The Next Evening.
Returning from the hospital, Maggie sat with Pine at the tunnel entrance, counting the money the band had earned that day. Suddenly, a commotion broke out ahead.
Maggie looked up and saw a group of white troublemakers blocking someone's path, refusing to let them pass. Normally, she wouldn't interfere—such quarrels were common in this area—but as she took a closer look, she realized it was Chen Xin. She quickly put down the money and ran over, asking the group, "What's going on here? What are you doing?"
The leader of the young troublemakers, a girl with acne all over her face, pointed at Chen Xin. "Pine told us this guy upset Kitty. I'm just about to teach him a lesson."
"It's not as serious as he made it sound. Pine always exaggerates," Maggie said. "He just wants to go home. Let him through."
The troublemakers exchanged glances before reluctantly stepping aside. Some, however, deliberately bumped their shoulders against Chen Xin as he passed.
Seeing the matter resolved, Maggie turned to go back to Pine, but Chen Xin followed her. "Thank you for helping me just now. Are you a friend of Xiao Wan?"
Maggie looked back at him and nodded. "What do you want?"
"I came to find her, but it seems she's not here. Do you know where she is?" Chen Xin asked.
Maggie paused for a few seconds while counting the money, then asked, "Why do you ask? Didn't you already drive her out of your house?"
Chen Xin didn't deny it. Though he hadn't explicitly driven Xiao Wan out last night, when she left, he hadn't stopped her out of anger and frustration. He had thought that after a night's rest, he could bury this absurd encounter and quell the inexplicable feelings he had developed, returning to his peaceful, uneventful life.
He was wrong. The next morning, when he woke up to find the three dogs lying lonely on the carpet without Xiao Wan's company, he realized that forgetting her wouldn't be so simple.
By evening, after an entire day of inner conflict, he finally decided to face his feelings. Despite Xiao Wan's carefree and seemingly aimless lifestyle, he found himself unable to ignore her.
"We had an argument yesterday, and then she left. I deeply regret my actions, so I want to apologize to her," Chen Xin explained.
Pine suddenly chimed in dryly, "You only feel regret after a whole day? Isn't there a saying you Chinese have? 'The cabbage is already cold.'"
"It's 'the daylilies are already cold,'" Maggie corrected him with a sigh.
Chen Xin lowered his head and said softly, "I truly feel sorry. Could you please tell me where she is?"
Maggie stared at Chen Xin's downcast expression for a long moment before saying, "Before I tell you where she is, Mr. Chen, could you answer a few questions for me?"
Chen Xin raised his head. "Of course. Please ask."
Maggie pointed to herself and Pine, then gestured to the people around them. "In your eyes, are people like us all just self-indulgent, wasting our long lives by living aimlessly or trying to take shortcuts to get the lives we want?"
Chen Xin opened his mouth slightly but didn't speak, his silence serving as his answer.
Maggie smiled bitterly and shook her head. "I understand why you'd think that. You… walk in here in your tailored suit that costs tens of thousands, into this dark and filthy tunnel, looking at us as if we're rats living in the sewers. Naturally, you can't understand why we'd choose to live like this.
"Of course, there are some here who are hopelessly wasting their lives. But let me tell you, many of us wouldn't choose this life if we had the chance. If we could, we'd take another path. Our lives may be long, but for us, they've stopped offering new opportunities."
Looking at Maggie's slightly reddened eyes, Chen Xin softened his tone. "You're saying you have no choice but to live like this? Why is that?"
Pine shrugged and spoke up. "Take me, for example. When I was five or six, a wealthy couple adopted me from the orphanage and brought me to their beautiful home. I had food, toys—everything I could want. I thought I was blessed.
"But later, I learned they only adopted me because they couldn't have children. Then, when I was eighteen and preparing for college, guess what? The 'lucky mom' suddenly got pregnant. So, they kicked me out of the house, made me sign a document that cut me off from any inheritance, and even used their connections to make sure I couldn't find work in town or get into my dream college.
"So, I had no choice but to leave and come here, where I met Maggie, Leng Qing, and Xiao Wan. We play music together. And sometimes, for a moment, life feels a little less cruel."
"Actually, do you guys know? I never wanted their money. I just wanted to come home every day and have someone I could call Mom and Dad. But they didn't believe me. And why would they? Why trust someone with no blood ties to them, even if I'd lived with them for over a decade? It couldn't possibly compare to the magic of DNA, could it?"
At this point, Pine sniffled, picked up the guitar beside him, and started strumming absentmindedly, letting his long hair shield his face.
Hearing his story left Chen Xin with mixed emotions. Maggie gently patted Pine's shoulder before turning to Chen Xin. "Second question, Mr. Chen—what kind of person do you think Xiaowan is?"
Chen Xin was silent for a moment before replying, "She… told me yesterday that she's a gold digger."
Maggie sighed and explained, "You probably won't believe this, but… Xiaowan has a really bad habit of lying. Whenever she feels hurt or wants to protect herself, she says outrageous things to shield her true self, so no one can see her inner feelings. She may seem flippant about men, but she's absolutely not a gold digger. Think about it—if she really were one, with her looks and charm, she would've made a fortune by now. Would we still be living like this?"
Chen Xin clenched his fists slightly. "Are you saying she lied on purpose?"
"Yes." Maggie nodded. "Xiaowan has dated a few wealthy men before, but that doesn't mean she's a gold digger. If you take a closer look at her heart, you'll see she's a truly kind person. You have no idea how many people here she's helped. That girl with the acne just now? She was badly injured by her alcoholic father, and it was Xiaowan who saved her. And those two rappers in the back? They were about to rob a convenience store out of desperation, but Xiaowan talked them out of it. And as for me… if I hadn't met Xiaowan, I'd probably have ended my life by now.
To us, Xiaowan is the best person in the world. She always calls herself a bitch, but we all know she isn't.
Having said that, Mr. Chen, I have one last, most important question to ask you."
Chen Xin nodded, his mood gradually clearing like a sky after a storm. "Go ahead."
"Do you… like her, even just a little?"
Chen Xin paused for a few seconds before smiling and nodding. "If having her face constantly on my mind and being unable to focus on work means liking her, then yes, I think I do."
Maggie breathed a sigh of relief. "Then please, take a good look at her, see her heart clearly, and make her happy. As her best friend, I'm begging you."
Chen Xin smiled. "In that case, shouldn't you first tell me where she is right now?"
Maggie's face reddened slightly. "Uh, she went to the supermarket with Lengqing to get us dinner. She should be back soon."
"The supermarket, huh…" Chen Xin glanced toward the entrance of the tunnel. "I'll wait for her there. Thank you for telling me all of this."
After he walked away, Pine sighed heavily and said to Maggie, "Every time a guy falls for Xiaowan, you give them this whole speech. But do you think it makes a difference? In the end, don't they all leave her anyway?"
"You never know unless you try," Maggie replied. "One day, there will be someone willing to embrace everything about her, flaws and all. Don't you want Xiaowan to be happy?"
"Of course I do," Pine said with a sigh. "But I just feel like… she doesn't want to be happy herself."
·
Chen Xin didn't have to wait long at the tunnel entrance before he saw Xiaowan. She was walking alongside the band's drummer, who was carrying a paper bag filled with food. Occasionally, he'd pull out a snack to tease her with, and she would leap up like a cat to snatch it from his hand.
When he held it too high for her to reach, Xiaowan would huff in frustration and kick him lightly in the back.
The drummer, his face stoic, didn't get angry when she kicked him. Instead, a faint smile played on his lips as he watched her.
The two playfully bickered their way back to the tunnel entrance. Just as Xiaowan was about to call out for Pine and Maggie to come eat, she spotted Chen Xin waiting at the door.
She froze for a moment, then quickly put on a cold expression and brushed past him, heading inside.
Chen Xin hurriedly reached out to stop her and said softly yet earnestly, "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Xiaowan asked, glancing at him with disdain.
"For how I treated you yesterday," Chen Xin replied. "For jumping to conclusions and assuming you were a gold digger. For standing on some moral high ground and judging your life choices… You were right; I don't understand your life and have no right to criticize or lecture you."
Chen Xin continued, "Your friends told me a lot about you just now. It really moved me. I sincerely hope… you can forgive me. I promise I won't judge you with prejudice again."
Xiaowan crossed her arms and looked at him. "Are you done?"
"Yes." Chen Xin grew nervous as she remained unmoved. "Everything I said was from the heart. I… hope you'll give me another chance so we can get to know each other properly. Is that okay?"
Xiaowan's lips curled into a faint smile, but her tone remained nonchalant. "Giving you another chance isn't impossible, but you have to do something for me first."
"Name it. If I can do it, I'll definitely do it," Chen Xin said.
"You said it yourself." Xiaowan's smile turned mischievous. "Sing me a song—'Like a Virgin,' the one I sang to you before. Come to think of it, it suits you perfectly, doesn't it, Mr. Virgin?"
"…"