10 I will Help You Turn Things Around

During several subsequent meals, Shelley subtly suggested to Jace that he should take Lina for a paternity test. However, each time, Jace firmly rejected the idea.

There was no need for a paternity test. He was already convinced that Lina was his long-lost daughter. And even if she wasn't, Jace didn't want to admit it. Lina was the daughter he had finally found again, and he wouldn't allow any uncertainties.

In the following days, Jace was busy helping Lina with her school arrangements, leaving her with some free time to wander the streets.

The early 2000s were quite different from her time. Most people still lived in old-style apartment buildings, and winding alleys were everywhere. However, construction of skyscrapers was also underway, with excavators and tractors everywhere, accompanied by the loud noise and flying dust.

Lina bought a bag of puffed rice snacks from a street vendor, planning to bring them back for her grandpa. She watched as the vendor poured the rice into a grimy, oil-covered machine. Moments later, the machine spat out white puffed rice sticks, emitting a sweet and grainy aroma. It was something Lina had never seen before.

Munching on the crispy snack, she entered an arcade.

This wasn't like the modern arcades she was familiar with. Here, all the games required players to stand, and the bulky machines looked outdated. The arcade had about a dozen of these machines, and many young adults and students were huddled around them, inserting coins to play.

Games like Contra, Street Fighter, and Dragon Punch...

Lina, who was used to playing games on her iPad and was pretty skilled, found herself struggling with these old-school machines.

These machines had a gambling-like nature. Win, and they'd spit out money. Lose, and they'd swallow your coins. In no time, Lina had lost all her money.

As she was about to leave, dejected, the arcade owner—a tattooed man with a sinister look—stopped her.

"Hey, little lady, why not play a few more rounds?"

"I'm out of money," Lina replied, patting her empty pockets. "Your machines are too hard."

The tattooed man blocked her way, "Hey, you can't just leave after losing money."

He pointed at the game machine, which displayed a negative balance.

"75 bucks. Pay up, or you can't leave."

Lina was taken aback, "That much?!"

"I only had a bit over ten bucks on me, and I lost it all. How did my debt suddenly become 75?!"

What kind of scammy machine was this?

The tattooed man smirked, "If you don't pay, you're not leaving."

Just as Lina was feeling trapped, she spotted Kairo.

He was wearing a thin white tee paired with knee-length shorts, passing by the arcade entrance.

Wearing a white tee can be risky for some men, making them look scrawny. But not Kairo. His muscular shoulders and arms filled out the shirt, giving him a very attractive look.

He was crouching, selecting pears from a vendor's basket, looking serious with his bangs slightly covering his deep, dark eyes.

After buying the pears, Kairo started to leave.

Lina rushed out to intercept him, but she miscalculated her speed and ended up crashing into him.

Her head bumped squarely into his solid chest.

A sweet aroma wafted into her nostrils, coming from the crushed puffed rice snacks she was holding.

The snacks were now a powdery mess, sticking to both their clothes.

"Oh no!" Lina exclaimed, quickly trying to brush off the debris from his shirt. "I'm so sorry!"

Kairo instinctively stepped back, avoiding her hands, and shook off the remnants from his shirt.

His clothes, though old, were clean.

Lina picked up the crushed snack box, her clear eyes filled with remorse, "I'm really sorry. I just lost all my money in that arcade and my head's a mess."

She playfully stuck out her tongue, looking a bit embarrassed.

Kairo glanced at her. Under the sunlight, her fair skin looked translucent, her eyes, reminiscent of Talon's, sparkled with clarity. Her black hair cascaded over her slender shoulders.

Kairo's gaze briefly lingered on her before moving away.

This impulsive girl was so much like Talon Lu.

He looked at the smoky arcade and asked in a soft voice, "You were playing games in there?"

"Yeah, but I kept losing. And now they won't let me leave."

As they spoke, the tattooed man came out, pointing at Lina and saying menacingly, "Trying to run without paying?"

Kairo instinctively shielded Lina, facing the man, "How much does she owe?"

The tattooed man crossed his arms, drawling, "Not much, just 75."

Kairo could tell at a glance that Lina had been scammed.

"Got any money left?" he asked Lina.

She stuck out her tongue, "None."

Not only was she out of money, but she also had a growing debt.

Kairo reached into his pocket, finding a few coins, enough for a game, and headed towards the arcade.

Lina was hesitant to re-enter the scammy arcade.

"Kairo, don't go in there. It's a rip-off."

Seeing she wasn't following, Kairo paused at the entrance, looking back impatiently, "Come on."

"Huh?"

"I'll help you turn things around."