After lowering her head and dragging her skateboard out of the shop, she quickly turned back and slapped the counter twice.

"What's wrong?" Jason Thompson leaned over the counter, tugged at her hat, then glanced at Eric Bennett. "You really knitted her a green hat..."

"She picked the color herself," Eric Bennett put away the electric clippers and looked at Ashley Bennett. "What's up?"

Ashley Bennett pointed outside the door.

"Is there a dog?" Eric Bennett kicked the chair aside, walked to the shop entrance, and lifted the curtain.

The rich guy who bought a bottle of water, drank half, and tossed the rest was lying on the sidewalk outside the door.

Face embracing the earth.

"Hey," Eric Bennett walked out and gently nudged his leg with his toe, not even knowing the guy's name. "Are you okay?"

The rich guy didn't move. He bent down to look at the guy's face pressed against the ground and saw that his nose was squashed flat by the pavement. He carefully lifted the guy's head and tilted it so he could breathe properly, then turned back and shouted into the shop, "Hey! Someone's passed out here."

Jason Thompson was the first to come out. He froze at the scene: "Was he stabbed?"

"You stabbed him, right," Eric Bennett felt the burning heat on the guy's face, "he's got a fever."

"Can a fever really knock you out?" Jason Thompson was a bit surprised and turned to look at the others who had followed him out. "What do we do? Call 120?"

"Just leave him," Ryan Clark looked around, "if one of those nosy aunties calls the police, they'll definitely say we did it. I just got out yesterday..."

"Drag him inside," Eric Bennett said.

"Drag him in... You know him, right?" Ryan Clark asked.

"Just drag him in. Even if we don't know him, Da Fei just touched him," Jason Thompson said. "If some auntie really calls the cops, you think they won't come ask you?"

"It's just a fever, you guys should be writing scripts, not wasting your parents' money," Eric Bennett flipped the guy over. "Hurry up."

A few of them came over, carried the guy into the shop, and tossed him into the small room where Eric Bennett usually rested.

"I've never even properly slept in this bed," after everyone left, Jason Thompson clicked his tongue. "Where did this weakling come from to enjoy it?"

"If you go outside and fall flat on your face, I'll bring you in and put you on the bed right away," Eric Bennett said.

"Shameless," Jason Thompson replied.

"You're the most shameless," Eric Bennett gave him a shove. "Get out."

"Hey," Jason Thompson stood his ground, then turned his head and said quietly, "People say they're not your friend?"

"Yeah," Eric Bennett pushed him a bit harder, making him stumble, then closed the door. "He was the one who found Er Miao yesterday."

"He found Er Miao?" Jason Thompson was surprised. "That's quite a coincidence."

Eric Bennett ignored him, sat down behind the counter, took out his phone, and started playing a game.

"He's pretty good-looking," Jason Thompson leaned over the counter and spoke in a low voice.

Eric Bennett glanced at him, and he turned away without saying anything else.

Ashley Bennett walked over, opened her hand in front of Eric Bennett, and curled her finger.

"Eat up. Look how much weight you've gained these past two months, no one wants to play with you anymore," Eric Bennett took ten yuan out of his wallet and put it in her hand. "Your face is perfectly round now."

Ashley Bennett ignored him, put the money in her pocket, patted it, then dragged her skateboard out.

"With that shaved head, no one would play with her whether she's fat or not," Jason Thompson sighed.

"Even without the shaved head, no one would play with her," Eric Bennett kept playing his game. "She's never had friends since she was little. Who wants to play with a mute?"

"Don't say that," Ryan Clark chimed in from the side. "She's not really mute, she just doesn't talk. What's the big deal?"

"How's she going to manage in the future if this keeps up," Jason Thompson sighed again. "It's fine while she's in school, but if she doesn't want to go, she just won't. And this thing where she only talks to Da Fei..."

"This world would probably be doomed without you worrying about it," Eric Bennett cut him off. "Write a report and apply for a peace prize."

"Damn," Jason Thompson slapped the table, walked over to Ryan Clark, and pulled up a chair to sit down.

The shop fell silent. Ryan Clark and the others sitting by the radiator looked dazed and half-asleep. It was a bit scary—faces drooping, and three people who came in to buy things took one look after lifting the curtain and immediately turned around and left.

"You guys," Eric Bennett knocked on the table, "let's go."

"Go where?" Jason Thompson asked.

"Out to mess around," Eric Bennett said.

"I don't want to go out," Ryan Clark stretched. "It's freezing and there's nowhere to go anyway."

"You're scaring off all the customers," Eric Bennett lit a cigarette and bit down on it.

"If anyone comes in, we'll grab them for you," Ryan Clark laughed and clapped his hands. "Promise not a single one will get away."

"Get lost," Eric Bennett said, "you're annoying."

"Fine, fine, fine," Ryan Clark clicked his tongue, stood up, and kicked a few chairs. "Your Lord Gu is having another fit, he'll chop us up with a knife in a minute."

None of them really wanted to move, but they all got up anyway, grumbling as they put on their coats and headed out.

Jason Thompson was the last to leave. As he was about to go out, he turned back and said, "There's still one inside, aren't you going to kick him out?"

Eric Bennett didn't say anything, just looked at him.