Chapter 43 No Home "Don't be afraid, I'll be here."
With the start of winter break, the number of people at school instantly halved.
Song Luoyun was awakened by her biological clock. On her way to the laboratory, she found it empty. She quickened her pace and almost ran to the materials building.
The school bell rang as usual, but the noisy crowds rushing to class were gone. She stood in the elevator, looking at the quiet school path, feeling a weight pressing down on her heart from some unknown source.
Fortunately, the scene in the laboratory remained the same.
She joined a notoriously challenging and demanding experimental group. Doctoral students, dressed in protective suits, focused intently on their workstations, while new interns took notes. Song Luoyun put down her things and got into work mode.
In the midst of this busyness, when I looked up again, it was already dark outside.
People around her left one after another, but Song Luoyun was still writing her paper. Another senior student in the lab changed his clothes and said to her, "Luoyun, aren't you going back to eat?"
She then realized that she was the only one left, and quickly said, "Ah, I have to go too."
After the other person said goodbye, she closed her laptop and immediately said, "Senior, are you going back to your dorm? Can I walk with you?"
He politely replied, "My girlfriend invited me to dinner, I'm sorry."
“Okay,” Song Luoyun said.
I glanced at the time and turned on my computer.
She had intended to finish the paper, but her mind was already in disarray. She listened intently to the howling wind outside the window, and occasionally heard sharp laughter from downstairs, which made her feel uneasy.
I closed the laptop again, put it in my backpack, turned off the lights, and walked out.
It was only eight o'clock, but the laboratory building was already deserted; even the corridor lights, which were usually on, were off. Song Luoyun kept giving herself positive mental cues as she stepped into the elevator and went downstairs.
A figure moved through the grass not far away.
But it strangely remained in one place, no longer moving.
It was as if someone had deliberately laid an ambush there; Song Luoyun's legs felt like they were filled with lead, incredibly heavy.
At that moment, the voice from her memory echoed in her ears.
"I won't let my older brother get away with this."
"I'm going to catch you and make him regret it."
"I tied you to the bed and raped you."
The jumbled sentences pulled at her, forcing her to take a deep breath.
She told herself.
"No, there are surveillance cameras everywhere in the school. He wouldn't be bold enough to kidnap her here."
But another voice says...
“He has a lot of power. Even if he kills someone, he can handle it silently. What’s more, she’s just an ordinary citizen.”
Song Luoyun grabbed the bag and quickened her pace.
But then a rustling sound came from behind.
I didn't dare look back at all, so I took as many steps as possible, turned on my phone, and pretended to make a call.
"Hey, Fu Huaizhi."
"I'm in the lab building, getting ready to go back to my dorm."
"It feels like someone is following me..."
The footsteps grew closer, and the two shadows on the ground almost overlapped. She frowned and ran forward with all her might.
"Song Luoyun".
A voice came from that direction.
Song Luoyun suddenly turned around.
His legs, however, were out of control, trembling with extreme fear, and he lost his balance and fell.
A pair of warm hands cradled her.
The familiar scent of perfume wafted over, and he changed into a sweet fruit tea fragrance.
"What are you doing here?" Song Luoyun subconsciously looked around, but there was no one else in sight.
"I'll take you back," Fu Huaizhi said, helping her until she stood up. "Don't be afraid, get in the car."
Song Luoyun's gaze was fixed on the car downstairs; it turned out that he had been there.
I followed him into the car, my hands gripping the seatbelt, still subconsciously looking for any suspicious people nearby.
Fu Huaizhi reached out and turned on the heater. He looked at her for a while, then took a bag from the insulated box in the back seat and handed it to Song Luoyun.
Song Luoyun was able to shift her attention away from her fear.
"What's this?"
"Dinner," Fu Huaizhi said, "is prepared for you."
"Thank you, but I'm not hungry." Song Luoyun placed the bag on the armrest box, refusing to take it.
Fu Huaizhi frowned: "You didn't eat lunch, aren't you hungry?"
"How did you know?" Song Luoyun's tone became impatient.
She was convinced that he must be spying on her again, that he had planted many spies around her.
Fu Huaizhi said in a calm tone: "No deliverymen came at noon."
"What do you mean?" Song Luoyun paused.
She realized she hadn't received a response.
How would he know if there were any delivery drivers here, unless he stayed here the whole time?
I'm thinking about how to ask him.
Fu Huaizhi then said, "I need some time to resolve the Fu family's affairs. During this time, I need to ensure your safety. Since you don't want bodyguards with you, I can only stay here and guard you."
Song Luoyun looked out the window.
Has he gone mad? From morning until now, twelve hours.
"I'll leave after I take you back, so I won't bother you." He was unusually considerate now, as if he was worried about causing her any trouble.
He continued, "Remember to lock your dorm room door. If anything happens, call me, and I'll be there."
"Okay," Song Luoyun said softly.
After getting out of the car, Fu Huaizhi handed the bag to her again. She took it and thanked him awkwardly.
She turned and went upstairs, carrying her dinner. The warmth of her arms was so strong that it could penetrate her thick sweater and warm her body.
She looked at the meal he bought: dry-pot beef with lots of cauliflower.
It even shows the time he bought it, four hours ago, and it's still hot now.
Back in the dorm, I sat down to eat and picked up my phone to see a message from Fu Huaizhi.
I'll come see you tomorrow morning. Get some rest. Goodnight.
...
Song Luoyun couldn't sleep well at night. She would open her eyes at the slightest sound, and her effective sleep time was less than two hours.
I got up earlier than usual this morning, took a slice of bread, put it in my mouth, and went out with some milk.
When I got to the elevator, I met a girl from the same major, and we agreed to go to the teaching building together.
With someone by her side, Song Luoyun was no longer afraid. She looked down and sent a message to Fu Huaizhi: "I'm going with some friends I know. You don't need to come pick me up."
The reply has been delivered before I even logged out.
Fu Huaizhi: [I'm downstairs.]
The elevator doors opened, and she saw the person outside through the window. He was only wearing a long trench coat, the hem of which was being blown up by the wind. He was facing away from them, holding a cell phone and talking on it.
"That person looks familiar." The girl beside her thought seriously, "Isn't he the one who fainted downstairs in our dorm last time?"
Song Luoyun replied, "I think so."
“Does he know anyone in our dorm building? Why does he keep coming over?” she said. “It’s the dead of winter, and his hands are all red from the cold. It’s really tough for him.”
Song Luoyun's eyelashes trembled before she looked up.
Fu Huaizhi happened to turn around and meet her gaze. His knuckles, which were gripping his phone, were red, and as he spoke, a puff of white breath rose from the corner of his mouth, blurring his vision.
She withdrew her hand, pretending not to know him, and headed towards the materials building.
By noon, she still hadn't ordered takeout, but a delivery driver had already called her to come downstairs to pick it up.
As she passed through the lobby, she looked over and saw that Fu Huaizhi's car was still there, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Song Luoyun ate the food he had prepared with gusto.
In the past, she would have looked down on herself for taking advantage of others' food and help, only to turn her back on them in the blink of an eye.
But I don't think that way now.
He did all this just to make up for his guilt. If he didn't want to, he would have given up on her and left long ago. There must be a reason why he can still persist like this.
It's just a matter of one willing to give and the other willing to receive. He had imprisoned her before without regard for her wishes, so now she doesn't need to consider his thoughts at all.
That evening, she went home with her classmates from the lab.
Fu Huaizhi sat in the car watching her until they had traveled halfway. He parked his car a short distance behind her and watched her arrive safely at her dormitory before leaving.
This went on for several days in a row.
Before the Spring Festival, Song Luoyun found a part-time job at a hot pot restaurant near the school, where she was only responsible for service work during the Spring Festival and would be paid three times her normal wage.
On New Year's Eve, she watched as families gathered in the shop for a reunion, with the Spring Festival Gala playing on the television overhead, the music and atmosphere filled with the most festive cheer.
It wasn't until the customers in the restaurant spontaneously started a countdown and the TV broadcast "Happy Chinese New Year" that she realized it was already the new year.
Afterwards, I was busy until 2 a.m.
They diligently cleaned the premises, while the owner stood at the front desk tallying the sales figures. Everyone else had already left, leaving only them.
The boss chatted with her: "Does your home live far away? It's so late, how are you going to get home?"
“It’s not far, it’s inside the school,” Song Luoyun said.
The boss prepared a hot pot dinner for the waiters that evening, so they could enjoy the deliciousness of a family reunion dinner. For her, this was already a very happy Spring Festival.
The boss said, "How can you call a school home? That's just a dormitory."
Song Luoyun responded with a smile: "I don't have a home, the place I live is my home."
The boss looked at her, feeling a mix of emotions.
Song Luoyun didn't mind at all and put down what she was holding: "The cleaning is done, please check it."
"Okay." The boss didn't even look at it. "Go back now. Thank you for your hard work. Be careful on your way home."
"Okay." Song Luoyun smiled.
This was just an ordinary day, like every year. After get off work, I went back to my dorm, slept, and then got up to work again the next day.
As soon as I reached the school gate, the familiar car was there, and the man was resting in the car without moving.
She intended to walk past silently, but as if sensing his presence, he opened his eyes and noticed her.
Speaking to her from a distance, I asked, "Where did you go?"
"Work," Song Luoyun said.
"Where?" Fu Huaizhi asked.
Song Luoyun pointed in a direction. Now that she knew he wouldn't cross the line, she was no longer afraid to tell him; on the contrary, she felt at ease with him around.
"Don't come back so late next time," Fu Huaizhi said.
Song Luoyun remained silent and slowly strolled back to her dormitory.
Fu Huaizhi drove slowly behind her, the engine running quietly, as did the atmosphere between them.
Back in her dorm room, she entered, the car stopped, and a male voice called out to her.
"Song Luoyun".
She slowly stopped and turned around.
He handed a bag over from the window.
It was still a takeout bag, but it was wrapped up a bit bigger than usual, and it was full of food.
“I’ve already eaten,” she said.
Fu Huaizhi: "Take it."
I carried it upstairs, opened it, and found that it wasn't a late-night snack, but several boxes inside.
The first thing I opened was a watch.
The second one is a bracelet.
The third item is a necklace.
There were four words pressed on the bottom of the box: Happy New Year.
I casually put it in the cabinet.
There will be no reply, and I will not wear it.
...
On her next night shift, Fu Huaizhi waited outside the hot pot restaurant where she worked part-time.
Even after the Spring Festival holiday, when she finished her part-time job, he insisted on staying outside the laboratory.
He didn't miss a single day for a whole month.
After the start of the school year, there were more people at the school, restoring a safe and vibrant environment, with Denise by her side for everything.
Fu Huaizhi never appeared again.
Day after day, his presence was worn down to nothing more than a thin sheet of paper, and the time spent with him felt more like a dream.
The next time I heard from him was in the news.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Fu Gui: What to do when your wife is so hard to win over?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
