I'm Not a Flame-Chaser - Chapter 402

It was as if she was the only person left in the world, with only her mournful sobs echoing in the deserted streets.

"Dad, I want that star!"

The little girl stood under the Christmas tree, skipping and pointing to the biggest, tallest, and brightest five-pointed star on the tree. Her mother affectionately patted her head, and her father squatted down in front of her. "Okay, what else do you want?"

"I want more cake!"

"My lovely little princess can have anything she wants."

A girl wearing a beret stood behind the Christmas tree, as if trying to hide from the outside light, only daring to secretly watch the happy family.

The couple were dressed very simply and did not look like a wealthy family, but the girl was wearing particularly nice clothes.

She felt as if she were staring directly at the midday sun, her eyes burning.

She fantasized about how wonderful it would be if she were that little girl, but she couldn't even remember what her parents looked like.

"Daddy, I want that star..." Anna murmured softly, her eyes vacant as she hugged her trembling, cold body.

"Hey, isn't this that bastard who has no parents? Calling for dad so late at night?"

She looked up and saw several shady-looking men standing in front of her. They must have just finished partying and were heading home. Seeing her disheveled appearance, they all burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, did you hear that just now?" The man with the green hair at the head of the group said in a high-pitched, disgusting voice, "Daddy, I want that star..."

Hahahaha!

"A child without parents is missing their father~ Oh dear, that's scary, is he about to fight again?"

Anna's red fingers pinched a snowball in the snow, and she stared at those who were mocking her with hatred.

"I think you should..."

"Bang!"

A hard ice ball, completely crushed into a block of ice, slammed into Green Hair's forehead. His vision went black, and he fell to the ground, staring blankly at Anna, who was panting heavily as she threw the ice ball, feeling a throbbing pain in his forehead.

He touched it, and the blood covering his hand made him extremely jealous.

"You bastard! Beat her up!"

Several people immediately rushed forward. How could Anna possibly be a match for so many people? In just a few moments, she was grabbed by all four limbs and pinned to the ground.

The beret fell onto the snow.

Green Hair, clutching his forehead, strode up to Anna, who was glaring at him, and said menacingly, "You think you're still in the orphanage? There's nobody here!"

"No one will protect you! It's the same everywhere! On Halloween, you can only hide in a corner and cry like a stray dog!"

Anna's long, beige hair lay scattered on the ground, and tears streamed down her face like broken pearls.

No one will come.

The girl under the stars wasn't her.

She resignedly closed her eyes.

"Bang!"

A loud bang came from ahead, and Anna felt the force restraining her limbs suddenly loosen.

She opened her eyes in bewilderment and saw a hooded man kicking Green Hair away.

Snowflakes rise, beautifully resembling blooming snow flowers, blending with blood to create a perfect white and red painting.

The man remained silent, just like before. Green Hair shouted, "Who are you?" but was met only with a silent fist.

These people hadn't exercised much to begin with, and compared to men, they were like babies who had just learned to walk. He took them all down in no time, without even breaking a sweat.

Lin walked up to Green Hair, glanced at his watch on his left wrist, and asked him coldly, "Five minutes left... Do you have any tissues with you? A handkerchief will do too."

"N-nothing..." The green-haired man, stunned by the beating, saw his friends lying on the ground and, not knowing what had gotten into the man, stammered in response.

A clean handkerchief was tossed in front of Green Hair, and Lin rolled up his sleeves. "Then use mine."

"Varied--"

"Bang!"

Lin kicked him in the chin, making him roll his eyes back and almost pass out.

"This will cause a lot of blood loss; that's what you'll use to wipe it off." Lin coldly stepped on Green Hair's fingers, causing him to scream in pain. However, a shoe was shoved into Green Hair's mouth. Lin made a shushing gesture, "Keep your voice down, don't disturb others."

Tears welled up in Green Hair's eyes, but Lin seemed not to see them, grabbing his hair and slamming him face down to the ground.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

After Green Hair passed out with his face covered in blood, Lin picked up a handkerchief and wiped his face, cleaning the blood blocking his nostrils, then left it aside.

Anna lay face up in the snow, surrounded by blood, yet not a single drop splashed on her body or hair. Her long, beige hair flowed gracefully, as if she were submerged in water.

The beret was picked up by a hand, and a person walked up to her, looking down at her.

"Uncle?" The person in front of her was dressed exactly like Lin, but when she saw his face under the hood, her heart skipped a beat.

"..."

Lin didn't say anything; he seemed to hate explaining anything to others. He silently pulled Anna up from the snow.

Stiff fingers melted in warm, large hands.

Lin brushed the snow off Anna, put the beret back on her head, stood up, and walked back.

Anna stumbled after Lin, watching his back as he walked ahead, blocking the cold wind. She tightened her clothes, her eyes filled with confusion and complexity.

"Why..."

"Acting impulsively is wrong. If I hadn't come just now, I don't need to say what would have happened to you. You're very beautiful, and those people aren't good people either." Lin's voice was colder than the wind. "But it was just 'impulsive' that was wrong. If you want to teach them a lesson, you should find a secluded place and maintain absolute control so that they have no power to resist."

"..."

"That guy named Binai probably thinks the same way I do. They should pay the price for their words and actions, but you didn't consider the people who were worried about you, including your running away from home."

Anna's breath hitched. She stared at the figure in front of her, a warm feeling rising in her heart.

Finally, they arrived home. Lin unlocked the door with his key, and Anna smelled a rich fragrance.

"I've always lived alone, so you'll have to adjust on your own."

In the darkness, a Christmas tree is lit up.

Anna looked up, her eyes reflecting the brightest star.

This chapter has not been approved.

"A Christmas tree?" Anna gazed at the star.

"...What's wrong?"

"But isn't it Halloween Eve?"

"Aren't Halloween and Christmas the same holiday?"

Lin stared blankly at Anna. He remembered seeing Christmas trees and shop assistants in Christmas costumes handing out flyers on the street, and then he realized that this holiday, which he couldn't tell was Halloween or Christmas, was in winter...

"Halloween is for kids to dress up as ghosts and knock on people's doors and play tricks if they don't get candy, while Christmas is for Santa Claus to deliver presents. How can they be the same thing? People wearing Christmas costumes on the street are just cosplaying. You can dress up however you want for Halloween, but Christmas trees are made in advance a month before Christmas so that people can buy them to decorate."

"..."

Anna couldn't help but laugh when she saw Lin's depressed look; it turned out this guy could make such an expression too.

However, Lin indeed had very little experience in this area and had never paid attention to it, so naturally he didn't understand it.

The girl kicked off her shoes, slipped on her stockings, covered her beret, and rushed into the living room. Lin shook his head, changed into indoor shoes, and then walked in with his hands in his pockets.

She spotted the whole cake at a glance, her eyes lighting up as she rushed to the table. "Why is there a cake?!"

It was even her favorite chocolate cake!

"I made this before I left home today. I put it in the fridge to have as a late-night snack." Lin walked into the kitchen unhurriedly. He glanced at his watch; the time was just right. "Go wash your hands."

As Anna washed her hands and waited leisurely at the table to eat the cake, the rich aroma that she had smelled from the kitchen wafted out, making her eyes shine even brighter.

Lin, wearing oven mitts, came out carrying a whole honey-glazed roasted chicken.

It sizzles and oozes oil, its belly is stuffed with fruits and vegetables, and next to it is a crispy smoked meat covered in sauce.

The window blocked out the cold wind, and the warmth melted the frozen snow on the windowpane. Lin sat at the table, watching the lively and cheerful girl laugh in the originally empty and cold room. Unconsciously, his tense face relaxed.

It seems that sometimes, it's nice to celebrate the holidays with more people.

"Then I'll head back now. Binai must be worried about me." Anna, wearing her dried clothes, winked at Lin at the door and then waved cheerfully, "Uncle, see you tomorrow."

"..."

Lin Mo silently watched the bright light disappear into the distance. He took a shallow breath, then lifted his scarf, turned around, and went back to his room to tidy up the messy space.

A mischievous child.

But it's not bad either.

... Speaking of which, what did she say when she left?

See you tomorrow?

It was snowing again. Lin sat on the balcony with a cup of hot coffee, surrounded by falling snowflakes. She was reading quietly with the floor heating on.

Actually, he likes to read all kinds of books. Light novels are just the easiest way to pass the time. There are many kinds and a lot of them. The quality varies, but he can still appreciate some surprisingly bad books.

They sat there from morning until sunset.

Winter nights always come a little earlier. The north wind carried the sound of boisterous laughter. He put away his book, stood on the balcony, and glanced at the street, which was even more bustling than the night before. A large group of people dressed as ghosts were parading through the streets, and he was a little confused.

Wasn't Halloween yesterday?

Never mind, it's none of his business.

Lin closed the doors and windows and then prepared to cook.

"Knock knock knock".

A knock on the door?

Lin had already tied his hair up and put on his apron. When he heard the knocking, his first thought was that someone had come to the wrong door, so he ignored it. He figured the person would leave once they realized they had knocked on the wrong door.

He took two tomatoes, chopped them, and soaked them in boiling water, preparing to cut the meat.

"Knock knock knock".

"..."

Lin stuck the cleaver into the cutting board, washed his hands, and then walked out of the kitchen, coldly staring at the still-noisy door.

After several seconds, the knocking sounded again, and he slowly walked over and opened the door.

Merry Christmas, sir! I thought you forgot to turn off the lights when you left because you didn't open the door!

A charming "witch" carried a pumpkin-head basket, her loose witch's dress covering her body from the head down. Her free hand held her witch's hat, and her hair was styled in an unusual braid that fell over her shoulder. She winked at Lin energetically, revealing a row of bright white teeth.

"... What's going on?" Lin stared at her expressionlessly and asked without any inflection.

"It's Halloween today!" Anna, dressed as a witch, held up her basket, a sly glint in her eyes. "Trick or treat!"

"Sugar..."

The Lin family's limited chocolate supply was used up yesterday to make a cake, and since he's not a big fan of sweets, he probably can't find a single piece of candy now.

"No," Lin replied coldly without hesitation.

"Too cold!"

Anna glared angrily at Lin, who seemed completely unconcerned. He turned and went inside, saying, "I'm cooking. If you don't have any sugar, eat some rice."

"Honestly, it's like I'm here to beg for alms..." Anna took off her shoes. Today she was wearing white footed socks. The white socks and her toes stepped on the clean floor. She noticed Lin's single ponytail, which she had tied up for cooking, and squinted her eyes.

Lin stopped at the kitchen doorway, turned around and asked Anna, who was standing still, with a puzzled look, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing!" Anna shook her head with a grin, then skipped over to the dining table and sat down. Lin just shook his head and went into the kitchen.