Tang You stared blankly at the piano strings, lost in thought, until Aunt Rong called out to her:

“Miss, have you printed your transfer documents? You need to bring them to your new school tomorrow!”

Tang You was about to respond with “I’ve already printed them,” but as the words passed through her mind, she suddenly thought of something, sitting up straight—

…Printing?

An idea quickly formed in her mind, slowly taking shape.

Tang You’s eyes lit up, and a smile of excitement tugged at her lips. She stood up, grabbing her phone and wallet.

“I’ll go print them right now.”

Aunt Rong, following Fang Lai’s instructions, immediately contacted the driver to prepare the car. However, Tang You didn’t want her to know what she was planning, so she slipped out quietly while Aunt Rong was on the phone.

She walked along Huai Tree Street for a while until she reached the large supermarket at the street corner, where there happened to be a printing shop on the first floor.

Tang You paused at the entrance, silently considering for a few seconds. After confirming her plan in her mind, she mustered up the courage to walk inside.

“Hello, I’d like to print something.”

Five minutes later, Tang You left the shop with her finished product, crossing the street.

What she was about to do filled her with both apprehension and excitement—a mix of emotions she had never experienced before.

She headed straight for Huai Tree Alley, thinking as she walked that she would say she was there to pick up the remaining five bottles of soy sauce.

Then, she would make her move…

Tang You knew her plan was childish, but if even this bit of childishness could warn just one girl, it would be worth it.

At 1:30 PM, Huai Tree Alley was quiet, as most people were taking their afternoon naps.

As she approached the small shop, Tang You paused, taking several deep breaths.

—Don’t be scared, you’re just here to pick up soy sauce. You already paid for it.

After repeating this mental reassurance a few times, she slowly walked over.

Just the thought of seeing that pervert again made Tang You’s heart pound in her throat. She fought to suppress her fear, mustering all her courage to walk up to the counter, only to be surprised by—

Why was the shopkeeper different?

Sitting behind the counter, watching TV and munching on sunflower seeds, was a middle-aged woman.

Aunt Xian noticed the unfamiliar girl and tossed aside her sunflower seeds, standing up to greet her, “What can I get for you, young lady?”

Tang You was caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events. She opened her mouth to speak but then noticed the neatly arranged five bottles of soy sauce sitting in the corner of the counter.

The very ones she had left behind at noon.

She was at a loss for words and could only point at the soy sauce, saying, “Uh, I’m here to pick this up.”

“Oh, so it was you!” Aunt Xian quickly realized and enthusiastically pulled out a plastic bag from behind the counter to help her pack it up.

Taking advantage of the moment, Tang You tentatively asked, “Where’s the shopkeeper from this morning?”

Aunt Xian laughed cheerfully, “I wasn’t here this morning. It was just some neighbors helping out. There are no outsiders around here!”

“…”

So, that pervert wasn’t the shopkeeper.

Tang You thanked her and turned to leave with the soy sauce.

Things hadn’t gone as she had planned. Now she didn’t know the man’s name or where he lived. With so many households in the alley, she couldn’t possibly knock on every door.

Feeling a bit dejected, Tang You walked along the edge of the wall with her head down.

Just then, the sound of an engine roared from a distance, growing louder as it approached. A black figure zoomed past Tang You, so fast that it blew her hair up a little.

Instinctively, she turned her head to look and saw a man on a motorcycle stopping in front of the small shop. He turned off the engine, placed one foot on the ground, and lazily swung his long leg off the bike.

There was something strangely familiar about his back.

When the man took off his helmet, Tang You immediately realized why he seemed familiar.

It was the jerk who had touched her butt!

He had changed clothes and was now wearing a cool black leather jacket. He casually hung his helmet on the bike and stood at the shop’s entrance for a few minutes. Tang You watched as the shopkeeper handed him a pack of cigarettes.

After buying the cigarettes, the man got back on his bike, started it up, and prepared to leave.

Just as he was about to go, Tang You suddenly remembered why she had come and hurried after him.

The man rode his motorcycle slowly through the alley, but even at a slow pace, Tang You, who was running and chasing after him, could only keep up with his back. With one hand holding the soy sauce and the other clutching the paper she had printed, she was ready at any moment.

In her imagination, her counterattack would go like this:

She would follow the man and, when he wasn’t paying attention, stick the paper on his back so that everyone could see it as he showed off around town. If that didn’t work, she could create an opportunity, like pretending to bump into him and sticking it on him in the chaos before running away—after all, she had used the strongest double-sided tape.

However, the reality was this:

Tang You ran as if she were in an 800-meter race, trying to keep up with the man’s motorcycle while being careful not to be noticed by him. After making several turns, she ended up losing track of him, and to make matters worse, she got herself lost in the process.

Huai Tree Alley wasn’t big, but its winding paths were complex, making it easy for anyone unfamiliar with the area to get lost.

At this point, Tang You had given up on chasing the man and stood at a crossroad, feeling a bit lost.

Is this a maze? How did I end up back where I started after walking for ten minutes?!

Looking around, Tang You noticed there was one more path on the right that she hadn’t tried yet.

She immediately headed that way, only to find that the alley ended in a dead-end wall.

A dead-end.

“…”

Tang You frustratedly scratched her head and turned back, but as she did, she noticed a man standing less than three meters away at the entrance of the alley.

The man was lazily leaning against the wall, lighting a cigarette with one hand. The tip of the cigarette glowed red, and wisps of gray-white smoke drifted into the air.

The faint smoke added a strange, eerie quality to the scene, blurring the view between them.

Tang You froze instantly.

Where did he come from?

Is he a ghost?!!!

Afraid she might scream out loud, Tang You quickly covered her mouth, but in her delayed reaction, she forgot she was holding the paper, which flew out of her hand, caught by a breeze, and drifted a few meters before finally—

Landing right at the man’s feet.

“…”

It’s over.

Tang You stared at the paper on the ground, keeping her mouth shut, not daring to speak or move.

The air was tense, and the atmosphere was suffocating.

Zhou Qinyao exhaled a puff of smoke and looked at her casually, noticing how tense and frightened she seemed, like a startled little quail, which he found amusing.

He tilted his head slightly, a hint of interest in his eyes, and asked:

“Soy Sauce Girl, are you following me?”