Lilith clutched a steaming wooden bowl, its savory aroma wafting up as a crowd of helpful townspeople surrounded her. They peppered her with concerned questions and fussed over her well-being; the sheer intensity of their earnest gazes made her heart flutter with unease.
She kept her head low, her expression a mask of pure awkwardness.
I just don’t get it…
These people were far too sympathetic. It was as if she were surrounded by a dozen versions of Wang Yue.
Kindness was the one thing Lilith was least equipped to handle. Under the relentless, multi-voiced urging of the crowd, she began mechanically eating the mashed potatoes, one spoonful at a time.
Ugh… This is so humiliating…
Things have taken such a weird turn. Why am I standing on a street corner, being watched by a crowd while I eat mashed potatoes?
This is all that idiot Wang Yue’s fault.
The worst part was that the mashed potatoes actually tasted good—salty, savory, and rich with fat. The physical comfort of the food warring with her extreme embarrassment made her feel like her entire world was tilting on its axis.
Finally, the ordeal ended. With her face flushed hot, Lilith picked up her basket and began hawking her matches in a voice like a timid little bird.
A matchbox sold by a pitiful little girl was far more appealing than one sold by some old hag in a general store. Her stock was cleared out in record time.
Once the crowd dispersed, Lilith counted her earnings. After deducting the costs, she had made exactly seventy cents. Though her bag was filled with gold coins and gemstones, those felt like mere scrap metal and pebbles compared to this handful of copper coins that smelled faintly of rust.
As the crowd vanished, the Lynx stepped out from the shadows.
“Briyue showed up,” she reported in a low voice.
“Description?”
“Five-foot-four, thin build, brown hair…”
“I know who she is.”
Lilith combed through her memories and identified a slender, brown-haired woman who had emerged from a street corner at precisely 6:15 PM. She remembered the woman’s gloomy expression and the way she had skirted along the walls, trying to remain inconspicuous. The woman had cast a thoughtful glance at her before doubling back a few minutes later to buy two boxes of matches.
Lilith analyzed the encounter. “She’s cautious. She didn’t even try to talk to me for fear of being noticed. That shows strong counter-surveillance awareness—likely trained. Based on her movement patterns, she’s definitely marked me. She’s probably plotting something wicked right now.”
The next day, Lilith returned to the same spot to sell her matches, along with some marmot oil and candles. When she finished, she found she had earned a whole dollar.
“Hmph, progress…”
This street was near an apartment complex and sat directly on Briyue’s commute. The woman patronized her business again, and while paying, she secretly tucked a five-dollar bill into Lilith’s basket.
As the saying goes, a hundred dollars is worth more than a thousand words of comfort.
Lilith begrudgingly acknowledged the woman’s effectiveness. If she were a real “Little Match Girl,” she might have actually thought the woman was a saint.
Once the other customers left, Lilith placed her basket by her feet and sat on the curb, pretending to count her change while lingering in place.
Sure enough, Briyue appeared. She looked like a ghost-white shadow standing at the far end of the street, beckoning Lilith over.
Lilith hurried over and bowed her head in thanks. “Thank you, ma’am.”
She then pulled the five-dollar copper coin from her pouch and held it out. “You gave me this. Please, take it back.”
The woman looked startled. She didn’t take the money, instead staring at the girl with confusion.
“I am selling matches, not my dignity,” Lilith said with a strange stubbornness. “I’m not a beggar.”
Lilith had her lines in the sand. Eating the mashed potatoes had been her limit; accepting a direct cash handout was absolutely out of the question, even if it was just an act. It was a matter of professional pride—like an actress who refuses to do a nude scene.
Of course, if she actually ended up begging on the streets, she’d make a massive sign that read: Wang Yue is a giant bastard who abandoned me.
Seeing the girl’s insistence, the woman sighed and took the coin back. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I won’t do that again… Is there anything else I can help you with?”
Lilith thought for a moment, then looked down in feigned embarrassment, twisting the hem of her dress. “Sister… I… I haven’t bathed in a long time. Could I… borrow your bathroom?”
“Of course,” Briyue said, smiling as she reached out to pat Lilith’s head.
Lilith suppressed the urge to chop the hand off and squeezed out a submissive smile instead. This was her gambit: using a private setting to lure the woman into making her move.
After retrieving her prepared change of clothes, Lilith followed Briyue to the apartment. The woman unlocked the door, and Lilith stood stiffly at the threshold, playing the part of a nervous guest. Her lips trembled as she spoke.
“Sister… my… my shoes are dirty…”
“It’s fine. Come in.”
“No, I can’t step on your floor.”
