Unexpected Encounters on the Snack Street

Trembling, Lin Ling typed a few words on his phone, only to quickly delete them. He felt as though death was but a single step away. Why? Since arriving in this world, Lin Ling had painstakingly avoided a fatal outcome, yet Chen Sishi still wore that ominous expression.

Perplexed, he was momentarily lost in thought when the changing room door beside him opened. His older sister, Lin Yiting, emerged, her long brown hair flowing freely, clad in a pristine white dress.

Lin Ling was still lost in his daze when a hand suddenly clapped his shoulder.

“Xiao Ling, how do I look in this?”

The tap from Lin Yiting snapped Lin Ling out of his reverie, and he turned to gaze at his sister. It seemed she had untied her high ponytail, lending her an air of gentle elegance rather than her usual spirited demeanor. As Lin Ling took in this new side of Lin Yiting, his eyes widened instinctively.

‘The contrast is too stark,’ he thought, his mouth opening. The words, “Who are you?” nearly slipped out unbidden.

“Hehehe, well? Don’t underestimate your sister, Xiao Ling!”

Spinning gleefully before Lin Ling, she enveloped him in the faint, clean scent of shampoo, which helped to ease his taut nerves considerably.

Apparently, buying just one outfit wasn’t satisfying enough, as Lin Yiting proceeded to pull out several more, trying them on one after another. Lin Ling felt himself on the verge of drifting off to sleep by the time Lin Yiting finally finished paying.

Clutching the multitude of shopping bags she flung his way, Lin Ling pressed a hand to his head, a headache starting to brew. He suddenly wondered if having an older sister was truly such a good thing after all.

“What’s wrong? You look gloomy. Are you upset I didn’t buy you any clothes?”

“Seriously? How can you even ask that? You bought so much, I can barely hold it all!”

At Lin Ling’s outburst, a sly smile crept across Lin Yiting’s face.

“Ha, the capable should do more, right?”

“Huh?”

Upon hearing her words, Lin Ling nearly choked on his own blood. ‘The capable should do more?’ If he recalled correctly, Lin Yiting could easily pick him up without even a hint of exertion.

“Oh, I’m just teaching Xiao Ling to look after girls. If our Xiao Ling continues to be such a blockhead, he might end up a bachelor.”

Lin Ling’s mouth twitched at that. He was starting to think being a blockhead wasn’t so bad.

Exiting the store, they walked all the way to the motorcycle, Lin Ling’s expression remaining sullen. Lin Yiting, however, watched him with a wide smile, effortlessly mounting the bike.

Clutching Lin Yiting’s newly purchased clothes, Lin Ling climbed on behind her. The motorcycle roared to life, and the two slowly departed.

****

After they left, a furtive white figure suddenly emerged from a corner of the street. Clasping a phone, her eyes, fixed on the screen, were devoid of light.

“Lin Ling… he lied to me. Lin Ling lied to me, haha.”

The silver-haired girl clutched her chest, feeling as if her beating heart might simply stop. She gripped her phone tightly, then sent him another message.

[Chen Sishi: Lin Ling, please don’t lie to me, okay?]

****

At this moment, Lin Ling had yet to realize the gravity of the situation. He rode behind Lin Yiting, feeling the cool breeze caress his skin.

It was then that Lin Ling felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Riding on the motorcycle, he dared not pull it out; a careless drop onto the ground would be disastrous.

Don’t ask how Lin Ling developed this habit; suffice it to say, he learned from experience.

After some time, they arrived at what appeared to be a bustling snack street.

The myriad of colorful signs on the food stalls was dazzling, almost overwhelming. Each shop boasted a distinct decorative style. In a word, it was ‘chaotic.’

This snack street was a repurposed road, stretching about two hundred meters. Traffic in the middle was sparse, with stalls lining both sides. Above the street hung small, unlit fairy lights.

The street was crowded with people, likely due to it being dinnertime. Judging by the current foot traffic, it would be even livelier at night.

Having spent the entire morning accompanying Lin Yiting to pick out clothes, Lin Ling was feeling quite hungry. After finding a spot to park the motorcycle, the duo walked down the street, drawing the attention of many onlookers.

Lin Yiting merely glanced at the surrounding gazes, sensing that something was amiss. Yet, when she looked directly, she found nothing out of place.

“Hmm? Strange, Lin Ling, did you notice anything odd?”

Lin Ling, who had been pondering what to eat, paused, looking at Lin Yiting with confusion. His attention had been entirely on the nearby snack stalls. If anything was strange… did a burnt squid count?

Lin Yiting pressed a hand to her forehead. Seeing Lin Ling’s reaction, she knew he hadn’t noticed anything. But she had distinctly felt that gaze, and it carried a hint of hostility.

Somewhat bewildered, Lin Yiting remained vigilant as they walked. Lin Ling, on the other hand, seemed entirely relaxed. In the original plot, this route had received little description, implying that no major side quests would be triggered here.

As for the message Chen Sishi had sent him earlier, Lin Ling had long since cast it to the back of his mind. His immediate priority was to satiate his hunger; everything else could wait.

They found a skewer shop, ate a simple meal, and then left. Back on the bustling main street, Lin Ling bought two cups of milk tea.

“Here, Sister, this is for you.”

He had bought the milk tea with his own pocket money, a small gesture of his affection. Lin Yiting smiled faintly as she accepted it from the beaming young man.

In truth, Lin Yiting wasn’t particularly fond of milk tea. However, she had brought Lin Ling out today to help him relax, so she indulged him.

After wandering for a while longer, Lin Yiting paused before a jewelry store, gazing at the items inside, lost in thought.

Lin Ling, walking ahead, hadn’t yet noticed Lin Yiting had stopped. Just then, a strong gust of wind swept past his ear. The next moment, a tremendous force slammed into Lin Ling.

Before he could react, he landed on the ground with a thud. Lin Ling was utterly bewildered, feeling as though stars were swirling before his eyes. At the same time, he heard something else fall to the ground. The previously bustling crowd froze for a second.

Then, the curious onlookers resumed their various activities.

Lin Ling shook his dizzy head; the spot where he’d been hit throbbed painfully.

He lay on the ground for a moment before laboriously pushing himself up. With a hint of anger, Lin Ling looked in the direction from which he’d been struck, determined to see who had collided with him.

It was a young woman dressed in white casual wear, wearing a motorcycle helmet. She appeared to be around Lin Ling’s age.

She was crouched on the ground, clutching her chest, gasping for breath. When she saw Lin Ling looking her way, she scrambled to her feet, disregarding the electric scooter on the ground, and stammered apologetically to Lin Ling.

“S-sorry… I… I didn’t mean to. Are you… are you alright?”

The girl’s voice was melodious, though tinged with a hint of a sob. Just hearing it, Lin Ling’s anger dissipated by half.

Rubbing his aching lower back, Lin Ling politely helped the girl’s electric scooter upright.

“Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”