Chapter Twenty-Three: Local Specialty

If she still refuses to pay back the money... Yan Xue frowned and thought it over. That possibility did exist. If the other side had not meant to default from the start, then she would not have been playing hot potato like this. So how could she possibly be so quick to repay once Lu Xiaodong had sorted out the logic behind it? "The money your brother gave you should be enough for a while, right? If it really comes to it, once we finish being busy with our current case, I'll help you. Then I'll say you owe me money and that I am your creditor. By her logic, that would make it perfectly justified for me to collect the debt on your behalf. We'll try our best to get that money back. We can't let her get away with not paying."

"Really? Oh my! That would be wonderful!" On hearing this, Lu Xiaodong sprang up at once, nearly throwing herself at Yan Xue. "Sister, you're so good to me! You're more than a real sister to me!"

"Not happening." Before Lu Xiaodong could finish being happy, Kang Ge directly rejected Yan Xue's suggestion. "You were the one who chose to lend the money to your classmate in the first place. Then you go and ask for it back yourself. Otherwise, if Yan Xue steps in for you this time, what about next time? Are you planning to keep tying Yan Xue and yourself together in the future, making her your personal bodyguard and having her handle every problem you can't solve on your own?"

"But... Sister Yan Xue has presence! I'm just afraid I won't get the money back!" Lu Xiaodong knew her brother's temper and understood that once Kang Ge spoke in such a firm tone, there was basically no room left for negotiation. So she no longer dared to ask Yan Xue for help. She could only put on a pitiful expression and mutter to herself.

"If you can't get it back, just treat it as tuition. If it teaches you a lesson, then it will have been worth it."

"All right, all right, I get it!" Afraid of being scolded by Kang Ge, Lu Xiaodong hurriedly changed the subject. "Oh right, Brother, Sister He Pei called me yesterday. She said she brought back some local snacks from City Y and wanted to bring them over for Mom to taste when everyone had time, so she asked me when you'd be free to come back. She said it would be best if the timing worked out."

From Lu Xiaodong's tone, the person she called Sister He Pei seemed to be a very familiar friend. Yet Kang Ge's reaction was faint, with no particular emotion in it.

"Then tell her to keep them and eat them herself. Don't bring them to our house. Mom doesn't like snacks from City Y." As he spoke, he reached out and patted Lu Xiaodong on the head. "Keep working hard and see how long it takes before the money I transfer to you gets cheated away!"

"Hey! Brother! That won't happen! I've learned my lesson!" Lu Xiaodong was so angry she stamped her feet, impatiently pushing Kang Ge toward the car. "Go on, go on! Hurry up and leave! You're so busy with work, don't stay here lecturing me! Sister Yan Xue, we'll contact each other privately later and discuss the kinds of topics girls talk about!"

After saying that, she shoved Kang Ge forward, turned, and ran toward the side entrance of the school. After running a short distance, she stopped again, seeming somewhat hesitant. In the end, she turned back and waved at Kang Ge with a mysterious gesture, signaling him to come over.

Kang Ge looked at Yan Xue, spread his hands, and gave a helpless yet slightly indulgent smile before walking over to Lu Xiaodong.

Lu Xiaodong pulled Kang Ge down a little so that her mouth would be close enough to his ear, then asked in a mysterious whisper, "Brother, I just thought of something. Why do I feel like something's off? The two of you don't look like ordinary coworkers at all. I used to come to your office to look for you, and I saw how you dealt with other women before. I can't quite say what's different, but anyway, it just doesn't feel the same...

"So tell me the truth and give me the full story. I promise I won't betray you, and I definitely won't sneak around and tell Mom! This Sister Yan Xue... is she your partner, or... is she my sister-in-law?"

"That? For now, she's my partner. I'm still working on it." Kang Ge and his younger sister had communicated smoothly since childhood, so he did not deliberately hide it from her and frankly admitted the truth.

"Wow! For real?" Lu Xiaodong had only asked on a whim, but she had actually pried loose such a huge piece of gossip. Her eyes widened in excitement. She covered her mouth and barely managed to keep herself from bouncing in place.

But she quickly realized something, and her excitement dropped at once. "My gosh! I didn't even react just now! If I had kept talking to you about Sister He Pei bringing food and all that right in front of her...

"I'm done for, Brother. Did I just cause trouble for you? Will Sister Yan Xue be unhappy? I know this for a fact: my girlfriends all hate it when their boyfriends have those childhood female friends, the ones they grew up with, their sweethearts from childhood. They're really sensitive about that!"

"It's fine. Just an acquaintance. Where did this childhood sweetheart even come from? Would every elementary school classmate or middle school classmate of yours count as a childhood sweetheart?" Kang Ge smiled indifferently. "It's nothing."

"All right, then. You're sure? If Sister Yan Xue asks you about it later, just tell her the truth. If she doesn't believe you, I'll be your witness!" Lu Xiaodong pounded her chest with great loyalty.

Kang Ge was amused by her and tapped her on the forehead. "Have a little faith in your brother! I'm not so lacking in credibility that low. You called me over all mysteriously just to say this? Then you're reassured now, right? Go back."

"Wait, Brother, one more question!" Lu Xiaodong smiled awkwardly, somewhat out of breath. "Earlier, you already thought I was lying about having overspent my allowance, so why did you still transfer the money to me so readily?"

"You really are a silly girl. Once you get fixated on something, you never let go." Kang Ge sighed. "You're my little sister. I've watched you grow up. Knowing your character, I know you wouldn't do anything outrageous. No matter what, I had to make sure you wouldn't go hungry."

"Brother! You're so good to me! Just how many good deeds did I do in my past life to end up with such a handsome, smart, kind, and sister-loving older brother in this one!" Lu Xiaodong said excitedly, hurriedly pledging her loyalty. "Whenever you need me again, just tell me!"

"I hope that day never comes. If I can't solve a problem with my own head and still have to count on you, you silly girl, then my life would truly be hopeless." Kang Ge teased her once more, then waved and turned back.

The two got into the car and prepared to head back. While fastening her seat belt, Yan Xue said to Kang Ge, "Your sister really is quite adorable. How should I put it? At a glance, you can tell she's the kind of girl who's been very well protected by her family, someone who has grown up carefree."

"But if I offered to help her get the money back, why did you stop me? You can see how anxious she is over this, and it's not even a difficult matter. I could easily help with something like that."

"I know you can help, but I can't let you." Kang Ge fastened his own seat belt as well. He did not start the car right away, but turned to look at Yan Xue and said to her very seriously, "First, from your own perspective, you really need to change this habit of taking on everything because you're capable. After all, you don't live inside a magic lamp. How can you treat yourself like some sort of guardian deity, always answering every request the moment something comes up on your side?"

He paused and let out a sigh. "I don't know if it's out of line for me to say this, but do you really think you're helping the people around you by doing this? The more you step in and block things for others, the fewer chances they have to face the pressure and difficulties they were supposed to bear themselves. Over time, the strong grow exhausted, and the weak become weaker still."

Yan Xue was stunned. She was used to seeing Kang Ge joking around all the time and had never heard him lecture her so earnestly before. Yet his words were direct and hit their mark, piercing straight into the deepest source of her helplessness. In an instant, she understood that Kang Ge was talking about her wanting to step in for Lu Xiaodong just now, but also about more than that.

"I used to think that in other people's eyes, I was like a female warrior. I never imagined you would actually notice that I'm tired." Yan Xue forced down the complicated feelings that had risen in her heart and gave a helpless, bitter smile. "Your eyes are truly sharp."

"Strong things break easily; yielding things bend more readily. Everything has to be measured. It's not just about finding a balance between tension and relaxation, but also between strength and softness, straightness and flexibility." Kang Ge sighed softly. "Do you remember I told you that I think you're a lot like the person I used to be? That's why you have to find a measure that suits you, one that can solve problems without dragging yourself down with them."

"Mm, I understand what you mean. I'll think carefully about how I should adjust." Yan Xue found Kang Ge's heartfelt advice very useful. She knew very well that in the next few days, by habit, she would inevitably receive another call from her parents. She could already predict what that call would be about. She had already been feeling a little irritable, and after seeing the interaction between Kang Ge and Lu Xiaodong just now, her mood had become even more complicated.

Kang Ge was right. This was not simply a question of whether a girl should be so sharp and outspoken. The real issue was that she had indeed taken on far too much herself, believing she was protecting others, when in fact she had overlooked where the problem truly lay.

After returning to the bureau, Kang Ge handed the photos provided by Lu Xiaodong to Qi Tianhua, asking him and Luo Wei to figure out the identity of the person in question. He and Yan Xue then used the short-term rental platform to search for the gloomy tenant whom Li Jialong had photographed.

By contacting the platform, Kang Ge and Yan Xue obtained, without much trouble, a list of the tenants who had once rented the house that Lin Zhen's family had lived in. Fortunately, the platform's management was fairly proper, and tenants had already entered their identity information when registering, which saved a great deal of time in confirming identities one by one.