Chapter 52: Breaking the Stalemate
At six o’clock in the afternoon, Xiang Er packed her worn-out bag and stood up, leaving the company.
Zhu Minmin had wanted to talk to her about the beautiful woman, to persuade her not to be angry with her, but seeing Xiang Er’s expression, she didn’t dare approach.
Xiang Er’s expression wasn’t exactly scary, she just seemed completely indifferent to everything around her, cold and distant, like a stone.
Xiang Er hadn’t always been like this. When she first started working, she had been a timid but cheerful recent graduate. About a month ago, she had suddenly become withdrawn and distracted, often late, her expression anxious, like a startled bird, flinching at the slightest noise.
But even during that period of distraction, she had never worn such a cold, indifferent expression.
It was as if she had once been a living, growing plant, weathering the storms, constantly on guard – but today, the plant was dead. Turned into a fossil, a piece of hardened wood, a cold lump of iron discarded in the dirt.
She seemed devoid of emotion, simply going through the motions, working, then leaving when it was time to leave.
As if she had suffered a great blow… Zhu Minmin stuck out her tongue, then quickly packed her things, wanting to follow Xiang Er and see what happened. She was truly invested in this ship!
Fortunately, she soon witnessed a new development.
In the elevator lobby at the corner of the hallway, on Xiang Er’s path, Shen Yuhe was standing there, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
Shen Yuhe, dressed in pure white, like a lily, held a closed, transparent umbrella. Her long legs and slender waist were subtly visible beneath her clothes, her black hair flowing over her shoulders, her gaze soft and gentle as she looked at Xiang Er.
Xiang Er, seemingly oblivious to her presence, walked towards the elevator, which had already been called, and stood there motionless, staring at her feet.
Shen Yuhe approached her, leaned closer, and said softly:
“It’s raining outside.”
Xiang Er didn’t respond, like a broken machine, her eyes unmoving.
Zhu Minmin, however, overhearing this, became excited, quickly taking out her phone and typing in her group chat: OMG, you guys! The classic rain scene is about to happen again! Why is it raining again today? This couple is perfect for sharing an umbrella in the rain! Aaaaaah, I’m so excited!
Shen Yuhe, receiving no verbal response, heard the voice in Xiang Er’s mind:
It’s raining again… I don’t like it.
Shen Yuhe hesitated slightly. She had assumed that Xiang Er liked rainy days, but now it seemed she didn’t.
This fragile, vulnerable, and unresisting little life form was more fickle than the weather.
And even more frightening was that some of her thoughts, emotions, opinions, ideas, seemed to… escape His control.
Controlling the weather and the environment was so easy, controlling other people’s minds and thoughts was so easy, but controlling hers was difficult.
Why?
Lost in thought, Shen Yuhe, unusually, didn’t react when the elevator doors opened.
Xiang Er stepped inside, waited for a moment, and as the doors began to close… she looked up and saw that Shen Yuhe hadn’t entered.
Xiang Er’s slender finger lifted and pressed the “open door” button, an almost unconscious action, a habit formed from their previous interactions.
She was still instinctively considerate of Shen Yuhe, and realizing this, she frowned slightly.
But Shen Yuhe’s eyes suddenly lit up.
In that instant, Xiang Er saw again the blossoming camellias from their first encounter, only this time, they were white, the white of guilt and purity. Shen Yuhe, standing amongst the white camellias, her eyes shining, as if granted forgiveness, quickly stepped into the elevator, standing face to face with Xiang Er, her gaze fixed on her.
Xiang Er had already withdrawn her hand, her gaze averted.
The elevator doors closed with a soft hum, and the elevator began to descend.
The back wall of the elevator was a large mirror, perfect for office workers to check their appearance. Xiang Er usually ignored it, but today…
Xiang Er turned and saw Shen Yuhe’s reflection behind her, her tall figure and breathtaking beauty reflected in the mirror.
Shen Yuhe smiled at her in the mirror, her smile bright and innocent, seemingly very happy.
This position, this scene… Xiang Er quickly closed her eyes, a sharp pain stabbing through her head!
She remembered the dream she had deliberately buried in the recesses of her memory. Not the nightmare from last night, but an earlier one… her first dream!
This scene was so similar to that dream!
She, in front, vulnerable and defenseless, trapped by Shen Yuhe behind her, the world a romantic, chaotic blur, a beautiful woman behind her, a terrifying Evil God in the mirror before her…
Xiang Er’s already weak body couldn’t handle it. Her legs buckled, and she grabbed the cold, metal handrail just before collapsing.
“Are you alright…”
Shen Yuhe reached out to support her, her hand lightly touching Xiang Er’s arm, and Xiang Er screamed:
“Don’t touch me!!!”
The elevator reached the ground floor, the lobby appearing before them, and Xiang Er, gritting her teeth, pulled away from Shen Yuhe and ran!
She ran into the cold winter rain, her slender figure like a delicate poppy in the wind and rain, its fragile stem about to snap!
Shen Yuhe immediately chased after her, not even bothering to open her umbrella, running through the rain, her clothes soaked, her hair plastered to her face, but she didn’t care!
Zhu Minmin, just emerging from the other elevator, only caught a glimpse of Shen Yuhe running into the rain, and her eyes widened in surprise.
What was going on? Why wasn’t she using her umbrella? Running through the rain with her lover, getting completely drenched, was this the romance of love? Shen Yuhe didn’t seem like the type to do such a thing… But this contrast, this reckless act of love, was so… shippable!
The winter rain in the south was cold and biting, each drop like a needle piercing her skin, the pain more intense than the discomfort of being wet.
The rain veiled the world in a thick mist, obscuring the buildings and scenery, making it difficult to see where she was going.
Xiang Er hadn’t run far before she realized she was lost, surrounded by identical office buildings, those towering steel structures, cold and impersonal.
Her head throbbed, her body drenched, her steps heavy with misery, she could barely move… Her clothes weighed her down, her body cold and shivering, the rain and fog blurring her vision, the ground slippery beneath her feet, as she trudged forward, unsure of her destination.
She didn’t want to go home! That home, that apartment… where the tentacles might still be lurking, the horrifying scenes from her dream replaying in her mind, her thoughts and dreams no longer safe…
And the person she relied on most had hurt her deeply, a thought she couldn’t bear to dwell on.
She couldn’t bear to think about who that person really was, why she had approached her, whether her past kindness and concern had been genuine or an act… She couldn’t bear to think about whether their shared moments had been just a performance, she couldn’t bear to think about whether her sincerity had been a joke!
Was she a joke?!
A heart given away couldn’t be taken back so easily! If it were that simple, there wouldn’t be so many people heartbroken!
“Wuwuwu…”
Cold water streamed down her face, and she whimpered, not realizing she was crying, thinking it was just the rain, wiping her face with her hand, her red, swollen eyes looking ahead, still hoping for something, for a change…
A figure, a shadowy silhouette, slowly emerged from the misty rain.
Xiang Er stared at the figure, a strange anticipation in her heart. What was it?
Was it the truth Shen Yuhe had hidden from her, finally coming to light?
Or was it a sign of divine favor, a reward, an end, a beautiful vision?
The rain beat down relentlessly, making Xiang Er’s scalp ache, her vision blurring, the buildings distorted in the downpour, the plants in the greenbelt turning a dark grey, the sky darkening, night approaching.
The figure in the mist slowly materialized.
Xiang Er wiped the rain from her face, her gaze filled with hope as she looked closer.
Suddenly, her blood ran cold, the icy rain on her numb face nothing compared to the chill in her heart.
It was a man, a… a mutated man.
He wore a dirty suit, his arm in a cast, his body drenched as he slowly trudged through the rain.
His other arm was abnormally long, almost reaching the ground, his fingers a cluster of grotesque bone spurs, which protruded from his body, tearing his clothes to shreds. The white bone spurs, stained with dried black blood, emerged from his chest, back, shoulders, legs, neck, and even his head.
He looked less like a man, and more like a corpse, pierced countless times by bone spurs, animated by some mysterious force, dragging itself through the rain.
He wasn’t slow, and he quickly approached, his face now visible, his head impaled by a thick bone spur, bits of brain matter clinging to it, yet his eyes were open, his face contorted in a mask of hatred.
His hateful gaze, piercing through the rain, fixed on Xiang Er, his prey, beneath the downpour!
His face, oh, his face! Xiang Er’s heart lurched, it was… General Manager Cheng!
A wave of nausea washed over her, but the sight of that mangled face, strangely, cleared her mind.
She had experienced this several times now, and her resilience had grown. She understood, General Manager Cheng had turned into a monster… and he was probably here for revenge!
General Manager Cheng stared at her, his gaze filled with malice, letting out a disgusting, wheezing sound. He was no longer human, yet he still clung to human obsession, and that obsession was… her! Xiang Er!
Xiang Er should have run, but… she tried to move her legs, but even with the adrenaline coursing through her veins, they felt heavy as lead, impossible to lift.
She didn’t dare turn around, turning her back on this monster would be suicide!
The monstrous Cheng continued to stare at her, his malice and hatred palpable, washing over her.
Xiang Er could only step back, and back again, cautiously, but the monster had already noticed her.
The monster growled:
“Grrr—”
He twitched, and more bone spurs erupted from his body!
The bone spurs, as if sentient, or perhaps weapons wielded by the monster, shot through the rain, towards Xiang Er!
“Look out!”
Shen Yuhe’s voice suddenly rang out!
Xiang Er was knocked aside by a powerful force, and she turned to see a bone spur embedded deep in Shen Yuhe’s shoulder!
And Shen Yuhe… who had been looking at her, smiled gently even as the bone spur pierced her flesh.
She mouthed the words: Don’t worry, I’m fine.
Xiang Er’s vision blurred with tears, and she cried out:
“Little Fish!!!”
But Shen Yuhe, ignoring the bone spur in her shoulder, slowly stood up and walked towards the monster.
Her Little Fish, her slender figure casting a shadow, a shadow that fell upon Xiang Er.
Her Little Fish, walking towards… her death!
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