Volume One, Chapter Thirteen: What’s This About Being a Little Cute?

Lin Yuxia locked herself in her room and sat silently through the entire night.

Just a few days ago, she had generously helped someone else, and now it was her turn to gather money for her family’s medical expenses.

She tilted her head back, gazing through the window at the scattered starlight filtering through the treetops.

“Mother…” she whispered softly, startled by the sound of the word leaving her lips.

It had been a long time since she had thought of her mother.

Suddenly, she yearned to ask her mother whether she had ever felt sorrow or despair.

At the moment her last drop of blood dried up, had she found peace?

But the greatest difference between Lin Yuxia and her mother was this—she refused to accept fate.

The next day, she tidied herself up, rummaged through the closet to find her suitcase, and packed the luxury bags and jewelry that Shen Yan had once given her. Then she took a taxi to the upscale shopping street in Hucheng.

If she sold everything in the suitcase, she could probably gather a few hundred thousand yuan, enough to help her father in an emergency.

She would find a way to get the rest of the money.

She dragged her suitcase into a secondhand store. The owner, seeing a large suitcase full of luxury goods, deliberately offered a low price. The total was less than a hundred thousand yuan.

Lin Yuxia didn’t sell and left the shop to find another secondhand store.

While waiting at a traffic light, suddenly someone grabbed her arm.

She looked back and saw Han Xuejuan.

“Lawyer Lin, thank you so much for what you did last time. The nurse told me that a young, beautiful lady covered my husband’s medical expenses. I immediately knew it was you!”

Han Xuejuan’s voice was loud, drawing the attention of passersby.

Lin Yuxia smiled awkwardly. “I just did a little to help, please don’t mention it.”

Han Xuejuan held onto her, still speaking loudly, “Lawyer Lin, you’re beautiful and kind-hearted; you’re a great benefactor to our family!”

The light turned green. Lin Yuxia pushed Han Xuejuan’s hand aside and said as she walked, “Auntie, I have some things to do. Let’s talk later, okay?”

Han Xuejuan followed her across the street, showing no intention of leaving.

“Lawyer Lin…”

Lin Yuxia stopped and waited for her to speak.

Suddenly, Han Xuejuan dropped to her knees in front of her, sobbing and kowtowing repeatedly.

“Lawyer Lin, I know I shouldn’t do this, but I really have no choice. Our whole family depends on my husband to make a living. His illness has drained all our savings. We really can’t survive anymore!”

“Lawyer Lin, you’re a bodhisattva reincarnate. Could you please give me some more money? I beg you!” She kowtowed again, pounding her head to the ground.

On the bustling commercial street, people passing by stopped at a distance, watching and whispering.

Lin Yuxia forced a bitter smile. “Auntie, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but I truly don’t have a single penny left…”

Her own father was still lying in the hospital. From whom could she ask for money?

Han Xuejuan clearly didn’t believe her. “You’re a lawyer, aren’t lawyers supposed to make big money? This is the most expensive shopping street in Hucheng. How could you come here if you had no money?”

She crawled forward a few steps and clung to Lin Yuxia’s calf, shouting in a hoarse voice loud enough to be heard down the street.

“Miss Lin, please have mercy and give me some life-saving money!”

Lin Yuxia glanced at the onlookers, her face flushing with embarrassment. “Auntie Han, could you please get up first?”

“I won’t get up! If you don’t agree today, I won’t get up from here!”

Lin Yuxia was deeply frustrated. She said softly, “I really don’t have any money left. If you keep this up, I’ll have to call the police.”

Han Xuejuan seemed determined to extort money from Lin Yuxia. Hearing this, she threw a tantrum.

“How can someone so young be so heartless? My husband is lying in the hospital, life uncertain. How can you just say you don’t care?”

“Are you in cahoots with that Sheng Yue Group? You said you’d ask them for money, didn’t you? Why don’t you ask them anymore? Did they pay you off?”

Her words became more and more ridiculous, causing uninformed passersby to start pointing fingers and whispering about Lin Yuxia.

Lin Yuxia’s face flushed red, then paled, then reddened again. Held tightly by the village woman, she could barely move her leg, almost feeling numb.

Her voice was soft and couldn’t drown out Han Xuejuan’s crying and shouting. The crowd could only see her lips moving but heard no defense.

On the other side of the road, a black Rolls-Royce slowly pulled up to the curb.

The rear window rolled down, revealing a cold, stern face.

Fei Xun said to the bodyguards in the car, “Go check it out.”

Two black-clad bodyguards jumped out, pushed through the crowd, investigated the situation, and immediately reported back to Fei Xun through their earpieces.

The driver in the front seat glanced at his boss through the rearview mirror and noticed a strange, faint smile playing at Fei Xun’s lips. He suddenly heard him mutter three words nonsensically—“Troublesome pest.”

Following Fei Xun’s orders, one bodyguard forcibly pried Han Xuejuan’s hands off Lin Yuxia, while the other escorted Lin Yuxia quickly away from the crowd.

Two minutes later, Lin Yuxia was seated in the spacious rear seat of the luxury car.

The farce was over, but Lin Yuxia’s mind was still buzzing.

She bowed her head, unable to understand how things had come to this.

What started as a selfless act of kindness had turned into a moral burden others placed on her.

Fei Xun folded his arms, glancing sideways at Lin Yuxia.

Her hair, usually neatly tied back, was a little disheveled. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her nose reddened—not crying, but looking even more wronged than if she had.

Fei Xun had seen her calm, cunning, angry, proud, unreasonable sides—but never this vulnerable look.

Like a… rabbit? How was that even a little bit adorable?

Fei Xun pursed his lips, suppressing a smile. He grabbed a bottle of water, twisted it open, and handed it to Lin Yuxia.

She took the water, still looking downcast, but still managed to whisper a “Thank you.”

So polite even now? Fei Xun couldn’t help teasing, “If you’re going to cry, at least hydrate first.”

Lin Yuxia suddenly looked up, scolding him sharply, “Which eye did you see me about to cry with?”

Fei Xun pursed his lips, trying to keep his mouth straight, and said seriously, “I apologize for my offense, Miss Xia.”

“That’s more like it… huh? How many times have I told you, my surname is Lin, not Xia!”

Lin Yuxia swung her fist playfully at Fei Xun.

He didn’t dodge, took her punch—it didn’t hurt anyway.

Then he smiled and said, “You still look more like yourself all fierce and clawing.”

Lin Yuxia turned her head to look out the window. Most of the crowd on the opposite side of the street had already dispersed.

The black-clad bodyguards stood with their hands behind their backs beside Han Xuejuan, ignoring whatever she shouted. Whenever she tried to approach the Rolls-Royce, they sternly stopped her.

Han Xuejuan had no choice but to sulk away.

Lin Yuxia stared at Han Xuejuan’s retreating figure, feeling an uneasy knot in her heart. After a long moment, she said:

“Thank you for what you did today.”

Fei Xun crossed his legs, tilted his head, and said slowly,

“Do people say thank you with the back of their heads?”