Chapter 578: Sister

The two sat quietly together.

Tiantian was a bit worried that Zheng Yingxiong's neck would get tired, so she reached out from behind to support his upturned head.

And Zheng Yingxiong hadn't resisted at all throughout; he just quietly asked, "Jie... Pingmin, can you do me a favor...?"

"What's this 'Jie Pingmin'?" Tiantian sighed. "Is it that hard to just call me 'sister'?"

She had thought Zheng Yingxiong was being playful, deliberately acting out the role of a "hero," but his next words left her completely baffled.

"Can I...?"

"Can I... what?" Tiantian frowned as she looked at him. "What are you asking if you can do?"

"Can I call you 'sister'?"

"Is there someone who wouldn't allow you to call me 'sister'?"

"Then... Sister... can you do me a favor?"

"I can't stand you, kid. Why are you being so weird?" Tiantian shook her head with a bitter smile. "We're like 'sheng si zhi jiao'—buddies through life and death—and you're still being so polite. What do you need help with?"

"I... my 'wang guan' fell off..." Zheng Yingxiong said with a slight smile. "Can you help me pick up my 'wang guan'?"

"'Wang guan'?" Tiantian turned her head and saw the newspaper crown lying quietly on the ground, which piqued her curiosity. "Is this newspaper crown that important to you?"

"Yes, another sister gave it to me." Zheng Yingxiong nodded. "The crown itself isn't important to me, but that sister is."

Tiantian felt a slight tug at her heartstrings after hearing this. She bent down, picked up the crown from the ground, gently dusted off the dirt, and placed it on the nearby table.

It was the most outlandish crown Tiantian had ever seen. It looked like it had been folded from newspaper many years ago—the paper was yellowed, and even the folded edges were stained black.

After about a minute or two, Zheng Yingxiong's nosebleed stopped. He slowly lowered his head and glanced at Tiantian's hand.

In the chaos earlier, Tiantian had used her palm to press against his nose, and now it was covered in dried blood.

"Sister, your hand is dirty..."

"Don't worry about me." Tiantian wiped her hand on her skirt, removing some of the blood. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you, Sister." Zheng Yingxiong smiled briefly, but quickly realized it wasn't appropriate and straightened his expression. "I'm fine now."

"Such a stubborn kid..." Tiantian shook her head helplessly. "I have a younger brother about your age."

"Hmm...?"

"Isn't it a coincidence? You have a sister, and I have a brother." Tiantian reached out and gently touched Zheng Yingxiong's head. "The last time I saw you at 'Tian Tang Kou,' I felt you were quite familiar."

"'Tian Tang Kou'..." Zheng Yingxiong narrowed his eyes thoughtfully after hearing that. "Sister, in 'Tian Tang Kou,' there's a person surrounded by a strong foul odor. It's different from the odor on that 'Mao' person, but both are really stinky..."

"Hmm..." Tiantian didn't know how to respond to the boy in front of her—he always seemed to talk about smells. All she could say was, "Little brother, it's not just the people here who stink; even the air is foul. Why are you so fixated on people's odors?"

"No... everyone's odor is different." Zheng Yingxiong shook his head, as if explaining to Tiantian. "Some people have a fresh scent, while others have a foul one."

"Ha..." Tiantian smiled. He reminded her so much of her playful younger brother. "Then tell me, what does Sister smell like?"

"You..." Zheng Yingxiong sniffed the air. "Your scent hasn't come yet."

"Hasn't come?" Tiantian had never heard such a description before and just shook her head. "Alright, little brother, do you have somewhere to go later?"

"I should go back to 'Mao's' place." Zheng Yingxiong looked up. "Sister, have you never heard of 'Mao' before?"

Tiantian thought for a moment and realized she truly had no impression of the name. "Never heard of it."

"Then do you want to escape from here?" Zheng Yingxiong asked again.

"I..." Tiantian smiled faintly. "I don't."

"Come with me." Zheng Yingxiong picked up his crown and put it back on his head. "It sounds like a place that would suit you. Since I'm the 'hero,' I naturally have to arrange a place for every 'Pingmin'."

"Come with you? Right now?" Tiantian stood up and massaged her sore legs. "If there's a bicycle, it might not be a bad idea... Don't you want to rest a bit more?"

"I..."

Before Zheng Yingxiong could finish, voices from outside the building interrupted them. Both of them froze slightly and looked out the window, seeing three men approaching.

Two middle-aged men were walking ahead, with a younger man following behind. The three were chatting as they headed toward the building.

Tiantian reached out and quietly pulled Zheng Yingxiong behind her. Encountering strangers in this place wasn't unusual, but they still evoked an inexplicable sense of unease.

"This black line actually stopped for once... What a rarity..."

"Damn it, my legs are about to cramp... Let's find a spot to rest. I need to take off my shoes."

"This place is so weird... All the buildings in a several-hundred-meter radius have collapsed, and only this one house is left standing."

"Come on, come on, those black lines don't look like they're moving anytime soon. Man, I'm exhausted."

The three men approached the building and casually pushed the door open. That's when they noticed Tiantian and Zheng Yingxiong inside.

Both sides were startled.

"Ah!" The lead middle-aged man spoke first, then slowly extended his hand. "Don't be nervous! We're not bad guys!"

Tiantian said nothing and kept Zheng Yingxiong protected behind her. She'd met all sorts of people before.

In situations like this, it was better not to focus on what they said, but on what they did.

The lead middle-aged man was wearing a black T-shirt under a gray suit, with his hair neatly combed—he looked fairly presentable.

But the middle-aged man behind him was only in a worn-out vest, exposing his flabby arms.

Standing behind them was a tall, slender young man who appeared to be around college age, with a hint of innocence in his eyes.

Tiantian didn't engage in conversation with them. She simply stood up, took Zheng Yingxiong's hand, and said, "Let's go."

Zheng Yingxiong nodded and turned to grab his bicycle.

"Hey! Wait! Wait!" The sleazy middle-aged man in the vest stepped forward to block their path. Tiantian pulled Zheng Yingxiong back behind her, still expressionless.

"What is it?" Tiantian frowned and asked.

"Little lady, why are you leaving as soon as you see us? Do we look like bad guys?"

Tiantian shook her head calmly. "Of course not. You gentlemen don't look like bad guys at all. It's just that we've rested enough and need to head back now."