Although reluctantly, Zhou Yun still added Chen Fusi as a WeChat friend.
After getting in the car, Zhou Yun placed her phone to the side and yawned deeply.
Zhou Lan handed Zhou Yun a thermos and said, "I guessed you probably didn't eat anything inside, so here's some chicken shredded porridge I made myself. Have some to fill your stomach."
Zhou Yun let out a surprised shriek.
"Sister Lan, how are you so considerate?"
Zhou Lan smiled, then asked, "Did you meet anyone tonight?"
"Oh, right, there is something I need to tell you, Chen Xiaowei from XV invited me to walk in their brand show next month," Zhou Yun said. "She mentioned she will contact you later to discuss some details."
Zhou Lan's eyes lit up like light bulbs.
"That's great! Landing such a big job right off the bat." Zhou Lan, being an insider, always had access to news from all sides first-hand.
Although XV might still be a niche brand for the general public, Zhou Lan knew that it had potential to skyrocket.
Because it had already been recognized in the fashion circles in Europe, which in the fashion industry, was equivalent to having a royal endorsement.
Furthermore, it was a brand established by a Chinese person.
In an instant, several promotional ideas flashed through Zhou Lan's mind.
Zhou Lan was excited, but Zhou Yun felt somewhat exhausted.
Attending a party that wasn't really her scene required her to be extra vigilant to maintain her status and not be underestimated.
The mental strain was so intense that as soon as she relaxed, she felt she could fall asleep at any moment.
"By the way, did Hugh come today?" Zhou Lan asked.
Zhou Lan sighed, "I really am greedy, I was actually hoping Hugh would show up today."
"Sister Lan..." Zhou Yun gave her a helpless look.
"Sigh, you know how beneficial it was for you to be linked with him in a scandal and trend on hot search," Zhou Lan covered her chest, mumbling: "Human greed knows no bounds, stay calm, you shouldn't be ."
Hearing Zhou Lan talk to herself, Zhou Yun couldn't help but laugh.
Truly, we are all mundane; no one wants to be too shameless, and no one is that noble.
These past few days, even Zhou Yun couldn't outright reject the opportunities that presented themselves.
It was very late, Zhou Lan dropped Zhou Yun at her building, reminding her, "Let me know once you get inside."
Back in her apartment, after messaging Zhou Lan, the first thing Zhou Yun did was remove her makeup.
She just wanted to lazily lie down and give herself a good rest.
However, her phone vibrated at that moment.
Thinking it was Zhou Lan, Zhou Yun picked it up to see, only to frown—it was that strange number again.
The stranger had sent a second message: Did you have fun tonight?
Instantly, a chilling coldness rushed over Zhou Yun's head.
Zhou Yun's fingertips turned white from the force she was pressing on her phone screen.
Zhou Yun typed: Who are you?
Her gaze turned cold and fierce, like a threatened wild beast; the calmer she appears, the more she was ready to strike lethally.
The stranger did not reply.
Zhou Yun sent another message: If you keep stalking and harassing me, I will call the police.
Zhou Yun was testing the stranger's reaction. His appearance had made her uneasy, because he somehow knew her schedule for tonight. And her plans tonight were private, not disclosed, known to only a few people. Who exactly was he? How did he know? As she suspected, was it stalking?
The stranger sent a smiley face emoji followed by a message that made Zhou Yun's pupils constrict: No need to scare me, you won't dare call the police.
Zhou Yun: Why wouldn't I dare?
Stranger: You know why.
Zhou Yun didn't understand what this stranger was up to— whether just being mysterious or having some ulterior motive.
Yet the unease in her grew stronger. In just a brief exchange, the situation shifted from her testing him to him testing her.
Why did this person say she wouldn't dare call the police?
Or was it not a test?
No, impossible, no second person knew about that matter.
Zhou Yun pursed her lips.
Since this person knew her schedule tonight, it meant he had been following her. Zhou Yun carefully recalled the people she encountered, and suddenly remembered an incident at a hotel. That night, someone tried to card into her room but failed. She remembered it clearly, certain it wasn't a nightmare. Could it be the same person?
Zhou Yun put down her phone, thoughts swirling.
One thought after another popped up in her mind, various hypotheses.
Accompanied by memories emerging from deep within.
"It's your fault your mother died, did you know?" that constantly drunken man yelled at her, and after smashing the bottle, he raised his fist to hit her.
The phone vibrated again.
Zhou Yun stepped out from the dark memory and picked up the phone.
It was a message from Zhou Lan: Tomorrow morning at seven, I'll come to pick you up, and we'll go to the airport together.
Zhou Yun replied with a single word, feeling slightly dazed.
She exited WeChat, opened her messages, and stared at her exchange with the strange number, her brows knitting with a bitter sorrow.
She maintained this posture for a full ten minutes, finally putting down the phone and walking into the bathroom.
Soaking in the bathtub, she muttered to herself, "You are just a rat hiding in the corner, you don't dare to face me."
The next day, Zhou Yun, wearing sunglasses, went downstairs, still with her usual sweet smile.
While waiting at the airport, Zhou Lan briefed Zhou Yun on the key points for tonight's show recording.
After finishing, Zhou Lan suddenly received a phone call, so she stood up and walked away to talk.
Zhou Yun, wearing sunglasses and earphones, took an e-reader from her bag. Suddenly, someone sat down beside her.
"Hello, are you Zhou Yun?" It was a sweet and glutinous voice.
Zhou Yun was somewhat surprised and turned to look.
The other person was a very young girl, dressed youthfully and vibrant, her face beaming with vitality.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Don't you know who I am?" The young cute girl showed an innocuous smile.
A flicker of unease suddenly rose in Zhou Yun's heart.
"I am here to punish you."
The young cute girl suddenly, from nowhere, pulled out a cup and splashed its contents onto Zhou Yun's face.