HH Chapter 45

The weather forecast was finally accurate for once; it rained continuously for the next two days.

“Kids, what should you do if a stranger offers you food?” a loud female voice called out.

“Absolutely refuse it!”

“Don’t take it!”

“Find a policeman!”

The children sitting on small stools eagerly answered the question. The female teacher clapped her hands and smiled, “Correct! Now, kids, you can go home after school!”

At the kindergarten entrance, many parents were already waiting outside. The children, carrying their backpacks, cheerfully greeted the teacher.

“Goodbye, teacher!”

“Goodbye, kids.”

……

After the children left, the female teacher finally had a moment to catch her breath.

“Mengyao.” A man’s voice came from the doorway.

Zhao Mengyao turned around, surprised, “Gao Yuan? Why are you here?” she asked, a bit delighted.

“It just started raining at noon. I figured you probably didn’t bring an umbrella, so I came to pick you up,” Gao Yuan said with a smile.

Zhao Mengyao hurriedly tidied her hair and ran over to him, hugging him tightly. “I love you so much.”

“Let’s go, I’ll take you home.” Gao Yuan stroked Zhao Mengyao’s hair as he spoke.

“Okay,” Zhao Mengyao said coquettishly.

As soon as they arrived downstairs, Gao Yuan received a call from work about an urgent matter. He hesitated for a long time before Zhao Mengyao spoke first, “Go ahead and take care of work. I can go up by myself.”

Gao Yuan looked a bit troubled but then turned around, took Zhao Mengyao’s hand, and said, “Honey, once I make enough money, I’ll buy you a big house.”

Zhao Mengyao smiled softly and said, “We’ll earn it together.”

After getting out of the car and watching Gao Yuan leave, Zhao Mengyao turned and headed upstairs. She lived in an old apartment building with no elevator, and the hallway lights only turned on after a few taps.

Afraid of the dark, Zhao Mengyao always used a flashlight as she walked up, never daring to stop for even a moment.

“Ahhh!” Suddenly, at a corner, Zhao Mengyao bumped into someone and screamed, her phone flying out of her hand.

“Young lady, why are you screaming? I’m not even scared,” said the elderly neighbor after Zhao Mengyao recognized her, panting and picking up her phone from the floor. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” the elderly neighbor laughed. “Hurry home.”

“Alright,” Zhao Mengyao replied, holding her phone tightly, feeling a bit sorry for it.

Back home, Zhao Mengyao finally felt relieved. She sat on the sofa, rested for a while, then took off her clothes to shower. In the middle of her shower, someone knocked on the door. Zhao Mengyao called out, telling the person to wait, quickly dried herself, and got dressed before coming out.

“Who is it?” Zhao Mengyao asked.

There was no response. She asked again, but still, no one answered. Cautiously, she opened the door and saw no one. The old apartment had two doors, one iron and one wooden. Just as she was about to close the door, she noticed an envelope on the floor.

A chill ran from her feet to her head. Zhao Mengyao picked up the envelope with trembling hands. This was the fourth such letter she’d received this month. She sat on the sofa, frightened, and opened the envelope. Inside were disgusting words of admiration, with letters cut from newspapers and glued on, densely packed.

It felt like a pair of eyes were watching her.

Chen Mengyao had reported to the police, but they could never find anything from the surveillance footage, and every time she reported, the stalker stopped for a while. Eventually, the police became less enthusiastic about her case.

She started crying, hands shaking as she called Gao Yuan.

“Hello? Are you busy?” Chen Mengyao asked.

“What’s wrong, Mengyao?” Gao Yuan asked gently. “I’m in a meeting.”

Hearing this, Chen Mengyao quickly changed the topic, “Nothing, nothing. I just miss you.”

Gao Yuan acknowledged, “I’ll hang up now.”

Hearing Gao Yuan’s voice, Chen Mengyao finally felt somewhat at ease and fell asleep. She didn’t know that in the old apartment complex, a pair of eyes were watching her, unblinking.

The next day, Chen Mengyao went to work as usual. However, today she had to stay until 8 PM due to some school matters. She also needed to finish her lesson plans, so she stayed late, and before she knew it, it was already 1 AM.

“Ms. Chen, it’s 1 AM. You should go home,” her colleague, who was also working late, said.

Chen Mengyao looked at the time, feeling a bit scared. “You go ahead, I’ll leave soon.”

“Alright, but hurry up,” her colleague said.

Chen Mengyao thought about calling her boyfriend but decided against it. Initially planning to sleep in the office, she remembered that her window at home was open and the forecast predicted rain again tomorrow. After much hesitation, she closed the office door and left.

At 1 AM, the streets were almost deserted, but the night market was still open. Walking through the market, Chen Mengyao felt slightly relieved.

However, as she stood at the entrance of her pitch-dark apartment complex, she hesitated. She considered getting a hotel room, but the prices were too high. Determined to save money, she gritted her teeth and walked inside.

A cold wind made her hug herself tighter. She finally reached the building entrance.

“Click… click…”

With her flashlight on, she ascended the stairs step by step, until she reached the second floor.

“Click… click…”

“Click… click…”

What started as one set of footsteps became two. Chen Mengyao’s teeth chattered in fear, and she quickened her pace. The footsteps behind her also sped up.

“Mengyao… wait for me…” a deep voice echoed from the stairwell.

Chen Mengyao was terrified. She wanted to scream but couldn’t make a sound. Gripping her phone tightly, she ran up several more flights, frantically knocking on doors and yelling.

“Help… help… open the door…”

Hearing the footsteps behind her, Chen Mengyao felt desperate. She didn’t have time to call for help. She had seen clearly that the person was holding a knife.

“Open the door… help…”

She banged on doors, but no one responded. The footsteps grew closer, and the figure became clearer. “Mengyao, why are you so late? Why are you yelling for help? I won’t kill you.”

The voice was raspy, like it had been sanded down.

Chen Mengyao swallowed hard and threw her phone at the figure, then turned and banged on another door.

Finally, she heard a door open. She saw a glimmer of hope and ran towards it frantically.

“Let me in… please…”

A girl opened the door slightly. “Hurry, get in!”