The Female Leads Truly Loves You - Chapter 374

Chapter 374: Trust me, I won’t let you get hurt
The place where the two agreed to meet wasn’t far.

In fact, they didn’t live far from each other, so after about ten minutes, they met in a small park near Fifth Street.

Louis, standing in the cold wind, looked a bit hesitant.

It reminded Sam of something—how Louis had been all day. He had been listless, not his usual self, joking around with Sam.

Louis walked up and saw Sam sitting on a bench, waiting.

Sam, wearing a large trench coat, looked particularly like an assassin from some movie with his handsome, stern face.

“Uh… you haven’t been waiting long, have you?”

Louis’s usual playful smile was replaced with a guilty one, obvious to anyone.

Sam looked at him and said, “Sit down, let’s talk.”

Louis hesitated but sat down, looking particularly anxious.

Men are easier to read, especially boys at this age, who can’t hide their feelings well.

“Talk… about what?”

He asked.

Sam looked at him. “You asked to borrow money. Fifty thousand isn’t a small amount. Don’t you think you need to explain what it’s for?”

Louis hesitated.

“Do I have to? I promise it’s important, and it’s not for anything bad… I’ll definitely pay you back.”

Sam stared directly into his eyes.

“You have to tell me, or I can’t lend you the money. At least let me know what it’s about. Did you get into some trouble?”

Louis looked away, feeling guilty, and tried to stand up.

“Forget it, I won’t borrow from you. I’ll figure something else out.”

But as he tried to get up, Sam grabbed his hand and pulled him back down.

Louis panicked, trying to break free, but he didn’t expect Sam to be so strong. He couldn’t escape and had to look at Sam.

“Sam… really, it’s nothing. Let go, I won’t borrow the money…”

Sam shook his head.

“You look too worried to be okay. We’re friends, and I know you well enough. I don’t want to find out something happened to you later. If you don’t tell me, I can’t help. If you do, maybe I can. I don’t want you doing something stupid.”

Seeing Louis silent and hesitant, not daring to look at him, Sam took out a thick envelope from his pocket and showed it to him.

“If you really don’t want to tell me, you can take the money.”

“Why?”

Louis looked at Sam, confused.

Sam smiled.

“Because we’re good friends. I’d rather play dumb once. But I want you to be okay, not get into trouble.”

Seeing Sam’s smile, Louis sighed deeply.

“Sam… I can tell you what’s going on, but… you have to promise not to tell anyone.”

“Okay.”

“Not even Angel…”

“What could be so serious?”

Sam frowned.

Louis leaned back on the bench, looking more troubled than Sam had ever seen him, almost weary.

He spoke softly.

“Three days ago… Lily found me.”

“Who’s Lily?”

“The girl I told you about… the one I met in ninth grade, the one I talked to for a long time.”

“Oh, the girl you had a crush on, right?”

Louis nodded with a bitter smile.

Sam looked at him curiously. “What’s that got to do with borrowing money? Did she ask you for it?”

Louis nodded.

“Yes. Three days ago, she found me, asked me out, looking very hesitant and in pain. She asked to borrow fifty thousand dollars… I didn’t have it, but I was worried about her, so I asked why.”

Hearing this, Sam couldn’t help but think of those tragic youth novels…

“Don’t tell me she got pregnant and needs an abortion? Even so, it wouldn’t cost that much.”

Louis shook his head.

Sam sighed in relief. “That’s good…”

“It’s worse.”

“Huh?”

What could be worse?

Louis spoke softly.

“I asked her for a long time, but she wouldn’t tell me. She even cried in front of me. She said… she was secretly filmed.”

“Secretly filmed? What’s the big deal… wait, you mean…”

When Louis nodded, Sam was shocked.

Louis clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.

“Lily’s boyfriend from outside school… one day, he tricked her, saying it was his birthday, took her to a bar, got her drunk… when she woke up, he told her he had taken private photos of her. If she didn’t bring fifty thousand dollars, he’d spread the photos all over school, to her teachers, her parents, and all her friends…”

Sam not knowing where to start.

What the hell!

“Lily really doesn’t know how to protect herself, does she?”

Louis nodded.

“Yes… she said she was too naive, trusted him too easily. She was set up, Sam, you have to believe me, she’s a victim.”

Sam felt a headache coming on.

He looked at Louis helplessly.

“So you decided to help her with the fifty thousand?”

Louis nodded, looking at Sam earnestly.

“Listen, Sam, you probably think I’m stupid, willing to help her with anything. But she cried, saying she couldn’t go to the police, or he’d spread the photos. She said she’d kill herself, Sam… I tried to convince her to go to the police, but she was desperate. I had no choice…”

Sam looked at him.

“Did she tell you all this?”

“Yes…”

“Have you considered what if she’s lying? What if she wasn’t drunk, willingly slept with him, and just didn’t expect to be filmed?”

Louis hesitated.

“Even if she was willing, she’s still a victim.”

“Even if she willingly fell for it, you still want to help her?”

Sam found it hard to persuade this boy. He was too naive.

Though he always said naivety wasn’t a bad thing, it wasn’t great either. The problem was, there were too many bad people, and naive people were too easily deceived.

Sam felt it wasn’t that simple, but Louis seemed completely immersed, thinking the girl did nothing wrong, just an innocent victim.

Of course, from an outsider’s perspective, she was a victim. She wouldn’t want this to happen.

But if she lied, specifically called Louis, acted weak and pitiful, even said she’d die… what then?

It could be seen as a self-preservation instinct. No one wants such photos exposed.

But Sam found it hard to sympathize with her like Louis did.

Louis looked troubled.

“I know it seems… foolish. But Sam… I can’t just watch her do something stupid. You understand, right? Even if I don’t like her, even if she’s just an old classmate, I want to help.”

“So you’ll find a way to get fifty thousand for her?”

“…Are you questioning my character?”

Sam said, annoyed, “Forget that… just tell me why you thought of borrowing from me.”

Louis laughed. “Isn’t your girlfriend Angel?”

“You think I spend her money? This is my own savings.”

“…But with her, you won’t starve.”

“That’s true… but why do you sound so justified?”

Louis grabbed Sam’s hand.

“No, no, help me with this, and you’re my brother, my real brother!”

“If I don’t lend you the money, what will you do?”

Louis shook his head.

“I don’t know… I said I’d figure something out, but I don’t know. Aren’t there lots of loan companies?”

“Are you crazy? Thinking of maxing out credit cards? Can you repay the debt?”

Louis smiled bitterly.

“I have no choice… but everything I told you is true. I’m just trying to save someone…”

Sam squinted at him.

“Be honest with me.”

“What?”

“If I help, and her problem is solved, what will you do next? If she says she’s moved by you, will you make her your girlfriend?”

Sam frowned.

Louis shook his head immediately.

“No, absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“If she really said that, I’d think she’s not worth liking.”

Sam looked at Louis in surprise.

“I didn’t expect… you to say that.”

Louis smiled bitterly.

“I know I’m foolish, naive, easily deceived. But if you were in my shoes, you’d understand. You can’t just watch someone you liked fall into such a hell, right?”

Sam stood up, supporting his knees.

“Alright, I get it.”

“You’re going to lend me the money?”

Sam looked at him.

“Do you know where that guy is?”

“What do you mean…”

“I’ll go with you to give him the money.”

Sam said.

Louis hesitated.

“I’ll go alone, you don’t need to.”

Sam frowned. “Why? Don’t you trust me?”

Louis shook his head. “No… I’ve seen him. He’s a thug, probably done this to many naive girls, taking private photos to blackmail them… he’s a delinquent. Last time I went, he had a lot of people with him… I’m afraid you’ll get hurt.”

Sam laughed. “You’re not afraid of getting hurt?”

Louis smiled foolishly. “Better me than you. It’s my debt…”

“Idiot…” Sam said, annoyed. “Alright, no more nonsense. Take me. You can’t handle this alone. Do you think he’ll stop after getting the money? If you go alone, he’ll just blackmail you more. I need to make sure he doesn’t escalate this.”

Louis hesitated. “Alright… when do we go?”

“Can you find him now?”

“Now… he’s often at a bar on Fifth Street. We should find him there. But… that bar, he has many friends… you…”

Sam pulled Louis up.

“Enough talk, let’s go. Trust me, I won’t let you get hurt.”

Watching Sam stride ahead.

Louis was puzzled.

Can he really solve this?