Chapter 17: Too Embarrassing

The cobblestone path was covered in moss, and judging from how spoiled and fragile she looked, he knew that she must have injured her arm or her leg. 

Li Shunan could only see a furry little head that was shaking gently. 

Li Shunan sighed, resting his arm on his knee. Using up all the patience he had in this life, he whispered, "Why are you crying then?"

'She doesn't even look like she's crying. It seems more like a... breakdown?'

'Is she frightened?'

'Or did she hurt herself from the fall?'

'Ah, little girls of this age are really troublesome.'

After a long while, he heard her soft and meek voice. 

"I'm not crying, I just think I'm really silly." 

Li Shunan was taken aback, clearly not expecting to get such an answer. 

She said softly again, "It's embarrassing." 

"…"

"Did I jump to conclusions just now?"

"…"

"I thought they wanted to rob me."

"…"

"Ah... it's too embarrassing."

"…"

Her sentences were clipped, but he roughly knew what she meant. 

The reason she broke down was not because she was afraid, nor because she had gotten hurt. 

Instead, it was because she was embarrassed. 

Li Shunan raised his eyebrows after hearing such a ridiculous reason. He couldn't help but smile. 

He remained silent throughout, and when Jiang Lingzhi looked up at him, she saw his fleeting smile that left her in disbelief. "Are you mocking me?" 

It was as if she would cry if he said yes. 

Li Shunan glanced at her without any expression, as if he was not the one who just smiled. "No," he answered. 

Jiang Lingzhi sniffled and decided to believe him. 

She really did not feel like crying. 

She just felt embarrassed!

She had yet to clear her name after being labeled as a swindler. Yet, she's not seen as a conman! 

However, she felt that it doesn't matter anymore. 

Since they would never see each other again after today, she need not be bothered! 

Staring at her calmly, Li Shunan initially wanted to reach out and give her a hand, but after thinking about it, he decided not to. He lifted his chin and asked, "Can you stand up on your own?" 

Jiang Lingzhi finally reacted and nodded gently. While carrying her schoolbag, she supported herself against the wall and tried to stand up. 

Her ankles did not hurt that much. However, when she fell, she suffered an abrasion on her knee, and the hem of her skirt and her socks had been dirtied by the moss. 

She seemed to be in quite a mess. 

Li Shunan looked down and kept his eyes fixed on the hem of her skirt and her tender calf. He then moved his gaze away calmly and smirked. "You came here to cheat someone, but you ended up hurting yourself. The training that you con artists go through really doesn't make the cut." 

His tone was rather languid, and he did not hide the mockery in his voice at all. It was as if he was afraid that she would not be able to tell. 

Jiang Lingzhi remained silent. 

She was not eager to retort and simply continued letting him call her a swindler and a con artist. 

At this moment, she just wanted to throw the 400 yuan on his face! 

Pursing her lips, Jiang Lingzhi looked at the dirty hem of her skirt and found that she still could not bear it. She asked, "Is there any water here? I want to wash my hands." 

Biting the unlit cigarette in his mouth, Li Shunan squinted a little and looked down at her as he towered over her. "Little friend. How can there be water here? Wash up when you get home. I'll walk you out."

He was frowning a little, and he looked laid-back, unconcerned, and somewhat impatient.