CHAPTER 86
The raging wind and pouring rain relentlessly battered against the windows. Suddenly, a knocking sound from outside the door merged with the thunderous roar in the sky. The woman, huddled in the corner of the room, was as timid as a startled bird. Her shoulders trembled violently.
A white lightning bolt streaked across the firmament, illuminating the room as bright as day for an instant.
On the floor lay the shattered remains of a water glass, with water stains spreading across it. Chairs were hastily knocked over, leaving them askew. Half of the blanket was dragged onto the floor, its corners dampened. The scene was in complete disarray.
Tang Ruoyao continued to persistently knock on the door.
While knocking, she urgently called out, "Senior Qin! Qin Yinong!"
The rain poured down, enveloping the entire small town in a torrential curtain. Her voice resonated particularly clear in the corridor.
Guan Han opened her eyes, sat up, reached for her glasses on the bedside table, and put them on. She then put on her coat and headed out.
"Miss Tang."
Tang Ruoyao's words were momentarily halted by the person behind her. She turned her head and saw Guan Han staring at her with an intense gaze, her eyes sharp. "What are you doing here?"
"I..." Tang Ruoyao pointed towards the door of Qin Yinong's room and said, "There's some commotion inside."
"What kind of commotion?"
"It sounds like a glass breaking, and there were sounds of chairs being knocked over." Tang Ruoyao made her judgment, unconsciously furrowing her brows.
"Is that so?" Guan Han took a couple of steps closer, pressed her ear against the door, then turned her face back, expressionless. "You misheard. Qin Jie is already asleep."
"But I'm certain I heard..."
"The thunder was too loud. You misheard." Guan Han calmly interrupted her, repeating her statement.
Tang Ruoyao wasn't stupid. The sound of thunder and the noise of a chair falling to the ground were significantly different. How could she have misheard? And the restless pounding of her heart now hinted at something uncertain.
Regardless of whether Guan Han genuinely didn't hear or pretended not to hear, Tang Ruoyao didn't want to waste her breath arguing with her. She continued to knock on the door with an extremely assertive attitude.
Just as she knocked, her wrist was forcefully grabbed.
Tang Ruoyao, accustomed to doing household chores since childhood and having done her fair share of physical work, was diligent in staying fit behind the scenes. Her strength far exceeded that of an ordinary woman, and few of her female peers could restrain her. So her initial reaction was to break free and continue.
She tried to pull her hand out... but she couldn't, and the difference in strength was overwhelming.
Tang Ruoyao couldn't hide her astonishment.
Guan Han still maintained her emotionless icy demeanor, but her fingers tightened, almost crushing her bones without any mercy. Tang Ruoyao's pale wrist quickly bore several horrifying finger marks. In a cold voice, Guan Han said, "Miss Tang, show some restraint."
Tang Ruoyao winced in pain. "I'll stop knocking, just let go."
Guan Han released her grip. "My apologies for the offense."
Although she said so, her expression showed no sign of apology.
She stood guard at Qin Yinong's door like a door god. Tang Ruoyao couldn't force her way through, so she had to resort to a softer approach, sincerely saying, "I'm certain I heard unusual sounds, really."
"You misheard." Guan Han replied with a calm expression, ignoring her words and repeating her previous statements.
"You weren't here at that time, so how can you be so sure that I misheard?"
Guan Han's expression faltered.
She still had a little way to go to match Tang Ruoyao in terms of intellect alone.
"You misheard." a hint of indiscernible emotion flashed in her gaze, and her voice was not as resolute as before.
"I didn't mishear." Tang Ruoyao persisted, unwilling to give up the argument with her.
After who knows how many repetitions, Guan Han finally changed her statement, "There's no sound now."
A small glimmer lit up in Tang Ruoyao's eyes, well concealed. She followed Guan Han's words and said, "After such a loud commotion in the room suddenly stops, aren't you afraid something might have happened to Senior Qin?"
Guan Han wavered.
Of course, she knew that what Tang Ruoyao heard was likely true, but she had followed Qin Yinong for several years, and this kind of situation wasn't the first time. Qin Yinong didn't like her being seen in that state, so Guan Han acted as if she didn't know and ignored it.
Who would have expected Tang Ruoyao to come out of nowhere and latch onto this matter, refusing to let it go?
But rationality is one thing, emotional concern is another.
"Maybe she fell." Tang Ruoyao caught onto her hesitation and continued to play mind games with her.
"If she needs help, she'll call me." Guan Han replied.
"What if she hit her head, passed out? How can she call for help then?"
Guan Han: "..."
Tang Ruoyao pressed on, urging her, "Knock on the door and call her. If she responds to you, it means nothing's wrong. People can't sleep so deeply."
Guan Han raised her hand, instinctively about to knock on the door, but realized that was exactly what Tang Ruoyao had done just now. However, she no longer had the confidence to refuse. As Tang Ruoyao wished, Guan Han personally knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock一
Three polite and gentle knocks.
"Qin Jie."
"Knock harder." Tang Ruoyao said.
Guan Han gave Tang Ruoyao a disdainful look, as if she had suddenly realized she hadn't flipped the page properly. She maintained her own pace, gradually increasing the intensity of her knocks.
"Qin Jie?"
Tang Ruoyao followed by calling through the gap in the door, "Qin Yinong."
There was still no response.
Outside, the wind and rain continued to rage. From the window at the end of the corridor, one could see dazzling lightning flashes one after another, while the distant thunder rumbled deeply, as if brewing a bigger storm.
Guan Han couldn't remain calm anymore.
She made a quick decision, swiftly turned back to her room, and retrieved the spare key to Qin Yinong's room.
At an inappropriate moment, a sour thought bubbled up in Tang Ruoyao's mind—Guan Han even had a spare key... She shook her head immediately, dispelling that thought. Before opening the door, Guan Han said, "It's enough for me to handle this. Miss Tang, please go back and rest."
Tang Ruoyao tactfully took a step back. "Don't worry, I won't go in. I'll go back to my room right away."
Guan Han twisted the key and opened the door.
Just as the door was pushed open wide enough for one person to pass through, in the blink of an eye, a figure swiftly lowered their head and rushed in before Guan Han could react.
Even with Guan Han's vigilance, she couldn't anticipate that Tang Ruoyao would be so audacious.
Guan Han: "!!!"
She rushed forward to grab the person.
Tang Ruoyao stood in the center of the room, her face showing obvious panic. "She's not here."
Guan Han's pupils suddenly contracted. "What did you say?"
"There's no one in the room." Tang Ruoyao whispered, her eyes reddening. She moved around the bedroom like a headless fly, straightening the fallen chair, picking up the discarded blanket from the floor, and shaking it out while looking around.
Guan Han turned on the lights in the room.
In the four corners, behind the curtains, next to the table, and on the balcony, there was no trace of anyone.
Guan Han walked to the window. The window wasn't securely closed, allowing a gust of damp air mixed with rain to rush in. She carefully observed for a moment, then called the security guards downstairs and asked them in a low voice if they had seen anyone jumping out of the window.
However, Tang Ruoyao's gaze inexplicably fell on the wardrobe that occupied an entire wall.
Could someone be inside there?
An absurd thought emerged in her mind, but Tang Ruoyao still approached it.
The wardrobe had handle-style doors, so she slowly opened them one by one from the outside.
Guan Han caught a glimpse of her actions and wanted to come over and help, but Tang Ruoyao made a gesture to stop her. On one hand, the wardrobe's doors were already halfway open, and on the other hand, for some reason she didn't want to, she couldn't explain why. If Qin Yinong was really inside, she wished to be the one to bring her out.
Guan Han halted and stared at Tang Ruoyao's movements.
The disheveled woman tightly held a metal clothes hanger in her hand—it was the only makeshift weapon she could find for self-defense at the moment. She trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes hid deep-seated fear.
Don't come closer.
Her teeth chattered, and her hands and feet grew cold.
Please, I beg you, don't come closer.
Tears welled up in the woman's eyes, but she dared not make a sound. She immediately wiped them away, clearing her vision.
The sound of the door being opened was like the footsteps of the approaching Grim Reaper, and it finally stopped right in front of her.
Tang Ruoyao took a deep breath and opened the last door.
Her vision blurred for a moment, and she instinctively turned her head. Something heavy struck the side of her face. Before she could feel the pain, a figure leaped out from inside. In less than a second, Tang Ruoyao still recognized who it was.
"Qin—" She took off in pursuit.
Guan Han was faster, taking a swift step forward and intercepting Qin Yinong as she tried to run out.
A piercing scream.
A scream that pierced eardrums.
In an instant, they pierced through the curtain of rain.
Qin Yinong and Guan Han engaged in a struggle, their pajamas disheveled, their hair unkempt, resembling madmen. Qin Yinong swung the metal clothes hanger wildly in front of her, screaming hoarsely as she fought.
Tang Ruoyao stood on the sidelines, completely stunned.
Guan Han, concerned about Qin Yinong, couldn't bring herself to use excessive force. Qin Yinong retaliated by hitting her several times, but the crucial point was that Guan Han couldn't subdue her. Glancing at Tang Ruoyao, who was dazed beside them, Guan Han shouted sternly, "What are you standing there for? Come and help!"
Tang Ruoyao snapped out of her daze and quickly stepped forward. Together, they managed to restrain Qin Yinong.
The clothes hanger was snatched away by Guan Han and thrown far aside. Qin Yinong, with her hands pinned against the wall, gradually calmed down.
Tang Ruoyao wiped her face and felt the cold, wet sensation on her fingertips. It was only then that she realized her face was covered in tears, not knowing when they had started flowing.
"She... Senior Qin..." Tang Ruoyao's eyes were red, and her voice choked as she asked Guan Han, "What's going on?"
Guan Han lowered her gaze and said indifferently, "I don't know."
It wasn't that she was being dismissive, she truly didn't know. In the past, Qin Yinong would at most cower in a corner, trembling and not saying a word. But today, she didn't know why her aggression was so strong.
What happened today to trigger such a change?
Guan Han felt a slight struggle in the wrists she was holding, thinking that Qin Yinong was about to resist again. She quickly applied more pressure, but then she heard a faint voice say, "Guan Han."
Hoarse, but familiar tone.
Qin Yinong regained clarity.
Guan Han released her grip and respectfully said, "Qin Jie."
Qin Yinong turned around and gave Guan Han an apologetic look, saying, "I'm sorry..." Her voice abruptly trailed off when she saw Tang Ruoyao standing to the side. Her pupils suddenly contracted, and immediately, an indescribable sense of embarrassment and despair enveloped her.
She instinctively stepped backward, but there was no more space to retreat against the wall.
Tang Ruoyao's nose tingled again, her eyes moistening. She couldn't help but take a step forward.
Qin Yinong pressed tightly against the wall, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.
Tang Ruoyao stared directly into the woman's eyes and took another step forward.
Qin Yinong's eyes were bloodshot, and she suppressed the trembling as she almost shouted, "Guan Han!"
Guan Han was startled and immediately stepped in front of her, assuming a defensive posture. Qin Yinong was behind her, but her voice was not as forceful as Guan Han had expected. She lightly clenched her teeth, her voice carrying a hint of a sob, and said, "Don't let her see me."
Guan Han was slightly shorter than Qin Yinong, but when she stood tall to block her, Qin Yinong could only expose the top of her head.
Tang Ruoyao stopped in her tracks.
Qin Yinong spoke again from behind Guan Han, saying, "Let her leave."
Guan Han followed the command with a single action and said, "Miss Tang, please go back to your room and rest."
Tang Ruoyao stood still in place.
Guan Han's tone turned cold as she repeated her words.
Tang Ruoyao remained unmoving, circling halfway around. Guan Han followed her gaze and turned halfway in front of Qin Yinong, firmly blocking her way.
Tang Ruoyao stared at the half-exposed top of Guan Han's head and spoke softly, "I'll leave first. Goodnight."
The last two words carried a gentle tone as she addressed Qin Yinong.
No one saw her off as she left, and she closed the door behind her.
Before leaving, she closed the window that was letting in drafts.
Inside the room.
Qin Yinong said, "Guan Han, you should leave too."
Guan Han followed the order.
"Wait," Qin Yinong called out to her, her voice hoarse, and asked, "When did she arrive?"
Guan Han lowered her gaze and said, "She entered at the same time as me. She opened the cabinet door."
Qin Yinong tilted her face upward and let out a sigh.
The light reflected the tear streaks that slid down the corners of her eyes, shimmering for a brief moment.
"Go outside." she said again, maintaining her upward gaze.
Guan Han backed out, closed the door, and was startled by a figure by the door. The figure raised its head, placing a finger to its lips, signaling for silence.
Guan Han, for once, acted on her own will and crouched down to meet her gaze, questioning, "What are you doing here?"
"Lower your voice." Tang Ruoyao pulled her coat tighter and shrugged. "I'm resting here."
"Why don't you rest in your room?" Guan Han asked.
"Do you think I can sleep?" Tang Ruoyao replied.
Guan Han remained speechless.
"So, it's better for me to stay here, keeping an eye on her. In case anything happens, I can be the first to notice." Tang Ruoyao took advantage of Guan Han's distraction and asked, "Can you sleep?"
Guan Han nodded without hesitation.
So, this situation is normal? Tang Ruoyao wondered.
Tang Ruoyao asked again, "Was she like this before?"
"I'm going to rest now." Guan Han didn't give her a chance to dig deeper. She took a few steps into the small room diagonally across, closed the door.
Tang Ruoyao wrinkled her nose at Guan Han's retreating figure, as if she found her actions very disgraceful. Then she turned her head and stared at the closed door of Qin Yinong's room, her eyes filled with unconcealed worry.
What is going on?
Qin Yinong took a hot shower, slightly higher in temperature than usual, which made her skin feel hot. The damp chill in the air dissipated, and her hands and feet gradually warmed up under the physical influence.
She put on a thick bathrobe and rubbed her fingers, which were starting to feel cold, against her body. She curled up in the blanket and skid into bed.
All the lights in the room were on, making it as bright as daylight. Qin Yinong lay with her eyes open on the bed, uncontrollably replaying past scenes in her mind. She grimaced in pain, suddenly sat up, and her heart raced in fear.
The night was deep and thick.
The thunder had stopped at some point, and the lightning was no longer rampant. The rain outside had reduced from heavy downpour to a gentle patter, hitting the leaves and playing a natural melody.
Tang Ruoyao sat until her legs went numb. She changed to a sideways position, hugging her arms tightly, and her eyelids fought to stay open as she drifted into a drowsy state with the lullaby.
Qin Yinong gripped the doorknob between her hands, tightening and loosening her fingers.
She just wanted to go sit by her door. If she returned earlier, Tang Ruoyao wouldn't notice, right?
Qin Yinong closed her fingers, holding the doorknob tightly, and turned it downward. With a creaking sound一
She gently opened the door.
Qin Yinong held her breath, quietly closed the door behind her with her other hand, took a step toward the next room. In the moment she turned around, her peripheral vision caught sight of something. She looked down and froze in place.
Tang Ruoyao had her legs crossed to one side, sitting curled up on the floor. The back of her head leaned against the wall, and her head was tilted to the side in an awkward manner. Her chest rose and fell steadily, breathing evenly.
Her usually vibrant eyes were now obediently closed, and the typically cold and devoid of human emotions, were adorned with a soft golden halo under the light.
Qin Yinong lowered her gaze, looking at Tang Ruoyao's sleeping face, not blinking.
Tang Ruoyao wasn't fully asleep. The sound of the door opening had vaguely awakened her. Now, being watched by the woman for a long time, her long eyelashes trembled lightly, and she slowly opened her eyes, radiating with brightness.
Qin Yinong was shocked and turned around to go back, but without thinking, Tang Ruoyao propped herself up on the ground with one arm, quickly stood up, and reached out to grab Qin Yinong's hand.
It was cold.
That was her first impression when her hand touched Qin Yinong's hand.
Before she could have a second thought, sitting on the ground for a long time had caused poor blood circulation, her legs went numb, and she fell back down. Her hand was still holding onto Qin Yinong, who was unprepared and was brought down with her.
To be precise, it was Tang Ruoyao who fell to the ground, and Qin Yinong fell on top of Tang Ruoyao.
Tang Ruoyao didn't know where she was hit, and she let out a muted groan in pain.
Qin Yinong's anger had no chance to manifest and turned into concern instead. She wanted to get up first to relieve the pressure on Tang Ruoyao, but just as she was about to leave, Tang Ruoyao sensed it and used her other hand to tightly hold onto her.
In the quiet corridor late at night, not only did they fall into a tangle, but they also ended up embracing each other in this strange position.
In theory, Tang Ruoyao should have been colder after spending two hours in the corridor than Qin Yinong in the room. However, while being held in her arms, Qin Yinong could feel the continuous warmth emanating from her.
So she stayed still.
Tang Ruoyao whispered in her ear, "Are you very cold?"
Qin Yinong didn't speak.
"Come here." Tang Ruoyao pulled her up and wrapped both of her hands in her own palms, blowing warm air towards them and repeatedly rubbing her icy fingertips, using her own body temperature to warm Qin Yinong's hands.
Qin Yinong was like a puppet on a string, allowing her to manipulate without uttering a word. Her gaze remained fixed on Tang Ruoyao, sometimes on her face, sometimes on her hands. The longest time she looked was at a piece of clothing corner that had fallen to the ground. With each movement of Tang Ruoyao's arm, it rose and fell, like a leaf blowing in the wind.
But eventually, her hands were warmed by Tang Ruoyao.
Qin Yinong gently withdrew her hand and sat hugging her knees.
Tang Ruoyao didn't come closer, but their shoulders touched.
Qin Yinong didn't avoid it and let her lean against her.
After a while, Tang Ruoyao's beautiful brows slowly furrowed.
She stood up.
Qin Yinong looked up at her, revealing a trace of panic. It was an instinctive reaction, and she immediately lowered her head, clenching her fist by her side.
"I'll go get something, I'll be right back." Tang Ruoyao explained softly.
Qin Yinong remained silent, gradually relaxing her fist.
"Wait for me." Tang Ruoyao said.
Qin Yinong's throat moved as if she wanted to answer her, but nothing came out.
There was a weight on her body, followed by warmth, and when she looked up, she saw Tang Ruoyao's smiling face, tinged with a hint of embarrassment. "I was worried that the blanket was too thin to keep us warm, so I brought the bedsheet I was using."
Qin Yinong's eyelashes fluttered gently.
Tang Ruoyao sat cross-legged and took half of the blanket from Qin Yinong to wrap it around herself. "Is this better?"
Throughout the whole time, Qin Yinong didn't say a word. Tang Ruoyao continued talking to herself, as if it were perfectly natural.
"Do you want to lean closer to me? It's warmer when two people are together." Tang Ruoyao smiled and, after repositioning herself, created some distance between her and Qin Yinong.
Qin Yinong didn't pay attention to her.
After waiting for two seconds, Tang Ruoyao, with a thick-skinned face, leaned closer on her own.
She didn't notice the extremely subtle shift from Qin Yinong, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, but it did happen.
"This corridor is drafty, did you notice?" Tang Ruoyao searched for a topic, pointing to the window at the end of the corridor. "I closed it tightly when I came out earlier, but there's still a draft."
Although Qin Yinong didn't respond, her gaze followed the direction pointed out by Tang Ruoyao.
The topic was boring, but Tang Ruoyao continued speaking: "I think the window installers didn't do a good job. I have a few windows like that at home, with screens installed. The windows are hardly ever opened, and over time, the metal inside rusted. Now it's difficult to close them properly."
She rambled on for a while, forgetting her train of thought, talking about everything except what happened tonight.
Qin Yinong shifted slightly.
She immediately stopped talking.
"Dirty." Qin Yinong's voice sounded extremely hoarse, as if there was sand in her throat.
"What?"
"The blanket, it's dirty." Qin Yinong slowly uttered each word, her voice trembling. "What will you use to cover yourself tomorrow?"
Normally, Tang Ruoyao would jokingly respond, teasingly suggesting they share a bedsheet with Senior Qin. But now, she wore a serious expression, thinking carefully, and said, "I'll wash the bedsheet tomorrow. If it's dry, I'll put it back on. If not, I'll snatch Xin Qian's blanket."
Qin Yinong's lips curved slightly, forming a smile, very subtle and fleeting, but Tang Ruoyao still caught it.
Speaking of Xin Qian, Tang Ruoyao had another topic.
She complained about how her assistant was so naive and sweet, always treating Guan Han as an idol and dreaming of being a perfect assistant. But currently, she couldn't even handle a simple task, yet Tang Ruoyao didn't give up on her.
"She's cute." Qin Yinong said after Tang Ruoyao finished her long rant.
Tang Ruoyao puffed her cheeks and said, "Let's not talk about her."
Is it okay to casually praise someone as cute?!
Her jealousy was not concealed in the slightest in her words. She wanted Qin Yinong to hear it, to know that she was feeling jealous.
Qin Yinong's lips twitched.
Skipping over Xin Qian, Tang Ruoyao brought up Guan Han. "She's very skilled. Have you trained with her?" Tang Ruoyao was surprised by Guan Han tonight, aside from Qin Yinong. She appeared unremarkable, but her hidden talents were astonishing.
"Life is not easy, she's talented in many areas." Qin Yinong said.
Tang Ruoyao burst into laughter. "Hahaha."
Qin Yinong seemed to completely miss the point of her laughter and calmly asked, "She said it herself, is it funny?"
Tang Ruoyao coughed awkwardly and said, "It's alright."
Qin Yinong remained silent for a while and then made a sound of agreement.
Tang Ruoyao didn't know what she meant by that, but afterwards, Qin Yinong hugged her arms again, rested her chin on her knees, half-closed her eyelids, and looked tired and lifeless.
A gust of wind swept through the corridor, bringing a damp chill. Qin Yinong's hair fluttered by her ear, and naturally, Tang Ruoyao leaned closer to shield her.Her shoulders weren't broad, but when positioned in front of Qin Yinong like this, they effectively blocked the wind and rain, not allowing even a trace of breeze to pass through.
Qin Yinong was slightly moved and couldn't help but lift her gaze. For a moment, her eyes showed a faint glimmer of emotion before quickly becoming calm again.
The wind blew for a while, and the back of Tang Ruoyao's neck began to prickle with goosebumps. She shivered uncontrollably.
Qin Yinong said lightly, "Let's go back to the room, it's cold here."
"And what about you?" Tang Ruoyao blurted out.
"Naturally, I will also go back."
"Your blanket is dirty too." Tang Ruoyao noticed that it had touched the wet floor.
"Just cover with the clean side." Qin Yinong spoke casually.
"What about me?" Tang Ruoyao blurted out again.
Her blanket had been rolled on the floor multiple times, and there was no clean side left.
Author's Note:
Where will little Tang sleep tonight? ╰(*°▽°*)╯
Xiao Tang, you never disappoint.jpg
Comments
Post a Comment