Protect her
"What's wrong?" Zhuang Yu'an subconsciously put his arms around her waist.
Zuo Xiao opened and closed his mouth, and said in a low voice: "It's Luffy!"
Zhuang Yu'an's expression changed, and he asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure?"
"It must be him..." Her eyes became more and more unfocused as she spoke. "He said he would pick me up for lunch... It must be him..."
Zhuang Yu'an noticed her abnormality and his eyes darkened: "Don't be afraid, I won't allow him to hurt you. Go back to your room first, I'll take care of it."
"No!" Zuo Xiao grabbed his clothes and shook her head vigorously. She was at a loss at the moment, her heart was in turmoil, but she had a hunch - they couldn't meet!
Zhuang Yu'an hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll do as you say."
The door was knocked again, the sound more powerful than the last time. This made Zuo Xiao even more panicked, and he pursed his lips.
"Let's go back to the room." Zhuang Yu'an stood up decisively and led her to the bedroom.
After the door was closed, the knocking sound immediately became weaker, but it was still clear to the ear.
The blackout curtains were drawn, dimming the view. Everything inside could only be vaguely discerned. The room was so small that even the only desk was next to the bed, leaving no room for a chair. Zhuang Yu'an hesitated for a moment before pulling her to sit on the edge of the bed.
Feeling her low pressure, he hesitated for a few seconds, then hugged her in his arms and comforted her in a deep voice: "Don't be afraid, I'm here. Don't be afraid..."
Zuo Xiao didn't say anything and even held his breath, obviously trying hard to endure something.
Zhuang Yu'an frowned and asked, "Why are you so afraid of him? What did he... do to you?"
The person in his arms visibly stiffened. He worried she wouldn't speak, so he tried to guide her: "You can tell me anything. I won't judge you, and I won't reveal anything to anyone else. Tell me, and let me help you, okay?"
Zuo Xiao hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.
"He went to Blue Lemon to look for me, and then he went to the performance last night. Then, somehow, he found his way here again..." Pain filled her trembling voice. "He's like a snake. I can't escape him..."
Zhuang Yu'an gritted his teeth, swallowing the anger rising in his throat, and said, "He may have followed you, or asked someone to investigate you. But you are free. You can refuse him, or call the police if you can't."
"I tried, but it's no use..." Her voice was tearful and her body was shaking slightly.
This made him feel a dull pain in his heart. He took a deep breath and asked, "Have you ever tried to reject him? How did you reject him?"
"No..." She shook her head and said dejectedly, "Don't ask..."
Zhuang Yu'an pursed his lips and silently tightened his arms.
The knock on the door hadn't come for a long time. He raised his hand and gently stroked her temples, his hands were hot and she was sweating a lot.
He was hot, too. The bedroom was heated even more than the living room, and a thin layer of sweat oozed from his back. His neck, bound by his tie, and his chest, pressed tightly against hers, felt especially hot. But he would rather endure it than be separated from her.
"It's so hot." She spoke first.
Zhuang Yu'an had no choice but to let go of his hand, and his arms suddenly felt empty. He raised his hand to loosen his tie and said, "He should leave."
"Don't open the door..." Zuo Xiao's voice had calmed down a lot. "He might still be waiting outside."
Zhuang Yu'an frowned and said, "Passive avoidance like this is not a solution. Why don't you let me face him?"
Zuo Xiao didn't answer. Her intuition told her that Luffy's obsession with her was rooted in an unusually morbid obsession. If she disappointed him, he might do something extreme to her. If Zhuang Yu'an was considered a "third party," the situation would only get worse...
Feeling a tightness in her chest, she stood up and walked to the window. As the curtains were drawn back, bright sunlight streamed in, causing her to squint. Once she adjusted to the warmth, she opened the window a crack. The crisp, cool air that streamed into the room instantly eased the heat, and her mood also lightened.
She turned around and said, "I'm afraid he's lost his mind and you might fight."
Zhuang Yu'an's expression was serious. After a moment's silence, he said, "He is no match for me."
"Do you really want to fight?" Zuo Xiao helplessly reminded him, "What if it's worse than fighting? His obsession is too strong, and he might lose control of his emotions and do something crazy to get revenge on you."
Zhuang Yu'an was secretly shocked: "For example?"
"I'm not sure..." she said anxiously but calmly. "What if something goes wrong and the company fails to go public? He's not short of money, so he might not care about the financial loss, but you and others might not."
Zhuang Yu'an was surprised by her rationality and foresight. The person who had just been trembling with fear in his arms was now deducing the other party's next move.
What she said was not impossible. Luffy did have serious emotional problems before, and the possibility of extreme behavior again could not be ruled out.
Yes, he should have thought of it earlier...
"I want to build a happy family with the woman I love." Luffy said this late that night.
He had long lived in a meaningless vacuum, feeling that life was a boring game, and even attempted suicide to escape the boredom and emptiness that always followed him. After experiencing the death of a loved one, he saw starting a family with the woman he loved as a path to self-healing, like a rope ladder on the cliff.
That night, Luffy spoke so earnestly, making it seem like he was truly sincere to Zuo Xiao. Zhuang Yu'an briefly thought they would be together forever. However, they soon broke up, and Luffy immediately started hanging out with Ge Xin. Add to that the fact that he was a playboy who was always interested in love, and anyone would think he was fickle and just playing around...
Thinking of this, Zhuang Yu'an had a thought: Could it be that Zuo Xiao was overthinking it? Luffy wasn't a sentimental person. Perhaps coming back to ask for a reconciliation was just a whim. A proper conversation wouldn't lead to a situation where both sides would suffer.
He stood up, pulled her back to sit on the bed, and expressed his opinion in a gentle voice: "I think we should have a good talk with Luffy instead of just avoiding him or trying to appease him, because that won't solve the problem. Even if the company goes public successfully this time, he will have plenty of ways to cause the company to suffer heavy losses in the future as long as he wants."
Zuo Xiao frowned, biting his lip and remaining silent. Zhuang Yu'an continued, "Although I don't agree with Luffy's emotional outlook and some of his ways of doing things, I must objectively say that he's not a cruel, selfish person who would do anything to achieve his goals. At least, I haven't seen him do anything like that so far. Is it possible that you're overthinking the consequences of rejecting him?"
"Maybe." Zuo Xiao hesitated, "I hope I'm overthinking..."
"There must be a reason why you think this way." Zhuang Yu'an said, "Can you tell me why you think Luffy would do something extreme? Is there anything he did that made you feel dangerous?"
Zuo Xiao couldn't say it.
She couldn't say it. Last night, Luffy clung to her like a snake, repeating countless times in her ear, "I won't let you go, I won't let you go in this lifetime." She seemed to be hypnotized, and for a moment she really believed that she would never be able to escape from him in this lifetime.
She couldn't even explain it. Her refusal was weak and powerless, perhaps it wasn't even a true refusal to him... If she had been more resolute, perhaps he wouldn't have been so crazy. However, the fact was that she surrendered too early. There were even a few moments when she thought to herself: So be it...
"If you don't want to tell me right now, then I won't ask." Zhuang Yu'an changed the subject, "Are you hungry? I'll go cook something to eat. After you're full, we'll think of a solution."
He went into the kitchen and made two bowls of noodles with the few ingredients he had.
Zhuang Jinghao was about to go out when his brother called.
Last night, she and Chen Liqing sent Zuo Xiao home, and then Chen Liqing sent her home. It was already midnight when she got home. She called her brother, and he said he was on his way to Zuo Xiao's house and told her to rest first and not to worry about him.
But how could she not worry? Zuo Xiao was embroiled in a tangled relationship with his ex, and her brother's future looked uncertain. She sent him WeChat messages every ten minutes, asking for updates. At first, he'd reply briefly, telling her to get some sleep, but then nothing came of it.
She drifted between sleep and wakefulness, finally making it to dawn. She called her brother, but no one answered; she called Zuo Xiao, but her phone was turned off... Had these two agreed to keep her in suspense?
After walking the dog, she decided to go to Zuo Xiao's house - to have enough food and clothing for herself. Since no one would feed her the melon she wanted to eat, she would pick it herself!
Coincidentally, just as I was about to go out, my brother called.
"I'm at Zuo Xiao's house," he said. "Can you drive over now?"
Zhuang Jinghao's mind buzzed:
Damn, my brother ran off to someone else's house last night and is still...
They stayed overnight?!
"Sure!" she answered excitedly, completely forgetting to consider why she was called over.
The elder brother continued, "Please check if Luffy is there. Check the entrances and exits of the complex, the base of the units, the stairwells... and then report to me."
"Huh?" Zhuang Jinghao didn't react. Her brother sounded like he was asking her to check the house for cockroaches...
Just as I was about to ask again, he said, "Drive slowly, be careful, we'll wait for you," and hung up the phone.
She drove over in her red Jeep. Following her brother's instructions, she checked all three entrances and exits of the complex and circled the building. After exiting the elevator, she checked the corners of the corridor and pushed open the door to the emergency exit to search the hallway. Her heart pounded as she checked, feeling like a detective in a TV drama.
When she was welcomed into the house by her brother, Zuo Xiao was sitting on the sofa with her guitar bag next to her and two blue IKEA woven bags on the floor.
"What's going on..." she asked weakly.
"It's a long story," the elder brother said, "Let's go first."
He picked up a bag in each hand, while Zuo Xiao carried the guitar on his back. Zhuang Jinghao came in a daze and left in a daze.
On the way back, her brother drove the car and she pulled Zuo Xiao to sit in the back seat. After listening to her briefly talk about Luffy coming to her house last night and knocking on the door again today, she gasped in fear.
"Is he crazy?!" she screamed. "You can't live in this house anymore. It's too dangerous!"
"Well," Zuo Xiao smiled apologetically, "so I'm sorry to bother you for a few days."
Zhuang Jinghao quickly grabbed his future sister-in-law's watch and said loyally, "I won't bother you! You can stay here as long as you want! You can live here forever!"
Zuo Xiao just smiled and said nothing. Zhuang Jinghao suddenly remembered something and frowned: "Brother Luffy can't find anyone, what if he asks me?"
Zuo Xiao had obviously thought of this and calmly offered advice: "Just tell him that I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore and have already moved. Tell him not to ask any more questions."
"So...what if he finds out you're at our house?"
"Well, he will probably know." Zuo Xiao said, "Just say confidently that you are my friend and must protect me."
"That's right!" Zhuang Jinghao suddenly felt a surge of fighting spirit. "He has no right to interfere with where you live!"
"From now on, remember to close the door when you go in and out. Leave all express deliveries outside the yard and wait for people to leave before picking them up." My brother gave a series of instructions from the driver's seat, then said, "I'll find a live-in aunt as soon as possible."
"Yes!" Zhuang Jinghao said without hesitation, "Find someone strong and healthy!"
Zuo Xiao chuckled and jokingly said, "Why not just find a bodyguard?"
Zhuang Jinghao laughed and thought to himself: The bodyguard is a man, of course not! Zuo Xiao can only have one man, my brother!
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