Chapter 43 The knocking woke He Zhao up, and what was even harder for her to accept was that the knocking was actually...

The knocking woke He Zhao, and what was even harder for her to accept was that the knocking was incredibly close. It wasn't the main door, but the door to her small rented apartment.

Her rented room was a tiny room built by an unscrupulous sub-landlord, using very ordinary, cheap wooden partitions. Sometimes she could even hear the voices of the tenants next door; such partitions were not safe at all.

If the partitions are so poorly made, how good can the doors be? Sometimes when He Zhao closes the door, he even feels that it is about to collapse, and he doesn't know when it might just break down.

But to He Zhao's utter surprise, before her door was even in imminent danger, a new problem arose—someone was knocking on her door in the dead of night. She instinctively checked her phone and saw it was four in the morning; no wonder it was pitch black all around.

He Zhao took a deep breath. She didn't speak directly, but stared intently at the door.

Night makes everything seem dangerous.

She didn't know who was behind the door, but that didn't stop her from already imagining some terrible things. Adding to this, because of a cold, she felt dizzy and weak, even powerless, to the point that she didn't immediately remember she had such a magical system.

Having finally cleared his head a bit, He Zhao remembered to ask the system a question. But before He Zhao could even open his mouth, the person outside the door spoke up.

“He Zhao, it’s me, Qiao Yanyu.”

In short, without any further explanation, He Zhao relaxed completely, feeling her limbs go even weaker. But afterwards, she remained somewhat wary, wondering: Could it be that the ghost has transformed into Qiao Yanyu and come to cause me trouble?

In the current worldview, it doesn't seem like something that is impossible.

Fortunately, after a system check, it was confirmed that the person outside the door was indeed Qiao Yanyu.

He Zhao then scrambled out of bed and opened his bedroom door. A cold draft rushed in, and He Zhao realized he was a little chilly; he had unknowingly come out in his pajamas. There used to be a time when He Zhao could sleep in just a thin nightgown, but now he had to wear thermal underwear.

Thermal underwear is very warm, but it doesn't look very good.

This made He Zhao feel a little awkward, and she even wanted to tighten her clothes. In addition, she was only wearing thermal underwear and no bra. Appearing in front of the person she liked like this, He Zhao felt her cheeks turn red and she was extremely embarrassed.

Qiao Yanyu saw He Zhao's appearance by the light from the hallway and said directly, "Go inside and lie down on the bed first, so you don't catch a cold again." He Zhao nodded, turned around and went into the room, buried himself in the quilt, put on a coat, and then turned on the light.

It was clear that Qiao Yanyu had returned travel-worn and somewhat disheveled, her clothes covered in dust. Yet, even in this state, her tall stature and long legs made the small rented room of He Zhao appear more elegant and sophisticated.

The first thing Qiao Yanyu did upon entering was to check the room for any signs of yin energy. Only after confirming that He Zhao's cold wasn't caused by yin energy did she breathe a sigh of relief, feeling that the system was much more reliable. She then approached He Zhao to examine his condition.

He Zhao was extremely well-behaved now, sitting obediently on the bed, wearing a coat and even zipping it up properly, though his little face was a bit flushed. He Zhao didn't know if it was because he was embarrassed by Qiao Yanyu's sudden arrival, or because his cold had worsened into a fever.

Qiao Yanyu didn't know either.

"He Zhao, your face is very red, do you have a fever?"

He Zhao shook his head: "I don't know."

How are you feeling right now?

"I feel sore all over and have no energy."

Qiao Yanyu moved closer to He Zhao and sat on the edge of her bed. The bed in the rented room was a single bed, only 1.2 meters wide. After He Zhao slept there, there wasn't much space. Qiao Yanyu's sitting made He Zhao's bed even narrower.

This resulted in the two people being very close together.

Can I touch your forehead?

"good."

He Zhao lowered her eyes, clearly not daring to look Qiao Yanyu in the eye. She wasn't usually this weak; it was all because of the sudden cold that she had become a delicate little thing, unable to resist Qiao Yanyu or say that she was fine.

The main problem was that He Zhao's head was really spinning. She couldn't even figure out why Qiao Yanyu was in her small rented apartment at first. After her little brain worked for a while, she realized: Qiao Yanyu had finished work early and come back.

Why did she finish work early?

An answer that seemed to be on the tip of her tongue caught in He Zhao's throat, but she dared not speak it, afraid that she was just being delusional. Her heart pounded involuntarily; what if it were really as she thought? Wouldn't they then have a chance?

The moment He Zhao agreed, Qiao Yanyu raised her hand. She reached her hand towards He Zhao and touched her forehead.

Perhaps she had just returned from a long and arduous journey, carrying the chill of the outside world with her, so Qiao Yanyu's hands were cold. When she touched them, He Zhao felt only a cool, refreshing sensation, which felt wonderful.

He Zhao vaguely thought that he might still have a fever.

When Qiao Yanyu put her hand down, she came to the same conclusion: "You have a fever, your forehead is very hot, do you have any fever reducers at home?"

He Zhao shook her head: "I only bought some cold medicine granules during the day, no fever reducers." She was indeed a little delirious from the fever and had to repeat what Qiao Yanyu said. Qiao Yanyu nodded: "I'll go out and buy some for you."

He Zhao was about to agree, but she still had a sliver of clarity in her mind. She shook her head and asked, "What time is it now?"

Qiao Yanyu took out her phone: "It's past four o'clock, and it's still dark."

"There definitely won't be any pharmacies open..."

"There should be a 24-hour pharmacy or a vending machine. I'll go check it out. If all else fails, I'll go back to the bureau. There's a medical clinic there with commonly used medicines."

Qiao Yanyu's words were reasonable and well-founded, but He Zhao pouted. She wouldn't normally do something like this; it was only because she had a cold, a fever, and was sick that she became so wanting to act spoiled and delicate. She said directly, "But I don't want you to leave..."

"No, I have to go get you some medicine. Your forehead is very hot, and it will get serious if the fever continues. I'll be right back."

But He Zhao pursed his lips, genuinely not wanting Qiao Yanyu to leave. Also, the quiet of the night, with someone suddenly knocking on his door, was a terrible feeling He Zhao really didn't want to experience again. The feeling of being chased in his dream was also very unpleasant.

Qiao Yanyu didn't notice anything amiss with He Zhao at first, but He Zhao grabbed her, not wanting her to leave. At that moment, Qiao Yanyu suddenly remembered the strange thing about knocking on the door and He Zhao opening it earlier.

She also recalled her earlier warning to He Zhao, and her expression became much more serious: "He Zhao, has anything strange been happening around you lately?"

He Zhao wasn't the type to be particularly delicate. If Qiao Yanyu hadn't asked, and she didn't have any clear evidence, she probably wouldn't have said anything. But since Qiao Yanyu had already asked, if she still said nothing was wrong, that would be incredibly irresponsible of her own life.

He Zhao, his mind still hazy, thought for a moment before telling Qiao Yanyu about what had happened in the past two days—the person who had been secretly observing him from the fifth floor. Qiao Yanyu remembered all of this; she lowered her eyes, her gaze unfathomable.

At this moment, she didn't lecture He Zhao or say things like, "See what I told you before? This place is a mixed bag and not safe." Such words would be too hurtful, and it wasn't in Qiao Yanyu's character to say them. She understood He Zhao's concerns, so she didn't mention going out again. Instead, she said to He Zhao, "He Zhao, wait a moment. I'll make a call and have someone bring it over."

After saying that, she sat down next to He Zhao and did not leave.

He Zhao relaxed a bit and slid further into the bed, leaving only her shoulder exposed. Seeing this, Qiao Yanyu reached out and pulled the blanket up a little to tuck her shoulder in as well.

He Zhao squinted at Qiao Yanyu, who was sitting on the edge of her bed with her back straight, giving He Zhao an indescribable sense of security. She couldn't help but reach out from under the covers and take Qiao Yanyu's hand in hers.

Qiao Yanyu didn't break free; instead, she pushed her hand a little deeper into the blanket, and her own hand followed suit.

He Zhao never received the medicine and drifted off to sleep. She couldn't remember some things clearly, only vaguely recalling that Qiao Yanyu seemed to receive a phone call in her dream, but she didn't leave and remained sitting by her bedside. He Zhao also remembered that the hand she was holding felt incredibly warm.

She hadn't been this close to anyone in a very long time, and she hadn't had someone by her side, staying with her every step of the way, when she was sick. He Zhao didn't know what Qiao Yanyu thought of her; perhaps it was just because she was her mission target that she had rushed back late at night despite the difficulties. But now, she understood what she was thinking.

Falling into a trap often takes only a second.

The moment He Zhao grasped Qiao Yanyu's hand, he knew he didn't want to let go.

After parents leave, there will be no one to stay by your bedside when you are sick.

Qiao Yanyu wasn't particularly talkative or caring. She simply sat there, letting him hold her hand, her back straight and even a little stiff, but she never left his side for a moment.

Given someone like Qiao Yanyu, it's perfectly normal to fall for her.

He Zhao thought that with his awkward and mischievous personality, it would be difficult for him to fall in love with anyone else. He Zhao just didn't know how he could make the straightforward Qiao Yanyu fall in love with him too. It might be difficult, perhaps hopeless, but even just a secret crush would be good enough for He Zhao.

It was He Zhao's good fortune to fall in love with someone like that.

She fell asleep, and in her dream, there were no villains chasing He Zhao anymore, nor was it a dark and hopeless dream. She didn't even have any dreams at all. When she opened her eyes after a good night's sleep, the first thing she saw was Qiao Yanyu sitting by her bedside, leaning against the headboard and resting with her eyes closed.

Her rented room was dimly lit, but in He Zhao's eyes, Qiao Yanyu shone with light.