cousin's wallet.
Time ticked by, second by second. Xiao Xun's tense back and hands were slick with sweat.
As his fingertips brushed against the corner of the bill, he thought, "Great, this time I'm definitely going to get that permanent hero-grade weapon."
Unexpectedly, just as he was about to pull it out, a fair, delicate jade hand grasped his wrist.
His nerves were highly strung, and he was tense. The sudden grip made him tremble uncontrollably, jump, and his heart pounded violently.
"Good for you! Guarding day and night, yet the thief is within the household. Not only do you not earn money to support the family, but you're also stealing my money."
Seeing his cousin's fierce expression, Xiao Xun was terrified. He tried to pull his hand back, "Cousin, spare me this time! I was bewitched, it wasn't intentional."
Liu Shijia narrowed her eyes, "Spare you? Tell me, how many times have you stolen my money?"
Xiao Xun's dangling left hand extended a finger, "This is the first time, and I swear, it'll be the last."
Liu Shijia flicked Xiao Xun's hand away, "Do you think I'd believe that?"
Xiao Xun looked wronged, "Then what do you suggest?"
Liu Shijia picked up her phone, "I'll tell your mom. Let's see how well she raised her son."
Xiao Xun quickly took two steps forward, reaching out to snatch Liu Shijia's phone, "Good sister, please don't tell my mom. As long as you don't tell her, I'll do anything!"
Liu Shijia hid her phone behind her back, tightly gripping Xiao Xun's wrist, "Really? Anything?"
Xiao Xun nodded vigorously. His family was already critical of him not working. If this happened, his mother would surely come overnight and skin him alive.
"Yes, I'll do anything you ask."
"Then, are you willing to find a job?"
Xiao Xun grunted, "Okay, I'll look."
Liu Shijia looked at her cousin's frightened eyes, knowing he wasn't lying. "Alright, you'll go look tomorrow."
"No problem. Can you let go of my hand now? It hurts like hell."
Xiao Xun looked at the 'little white rabbit' while trying to pull his hand back.
Liu Shijia noticed the problematic look in Xiao Xun's eyes. She looked down and her face instantly flushed red.
With a 'snap,' Xiao Xun fell to the ground, covering his face.
Liu Shijia cupped her chest with one hand and pointed to the door with the other, "Get out! Get out of my house right now."
Although Xiao Xun had been bullied by Liu Shijia since childhood, being slapped 'for no reason' made him feel very wronged. Tears welled up in his eyes.
His face instantly turned red, and he shouted hoarsely, "Fine, I'll leave! I'll die outside before I ever come to your house again." He then stood up and went back to his room to pack.
Liu Shijia was still angry. Seeing her usually submissive cousin dare to yell at her, she said, "Good, you said it yourself. Pack your things and get out now. If you say a word about what happened today, I'll never forgive you."
Xiao Xun tried to close the door, but Liu Shijia blocked it with her foot. "What are you doing? This is my house. You eat my food, drink my drinks, live in my house, and then you steal from me. You should get out and stay far away."
Xiao Xun had no choice but to return and continue packing his belongings. He haphazardly stuffed his clothes into a suitcase, hung his headphones around his neck, and put his laptop, mouse, and keyboard into his backpack.
Because of the injury to his left arm, he wore the backpack on one shoulder, leaning to the side to prevent it from falling. He pushed his suitcase as he walked out.
Liu Shijia moved aside, crossed her arms, and watched him expressionlessly.
He yanked the door open heavily and walked out without a word, leaving the door ajar.
He stood in the hallway for a moment, heard his cousin forcefully close the door with a 'bang,' and then went downstairs without looking back.
Liu Shijia closed the door and went into Xiao Xun's room. She saw the unopened, uneaten meal on his desk. Thinking of his departing back and his still-healing injured arm.
She thought, "Was I a bit too harsh just now?"
She opened the door and found the hallway empty. He was long gone.
She picked up her phone, wondering whether to call or not.
After much consideration, she decided against it. Now was the perfect opportunity to push him. If he could seize this chance to wake up and find a job with peace of mind, that would be best.
With that thought, she sat on the living room sofa and began eating the now-cold meal from the table.
As soon as she opened the lid, she remembered the look in Xiao Xun's eyes and his attempt to steal money. Angrily, she threw the rice onto the floor and went back to her bedroom.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xun, after leaving the apartment, kept looking back. He was contemplating how to play hard to get when his cousin chased after him, refusing to go back and insisting on leaving, staging a dramatic scene with tears to make her beg him to return.
But by the time he reached the community gate, his cousin hadn't chased after him. He checked his phone, but there were no missed calls.
"Maybe I should call her back?"
He muttered this to himself but quickly gave up. "If I call her first, wouldn't that mean I've backed down? No, I have to wait for her to call me."
The sky was dark, as if it were about to rain.
Finally, at the street corner, he spotted a fast-food restaurant. A giant blue neon sign proclaimed 24-hour operation. Hunger, coupled with his limited funds, made him stride in without hesitation.
He pushed open the fast-food restaurant door with heavy steps. The infrared welcome device above shouted in a detached tone, "Hello, welcome."
Inside the entire fast-food restaurant, apart from a sleepy server at the counter, there was no one else.
As soon as Xiao Xun entered, he felt an overwhelming warmth, making him not want to leave.
Dragging his feet, he approached the counter and lightly tapped the desk, "Hello."
Xiao Xun called out timidly, while the server yawned. Before he could even open his eyes, he reflexively said, "Welcome, please have some..."
Before he could finish, he saw Xiao Xun's disheveled appearance and frowned. "Sorry, sir, we don't help homeless people here. Please leave."
Xiao Xun quickly waved his hands, "Bro, don't misunderstand. I'm not here to beg. I'm here to eat. I have money."
As he spoke, Xiao Xun held up his phone and waved it in front of the server.
The server saw Xiao Xun's phone and the hand holding it, confirming he wasn't a homeless person from the street.
The server nodded, "Sir, were you mugged? Do you need me to call the police for you?"
Xiao Xun waved his hand, "No need. I'm just hungry."
The server pointed to the menu on the electronic screen behind him, "Sir, what would you like to order?"
"I'll have combo B."
The server, holding a barcode scanner, looked at the display on the cash register system, confirming the payment was successful.
"Certainly, sir. Please wait over there."
Now Xiao Xun could sit there openly. He looked out at the scenery. Although this was a big city, it was nearing midnight. Apart from the dim streetlights, everything was dark.
Soon, the young server called him to pick up his order. He carried the tray to his seat and took a big gulp of cola, feeling like he had come back to life.
He got up to go to the restroom and looked at his disheveled reflection in the mirror. He really did look like a homeless person!
After a simple wash-up, using hand sanitizer, he meticulously washed his hair, face, and hands. He finally looked somewhat presentable.
Returning to his table, he saw the store clerk dozing off again. He shouldered his laptop bag and pushed his suitcase towards a street-front internet cafe called Jin Hulu. He was an old acquaintance of the internet cafe's manager.
This internet cafe periodically held competitions with modest prizes paid in cash, so Xiao Xun frequented it and eventually became familiar with the manager.
Seeing Xiao Xun walk in with bags and luggage, the manager immediately came out from behind the counter. "What's the meaning of this? You brought your luggage too? Planning to make the internet cafe your home?"
Xiao Xun didn't know where to begin. "Don't even mention it. Can I stay here for a few nights?"
The manager had known him for years and knew that if he wasn't at his wit's end, he wouldn't ask for favors lightly.
"What's there to not be able to do? This is a public area. However, if you want to lie down and sleep, you can only do so on the sofa in the private rooms. When there are customers, you must give up your spot. The boss doesn't come often, but there are surveillance cameras here, so don't make things too difficult for me."
Xiao Xun pushed his laptop bag and suitcase into the area behind the counter. "You can keep these for me for now. I might be going back to my hometown in a few days."
The manager shoved the items into the empty space below the counter, then noticed his injured left arm. "What's going on with you? Someone beat you up?"
Xiao Xun glanced at his arm. "Fracture. It's nothing serious."
Then he pointed to the instant noodles on the shelf. "I'm starving. Give me a bowl of instant noodles first. The fast food isn't filling enough."
As he spoke, he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled five-yuan bill, placing it on the counter.
The manager shook his head. "Forget it. This bowl of noodles is on me."
Saying that, he took a bucket of instant noodles from behind and placed it on top of the bill.
Xiao Xun took the instant noodles and set them aside, then dropped the five-yuan bill onto the keyboard inside. "I can't accept this. You don't earn much money."
"Aren't we friends? We've known each other for so many years. If I can't afford to treat you, I can certainly afford a bowl of instant noodles. Eat up! I know you're going through a rough time, or you wouldn't be like this."