Chapter 80 Still shaken, she said in a tearful voice, "Senior, can you...?"
Sitting in the passenger seat of He Ming's car again, Zhu Liushuang felt that everything was so unreal.
A dozen minutes earlier, he had made the decision to "check out" for her. His voice on the phone was calm, but it wasn't in a tone of discussion. From the moment she stammered out her ID number, things veered off course.
"Isn't your stomach hurting? Take your medicine first."
They were at an intersection, with a long 90-second countdown to the red light.
Reminded by He Ming, Zhu Liushuang opened the paper bag and took out a box of stomach medicine. The small capsule rolled into her palm, and she swallowed the medicine with the water he handed her.
The timing was perfect; the green light ahead turned on.
Yunhe is a mountainous county, with the entire town nestled among the peaks. The roads are not wide, and the trees planted in the green belts are mainly London plane trees. As dusk falls, the buildings, washed clean by the rain, appear old and desolate under the streetlights.
The car drove smoothly on the asphalt road, and slowly, it entered the busiest commercial district in Yunhe.
Neon lights flashed, and they stopped in front of a brightly lit building.
The car window rolled down, and a staff member in a black suit bent down and asked, "Would you like accommodation or a meal?"
"stay."
"For hotel parking, please turn right and enter the underground parking lot."
"Thanks."
The car window rolled up quickly, shutting out the staff's signature smiles.
As the car entered the underground parking garage, Zhu Liushuang's mind flashed back to that towering building that stood out from the crowd, with the five gilded characters "Yirui Hotel" particularly eye-catching.
On her way here, she had secretly searched for this hotel on her phone. The word "luxury" made her hesitate, and when she looked at the prices, even the cheapest room cost more than 1,000 yuan, which was beyond her budget.
But since they've already made a reservation, we can't just not stay, can we?
However, she didn't want to have too much financial involvement with He Ming, so after checking in, she silently and reluctantly transferred 1,500 yuan to He Ming.
Upon receiving the transfer notification, He Ming looked up, a puzzled expression on his face: "Rental fee?"
"Yes, yes, I don't want to trouble you to spend money, senior." Zhu Liushuang nodded repeatedly. She looked a little embarrassed and looked around awkwardly.
The gleaming floor reflected her image, and the crystal chandelier twinkled overhead. She heard He Ming say gently to her, "Liu Shuang, guests are guests, this is what I should do."
To him, she was merely a guest. That's why he treated her with such care.
Cooking noodles, covering her with a blanket, getting her a coat, changing hotels... all the things that made her heart flutter were just simple gestures from him.
As her burning heartbeat cooled down, Zhu Liushuang made a final judgment on everything that had happened that day.
————
The newly moved hotel room was spacious, with exquisite wooden furniture and a large oval bathtub in the bathroom. The curtains were voice-activated, and a floor-to-ceiling window offered panoramic views of the Yunhe River at night.
Zhu Liushuang stood forlornly in front of the French windows, staring blankly at the dark, distant mountains outside.
A bowl of light yam and pork rib congee sits on the glass coffee table, steam rising gently.
He Ming bought it for her and brought it up.
He was incredibly thoughtful, buying her medicine and porridge, and checking her room for anything unusual. Before leaving, he reminded her to be careful while sleeping alone and to call him immediately if anything happened.
In just half an hour, the words she said most often were "thank you," "thank you for your trouble," and "okay."
The words I really wanted to say wouldn't come out because they would be too abrupt.
They were only husband and wife in name only; she couldn't expect He Ming to spend the whole night with her in the same room. All she could do was say "Take care on your way" as he left.
The traffic below was bustling. Turning her gaze away, Zhu Liushuang slowly sat down on the double sofa. Half her body sank into the softness, and she put aside her anxieties and began to drink her porridge.
I had only taken a few sips when I started to feel a dull, aching pain in my lower abdomen.
Zhu Liushuang had a bad feeling: her period was coming early?
Lately, she has been staying up late, and in addition, she contracted H1N1 influenza some time ago, causing her menstrual cycle to become irregular, coming and going.
Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through my lower abdomen, followed by a warm, gurgling flow.
She put down her bowl of porridge and hurriedly ran to the bathroom.
Sure enough, my period arrived. This time it came ten days earlier than usual.
Looking at the dark red bloodstains on her pants, she slumped her head listlessly. She only had one emergency sanitary napkin in her bag, not enough.
The hotel should provide sanitary napkins, right?
So she dialed the front desk.
"Hello, room service. How can I help you?"
Zhu Liushuang paused for a moment and then asked, "I'd like to ask if the hotel provides sanitary napkins?"
Amidst the noise of people around, an apology came through the receiver: "Madam, I'm sorry, we've run out of sanitary napkins. If you need any, we can go and buy some for you and bring them over. We're a bit busy right now, it'll take about an hour, is that alright?"
Zhu Liushuang glanced at the time; it was only seven o'clock, and it was bustling outside. If she went to the supermarket downstairs to buy it herself, it would only take about ten minutes. Her underwear was dirty and needed changing. She always suffered from menstrual cramps, so she also needed to keep a box of ibuprofen on hand.
With that in mind, she declined the staff member's offer: "No, thank you."
"Okay, please feel free to contact us if you need our assistance in the future."
After hanging up the phone, Zhu Liushuang put on the coat He Ming had left for her and went out. While waiting for the elevator, her phone screen lit up; it was a WeChat message from He Ming.
【I have arrived. 】
She was typing away when the elevator doors opened with a "ding" in front of her.
【Okay, senior, go to sleep early.】
The elevator came down from upstairs. As soon as she stepped inside, a middle-aged couple who had been standing there glanced at her. A shadowy figure moved against the metal door, and the woman leaned closer to her husband and whispered something.
Zhu Liushuang stood in front of them, unable to hear their whispers, but she sensed that she might have become the subject of their conversation.
After all—her excessively oversized leather jacket was quite eye-catching.
He Ming's message came back again.
Does your stomach still hurt? You should get some rest too.
She pulled up her collar and buried her face in it. His scent lingered around her nose, its warmth soothing her aching stomach and lower abdomen.
She felt inexplicably relieved, and the subtle glances from the two people behind her no longer bothered her.
【Much better, goodnight senior.】She sent him a "moon" emoji with a smile.
As night falls, Yunhe, like most small towns in southern China, is bustling with life. Numerous vendors line the streets selling grilled skewers, and the air is filled with the rich aroma of cumin.
The hotel is located in the center of the county town, in one of the most bustling areas, with supermarkets and pharmacies readily available.
Zhu Liushuang bought all the necessary supplies in just fifteen minutes. When she returned to the hotel with the bags, He Ming's "goodnight" arrived late.
She was happy; although their relationship hadn't progressed further, at least there was some responsiveness, which was better than constant disconnection.
Her steps became lighter, and she even hummed a song leisurely. All her physical discomfort was left behind.
After rounding a bend, she was supposed to head towards the guest rooms, but a man walking towards her blocked her way. The pungent smell of smoke filled her nostrils, and Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but sneeze.
A thought popped into my head: There's danger!
Her blood rushed to her head, she clenched her fists, turned and ran.
"Little sister, how can you just run away after hitting someone? Quick... quickly apologize to your brother." The man, reeking of alcohol, caught up and grabbed her wrist. His dark, yellowed fingers, like rusty iron hoops, held her firmly in place.
"You hum a nice tune, sing one for your brother and I'll forgive you!"
He was the one who bumped into her, yet he twisted the truth and made her apologize. Her wrist ached from being squeezed so tightly. She glanced disgustedly at the man spitting everywhere and warned, "Let go! There are security cameras in the hallway. If you don't let go, I'll call for help!"
The man's muddled eyes darted around, and a lewd smile appeared on his face: "I...I didn't do anything to you. Didn't you throw yourself into my arms?" As he spoke, he leaned forward, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and tried to pull Zhu Liushuang into his arms.
The two were only about half a head apart in height. Although there was a significant difference in strength between men and women, the man in front of her was drunk and moving slowly. In the nick of time, Zhu Liushuang used all her strength to kick the man in the groin.
The man swayed, his body tilting to one side, and she only managed to kick him in the lower abdomen.
The force of the blow to the abdomen was reduced by more than half, but fortunately it caught the other man off guard. The man grimaced, bent over, and clutched his stomach, slurring his words, "You dare... kick me? You... just you wait!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhu Liushuang ran towards the elevator with all her might. Ignoring the bag that had fallen to the ground, she activated the "emergency call" function on her phone screen.
Her footsteps echoed wildly on the sound-absorbing carpet, her heavy breathing making her brain feel oxygen-deprived.
"Hello, I need to call the police! There's someone harassing people in the hallway of the Yirui Hotel..."
————
Yunhe Police Station is just one street away from the hotel.
The policewoman handed her hot water and gently inquired about what had happened.
Zhu Liushuang's face was deathly pale, and her hand holding the paper cup trembled uncontrollably.
She hadn't run with such frantic abandon as she had tonight in a long time. When her desperate cries for help rang out in the hotel lobby, people rushed over and helped her up with concern.
"Madam, what's wrong?"
"Don't be afraid, you're safe now..."
"Where is that person? Security has already been deployed."
Her mind went blank for a moment, her legs gave way, and she almost fell to the ground again.
Even now, as the police officers repeatedly tried to soothe her fragile nerves, she remained unable to utter a single word, her voice still hoarse.
The culprit who had terrified her was slumped on a nearby bench, hiccuping incessantly. His dark red face glistened with oil, and his ability to twist the truth continued: "I did nothing wrong, she bumped into me first. Shouldn't someone apologize for bumping into someone? Hiccup... She even kicked me in the groin! If it weren't for... hiccup... I dodged quickly, I might be crippled!"
Zhu Liushuang closed her eyes in disgust, the paper cup in her hand deforming. Hot water spilled out, dripping onto the back of her delicate white hand.
"Hiss—" Suddenly, she opened her eyes.
The policewoman sitting opposite her reacted quickly and wiped away the water droplets for her.
"Miss Zhu, are you traveling to Yunhe alone? Do you... have any friends here?" the policewoman asked with concern. "If so, why don't you give him a call?"
The old-fashioned clock on the wall ticked away. Zhu Liushuang turned her head and stared blankly at it. It was 9:30 p.m.
Remembering the sleeping pills she had found by He Ming's bedside during the day, she hesitated.
The policewoman said softly, "Don't be afraid. My colleagues have already gone to the hotel to retrieve the corridor surveillance footage... You look pale, clearly you're too frightened. So, it might be better if you had family or friends with you at this time."
Zhu Liushuang covered the phone on the table with her palm, her fingers tightening their grip on the outer edge. Finally, she pressed the unlock button.
The call connected, and the man's husky, deep voice calmed her down.
"Liu Shuang, what's wrong?"
Her lips trembled slightly, and she said in a tearful voice, "Senior, could you please come over? I'm at Yunhe Police Station..."
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Author's Note: The new chapter is finally here! [shrug]
Babies, please remember to be careful when you're out and about.
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