"The train approaching the station is from G City East Station; passengers, please take care of your belongings…."
Accompanied by the melodious broadcast, the train from M City to G City slowly entered the G City East Station.
Xiao Yi stood up from his seat, turned around to grab his small bag from the rack above him. His travel gear was minimal; he never liked carrying many bags when he went out, although it wasn't too difficult for him to do so.
After he had his luggage, he was ready to turn toward the door to disembark. Traveling light, he didn't want to wait and squeeze through the crowd later, nor did he want to waste too much time unnecessarily – someone was waiting to pick him up, after all.
Making someone wait too long wasn't very nice.
Just as he was about to leave, a frown suddenly formed between his eyebrows, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
Some short-sighted fool was trying to pickpocket him.
What a way to seek death, Xiao Yi thought with a cold smile on his lips,
"Stop right there!"
But as he was about to take action, suddenly, a crisp and harsh shout came from diagonally across the aisle.
"Little girl, scram! Don't block my way. I've got no time for you today."
Xiao Yi turned around to see a girl in jeans, exuding youthful energy, standing in the aisle. She was the girl who had been sitting diagonally across from him, and in front of her stood a sly-looking man, smirking at the girl blocking his path.
With just one glance, Xiao Yi confirmed that this man was the one who had tried to steal from his bag.
"You... you..."
The girl, a youthful teenager, had never faced such a scene before. Hearing the man's crude words, her entire face turned red to her neck, but she still stubbornly blocked the aisle.
"What do you mean 'you'? I told you, I'm busy today. Will you get out of my way or not?"
The man's expression grew increasingly impatient.
"You return the wallet you stole from that gentleman to him."
The girl pointed to a man in a suit standing nearby as she spoke.
"Wow!"
At the girl's words, a murmur ran through the crowd. Their eyes filled with contempt for the sly-looking man as they quickly moved away from him, keeping a clear distance while reaching for their own pockets to ensure their wallets and mobile phones were safe.
"Hey, you're slandering me! When did I steal anyone's wallet?"
The man's face turned, and he raised his voice in response.
"I saw it with my own eyes. If you won't give it back, don't plan on leaving. We'll wait for the train police to come!"
The girl retorted defiantly, unafraid of the man's piercing gaze.
"Let the train police come. Who's afraid of you? I'm telling you, girl, you haven't heard the last of me today!"
The man saw that the girl wasn't intimidated by him and his expression darkened again. Noting that no one in the crowd dared to speak up, his expression turned sinister once more. After coldly repeating his words, he turned his head to look at the man in the suit the girl had pointed to. "This girl claims I stole your wallet. Tell her now, did I steal your wallet or not?"
"I... I..."
The man in the suit, upon being called out by the thief and noticing the focused attention of the crowd, turned a panicked shade of red.
"What do you mean 'I'? Is it yes or no?"
The sly-looking man barked impatiently.
"No... no."
Glancing at the thug's fierce demeanor and the warning in his eyes, the man in the suit trembled and blurted out a response.
"Did you hear that, Miss?"
The man's face revealed a smug expression as he turned to look at the girl.
"How could you do this!"
The girl pointed at the man in the suit, fuming. She couldn't believe she had tried to catch a thief for this man, and now he was biting back, denying the crime even though she had seen the thief touch the wallet on his clothes.
The man in the suit met the girl's angry gaze and, with a flush of shame, lowered his head, unable to respond.
"You didn't steal his wallet, but you did steal mine."
Xiao Yi, who had watched the scene unfold with a dispassionate gaze, stepped forward and said indifferently.
"Kid, what nonsense are you spouting!"
The man never expected someone to suddenly intervene like Cheng Yaojin had appeared; his face momentarily changed color. Turning his head and clearly seeing it was Xiao Yi, he let out a sigh of relief, staring fiercely at him as he spoke.
He naturally wasn't unfamiliar with Xiao Yi, who was also one of his targets. He had been watching him for a long time before finding the perfect opportunity to reach for Xiao Yi's things. However, to his surprise, or maybe because Xiao Yi had noticed him, Xiao Yi had sidestepped to avoid his reach, barely brushing against someone's clothing. Therefore, he was confident that he hadn't stolen Xiao Yi's bag.
"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, everyone will know once they look."
Xiao Yi said lightly, raising his hand and reaching towards the man.
The man didn't expect Xiao Yi, who looked lanky, to be so bold. Not only did he not fear the man's fierce threat, but he also reached straight out towards him. Caught off guard for a moment, Xiao Yi now had a black wallet in his hand.
"Now that the evidence is in hand, what else do you have to say? If you claim the wallet is yours, just tell us what's inside. Everyone is watching. If the wallet is indeed yours, no one will accuse you unjustly. If it's not, I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait for the train police to arrive."
Xiao Yi shook the wallet in his hand, speaking indifferently.
"You... get out of my way!"
The man was cornered by Xiao Yi's words, his face no longer able to remain composed. The wallet was indeed swiped from a man in a suit; he hadn't even looked at it after taking it, how could he know what was inside?
Seeing everyone's eyes turn towards him, he became ruthless in his desperation and shoved the girl in front of him hard, intending to force his way through.
Although the bystanders had fully understood the situation by now, seeing his fierce expression, no one dared to stop him. As he charged menacingly, they involuntarily stepped aside, and the girl, seemingly not expecting him to be so desperate, was frozen in shock as he rushed towards her.
"Hey, you think you can run after stealing my wallet? You wish."
Just as the man was about to collide with the girl, Xiao Yi moved swiftly and grabbed the man's collar, yanking him backward. His reaction halted the man's violent charge.
The man's movements were restrained, and panic surged within him. He swung his fist viciously towards Xiao Yi's face, spewing profanity as he did.
However, before he could finish cursing, he felt his body go numb. His entire frame went limp, and even the strength to speak seemed to vanish instantly.
"You thought you could run after stealing something? Forget it."
Xiao Yi looked down disdainfully at the limp thief and let go of his hand.
"Thank you."
The girl finally snapped out of her daze and, seeing that Xiao Yi had subdued the thief, expressed her gratitude.
"It's nothing, haha. Here, he's all yours. When the train police arrive, you can hand him over."
Xiao Yi said with a slight smile, returning to his seat.
The girl looked at Xiao Yi settling back into his seat, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something, but she ultimately stayed silent. Xiao Yi had left the man to her, yet he didn't put the wallet back where he took it from, as if it genuinely belonged to him. But she knew that the wallet wasn't his; she had watched the thief pull it out from the suit-wearing man's possession.
Hmph, this kind of person deserves to lose their wallet.
The girl internally scoffed, casting a contemptuous glance at the suit-wearing man who kept sneaking peeks at Xiao Yi, then stood silently, watching the thief and waiting for the train police to arrive.
Before the train finally came to a stop, the train police had arrived. After briefly questioning the surrounding people and learning that Xiao Yi was the victim and had caught the thief on the spot, the police especially asked Xiao Yi for details before taking the thief away. Xiao Yi watched them lead the thief off and breathed a sigh of relief, then stood up and walked towards the train door.
But as he was about to leave, he saw a girl struggling to move her luggage on the overhead rack; it was the girl who had just stopped the pickpocket.
Although the girl was tall, she was quite skinny. In particular, her slender arms were stark against the massive luggage case.
The other passengers were busy moving their own luggage, either not noticing or not offering, to help the young girl.
After hesitating briefly, Xiao Yi stopped his advancing steps and said to the girl, "I'll help you."
"Oh, thank you!"
The girl was laboriously shifting the suitcase when she heard Xiao Yi's voice. She appeared slightly startled, but then, blushing, nodded at Xiao Yi's gentle smile.
"Come down."
Xiao Yi said with a mild smile, and without any further words.
"Oh, okay."
Upon hearing Xiao Yi's words, the girl realized she needed to get off the chair to let Xiao Yi reach up. While Xiao Yi was a fairly tall boy, standing around 1.75 meters, he wasn't tall enough to grab the luggage from the rack while standing on the ground, so she quickly got off the chair with a blush.
Xiao Yi watched the girl hop down, stepped up himself, reached out for the large suitcase's handle, and with a simple tug, lifted it effortlessly down before hopping back to the ground and asking the girl, "Is there anything else?"
The girl watched Xiao Yi effortlessly lift down the suitcase, her eyes widening in disbelief. Xiao Yi didn't seem very muscular, probably considered on the skinny side with his sharp facial contour, as if chiseled, and a height that didn't look like he weighed over 120 kilograms. Compared to herself, he wouldn't be much stronger. She knew her own suitcase was heavy, containing not just clothes and daily necessities but also a lot of dense local products from her hometown. She had struggled just to lift it when boarding; if it were hard for an able-bodied man who had helped her board the train, it was certainly a feat for Xiao Yi to lift it so casually as if it were nothing more than a piece of clothing. How was that even possible?