Behind her, Xu Luling heard a voice she was all too familiar with: “Ling Ling.”
Xu Luling turned around in disbelief. The man’s hair was a bit disheveled, with water droplets clinging to the tips, and even his usually neat suit was soaked with rain, as if he had rushed over without even having time to use an umbrella.
A strange shiver ran through Xu Luling.
The next moment, a thin warmth spread through her cold limbs.
Pei Ruyin’s sudden appearance caused all the calmness she had been holding onto to collapse instantly.
Without caring about the people around her, she ran a few steps and flung herself directly into his arms.
Her chest sank into his, and Pei Ruyin, caught off guard, took a moment to react. But he quickly wrapped her in a tight embrace.
Pei Ruyin looked down at the barely noticeable swirl of hair on Xu Luling’s head, gently raising his hand to cradle the back of her head. In a warm voice, he said, “Sorry for worrying you. I’m back.”
Xu Luling’s eyelashes fluttered quickly, all traces of her previous forced composure disappearing as she buried her head into his chest.
Choking up, she asked, “Where did you go?”
“My blood sugar dropped, and a kind stranger took me to the nearby hospital’s emergency room. When I woke up, my phone was dead, and I didn’t charge it because I was in a hurry to get back. I heard the police were here, so I came to check…” Before he could finish, Pei Ruyin noticed the damp spot forming on his chest. A flicker of heartache passed through his eyes. “There won’t be a next time.”
Pei Ruyin had always had low blood sugar. Back when Xu Luling and he were still schoolmates, he had once fainted and scared her terribly.
She remembered that she had packed a bunch of candy in his suitcase before his trip, but now wasn’t the time to fuss over such minor details. Maybe he had just finished them all.
Seeing the couple reunited without incident, even the security staff, who had previously looked stern, couldn’t help but smile warmly.
Since they were in a public place, the two didn’t remain close for long.
Xu Luling, feeling a bit embarrassed, apologized to the security staff and Officer Yang. Pei Ruyin also added, “We’re truly sorry for all the trouble we’ve caused.”
She then looked toward Officer Yang. “Do I still need to go to the police station with you?”
Officer Yang, clearly happy with the peaceful outcome, waved it off. “Now that we’ve found him, that’s what matters. Given your boyfriend’s previous death threats, your overreaction is understandable. It doesn’t warrant detention, but let’s not have a repeat!”
The couple thanked them profusely before leaving together.
As they walked away, someone muttered, “They really are a perfect match.”
By the time they exited the airport, night had fallen, and a light rain was drizzling down. The colorful lights blurred as they reflected in the rain.
Pei Ruyin held up an umbrella, subtly tilting it toward Xu Luling.
After walking for a while, Xu Luling finally started to shake off her lingering fear.
She couldn’t help but glance at the man beside her, who had just been lost and found. She noticed water droplets clinging to his forehead—she wasn’t sure if it was sweat or rain—and pulled out a tissue to wipe them off.
The moment her hand touched him, he reflexively flinched to the side. Xu Luling froze.
Pei Ruyin quickly flashed his signature smile and took the tissue from her hand. “I’ll do it myself.”
Xu Luling didn’t think much of it and asked, “You had an umbrella with you. Why didn’t you use it earlier?”
Pei Ruyin looked a bit embarrassed. “I forgot.”
It was rare to see a hint of awkwardness on his usually composed face.
Xu Luling couldn’t help but laugh. Why else would he have done that, if not to rush back to find her?
Her gaze briefly swept over the hand holding the umbrella.
As she looked out at the distant street, watching cars speed by under streaks of golden light from the rain, her eyes deepened, recalling the terrifying experiences of the past two months.
It all started on a weekend two months ago.
That day, she had been in a good mood, cleaning her place. While dusting a stuffed animal by the bed, the bear’s eye accidentally fell to the floor. When she picked up the bead to put it back, she noticed a faint light reflecting from the empty eye socket.
It was a tiny camera, disguised as the toy’s eye.
At the moment she picked up the stuffed animal, someone on the other side of the screen might have been watching her every move.
Frightened, she called Pei Ruyin over, and his face turned pale as well. However, he quickly told her to report it to the police while he stayed at home.
That led to Officer Yang discovering the 23 cameras he mentioned earlier.
She had no idea how long someone had been spying on her.
What was their goal?
The unknown is what’s most terrifying.
Pei Ruyin, sensing her unease, stayed home with her for several days.
But after being cooped up for too long, she grew bored and suggested they go out for a walk. On their way to see a movie, Pei Ruyin stepped aside to buy her some ice cream.
A gust of wind swept through, and in the next moment, she vaguely heard screams from the crowd. Then, out of nowhere, a plaster mannequin fell from above.
It landed right next to Pei Ruyin’s feet.
No more than half a meter away from him.
The mannequin had broken at the neck, as if it had been decapitated.
Had Pei Ruyin not stepped aside at the last moment, it would’ve been him who got struck and broken.
If this incident could still be chalked up to coincidence, what happened next definitely wasn’t.
While working from home, Pei Ruyin received an anonymous email.
When he opened it, the word “death,” dripping with blood, filled the entire screen.
The police sent in tech experts but couldn’t trace it. It was a new type of virus, incredibly hard to track, and impossible to close once opened, suggesting the hacker was extremely skilled.
Xu Luling grew increasingly anxious.
Even so, Pei Ruyin still believed it was just a prank.
–
The next incident followed swiftly.
They had gone to an outdoor concert and deliberately took a less-traveled road. Despite being a pedestrian street, a driverless smart car suddenly charged toward them like a rampaging bull.
Someone forcefully shoved Pei Ruyin toward the car, and as Xu Luling tried to run over and pull him back, she felt a hand grip her waist, like an iron vice locking her in place.
She tried to turn her head but was caught by a tall man holding her in a headlock.
Looking back now, that was her closest encounter with the person behind all of this.
All she could do was watch as the car barrelled toward Pei Ruyin. Fortunately, his quick reflexes allowed him to barely avoid it.
When she turned back to look for the man who had restrained her, he had already vanished.
If one incident could be a coincidence, what about two or three?
That’s why, when Pei Ruyin had been missing for three hours, she was terrified enough to take extreme measures to find him.
Luckily, it was just a false alarm.
As she recalled these events, she glanced sideways at the man walking beside her in the rain, his silhouette sharp and handsome.
Sensing her gaze, Pei Ruyin asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xu Luling shook her head. “Nothing, just thinking how nice the weather is today.”
After all, Pei Ruyin was still here, by her side.
Pei Ruyin glanced at the increasingly heavy rain and, going along with her words, said, “Yeah, it’s pretty nice.”
The two were exhausted from the day’s events. They ordered a pizza for delivery, took a few bites, and then went to bed early.
Late that night.
Xu Luling slept lightly, her dreams filled with fragmented memories of everything that had happened recently, cutting through her subconscious like shards.
“Ah!”
Xu Luling jolted awake.
She sat up, gasping for air.
Suddenly, a chill ran through her.
Slowly, she turned to the side. In the dark room, less than a meter from her bed, it looked as if someone was standing there.
