I need you

That night, Lin Tingyue actually had trouble sleeping.

She repeatedly messaged Chi Zhuo, and finally, unable to hold on any longer, she fell into a deep sleep.

Jiang Shaoyang deleted the posts online, but the hashtag is still trending, and some uninformed "fans" are even causing trouble for Lin Tingyue's studio under the guise of justice.

First, those people brought a pile of garbage and dumped it in front of the studio. Then, they scratched Lin Tingyue's car in the underground parking lot.

Lin Tingyue frowned as she looked at the pile of marks, sighed, and dialed a number.

"Ranran, someone scratched my car."

"Damn it, what kind of bastard did this?!"

Xia Xiaoran hurled a string of curses and insults, then told Lin Tingyue to wait for her before hanging up the phone.

Less than twenty minutes later, Xia Xiaoran stepped on the gas and stopped next to Lin Tingyue.

After getting out of the car, she rushed over to check on Lin Tingyue, "Are you alright? Did someone block your way?"

Seeing her in her formal attire, Lin Tingyue guessed that she had probably rushed over from some venue and comforted her, saying, "I'm fine, they wouldn't dare to do anything to me."

"Where...where did you come from?"

Xia Xiaoran waved her hand, saying she'd talk to her later. Her gaze fell on the scratches on Lin Tingyue's car, and her eyes turned cold. "There are security cameras here, right?"

Lin Tingyue sighed again, "I just called the property management, and they said it's been broken for a while and hasn't been fixed yet. They also repeatedly emphasized that they will strengthen management in the future."

"Pah! What rubbish! When they need money, all they talk about is the cost of surveillance cameras, but when they need them, they're broken. This garbage property management company should just go under!"

She took out her phone and took several photos of the scratches and the trash on the ground, capturing the details precisely.

After the photo was taken, she grabbed Lin Tingyue's wrist and said, "Come on, let's not stay here. I'll have someone handle the car."

Back in the small meeting room upstairs from the studio, Xia Xiaoran poured Lin Tingyue a glass of warm water, while she herself paced back and forth by the window with her arms crossed.

"What's the use of Jiang Shaoyang deleting posts? He's just a coward now, not saying a word. He's disappeared as soon as the fire started. His brainless fans are all crazy, rushing in headfirst. I even suspect that the technology for preventing miscarriages is too advanced now, and some things that shouldn't exist are preserved."

“I want to call the police,” Lin Tingyue said.

“Report it, we must report it. But that’s not enough.” Xia Xiaoran stopped, her eyes sharp. “We have to let those people know that you’re not a pushover. Yueyue, listen to me this time, we can’t just take the beating without fighting back.”

Looking at her friend, Lin Tingyue suddenly felt a sense of security. Since Chi Zhuo left these past few days, she had been constantly worried and fearful. Today's incident completely threw her into a panic.

However, upon seeing Xia Xiaoran arrive, she suddenly calmed down. "You're right, I'm still... too soft-hearted."

She thought that Jiang Shaoyang was, after all, her lover, and even though they broke up like that, she still hoped that they could be dignified.

"Yueyue, you're just not ruthless enough; you always leave others a way out. But now that they're practically shitting on your neck, are you still going to tolerate it?"

"..." Lin Tingyue stared at her in surprise, somewhat shocked. "You're being quite impolite now."

Xia Xiaoran suddenly realized that she had been a bit rough around the edges, so she quickly sat down. "Hehe, sorry, I've changed my style recently, I'm used to it now."

Lin Tingyue couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Xia Xiaoran instantly calm down.

The heavy weight that had been pressing on my heart these past few days seemed to have eased a bit because of my friend's arrival.

"You're right." She put down her water glass, her eyes gradually hardening. "I was too concerned about past relationships."

Xia Xiaoran's eyes lit up, and she immediately took out her phone: "I know a very good private investigator who has helped my friend deal with similar situations before. Let's collect evidence first and then call the police. That way, the police will take it more seriously."

Lin Tingyue nodded.

"Oh, right," Xia Xiaoran said, hanging up the phone, then suddenly remembered something, "Does Chi Zhuo know about this?"

Lin Tingyue's eyes darkened, and she shook her head: "He's been negotiating a very important collaboration abroad these past few days, and I don't want to distract him."

“You…” Xia Xiaoran hesitated, then simply patted her hand, “You always think too much about others. But if you don’t tell him, won’t he know?”

"I……"

Lin Tingyue ultimately decided to skip the topic.

"Hey, what are you busy with? Did you lose some handsome guy and come straight here?"

Xia Xiaoran smiled and tapped her phone screen. "You're one to talk. I was seriously on a blind date today, and I ran away halfway through."

"ah?"

Xia Xiaoran tossed her phone onto the sofa and sank into the soft cushions.

“My mom introduced him to me. She said he was some kind of talented young man, a returned overseas elite.” She tugged at the hem of her dress, which she hadn’t changed out of yet. “He is quite handsome, but unfortunately, I’m not interested.”

Lin Tingyue's previously serious expression softened slightly. "Why? Aren't you always judging by looks?"

Xia Xiaoran sighed dramatically, "He's handsome, but his brain doesn't seem to work very well." She sat up straight, mimicking the other person's tone, "I mainly work in hedge funds, which can be quite boring. Does Miss Xia have any refined hobbies?"

Lin Tingyue couldn't help but laugh, "And then?"

"Then I said that my biggest hobby is sleeping until the afternoon on weekends, then ordering spicy hot pot and watching TV series." Xia Xiaoran rolled her eyes. "And guess what he said? He said that such a lifestyle is not very healthy, and he could take me to experience golf or taste red wine."

"Does that sound like someone is concerned about you?"

"Come on," Xia Xiaoran waved her hand, "His eyes were practically overflowing with superiority. It was like liking to sleep in late and eat spicy hot pot was some kind of sin. After the meal, I felt like a country bumpkin who needed to be reformed."

Lin Tingyue finally burst out laughing. "So you ran away?"

"Of course, we have different paths, so we can't work together." Xia Xiaoran picked up her water glass and took a sip. "I was planning to go to the bathroom to text you and complain, but I got your call first, so I can just slip away now."

Lin Tingyue nodded thoughtfully, "It seems your family values ​​you quite a bit; you can find anyone you consider handsome."

"Stop it. Although looks can't put food on the table, you should at least have some. I'm not as lucky as you to find someone like Chi Zhuo, but at least don't go for this ugly duckling. A good-looking appearance and a compatible soul are both necessary. You can't have only one of them."

“Chi Zhuo…” Lin Tingyue murmured, repeating the name, her eyes dimming.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about that now. Your important business is more important."

Xia Xiaoran put down her water glass, her expression turning serious again.

“Yueyue, we need to collect evidence and report it to the police. But I think we need to do both.”

Lin Tingyue looked at her, "What do you mean?"

"Doesn't Jiang Shaoyang like to hide behind his fans?" Xia Xiaoran's eyes were sharp. "Then let's tear off his fig leaf. I know a few friends in the media, and they're very reliable. We don't have to tear things apart directly, but we must let the outside world know the truth: you decisively ended that relationship, while he behaved improperly after the breakup, even condoning online bullying and real-life harassment from fans."

Lin Tingyue remained silent.

"Won't this make things worse?"

Xia Xiaoran frowned, somewhat exasperated. "Yueyue! What are you saying? This is about to threaten your personal safety, and you still think it's a small matter? If it were me with my temper, I wouldn't tolerate it at all. Just like you did back then, when you saw him cheating, if it were me, I would have taken off my high heels and beaten him to death. I would have been giving him face, and I would have been showing him mercy by leaving him half-dead. He's spoiled his bad habits."

"I know what you're worried about." Xia Xiaoran held her hand. "Dignity is for those who are equally dignified. To shameless people, your concessions will only make them think you're easy to bully. Yueyue, listen to me this time, okay?"

Seeing the unwavering support and determination in her friend's eyes, Lin Tingyue's last trace of hesitation vanished. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

After finishing everything, Xia Xiaoran left with her bag, while Lin Tingyue rested in the office.

She stared at the message on her phone, still stuck on the one sent when Chi Zhuo left, indicating it had arrived safely. He hadn't replied since.

It's been almost two and a half days already. Is it really that busy?

After much hesitation, she finally sent a message.

"Are you done with your work?"

Ten minutes later, there was no response.

She tried to reassure herself, thinking that perhaps life was too short, everyone had a job, and perhaps if she waited a little longer, she would receive news.

She took out some things she hadn't dealt with in a long time and looked at them carefully, but her mind was a mess and she couldn't concentrate on any of the documents.

After searching for a while, she opened her phone again.

There were no surprises; aside from the random push notifications and ads, the message remained alone in the chat.

An indescribable sense of loss and a deeper worry began to spread in her heart.

Chi Zhuo is not the kind of person who would disappear for so long without a reason. Even if he is busy, he should always have time to send a few words.

Unless... he encountered some troublesome situation, or he saw the news from back home and was angry that he didn't tell him immediately?

Various speculations churned in her mind, making her restless.

Just then, the phone suddenly rang sharply, breaking the silence of the room.

Lin Tingyue's heart skipped a beat, and she almost immediately grabbed her phone, only to find an unfamiliar local number flashing on the screen.

She hesitated for a moment, but still pressed the answer button.

"Hello?" she asked cautiously.

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a woman's voice filled with obvious malice: "Lin Tingyue? How dare you, a two-timing slut who framed Shaoyang, open a studio? Just wait, this is only the beginning! You'll die a horrible death!"

Before Lin Tingyue could respond, the call was abruptly disconnected, leaving only a busy tone.

Lin Tingyue held her phone, her fingertips feeling a little cold.

They even got her private phone number!

The feeling of being spied on in the dark, and potentially harassed or intimidated at any time, is more terrifying than having your car scratched or having trash dumped in front of your door.

She forced herself to calm down and wrote down the number, intending to provide it to the police and Xia Xiaoran.

This incident was like the last straw, completely shattering the calm she was trying to maintain.

Without further hesitation, she found Chi Zhuo's number and dialed it directly.

The phone rang, but the receiver only played a system notification: "The user you dialed is currently unavailable..."

Shutting down?

Lin Tingyue was already very uneasy, and now she was even more worried. She started frantically making phone calls, but all of them were switched off.

She wanted to call Lu Tingyuan, but she suddenly realized that she hadn't saved his number. It seemed that apart from Chi Zhuo, she had no way to contact him through anyone else.

Turning off the computer at this time, could it be...?

Lin Tingyue's mind was filled with a series of worst-case scenarios. She kept telling herself to calm down, but no matter how much she thought about it, she was still very flustered and scared.

She was worried about Chi Zhuo.

Yes, right now she is worried about Chi Zhuo. She can't stop thinking about him and worrying about him. She is afraid of losing him.

An unprecedented sense of powerlessness and panic spread.

She picked up her phone again and sent a message to Chi Zhuo. Unlike her previous probing and hesitation, this message was clear and direct:

"Chi Zhuo, call me back as soon as you see this message. I'm running into some trouble here, and I need you. I'm worried about you, and I miss you so much! Please reply as soon as possible, okay?"