“Don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine,” he comforted the woman in his arms. The woman seemed small and vulnerable; she was so frail he felt as though he would be able to crush her bones with his bare hands.
Gradually, the woman calmed down, but she did not seem okay. She was still trembling all over, and her skin felt cold and clammy.
He reached out to touch the woman’s forehead with his palm. As he expected, it was icy cold and slick with sweat.
In actuality, Yan Huan was no longer aware of her surroundings. She had been paralyzed by overwhelming fear, a fear that she had carried with her from her past life. It was common knowledge that a close brush with death was enough to cure most suicidal people of their suicidal tendencies; this is because humans are wired to have an instinctive fear of dying. This fear, however, was even worse for Yan Huan because she had actually experienced her own death first-hand. She knew that no one was actually trying to kill her with a knife right now, but she could not shake the crippling feeling of dread.
Her rapid, panicked breathing slowed down. She subconsciously grabbed the man’s hand and held it tight, like a drowning man grasping desperately at straws in a river. She did not care who he was: all she wanted was the reassurance that no one was going to hurt her or kill her.
She heard a man’s voice whisper into her ear.
“Everything will be okay, don’t be afraid, this will be over soon.”
Lu Yi could tell that the woman in his arms was slipping away. He patted her cheek lightly, but she appeared to have fainted. The elevator doors were still closed and the only source of light at hand was the feeble brightness from his phone.
Half an hour had passed and the doors showed no sign of opening. He sat down, shifted the woman so that her head rested on his thighs, and checked his phone.
He was not particularly surprised when he saw that he still had no signal. He had already tried the emergency button in the elevator, but it didn’t seem to do anything. All he could do now was wait. He didn’t mind going home a few hours later than usual, but he couldn’t say the same for his companion…
He moved his phone. In the dim light, he saw that the woman lying in his lap was young and thin, but he could not tell what she looked like. All he could make out was that she had extremely long eyelashes and was most likely very pretty.
All they could do was wait for someone to realize that the elevator had malfunctioned and that there were people trapped inside.
He closed his eyes. The dark did not scare him in the slightest. Right now, there was only one thing he was afraid of…
“It’s okay, don’t be scared…” He placed his hand on the woman’s forehead, worried that her prolonged loss of consciousness would have long-lasting consequences for her health.
Suddenly, his eyes flew open. His dark, hawk-like eyes sliced through the darkness before him.
Ding! The elevator doors opened to let in long-awaited light. A repairman was standing outside, and his jaw dropped at the sight before him: vegetables were scattered across the elevator floor and there was even a dead fish in one corner. But that was nothing compared to the man sitting inside: he did not look happy at all, and his displeasure rolled off of him in icy waves.
“Sir, are you okay?” asked the repairman timidly. There was something formidable about the man, and the repairman was smart enough to know that anyone who lived in this building was most likely some kind of big-shot.
Lu Yi lifted his hand in a gesture that said I’m fine, you can stop asking.
He raised his phone to his ear.
“Qingyi, it’s me. Get over here with your car, stat.”