Star-Crossed Lovers: The Ex-Convict and the White Rabbit - Chapter 12 - The New Security Guard

Chapter 12 – The New Security Guard

Lu Yin narrowed her eyes. She hadn’t seen this person before, but she felt he was somehow familiar.

The man seemed to look over, paused for a moment, and stepped forward to pull the door open.

The car drove in. Lu Yin opened her mouth to say thank you but before she finished talking, he had already passed by.

She busied herself again after returning home. In a few hours, the room had been completely renewed. The bed sheets were changed and there was only one pillow and blanket left. The living room was clean and spotless, no newspapers and magazines haphazardly thrown about. The bathroom mirror gleamed and a new set of toothbrush and cup was placed in front of it. Beside it hung a blue-pink towel…

Everything was brand new. There was no trace of another person living in it before.

Lu Yin was sweating from head to toe. She was splayed on the sofa, glancing around the empty room. She felt desolate and lonely and pain surged from the bottom of her heart. She exhaled and ordered herself not to get carried away. Her eyes fell on the pile of waste paper at the door.

Lu Yin bit her lower lip, picked up the lighter and the pile of old objects, and went to the rooftop.

The night breeze slowly washed away the day’s heat.

Clouds covered the moon, leaving only a hazy moonlight.

She stood on the rooftop and looked down. A few lonely streetlights after, she couldn’t see the road ahead. The night was extremely quiet as if it had entered deep sleep.

Lu Yin sat on the floor and picked up the stack of papers beside her. It was Liu Zecheng’s thesis. The moonlight was very faint and one couldn’t see what was written on it clearly, but his handwriting would not go away as if it was engraved into her mind.

She flicked on the lighter. A tiny firelight was ignited in the darkness and gradually became larger, and the air was filled with the smell of soot.

Lu Yin put the papers in her hands into the fire and the light from the fire illuminated her face. Thick, black smoke flew with the dust into the air and, just like everything in her life, away from her.

The pile of waste paper burned for a while. The fire dwindled. The night breeze blew away the ashes.

Once again falling into darkness, Lu Yin sat for a moment before standing up. The moment she turned around, she soundlessly screamed.

A bald figure leaned against the iron door leading downstairs, wearing a tank top and shorts. There was a cigarette in his mouth, ever so relaxed. She had no idea how long he had been watching her.

Lu Yin was frightened and took several steps back.

The man stood straight and whispered, “Don’t move, take another step back and nobody can save you.”

Lu Yin’s head turned numb and all the hairs on her body stood in attention. The moment the other party spoke, she recognized him.

She had seen him twice, once in the Yueya Correctional Facility and once at the intersection under heavy rain.

She did not know his name, only a few numbers, 0852.

Lu Yin trembled, “Why are you here?”

Lu Qiang snorted and raised the corner of his mouth: “Do you know me?”

Lu Yin bit her lip, “I don’t.”

Lu Qiang did not say anything and took two steps forward.

She panicked and backed against the wall. It was dark at night, but she could vaguely see the top of his shiny head, the cigarette glowing and fading between his lips, reflecting his angular face, and a pair of dark eyes.

Lu Yin panicked, “What do you want?”

He stopped. He laughed and said, “I haven’t done anything to you.”

Lu Yin said, “Go away or I’ll call the security guard.”

“That’s me.”

Lu Qiang walked to the fire and extinguished the remaining embers with his feet. “I’m new.”

Lu Yin was stunned.

He said, “There were residents complaining that someone set fire on top of the building.”

Lu Yin came back to her senses after a long time, “I didn’t set fire, I was only burning something.”

“Yeah.” He said, “I saw.” How long did he stand behind her?

Lu Yin didn’t want to say much. She wanted to bypass him and go down first.

It was too dark and she couldn’t see where she was going at all. She suddenly tripped over some debris. She grunted, there was a sharp pain in her ankle.

The current her was so fragile that a little pain was enough for her to squeeze out a few tears.

After a while, she felt some strength at her waist.

He leaned over, intending to carry her. Above her came a voice, “Which floor are you living in? I’ll send you back.”