“You actually guessed it,” Robin said, a little surprised.
“Heh,” Hanh sneered. “To think you were guessed. What kind of person is the War God Kisia? Why would he appear here, and why would he mingle with Rosey Chambers? Boy, you’ve got guts to impersonate Kisia. Aren’t you afraid of courting death?”
“Well, not really,” Robin replied with a smile. Was he supposed to punch himself or stab himself?
“You dare to impersonate Kisia, this is a grave crime. You wait here. I will find someone to arrest you,” declared Hanh before turning to leave. She made a show of her departure, but in reality, she was just looking for an excuse to run. She didn’t know anyone associated with the War God Kisia.
However, Robin suddenly appeared in front of her, drew a 25-centimeter military knife from his waist, and started to sharpen it. The blade gleamed silver. “Guess what I used to cut the clothes?” he asked.
“You…” Hanh looked at the knife and took a step back in fear. Obviously, he had used the knife to cut the clothes. She knew Robin had drawn the knife to intimidate her, and it worked. She felt a dangerous aura emanating from him and took two steps back. “I apologize… I apologize, isn’t that enough?” she stammered.
Apologize then.
“Rosey, I’m sorry,” Hanh quickly moved in front of Rosey Chambers and bowed 90 degrees to apologize. Her apology was through gritted teeth. This time, she sincerely apologized, planning to escape and seek help from her father. The Linton family was a major power in St. Sunday.
Of course, the most urgent task was to escape.
“Happy now?” Hanh turned to Robin, her face still showing fear.
“If you had done this earlier, I wouldn’t have had to scare you,” Robin put away his knife. He had no intention of killing. Dealing with a woman hadn’t yet reached that point.
At Robin’s words, a glimmer of joy flashed across Hanh’s face. She immediately ran away, no longer caring about decorum. All she wanted was to escape. Robin always elicited fear in her, though she didn’t know why. Regardless, she intended to return to the Linton family and make Robin pay.
Her two younger sisters, May and Ma Zi, also quickly followed. They couldn’t afford to lose the support of the Linton family.
“And you?” Robin turned his gaze to Marry, who was at the corner of the wall, preparing to sneak away.
During her conversation with Hanh, Marry had realized something was amiss and had been preparing to quietly leave. She had tried to blend in with the crowd, hoping Robin wouldn’t notice her and would forget about her. But she underestimated him.
“I… I don’t have any money,” Marry said, her face turning awkward.
“I don’t want your money. You haven’t forgotten the bet we made, have you?” Robin asked, preparing to draw his knife to scare Marry.
“I haven’t forgotten, I haven’t,” Marry was almost crying.
So, he remembered. He was still intimidating her.
“Then, please,” Robin gestured with his hand.
“I… I… I’m not fit to be a designer… I am not qualified… I’m not fit to be a designer… I am not qualified… I…” Marry finally said, her face pale.
“Louder. Originally, we said ‘shout’,” Robin stood next to Rosey Chambers, his knife gleaming in his hand.
“I’m not fit to be a designer… I am not qualified,” Marry began to shout.
This time she really started shouting.
The knife made her feel threatened, so she threw caution to the wind. After she had shouted a hundred times, Robin left with Rosey Chambers. Rosey picked up her old clothes from the trash bin as she left.
“Fortunately, they’re not too dirty. They can be washed and worn again,” she said, cherishing her old clothes as if they were a treasure. They were just a baggy school uniform, but to Rosey Chambers, these were some of the few clothes she had.
“Hanh took your clothes, so she should clean them. I’ll go to her house later and make sure she washes them for you,” Robin said.
“Ah, does she know how to wash?” Rosey Chambers looked surprised.
“Yes, do you want to bet on it?” Robin replied with a chuckle.
“No, I won’t bet with you. Betting with you means losing. They both lost. I won’t bet,” Rosey Chambers pouted. She wasn’t going to bet. The other two had lost, and she would too.
As they walked, Rosey Chambers turned to Robin and said,”Thank you for today. I actually knew that this wasn’t a class reunion. However, I didn’t want to lose May as a friend, she used to be my best friend.”
Once, they walked arm in arm with each other. They had a great relationship. But now, they were no longer friends.
“Everyone chooses a different path. You have your broad avenue, she has her single-plank bridge. No one can blame anyone else. Besides, you have more than one friend, you have me too,” Robin said as he tousled Rosey Chambers’ hair. “I have a little one at home. I’ll introduce you next time. She’s very cute and innocent. I love it when she jumps into my arms and calls me ‘Daddy’.”
“Hey, I’m not a kid anymore,” Rosey Chambers pouted, but she didn’t resist. She claimed she wasn’t a child anymore, but she had lacked love since childhood, both paternal and maternal. She had a father, but he was always harsh with her. She felt fear rather than warmth from him. So even if she was a little embarrassed, she leaned into Robin like a child.
“Right, we still have to go grocery shopping. I almost forgot. Let’s go, the farmers’ market is on that street. We’ll buy some ribs. Last time, that fierce person said my sweet and sour ribs were delicious. I’ll cook more this time, and you can take some to him,” Rosey Chambers said, pulling Robin towards another street.
As the wind blew, it lifted her white dress and her long hair, revealing her delicate face. It was as if she had a fairy-like aura, stirring the heart.
Just as Robin had said in the dressing room, “Look up more often, you’re truly beautiful.”