Chapter 6: You Trick Me, I Trick You!

From the arcade to the internet café, then to the amusement park…
No matter if it was for children or adults!
No matter if it was childish or intellectually stimulating.
Thrilling, exciting…
Wang Xinyou played with such joy!
Gradually, He Tian was completely swept up by her energy.
At first, He Tian had trouble letting go of his identity and past; he couldn’t truly immerse himself in the role of a normal, ordinary person.
But Wang Xinyou was just too good at having fun!
Her happiness was infectious!
Together with the lively crowd, He Tian found himself entirely caught up in the moment.
“How is it? Tasty, right?”
By evening, Wang Xinyou had taken He Tian to a small restaurant, ordered their local specialty—chicken stewed with mushrooms—and was now eating with no regard for ladylike manners.
“It really is good! They say if you want real, delicious food, you have to find a little place like this. Seems that’s absolutely true!” He Tian said with a smile.
“Oh, that’s too simplistic! There are so many small restaurants. If you don’t pick the right one, you won’t get anything good. My sister and I used to come here often when we were in school. Hmph, now that my sister has money, she doesn’t come herself and won’t let me come, either!” Wang Xinyou wrinkled her nose and complained about her sister Wang Xinmeng yet again.
“She’s worried about your safety. But that won’t be an issue anymore! With me around, you’ll be perfectly safe. Play however you like. But remember, if your sister comes after me for this, you’ll have to take the blame!” He Tian tapped Wang Xinyou on the head, grinning.
“No hitting my head! Brother He Tian, that's not very responsible of you!” Wang Xinyou covered her head, laughing.
“Don’t twist my words—how does that make me irresponsible?” He Tian laughed.
“Come on, He Tian, let me toast you. It’s been so long since I’ve been this happy. Thank you!” Wang Xinyou’s expression was utterly sincere.
“I’m not used to this!” He Tian couldn’t help but be amused by her seriousness.
“You’re annoying! I finally open up a little, and you act like this!” Wang Xinyou pouted, annoyed.
“In truth, happiness comes from within. I believe you understand that very well. Xinmeng treats you wonderfully—but you just can’t accept her way of showing it. Still, you should try to understand her.” He Tian spoke earnestly.
“I know! Now that my sister has money, things aren’t as safe. When you have money, people take notice. But that’s not the most important thing! Hmph… Brother He Tian, just like your appearance here, doesn’t all of this have something to do with my dad? Did you think I wouldn’t notice just because you didn’t say anything? I just didn’t want to ask!” Wang Xinyou huffed.
“What exactly do you know?” He Tian was aware of Wang Xinyou’s cleverness, but wasn’t sure how much she’d pieced together about the whole situation.
Wang Xinmeng knew some things, and so did He Tian. But with Wang Xinyou, he truly hadn’t noticed before—this girl was much better at hiding things than he realized.
“What I know isn’t important! What matters is that because of Dad, my sister and I are both dragged into things! My sister is fine, she has Uncle Hu around, a bunch of bodyguards, and she’s a celebrity. Me, I’m different! If Chen Long and his crew followed me, it would be too obvious, so they found someone less conspicuous to protect me. That’s why you showed up, Brother He Tian!” Wang Xinyou analyzed the situation with mock seriousness.
“Pretty smart! But protecting you isn’t really my mission. I just want to blend in with ordinary people.” He Tian couldn’t help but ruffle her hair. To him, Wang Xinyou was like a little sister. No woman before had ever stirred that kind of feeling in him.
The women he’d encountered before were all tough, some even more formidable than men.
That had given He Tian the mistaken impression that all women were like that.
But now, Wang Xinyou was starting to correct his misconception.
“Blend in? Ordinary people? Brother He Tian, what secrets are you hiding?” Wang Xinyou was very curious.

“Hahaha, I’m an alien!” He Tian burst out laughing.
“Oh, please! I don’t even care to know!” Wang Xinyou turned her head away in mock annoyance.
He Tian started eating; the chicken stew with mushrooms was truly delicious.
“Brother He Tian, I won’t pry about your past, I’ll listen to you about everything, and I promise I won’t go against my sister anymore. But… can you teach me martial arts?” Wang Xinyou hadn’t forgotten her request.
“Martial arts? For a girl?” He Tian had seen too many women who fought and brawled. Instinctively, he didn’t want Wang Xinyou to be that way, too.
“But girls need to know self-defense! Please, Brother He Tian?” Wang Xinyou pleaded, putting on a cute act.
“Fine, but you’ll have to wash my clothes, serve my food, pour my water, massage my back and shoulders when I’m tired… For now, that’s all. Can you do it?” He Tian asked.
“Yes!” Wang Xinyou nodded vigorously.
“No washing machine allowed!” He Tian added, grinning.
“What? Brother He Tian, must I?” Wang Xinyou had never washed clothes by hand before.
“No exceptions! Or the deal’s off!” He Tian was firm.
“Alright, I’ll do it! But you have to teach me for real!” Wang Xinyou finally agreed.
She’d had dreams of being a heroine since childhood…
Now that she finally saw hope, she didn’t want to let the chance slip by.
“Don’t worry,” He Tian said, “I never slack off when teaching someone who wants to learn from me.”
Though He Tian was young, he’d trained more students than he could count—he took this very seriously.
“Brother He Tian, here, have some more meat!” Wang Xinyou enthusiastically placed a big piece in his bowl.
“Good girl!” He Tian replied, sounding like a strict elder.
Wang Xinyou rolled her eyes at him.
“This He Tian… he’s quite a character. Let’s see what he really has to teach me. If he’s not serious, I’ll make sure he regrets it. But… without a washing machine, how am I supposed to wash all those clothes?” Wang Xinyou worried silently.
“Brother He Tian, let’s go buy you some clothes!” Leaving the restaurant, she hopped in front of him.
“I have clothes,” He Tian replied, shaking his head. He had no cash on him, and as for his card, he wasn’t even sure how much money was on it.
“Hah, your taste is way off! You don’t look at all like an ordinary person. How can you blend in if you dress like this? You need a whole new wardrobe—several, actually.” Wang Xinyou eyed him up and down in an exaggerated fashion.
“Really?” He Tian was skeptical; after a day with Wang Xinyou, he’d learned not to take everything she said at face value.
“Of course it’s true! Come on!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
“Hehe, I’m so clever. If I buy him lots of clothes, I won’t have as many to wash by hand myself!” Wang Xinyou thought happily, proud of her own scheme.
“Huang Zhiwen! What are you doing loitering around my car?” As they headed to get the car, Wang Xinyou spotted a group of young men near her vehicle—she knew them at once and marched over.
“I saw your car and figured you must be around! No big deal, just noticed you haven’t been racing lately. What’s up? Did you get scared after losing last time?” Huang Zhiwen, dressed like a typical rich kid, looked down his nose at her.
“Scared? Your grandma here doesn’t know the meaning of fear!” Wang Xinyou replied, hands on her hips, as bold as ever.
“How about another race? The guys all miss you,” Huang Zhiwen smirked.

“You think I’ll race just because you say so? Who do you think you are? Get out of my way, don’t mess up my plans!” Wang Xinyou was still determined to buy He Tian clothes and escape the fate of hand-washing laundry.
“Not scared, but you’re not betting—obviously you’ve run out of money!” Huang Zhiwen mocked.
“I’ve got plenty!” Wang Xinyou was getting angry.
“Then race! With your sister’s fortune, what’s a little loss?” Huang Zhiwen continued to egg her on.
He Tian frowned. This Huang Zhiwen was clearly setting a trap for Wang Xinyou.
“Let me handle this,” He Tian whispered to her.
“I’ll think about it!” Wang Xinyou shouted at Huang Zhiwen, then pulled He Tian aside.
“This time, I’ll fleece her good—can’t let an easy mark go!” Huang Zhiwen’s eyes flashed with calculation.
“What’s going on?” He Tian asked.
“I used to race cars and lost money to them. They think I’m easy pickings and want to scam me again. I don’t mind spending my sister’s money, but I’m not stupid enough to agree to a bet I’ll definitely lose!” Wang Xinyou explained.
“At least you know yourself. So, when you lost money, your sister…” He Tian began.
“How did you know?” Wang Xinyou’s eyes widened in surprise—indeed, she and Wang Xinmeng had a huge argument after her last loss.
“How big was the bet?” He Tian asked.
“What, you want to bet? I can’t beat them on the track!” Wang Xinyou stared at him.
“But you have me, don’t you?” He Tian pointed to himself.
“You can drive?” Wang Xinyou was genuinely surprised.
“A piece of cake!” He Tian said confidently. Drive? That was the least of his abilities.
“Alright, you drive! Beat them! Last time we bet a million. Let’s make it bigger this time!” Wang Xinyou clenched her little fists, excited.
“You trust me that much?” He Tian hadn’t expected her to not only agree to the bet immediately, but also to want to raise the stakes.
“You’re trustworthy. I’m a good judge of character! It’s not like I treat everyone this well!” Wang Xinyou laughed as she ran off.
“Huang Zhiwen, it’s on!” she declared, slapping the car for emphasis.
“Great, see you on the track!” Huang Zhiwen beamed, already counting his winnings in his mind.
“Don’t come crying when you lose!” Wang Xinyou shot back with an audacious gesture.
“Where’s the race?” He Tian asked as he got in the car.
“Up in the southern hills! Don’t worry, it’s an amateur track, not illegal street racing—it’s all managed!” Wang Xinyou could tell what He Tian was most concerned about.
“Oh, you little rascal. Let’s go—tonight, you’ll have some real fun. We’ll win big!” He Tian narrowed his eyes. If Huang Zhiwen wanted to trap Wang Xinyou, He Tian’s style was to turn the tables and trap him instead.
“Let’s go! If we win, it’s yours. If we lose, it’s mine! Onward!” Wang Xinyou cheered in excitement.
The car shot out like an arrow from a bow…