Chapter 136 Moving
“Sizzle!”
The dead silence of the ward was broken by the sound of paper tearing.
Yu Ling had her back to Zhao Chen, who was blocking the door. The light cast a shadow under her eyelashes, making it difficult to see her face.
Only those hands, holding the marriage agreement that once symbolized "mutual assistance", used all their strength to tear it apart again and again!
The paper twisted and deformed in her hands. She tore it with concentration and ferocity, as if she wanted to crush the sweetness and bitterness of the past year, along with this piece of paper, into dust!
The fragments flew like snowflakes, landing on the blood-stained Band-Aid packaging and on the back of Zhao Chen's hand, which was wrapped in thick gauze but still tightly grasping the suitcase handle and dripping with blood.
The sharp edge of a scrap of paper landed right on the blood-soaked gauze on the back of his hand, staining it red with fresh blood. The words "non-interference" on it, soaked in blood, were particularly glaring.
Zhao Chen's body jerked violently. His hand gripping the lever gave out in pain, his knuckles cracking. Blood dripped rapidly from the edge of the gauze, hitting the floor.
He wanted to speak, but his throat felt like it was blocked by a branding iron and he could only make gasping sounds.
The last piece of paper turned into ashes at Yu Ling's fingertips and fell away.
She turned slowly.
There was no expression on her face. No anger, no tears. Only a dead, frozen silence.
Those eyes that had burned with anger and shed tears not long ago were now as empty as a dry well, as if all emotions had been burned to ashes along with the agreement.
Her gaze swept across Zhao Chen's bloody hand, his pale and desperate face, and his eyes like broken glass behind his lenses, very briefly and coldly.
Then, he spoke calmly, his voice not loud but clear.
"Everyone calm down."
She paused, each word like a knife pierced through ice, slowly and fiercely severing the last fragile connection.
"protocol…"
"Void."
The word "invalid" came crashing down like a final verdict, shattering the last bit of light in Zhao Chen's eyes!
Yu Ling stopped looking at him. Bending down, the hand that had just torn up the agreement, with mechanical indifference, forcefully pried off Zhao Chen's fingers, one by one... that were clasped tightly around the lever!
The cold metal lever was smeared with sticky, warm blood. Her fingertips were inevitably stained with the glaring red, but she didn't care.
She pried Zhao Chen's fingers apart one by one. He didn't resist, like a puppet with its soul taken away. His hand drooped limply, blood dripping faster from his fingertips, forming a small pool on the ground.
Yu Ling stood up and tugged on the suitcase handle. The wheels rolled over the scraps of paper on the floor, making a rustling sound like grinding ashes. She dragged the suitcase, not stopping, straight towards the doorway that Zhao Chen had blocked, now useless.
She didn't look at him, didn't speak, but passed by him calmly, with a chilling coldness.
Zhao Chen's body trembled violently the moment she brushed past him. He stiffly and very slowly turned his head, his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses fixed desperately on her resolute back.
She walked out of the ward.
The footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, getting farther and farther away.
Eventually, it was swallowed up by the elevator.
Zhao Chen remained rooted to the spot, standing in the devastated doorway. At his feet were blood-stained gauze scraps, pieces of Cheng Yu's corpse, scattered Band-Aids... and, besides, the glaring, ever-expanding pool of his own blood.
He slowly, very slowly, lowered his head and looked at his hand, which hung limply and was still dripping with blood. The thick gauze on his palm was completely soaked with blood and turned a dark red.
"Oh……"
A very light, bloody, broken laugh squeezed out from between his pale lips.
He slowly raised his uninjured left hand and covered his eyes. Between his fingers, scalding liquid mixed with the blood on his palm rolled down violently.
Haicheng, south city, the old urban village.
Compared to the prosperity and tranquility of Yunding Community, this place feels like a garbage dump of time. The narrow alleys resemble a maze, the walls peeling and covered with faded rental ads. The air smells of mold, cheap cooking fumes, and the faint, sour smell of sewage.
Yu Ling dragged the box stained with Zhao Chen's blood, its wheels struggling on the potholed concrete floor, making a dull sound. Her high heels pierced the sloping water, making every step conspicuous and drawing sidelong glances and whistles from a few shirtless men smoking cigarettes and playing cards at the alley entrance.
She had no expression, oblivious to everything. Only her tightly pursed lips and slightly trembling fingertips betrayed the exhaustion and desolation in her heart.
Finally, they stopped in front of an old building, its walls peeling, revealing dark red bricks. Broken bicycles and stale trash cans lay piled at the entrance. This was her pre-marital nest, her little "safe haven."
She found the rusty green metal mailbox she remembered and fished out the equally rusty key. The cool metal made her fingertips tremble. She took a breath and inserted the key into the lock.
Twist it hard——
Not moving at all.
Twist it again!
The lock core made a dry groan and refused to move.
A feeling of irritability and powerlessness came over her. She bit her lower lip and tried her best to break the key!
"Click...squeak—"
The lock core groaned in pain, but resisted stubbornly.
"What the hell..." Yu Ling cursed, feeling a surge of grievance and exhaustion instantly overwhelming her. Even this last bit of territory was being denied to her?
She leaned against the cold and damp wall in a desperate manner, with the box tilted at her feet. Looking at the rusty iron door in front of her, a feeling of despair of being abandoned by the whole world poured over her like ice water.
Just then—
"Squeak."
A tattered iron door with a faded "Fu" character on it opened a crack. An older woman with curly hair, wearing floral pajamas and plastic slippers, poked her head out, holding a handful of sunflower seeds.
She looked Yu Ling up and down curiously, then looked at the out-of-place box.
"Girl, are you new here?" The old lady spoke in a loud voice with a strong local accent, and spat melon seed shells on the ground.
Yu Ling forced a tired smile. "No, I used to live here. The key... doesn't open it."
"Oh—that pretty girl in 1601!" The old lady slapped her thigh and raised her voice. "Oh my! How long has it been since you last came back? This building was bought by the 'Jianbing Man Foundation' yesterday! They're completely renovating it! Wow, it was such a big deal, even an excavator was driven into the alley!"
"Jian...Jianbing Man Foundation?" Yu Ling thought she was hallucinating. Her tired brain couldn't process this absurd information.
"Yeah! That's the one they always play on TV! It's for the poor!" the old lady said, her mouth drooling. "The foundation said that old houses are dangerous, so they're upgrading them for free! Here, your new door card!"
As the aunt said this, she took out a brand new, silver-shining smart door card from the pocket of her floral pajamas and stuffed it into Yu Ling's hand without saying a word.
The card was cold, with an abstract cartoon Shiba Inu on it, wearing a chef's hat and holding a spatula?! Beneath it was a line of small words: "The Pancake Man Foundation - Bringing love and pancakes to every corner."
Yu Ling held the magical door card, looked at the familiar Shiba Inu, then at the dilapidated building before her, which showed no signs of renovation. Her mind froze completely. A strong sense of absurdity made her legs weak.
"I... live in 1601?" she murmured, as if to confirm.
"Yes! 1601!" the old lady said firmly, lowering her voice mysteriously and pointing to the corridor. "Go up and take a look! Your door... wow... amazing!"
Yu Ling's heart skipped a beat! A sense of foreboding gripped her! Almost subconsciously, she thrust the Shiba Inu card against the new, blue-lit sensor area on the unit door.
"drop--"
Crisp electronic sound.
The heavy, shabby-looking unit door opened with a sound!
A faint smell of fresh paint and high-grade cleaning agents hit me in the face, creating an odd contrast with the musty air outside the hallway.
Yu Ling dragged her suitcase and walked in like a sleepwalker.
The scene before her petrified her instantly!
The narrow hallway's walls were painted white! The floor was paved with gleaming gray marble tiles! Overhead, a brand-new LED ceiling light cast a soft, white glow! A fresh, fragrant aroma filled the air. Where was the dingy, cluttered atmosphere of the urban village?!
How can this be called a renovation? This is a completely different dimension!
She stepped stiffly up the polished stairs, her high heels tapping against the marble, a resounding sound. The suitcase wheels rolled silently. The hallway was eerily quiet, with only her own heartbeat beating in her chest.
Finally, standing in front of the door of 1601.
The scene before her made her completely speechless!
The rusty, chipped, and scratched iron door I remembered was gone. In its place was a heavy, futuristic, high-end smart security door with metallic moldings! It had a matte black finish, and above the door handle was a three-in-one lock that glowed with a faint blue light: fingerprint, password, and smart card.
In the center of the door, there was a small, delicate metal plate emitting a soft white light. On the plate, a line of words was clearly engraved:
"President's Wife's Freehold House"
Below the sign, there is an inconspicuous miniature projection port.
It is at the moment of Ling Petrochemical——
"Buzz—"
Slight machine startup sound.
Above the low-key and luxurious smart door, the micro-projection port instantly cast a soft light curtain!
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