"...No need."

Sunny Xu didn't grab her hand and stood up on his own, his expression slightly awkward.

The two stood face to face in front of the house, and without planning it, they both turned to look at the building behind them.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread.com".

The haunted house seemed to have regained its former tranquility, with no screams and no ghosts standing by the window on the second floor. The "darkness" that followed Starry Lin in her eyes disappeared after she ran out the door.

"I didn't expect someone to come and save me, and that person is you."

Starry Lin didn't look at him, just stared at the steps covered in weeds, murmuring softly, her tone like a dream.

"What's wrong? Are you going to say that I'm meddling again?"

Sunny Xu frowned. If the other party really insisted on being unreasonable, he would immediately turn around and leave. It would be better if they didn't see each other again, so that they wouldn't feel disgusted with each other.

Starry Lin paused for a moment and smiled silently.

"I'm not that shameless. I'm grateful to you for saving me, and I will find a way to repay you..."

"No need." Sunny Xu answered decisively, "I'm just doing it for my own peace of mind."

There was a moment of silence. Awkward silence surrounded the two teenagers.

The house gave both of them lingering fear. Sunny Xu had questions he wanted to ask, and Starry Lin, needless to say, was deeply puzzled by the experiences in the house. However, this was the first time they had communicated in so many days. Even if they had encountered each other before, they would only treat each other as strangers and pass by with a "hmph" from their noses to show their disdain.

"Where are you going next?"

A gust of wind blew, and Starry Lin brushed away the long hair that fell on her ear, turned her head to look at him, and her tone was no longer as cold as before, but rather hesitant.

"Of course, I'm going home."

"Then... let's go together?"

This time, Sunny Xu didn't object. After all, they still lived in the same alley.

...

The two left the yard in silence, until they walked quickly to a street corner and arrived at a place where they couldn't see the three-story building standing by the road, they both slowed down their pace without planning it.

Looking at the traffic lights flashing ahead, Starry Lin secretly glanced at the boy standing next to her on the roadside and asked.

"How did you find it? Few people pass by that place."

"I heard those people discussing something bad when I passed by the house in the morning..."

Sunny Xu repeated what the teacher had said to her.

After listening, Starry Lin nodded suddenly.

"So you were worried about me, searched for me at school, and then came here proactively?"

"...Sort of."

"I see. So you're quite... hmm."

Starry Lin pondered for a while, still not knowing how to describe the other person's personality, because she had never encountered a boy like Sunny Xu before.

"Quite meddlesome?"

Sunny Xu repeated this phrase with a sarcastic tone, his attitude not very friendly.

Starry Lin could understand his mood. When she said those words to Sunny Xu in front of the class, he would naturally feel angry.

But well, she didn't think that much at that time. She just felt that she was a troublesome person and didn't want to involve an ordinary boy who lived a normal school life.

On the day of the mid-term exam, Sunny Xu encountered her being surrounded at the school gate. After calling the teachers, he returned to the classroom, while Starry Lin was called to the office.

There, the homeroom teacher said to her with a serious face:

"Starry Lin, I don't expect you to study well. Just don't cause trouble for me, and I'll be grateful. But there's one thing, I hope you don't influence other students."

The "other students" here referred to Sunny Xu. The homeroom teacher showed her his recent remarkable test scores and told her that as long as this boy persisted, he had a good chance of getting into the best university in the country and had a bright future.

The homeroom teacher had never said such things before because the girl always kept to herself. After Starry Lin repeatedly violated the school rules without changing, the teachers gradually let her do as she pleased.

But because Sunny Xu lived in the same neighborhood as her, he was closer to her than anyone else in the class. Maybe someone didn't like them being together and reported it to the homeroom teacher, or maybe the homeroom teacher noticed it himself, which led to the warning.

...Actually, even if the teacher didn't say it, Starry Lin understood. She knew that Sunny Xu was very serious about studying on weekdays. In the beginning, when she had just transferred, their relationship hadn't deteriorated yet, and she would sometimes visit him. Every time she saw him, he was studying diligently under the desk lamp. And when they went to and from school, he always had a vocabulary book in his hand, reciting while walking.It's normal for the two of them to not become friends because they don't have any common topics.

Sunny Xu had previously said that they were not meant to be together. When she first heard this, she felt a bit sad and angry, but later she realized that it was true.

The homeroom teacher's words only made Starry Lin determined to stay away from him.

She didn't think there was anything wrong with doing so. If it affected Sunny's studies or got him beaten up by the gangsters, then it would be upsetting.

Of course, she didn't feel sad or lonely. After all, their relationship was not that close, and she was just returning to her previous life.

But things were unpredictable. She didn't expect that she would be saved by him in less than two weeks, and all the reasons became a joke.

If he hadn't interfered today, what would have happened to her? Just thinking about this made her shudder.

Starry Lin had never asked anyone for anything, and this was the first time she received such kindness.

The girl grabbed her own hair and answered with a distressed expression, "I didn't mean it that way... Forget it, I know you care about what I said to you that day, right? I apologize to you! I can even kneel down!"

"..."

"If a simple apology is not enough, um, I was planning to repay you anyway, so just tell me what you want me to do..."

"No need."

Sunny Xu shook his head.

"I said this is something I wanted to do on my own, it has nothing to do with you, no need to repay me."

Although he said that, he still had a poker face.

This person seemed a bit troublesome! Starry Lin pursed her lips and said, "If I don't repay you, would that be embarrassing for me?"

"Whatever."

...

Unconsciously, the two of them had arrived at the alley.

Starry Lin stopped and asked, "Um, if you're not busy, should I go back first?"

"Wait a moment."

Sunny Xu, who hadn't spoken up until now, suddenly stopped her.

Starry Lin's eyes lit up and she immediately turned her head. "What? Do you have something to ask me?"

Sunny Xu frowned and looked her up and down for a while before saying, "Are you still thinking about getting revenge on those people?"

Starry Lin blinked her eyes, not hiding her intentions. "Yes, after all, I suffered a big loss."

"Some of them are boys."

"I know. I can't beat them in a direct confrontation, but I can still ambush them on the way or vandalize their doorstep..."

"And you carry a knife?"

Sunny Xu interrupted her.

"Yes, of course, just in case. If I had been prepared today, those bastards wouldn't have been so arrogant. Don't worry, in most cases, I would run away if things didn't look good, I wouldn't fight. Don't judge me by my appearance, I'm actually good at running away. If it weren't for..."

Starry Lin looked at the expressionless face of the boy and stopped talking, then asked with a smile, "Why? Even if that's the case, do you still want to stop me? Well, if you say so, I'll listen."

"Why would I want to stop you?" Sunny Xu said, "I just think a knife is too dangerous. You said 'in most cases', but what if something unexpected happens? What if someone takes it away from you? It might even end up involving me."

"But... I don't have any weapons, and I'm not confident enough."

Sunny Xu lowered his head and thought for a moment, then raised his head and said, "Come with me, I'll lend you something."

*

Starry Lin stood beside the steps of the boy's house. With a surprised look in her eyes, Sunny Xu walked to the shoe cabinet and took out something that looked like an umbrella handle from the bottom of a black shoebox.

"This is called an 'ASP Tactical Expandable Baton'. My sister brought it back from Hong Kong."

As he spoke, Sunny Xu flicked it slightly downwards, and two shiny metal baton-like objects popped out from inside the "handle".

"Oh, it looks so cool!"

The black-haired girl's eyes sparkled.

"Right?"

Sunny Xu seemed a bit proud. No boy could resist the charm of this dangerous and exciting "toy", especially in front of a girl.

But...

"By the way, if you meet my sister in the future, don't tell her about this."

Sister Lian would definitely not allow him to give this to someone else.

Although it was a self-defense tool, improper use could still cause serious harm to the human body. It was not suitable for minors who lacked self-control to use it, and Li Qinglian was a police officer, so she had even stricter requirements.

She bought the expandable baton for emergencies, such as when someone tried to break in. If it was used as a tool for fighting, it would be a distortion of its original purpose.Because her sister knew that Sunny Xu was a good kid and trusted him a lot, she didn't hide the existence of this thing from him.

"Okay."

"Here, take this."

Starry Lin didn't refuse and took it. She knew this thing was indeed very helpful to her, just as he said, the knife was too dangerous.

"Thank you! I owe you one again."

Sunny Xu looked at her smiling face, unable to say anything harsh, and sighed softly.

"Be careful."

"Mm, don't worry."

"Also, that house..." Sunny Xu hesitated a bit. He had been thinking about this matter all the way back, but still didn't know how to put it, so he could only say, "Stay away from there in the future."

"I know."

......

Starry Lin left.

The girl who had just stood in front of him was completely different from the cold and aloof image she had in the past. Starry Lin, who used to be like a hedgehog pricking people everywhere, had retracted all her spikes in front of him.

Was it just because he had helped her?

Sunny Xu walked to the door, watching her leave until her figure disappeared at one of the intersections, then he closed the door again.