I Picked Up The Satan and Decided To Raise Her - Chapter 5: Aren't You A Devil?

“Wait!”

She heard his voice, turned around, and watched him run over with red eyes.

He stopped before her, slightly out of breath. The events of tonight were more than a lifetime’s worth of extraordinary happenings, and he was tired.

She tilted her head, asking—

“What is it?”

“Um…”

He suddenly found himself at a loss for words; he had so many questions, but he didn’t know if he should ask them, or which one to ask first.

He looked into her eyes, clear red but with an otherworldly quality after what had just transpired.

She spoke first.

“The transaction is over.”

“Over?” He felt a twinge of disappointment, quickly followed by indignation. Frowning, he said, “You didn’t explain it properly.”

“What do you mean?” She didn’t understand; the man before her seemed upset, when he should have been celebrating his escape from certain death.

He clicked his tongue. “You only asked how much my life was worth, but you never said that was part of a transaction. You’re trying to commit fraud.”

She remained silent.

She remained expressionless. Even if this could be considered fraud, she had only acquired a single pancake, while the man across from her had his life saved.

Wasn’t it a fair trade?

Frowning, she asked, “And what do you want?”

The pancake had already been eaten, and it wasn’t like she could regurgitate it. If he wanted compensation, she currently had no money, but if she hadn’t been in dire straits, no one would have cared about a measly pancake.

The hand beside her clenched into a fist. Should she teach this guy a lesson…?

Unaware of her slowly darkening expression, he slapped his chest and said, “I demand compensation!”

“Ah, such an avaricious human…”

“My life is worth more than one pancake, so I demand compensation. It can’t be settled with just giving you one pancake; I’d be giving you more… What are you doing?”

Chen Ming finished speaking with his head held high, only to see the woman across from him bend the nearby handrail with a single strike, letting out a loud thunk…

“… Huh?”

She had merely made a threatening gesture, intending to show him that he shouldn’t push things too far, but unexpectedly, he seemed to be suggesting that she should charge more, worried that she might be at a disadvantage?

She felt a little awkward.

Chen Ming stared at the bent metal handrail, sweat dripping down his forehead.

Women are the hardest to deal with, he thought. When he had conflicts with other men, they would settle it with a fight, and then be friendly after. But women were the most troublesome; they could bend metal pipes with a single strike.

At least those big shots on the internet needed to be angry first and use all of their effort to do something like this, but this girl had done it without any effort.

Flustered, she withdrew her hand and said, “You’re… such a strange person.”

Normally, anyone who got an easy deal would take it; who would voluntarily offer to pay more?

He glanced at the bent handle once more and said, “You’re pretty strange yourself.”

This girl’s full of mystery, she’s a slender girl yet has such strength, and she had even saved his life by anticipating danger.

She shook her head and said, “I don’t need you to add more compensation. I wasn’t dissatisfied with the deal from the start; circumstances are just different now.”

Things were certainly different when she was down on her luck. From her perspective, helping someone out with a simple transaction wasn’t difficult.

She continued, “Although I said it wasn’t equitable, in reality, it’s not really that big of a deal. Both parties agreeing is enough.”

“But I don’t agree.”

In contrast, Chen Ming’s opinion was firm.

She didn’t know what to say; was this guy missing a screw or something? To her, it made sense to quietly enjoy the benefit.

“I’m not going to admit that my life is only worth a piece of flatbread! I’m going to…”

“To?”

“Uh… make lots and lots of flatbread… That’s not important. Anyway, you can’t just leave with this little bit.”

Chen Ming felt that if he let her leave, he might never see her again, and he wouldn’t be able to thank her properly afterward.

She looked into his black eyes, and he looked back at her, his gaze unwavering.

He seemed serious.

She shook her head helplessly and held out her hand. “All right, then how much do you want to give?”

“Ah…umm…”

Chen Ming patted his pocket. He had no cash on hand, and nowadays everyone used mobile payment apps, so who carried cash anymore? Surely not her.

“Can I pay with my phone?”

She rolled her eyes. This guy was truly… peculiar…

Chen Ming scratched his head, a little flustered. Truth be told, he couldn’t make the payment even if he wanted to, as his phone had been destroyed earlier.

“That… Why don’t you come to my place? I’ll think of something… oh.”

He realized as soon as the words left his mouth that it might not have been the best choice. It was the middle of the night; what intentions did a strange man have when inviting a pretty girl over?

Well, the girl could bend a metal pipe with her bare hands, so she’s probably not in any danger.

She glanced at the situation, then looked back at him and said, “I already said it, but you really are strange.”

“How so?”

“You must have realized by now that I’m not an average person. Aren’t you scared?”

“To be honest… a little…”

Chen Ming forced a smile. He had always been someone who feared trouble, yet here he was, throwing himself at it… Was it because she was attractive? Did her looks add points to her favor, making him feel like there was nothing to fear?

How stupid. Lust brings a blade upon one’s head.

She sighed. Since he wasn’t going to give up, she might as well just go along with it. “Okay, let’s go.”

She had nowhere else to be, anyway.

Smiling, he said, “Let’s go this way.”

He led her back to his place, and during the trip, he took the time to ask about his previous suspicions. Like a curious child, he asked, “How did you know I would get into an accident? Do you have supernatural powers?”

“No, I just saw the scavenger staring at you.”

“What’s that?”

Chen Ming felt a chill; he hoped it wasn’t something unclean.

“It’s a creature that feeds on death,” she explained.

“Did he try to kill me?”

“No, a scavenger only waits for death to come and then absorbs the dispersed remnants of fate.”

Seeing the baffled look on his face, she added, “It’s basically a carrion-eating vulture.”

“Ah, I get it now.”

So, it ate dead bodies—it wouldn’t actually harm anyone, right? At most it would refuse to help someone in danger, since it relied on this for sustenance…

To Chen Ming, refusing to help someone in need was morally reprehensible. If he had the ability, he would help; if not, he could only wish them luck.

Wait, he suddenly thought of a serious problem. He looked at her and asked, “Oh, right, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Chen Ming.”

“Mm, Chen Ming… A strange person.” She nodded, having already marked in her mind that he was a peculiar fellow.

Chen Ming blinked and asked, “Then what about you?”

“Me?”

They walked over to the bridge, and she placed her hand on the stone railing.

The night breeze gently blew through her white hair, and her red eyes turned to look at him. The bright morning star shone in the sky, lending her a surreal air.

Her voice drifted to him.

“Others call me… Lucifer.”

He stared at her blankly and said, “Aren’t you the devil?”

But she looked like an angel.