Chapter 42
"Josh, don't reject me."
The night was as dark as ink, as if a huge, airtight net tightly enveloped the entire workshop. The factory workshop was completely silent in the pitch black.
The large metal machine standing in the open space glared arrogantly, like a ghost lurking in the night, exuding a chilling aura. Josh huddled in a corner of the machine, holding his breath, afraid to even make a sound.
My panicked heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, each violent beat threatening to burst through my chest.
Josh gritted his teeth and held his breath.
Just behind this machine, Gu Lian, dragging a metal rod, had just brushed past her.
Josh dared not let her guard down, her eyes filled with fear and unease. She knew all too well that in terms of familiarity with the factory's layout, she was far inferior to Gu Lian, who had worked there for several years. Gu Lian was certain that he knew every corner and every passageway inside the factory like the back of his hand.
Josh was like a lost soul trapped in this black fog, surrounded by unknown darkness, and tormented by overwhelming fear.
She could only grope her way out, trying to find a way to escape safely.
The workshop door was locked, and the cell phone was smashed. The only way to escape from this confined space was through the office window.
However, if she can think of a method, Gu Lian certainly can too.
Josh's hands clenched involuntarily as she struggled to control her trembling body, which was writhing in pain. She needed to remain calm. Fortunately, after being in darkness for so long, her eyes had gradually adjusted to the dim environment. Looking around, she saw only cold, impersonal machines, like terrifying beasts looking down on her, yet also a sanctuary for her.
The moment Feng Zhao's phone rang, Qiao Xi had a vague feeling that something was wrong. There might be a problem. How could it be such a coincidence that the factory on the other side was having problems at this time? Fortunately, he had told Feng Zhao some things in advance.
Feng Zhao should have already called the police.
The workshop door is currently locked from the inside, and it's unclear when rescue will arrive.
She could certainly continue to wait for rescue.
Every second of waiting here was agonizing. Given Gu Lian's familiarity with this place, he would find his hiding place sooner or later.
Gu Lian's mental state had long been abnormal, and no one knew what cruel things he would do when his patience was gradually exhausted.
So she couldn't just sit and wait to die; Josh wanted to find a way out for herself.
Opportunities are always in your own hands.
The sharp sound of the iron bar dragging on the ground faded into the distance as Gu Lian left. To avoid attracting others to the factory, Gu Lian wouldn't act rashly or turn on the lights easily.
Josh guessed that he had already gone to the office to wait for the rabbit to come to him.
At that moment, he was probably unaware that the police had already been called outside. Taking advantage of this information gap, Josh decisively seized a glimmer of hope. She bit her lip tightly and quickly closed her eyes.
My mind is in a state of chaos and confusion.
What Josh needs to do now is to come up with a way as soon as possible to avoid Gu Lian's sharp gaze and lure the tiger away from the mountain.
She needs ample time to implement her plan and remove Gu Lian from his office position.
When Josh opened her eyes again, a flash of green appeared before her eyes—it was a sign. She remained crouched, quietly turned around, and, using that light, stroked the machine behind her.
Having been stationed here for the past few months, Josh knew every machine in the factory and its performance inside and out. She clenched her fist and looked at the machine in front of her, a sense of confidence rising within her.
......
Having prepared everything, Josh took a deep breath, trying his best to calm his nerves, and began to carefully move towards the office.
The workshop floor was covered with dark green anti-static floor coverings. Josh crouched down, trying to minimize the sound of her footsteps. She had walked this path countless times over the past few months, but at this moment, it felt incredibly long.
Every step was taken with caution and care.
Using the massive machine as cover, Josh cautiously hid behind it. Through the narrow gap between the machines, she saw, sure enough, a dark figure standing at the office door. Josh's heart skipped a beat. Suppressing her panic, she turned to look in the direction she had come from.
At the same time, count down in your mind.
3 2 1
At the same time, the machine at the very end of the factory suddenly roared.
Immediately afterward, faint lights flickered in the distance. Josh quickly turned his head, his eyes fixed on the direction of the office door. He vaguely saw a dark figure sway.
He hesitated.
However, the next moment, on the opposite side of the machine that was still making noise, there was another loud bang.
This is another piece of misleading information that Josh deliberately created.
Sure enough, the shadowy figure didn't hesitate any longer and immediately chased after the source of the sound.
Right now.
Seeing Gu Lian's retreating figure, Josh decisively seized this fleeting opportunity, stood up, and instantly took off running like an agile leopard, rushing towards the office.
Fortunately, she was familiar with the equipment here. During the daytime video recording, considering the possibility of re-recording, the equipment was not completely powered off. She was able to start it using the built-in timer function.
But that's far from enough.
Gu Lian was naturally suspicious; he wouldn't be easily fooled. Josh knew he needed to feign a mistake again, creating the noise of a panicked escape. This time, he absolutely had to check it out.
It's just that there's too little time; the sound of her footsteps as she starts running will surely remind Gu Lian.
She only has this one chance.
As expected, Gu Lian reacted much faster than Josh had anticipated. Almost the instant she rushed into the office, Gu Lian, sensing something was wrong, suddenly turned back and let out a bloodcurdling roar, "Found you!"
Upon hearing that terrifying sound, Josh's heart skipped a beat, and the hand gripping the doorknob clenched instantly.
Without further hesitation, Josh prepared to push the door open.
Gu Lian, who was about to catch up from behind, was like a maddened beast, raising the iron rod in his hand high towards Josh, eager to attack.
His footsteps were hurried and heavy, each step feeling like it was pounding on Josh's heart.
At the critical moment, the door was pushed open.
However, to Josh's surprise, a dark figure rushed out of the office faster than she could, and pounced straight at Gu Lian behind Josh.
Josh was caught off guard. After hearing a loud bang, he immediately turned around and saw the two people behind him rolling on the ground and wrestling together.
The workshop was dimly lit, and two dark figures were entangled in the night. Josh stared wide-eyed at the scene before him, his expression panicked.
"Josh, are you alright?" A familiar voice came from behind her. Josh quickly turned around, and the office lights were turned on. The sudden brightness made Josh dizzy, and she didn't recognize the person who spoke until they were standing in front of her.
It's Feng Zhao.
The whistling wind blew in through the open window, chilling Josh to the bone. The wind cleared her muddled thoughts, and she stood frozen in place for a moment. Then, as if remembering something, she looked back into the workshop.
"I couldn't find Gu Lian near the factory. When I came back to look for you, I found the gate locked from the inside, and I couldn't get through to you on the phone." Feng Zhao looked at Qiao Xi, his eyes full of worry, and was about to reach out to put his hand on her shoulder. "Fortunately..."
Josh's heart was pounding wildly, almost out of control. Her trembling hands suddenly grabbed Feng Zhao's arms. "Who was that just now?"
Feng Zhao had just rushed in from outside, the biting cold air seeping into his icy coat. Josh's voice was hoarse and weak, "Who was that person just now?"
“Just at that moment…” Feng Zhao paused, then quickly continued, “It was Chen Zhiyu.”
Before she even got the answer, Josh had already guessed it; her eyes were somewhat dazed, and she didn't seem to hear what was said next.
"ah!"
In the dark corner of the workshop, two shadowy figures receded into the distance, indistinguishable from one another. Then, a piercing scream rang out, echoing through the empty, silent workshop.
There are people injured.
Who is injured?
Chen Zhiyu? The moment this terrifying thought crossed her mind, it pierced Josh's nerves. "Chen Zhiyu!" Ignoring Feng Zhao's attempts to stop her, she staggered and ran into the depths of darkness.
Josh quickly pinpointed the location of the fight based on the sound and ran towards it as fast as he could.
Suddenly, she stepped on something, her foot slipped, and she fell forward with a thud. Ignoring the pain, Josh got up and kept running.
She needed to find out who was injured.
Josh didn't dare to think about it further. Gu Lian was already at his wit's end; he was like a mad dog, and nobody knew what other weapons he might be carrying. Chen Zhiyu rushed over without understanding the situation.
As Josh entered the darkness and could not see clearly, her heart clenched even tighter. Before she could even turn the corner, she unexpectedly bumped into a dark figure.
The shadowy figure held her firmly in control.
Josh instinctively broke free, but when she smelled the familiar scent, her tense body suddenly relaxed, and she calmed down, letting out a long breath.
She trembled as she stretched out her arms and slowly wrapped them around Chen Zhiyu's waist. Feeling the solidity in his embrace, the heavy burden on her heart seemed to be lifted instantly, giving her an unprecedented sense of release. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Chen Zhiyu held her tightly in his arms, feeling both relieved and regretful. He swallowed hard and said in a hoarse voice, "Qiao Xi, it's alright, it's alright, Qiao Xi."
Soon, sobs filled the empty workshop.
*
At 10:40 p.m., the hospital corridors were filled with the strong smell of disinfectant.
In the emergency room, Josh and Chen Zhiyu sat side by side, letting the nurses examine their wounds.
The environment was too dark at the time, and Chen Zhiyu was already familiar with the darkness when fighting with Gu Lian. He started to suffer some losses, and his hands and forehead were slightly injured.
Josh suffered a minor shoulder injury, but thankfully it wasn't serious.
Gu Lian's blow was fierce, striking Josh's shoulder hard. Fortunately, Josh was wearing thick clothes, with a down jacket cushioning the impact and preventing serious injury.
In the office at the time, in order to verify Josh's conjecture, she first asked Feng Zhao to find out Gu Lian's location at the factory.
No one could have guessed the fugitive's thoughts, let alone expected Gu Lian to act so quickly. By the time Feng Zhao returned, the door had already been locked from the inside.
At that moment, Feng Zhao happened to run into Chen Zhiyu, who had come to see Qiao Xi.
After arriving at Josh's residence, Chen Zhiyu found that her phone was switched off. His intuition told him that something was wrong, so he rushed to the factory.
Thinking of Gu Lian and Qiao Xi being together, their fates unknown, Chen Zhiyu went directly into the workshop through the office window, where he happened to run into Qiao Xi, who was being chased.
Gu Lian went completely mad, wildly swinging the iron bar. As Chen Zhiyu nimbly dodged, the bar got stuck in the machine. While struggling with the machine for his weapon, Gu Lian lost his grip, fell backward, and hit his head on the hard machine, losing consciousness.
As victims, both Josh and Chen Zhiyu suffered injuries of varying degrees. Investigators only took brief statements from them before sending them back to Josh's residence. They planned to conduct more detailed questioning after the inspection of the workshop was completed.
It was nearly midnight when I left the hospital, and fog had rolled in outside.
The two sat quietly in the back seat of the car. Neon lights outside the window reflected on the wet road surface.
Throughout the journey, Chen Zhiyu remained silent, simply holding onto Qiao Xi's hand tightly and refusing to let go.
The two entered the apartment in silence and went inside in silence.
The room was pitch black.
The moment the door closed, Chen Zhiyu could no longer control his emotions and pulled Qiao Xi into his arms, firmly supporting her injured shoulder.
The kiss fell like a storm, with an almost suffocating force, urgent and intense. His breath was hot and chaotic, carrying a panic of loss and regain, and an unspeakable lingering fear.
Josh closed her eyes, hugged Chen Zhiyu tightly, and actively responded to the kiss. The nightmarish experience gradually faded away in this intimacy.
A faint fragrance lingered in the room.
After the kiss ended, Chen Zhiyu's forehead pressed against Qiao Xi's. His emotions, which had been suppressed for a long time, finally broke down. His low, husky voice, filled with deep restraint, was almost out of control as he said, "Qiao Xi, don't reject me."
[Author's Note]
The next chapter may have some issues with extra or missing words, or repetitive word usage. I'm afraid it will be locked again, so I haven't dared to change it. Please bear with me as it won't affect reading. The next chapter will be posted on the 30th at 6:30 PM. Thank you everyone! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
[Hands clasped in prayer] If you're interested in the pre-order novel "What Should I Do? Senior Won't Misunderstand?", please add it to your favorites. Thank you everyone! [Sprinkling flowers]
This book will be finished soon.
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