“This can fall out too?”

The boy muttered as he picked up the camera bag, unzipped it, took out the latest compact mirrorless camera from brand C, skillfully flipped open the folding screen, pressed the power button—all in one smooth motion.

If he said it was his own camera, even Laura Bennett almost believed him.

While the boy was fiddling with the exposure settings, Laura Bennett walked up behind him, hesitated, and then reached out to gently pat him.

“!!!”

It was as if he’d accidentally hit some kind of crazy switch.

The guy suddenly jumped to the side, lost his grip, and the camera fell with a loud smack.

This time there was no protection; it landed with a crisp thud—definitely done for.

“……”

He picked up the camera, looked up with displeasure, and said, “Patting people from behind—are you nuts?”

Laura Bennett was even more annoyed. “Check if the camera’s broken.”

The boy wiped the lens with his sleeve, tried to turn it on again, but found the power button had sunk in, the casing around it was cracked, and a corner of the screen was shattered.

He took a breath, and his words came out in a rush, “I mean—this camera was just in my hands, my creative passion was burning, I was raking in fifty thousand coins a day and still couldn’t stop, and now you sneak-attacked me from behind and broke it?”

Didn’t notice before, but turns out he’s a real talker.

Impressive.

But Laura Bennett couldn’t keep up with the rapid-fire speech, only catching the first few words—“just got it”—and some scattered keywords at the end, like “fifty thousand coins.”

He thought for a moment. Maybe the guy took his camera on purpose, maybe it was an accident, but judging by his words, he was probably a thief.

Looks lively and expressive, but actually a good-looking crook.

The guy frowned even deeper. “The camera’s toast, aren’t you going to say something? I’m in a hurry, don’t have time to argue with you. Brand new retail price is 3,999. WeChat or Alipay? You scan me or I scan you?”

Laura Bennett frowned, trying to process the barrage of words, but after “I’m in a hurry,” he forgot the rest.

Not important. Key info acquired.

“Why are you in a hurry? I’ve caught you, I’m calling the police.”

“?”

A trace of confusion appeared in the other’s eyes.

“You’re what?”

Laura Bennett couldn’t be bothered to explain. He glanced down at his wrecked phone, then impatiently reached out to the boy.

“You have a phone, right?”

“What for?”

“To call the police.”

The other was silent for a moment, then slowed his speech, “Shouldn’t I be the one calling? I mean, you dragged me into this, why call the police?”

“You can call too.” Laura Bennett recalled an idiom. “Volunteering yourself works as well.”

“……”

People hurried past, no one paying attention to the two boys stuck in a standoff outside the convenience store.

After a long silence, the guy hissed, “Are you out of your mind…”

Halfway through, he caught sight of the instrument case on Laura Bennett’s back, and his tone changed, “But you can still play an instrument?”

Laura Bennett irritably tugged at his empty backpack strap. “Phone. Now.”

Maybe after hearing “call the police” so many times, the guy finally got scared. His expression shifted several times, and finally, he seemed to soften a little, looking at Laura Bennett and letting out a sigh.

It sent a chill down Laura Bennett’s spine for no reason.

“Are you sure you want to call the police? Maybe think it over again.”

“Begging won’t help.” Laura Bennett was merciless.

Suddenly, a woman’s voice sounded behind them.

“Hey, hey, is this yours?”

The convenience store owner jogged over, holding a very familiar black camera bag.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Laura Bennett. “Good thing you didn’t go far, you left this at my counter.”

Laura Bennett took the camera bag, stunned for two seconds before it all clicked.

It took just a split second to go from cold and unfeeling to blushing to the tips of his ears.

And from blushing to full-on ear burn, it only took that guy’s drawn-out “Ohhh—” of sudden realization.

The guy slipped the broken camera onto his wrist, raised his eyebrows slightly, “Still calling the police?”

“……”

Not a great start to his return home.

Chapter 2 Cousin

One entire wall of the airport hall was floor-to-ceiling glass. Sunlight shone on the boy’s profile, making his youthful features stand out even more.

He lifted his hand to adjust his collar, and Laura Bennett noticed his hand had beautiful bone structure—clear knuckles, slender but strong wrist.

The owner of the hand spoke, “WeChat transfer?”

Laura Bennett hesitated, then said, “I don’t use WeChat.”

“Then Alipay?”

“Haven’t set it up yet. My phone’s broken. You can give me your bank account.”

“No Alipay?” The boy looked up, suddenly understanding. “No wonder you talk a bit weird. Are you a foreigner?”

“Chinese.” Laura Bennett answered immediately. “My Chinese isn’t good, but I have Chinese nationality.”

He was annoyed. Very annoyed.

Same camera, same official camera bag, both liked to hang them on their backpacks.

But what exactly was it that hooked onto him just now?

His gaze swept to the boy’s backpack hanging at his side. There was a small phoenix tree leaf charm on the zipper, and something that looked like an unclosed wire whisk—probably the culprit behind this whole mess.