Tang Ling had no idea how dangerous it was for him to grab Higan like that.
If she had not caught a glimpse of his face, if she had been a bit angrier, then Tang Ling would not have ended any better than the few men who had harassed Higan earlier.
The ignorant were fearless. Tang Ling boldly pulled off her veil and questioned her identity in a cold tone, “Who sent a rookie like you to follow me? You can at least do better…Huh?”
The night by the shore was a little brighter than the night on land as the windy sea breeze scattered the thin clouds, making the Purple Moon stand out more. Even though the moonlight was misty and dreamy, Tang Ling already got a clear look at Higan’s face.
What a beautiful girl! No, beautiful felt like an understatement. The slightest breath from her felt like the Goddess’s breath.
Instinctively, Tang Ling’s heart raced, but he did not know how to flirt or how to admire beauty. He stared into the girl’s eyes, which stared right back into his own. Why did her eyes feel so familiar to the point that a tinge of sorrow rose in his heart and slowly spread out?
He stopped his threat before he finished. Then, he furrowed his brows and muttered his question, “Who…are you?”
Higan did not answer Tang Ling’s question. She widened her curious big eyes and sized him up ceaselessly.
They were close. In an empty alley where her shoulder was pinned to the wall and her eyes were locked at Tang Ling’s, their faces were less than 20 cm apart.
Even when Tang Long got this close, Higan would instinctively feel uncomfortable but manageable.
However, even though this boy was so close to her, she did not feel like she had to withstand the alien presence. She did not even feel uncomfortable. Instead, she liked it. She liked being close to him. There was a scent on him that eased her heart to the point that she wanted to fall asleep whenever she got close to him.
If not for the scent and the comforting feeling, Tang Ling would have already died twice over.
The first time was because he had simply grabbed Higan’s arm.
The second time was because he had pinned her to the wall.
He had no idea how scary the queen was, especially when Higan had no sense of right and wrong. All she had was the instinct in her heart.
The two of them stared at each other in silence until the atmosphere felt a little awkward.
More than 10 seconds later…
“Whatever.” Frustrated, Tang Ling released Higan’s hand. He rejected the strange sorrow from the bottom of his heart that came from his soul. He used to feel such sorrow for his beloved family like his grandmother, San San, and Su Siao. It was not a feeling that he should feel with some random stranger.
Moreover, he did not sense any hostility from Higan’s curious gaze. He decided to let the girl go and treat this as a strange encounter.
For some unknown reason, he was not able to show the slightest malicious intent towards the girl, maybe because the curiosity in her eyes was pure.
“Don’t move,” Higan spoke.
Tang Ling froze as he saw a fair white hand reaching towards the mask on his face.
Instinctively, he wanted to dodge, but at that very moment, the reflexes throughout his body seemed to have paused.
His mask was removed and held in the girl’s hand.
Higan widened her eyes as she looked at Tang Ling, uttering in surprise, “It’s you.”
Of course, I should’ve known it was him! From the moment I saw his face in the newspapers, I feel strangely familiar and sad for him.
Her feelings were out of her expectations and control. Why would she feel the same for a stranger? It turned out that the one who could make her feel this way had always been this boy named Tang Ling.
However, when Tang Ling heard that Higan recognized him, his muscles tightened right away. Then, his hand that had let go of hers pressed her shoulder again. He was not familiar with this girl, yet she seemed to know him. She had followed him all the way from the Dreamy Visitor. Was it just a coincidence?
“Speak! What are you trying to do?” Tang Ling frowned, seeming distant and hostile.
All kinds of complicated feelings erupted in Higan’s heart when she saw Tang Ling’s reaction. Since she was a stranger to every single one of the feelings, she did not know how to handle the situation. She only knew that Tang Ling felt hostile all of a sudden, and it made her sadness and grievance arise.
Higan did not know how to hide her emotions because most of the time, she did not have any.
Therefore, a strong grief took over her instantly and made her eyes teary. She looked like she was wronged by Tang Ling’s accusation. She did not answer Tang Ling’s question because she was not trying to do anything. She bit her lower lip and looked at Tang Ling with teary eyes and an unyielding look as if it was the best way to face Tang Ling at the moment.
When he saw Higan’s reaction, Tang Ling felt a sudden heartache without any reason. He unconsciously released his hand when he realized that he was bullying a girl.
Moreover, the unyielding look and teary eyes felt familiar, too familiar to be exact. It reminded him of San San. Whenever San San had been wronged or had done something naughty, she used to look at him with the same unyielding look and teary eyes.
Tang Ling suddenly felt sad as he looked at Higan, trying to express his thoughts, but when the thoughts escaped his mouth, they turned into ‘I’m sorry’.
Higan seemed to have gotten used to it and she understood why Tang Ling responded as such. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, she smiled and said, “It’s fine.”
“Do you know me?” Tang Ling calmed down after he let go of Higan. He instinctively wanted to draw distance from her. Although he had confirmed that she was not an enemy, being this close to a girl was disrespectful.
However, Higan pulled him back and boldly got close to him. She leaned her head on Tang Ling’s shoulder and whispered into his ear, “I don’t, but I saw you in the newspapers. You are Tang Ling. I remember you.’
“Hey, what are you doing?” Tang Ling blushed, his face as red as burning iron. Every movement and action the girl did was strange. She seemed fine being this close with a boy.
“I’m not doing anything. Don’t move. I like your scent,” Higan drawled. The scent from Tang Ling was really soothing, and she did not want to leave his side.
Tang Ling’s ears were red as he pushed Higan away and lectured her strictly, “You can’t do this. Other than to your father, your brothers and your love, you shouldn’t do this to anyone else.”
Higan pouted in dissatisfaction when he pushed her away but when she saw him lecture her righteously, she was amused and felt warm. Her hands swung behind her back as she tilted her head coquettishly at Tang Ling, “Why shouldn’t I?”
“Why? There’s no why. Those are basic manners!”
“Which law set the manners? The law of the universe?”
“Stop making excuses. No law is needed for manners. This is something that people will follow out of instinct. People will misunderstand when a girl simply gets close to a boy. People will criticize you.” Tang Ling had no idea where his patience came from although he had the urge to lecture the girl before his eyes.
He did not believe Higan was a coquettish person. He would have felt the same if anyone else did the same to him. He believed she was just a girl who did not understand manners.
“What does people’s misunderstanding have to do with me? Besides, I only want to be close to you alone.” Higan smiled like a fairy under the moon.
“To me alone?!” Beautiful! Her beauty stunned him and made him repeat stupidly.
Higan stepped closer and lightly leaned her hand on his shoulder again. Maybe because the posture was not right or not comfortable enough, she adjusted her body before she hugged Tang Ling by the waist.
As though he was struck by thunder, he was utterly stunned. His heart raced like wild horses and his throat was dry to the point that it itched. He felt strange, but he did not want to push her away this time.
Actually, Tang Ling had been hugged by a girl before, a few times to be exact, such as Vian and Ro Xin when she was sad. However, never once did he feel this way.
Am I really a pervert? Or maybe because she is beautiful? No, no way!
The feeling he had when he was being hugged by Higan somewhat felt familiar, so familiar that it reminded him of something from the past which felt like yesterday.
“Brother, hug-hug…” San San had pouted in objection while her teary eyes had been about to burst with a river of tears.
Tang Ling would always squat down and hug her before she cried. The little girl would lean her head on his shoulder, hug him by the waist while she sobbed and slowly calmed down.
Higan’s breath whispered in his ears, but the girl before him was not San San.
An unknown sorrow rose in Tang Ling’s heart. He stepped back and avoided Higan. Without sparing an extra glance at her, he said quickly, “You can’t do that to me either because I don’t know you and I’m not your father, brother or lover. I have to go now. Stop following me.”
Tang Ling ran away after that. He only had an hour of free time and he actually planned to visit the arena in the cabin area, but he was now delayed by Higan. It seemed like he would have to wait for another day to visit the arena.
What about tomorrow? Should he come out again?
He must! The need for money pressured him and he should start looking for Ro Xin and Ro Li.
While the messy thoughts troubled Tang Ling’s mind, Higan’s voice came from behind. “Tang Ling, my name is Higan.”
He turned around and saw Higan wearing the mask that she had taken off his face. She kept following him with a delightful smile.
“I know your name is Tang Ling, and I’m Higan. From today onwards, we are considered acquaintances.” Higan seemed to love following him.
“Give me back my mask.” Tang Ling frustratedly scratched his head when he realized he could not do anything to stop Higan from following him.
“The wind took my hat away. Consider your mask compensation.” Higan did not want to remove the mask from her face.
Whatever, it’s just a lousy mask. I don’t care!
“Stop following me. Don’t you need to go home?” Tang Ling strode forward as hiss frustration rose.
Higan followed him with all smiles, not answering his question at all. She just wanted to follow him and find out where she could look for him, so of course, she would trail him everywhere.
Besides, was Tang Ling’s frustrating look not interesting? It was! If he knew that every move of his was labeled as interesting by Higan, what would he think?
Fine, follow all you like. It’s Boss Huang’s home anyway, not mine. The boss will deal with you.
With that in mind, Tang Ling allowed Higan to follow him back. The two of them headed back to Dvesha Moha.
At first, he strode quickly and his steps were long, but somehow, he started to slow down as if he was taking a stroll.
“I can keep up. I’m not tired,” Higan naughtily piped up behind Tang Ling, frightening him. The meaning of her words made him embarrassed.
W-who cares about whether she can keep up or not!? Tang Ling lowered his head in embarrassment but did not hasten his steps.
The two of them walked for more than 10 minutes quietly.
The moon was misty and the sea breeze was comfortable. The faint waves that accompanied the laughter of people were a little muffled but extra clear to the ears. If it was not clear enough, the noise of the ceaseless waves would not have been in everyone’s hearts.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them arrived at Dvesha Moha.
Boss Huang was sitting outside with a metal rod in his hand, looking vicious as he waited for Tang Ling.
What is Boss Huang doing outside here?
Boss Huang was as fierce as a monster. The smoking pipe hung at his mouth while he dragged the metal rod back and forth on the ground as if he was trying to tell everyone that his hands were itching for a beating.
Tang Ling sweated nervously when he saw the boss waiting for him.
