Chapter 15: Tender Soul in the Abyss

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Tender Soul in the Abyss

"Hey, kid. You’re the son of the owner from that Golden Egg Fried Rice stall, right? I remember you. You’re the one who collected my payment. I gave you exactly 60, didn’t I?"

Nan Yi’s eyes widened in anger:

"No, you didn’t!"

The man shook his head, putting on an air of strained patience with Nan Yi’s behavior:

"Kids your age have poor memories; it’s common to mistake one person for another. Think carefully. Maybe the man who didn’t pay was just wearing the same clothes as me? Or, why don’t you get your phone and check the payment history?"

Nan Yi immediately reached for his pocket, his little face instantly turning pale.

Only then did he remember that Nan Zhi had the phone.

The man smirked inwardly, though his expression remained earnest and polite:

"Can’t find it?"

Nan Yi stubbornly bit the inside of his cheek, his small hands clenched tightly into fists!

The man sighed softly, his tone becoming exceptionally earnest:

"I’m a teacher at the nearby elementary school, and I’ve seen plenty of kids like you. You need to understand that making a mistake isn’t the scary part. The scary part is being unwilling to admit it. Understand?"

Nan Yi opened his mouth. ’You’re the one who made the mistake!’

But he had no way to argue his case.

Just as the man said, he had no proof whatsoever.

Frustration and indignation tangled within his young heart, giving rise to an endless shadow of negativity. A storm gathered deep in his dark eyes, radiating a terrifying malice so thick it was suffocating!

As the boy’s gaze fell upon him, the man felt a sudden, bone-chilling terror. Those eyes were so dark, so devoid of the innocence and artlessness a child should have, that he felt as if he were being stalked by a wild beast!

’How can a child’s gaze be so terrifying!’

The man’s heart hammered in his chest, and it took him a long moment to come to his senses.

Not until someone nearby called out his name in surprise:

"Mr. Wang!"

Only then did the man snap out of his daze and respond:

"Ah... ah, yes, that’s me."

The person took a few steps closer:

"Mr. Wang, what are you doing here? Are you here to grab a bite?"

Regaining his composure, the man put on a smooth and effortless performance:

"That’s right. I was just trying to buy some food, but I seem to have been misunderstood."

The onlookers, who had been watching with skepticism, were all somewhat surprised to see this.

’So he’s really a teacher? He wasn’t lying!’

...It was as if a line had been drawn; the attitude of the onlookers changed abruptly.

It was probably because they viewed the teaching profession through rose-colored glasses, while the other party was just a child who looked no older than three or four.

Furthermore, the man had been nothing but polite and composed throughout the confrontation. Nan Yi, on the other hand, couldn’t produce any evidence or even offer an explanation.

The scales of opinion quietly tipped.

"A teacher shouldn’t be that hard up for cash. He wouldn’t cause a scene over 60 yuan, would he? Maybe the little kid just made a mistake?"

"That guy has a point. What kind of memory does a kid have? He probably mistook someone else for him!"

"Jeez, you can’t just go around falsely accusing people!"

"Hey kid, why don’t you just apologize?"

"There are so many brats these days. That poor man!"

"Tell me about it."

"..."

At first, there were whispers of speculation and attempts at persuasion.

Then came malicious assumptions and labeling.

The onlookers chattered back and forth, leaving Nan Yi almost no room to defend himself.

And the man seized the opportunity to play the victim with a wry smile:

"I just felt sorry for them, a single mother and her son selling fried rice, and wanted to do something nice. Who knew it would turn into this? Sigh, no good deed goes unpunished... I’m not blaming him, of course. As long as we clear up the misunderstanding. Besides, he’s just a child. It’s inevitable for them to make little mistakes. And as a teacher, isn’t it my job to educate and guide them? Haha."

The man was surrounded by the passersby, who offered him words of comfort.

Nan Yi, in contrast, was engulfed by the shadow of the crowd.

Those fragmented, piercing voices drilled into his ears, reminding Nan Yi of his past—

’That’s him. Even his own mother can’t stand him. How pitiful.’

’Pitiful? What’s pitiful about him? He doesn’t look like a normal kid. He never smiles, and his eyes look like a wolf cub’s. Terrifying!’

’Exactly! Last time, I just took a few of his empty water bottles, and oh, the look he gave me! It was like he wanted to eat me alive! I nearly had nightmares that night!’

’You know, some kids are just born bad seeds...’

’Serves him right his own mother abandoned him...’

’...’

Viciousness gnawed at Nan Yi’s heart, devouring it and taking it over, bit by bit...

It was at this moment that Nan Zhi pushed through the thick crowd and came to Nan Yi’s side.

Her soft, warm palm rested gently on Nan Yi’s shoulder. Feeling the slight tremor beneath her hand, Nan Zhi’s heart went out to him, and she glanced down at him.

Then, she soothed him in a gentle voice:

"Don’t worry, I’m here."

Nan Yi was deeply moved.

The young soul, trapped in an abyss, had thought he was doomed to be swallowed by shadow and darkness.

But then, the impenetrable gloom overhead was suddenly cracked open, and a faint but warm ray of light shone through.

"You’re... here?"

Nan Yi lifted his eyes, the ferocious, venomous malice within them receding as quickly as the tide.

Nan Zhi nodded and patiently repeated:

"Mhm, I’m here."

Nan Yi’s lips moved, vaguely forming the shape of a single word.

He didn’t say it out loud, but his emotions were much more stable than before.

The man did his best to hide how stunned he was by her appearance, forcing himself to maintain a gentle and polite demeanor:

"Hello, you must be this child’s mother, right? We had a small misunderstanding just now. It’s nothing serious. Just have him apologize to me, and we can put this behind us."

Nan Zhi, already a little tired from cooking fried rice, really didn’t have much patience.

Especially when faced with an idiot who was bullying her son.

She simply lifted her gaze:

"Why should my son apologize?"

The unexpected response made the man let out an "ah?" before he froze on the spot.

The surrounding onlookers were also stunned and couldn’t help but break into a flurry of discussion.

The livestream chat also erupted into chaos.

—Of course, a night market couldn’t possibly have cameras set up everywhere; this scene was being filmed by a cameraman from the production team, hidden deep within the crowd.

[I knew it. That’s the Nan Zhi we know.]

[I thought she had turned over a new leaf, but I guess a leopard can’t change its spots!]

[Why do I find this so satisfying? Maybe I’m just sick of watching frustrating dramas?]

[Some people have seriously messed-up values. How can anyone find Nan Zhi’s behavior satisfying? Wasn’t Nan Yi the one who made the mistake in the first place?]

[Why do brats exist in this world? It’s because of irresponsible parents like Nan Zhi!]

[Wait, wait, nothing’s confirmed yet, is it? Why is everyone so sure that Nan Yi is the one who’s mistaken?]

That was exactly what Nan Zhi was thinking.

Facing a sea of astonished gazes, she spoke in a slow, deliberate voice:

"We haven’t even confirmed the proof, so on what grounds can you say my son falsely accused you? Look, the payment history is right here."

The man’s face twitched.

But he forced himself not to show any weakness and checked the phone with Nan Zhi.

The result, of course, was that there was no corresponding payment record.

Everyone, including the audience in the livestream, was completely dumbfounded!

’So after all this time, you, the guy who looked so trustworthy, really didn’t pay up?’