Due to the scars, Zhuo Ru's right eye was very difficult to look at when it opened into a triangular shape, and her tearful appearance not only didn't evoke sympathy but even inspired fear and disgust. However, as soon as you saw her beautiful left eye well up with tears, even a heart of stone would melt. Bai Shaofeng's emotions were just that complicated - on the one hand, he felt she was so ugly it was unbearable to look at her again, while on the other hand, he thought she was pitiful enough to soften his heart even further. At this moment, he heard Zhuo Ru's voice: "Xiao Bai, is that you? Am I really very ugly?"

  "Zhuang Jie, I know your face is injured. Don't be so sad, with the advancement of medical technology, plastic surgery can definitely fix it." Despite the complex feelings in his heart, Bai Shaofeng's expression remained unchanged, his tone was very gentle and his eyes neither flickered nor evaded. Since he could understand Zhuang Ru's emotions at this moment, he also knew what words could shift her attention.

  As expected, Xiaobai felt Zhuang Ru's emotions change from sorrowful despair to deep regret and expectation. She said weakly: "Plastic surgery? I asked the doctor, it's too difficult! And it's also impossible to restore my original appearance. I can't afford that kind of money, and even if Zhuang is willing to pay, he won't be able to cover such a huge expense. Even if he could give me part of it, I would still need to pay the rest in advance."

  Zhuang Ru mentioned money, and Xiao Bai suddenly remembered something that was discussed by colleagues at Zhuang's workplace a few months ago. Zhuang Ru had hooked up with Yan Xiangli, who was also a key business backbone in an important department, and had a considerable income from both overt and covert sources, as well as benefits from Yan Xiangli. Half a year ago, she bought a large apartment in a high-end community in Wuyi City, which everyone knew about because she had taken out a mortgage loan from the Wan Guo Mo Tong Bank where Zhuang worked. Zhuang Ru paid half of the down payment at once, and the remaining mortgage was over 2,800 yuan per month. She might have some savings, but after paying the down payment and decorating the house, it's estimated that she spent almost all of it. After all, she was a single woman under thirty years old, and it was impossible for her to have saved money for too long.

  Zhuang Ru thought that her future income would be stable, and she could afford to buy a house with ease. But unexpectedly, something went terribly wrong. She was laid off during the internal restructuring of Qian Zhuang, and Yan Xiangli also left. Her beautiful face was ruined. The basic salary of 1,200 yuan per month was barely enough to make ends meet, and it was impossible to continue paying the current mortgage in the long run. Why did Xiao Bai think of this? Because he used to work at Qian Zhuang too, and the deadline for paying the housing loan was always the 25th of every month. Today was already September 24th. Zhuang Ru must have come to withdraw money under the cover of night when there were fewer people around, only to find that her card was almost out of money.

  Bai Shaoliu: "Zhuang Jie, get up quickly and don't sit on the ground to talk. ... Are you here to collect money? Is it tomorrow that the house payment is due? ... Actually, you can sell your current house and exchange it for a smaller one, so you'll have some money." He helped Zhuang Ru up while carefully speaking, sensing that Zhuang Ru was very interested in this topic, and her mood also slightly alleviated from desperation.

  Zhuang Ru: "How did you know?"

  Bai Shaoliu: "Don't forget I used to work in a bank too."

  Zhuang Ru: "I've asked, even if I sell my house it's not enough. This kind of surgery can't be done in Zhigu country, I can only try going to Luoba or Shanmo country, and the outcome is also uncertain."

  "Don't worry too much, there will always be a way. Wasn't the money you withdrew earlier not enough? I have some here that should cover this month's expenses for you, take it and pay off your housing loan first. Whether or not to sell the house, you should handle it yourself. If the bank takes it back and auctions it off, it won't be worth it."

  Zhuang Ru's voice was a little choked: "Xiao Bai, you're really a good person... For such a long time, only you still see me as the same as before, not even a bit changed. No, you're even better to people than before. But this money..."

  Zhuang Ru spoke in his ear, and Xiao Bai asked himself in his heart. Does he still see Zhuang Ru as the same as before? Absolutely not! He was so scared that he almost cried out just now, and there is still a feeling of horror and disgust in his heart - seeing her half face. But Xiao Bai has been holding back his gaze without wavering or blinking, and his eyebrows haven't furrowed once. In his experience, when encountering things that are difficult for the senses to bear, he first thinks about adapting to them.

  For example, when they were young, their village would dry salted fish every year. The fish caught from the river had a special place for salting, and people in the city thought the salted fish tasted good, but the place where the salted fish was made smelled terrible. If you stayed there, you had to endure it, and there were only two possible outcomes: either you couldn't stand it anymore, or you got used to it over time. Bai Shaofeng didn't avoid Zhu Ruo's face, and in his subconscious mind, he also thought that although she was ugly, once you got used to her, you would adapt.

  At the same time, he also felt a sense of surprise. It seemed that Feng Junzi's words were right, not everyone could directly perceive others' thoughts. If Zhuang Ru knew her true emotions in her heart, she might not have reacted like this now. He also remembered the divination that Feng Junzi had done for him, saying that the three thousand yuan in his pocket would not last till tonight, and it really came true! That person was simply a golden crow's mouth!

  Bai Shaofeng supported Zhuang Ruo and walked slowly along the road, going to Zhuang Ruo's home without taking a car, just one stop away from her residential area. He thought about his worries while walking and interrupted Zhuang Ruo's words, saying: "Zhuang sister, don't be polite with me, this three thousand yuan is also an unexpected fortune for me tonight, you take it now if you need it more than I do. Not having a place to live won't work, you and I are different, even if I'm just a single man who can sleep in the park."

  "Brother, stop! Don't shout or move around, otherwise the thing in my hand won't listen. Sorry, life is tough, I'm borrowing some money from you two!" Xiao Bai supported Zhuang Ru as they walked to the corner of the street and turned into the shade of a large tree, when suddenly a sturdy man jumped out in front of them, holding a cow ear knife that shone with a cold light. How unlucky! Having fallen to this point, they still encountered a robbery on the way, he had no choice but to stop and support Zhuang Ru.

  The robber held a knife to Xiaobai's chest, then turned his gaze to the woman standing beside Xiaobai, who looked like she had lost her soul. From his angle, he only saw Zhuang Ru's slender and delicate figure, as well as half of her face on the left side - what a beautiful woman! He suddenly felt a surge of heat in his body, and a wicked thought rose to his mind - it seemed that today he would not only rob their wealth but also take advantage of this beauty. A woman like this was worth robbing. This all happened in an instant, and Zhuang Ru heard the noise and came back to her senses, looking over just as the wind blew her hair away from her right face.

  That man was originally half-opening his mouth, almost drooling, with a vicious and lustful gaze. In an instant, he suddenly changed. His expression turned terrified, as if he had seen a malevolent spirit. He opened his mouth wide and let out a sharp cry, but it was abruptly cut off because Xiaobai stretched out his left hand and chopped at the man's Adam's apple, forcing the cry back down. Immediately after that, the robber felt his own hand loosen its grip, and the cow-ear knife had switched to the other young man's hand. Then, the icy blade was pressed against his own neck.

  Xiao Bai has already made his second move tonight, just to prevent him from making that loud cry. How did he get that sharp knife? Xiao Bai had never learned the technique of empty-handed knife snatch, so he used the simplest and most stupid method - he pried open the other person's five fingers one by one, then took the knife into his own hand. He used his left hand, and his movements were too fast, so fast that the other person didn't even have time to react, his wrist only slightly shrunk and the knife was already out of his hand.

  "Don't shout or move, otherwise the thing in my hand won't listen. Sorry, life is tough, I'm borrowing some money from you!" Xiaobai said almost the same words as the person just now, but this time he changed to holding a knife against the other's neck.

  That poor knife-wielding robber couldn't believe his eyes for a moment, he never thought that in the middle of the night he would see such a woman, and even more unbelievable was that his knife had ended up in her hands. He wanted to say something but his throat was dry and his teeth were chattering so much that he couldn't get any words out. His legs felt weak and with shaking hands he pulled all the money from his pocket, including loose change.