Riding his bike, Lin Yu headed homeward after handling a bunch of hooligans and mingling with an extraordinarily well-built beauty of uncertain origin for a while. He felt refreshed, and the pent-up wickedness within him that had accumulated at Mingren Noble High School seemed somewhat relieved. Finally, he could breathe a little easier.
Unfortunately, fate seemed unkind on this day. The bicycle, in spite of his momentary contentment, gave way under his enthusiastic pedaling. With a sudden "crack," the left foot pedal detached. Rushing to inspect the issue, Lin Yu found that the axle bearing had been damaged due to excessive force exerted.
Thankfully, the bicycle shop wasn't too far away. Lin Yu had to return there, engaging in a lengthy discussion before they agreed to replace the pedal. However, he had to pay for the labor and parts—under the condition that it wasn't a problem with the bike's quality but a result of improper use.
The saleswoman, visibly irked, confronted Lin Yu while brandishing the already bent and deformed pedal arm. "This is undoubtedly a case of exceeding the bicycle's load capacity causing problems with the pedal's axle bearing. And yet, you dare to come to us for this? Even with after-sales guarantees, it's not handled this way."
Lin Yu capitulated and paid fifty yuan before making a hasty exit.
Checking his pockets, after expenses for clothing and the bike, he had less than a thousand yuan left. This left him feeling somewhat disheartened. After all, Xiao Yanzi was supposed to treat him to dinner tonight. Even though he couldn't let a young girl pay, especially when she was the girl his grandparents had arranged for him.
Feeling the thinness of his wallet, Lin Yu sighed. He earnestly hoped to receive his salary when he returned to work tomorrow.
He wasn't particularly money-minded, but money was an indispensable element in society. As the saying goes, "A penny silences a hero." In truth, someone like him probably had a thousand or even ten thousand ways to amass wealth. Yet, Lin Yu didn't bother because he preferred balance.
He was well aware that if people like himself recklessly wielded their capabilities in society, it could lead to dreadful consequences. The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. Thus, unless pushed into a corner, he never displayed this capability and certainly never used it to earn money.
Revealing such power would disrupt the equilibrium within society filled with ordinary people, inviting immense trouble and unforeseen repercussions. It was akin to the money he snatched from Zhao Guangtou the other day, which, upon reflection, seemed trivial now. Doing it once might be justifiable, but twice would undoubtedly be bullying—regardless of whether it was a good person bullying a bad person, it would still be a manifestation of using strength to bully the weak, disrupting balance.
To play it safe, he refrained from drawing attention to himself and preferred to maintain a low profile. Being an ordinary person with a range of emotions—joy, sorrow, delight, cheer, worry, and distress—wasn't such a bad thing.
So, most of the time, Lin Yu treated himself as an ordinary person, perceiving the world through their eyes and dealing with everything using their methods. Perhaps only by doing so, by immersing himself wholly in the world, could he genuinely experience a different kind of cultivation and tempering.
Lin Yu walked a few steps with his bag and boarded the light rail, preparing to return home. It was the lunchtime rush, and getting a cab was tough, not to mention the traffic congestion. Taking the light rail was undoubtedly more convenient and quicker. It just meant walking an extra street after getting off, which wasn't a big deal.
After buying a ticket, Lin Yu waited for a while before boarding the train.
It was May, and though the carriage was stuffy, following the principles of building a thrifty society, the light rail company had yet to turn on the air conditioning. Various odors—sweat, flatulence, body odor, and foot odor—mingled unpleasantly, permeating the hot carriage, making people drowsy.
Lin Yu grasped the rail, put on his earphones, and started listening to music on his phone, slowly closing his eyes, feeling slightly lightheaded.
As the carriage swayed, there suddenly came a crisp "snap" from the front. Lin Yu furrowed his brow. Everyone in the carriage was staring at him with strange, disdainful gazes. Simultaneously, a middle-aged woman turned to him, her eyes filled with rage, resembling a bear about to go on a rampage.
"What's going on? What's this situation? Why is everyone looking at me like this?" Lin Yu was puzzled, instinctively touching his face, wondering if he had suddenly sprouted flowers that warranted such attention.
"Brat, are you itching for a beating? Dare to film me and insult me? Come here, someone, catch this hooligan for sexual harassment!" The hefty woman, nearly two hundred pounds, struggled to maneuver her bulky frame, almost catching up to the pig's rear of a bottom with her buttocks, turned towards Lin Yu, displaying a ferocious face marred by the ravages of time. Her mouth was flapping, spewing out a stream of curses like the floods of 1998. In an instant, Lin Yu became a condemned criminal, leaving behind a lasting stench even if not for a thousand years.
"Seriously, what's happening here? It's not me filming, I'm wronged! Moreover, even if I was blind, I wouldn't film a pig's rear! How twisted would that be?" Lin Yu inwardly cried injustice, but reality was staring him in the face. He was the closest to the woman, so even if he wasn't the one filming, it appeared as though he was. No matter how many times he explained, it wouldn't make a difference now.
Seeing the woman beginning to move towards him, Lin Yu had no choice but to retreat. Fortunately, at that moment, the train arrived at a station. Regardless of whether it was his stop or not, he hastily fled the carriage. However, the woman's torrential abuse still rang out behind him, loud and booming, seemingly oblivious to the inappropriateness of publicizing such an embarrassing incident—given her large stature and age, it seemed more like showing off, given that even she could be harassed.
"What in the world is going on?" Lin Yu gazed forlornly at the departing light rail, scratching his head.
At that moment, he heard a hearty laughter behind him, followed by a clear voice, "Hehe, Lin Yu, your taste is too peculiar, isn't it? Even that lady was provoked by you?"