Chapter 8

In the darkness of the night, on the street, a beautiful young woman and a lovely little girl cautiously approached Jin Jingcheng under the hazy streetlights, their shadows on the ground appearing lively and adorable...

The scene was simply breathtaking!

Jin Jingcheng immediately fell in love with this scene and the feeling it brought, a sense of comfort like the summer night breeze. He felt that he would never forget this moment, even years later.

This was just Jin Jingcheng's feeling. The young woman and the little girl, on the other hand, did not share the same sentiment. They were cautious, even a bit nervous, but this did not prevent them from deeply cherishing this moment in the future.

Closer, even closer... In fact, the young woman and the little girl were already quite close to Jin Jingcheng. Because Jin Jingcheng was so immersed in the moment and enjoyed the process of them approaching him, it seemed to take longer than it actually did.

Immersed and enjoying the moment, the young woman and the little girl finally reached Jin Jingcheng.

"Hello, are you Korean?" the little girl asked. It was clear that she was braver than the young woman, who stood behind her, cautiously guarding her as if ready to pull her away if Jin Jingcheng showed any signs of being a bad person.

The little girl asked in English, and Jin Jingcheng replied in Korean with a smile, nodding, "Yes, I am."

The little girl immediately became excited.

Although the young woman did not show obvious excitement, a hint of joy could be seen in her expression.

The little girl spoke in Korean, "Uncle, can you lend us some money? Don't misunderstand, just a little, enough for a taxi ride."

Jin Jingcheng's lips curved into a slight smile at the term "uncle."

He was only twenty years old, but he appeared tall and had a mature and steady demeanor that was uncommon for a young person. His attire, a light silver short-sleeved shirt and black slim-fit dress pants, added to his mature appearance. Many students at prestigious American universities, especially those at the graduate level, wore somewhat formal clothing, even if they did not particularly like it. Jin Jingcheng, however, genuinely enjoyed this style, not because he was conservative, but because he liked the look of a mature man.

Inside, Jin Jingcheng became increasingly puzzled. He wondered why these two young girls had come to New York, appeared on the street at night, and were even asking a stranger for money to take a taxi.

After a moment of thought, Jin Jingcheng had a rough idea of what might be going on. These two girls must have encountered some trouble. If they were not in a desperate situation, they would not have resorted to such a move.

Jin Jingcheng asked, "Can you tell me your names?"

The little girl looked at Jin Jingcheng with caution. The young woman behind her seemed even more wary, subtly tugging at the little girl's sleeve, clearly warning her not to reveal their identities easily.

Jin Jingcheng noticed the young woman's action, which confirmed his suspicion that they were likely the sisters he had in mind.

Although they looked young and innocent, especially the younger sister, who was just a little girl, their mannerisms and personalities matched Jin Jingcheng's memory of the sisters. The older sister was cautious and somewhat timid around strangers, while the younger sister was braver but had even stronger defensive instincts.

Therefore, the little girl would not have revealed her name even without the young woman's warning.

The little girl pouted, a hint of resentment in her voice, "Uncle, we just want to borrow some money for a taxi. Since we're both Korean, you should help us directly. Why are you being so ungenerous? Besides, I'm just a kid, and you're a stranger. How can you casually ask for my name?"

Jin Jingcheng almost couldn't help but laugh, thinking that this little girl was quite unique and somewhat precocious.

Jin Jingcheng became interested and deliberately said, "Are you sure it's a loan? We just met by chance. New York is a big city. If I don't even know your names, how can I find you to return the money? Besides, you might not even live in New York."

The little girl was speechless, thinking that this uncle was too shrewd, almost excessively so. She had no way to argue, as she and her sister were not from New York, and she had no intention of paying the money back.

After a moment of hesitation, the little girl huffed, "Fine, if you won't help, then forget it."

She turned and pulled the young woman to leave.

Seeing this, Jin Jingcheng knew he shouldn't tease the little girl anymore. He called out, "I'm willing to help."

The little girl hadn't really intended to leave. Despite her young age, she was quite perceptive. Although Jin Jingcheng's words had annoyed her, she could tell he was not a bad person.

She quickly turned around, smiled at Jin Jingcheng, and extended her hand, "Then, give us the money."

Jin Jingcheng laughed, feeling that the scene was like being robbed by a little girl.

He took out a hundred dollars and handed it to the little girl, who quickly took it but said, "It might not be enough." She said this with a straight face, as if she were doing something righteous, while the young woman behind her blushed.

Jin Jingcheng didn't hesitate this time and took out another two hundred dollars. However, he was puzzled again, thinking that if a hundred dollars wasn't enough for a taxi, they must have come from a far place. What had happened?

The little girl took the money but only accepted another hundred, "Another hundred dollars will be enough. You keep the rest, Uncle."

Jin Jingcheng found the little girl even more adorable.

After a pause, the little girl and the young woman bowed to Jin Jingcheng together and said, "Thank you."

They were about to leave.

Jin Jingcheng called out again, "Are you just going to leave like this?"

The little girl and the young woman were startled and looked at Jin Jingcheng with caution. The young woman finally spoke, "What do you want?"

Jin Jingcheng's reaction was unexpected. Instead of turning into a villain as they feared, he smiled and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you two must have encountered some trouble tonight. If you trust me, you can tell me what happened. Maybe I can help."

The little girl was about to say, "Why should we trust you?" but held back. She still held the two hundred dollars Jin Jingcheng had given her, which was a sign of his good intentions.

The young woman tugged at the little girl's sleeve again, warning her not to get involved, but the little girl ignored her and looked at Jin Jingcheng carefully, "Are you sure you can help us?"

Jin Jingcheng shook his head honestly, "I'm not sure, but I might be able to help."

If Jin Jingcheng had said he was sure, the little girl might have left. But his honest response won her trust. After a moment of hesitation, she told him about their encounter that night.

The story was surprising.

It turned out that the sisters were on a vacation in New York with their parents, who were visiting a friend. That night, they were supposed to stay at their friend's house, but the older sister suddenly decided to take her younger sister to Manhattan to visit Broadway, calling it a "field trip" because she wanted to be an actress.

So, the sisters sneaked out, took a taxi to Manhattan, and watched a musical at a theater. After the show, the older sister had another idea: to go to a bar for her first drink. The younger sister, who was brave, followed her.

However, their adventure turned into a nightmare. As soon as they entered the bar, two thugs noticed them, probably attracted by the older sister. The thugs sat at their table and tried to touch the older sister. The other patrons found it amusing and did nothing to help.

Panicked, the sisters quickly fled the bar, leaving behind a small backpack with their money and belongings.

They didn't dare to return to the bar, but their parents' friend's house was far away, and it would take over an hour by taxi. Walking was out of the question for the two young girls.

When Jin Jingcheng saw them, they were standing by a phone booth, trying to find someone to help them call their parents for a ride.

But when they met Jin Jingcheng and learned he was Korean, the younger sister had a bright idea and asked him for money for a taxi. They didn't want their parents to know they had snuck out, especially since they had been to a bar and had a bad experience. If their parents found out, they would face severe punishment.

After hearing the little girl's story, Jin Jingcheng found it amusing. The sisters were as mischievous as he remembered, and the older sister, though timid, had a lot of ideas.

The little girl looked at Jin Jingcheng with hopeful eyes, "Can you help us get revenge?"

Her willingness to share the story showed her frustration. She was a bit proud and stubborn.

"Revenge? Is it really necessary to go that far?" Jin Jingcheng asked, though he already had a plan in mind.

The little girl said, "Of course, those thugs were terrible."

Jin Jingcheng nodded, "Which bar did you go to? Can you take me there now?"

"Sure, Uncle, you're great. I didn't expect you to really help us," the little girl said excitedly.

The older sister, however, was uneasy, fearing Jin Jingcheng's intentions. She was about to stop her sister, but the little girl took Jin Jingcheng's hand and led him to the bar.

The older sister had no choice but to follow, though she was also curious about what Jin Jingcheng would do next.