Chapter Two: The Scent of Humanity

After hanging up the phone, Yan Xue let out a reluctant sigh. Everyone else was in the kitchen, lively and laughing; she didn’t want to go over and explain anything, so she just greeted Xia Qing and turned to leave. Her father’s request was simple—help him account for things with her aunt at home, get it over with quickly, and return as soon as possible.

At the front door, as she was changing her shoes, someone tapped her on the back. Yan Xue straightened and turned around, seeing Kang Ge, who had somehow followed her.

“What’s wrong? Where are you going?” Kang Ge’s hand was damp—perhaps he had been washing vegetables.

“Do you still remember the name Song Chen? My troublemaking cousin.” Yan Xue sighed. “Suddenly says she’s at the W City train station, lost her phone, has no cash. My dad asked me to go rescue her.”

“Then I’ll go with you!” Kang Ge, hearing this, made to wipe his hands and change clothes.

“No, no! I can manage on my own!” Yan Xue waved her hand at him. “This is your home! If you come with me and leave the others behind, what does that look like? It’s simple: I find her at the station, take her to her rented place, and then I’ll be back right away. Don’t worry about it!”

“All right,” Kang Ge nodded. Yan Xue’s reasoning was sound—he couldn’t just leave his guests and accompany her to fetch her relative. It would be inappropriate. He pulled the car keys out of his jacket pocket with his dry hand. “Take my car. There’s no convenient bus route from here to the station.”

Yan Xue felt a bit apologetic and tried to decline, but Kang Ge didn’t bother arguing; he simply stuffed the keys into her coat pocket and, holding up his damp hand, jogged back to the kitchen.

Not wanting to appear overly reserved, Yan Xue accepted his favor, took the keys downstairs, and headed out. She’d driven Kang Ge’s car a few times for work, so she was familiar with it. She got in, set the navigation, and drove straight to the train station, hoping for a swift resolution and that Song Chen wouldn’t provoke her again.

The call from her father had come suddenly, and she’d left in haste, barely having time to think. After finding a parking spot at the station, she followed her father’s directions to locate Song Chen, only then realizing that her cousin’s phone call to the family elders didn’t quite add up.

But now that she was at the station, there was no point in complicating things. She’d just get Song Chen to her rental and be done with it.

Her father had said Song Chen would be waiting by a large pillar near the exit, so Yan Xue searched there, but after checking all the pillars, she saw no sign of her cousin.

After circling twice without success, Yan Xue was ready to leave in frustration when suddenly someone called her from behind. Turning, she found Song Chen—the very source of her troubles.

She hardly looked like someone who’d just gotten off a train, lost her phone, and had no money. Not only was she not the least bit disheveled, she was holding a cup of coffee from a famous chain, looking very pleased.

“Where did you go? Weren’t you supposed to wait by the pillar?” Yan Xue kept her face stern, not bothering to hide her displeasure.

“Why are you so rigid? Just because I said ‘pillar’ doesn’t mean I had to be right next to it! Can’t I wait a little farther away?” Song Chen rolled her eyes, grinning mischievously. She pointed to a blond young man beside her. “Do you even know how long I waited for you? My feet were about to take root!

This young man saw me standing alone, face pale from the wind, and kindly kept me company, bought me coffee. Who would’ve thought you’d arrive right then!”

Unlike Yan Xue, Song Chen was shorter, with exceptionally fair skin and brown, wavy hair. Her tone was lazy and coquettish, a far cry from the tough girl who used to chase Yan Xue and beat her up as a child.

Yan Xue was all too familiar with Song Chen’s antics, so she merely snorted and glanced at the blond youth. “Why didn’t your ‘kind young man’ just take you to your place? Why drag me out here?”

“Listen to yourself! A girl alone should be cautious. Besides, I can’t trouble him any further!” Song Chen smiled, casting a flirtatious glance at the blond.

He didn’t seem to mind being inconvenienced, and was visibly annoyed at Yan Xue’s interruption.

Yan Xue eyed the coffee in Song Chen’s hand and snorted again. Someone whose face was supposedly pale from the wind, holding an iced Americano—what was this, fighting poison with poison?

Luckily, Yan Xue had bought this coffee herself before and knew the price. She didn’t waste words, took out her phone, and nodded at the blond youth. “I’ll send you the money for her coffee.”

“It’s just a cup, I can afford it,” he said with a grin, his eyes on Song Chen. “Just making friends! More friends, more opportunities—we can look out for each other.”

Yan Xue sized him up, then turned to Song Chen. “Are you a beggar?”

“What are you saying? Of course not!” Song Chen replied with mock indignation, glaring at Yan Xue.

“You heard her—she’s not a beggar, so there’s no reason to accept handouts from strangers. Whether you ‘look out for each other’ is none of my concern. Today, I’m paying for the coffee.” Yan Xue’s tone was cold as she held out her phone and told Song Chen, “Get your luggage ready, I’m on duty at the police bureau today and don’t have time to waste.”

Perhaps the mention of “police bureau” made an impression, as the blond dropped the banter and quietly brought up his payment code. Yan Xue transferred the money, nodded at him, then called Song Chen to head toward the parking lot.

The exit wasn’t far from the lot, but inexplicably, Song Chen had traveled in high heels, slowing them down. Finally, they reached the car; Yan Xue unlocked it, opened the trunk, and put Song Chen’s luggage inside. Song Chen, meanwhile, got in first and was already reclining comfortably with her eyes closed when Yan Xue finished.

Yan Xue confirmed the address, entered it into the navigation, and prepared to leave.

“My uncle and aunt must have splurged to get you such a car! It’s so much better than their old junk at home. When did they buy it? Why aren’t there any decorations inside? Are you even a girl?” Song Chen, taking advantage of the ride, looked around and casually reached for the glove compartment.

“Sit still and stop rummaging.” Yan Xue caught her movement out of the corner of her eye and immediately reprimanded her. “This is my colleague’s car—I borrowed it. Don’t touch anything.”

“Oh, so it’s not yours!” Song Chen pouted. With no outsiders present, her coquettish tone vanished. “I’ve heard about this model—it starts at four or five hundred thousand. This isn’t even the basic version. How could uncle and aunt afford such a thing?”

Yan Xue ignored her, refusing to engage and waste her energy.

Warned, Song Chen stopped poking around, raised her seat, and looked around curiously. “It’s so plain in here, no decorations. Your colleague’s a man, right? No smell of cigarettes—must have healthy habits. What’s he like? How old is he? Is he handsome? Married?”

Yan Xue remained silent, struggling to suppress the irritation Song Chen’s chatter provoked.

“So stingy—not even a little information!” Song Chen rolled her eyes and turned away, but within a minute was back, sounding eager. “Hey! Once I settle into my new job, I’ll visit you at the police bureau on a day off!”

“No need, not welcome,” Yan Xue replied bluntly.

She hadn’t forgotten how, back in university, Song Chen—under the guise of delivering things from her parents—showed up at the police academy and pestered her relentlessly. Yan Xue had finally compromised, agreeing to a meal in the cafeteria, only for Song Chen to solicit contact info from several male students, including one of Yan Xue’s classmates.

The classmate had exchanged numbers out of politeness, but Song Chen harassed him for an entire semester, leaving him so troubled he had to change his number. Yan Xue learned her lesson then: Song Chen must be kept far from her personal life.

Treating Song Chen as air, Yan Xue finally delivered her to the rental apartment, carried the luggage upstairs, and was about to leave when Song Chen blocked her path.

“Xue, isn’t it a bit heartless to just leave like this?” She leaned in the doorway, glaring at Yan Xue. “Your big sister came all the way to W City, lost her phone, penniless. At least I have a place to stay, so I won’t be sleeping on the street. Are you just going to let me starve?”

“Your phone’s gone—what about your wallet? Bank card? ID?” Yan Xue asked.

Song Chen’s gaze wandered. “All gone! Before I left, my mom deposited a lot of living expenses in my card. But now the card’s gone, the ID too! What do I do? If you don’t lend me some money, how am I supposed to survive?”

Yan Xue checked the time, thought for a moment, and smiled. She pulled out some change from her pocket, counted it—thirty yuan.

“Here, this is all for you, enough to solve your problems.” She placed the thirty yuan on the shoe cabinet by the door.

“Are you joking? Thirty yuan isn’t enough for a meal! I report to work on Monday and can’t take leave to go home. Even if I wanted to, I have no fare, and won’t get paid till next month. Are you planning to let me starve in W City?”

Song Chen had expected Yan Xue to be as soft-hearted as her uncle and aunt, ready to “lend” her several hundred out of pity. Yan Xue’s approach caught her off guard.

“I’m not joking.” Yan Xue, looking serious, counted out ten yuan and pressed it into Song Chen’s hand. “This is for the fee to replace your temporary ID. You can get it on the spot, and with that, you can go to the bank and report your card lost.”

She handed her fifteen yuan more. “Ten yuan for the bank’s loss-report fee, five for the card replacement. Once you get your new card, you can buy a phone and replace your SIM—since your mom deposited plenty. Oh, and the remaining five yuan is for bus fare while you do all this.”

“You’re so heartless! Are you even human? I’m your cousin—would I cheat you out of money? We’re family, and you just watch me suffer?”

Yan Xue was unfazed, mocking Song Chen with a smile. “Second semester of freshman year, you called me in a panic, said you had trouble and needed money. You took my remaining two thousand yuan for that term, promised to repay in a month, then vanished. I survived the rest of the semester thanks to friends.

You want to talk about family and compassion? Fine—since we’re relatives, I’ll waive the interest. Once your bank card is replaced, make sure to repay me those two thousand yuan!”