Sparrows chirped outside the window. A bird swept across the sky with a bright red fruit in its beak, stirring a scattering of withered leaves.
A plump woman walked out of the bank. She was not particularly pretty, but her expression was gentle, with fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
The view drew back to a second-floor café along the street.
Belial idly stirred the sugar cubes in his coffee. His gaze swept over Hu Songlin's face, then landed on the woman downstairs. "Are you done staring?"
"You're so noisy."
Hu Songlin shot him an irritated glare, then lowered his head and took a restless sip of coffee.
Belial smiled. "Oh, sorry. Seeing you look so wistful, I almost forgot your mother abandoned you."
Hu Songlin set down his coffee cup and countered calmly, "That wasn't abandonment. She just forgot."
"Okay, okay. I know how you humans are."
Belial waved a hand as he spoke.
"Always making excuses for people who don't love you. You should know that love can transcend anything. When will you accept the fact that your mother doesn't love you? Nobody in this world loves you."
Hu Songlin remained silent.
Belial sneered. "Why are you so ungrateful? God has already been good enough to you. Nothing in this world can hurt you unless the entire world is destroyed!"
"So nobody remembers you exist. So nobody cares what you think. You can't even put up with that? Ridiculous!"
"Someone remembers me." Hu Songlin looked straight at the demon and said each word distinctly. "Mr. 39 remembers me."
"39?" Belial bared his teeth for a moment, almost crushing his coffee cup. "I hate that number. This person you're talking about must be just as hateful."
"He's my best friend."
Belial poured cold water on that. "So