Chapter 1245 - 1245: Finding a Meal

"How is it? Are you done seeing your sister?"

"Hurry up and come out, the half hour is up now."

After all, this whole thing was ordered from above, so even if they brought Xiao Chen to see his sister, it still had to be within a set time. Otherwise, if this got exposed, he'd be the one in trouble.

Right now Xiao Chen didn't dare resist anyone, so he answered perfunctorily, then said, "Big Bro, I'll come out right away, just wait for me a bit."

After he finished speaking, he touched his sister's hand again, then tucked it back under the quilt. "Sis, I'm leaving first. I'll come see you again in a couple of days."

He walked out softly, then locked the door.

The thug who had helped him walk over at the start spoke to him again.

"Your injuries haven't healed yet, let me help you walk back in."

Xiao Chen took one look at him and could see right away that compared to the other thugs, this guy was much better mannered.

He glanced at the other's eyes; those eyes were still fairly pure. He was probably new to hanging around these old street punks and hadn't been with them long.

So he didn't look completely contaminated yet. But since he'd already become a thug, he definitely wasn't any kind of good person. At the very least, he'd done his share of petty thefts and cons, so Xiao Chen wasn't about to get close to people like that.

But on the surface he still put on a very grateful expression and said, "Then thank you, Big Bro. Walk me back."

"I'll definitely thank you properly later."

No matter how good this guy in front of him tried to be to him, in Xiao Chen's eyes they were all the same bunch of disgusting bastards who had kidnapped his sister.

When he lay back down on the bed, all he could think about was how to make sure every one of these people got the punishment they deserved. After the other thugs around him left again to go eat,

the one who had been helping him just now was still staying by his side. At first he was there to keep watch on him, but suddenly he started talking to him.

"Actually, from the beginning I knew you didn't really want to be our little brother, and you don't really see us as your big bros."

Once he said that, Xiao Chen's mind, lying on the bed, instantly went blank.

He hadn't expected this guy to already see through him, to see that he'd never sincerely wanted to curry favor with them.

He'd been deliberately trying to make them let their guard down. But Xiao Chen wasn't going to admit that.

With a very panicked look, he said to the guy, "Big Bro, how can you say that, is it because I didn't lick your shoes clean enough just now?"

"If that's the case, I can help you wash your shoes again."

The other shook his head, sighed a little, and said to him, "Bro, I know things are really hard for you. You and your sister, the two of you really are siblings in hardship. But you don't have to put on an act in front of me. I'm not like them, trying to keep you under their heel."

"I just wanted to find a way to eat. They told me if I stuck with them, I'd have food. I ran away from school back in my hometown, didn't have a cent on me, and I didn't even know what they did."

"They told me they didn't do anything illegal, so I just kept following them."

"But what they've done to you these past two days, I've seen it all."

"Before, I couldn't stop it. Now I still can't. All I can say is I won't treat you the way they do."

Maybe because what this guy in front of him said sounded a bit sincere, Xiao Chen fell silent, not sure if he should believe him or not.

But he seemed to see a shadow of himself on the guy's face, a shadow that was very genuine and kind. Wasn't that just himself, once upon a time?

This guy looked exactly like the him who'd been threatened by Zhang Kaitian back then—only because of his sister had he gone down the wrong path.

If it hadn't been for his sister, maybe he wouldn't have done so many bad things now.

But this young man in front of him wasn't the same as him.

He himself no longer had any way back. He knew the things he'd done were already crimes, and once he got out he'd definitely have to bear the consequences. But this guy still had a chance, so Xiao Chen thought about saving him.

"Alright, since you've already seen through what I'm thinking, then I can only say it straight. I really am pretending to curry favor with you guys, then I'll find a way to escape. I'm going to take my sister and leave this place, and I will never believe a single word Zhang Kaitian says again."

It was all because Zhang Kaitian had lied to him over and over that now Xiao Chen had completely lost any trust in that guy. Even if Zhang Kaitian waved a million in his face,

he'd probably just sneer and ask him what other schemes and motives he had.

But his honesty scared the young thug in front of him a bit. "But if you leave, then the rest of us brothers are going to suffer. I finally managed to follow them and get a bite to eat. If I let you go, won't they beat me into the hospital too?"

You could tell he was genuinely worried for himself from the way he said it.

Hearing that, Zhang Kaitian had no choice but to try to explain and comfort him. "It's fine. If you're willing to come with me then, I'll take you out with me. You haven't done anything truly evil anyway, haven't killed anyone or set any fires."

"Once you're out there, you'll have every chance to find a way to eat. If you did those evil things like they did to me, would you really feel no guilt in your heart?"

The guy shook his head. He was, after all, still an honest kid, so Xiao Chen's heart softened a bit. He decided to take him out with him.

"Alright then, just do what I say. Don't let any of the other thugs know about this, and I promise when I leave I'll take you with me…"

"Maybe I really will be able to get some money to help you solve the things you're worried about. Then go find a proper job somewhere."

Xiao Chen had basically already foreseen his own future. There were only a few possibilities.

One was that after getting out he would take his sister and hide everywhere. Another was that once he got out he'd choose to confess everything and let Lin Feng protect his sister.

He himself would face the punishment he ought to face, but he believed this time he'd choose the second option, as long as it was better for his sister.

And as long as he didn't have to keep doing evil, what did his own punishment matter?

He'd already done so many bad things anyway.

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