Would my sister's boyfriend overthink it (in a sarcastic, bitchy green tea tone)

“What?”

“They actually dared to rob us?”

“This is outrageous!”

“They’re breaking the law!”

“Let’s go!”

“Come with me to report this to the police!”

Xia Muzhu’s brows furrowed in anger. She grabbed Lin Yu’s hand, pulling him toward the nearby police station to file a report.

“Sis, it’s useless. I’ve already reported it,” Lin Yu said, letting Xia Muzhu tug at his hand, his tone heavy with frustration.

“But there’s no surveillance footage, and I don’t have any evidence of the robbery. The police can’t do anything without proof,” he added.

Xia Muzhu abruptly stopped in her tracks, still holding Lin Yu’s hand. She stood frozen for a moment before slowly turning around, her eyes reddened as she asked,

“So, what should we do?”

“Are we supposed to just accept being bullied with nowhere to seek justice?”

Seeing the helplessness and hurt in Xia Muzhu’s eyes, Lin Yu’s heart clenched painfully.

Deceiving such a kind girl like this made him feel utterly guilty.

His heart ached with remorse, but when he thought about the tragic fate that might await Xia Muzhu, the second female lead, he forced himself to steel his resolve and continue following the original plan.

“There’s nothing we can do. The police need evidence to take action, and we don’t have any.”

Lin Yu’s right eye, visible beneath his golden hair, darkened with a resigned gloom, as if he had already surrendered to this harsh world.

Seeing Lin Yu’s defeated and dispirited state, Xia Muzhu felt a pang of sympathy. After hesitating briefly, she lowered her head and rummaged through her small handbag.

Soon, she pulled out a stack of cash and held it out to Lin Yu.

“Take this money. This whole mess started because of me, so I have to take responsibility. I won’t let you suffer.”

“No, I can’t accept this!” Lin Yu waved his hands frantically in refusal.

“I absolutely cannot take this money!”

“Listen to me!” Xia Muzhu stepped forward, determined to press the money into his hands. Lin Yu, however, clutched his pockets tightly and took quick, small steps backward to avoid her reach, as if the stack of bills in her hand were burning embers.

They struggled for a moment until Lin Yu finally stopped resisting and placed his hands on hers, who was still holding the money, then suggested,

“Sis, how about this?”

“I’ll accept the money, but I won’t keep it with me. You can hold onto it for me.”

“You’ve seen it yourself—keeping money on me isn’t safe.”

“When I get into university and need to pay tuition, or if I need money for something else, I’ll come to you to ask for it. How does that sound?”

Lin Yu spoke sincerely.

Xia Muzhu thought it over and agreed that it was a good idea. She stopped insisting on handing over the money and prepared to put it back in her bag. Suddenly, she looked up with a worried expression and asked,

“But since your money was stolen, do you still have enough to live on?”

“Yeah,” Lin Yu nodded and smiled.

“Tomorrow I’ll finally get paid. Life might be a bit tight for a while, but at least I can support myself.”

Only after hearing this did Xia Muzhu feel comfortable putting the money away. She slipped it back into her bag, zipped it up, then looked up and, still a bit concerned, reminded Lin Yu:

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to come find me. No need to be shy with your big sister.”

Hearing Xia Muzhu’s words, Lin Yu gave an embarrassed smile, a little shy as she said:

“I actually do have something I need your help with.”

“What is it?”

“You tell me.”

Xia Muzhu asked with genuine concern.

“Well, the salary won’t come until tomorrow, so tonight...” Lin Yu looked at Xia Muzhu expectantly and said,

“Could you treat me to a meal?”

“I thought it was something serious,” Xia Muzhu said with a small sigh of relief, smiling softly as she asked,

“What do you want to eat?”

“Anything’s fine,” Lin Yu said, not picky at all.

“Can you handle spicy food?”

“There’s a Sichuan restaurant nearby that’s pretty good. Their dishes are very authentic,” Xia Muzhu suggested.

“Sounds great!” Lin Yu nodded eagerly, smiling brightly.

“I love spicy food!”

...

As dusk settled, the vast sky divided itself into three colors. To the west was the fading orange-gold glow of the setting sun. To the east lay the deep, cool darkness of night.

Between these two was a gradient of blue—starting from a pale sky blue near the sun, gradually deepening into a profound, mysterious navy near the night.

These three colors stretched across the sky like a tug-of-war between the sun and the night.

The gradient blue in the middle was the rope’s red ribbon.

As always, the outcome of this timeless battle was the same as it had been for millions of years.

The sun won. It sank its brilliant form into the western mountains, pulling the blue curtain down with it, leaving only darkness to reign over the sky, bearing the penalty of defeat.

As the sun tore away the blue fabric, street lamps on the ground flickered on in unison, cheap substitutes for the sun, continuing to provide light for the world.

Under one of these street lamps stood a boy with an exaggerated hairstyle, his head wrapped in bandages. He suddenly stopped, sniffing the air repeatedly, trying to catch the salty, fragrant scent.

“Smells like delicious stewed fish!” the flamboyantly styled boy exclaimed.

“Want to eat fish?”

A woman walking about a step and a half ahead stopped as well. She turned around, her pale yellow dress fluttering lightly with her movement. Bathed in the glow of moonlight and incandescent street lamps, she looked like a gentle fairy who had accidentally wandered into the mortal world.

“But the fish sold outside doesn’t taste the same as this one,” the boy said, a little disappointed.

He twitched his nose again, sniffing the air filled with the aroma of fish. His expression grew forlorn as he softly added:

“It smells like home. Ever since Mom left, I haven’t tasted this kind of flavor in a long time.”

The woman suddenly froze in place. Her ocean-blue eyes were filled with deep sorrow and tenderness.

At that moment, the bag she was holding swayed slightly. She instinctively looked down and saw a few yellow croakers, already out of the water, writhing inside. Her eyes brightened as she looked at the boy with surprise and said,

“Do you want some stewed fish?”

“Why don’t you come home with me? I’ll cook it for you.”

“My sister’s stewed fish is actually pretty good.”

“Really? You mean it?”

A spark of hope shone brightly in the boy’s right eye, peeking out from beneath his blonde hair. But it quickly faded, and he said with disappointment,

“But won’t your boyfriend get upset if you do that?”

At this moment, Lin Yu’s inner voice:

Ugh~!

I can’t take it anymore.

I’m about to puke.

This green-tea vibe is way too strong!

I can’t keep pretending!!!