After Zhou Xiaocheng and Lin Wenbin moved out, Lin Xiaoxiao couldn’t wait to share the news with Zhang Wanqing at school. She looked at her friend excitedly. “See? This is the perfect chance! You could stop by their place sometime—bring some homemade food, show you care.”

Wanqing widened her eyes. “But your brother lives there too!”

Xiaoxiao didn’t know—but Wanqing certainly did—that the man who’d grabbed her at the black market, the one she’d kicked hard, was none other than Lin Xiaoxiao’s brother.

She’d realized it that day when Wenbin came to school looking for Xiaoxiao. The coincidence stunned her.

What she couldn’t figure out was how, in a crowded night market full of people, Lin Wenbin had managed to recognize her—and catch her so accurately.

If it hadn’t been for Zhou Xiaocheng that night, Wenbin might have dragged her off and had one of her fingers chopped off.

Xiaoxiao waved off her concern. “What about my brother? You can just pretend he’s not there. Trust me, if you show up to see Zhou Xiaocheng, my brother will make himself scarce.”

Wanqing shook her hands nervously. “No, no… I’d better think about this some more.”

If Lin Wenbin saw her, “making himself scarce” was the last thing he’d do. More likely, he’d haul her straight to that Liangzi guy. And then—would she still have all her fingers?

Cheating gamblers came with brutal penalties—losing a finger, or even a whole hand, wasn’t just an empty threat. It was the unwritten law of the underworld, and that Liangzi had a reputation for being merciless.

Noticing Wanqing’s pale face, Xiaoxiao grew suspicious. “Do you… know my brother?”

But that seemed impossible—their lives didn’t overlap at all.

After a moment’s hesitation, Wanqing decided it was better to confess now than be exposed later. Maybe Xiaoxiao could even help.

She explained everything—how she’d cheated the cheaters at the ghost market, taken their money, and how the man she’d swindled worked under Lin Wenbin.

Xiaoxiao felt like she was hearing something out of a fantasy novel. Was her brother mixed up with gangsters?

She stared at Wanqing, impressed. “You have that kind of skill? I had no idea you were so brave—cheating professional gamblers at their own game!”

Wanqing hurriedly clarified, “It wasn’t intentional! They were preying on an elderly man—took every bit of money he had. He’d brought an antique to sell so he could buy food, and they scammed him. I just couldn’t stand by and watch.”

So, driven by a sense of justice, she’d turned the tables and given all the winnings back to the old man.

Xiaoxiao was still trying to process it all. This was far beyond her own experiences as a “good girl.” And the idea that her brother was aiding criminals made her angry. “Don’t worry. If my brother dares to trouble you, I’ll deal with him.”

Wanqing looked doubtful. “Really? Will he actually listen to you?”

“I promise,” Xiaoxiao said, raising her hand. “I’ll talk to him in the next couple of days. We’ll all have a meal together and clear up this misunderstanding.”

She refused to believe Wenbin could be so unreasonable.

Wanqing finally relaxed. “You have no idea how worried I’ve been. And I always wore a light disguise—no one else recognized me. I don’t know how your brother saw through it and caught me so easily.”

Xiaoxiao wasn’t surprised at all. “He’s sharp. Sly as a monkey. Most people don’t stand a chance trying to outsmart him.”

After all, he’d managed publicly traded companies and navigated high-stakes mergers. His mind was his greatest asset.

Xiaoxiao didn’t waste any time. That afternoon, after school, she went straight to Zhou Xiaocheng and Lin Wenbin’s rented room.

Xiaocheng wasn’t there. She found Wenbin squatting inside, trying to light the coal stove and filling the room with thick smoke—just like she had when she first arrived in this era.

She rushed to open the window, teasing him, “Look at you—can’t even light a fire properly. If you can’t manage, just ask a neighbor for a lit piece of honeycomb coal.”

Wenbin’s face was smudged with coal dust, his hands blackened. He watched as his sister deftly used tongs to place kindling, wait for flames to rise, then carefully position the coal brick. “Wow, so just because you got here earlier, you’re the expert now? Who taught you?”

Xiaoxiao’s mind flashed to the first time she met Zhou Shixun—how he’d silently opened windows, lit the stove, and even fetched wash water for her. She smiled. “Zhou Shixun, of course. He’s very capable.”

Wenbin snorted. “Capable just because he can light a stove? Your standards have really dropped.”

Xiaoxiao didn’t take the bait. “At least I have standards. Unlike some people who bully young women at the ghost market.”

Wenbin froze, staring at her in surprise. “How do you know about that?”

“If you don’t want me to know, then don’t do it!” she retorted. “What kind of decent person hangs around the ghost market anyway? If you were doing honest business, fine. But cheating at gambling? Brother, I really underestimated you. How can you live with Zhou Xiaocheng like this? One of you is an officer, the other a crook. Aren’t you afraid he’ll arrest you one day? If you get thrown in jail, don’t expect me to bring you food.”

Wenbin glared. “Stop talking nonsense! I didn’t cheat anyone. One of my guys got outsmarted by a girl, so I was just backing him up.”

After spending some time together, he knew Liangzi was slick and deceptive, but he was also fiercely loyal. When things got dangerous, he’d risk his life—as he’d proven back in Hong Kong. That kind of friend was worth keeping.

But Xiaoxiao wasn’t having it. “What kind of ‘guy’ cheats an old man out of his food money? That girl was just setting things right. Besides, if he can scam others, why can’t he get scammed himself? That’s not fair. And I’ll have you know—that girl is a good friend of mine. I was even thinking of introducing you two.”

“But now it seems you don’t deserve her.”

Wenbin was caught between annoyance and amusement. She actually knew the girl? What were the odds? “Alright, alright, no need to get worked up. If she’s your friend, fine. We’ll all have a meal together. I’ll bring Liangzi along so he knows not to bother her again. But your friend is reckless—young but daring, cheating right under the noses of seasoned gamblers.”

Xiaoxiao didn’t respond. Zhang Wanqing was impulsive by nature—expecting her to think things through carefully was hopeless.

Wenbin sighed. “She’s lucky I wasn’t serious about catching her. Otherwise, she’d be missing a finger by now. And let’s be honest—most people who gamble aren’t saints. Do they really deserve sympathy? Maybe they deserve to be cheated—teach them a lesson. Honestly, if I bothered with that scene, I’d probably run the place. The competition isn’t exactly sharp.”

Xiaoxiao smirked. “You should be careful Zhou Xiaocheng doesn’t hear you say that. He might just arrest you on the spot.”