He had previously considered recruiting talented individuals, so he didn't harbor much ill will towards the young man caught stealing. However, the youth's current rudeness had made him quite displeased.
To Lin Yan's surprise, the young man spoke in Chinese, a fact that also astonished Su Mojin. She too found it quite surprising that this young man was Chinese.
Seemingly sensing Lin Yan's displeasure, the young man's face twitched slightly.
As if unsure how to proceed, the young man's tone softened for his next sentence, losing the hardness of his previous remark.
"I know you. If you're willing to help me, my sister and I can follow you."
Follow me?
Lin Yan sized up the young man standing not far away. Although Li Wei had mentioned he had some martial arts skills, his emaciated appearance certainly didn't suggest strength. He wouldn't even be useful as manual labor.
What surprised Lin Yan even more was how the young man recognized him.
Both Lin Yan and Su Mojin wore masks when they went out, specifically half-face masks. Honestly, it would be difficult for anyone, even a fervent fan, to recognize them. How had this person managed it?
Upon hearing the word "sister," Su Mojin also became a little wary.
"You know me? Do you know who I am?"
Ignoring her question, Lin Yan pointed to his masked face and spoke to the young man. Honestly, Lin Yan was very curious about how this young man had recognized him.
Hearing Lin Yan's words, the young man didn't hesitate. He pointed to a poster on a nearby building and said to Lin Yan,
"You are him."
On a commercial building not far behind them was a half-body poster of Lin Yan. In the poster, Lin Yan was not wearing a mask, and it was a professionally retouched photograph.
This was the promotional poster for MotoGP's Thailand leg, with Lin Yan in the center.
Good heavens, after hearing the young man's words, Lin Yan was even more astonished. He could actually recognize him? This was too exaggerated.
If it were a fan recognizing him, it would be understandable. But judging by the young man's tone, he didn't seem to be a fan.
"Tell me how you recognized me, and if you can, I'll consider helping you."
Lin Yan hadn't been interested initially, but this kid was a bit strange, and he was curious.
With Li Wei and Yang Tianming following nearby, Lin Yan knew for sure that this guy hadn't been trailing them.
"Are you sure you'll help me if I tell you?"
Hearing Lin Yan's words, the young man seemed uncertain.
"Not sure, but if you don't tell me, I definitely won't help!"
Help him? Lin Yan didn't even know what this guy wanted.
After Lin Yan spoke, the young man pondered for a moment, hesitated for a long time, and finally revealed the reason.
"I know some ancestral disguise techniques, so I could tell your facial features, eyes, and the person in the photo were the same. Of course, that's one reason. The second is that the people around you, and your own demeanor, are definitely not those of ordinary people."
Disguise techniques?
Lin Yan was slightly taken aback. Ignoring the flattering words, Lin Yan focused on what the young man had said earlier. Could it be the disguise techniques from ancient Wuxia novels?
"Uh... it's just a simple makeup technique, not what you're thinking."
Seemingly noticing Lin Yan's confusion, the young man quickly clarified. Disguise arts, he explained, were ancestral traditions that had been lost for many years. By his time, only the superficial aspects remained.
Hearing this, Lin Yan calmed down a bit. If it were real disguise techniques, it would indeed be very impressive. But then again, with today's advanced technology, disguising oneself wasn't that difficult, especially in a place like South Korea.
A quick change and even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. It wasn't very practical.
Having received the answer to his question, Lin Yan's interest in the young man remained low, and he prepared to have Li Wei pay him off.
Seeing Li Wei reach for his wallet, the young man became anxious. He wasn't after money.
Lin Yan's assumption was wrong. He thought that since the person had stolen from a mall, he must have been after money.
What the person was talking about was also related to money; helping meant asking for money.
Seeing Lin Yan turn to leave, the young man grew desperate.
"I beg you, please save my sister. If you can save my sister, I'll do anything for you."
He was practically begging Lin Yan. The spot where they were was the entrance of the mall, a place with dense foot traffic. The young man's cry immediately attracted many onlookers.
"Honey, what about it?"
Su Mojin tugged at Lin Yan's hand. Her suggestion wasn't for Lin Yan to help, but for them to leave first, letting Li Wei handle the situation.
If Lin Yan's identity were exposed and made headlines, it would be problematic.
Seemingly sensing the gathering crowd, the young man immediately shut his mouth. He didn't want to attract too much attention either.
The young man was very smart. He knew that Lin Yan wore a mask because his identity couldn't be revealed. If he caused any trouble for Lin Yan, his sister would be completely beyond help.
Seeing that the young man had stopped crying out, Lin Yan's expression softened slightly. As for saving the young man's sister, Lin Yan really didn't have the time to meddle.
"If something happens to your sister, you can directly call the police. I can't help you."
Lin Yan instructed him, then had Li Wei give him some cash before preparing to leave.
Late at night, he really didn't have time to waste here.
Before Lin Yan could get far, he heard a thud. The young man had knelt directly in front of Lin Yan.
What is this?
Seeing this, Lin Yan was speechless.
"Honey, maybe we should help?"
Su Mojin also felt a pang of sympathy.
Lin Yan pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed, and turned back.
"Speak, what's going on?"
It wasn't that Lin Yan didn't want to help, but he didn't want to get involved. Setting aside certain special reasons, such situations encountered abroad were often scams. Don't think that just because they are from the same country, they wouldn't be scammers. In fact, the opposite was often true.
These people could potentially ruin you.
"Tell me, what happened to your sister?"
Having finally found someone who might be able to save his sister, the young man's voice was choked with emotion as he stammered,
"My sister practices boxing... she was ambushed by someone and is now in the hospital... we don't have money, and the doctors won't operate."
The young man spoke haltingly. Honestly, upon hearing this, Lin Yan was about 80% sure it was a scam, but he still patiently asked,
"What does your sister do? Boxing?"
"My sister is a Muay Thai fighter. She's quite well-known in Lih Nan. My sister and I have always made a living from this. Unfortunately, I'm useless..."