Chapter 107: I'm Here, Don't Be Afraid! (Part 2)
Zhao Chen clenched Yu Ling's cold hand, as if trying to pass on his own strength, even though that strength seemed so insignificant in the face of the great wheel of reality.
"The clear will be clear! The turbid will be turbid! What's false can never be true! Those who framed you and those fabricated evidence will be brought to light by the law! You will be cleared of all charges! Definitely!"
He repeated "definitely," as if to encourage himself and also to comfort Yu Ling, his tone filled with the simple, almost blind faith of a "little man" in justice. However, this "faith" seemed to be heartbreakingly pale and powerless in the face of cold reality.
Looking at the forced "determination" and the deep powerlessness that could not be concealed in Zhao Chen's eyes, looking at the glaring redness and blisters on the back of his hand, listening to his pale and weak, yet heartfelt comfort, Yu Ling's heart seemed to be crushed by an invisible big hand!
A huge amount of sorrow and heartache instantly overwhelmed her! She could no longer restrain herself and threw herself into Zhao Chen's arms, hugging his thin waist tightly. She buried her face deeply in his chest, which smelled faintly of soapberry, and burst into tears!
"Wu... Chen... I'm so scared... I'm really so scared..." All the grievances, fear, unwillingness and despair completely burst out at this moment, "They... How could they do this... Why did they do this to me..."
Zhao Chen's body stiffened the moment she threw herself into his arms. Then, his uninjured arm tightened, holding her trembling body tightly in his embrace with an absolutely protective gesture. His chin rested gently against the top of her head. His other, burned hand, carefully avoiding the redness and swelling, gently stroked her back with his fingertips, clumsily soothing her.
"Don't be afraid... Lingling, don't be afraid..." His voice lowered, with a strange soothing power that could penetrate the crying, whispering in her ear, like the most solemn promise.
"I'm here. I've always been here. Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up." At this moment, the "powerlessness" in his tone seemed to disappear, replaced by a rock-hard, unquestionable firmness.
Yu Ling wept in his arms, her whole body trembling, her tears soaking his shirt. She didn't notice that, as she wept, Zhao Chen tilted his head slightly, his gaze scanning the inconspicuous wide-angle camera camouflaged as a decoration in the corner of the living room. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes were as cold as a knife and as sharp as a hawk, and he gave the camera a barely perceptible nod.
Qixia Mountain, Villa A-07.
The villa's luxurious living room was now filled with a frenzied excitement and post-disaster chaos. Empty wine bottles, leftover takeout boxes, and crumpled tissues lay scattered across the expensive Persian carpet. The large LCD screen was frozen on a financial news flash: "Xinghui Technology Chairman Yu Ling has been suspended for investigation on suspicion of commercial theft."
Gu Qianqian, wearing a silk nightgown, barefoot, with disheveled hair and an unnaturally flushed face, paced nervously. She clutched a cell phone tightly in her hand. On the screen was a close-up of Yu Ling's pale, distraught face, captured by paparazzi as she was being "escorted" from Xinghui Building by security personnel.
"Hahaha! Did you see that? Did you see that?!" Gu Qianqian's voice became shrill and piercing with excitement. She waved her phone and laughed wildly at the empty living room, her eyes filled with twisted pleasure and crazy resentment.
"Yu Ling! You bitch! You deserve this! The position of chairman? Do you even deserve it?! I'm going to ruin your reputation! I'm going to make you spend the rest of your life in jail! Hahahaha!"
She took a big gulp of the liquor, the spicy liquid burning her throat, but making her even more excited.
"Zhao Chen! My brother Chen!" She stared at Zhao Chen's name (mentioned as a related party) scrolling in the subtitles at the bottom of the TV screen with fascination, her eyes becoming blurred and full of possessiveness.
"Do you see clearly? This is the woman you chose! A vile thief! A liar! Only I! Only I am worthy of you! Once I take care of this bitch, you will be mine! Mine!"
She was immersed in the joy of her crazy imagined victory and had no idea that in the thick night outside the window, the scythe of the god of death had been quietly raised.
“Drip…drip…drip…”
Inside the villa, the top-notch security system sensors hidden behind exquisite decorative paintings, in the corners of the ceiling, and even in the expensive audio equipment suddenly emitted a series of extremely faint abnormal beeps that were almost covered by the wind!
Then——
“Bang!”
A slight sound!
All the lights in the entire villa were instantly extinguished as if by an invisible giant hand!
It was completely plunged into a dead silence and pitch-black darkness!
"Ah!" Gu Qianqian's wild laughter instantly turned into a terrified scream! The phone fell to the ground, the screen shattered, and the faint light reflected her face distorted by extreme fear. "What's going on?! The light! Why is the light out! Someone! Someone!" She fumbled in the darkness in panic and kicked over the wine bottle, making a sharp cracking sound.
However, the more terrifying thing is yet to come!
At the same second the lights went out!
“Sizzle!”
“Crack!”
"Bang!"
A series of creepy sounds of electrical components burning and exploding, like the whispers of death, exploded simultaneously in every corner of the villa!
The huge LCD TV screen in the living room suddenly burst into a dazzling spark and went out completely in an instant!
Black smoke was coming out of the valuable smart control panel on the wall!
The speaker made a sharp explosion and then fell into complete silence!
She dropped her phone on the ground. The screen flickered a few times before turning completely black, and the body was scorching hot!
Even the smoke alarm that had been lighting up with a faint red dot in the corner of the ceiling went out instantly!
The entire space instantly fell into absolute darkness and dead silence, as all electronic equipment was completely dead! The air was filled with the pungent smell of burnt electronic components!
"No... No... No!!!" Gu Qianqian completely collapsed! Like a headless fly, she frantically groped in the absolute darkness, screaming and falling! Fear, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly tightened around her heart! All the electronic devices she relied on to communicate with the outside world, control everything, and even protect herself were reduced to scrap metal in less than three seconds!
“Buzz buzz buzz—!!!”
At this moment, a deep, oppressive roar, like the wings of death, spread from far away and instantly enveloped the entire villa! The sound came from all directions! It was as dense as a metallic storm!
Gu Qianqian raised her head in horror and looked through the huge floor-to-ceiling window at the thick, dark night sky outside without a trace of light!
Nothing!
There is only an all-consuming darkness!
But the huge, closer and louder roar of the propeller was like the drumbeat of death, clearly and unquestionably declaring - it was there!
"Ah! Help! Help!" Gu Qianqian screamed hysterically and desperately! She frantically rushed towards the door, her fingers scratching at the cold metal panel, trying to open this only way out! But the heavy door didn't budge! The electronic lock had long since burned out! The manual lock cylinder seemed to be welded shut by an invisible force!
In the darkness, only her desperate cries and the ubiquitous, soul-shaking roar of the propellers intertwined and echoed!
It’s over!
This time, it’s really over!
Room 1602.
Yu Ling's sobs gradually faded, becoming stifled, intermittent sobs. The prolonged crying and the turbulent emotional upheaval had drained her already dwindling strength. Coupled with the persistent stomach cramps, she was exhausted and her consciousness was beginning to fade. She still clung tightly to Zhao Chen's waist, her face buried in his arms, her breathing becoming heavy and slow.
Zhao Chen remained kneeling on one knee, motionless, like a silent mountain, steadily supporting all her weight and fragility. His uninjured hand continued to gently caress her back. The back of her hand, still red, swollen and stinging from the cold water, was dropped to his side without a care.
Lingling's sobs became weaker and weaker.
She was in his arms, her consciousness began to blur due to fatigue and pain, and her body felt slightly heavy.
Zhao Chen carefully and gently adjusted his position to make her lean in more comfortably. His gaze fell on her pale, haggard, tear-stained face. Deep within those icy eyes, a trace of human tenderness and warmth, subtle yet enough to melt the ice, finally emerged.
He lowered his head slightly, and his dry yet warm lips, extremely gently and with an almost pious comfort, were imprinted on Yu Ling's sweaty forehead.
"Go to sleep..." His low voice, like the softest lullaby, whispered in her ear, "Just sleep and you'll be fine. When you wake up... it will all be over."
His gaze passed over the top of her head and once again turned to the inconspicuous camera in the corner of the living room. This time, his eyes were filled with absolute, all-controlling, cold commands.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
