Chapter 13 Catching Driftwood "Are you him?"
Zhui Lian almost rolled and crawled out, and fell heavily on the slippery floor of the warehouse.
Run away... She wanted to run away immediately.
Escape from the spare parts, the oil drums, the containers… escape from the cobwebs, the rust, the empty darkness… escape from… the sweet and bitter smell that clung to her.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the warehouse. She stumbled as she ran, slipped on the oil on the ground and got up again.
"Lianlian? Are you in there?"
A familiar voice faintly penetrated the dead silence and came from outside the warehouse.
"Lianlian! Where are you? Answer me!" The voice came closer, with obvious anxiety and concern.
But the huge tinnitus left Zhui Lian no time to distinguish what the voice was saying.
Is that Yu Peizhi? Is that so? Is that so?
No...no...it's not important, what's important is the backdoor!
Where is the backdoor?
The flashlight beam waved around in his hand and finally swept across a very inconspicuous small door.
Zhui Lian rushed over and, with the last bit of strength he had, slammed the door open with his shoulder.
What caught my eye was the street lights that were already on on the path, and a cold wind blew towards me.
The night snow hit her face and blew it again and again. She took a step forward and continued to stagger out, no longer caring about the direction.
But the golden color still loomed before his eyes, flashing back and forth continuously.
Gold, gold, gold… pale gold, rich gold, gold that lay on her body, gold buried under her skirt, gold that devoured every inch of her body…
She couldn't see any way at all.
Zhui Lian fell to the ground again.
The flashlight also fell into a pile of snow not far away. The light flickered twice and went out.
But a figure swooped down from the direction of the lights of the community not far away, and was about to touch her.
Seeing the figure approaching, Zhui Lian instinctively used his hands and feet to move backwards.
She just wanted to stay further away from everything that was close to her...
The man in front of her moved faster than her. He leaned over without hesitation, picked her up from the cold ground, and held her tightly in his arms.
"Baby? What's wrong? What happened?" Yu Peizhi frowned and his eyes quickly swept over her disheveled appearance and the scratches on her body.
But the moment she was forcibly hugged, Zhui Lian collapsed.
"Let me go... Let me go! Let me go!" She screamed sharply, and her nails scratched Yu Peizhi's back and shoulders indiscriminately.
Her body twisted and struggled wildly in his arms, and she even lowered her head and bit his arm that was holding her.
But winter clothes were too thick, and Zhui Lian's teeth could only sink deep into the fabric.
"Baby...don't be anxious...don't be anxious..."
Yu Peizhi held her with one hand, patting her back to comfort her, and with the other hand he rolled up his sleeves, revealing a large area of skin.
He held his arm out to Zhui Lian and asked her to bite it.
Zhui Lian grabbed his arm and bit it with astonishing force, leaving a row of marks on Yu Peizhi's thin arm, which soon seeped out blood.
Yu Peizhi groaned, his body stiffening from her bite.
But the strength in his arms did not relax at all, instead it became even tighter.
Zhui Lian seemed to react suddenly and started kicking, biting, scratching, and kicking, just wanting to push him away.
"No! No! Go away... go away... ghost... ghost..."
Her back was heaving violently, her movements were frantic, and her words were so fragmented that they couldn't form a complete sentence. "Ghost...he...he...he's back! Go away!"
Yu Peizhi just endured it with his body, allowing her to kick, hit and bite him.
At the same time, he patted her back, his voice carrying a soothing force: "It's okay, baby, it's okay... It's me, I'm Pei Zhi."
He repeated in her ear over and over again: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, your husband is here... your husband is here... no one can hurt you."
"Okay, okay, I'm here... We're safe... safe..."
This fierce confrontation lasted for what seemed like a century.
Zhui Lian’s strength was finally exhausted.
She stopped.
Yu Peizhi then relaxed his restraint a little, but his arms still held her tightly.
He lowered his head, resting his chin against the top of her hair, his warm breath brushing against her forehead: "Baby, what happened? What scared you so much..."
His tone was full of heartache: "Can you tell your husband?"
At this moment, Zhui Lian no longer resisted frantically, but she still closed her eyes tightly and her body was stiff.
"Yu Peizhi." Zhui Lian called his name.
"I'm here." Yu Peizhi hurriedly held her hand.
"Let me go first," she said.
"Then baby, promise me not to hurt yourself." Seeing Zhui Lian nodded, Yu Peizhi finally released his arms around her.
After a moment of silence, Zhui Lian suddenly asked, "Are you him?"
"Ah? What?" Yu Peizhi seemed confused for a moment. He repeated Zhui Lian's words, "It's him? Who is he?"
"Lianlian...your husband outside?" Yu Peizhi seemed to have difficulty speaking, "If the baby wants...I..."
Zhui Lian didn't respond to his question, but continued to ask: "Where were you this afternoon?"
"Baby, you asked me about this at around three o'clock in the afternoon." Yu Peizhi took out his cell phone from his coat pocket and patiently opened the photo album.
"Wife, can you open your eyes? I'll show you the pictures."
After another period of silence, Zhui Lian finally opened his eyes.
No gold.
Not a trace.
The husband reflected in her pupils still had soft black hair.
Yu Peizhi seemed to be completely unaware of anything unusual and handed the phone to Zhui Lian. Inside was a photo of a row of reed marshes, mixed with one or two selfies of himself there.
The time displayed was from the time he arrived at Luhuadang at around 8:00 this morning to the time he left at around 5:00 in the afternoon.
The time now is nearly half past six.
Zhui Lian met the golden-haired ghost at around five o'clock.
The fastest drive from Reed Marsh to here takes at least an hour.
Unless Yu Peizhi can teleport.
"Then how did you know I was here?" Zhui Lian pinched his palm and asked the last question.
Yu Peizhi was stunned for a moment, then seemed a little embarrassed: "Last time...after meeting Xiao Li, I followed his social platform."
"After all, I feel..."
Yu Peizhi sighed softly, "Lianlian likes him very much, so I wanted to see...if I can...learn from him."
Yu Peizhi clicked on the musical note app on his phone and opened his follow list to show it to Zhui Lian.
The time of attention shown above did indeed start from the day I met Xiao Li.
The golden light covering her eyes faded, revealing her husband's full appearance.
Zhui Lian raised her eyes and finally saw the face that looked particularly like Xunli.
Even looking at Yu Peizhi's dress today, it is particularly similar to Xunli's style.
He was wearing washed blue jeans and an off-white sweater. The wind made his hair a little messy, but it just revealed his usually calm and gentle eyes.
So similar.
Even their expressions are the same.
Zhui Lian was stunned and speechless.
But the tinnitus in my ears also faded.
A belated tremor enveloped Zhui Lian.
Fear, confusion, exhaustion after surviving a disaster... countless emotions exploded in Zhui Lian's chest.
The fear brought by the blond ghost has not completely burned out.
The man in front of him who looked very much like Xunli became the only piece of driftwood that Zhui Lian could grasp at the moment.
The dam of reason collapsed in an instant.
“Pei Zhi…Pei Zhi!”
She finally rushed towards the source of warmth regardless of anything.
Zhui Lian clutched the sweater on Yu Peizhi's chest tightly with both hands, and the sobs that she had suppressed for a long time burst out.
"There's...someone...down there...with blond hair...like him..."
She spoke incoherently, her teeth chattering, and her tears instantly wet the collar of Yu Peizhi's sweater, "Xiao Li... Xiao Li..."
Yu Peizhi's body seemed to stiffen for a moment, and then his arms immediately tightened, wrapping her tightly in his arms.
His palms were large and warm, and he patted her violently trembling back gently with a soothing force.
"Don't be afraid anymore, don't be afraid anymore, baby, my husband is here."
His voice was low and steady, ringing against Zhui Lian's ear, as if it could penetrate her panic. "Tell me slowly, who is it? What happened down there? What happened to Xiao Li?"
As Yu Peizhi asked, he raised his eyes vigilantly, scanning the outer wall of the warehouse and the inconspicuous small door that was piled with debris.
Zhui Lian just shook his head desperately.
She buried her face deeper into his neck, absorbing the reassuring warmth from his body, as if this could dispel the ghostly light swaying over her.
She couldn't say it.
That name, that image, just thinking about it was enough to make her break down again.
"Gone... Xiao Li fell down... Gone..." She could only squeeze out these few words, her voice shaking so much that she could barely form a complete sentence.
Yu Peizhi frowned: "Did it disappear in the warehouse?"
Zhui Lian nodded, speaking with some difficulty: "In the warehouse... there is a secret passage, Xiao Li... he rolled down..."
"Maybe he hit his head when he rolled down and fainted." Yu Peizhi thought for a moment and said, "Baby, let me go in and take a look. Can you wait here for me?"
After saying this, Yu Peizhi wanted to walk towards the warehouse.
"No, don't!" Zhui Lian held Yu Peizhi's hand tightly, and moved her lips, "It's too dangerous, let's call the police... Call the police first..."
"Call the police and wait for them to arrive, but it will take a while."
Yu Peizhi's eyes swept over Zhui Lian holding his hands. The hands pulled him very urgently, and the five fingers wrapped around his wrists, not letting go.
Like a drowning man grabbing onto driftwood.
How long has it been since she relied on him like this? How long has it been since she was so close to him?
Only at times like this, when he was like himself, would she love him.
There was an unfathomable smile in Yu Peizhi's eyes, but his voice was full of worry. He said, "It's always better to find it sooner. If it really falls somewhere, I'm afraid that in the future..."
Xiao Li came to the live broadcast today because of her.
Zhui Lian closed her eyes and said, "Then I'll go with you."
Yu Peizhi's face looked a little disapproving. He touched her hair and said, "No need, baby, just wait for me here. You'll be scared."
Zhui Lian shook his head and said, "Let's go."
Pushing open the small door again, Zhui Lian grabbed Yu Peizhi's wrist even tighter, almost walking close to him.
"Baby, did you fall here?"
Yu Peizhi's brows furrowed even tighter. He hugged Zhui Lian, carefully moved to the edge of the entrance, and shone the flashlight downwards.
The depths of the stairs were in a mess and empty.
"Xiao Li! Li Can!" He raised his voice and shouted twice.
The sound echoed in the empty underground space, only silence responded.
Seeing this passage again, Zhui Lian found that she had overestimated herself and she still couldn't suppress the fear.
She retched.
"Lianlian?" Yu Peizhi was a little flustered. "What's wrong with you? Let's go out, let's go out. Husband will take you out now."
He half-supported and half-carried the almost exhausted Zhui Lian and quickly left the abandoned warehouse that exuded an ominous atmosphere.
The flying snowflakes hit his face, and Zhui Lian felt that he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Yu Peizhi opened his coat, wrapped Zhui Lian in a hug, and comforted her with his body temperature.
"It's okay, baby, it's okay." He repeated in a low voice, rubbing his chin gently against the top of her head.
The sound of sirens not far away came closer and closer, and the red and blue lights pierced the silence of the warehouse area.
After the police arrived, they quickly cordoned off the scene.
Yu Peizhi calmly described to the police Zhui Lian's frightened situation, the entrance he found, and Li Can's possible disappearance.
The police immediately organized personnel to conduct a search.
However, something even stranger happened.
On the morning of the second day, when the police had searched intensively but to no avail and were preparing to expand their search area—
Zhui Lian was awakened by a rapid ringing of her cell phone.
The name jumping on the screen was "Li Can"!
The author has something to say:
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Yu Peizhi: I am a scheming man, so what?
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