I Picked Up The Satan and Decided To Raise Her - Chapter 3: Danger

“How much do you think your life is worth?”

Those red eyes seemed to shimmer slightly in the dim light, putting a bit of pressure on him.

Hey, lass, come on.

He smiled slightly and said, “Are you trying to silence me? That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

He thought of it as a gesture of embarrassment from the young lady and didn’t take it too seriously. He thought for a moment, then looked at the uneaten pancakes in his hand.

He raised his hand and offered one to her, asking, “Would you like some?”

“…”

She stared straight at him, and he took the opportunity to observe her eyes closely. They were a clear shade of red, not too bright, yet not dull either.

It was a comforting sight.

Red eyes and white hair were not common among humans. They typically occurred in people with albinism, where the lack of pigmentation led to this appearance. However, the girl didn’t seem to exhibit the usual weakness associated with albinism. Her skin was fair but didn’t give off an unhealthy vibe.

She stared at him for a while before eventually reaching out to take the pancake.

Gurgle, gurgle…

Her stomach growled again as she held the pancake. She opened her lips, which had a gentle texture, took a small bite, chewed, and swallowed.

“It’s delicious.”

“…”

As a shop owner and someone who made these pancakes himself, Chen Ming felt an immense sense of joy.

It was the first time someone had praised his pancakes. Most customers tried them once and never ordered them again. He knew that the quality of his pancakes needed improvement.

Swoosh…

Cars passed by occasionally, and the headlights illuminated the silhouettes of the two of them.

She ate daintily but finished quickly. Chen Ming found her way of eating, taking small bites and eating quickly, somewhat cute.

It was amusing how she looked with a mouthful of oil.

He handed her a tissue.

She took it, wiped her mouth, and then disposed of the trash in the nearby bin.

Her gaze focused ahead, as if she were looking into the distance, and she said, “Although it doesn’t seem equivalent, I don’t have a choice. So let’s make the deal.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Chen Ming scratched his head. Sometimes this girl seemed a bit like she was living in a fantasy world, but pretty girls being a bit “chuunibyou” was cute. Besides, he was getting to know her a bit better now.

He blinked and said, “Maybe I should call the police for you? Or perhaps call your family to pick you up?”

“No need.”

“What do you mean by ‘no need’?”

“I don’t have a family.”

“Oh… I see. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head gently and then looked at the traffic light ahead. It had turned red again, and she said, “You can go now.”

“Huh?”

He looked at the red light ahead. Was she implying that he was about to jaywalk again?

This made him feel a bit awkward.

He said, “No, it’s alright. Waiting for a bit won’t take much time. Better to stop for three minutes than to rush for one.”

It was better to maintain a good image in front of a pretty girl. He didn’t want to leave a bad impression.

She cast a sidelong glance at him, sighed softly, and said, “Green means go, red means stop, that’s the general rule. But now… you’d better go on red.”

What did she mean?

Chen Ming felt her words were a bit mysterious. Was there a difference between red and green lights? Shouldn’t you cross the road when it’s green?

She seemed to be unresponsive to his inquiries and shook her head, saying, “Forget it, it’s up to you.”

So they waited for the green light together.

Chen Ming wasn’t particularly talkative, but he found the person next to him quite interesting… Well, her appearance was certainly one aspect of that.

He struck up a conversation, asking, “Where are you from? Are you a local from Qingbei?”

“No, I came from above.”

“Above? Do you mean Qingzhou?”

“No.”

“The provincial capital?”

“Also no.”

What did she mean by “above”? Chen Ming couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Was she trying to avoid his questions?

She didn’t explain further and simply gazed up at the sky.

You could still see some stars in the sky here. This place wasn’t a big city with bright lights that completely obscured the stars.

Chen Ming looked up at the sky too. He’d studied astronomy in college, and he’d even scored a 98 on an exam once. However, he’d forgotten most of it by now. He remembered there was a stargazing app his teacher had recommended they download for their studies, but he had never used it. He relied on memorizing questions from the test bank to pass his exams.

He said, “The brightest star is Venus. It’s also called the Morning Star.”

Chen Ming wasn’t sure if Venus was still the brightest star in the sky, but it should be close enough. He didn’t want to say too much and make a mistake.

“It’s beautiful.”

“…”

The girl remained silent.

Red lights always came to an end, and when the green light finally came, Chen Ming surprisingly felt a bit reluctant to leave.

It wasn’t just because of the girl; he’d been running the shop on his own, and apart from work, he didn’t have much opportunity to chat with anyone. So opening up a bit now felt nice.

But he knew he had to go.

Finally, he asked, “Do you want me to call a friend to pick you up?”

If she didn’t have family, she must have had friends, right? Without family and friends, there wouldn’t be much of a reason to live in this world alone.

She shook her head again.

There was nothing he could do. He said, “Alright, I’ll be on my way then. Goodbye?”

“Okay.”

She nodded and kept her eyes on the green light, her expression becoming somewhat serious.

Chen Ming left, walking slowly along the sidewalk.

Although there was some regret, there wasn’t much more he could do… Should he have asked for her contact information? But that might have come across as too forward.

Well, fate was something you couldn’t force.

He continued walking. Maybe they’d cross paths again in the future. As long as he kept moving forward, the road would stretch on…

Screech!

The roaring engine noise, coupled with the screeching of tires against the road, suddenly rang out.

He turned his head, and at this intersection on a hill, the terrain blocked the view of what was happening on the other side. He could only see two beams of what appeared to be headlights shining into the sky. He was puzzled.

Then, a speeding car soared over the hill.

Boom!

It crashed heavily onto the road, thundering down the slope like a bolt of lightning.

The blinding headlights made it impossible for Chen Ming to keep his eyes open, and he had to use his hand to shield them. His mind hadn’t yet registered what was happening, and the out-of-control car was about to crash right into him!

Danger!