Chapter 23 Lingering Fear
Xu Songning, who was losing her balance, almost collided with the smelly man. Fortunately, someone caught her by the waist and helped her stand up. Xiang Yun then immediately held down the man who was rolling on the ground.
"Gu Xing! Come out quickly!" Xiang Yun shouted.
"What's wrong?" Gu Xing answered from inside the house. He was quick to react, taking the wine bottle out. When he saw Xiang Yun pinning someone down, he immediately sobered up and pounced on him, pinning him down completely.
Xu Songning crouched down and felt inside the man's coat, pulling out a butterfly knife.
The cold knife lay in her hand, and she began to feel fear. She took a few steps back, leaned against the wall, and gasped for breath. Her trembling fingers dialed the police.
The elevator doors on the other side opened, and four security guards from the building management arrived, all carrying riot forks and shields. Upon seeing the subdued man, the guards were stunned for a few seconds. "This... they caught him already?"
"Did you bring rope? Tie him up," Xiang Yun said calmly.
The security guard quickly took out two finger-thick nylon ropes and tied the man up tightly. The man's hood was pulled down, and everyone could finally see what he looked like.
His face was covered in chili water, his expression was completely distorted, and snot and tears kept flowing from his nose and face.
"Ms. Xu, are you alright?!" the security guard asked quickly.
"It's nothing." Xu Songning was covered in cold sweat and his face was pale.
"Mr. Xiang, it's a good thing you were home, otherwise this matter would have been impossible to handle." The security guard rubbed his hands nervously.
“It’s because Miss Xu has a strong sense of self-preservation; even without me, she probably would have subdued the person.” Xiang Yun dusted himself off. “Is there anything else we can do to help?”
"I guess they'll have to give a statement," the security guard sighed.
“Okay.” Xu Songning stood up straight.
“I’ll go too. Let me change my clothes and we’ll go together.” Xiang Yun looked at Xu Songning. Their eyes met, and Xu Songning suddenly felt much more at ease. She nodded gently.
Xiang Yun changed his coat and trousers and instructed Gu Xing, "Clean my house before you leave, and take these drunkards with you."
After the incident, Gu Xing lost his appetite for drinking. He gave an "OK" sign and waved his hand to signal him to leave quickly.
Xiang Yun and Xu Songning went to the police station to give their statements. The property management also copied the surveillance footage. They saw the man who was taking off the elevator on the thirteenth floor suddenly dart into the stairwell, quickly run to the fifteenth floor, and hold down the elevator button to prevent the elevator door from closing. As soon as Xu Songning got out of the elevator, he would be attacked by him.
Xu Songning looked at the man who had been standing indifferently outside the elevator and broke out in a cold sweat again.
She instinctively took a step back and bumped into a warm chest. She turned her head slightly and saw Xiang Yun looking down at her with gentle eyes. He patted her arm and said softly, "It's alright."
He felt a weight on his wrist. Looking down, he saw two slender fingers gripping his sleeve.
"Ms. Xu, it's a good thing you didn't go out, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable." The property manager wiped his sweat and sincerely admired Xu Songning's composure.
“Song Ning is very capable. Subduing the criminal was all her doing. I only went out after hearing the elevator alarm, which was just a bonus,” Xiang Yun said.
Xu Songning looked up at him, and after receiving his affirming look, the panic in her eyes gradually subsided.
“This man has a criminal record. He came to this neighborhood to find a former creditor, but he didn’t expect that person to have moved away long ago. The security patrols are very strict. He originally planned to stay until dawn before leaving, but he ran into Ms. Xu who was returning home, so he tried to follow her and rob her. Fortunately, Ms. Xu has a strong sense of investigation and made the wisest choice. This man will be in jail for at least ten years, so you don’t need to worry about retaliation,” the police officer in charge of the case reassured him.
"Just sign here and you can go. Get some rest. You've been frightened, so don't stay up late anymore; it's bad for your health." The policeman handed over the documents, and Xu Songning quickly signed them.
The two slowly walked out of the police station. Xiang Yun stood at the door, looking for his car. Seeing that Xu Songning was not dressed warmly, he looked down and asked, "I'll go get the car first. You wait for me here?"
Xu Songning shook her head, her beautiful eyes fixed on him, but she didn't say anything.
"Then, will you come with me? Aren't you cold?" Xiang Yun asked again.
Xu Songning nodded and moved a little closer to him. Xiang Yun didn't smell of alcohol, but rather a sweet fruity fragrance. "I'm not cold."
Social distancing was broken, and the two of them remained silent for the first time. They did not politely distance themselves, but walked shoulder to shoulder toward Xiang Yun's car.
The black Porsche was parked on the side of the road. Xiang Yun opened the passenger door and let Xu Songning get in first.
He got in, turned off all the other lights in the car, leaving only a string of ambient lights flashing around him. "What song do you want to listen to?"
"Whatever." Xu Songning leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes slightly, and the temperature in the car gradually rose, making him feel warm all over. The coldness in his heart was mostly dispelled, and a soothing English song played in his ears. The female voice was gentle, like a lullaby.
The car smelled nice; there was no leather smell, only a woody fragrance.
The car drove smoothly, and the environment was quiet and warm. Xu Songning sat there and actually fell asleep.
When she arrived at the garage, she slowly woke up, still half asleep. She reached for her seatbelt but couldn't find it for a while.
"Brother Yun, turn on the light..."
Before she could finish speaking, the person next to her moved closer, surrounded by the scent of wood and fruit, and the man's breath brushed against her ear.
"Click".
With his seatbelt unbuckled, Xiang Yun turned around.
"Go home."
The two walked to the elevator. The scene was the same, and the distance between them was the same. Xiang Yun didn't make people feel any aggression, nor did he make them feel any resistance. Xu Songning didn't know if she was scared tonight or if Xiang Yun was just like that, making people unable to resist. She didn't dislike his probing and approach.
The elevator quickly arrived at the basement level. Xiang Yun went in first, followed closely by Xu Songning. Her breathing quickened. The events of the early morning were still vivid in her mind, but the people beside her were different now.
She grabbed Xiang Yun's sleeve, and Xiang Yun turned around and nodded at her, "I'm here."
Xu Songning smiled with relief; it was the first genuine smile he had shown today.
But Xiang Yun also needed to go back to her own house, and once the lights were turned off, the room would be pitch black...
"bite."
We've reached the fifteenth floor.
Xiang Yun grasped her wrist with his other hand, his warm fingers resting on her pulse. Xu Songning looked up at him; the man's back was strong, giving him a reliable image.
She followed Xiang Yun out of the elevator.
There was nothing outside the elevator: no man with a knife, no man pressing the button to prevent the doors from closing, and no man with a menacing look about to rush in. There was only Xiang Yun's warm silhouette.
"Did you bring your keys?" Xiang Yun saw her to the door, but didn't rush home. He patiently waited for her to come to her senses.
"I brought it." Xu Songning took the key out of his bag, but his hand trembled a little when he tried to insert it into the lock, and he couldn't get it in after a few seconds.
"I'm sorry, I..."
"Or, how about you stay at my place tonight?" Xiang Yun suggested.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
