Chapter 227: Thoughts

The ride back to Yongnan District, Maple Leaf Street, was uneventful, and soon Lin Xiao, Yuan Yu, and Huang Caixing got off the bus.

As soon as they stepped off, Yuan Yu and Huang Caixing took a deep, satisfying breath of fresh air.

Even though the bus had emptied out a bit towards the end, it had been packed before, and with the hot weather, the air inside was pretty bad. They had felt quite uncomfortable on the bus.

While Lin Xiao didn’t show it as dramatically as the girls, his slightly furrowed brow also relaxed. That was when an idea suddenly popped into his head.

“Maybe I should buy a car?”

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. Not only would it be convenient, but future trips wouldn’t be so uncomfortable.

He hadn’t bought one before because he didn’t have the extra money, but now he had millions from Mr. Chen in his account. Buying one car—or even ten—wouldn’t be a problem.

However, this wasn’t something to rush. It was already past five, and there wasn’t enough time to go today.

As Lin Xiao considered buying a car, Huang Caixing and Yuan Yu chatted away. Before they knew it, they were back at Yuan Yu’s place.

Once home, Lin Xiao took off his jacket and brought up the topic.

“Little Yu, when you have a day off, let’s go to a car dealership. I’m thinking of buying a car. It would make things much easier,” Lin Xiao said with a smile. “We have money now, so there’s no need to skimp. We should buy what we need.”

“Buying a car?”

Yuan Yu’s eyes lit up with excitement, just like any young girl’s would.

“Great!” Yuan Yu said, nodding happily.

“Alright, let’s go when you have a day off.”

Huang Caixing, who had been listening, couldn’t help but interject, “Big Brother Lin, you’re buying a car? Can I come too? I know a lot about cars.”

“You’re coming?” Lin Xiao glanced at Huang Caixing, who was puffing out her chest with a confident and expectant look. “Alright, I’ll let you know when we’re buying the car.”

Even though he was doubtful about Huang Caixing’s knowledge of cars and slightly annoyed by her personality, he didn’t refuse. Having one more person come along couldn’t hurt. Besides, Lin Xiao could imagine that if he rejected her, with Huang Caixing’s outspoken nature, she’d probably kick up a huge fuss.

“Don’t forget, Big Brother Lin,” Huang Caixing beamed when she heard his agreement.

“Got it.”

After that, Yuan Yu and Huang Caixing headed into the kitchen to make dinner, while Lin Xiao relaxed on the sofa with his eyes closed.

About half an hour later, dinner was ready. After they finished eating, Lin Xiao prepared to take Huang Caixing home.

“Home? No, Big Brother Lin, I’m staying at YuYu’s place tonight,” Huang Caixing shook her head in refusal.

Lin Xiao frowned slightly. “But your mom will be worried.”

“She’s on a business trip. Whenever she goes, she’s away for at least four or five days. I’m scared to stay alone in an empty house,” Huang Caixing looked at Lin Xiao with a pitiful expression, like an abandoned little animal.

“Big Brother Lin, let Caixing stay here,” Yuan Yu suggested.

“Alright then.”

Seeing Huang Caixing’s pitiful look and hearing Yuan Yu’s support, Lin Xiao agreed.

“Thank you, Big Brother Lin, thank you, YuYu,” Huang Caixing said gratefully, though a hint of slyness flashed in her eyes before quickly disappearing.

Lin Xiao watched her. He felt something was off. He couldn’t believe that a girl with her personality would act so helpless. Maybe her mom’s trips made her feel lonely, but she should have been used to it by now.

However, seeing Yuan Yu gently comforting Huang Caixing, Lin Xiao didn’t say much more. After all, it was just one night. How much trouble could Huang Caixing cause?

But soon, Lin Xiao realized he was wrong—very wrong.

“Big Brother Lin, this place is so small. You probably aren’t used to it, right? Why not move to my place? My house is big, you’ve seen it before.”

“Big Brother Lin, aren’t you hot? How about you take a shower?”

“Big Brother Lin, your clothes are too thick. Let me help you take them off.”

“…”

Lin Xiao felt a headache coming on as Huang Caixing kept pestering him.

Fortunately, it was getting late. Lin Xiao checked the time—it was already 9 PM—so he said, “It’s late. You both have school tomorrow, so get to bed.”

“Big Brother Lin, it’s only nine o’clock. It’s still early,” Huang Caixing said reluctantly.

“It’s not early. You’re both in your senior year of high school, right? You’re about to take your entrance exams, and you still want to play?” Lin Xiao said sternly, acting like a parent. “Get to bed early. Don’t miss out on sleep. Your main priority is to study hard and get into a good university. Don’t worry about anything else, got it?”

“Got it,” Huang Caixing said, looking dejected. She gave Yuan Yu a helpless look.

Yuan Yu responded with a look that seemed to say, “Now you understand my pain, right?”

As they were about to enter the room, Huang Caixing suddenly remembered something.

“Big Brother Lin, didn’t you say you’d teach us martial arts? How about teaching us now?”

Yuan Yu’s eyes sparkled with excitement when she heard this, and she looked at Lin Xiao with eager anticipation.

Lin Xiao was taken aback, but seeing Yuan Yu and Huang Caixing’s expectant faces, he sighed and said, “Alright, fine.”

He had indeed promised to teach them self-defense, but with everything going on, he had forgotten. Now that they brought it up, he couldn’t refuse.

Lin Xiao looked Huang Caixing up and down, making her feel a bit shy.

“But Caixing, you should already know some self-defense, right?”

“Yeah! Big Brother Lin, how did you know?” Huang Caixing wrinkled her nose, looking proud. “My mom used to take me to self-defense classes, and I’m pretty good at it.”

Lin Xiao just smiled.

He could sense it from her body. When Huang Caixing hugged him earlier, Lin Xiao felt a latent strength in her body, a strength that only comes from professional training. Even though Huang Caixing and Yuan Yu were similar in height and build, Huang Caixing was much stronger and more athletic. This might also be related to her personality.

Around 9:10 PM, the three of them arrived at the small park where Lin Xiao often practiced martial arts.

Facing each other, standing about two meters apart, Lin Xiao’s demeanor shifted. His eyes became sharp and bright, and he exuded a calm and steady aura.

“The self-defense I’m going to teach you is different from the usual kind,” Lin Xiao said in a low, steady voice that was clear to the two girls. “Most self-defense techniques are passive, focusing on protecting oneself. What I’m teaching you is active defense, focusing on subduing the opponent. To learn my self-defense techniques, you need to start from the basics. Now, I need to test your physical condition. Who wants to go first?”

Yuan Yu and Huang Caixing exchanged a glance before Yuan Yu raised her hand first.

Lin Xiao opened his palm and held it up in front of his chest.

“Okay, use all your strength and punch my hand.”

Yuan Yu took a deep breath, clenched her small fist tightly, and punched Lin Xiao’s palm.

“Pfft!” Standing nearby, Huang Caixing couldn’t help but laugh out loud.