Just then, the two guys walked out and froze when they saw Cao Yang and Lei Dian.They didn't expect Cao Yang to actually rescue him.
"So? How much did you sell it for?"
"Two thousand," A-Liang said, handing the money to Lei Dian.
Although they had no formal hierarchy, everyone vaguely treated Lei Dian as the leader.
Lei Dian took the cash and counted out one thousand for Cao Yang.
"This is too much," Cao Yang said. If they split evenly, he should get maybe five hundred at most.
"Too much my ass. You saved me. Without you, I'd still be locked up right now. Take it!"
Lei Dian stuffed the money into Cao Yang's hand without giving him a chance to refuse, then turned to the others. "You two got any objections?"
So the three of them split a thousand, and Cao Yang alone got a thousand.
He felt embarrassed and kept insisting he should return some.
Lei Dian snorted. "If you're really embarrassed, then treat us to a good meal."
Cao Yang agreed, but it was four in the morning—nothing was open.
The four returned to the hotel and started drinking again. The leftover food and alcohol were still on the table; no one minded.
While drinking, they planned their next target.
A-Liang and Jiawei asked how Cao Yang managed to rescue Lei Dian.
Lei Dian immediately began bragging about Cao Yang fighting four men on his own—his glorious battle story.
The other two listened with wide eyes but didn't fully believe it.
…
Li Yan got off work and returned home. When she opened the door and saw that Cao Yang wasn't there, she frowned.Where did that kid run off to?
If it were five in the afternoon, she could assume he was out looking for work, but this was early morning.
She showered, changed into a dress, and waited half an hour. Still no sign of him. She started getting worried.
She went to the front desk and found Old Xu dozing off, so she woke him.
"Uncle, did you see the boy living with me?"
Old Xu nodded and pointed at Room 213. "He's in there drinking with those guys."
Li Yan exhaled in relief.So he was just drinking… but then she felt annoyed—she'd been worried, and he was out drinking with strangers?
She asked, "Who lives in 213?"
"Three young men."
"What do they do?"
Old Xu chuckled and shook his head. "They don't have jobs."
Young men, unemployed, drinking together—obviously not good people.
Li Yan didn't mind Cao Yang making friends, but she cared who those friends were. She was afraid he'd be led astray, used, or tricked.So she stomped toward 213, fuming.
What she didn't know was that, in Old Xu's eyes, she, the girl who slept during the day and went out at night, also didn't seem like "a proper person."
Knock knock knock—
Inside, the four men jolted in shock.
No one ever came knocking at this hour. And considering they'd stolen things today and beaten up security, they all felt guilty.
The four exchanged looks, tense.
Lei Dian whispered, "Probably the police." He pointed at the window, signaling everyone to move.
They tiptoed silently—barefoot to avoid noise.
They were only on the second floor. Jumping wouldn't hurt much.
Knock knock knock—
The knocking came again.
Lei Dian made a hand gesture and was the first to jump.
"Cao Yang… Cao Yang… are you inside?"Li Yan finally called out on her third knock.
Cao Yang let out a long breath. Damn, he had been terrified—turns out it was Li Yan.
He grabbed A-Liang, who was about to jump. "Don't jump. It's my sister."
He opened the door.
Li Yan folded her arms, scanning the messy room full of bottles and cigarette butts, and shook her head in disgust.
"Come back with me."
She grabbed him and dragged him toward her room. On the way, they ran into a limping, cursing Lei Dian.
"Hey pretty lady, if you're looking for your brother, can't you call out? You just kept knocking—do you know how scary that is?"
His face was already bruised, and he had twisted his ankle jumping off the second floor. He looked ridiculous.
"If you don't do guilty things during the day, you don't fear ghosts knocking at night."Li Yan said coldly.
That confirmed her suspicion—they weren't decent people.She yanked Cao Yang into her room and slammed the door.
"How did you meet those people?" She sat on the bed, arms crossed, legs elegantly folded—full big-sister authority.
"Downstairs… he asked me to help carry some alcohol, then invited me to drink."
"Someone invites you and you just go? Do you have any sense of caution?"
"You even know what they do? And you're calling them brothers?"
Cao Yang opened his mouth but said nothing.
"Those guys are clearly trouble—eating, drinking, gambling, smoking, cheating, stealing—you are not allowed to mix with them again!"
"I—"
"I什么我!You dare talk back? Fine, I'll tell your mom right now that you don't listen, that you're mixing with shady people. I can't control you, and whatever happens later, don't come crying to me!"
Cao Yang immediately shut up.
Seeing he'd backed down, Li Yan lifted her chin proudly and asked, "Found a job yet?"
"No suitable one."
"You can't be picky. Just get any job first. Someone like you—willing to work hard—won't stay unemployed."
Cao Yang nodded and went to shower.
After washing up, he lay on the top bunk, staring at the ceiling.
He'd made a thousand bucks today. If he kept doing this a few more times, he could save enough for a slot machine soon.
But being a thief… that wasn't something to be proud of. He felt conflicted.
He thought of borrowing money from Li Yan—then he wouldn't have to steal and could still reach his goal.But Li Yan always said she had no money…Though he felt she definitely had money.
He peeked down at her. Li Yan wasn't asleep either, eyes open.
Her white dress was gone, and she lay under a thin blanket. He couldn't tell if she wore anything underneath.
"Yan-jie, I want to—"
"Stop thinking! I'm your sister. We can't do that kind of thing!"
"I didn't mean—"
"You didn't? I know exactly what you're thinking. Not allowed! If you really want to do that kind of thing, find a girlfriend someday. Just don't do it with me!"
"I—"
"I你妹!I said no! Go to sleep!"
…
At four in the afternoon, Lei Dian came knocking, wanting Cao Yang to go out.
But Li Yan hadn't left yet. She opened the door and scolded him like crazy.
Lei Dian was furious—if she wasn't Cao Yang's sister, he would've beaten her.
Only after she left did Cao Yang dare go out.
He wasn't afraid of Li Yan—he was afraid she'd complain to his mom.
Also, he knew she was doing it for his good. He didn't dislike it; it felt a bit like having his mom around.
Since Cao Yang got extra money yesterday, he offered to treat everyone today.The four went to a Hunan restaurant and ordered a full table of dishes.
Just as they were about to start eating, a girl walked over and sat down at their table.