She was startled awake, rolling off her bed with a THUD. A sharp pain shot through her, and only then did she realize it was just a nightmare. Large beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. Her undershirt was drenched in cold sweat; even her thick work uniform was completely soaked through. She sat on the floor, dazed, noticing the sunlight streaming in through the curtains.
After a long while, she finally ventured outside. The janitors pushing cleaning carts looked at her, slightly surprised by her work uniform. As she walked onto campus, passing students would occasionally glance at her, but none found it strange, assuming she was just a janitor.
Dressed in this uniform, Yan Xixi couldn’t go to class, nor did she have any textbooks. She just sat aimlessly under a large willow tree by the small lake. Many students were there—chatting, enjoying the shade, reading... At that moment, she felt a desperate need to lose herself in a crowd. She was afraid. She couldn’t stop shaking. The more people around, the safer she felt.
Noon arrived, and students gradually left for lunch. She felt hungry too, but waves of dizziness and a lack of appetite prevented her from eating. Instead, she stretched out on a long bench and, soon after lying down, fell into a deep sleep.
Thinking it was another nightmare, she struggled to open her heavy eyelids.
This time, it wasn’t a dream!
The enlarged face was almost touching her eyes.
Startled, she found herself tightly gripped by a pair of large hands. Wan Donglin was furious. "What’s going on? Where were you last night? Why didn’t you answer your phone? Why didn’t you come home? Why are you dressed ?"
She trembled all over, unable to utter a single word.
Finally, he had caught up with her.
Wan Donglin grabbed her and started pulling her away. She shivered but was ultimately unable to break free.
The car door slammed shut. Wan Donglin’s face was unusually dark. He said nothing more and just drove recklessly. Yan Xixi was strapped in by her seatbelt. The car’s speed was outrageous. If not for the seatbelt, she figured she would have been thrown out several times.
Finally, with a screech of tires, the car braked sharply and stopped. She lurched forward, nearly hitting the windshield.
Wan Donglin opened the car door, forcefully pulled her out, and dragged her straight into the living room. Like a hawk seizing a chick, he threw her onto the sofa. The busy workers all sensed the brewing storm and, holding their breath, discreetly moved away to avoid the scene.
The room fell into deadly silence.
Wan Donglin stared fixedly at her. After a long while, he finally said in a heavy voice, "Where did you run off to last night? I looked for you all night..."
She suddenly sprang up and, with unbelievable speed, snatched the fruit knife from the fruit bowl, holding it out in front of her.
Wan Donglin shot to his feet, staring at her in disbelief. "Yan Xixi, what do you think you’re doing?"
"You... don’t push me... Wan Donglin, don’t come any closer..."
He stopped advancing, his eyes wide. "Yan Xixi, have you gone mad?"
She hissed, "Don’t you come any closer!"
"Get away... Get lost!"
Wan Donglin backed away two steps, his brow furrowed even more deeply. "Yan Xixi, what the hell has gotten into you?"
"I heard it... I heard everything last night..."
Baffled, he asked, "What did you hear?"
"Wan Donglin, the score between us ends today. Yes, you arranged my mother’s burial and helped me return to university to finish my studies, but that doesn’t mean I owe you anything for it..."
"Yan Xixi, I never said you owed me anything..."
"Shut up!" Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by ɴovelfire.net