Chapter 10

The boy’s voice cut through the downpour, echoing incessantly in Liu Liu’s ears and creating an inexplicably chilling atmosphere.

This was especially true when her gaze swept across the surroundings and caught sight of the dim streetlights, which were flickering incessantly due to a poor connection.

...It was the classic color palette of a rainy-night murder scene in a movie.

Liu Liu swallowed hard, biting her lip as she wavered over whether to continue forward.

If she moved forward, the boy’s warning felt like a curse.

If she didn't, the virtue of helping others, instilled in her since childhood, kept her rooted to the spot.

Just as she was gripped by hesitation, a window on the second floor of the building beside her was thrown open. A raspy voice shouted down, "What are you standing there for? Is the bike broken? Do you need help?"

Liu Liu’s eyes lit up. She waved her hands frantically, "Sir, someone fell off their electric scooter here and hurt their leg. Could you come down and give me a hand?"

"Wait there."

"Okay!"

Liu Liu wiped her face, which was plastered with rain. Not caring if the person could hear her, she called out, "Wait a moment, I'm going to get someone to help you," and didn't move any further forward.

Moments later, the sound of shoes splashing through the rain approached. Liu Liu turned her head and saw a burly figure.

The person was wrapped head-to-toe in rain gear, with a hood pulled low and the collar of the raincoat drawn up past his chin, obscuring half his face. His features and expression were impossible to discern.

The man walked over, his nearly six-foot frame exuding a powerful sense of oppression.

Liu Liu instinctively felt uneasy. Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky—a thick, silvery streak that tore through the murky darkness like a sharp blade, briefly illuminating the ground beneath her feet and the towel the man was clutching tightly in his hand.

A towel?

Before Liu Liu could make sense of it, the man took long, heavy strides toward her.

Another flash of lightning.

The world was illuminated in a blinding glare. Out of the corner of her eye, Liu Liu caught a glimpse of the curled-up figure in the distance starting to crawl up from the ground. Beside her, the man slightly tilted his head, revealing eyes colder than a snake’s and a mouth curled into a subtle, sinister arc.

Liu Liu’s heart skipped a beat.

No, this wasn't right.

Her sixth sense blared like a siren. Her heart began to race, and a feeling of dread screamed at her as the distance closed. Her legs reacted faster than her brain; without a second thought, she turned and bolted toward her electric tricycle.

The man seemed taken aback by her sudden movement. Startled back to his senses, he broke into a long-strided run to pursue her.

They weren't far apart to begin with, and with his height and long legs, he closed the gap in just a few strides.

Rain lashed against Liu Liu, pouring into her chest through the collar of her raincoat and soaking her clothes. Though she was shivering with cold, the blood in her veins felt as if it had been set ablaze, burning madly and rushing to her head.

Run, just run!

That single thought consumed her mind. She stomped on the pedal, vaulted onto the seat, twisted the key, and wrenched the throttle. The electric tricycle surged forward at top speed without needing to build up momentum.

The tricycle felt like a supercar chasing the limits of speed in the rain. Water sprayed from the tires, and her heartbeat roared in her ears like thunder.

Suppressing her panic and her frantic heart, Liu Liu couldn't help but glance into the rearview mirror.

Through the curtain of rain, the figure chasing her slowed down after a few dozen seconds, seemingly realizing the plan had failed. He stopped in his tracks and stood there, staring in her direction.

***

Through the heavy downpour, Liu Liu felt as if she could still see those cold, sinister eyes.

She couldn't stop herself from shivering. After a slight hesitation, she turned the handlebars and sped straight ahead, roaring into the distance.

Ten minutes later, Liu Liu’s small tricycle appeared at the entrance of the police station.

...

In the police station's reception room.

Liu Liu was draped in a blanket, cradling a cup of hot water. The steam blurred her features but couldn't hide the lingering fear.

Her hands trembled as she stumbled through an account of everything that had just happened.

Yet, feeling the absolute silence of the police station, Liu Liu opened her mouth and, as if trying to convince herself, said in a hoarse voice, "O-of course, it’s possible I was just being too sensitive—"

Before she could finish, the older officer sitting opposite her interrupted, "Didn't you say he chased your tricycle? If he were really a kindhearted person who came down to help, it would be irrational for him to ignore the fallen person and chase you instead."

Having said that, the officer turned to a younger colleague and said, "Have Yuan Siyu come over to take Ms. Liu home. You come with me to the scene to take a look."

The young officer acknowledged the order and ran off to get her.

Yuan Siyu was a girl about Liu Liu's age. She handed a dry towel to Liu Liu and introduced herself gently, "My name is Yuan Siyu. You can call me Tangyuan."

"Don't be afraid. I’ll make sure you get home safely."

"Thank you."

"Don't stand on ceremony with us police officers." Yuan Siyu was skilled at conversation; in just a few words, she pulled Liu Liu out of her panicked state and praised her, "Just listening to your description, I can imagine how critical the situation was. But you were very alert, and you managed to get to the police station to report it safely—you're amazing."

Liu Liu felt a bit embarrassed and smiled shyly, "It’s mainly because I met a boy while setting up my stall earlier. He told me he’d read my fortune and told me to think carefully before making decisions, so I was a bit more on guard."

What Liu Liu hadn't expected was that while she had been on guard against the person who fell, there was still another pair of eyes watching her from behind.

It was simply impossible to guard against everything.

When Yuan Siyu heard "read my fortune," she blinked and praised, "Then that boy must be quite impressive."

Liu Liu was surprised, "I thought you would think it was just a coincidence."

Yuan Siyu wiggled her finger in front of Liu Liu’s face and said mysteriously, "Not at all. I really believe in these things."

Because the Yan City Police Department had a special division, Yuan Siyu had interacted with people from that department. She had gone from thinking, "No way, people still believe this in this day and age?" to now thinking, "Damn, these experts are truly experts." She had experienced many strange and bizarre things that would sound like fiction to anyone else.

"Let's go. I'll take you home first, and then we can exchange contact information. If you have any problems, contact me anytime."

"Okay."

Yuan Siyu dropped Liu Liu off at home. By the time she returned to the station, her colleagues who had gone to the scene were back.

She rushed up to them impatiently, "Captain Jin, how was the investigation?"

Jin Hong wiped the rainwater from his face with a clean towel, his voice still damp with the humidity of the storm, "The surveillance at the scene was damaged. We asked the surrounding residents, and they said they didn't hear anything."

That wasn't surprising, given the excessive intensity of today's downpour.

Voices were hidden within the sound of the rain, making them difficult to catch.

"However, we followed what the girl said and went to the second-floor room where the man in the raincoat appeared. We did find something unusual."

The young officer chimed in, "That room on the second floor is unoccupied. According to neighbors, the owner moved away from Yan City years ago. We called the owner, and they confirmed the house has been vacant and never rented out to anyone."

***

Yuan Siyu was quick-witted, "In other words, that person definitely has ulterior motives."

Jin Hong nodded, then added, "It seems there are two possibilities: either it’s a gang operation, or the person who fell was also a victim. But based on the girl's account, the former is more likely."

"Were they targeting Liu Liu specifically?"

"Doesn't look like it. I asked the girl, and she said it was her first time setting up at the Changhua Street night market. They couldn't have predicted which route she would take home. But for safety's sake, stay in touch with her. If she doesn't mind, you can provide close protection."

"I'll contact her right now."

...

Meanwhile.

Xie Changshi and Rong Jing returned to Yunjiang Bay. The former went to the study for a temporary matter, while Rong Jing disinfected the dolls from the bag, placed them one by one on the bed, and finally took a satisfied photo.

After showering, he glanced toward the study. Seeing the door tightly shut, he knew he shouldn't disturb Xie Changshi. He simply moved a small table to the floor-to-ceiling window and sat cross-legged, eating cake while watching the river view through the rain.

When Xie Changshi pushed open the study door and walked out, this was the scene he saw.

The boy was wearing short pajamas. Because of his sitting posture, his pant legs—which didn't have much fabric to begin with—had rolled up, revealing fair, shapely calves that were more striking than the night lights. Xie Changshi tried to keep his gaze upward, but it abruptly collided with the hollows of his collarbone