On a Stormy Night, the Campus Belle Knocked on My Door Seeking Shelter
Chapter 6: Borrowing Something

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Borrowing Something

What if she had stood up for him at that moment...? An idea instantly formed in Chen Mo’s mind.

At the time, Su Yuqing had left the convenience store to stop Lin Yu’an from being bullied, but those punks were no pushovers!

At that moment, Su Yuqing was soaked to the bone. Because she was wearing a white shirt, it had become so transparent that it was almost as if she had no outer layer on, leaving the outline of her figure completely visible.

When she stepped forward to stop the punks, it was highly likely that Yellow Hair and the others were aroused by her appearance and her drenched state, causing what was originally simple bullying to escalate into sexual harassment.

Chen Mo immediately tried to recall Lin Yu’an’s demeanor on Monday.

’If he had seen Su Yuqing being taken away by Yellow Hair and the punks, he would have known something. And when he learned of Su Yuqing’s death on Monday, he should have had some kind of reaction.’

’But Lin Yu’an on Monday didn’t seem to have much of a reaction. This means Su Yuqing probably wasn’t taken away in front of him. Otherwise, he would have been moved by it, and might even have been able to give the police a clue.’

Chen Mo quickly remembered: on Monday, Lin Yu’an had been covered in bruises, far more severe than what he was seeing now.

Generally speaking, with his withdrawn personality, even if someone were to bully him, they would just land a few punches and leave out of boredom because he wouldn’t react at all.

They wouldn’t have beaten him up this badly.

’Does that mean... when he was being beaten, he endured it quietly, but when Su Yuqing stepped in to stop the punks and they turned on her, he fought back?’

’Otherwise, how could he have been covered in bruises on Monday?’

In other words, the chances of Su Yuqing being taken away by the punks in the end were very low, and the probability that these three punks committed the crime wasn’t high.

After this round of deductions, Chen Mo’s mind was in a turmoil.

Various theories flashed through his mind one after another.

But soon, he locked onto a key piece of information: the murder weapon.

’At this point in time, whoever is carrying that small knife, the murder weapon, is the suspect.’

’After all, who carries a knife like that around for no reason on a rainy day?’

’If someone was carrying that knife, then they would be extremely suspicious.’

Those three punks were very likely carrying that kind of small knife. The moment he thought of this, Chen Mo instantly regretted letting them leave just like that. He should have at least checked to see if they had a knife on them.

At that thought, Chen Mo immediately prepared to give chase.

After all, thanks to his experience from his past life, he knew Lin Yu’an would live to see graduation. For now, he could only leave the bruised and beaten Lin Yu’an behind.

"If you’re alright, you should hurry home."

As he said this, Chen Mo was about to walk away, but he suddenly stopped and glanced at Lin Yu’an’s broken umbrella. He thrust his own umbrella into the boy’s hands and said, "Your umbrella is broken, use mine. I have something to take care of, so I can’t walk you home. Be careful and get home quickly."

"But—" Before Lin Yu’an even had a chance to refuse, Chen Mo had already vanished from sight.

"Thank you..." Once Chen Mo was out of earshot, he whispered his thanks again, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing on his face.

Throughout his entire school life, Chen Mo was the only person who had made him feel the warmth of mutual care between classmates, allowing him to finally endure his fear of student life and not flee from school.

One could say that Chen Mo was the single ray of light in the darkness, the only thing propping him up and getting him to school each day.

Suddenly, Lin Yu’an saw the handkerchief in his hand, which he had accidentally pressed into the dirty water on the ground. He snatched it to his chest like a madman, trying to rub it clean while letting out a pained roar.

’I washed it completely clean, ready to give it back to Chen Mo, and now I’ve gotten it dirty like this!’ SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

Lin Yu’an suddenly began to slap himself crazily across the face, hating that he hadn’t cherished this bond Chen Mo had offered him.

He hit himself with more force than the punks had used just moments before, slapping his own face so hard that the corner of his mouth began to bleed.

However, the more he did this, the more at ease he felt.

Carefully tucking the handkerchief back into his pocket, Lin Yu’an began to pick up his things. The punks had tried to rob him, frisking him from head to toe and dumping everything out of his schoolbag, but they hadn’t found a single cent.

On his entire person, he only had an umbrella, a metal box containing half a bag of cat food and some crayons, and a handkerchief he treated like a precious treasure.

He didn’t care how the punks rummaged through his other things, threw them on the ground, or even took them away, but he refused to let go of that handkerchief even if it meant death. This was one of the main reasons the punks had beaten him.

At first, Lin Yu’an had been very cooperative. But when they found an old, worn-out handkerchief, his reaction became extremely violent. They became convinced that he must have money wrapped inside the handkerchief he was clutching.

In the end, no matter how hard they tried to inspect the handkerchief in Lin Yu’an’s hand, he just gripped it tightly and refused to let go.

That was what finally made them fly into a rage out of shame and give Lin Yu’an a savage beating.

After picking up his few belongings, Lin Yu’an finally opened the umbrella Chen Mo had given him and walked home in a cheerful mood.

Compared to the pain of the beating, the happiness that swelled in his heart from meeting Chen Mo and being saved by him on such a stormy night was a hundred times stronger.

Because this was heaven’s way of telling him that Chen Mo was the light that would illuminate the path of his life.

In his heart, Chen Mo had long ago become a special existence, akin to a religious faith.

This was a feeling that transcended typical human affection. Chen Mo’s appearance in Lin Yu’an’s world was like the Buddha appearing to a Buddhist or Jesus to a Christian—and what’s more, it brought the ultimate honor and elation, as if they had descended to this world for him and him alone!

Due to the pouring rain, the punks hadn’t actually gone very far. After running a short distance, they were taking shelter under the eaves of a building. Chen Mo chased after them and caught up in an instant.

"Holy shit, Old Luo, that kid actually followed us."

"Damn it! I only let him off because of Brother Zhang, and now he’s pushing his luck!"

"What should we do?"

"This rain’s so heavy. We could find a bag, throw it over his head, and beat the shit out of him. He wouldn’t even know who did it."

"Nah, let’s just forget it. We’ll be the prime suspects if anything happens. Let’s just ignore him. What’s he going to do, chase us down and make us pay for damages?"

Just as the three were wondering why Chen Mo had followed them, he had already sprinted right up to them.

"Hey, fellas. Mind if I borrow something?"

"Don’t have any money," the three replied instantly.

"Who said I was borrowing money? I want something else," Chen Mo said, shaking his head with a smile.

"Borrow what?" the three asked, looking at Chen Mo with confusion.

"A knife!" Chen Mo said with a smile, his expression perfectly harmless as he looked at the three of them.