Chapter 56: Kisses

Luo Tianyou held Li Huayu’s hand as they walked toward the Public Security Department office, her mind preoccupied.

In the corridor, Li Huayu watched Luo Tianyou’s expression.

“Tianyou, are you still thinking about that Seraph lady from earlier?”

“Huh? No…”

Luo Tianyou snapped out of it and shook her head.

“I was wondering if the process for turning yourself in would be complicated.”

In reality, she was thinking about the photos Evelyn mentioned.

Her mother had used magic to predict her future appearance and even made a photo album for Evelyn…

It felt as if the script of her life had been outlined by her mother ten years ago, and now she was simply performing it step by step.

The two arrived at the Public Security Department office.

They were received by a kind-looking, middle-aged female police officer surnamed Wang.

Lin Weiwei had clearly given her a heads-up.

“Miss Li Huayu, right? Please, have a seat.”

Officer Wang handed over a form.

“Fill out this registration form first. Just your basic information, and then write down the times, locations, and amounts of the thefts you remember. It doesn’t need to be too precise.”

Li Huayu took the form and nervously picked up a pen.

She wrote very slowly and seriously.

Every so often, she would stop and think for a long time.

“Tianyou, how do you write the character for ‘shop’ in ‘bakery’?”

“A ‘broad’ radical on the left and ‘occupy’ on the right.”

“…How do I write ‘occupy’?”

“Let me help you.”

A while later.

“Tianyou, is the ‘cross’ in ‘bus station’ written with a ‘six’ on top and an ‘x’ on the bottom?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Tian…”

“What is it?”

“I forgot how to write ‘vegetable’ for ‘vegetable market’…”

Luo Tianyou pressed a hand to her forehead. ‘Should I just write it for you?’

“No.”

Li Huayu immediately shook her head.

“I have to write it myself for the confession to be sincere.”

Officer Wang couldn’t help but chuckle from the side.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Take your time, there’s no rush.”

After more than half an hour, Li Huayu finally finished the form.

Officer Wang took it and looked it over, her expression becoming somewhat complicated.

On the form, Li Huayu had listed many records in crooked handwriting:

“March 11, [Year]: Stole twenty dollars because I was too hungry.”

“March 12, [Year]: Stole fifty dollars at the bus station because I had to pay the organization’s fees.”

“March 15, [Year]: Stole two loaves of bread from the bakery because I hadn’t eaten in three days.”

A brief motive was attached to every entry.

Officer Wang sighed, her eyes showing a bit more pity as she looked at Li Huayu.

“You remember them quite clearly.”

“Because every night, I would think about whose money I stole that day, and if that person wouldn’t be able to eat because of me…”

Li Huayu lowered her head.

“The more I thought about it, the more I remembered.”

Luo Tianyou felt a pang of sadness.

Officer Wang nodded, did some work on her computer, and printed out a document.

“Miss Li Huayu, given that you turned yourself in voluntarily, have a good attitude toward confessing your guilt, and were under duress at the time of the crimes, the following decision has been made — “

“First, you are exempt from criminal punishment. Second, you must repay all stolen funds within three months. Third, you must complete 100 hours of community service, with the specific tasks to be arranged by the Bureau. Fourth, you will undergo behavioral correction counseling for six months, once a month. Someone will come to notify you tomorrow, so please be prepared.”

Li Huayu listened intently and nodded.

“I accept.”

“Very well. Sign here, and the process will be complete.”

Officer Wang pushed the document forward.

Li Huayu signed her name, her hand trembling slightly.

After signing, she let out a long sigh of relief.

It was as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Thank you, Officer Wang.” She stood up and bowed deeply.

“You’re welcome. It’s a good thing that you’re willing to take responsibility and change.”

Officer Wang smiled.

Walking out of the Public Security Department office, Li Huayu felt much lighter.

She skipped ahead, then suddenly turned around and gave Luo Tianyou a big smile.

“Tianyou! I’m clean now!”

“Yeah! A clean and honest Li Huayu!”

Luo Tianyou laughed too and couldn’t help but hug her.

Li Huayu stiffened for a moment, remaining in Luo Tianyou’s arms with a bit of bashfulness.

“Keep it up, Huayu!”

Luo Tianyou said with a smile.

“Mm… I will.”

Li Huayu’s cheeks flushed slightly.

She carefully hugged Luo Tianyou back, resting her face gently on Luo Tianyou’s shoulder and breathing in her faint scent.

So this was what peace of mind felt like.

No fear, no guilt — only a sense of happiness so full it was about to overflow.

“Tianyou…”

“Hmm?”

“Give me a kiss.”

“Huh??”

Luo Tianyou looked up, staring at Li Huayu strangely.

“People say that good friends can kiss each other… Is that not allowed?”

Li Huayu looked at Luo Tianyou weakly.

“Uh, it’s not that it’s not allowed.”

Girls didn’t seem to have much resistance to kissing each other.

In TV dramas, girls who were close did seem to kiss each other. ‘I guess I’ll do it then.’

With that thought, Luo Tianyou planted a kiss on Li Huayu’s cheek.

It was soft and felt nice.

“…Mnh.”

Li Huayu’s cheeks instantly turned crimson.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Why are you thanking me?”

Luo Tianyou stuck her tongue out.

Li Huayu was clearly shy, so why had she asked for a kiss?

Suddenly, she remembered what happened when she took the Pink Pill.

Li Huayu seemed to have proactively pressed against her…

‘Wait!’

‘I must be overthinking it.’

Luo Tianyou shook her head awkwardly.

Li Huayu stood there in a daze, covering her kissed cheek, the tips of her ears so red they looked ready to bleed.

The corridor was silent for a few seconds.

Luo Tianyou broke the silence first. ‘

“Now that you’ve turned yourself in, shouldn’t we celebrate? Let’s go buy something delicious.”

Li Huayu snapped out of it.

“Yes, a celebration. My treat, using the money I’ll earn from working in the future.”

“Where would you get money now?” Luo Tianyou teased.

“I can borrow it first… I’ll pay you back.”

The two walked out of the Bureau building side by side.

The afternoon sun was just right, feeling warm on their bodies.

Li Huayu seemed to have truly cast off all her burdens.

Her steps were much lighter, and she would steal glances at Luo Tianyou from time to time, smiling with pursed lips.

Luo Tianyou felt a bit creeped out by her gaze.

“Huayu, why do you keep looking at me?”

“Because Tianyou is pretty, and Tianyou kissed me just now.”

“That was a kiss between friends! It was very pure!”

“I know.”

Li Huayu blinked.

“So, can I kiss Tianyou too?”

“…Huh?”

“Good friends should be mutual.”

Luo Tianyou was momentarily speechless.

‘That seems to make sense? But why does something feel off?’

“That’s still a no,” Luo Tianyou finally chose to refuse.

“We just kissed. Doing it again so soon would be too frequent!”

Li Huayu lowered her head in disappointment.

“Then can I do it tomorrow?”

“We’ll see tomorrow.”

The two talked all the way to a nearby large supermarket, where they bought a lot of daily necessities and ingredients.

When it came time to check out, Li Huayu insisted on paying her share.

Of course, she used the money Luo Tianyou lent her.

“I’ll keep a record. Once I have a job, I’ll definitely pay you back.”

Luo Tianyou couldn’t win the argument, so she let her be.

Carrying many bags, they returned to Aiya Community.

As soon as she walked in, Li Huayu rushed into the kitchen to start organizing their purchases.

Luo Tianyou slumped onto the sofa, watching her busy back in the kitchen.

She suddenly felt a sense of peaceful, quiet time.

‘It would be nice if things could always be this peaceful.’

Beep, beep, beep!

The communicator Xiao Yuan gave her rang.

“Sister Xiao Yuan, is something wrong?”

“Well, for now, anyway. I’m mainly calling to see if you’re coming.”

“What happened?”

“Xiao Liuli and Evelyn are fighting. Do you want to come over?”