Chapter 27
The shadowy figure desperately tried to shrink back into the man's body, but was firmly held in place and purified by the icy blue runes! The black resentment, like boiling steam, frantically escaped from the shadowy figure, only to be instantly annihilated by the power of the runes!
In just two or three seconds!
The dark shadow, emanating a thick aura of resentment, vanished completely under the purification of the icy blue runes, like a thin mist under the blazing sun! Not even a trace remained! The chilling atmosphere inside the elevator also disappeared, and the lights returned to normal.
Everything happened too fast! From the moment Zhuohua opened his mouth to ask the question, to the moment he drew the talisman in mid-air and the black shadow disappeared, the whole process took no more than five seconds!
The elevator was deathly silent.
Lu Xiao stared in disbelief, his mouth agape, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of his throat! What was that just now?! That dark shadow that appeared and vanished in an instant?! Zhuo Hua… she made her move again?!
The young man was as if struck by lightning! His face turned ashen, his whole body trembled violently, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat!
Although he did not possess Zhuohua's "Heavenly Eye" and could not see the entire process of the vengeful spirit being purified, he clearly felt the overwhelming coldness and palpitations just now!
Especially the left shoulder area, it felt as if something had ripped it apart, leaving behind an indescribable sense of emptiness and... a long-lost feeling of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off my shoulders!
He suddenly looked up at Zhuohua, his eyes filled with extreme fear, disbelief, and... a trace of bewilderment after surviving a disaster!
The chill and palpitation he felt just now, and the lingering strange sensation in his left shoulder, all told him that what had just happened was definitely not an illusion! This seemingly aloof and beautiful girl… what had she done?!
Zhuohua acted as if nothing had happened. She withdrew her hand, the icy blue divine light at her fingertips long since vanished. She didn't even glance at the man again, her gaze calmly turning to Lu Xiao, who was still petrified beside her.
Just then.
"bite--"
We've arrived at the 15th floor. The elevator doors slowly opened.
Zhuohua took the lead and walked out with a calm and composed gait, as if she had just casually pressed a floor button.
Lu Xiao snapped out of his daze, his heart still pounding. He glanced at the young man who stood frozen in place, as if he had lost his soul, and quickly followed him out, his steps still unsteady.
The young man stood stiffly in the elevator until the doors were about to close. Then, as if waking from a dream, he rushed out, staggered, and leaned against the wall of the corridor, panting heavily. He looked at Zhuo Hua and Lu Xiao's figures disappearing behind the door of 1502 with a look of horror.
The bright lights in the corridor could not dispel the chill in his heart at this moment.
Lu Xiao followed Zhuo Hua into the warm and bright apartment, and only after closing the door behind him did he feel like he had come back to life. He leaned against the door, panting heavily, watching Zhuo Hua walk to the water dispenser as if nothing had happened, his glassy eyes filled with lingering fear and immense confusion.
“Zhuo…Zhuohua…” His voice was hoarse, “Just now…what was that dark figure? That person…”
Zhuohua returned with a glass of water and handed him a cup of warm water. Lu Xiao took it instinctively, and the warm water slid down his throat, calming his wildly beating heart.
“Resentment.” Zhuohua said succinctly, her tone as flat as if she were talking about the weather, “It’s got some dirt on it.”
Lu Xiao recalled the man's panicked eyes when he was caught, and his utterly dejected appearance at the end, and a chill ran down his spine. What... what had that man done to attract such a thing?
"Then... what did you just do..." Lu Xiao wanted to ask about the ice-blue rune, but felt he wouldn't get any information.
Zhuohua took a sip of water, her gaze calmly falling on his face, as if she could see through his thoughts. She didn't explain the runes, but simply added, "Stay away from him."
Lu Xiao nodded vigorously! Even without Zhuo Hua saying anything, he didn't want to get close to that person who seemed so strange!
Looking at Zhuohua's calm and composed profile, the lingering fear in his heart was gradually replaced by a tremendous sense of security and warmth.
Just now in the elevator, when that dark figure appeared so close to him, its chilling aura seemed to seep into his bones... It was Zhuohua, it was her again, like an unshakeable fortress, blocking his way and easily dispelling that terrifying thing.
He put down his water glass and walked over to Zhuohua. Perhaps it was the shock from earlier, perhaps the lingering effects of the alcohol, or perhaps it was the surging emotions in his heart, but he mustered his courage, reached out, and carefully took Zhuohua's slightly cool hand.
Zhuo Hua's fingertips twitched slightly, as if she wanted to pull them back, but Lu Xiao held them tightly, with an unyielding determination that brooked no refusal.
“Zhuohua…” Lu Xiao’s voice trembled slightly, his glassy eyes filled with the dependence of someone who had survived a disaster and an intense, unyielding emotion. “Thank you… for protecting me again.”
Zhuohua lowered her eyes to look at his hand, which was tightly holding hers, and at the undisguised trust and adoration in his eyes. The cold murderous intent that had arisen from the filth in the elevator quietly dissipated. She sighed almost imperceptibly, but ultimately did not pull her hand away, simply letting him hold it.
"Troublesome," she muttered under her breath, her fingertips unconsciously tightening their grip slightly.
That slight squeeze was like a boulder thrown into Lu Xiao's heart lake, instantly creating huge, sweet ripples! He could no longer restrain himself and suddenly opened his arms, tightly embracing Zhuohua! The movement was a little clumsy, but it was filled with immense joy and a sense of security as if something had been lost and then found.
Zhuohua's body stiffened slightly in his arms for a moment, but she didn't push him away. She could even clearly feel Lu Xiao's rapid heartbeat penetrating through the thin fabric, carrying a burning temperature.
"From now on... I'll be more careful! I won't cause you any trouble!" Lu Xiao buried his face in the crook of her neck, which smelled of grass and trees, and said in a muffled voice, his voice slightly choked.
Zhuohua felt a little uncomfortable being held so tightly, and her brows furrowed slightly. But when she heard his nasal assurance and felt the dependence and warmth emanating from his body, that discomfort seemed to be replaced by a strange warmth, similar to "being needed."
She raised the hand that wasn't being held, hesitated for a moment, and finally gently placed it on Lu Xiao's slightly trembling back, as if comforting a frightened little animal.
"Yeah." She responded softly.
Outside the window, the city's neon lights flickered, reflecting the figures embracing inside the apartment, completely shutting out the terrifying scene in the cramped elevator from the warm night.
The initial shock from the elevator incident was quickly dispelled by the warm lights of Zhuohua Apartment and that clumsy yet heartwarming embrace.
Lu Xiao held Zhuo Hua as if he were holding the safest harbor in the world. He only let go when Zhuo Hua pushed him away expressionlessly and said "hot" in disgust. But the sweetness and dependence in his eyes were so strong that they could not be melted away.
I slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, sunlight streamed in through the apartment’s huge floor-to-ceiling windows, and the air still carried the scent of new furniture.
Lu Xiao was staring at the recipe, clumsily trying to fry a soft-boiled egg for Zhuo Hua (but it ended up being a little burnt), while Zhuo Hua was curled up on the sofa, holding her brand-new phone, seemingly studying some single-player game, her fingertips swiping rapidly across the screen.
Suddenly, Lu Xiao's phone, which was on the island counter, rang. He hurriedly turned off the stove, picked up the phone, and saw that it was his agent, Wang Li, calling.
"Hello? Sister Wang?"
"Lu Xiao! Are you and Zhuohua at the company?" Wang Li's voice sounded urgent, yet unusually excited. "Director Su wants you to go to her office right now! It's very important! Extremely urgent!"
"Now?" Lu Xiao paused, glancing at the half-burnt eggs in the pan, then at Zhuo Hua on the sofa who hadn't even lifted her eyelids. "We just got up... at home. What happened, Sister Wang? Why the rush?"
"Oh, stop asking! Hurry up! Take a taxi! The company will reimburse the fare! Director Su personally instructed us to come immediately!" Wang Li spoke rapidly, brooking no argument. "Go straight to the 18th floor when you get there! Quickly!"
The call ended. Lu Xiao was completely bewildered, his heart pounding. Director Su had personally called him out, and in such a hurry? Could it be about that person in the elevator yesterday? Was the other person someone important? Was he causing trouble? He subconsciously glanced at Zhuo Hua.
Zhuohua finally looked up from her phone screen, her fingertips tapping the screen one last time, as if she had cleared a level. She put down her phone, her expression calm and undisturbed, as if Wang Li's urgent call had simply been about "the weather is nice today."
"Let's go." She stood up, her words concise and to the point.
Lu Xiao quickly poured out the failed attempt from the pot, hastily washed his face, changed into clean clothes, and followed Zhuo Hua out the door. They took a taxi all the way to Xingyao Building, Lu Xiao's heart pounding, countless bad thoughts flashing through his mind.
The elevator went straight to the 18th floor. The corridor was eerily quiet. Lu Xiao took a deep breath and knocked on the heavy solid wood door of the director's office.
"Please come in." Su Qing's voice came, sounding... a little helpless?
Lu Xiao pushed open the door and walked in one after the other with Zhuo Hua.
The atmosphere in the spacious and bright office was somewhat subtle. Su Qing sat behind a huge desk, a professional smile on her face, but her eyes revealed a hint of…headache? In the center of the office, a young man with a flashy printed shirt and meticulously styled flaxen hair was stretching lazily in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with his back to them.
Upon hearing the door open, the man turned around abruptly.
The moment Lu Xiao saw his face clearly, his pupils contracted sharply! His heart sank!
It's him!
The young man in the elevator who was asked by Zhuohua, "Have you ever done anything wrong?"
What's he doing here?! Could he really be here to cause trouble?! Lu Xiao tensed up instantly, subconsciously taking half a step forward, subtly shielding Zhuo Hua behind him, his eyes filled with vigilance.
The man turned around, a bright, almost overly cheerful smile on his face. When he saw who had walked in, his almond-shaped eyes widened instantly, and his mouth formed an "O" shape!
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