Chapter 35

At the end of the movie, Tianxin had fallen asleep leaning against the couch. Yan Heng smiled at her, "You look so cute when you're asleep." He turned off the TV and gently touched her shoulder, waking her up. "The movie's over, sorry I fell asleep," Tianxin said.

Yan Heng felt a bit awkward and withdrew his hand. "It's okay, art films can be quite hypnotic. If you're tired, you can go back to your room and rest," he said.

Tianxin shook her head. "I'm not tired. If you are, you can take a rest," she said, still feeling a bit dazed.

"I'm not tired either. How about we go out for a walk? If you're familiar with the area, you can show me around," Yan Heng suggested. They had plenty of time and sleeping seemed like a waste of it.

Tianxin thought for a moment. Although Wutong Town wasn't big, she hadn't had a chance to explore much beyond the pharmacy where she worked and the times she spent helping Cheng Yugui. "Okay, but I haven't really gone out much," she said.

The park wasn't far and they walked for about ten minutes. Tianxin sat on a bench while Yan Heng went to buy some drinks. She sent a message to Cheng Yugui, "I'm in the park with Yan Heng. You should come out and join us." It was a rare opportunity to relax and have fun.

Looking around, Tianxin saw mostly elderly people jogging, women dancing, and couples on dates. Suddenly, she heard a child crying and shouting. Over by the flower bed, a man was pulling a little boy who was struggling and crying. Tianxin could barely hear the child saying, "I don't know you, I want to find my mom." Something didn't seem right to Tianxin. She ran over and saw the boy crying and clinging to the flower bed while the man tried to pull him away.

The boy suddenly bit the man and he flung the child away, ready to hit him. Tianxin could tell this man wasn't the boy's father by his actions and the way the boy was struggling. She quickly moved the child behind her.

"What are you doing here? Don't you know it's dangerous to run away like that? This is my little brother," Tianxin said, holding the boy who called her "sister" and sobbed uncontrollably.

The man glared at Tianxin. "Mind your own business, little girl. This is my kid. Let's go home," he said, grabbing the boy's arm.

Continuing on isn't a solution. This man clearly has issues. How is it that so many people are present and yet no one is helping? Can't they see what's going on? "Uncle, you've got the wrong person. This is my little brother. If you keep causing trouble, I'll call the police and let them figure out whose child he really is," Tianxin's heart was in turmoil. She couldn't panic and mustn't provoke the man. He could have a weapon or something dangerous on him. The man didn't expect a little girl to jump out and disrupt his plan. If he couldn't succeed by being soft, he'd try being tough. He pushed Tianxin forcefully, causing her to fall to the ground. The man was about to grab the child when a bottle of Coke was smashed against his face. It hurt his face. "Call the police," Tianxin finally let out a sigh of relief when Yan Heng appeared. Fortunately, Yan Heng arrived just in time. The man covered his face and said, "Where did this stinky brat come from? Go away." After receiving Tianxin's message, Cheng Yugui rushed to the park. By the time he got there, the human trafficker had already been subdued. Thanks to Tianxin's call for help, two young men and Yan Heng managed to restrain the man. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Cheng Yugui was terrified. What if something had happened? "I'm fine," Tianxin was relieved that the man didn't have any other tools on him. However, she was still scared. Cheng Yugui hugged her, and Tianxin called the boy's parents. They went to the police station with the police to give their statements before leaving. Tianxin was deeply grateful to Yan Heng for his help. He was also frightened by the incident, knowing that if it had been more severe, the consequences could have been dire.