"..." The girl laughed even more unrestrainedly.
Following the movement, Mu Anxiao frowned slightly. After glancing at Ouyang Ye's face, she didn't know what to say.
Just then, the dirty-faced man slowly walked to Mu Anxiao's side and said to the girl, "I'm sorry."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao and Ouyang Ye looked at the dirty-faced man with unexpected默契 (mòqì - tacit understanding).
Upon hearing the dirty-faced man's words, the girl stopped laughing and fixed her gaze on his face. "..." She didn't understand why the dirty-faced man was apologizing and was a little confused.
The dirty-faced man knew his actions were indeed a bit sudden, so he wasn't surprised by their reaction. He patiently explained, "It was wrong of me to lie to you. Actually..." he said with a serious expression, "you're quite cute."
"Cute?" the girl repeated, letting out a cold laugh and stopping there.
"Yes, you are very cute, just as cute as my sister." The dirty-faced man was no longer afraid and instead became exceptionally sincere in front of the girl.
However, Mu Anxiao saw the dirty-faced man's behavior as merely an attempt to appease, a final act of self-preservation. She couldn't guess his true thoughts at all. All she could do now was 'protect him from the shadows'.
Thinking this, she quietly tugged at the dirty-faced man's sleeve, ready to rescue him at any moment.
This time, Ouyang Ye did not obstruct Mu Anxiao's actions. He simply watched her quietly, wondering what she would do next.
"You think I resemble your sister?" The girl, not noticing Mu Anxiao's subtle move, carefully responded to the dirty-faced man.
The dirty-faced man nodded, "Yes, you're very much like my sister, except she's already dead." After saying this, he lowered his eyelids, his mind conjuring the image of his sister who had died of illness.
Because of being hurt, there is no trust.
As the saying goes, 'once bitten by a snake, one fears a well rope for ten years.' The reason the girl detested men so much and loved to 'take action' was because she had tasted pain and insincere affection along the way. She had never heard an apology from any man. Over the years, the dirty-faced man was the first.
Looking at him, her expression softened with his sadness. "My condolences," she decided to abandon her previous idea of killing him.
Hearing her words, the dirty-faced man cried sadly.
Seeing this, the girl stepped forward and placed a hand on the dirty-faced man's shoulder. "Everything is in the past," she said, patting his shoulder again.
Inside the woodshed.
Jia and Lou Yi saw the scene outside through the crack in the door and naturally heard their conversation.
However, Jia began to doubt the dirty-faced man's words. "You say, does he really have a sister?" he asked, turning to Lou Yi standing behind him.
Lou Yi shifted his gaze from the crack in the door and looked down at Jia. "What do you mean?" He was genuinely moved by the dirty-faced man.
Jia frowned slightly, his face full of uncertainty. "They say, a man's mouth is a deceitful ghost. I feel he must have an ulterior motive in doing this." As he spoke, his eyes became sharp.
Conversely, Lou Yi did not think so. "Can't you think of people in a better light? I," he sniffled, "even I feel sorry for that girl."
"You..."
"For one person to be hurt by three others, it's enough to make one's heart ache. Moreover, she is just a little monster who stays out of worldly affairs. Having just arrived, she entrusted her trust in mortals, wandered for years, but was harmed by various mortals. Not only that, but she was also wounded all over. Anyone who hears her experience would sympathize, let alone," Lou Yi was moved by the scene, his eyes filled with tears, "that person."
"I think he's not right," Jia insisted.
Lou Yi expressed his helplessness at Jia's stubborn attitude but felt compelled to speak. "You're just overthinking. He's fine."
"A person's heart is like a belly—you can't see through it. She could be deceived by nearly a hundred people, which shows that the girl is still naive. She still hasn't understood human hearts, she still hasn't woken up. As the saying goes, if there's a first time, there's a second, and if there's a second, there's a third, and so on. That person is definitely problematic." As he spoke, Jia turned his head and, through the crack in the door, used one eye to look at the dirty-faced man who was still looking down and crying sadly.
Lou Yi looked down at Jia, who was 'not old' and 'full of thoughts,' and sighed, saying, "I don't think that person would lie."
"You've been brainwashed, let alone her," Jia said without looking back.
Lou Yi strongly disliked Jia's suspicious nature towards others, so he rolled his eyes and fell silent.
"I have a premonition that that man is definitely premeditating," Jia said, immediately turning to Lou Yi. "I'm absolutely sure." His expression was firm.
Lou Yi lowered his head and met Jia's gaze with helplessness. "I think you're overthinking it."
"You..."
"That monster is not to be trifled with. If anyone is untrustworthy, it's that monster, not him," Lou Yi interrupted Jia's words and began to make his own judgment.
Hearing Lou Yi's words, Jia let out a cold laugh.
Seeing this, Lou Yi looked confused. "What are you laughing at?"
"You truly are a naive little brat," Jia said with a mature demeanor.
Lou Yi chuckled upon hearing this. "I'm naive, Jia, are you trying to be funny? If anyone is a little brat, it's you..." He stopped midway, noticing Jia's strange expression.
Immediately after, Jia's lips curved upwards, and he extended his 'little hand'.
Lou Yi was stunned. "What do you mean by this?" He suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Hold my hand," Jia instructed.
"Holding your hand... that's not proper," Lou Yi clearly refused Jia's request.
Jia's face hardened.
Lou Yi knew Jia was not a 'child' to be easily provoked, so he reluctantly abandoned his upright posture and compromised. "You'd better not play dirty tricks." Saying this, he took Jia's hand.
Jia smiled broadly. "Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person." As he spoke, he shook Lou Yi's hand and said seriously, "Let's make a bet."
"..." Lou Yi narrowed his eyes.
Then, Jia smiled. "I don't think that man is a good person. As for that female monster..." Thinking of the girl's experience, his eyes darkened. "I think she must have been forced to get to this point, so this time, I choose to believe the female monster."
"You change so quickly," Lou Yi's mouth twitched. Recalling Jia's previous prejudice against the female monster, he suddenly didn't know how to describe Jia.
Jia smiled. "You still think the man is good, right?"
"..." Lou Yi thought for a moment and shook his head.