Zhao Hengyu was rendered speechless by Zou Xiaoxiao's remark.
"I..." He wanted to argue, but it seemed Zou Xiaoxiao had a point.
Seeing his embarrassed state, Zou Xiaoxiao felt a slight relief from the anger that had risen in her heart.
Zhao Hengyu noticed the fading blush on her face and, realizing he had made a mistake, abandoned the idea of bickering with her. He walked towards the old man.
Wrinkles creased the old man's sun-darkened face. He rubbed his chapped, calloused hands and, with a look of shame, crouched down to quietly pick up the bottles on the ground.
Huo Rou listlessly pulled Qin Ningyi's hand away and stared blankly at the scene unfolding before her.
She should have felt immense satisfaction seeing this man living such a life.
She did feel a sliver of satisfaction, but it was quickly overshadowed by other strange emotions.
The man who was once so proud and spirited now looked like a beggar, cherishing a bag of discarded bottles as if they were treasures, unwilling to let go of them even when his life was threatened.
Watching him squatting on the ground picking up bottles, Huo Rou felt an inexplicable pang of sadness.
She turned her face away, no longer looking at him.
The old man sensed Huo Rou's gaze had shifted. He clutched a plastic bottle in his hand, tilted his head slightly towards Huo Rou's chin, and his grip loosened. He let out a sigh.
Huo Rou, having turned away, didn't notice this. Qin Ningyi, however, observed the old man's action.
A question arose in his mind. This old man seemed to be worried about Huo Rou seeing his destitution, which was why he had desperately guarded the bag full of bottles earlier.
"Uncle, this is a bit too much!" Zhao Hengyu squatted down, helping to pick up plastic bottles, and grumbled, "If you're collecting scrap, you're collecting scrap. It's not like we'll take it if we look. I thought it was a bomb... alas."
He stopped himself, feeling awkward.
How must everyone have looked at him when he was having that dramatic confrontation earlier?
Especially since he had seen Qin Ningyi directly block Huo Rou's line of sight. Did he think he was embarrassing him?
The more he thought about it, the more awkward he felt.
"Uncle, your bag is broken. It's pointless to put them in there!" Zhao Hengyu said, seeing the old man picking up bottles and neatly arranging them on top of the damaged bag.
The old man swallowed and replied, "I don't have an extra bag. I'll go to the guardhouse over there later to get one before I put them in."
He seemed to have lost his earlier wariness and apprehension towards Zhao Hengyu and the others. He answered questions honestly and thanked them for their help.
When Zhao Hengyu received the old man's thanks, he seized the opportunity and asked, "What's your relationship with my sister-in-law?"
The thought of Huo Rou's attitude towards this old man made Zhao Hengyu instinctively want to investigate.
When people are grateful to you, it's the easiest time to get the answers you want.
The old man, who had been picking up bottles with his head down, looked up in surprise at his question, "Sister-in-law?"
"Sis... " He instinctively wanted to say "Xiao You," but remembering Huo Rou's warning, he quickly corrected himself, "Huo Rou is your sister-in-law?"
Zhao Hengyu tossed a bottle onto the bag and nodded casually, "Yes!"
The old man reached out and carefully placed the bottle Zhao Hengyu had thrown. Everything was neat and orderly.
After hearing Zhao Hengyu's answer, he was silent for a moment, then mumbled, "That's good, that's very good."
Zhao Hengyu didn't expect the old man to be so tight-lipped. He seemed to respond, but after getting the answer he wanted, he became as silent as a clam.
An ordinary old man collecting trash wouldn't act like this.
His curiosity about the old man's identity grew. Just as he was about to try harder to probe further, Huo Rou glanced at him indifferently, her eyes carrying a warning.
That one look sent Zhao Hengyu as if he had fallen into ice, but it was only for a moment before Huo Rou's gaze returned to its usual composure. Her red lips parted, "Qin Ningyi."
Qin Ningyi looked at her quietly. "I'm here."
This was the first time Huo Rou had looked directly at him since getting out of the car, without avoiding his gaze.
He could see the vulnerability, fierceness, and turmoil in her eyes.
It was a complex state.
She paused, as if drained of strength, and said, "Let's go." She couldn't bear to look anymore.
When the old man heard her say they were leaving, he put down the plastic bottle he was holding and placed his hands on his pockets, rubbing them vigorously several times. After most of the dust was wiped off his hands, he carefully reached into his chest, fumbling for something in his inner pocket.
"Uh, I..." His face flushed with embarrassment as he took two steps forward.
Huo Rou, however, stiffened her expression and moved aside slightly, using Qin Ningyi's body to create a small distance between them. She interrupted the old man with a cold face, "I indeed cannot kill you, even though it seems you are not living well."
"No, no," the old man waved his hands. "It was my fault. I will atone for my sins. Don't blame yourself, I don't blame you..."
"I am not blaming myself!" Huo Rou said sternly.
The old man paused, then nodded with a wry smile. "That's good, that's good."
Huo Rou looked towards the end of the road, their destination.
"Leave quickly," she said coldly to the old man. "Do not approach the military base."
"This is a military zone. You shouldn't be here."
The old man's body trembled, and he lowered his head.
"I don't believe you," Huo Rou said as she walked away, leaving the old man with an indifferent back. "If you come near the base again, I will not be lenient."