Xu Huaisong's face darkened instantly.
Ruan Yu quickly waved her hands in apology. "Sorry, sorry... that was too forward of me." She turned away, thoroughly ashamed.
Behind her, Xu Huaisong took a silent deep breath.
He hadn't originally known what "soul transmigration" meant—he'd learned the term from her other novels. But precisely because he'd learned it, this was even more frustrating.
After adjusting his breathing, he said, "Get in the car. We're going to the next place."
Ruan Yu turned back and cautiously peeked at him before responding with a quiet "Oh."
Xu Huaisong drove them to the next property.
This time, it was a high-rise building with about twenty floors, just across the street from Ruan Yu's previous apartment. The location immediately won her favor, and the security in this high-rise was much better than in her old neighborhood.
While viewing the apartment, she paid special attention to the landlord couple. They lived right next door with their elementary school-aged daughter. The wife was warm and friendly, while the husband was reserved and taciturn—nothing seemed amiss.
After inspecting every corner of the apartment, Xu Huaisong asked the landlords to show the property deed.
The landlady didn't mind his caution and cooperatively produced the documents.
Xu Huaisong thanked her and said they'd consider it before leading Ruan Yu away again.
While waiting for the elevator, she whispered, "This one seems okay?"
He nodded. "We can keep it as an option while we check out others."
Ruan Yu gave an "Mhm" and followed him into the elevator.
Inside was a heavily made-up young woman who had come down from an upper floor. As soon as the doors closed, an overpowering wave of perfume assaulted their senses.
The scent was so strong that Ruan Yu couldn't hold back a sneeze.
Xu Huaisong subtly shifted to block the source of the smell—though it didn't help much.
Ruan Yu shot him a grateful look, then fixed her eyes on the elevator's yellow floor numbers as they changed, desperate to escape the perfume.
"Huh?" She barely had time to voice her confusion before Xu Huaisong also noticed something was wrong and instinctively placed a protective hand on her shoulder.
The next moment, the elevator jolted violently. The overhead lights went out, plunging the small space into complete silence.
The young woman across from them screamed, "Wh-what the hell?!"
Ruan Yu should have screamed too. But she couldn't.
The hand resting on her shoulder eclipsed any shock from the elevator malfunction. Her brain short-circuited, her breath came short, and her limbs trembled.
Assuming she was scared, Xu Huaisong tightened his protective hold. With his other hand, he calmly pressed the alarm button under the dim glow of the emergency light.
Then the elevator suddenly dropped another foot.
This time, both Ruan Yu and the other girl screamed.
Before Xu Huaisong could reassure them, the other girl began wailing while clutching the handrail: "Waaah! Oh my god! I've never even dated, never held hands or kissed a guy, and now I'm gonna die a third wheel! Waaah!"
Ruan Yu: "..."
She wondered if explaining that the girl wasn't actually a third wheel would make her feel better.
Xu Huaisong's eardrums nearly shattered from the noise. After a moment, he reached to press the alarm again, but the other girl stopped him: "No! We'll plummet to our deaths!" She rushed to the doors. "We should pry them open instead!""Miss," he said with forced patience, "statistically speaking, the odds of an elevator free-falling to the ground are slightly higher than an average person winning the lottery. Prying the doors open is far more likely to split a human body in half."
Ruan Yu shuddered and cleared her throat. "Stop scaring her..."
The girl across from them burst into another round of hysterical wailing.
Worried that Xu Huaisong might suffer from the piercing screams, Ruan Yu quickly comforted her: "Little sister, don't cry. Actually, I've never had a boyfriend either, and I'm already twenty-six..."
"Really?" The girl glanced at Xu Huaisong's protective hand resting on Ruan Yu's shoulder and wailed even louder, "But at least someone's pursuing you! Waaah...!"
Pursuing?
Ruan Yu choked on her words before she could ponder the implication. The elevator doors slowly opened, flooding the space with light. The property manager sighed in relief and stepped forward. "Sir, ladies, are you all right?"
Xu Huaisong glanced at the trembling girl behind them. "We're fine, but that young lady might need help." He then guided Ruan Yu out.
Truthfully, Ruan Yu's legs were also weak, but thanks to the even more terrified girl serving as contrast, she managed to save face in front of Xu Huaisong.
Once in the light, she stepped away from his supportive arm, keeping her head down as she muttered, "Th-thank you."
Xu Huaisong didn't respond, instead answering the property manager's questions and explaining the situation to the arriving maintenance crew.
Ruan Yu turned to check on the girl, only to see her suddenly slap her forehead. "Oh no! I still have an audition at Huanshi!" Wiping her face—smearing mascara across her hand—she bolted away.
"Hey—!" Ruan Yu chased after her briefly, wanting to warn her about her ruined makeup, but gave up when she couldn't catch up.
The incident was quickly forgotten. Back in the car, neither mentioned what happened in the elevator.
Xu Huaisong dropped Ruan Yu off at Shen Mingying's apartment building.
Before parting, Ruan Yu asked, "Do you have an Alipay account?"
"What for?"
"To pay you back for the room."
Xu Huaisong paused. "Just save my number for now. I'll set one up later."
"You got a Chinese number?"
"Yeah."
Ruan Yu saved his contact as "Lawyer Xu." As she opened the car door to leave, he suddenly asked, "Do you want to have one?"
"Huh?" She froze in confusion. "Have what?"
She already had his number, didn't she?
Xu Huaisong stayed silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Never mind. Text me when you get inside."
Ruan Yu murmured an "Okay," her mind wandering as she puzzled over his cryptic question. Upstairs, the moment Shen Mingying opened the door, Ruan Yu grabbed her arm and blurted, "Mingying, do you want to have one?"
Shen Mingying looked baffled. "I'm not planning to have kids yet. Why?"
"Ah!" Ruan Yu gasped, muttering to herself, "Is that what he meant? But why would he ask if I want kids?"
Shen Mingying's eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets. "Did he ask you that in bed last night?"
Ruan Yu shook her head seriously. "No, just now in the car."
"Damn, things escalated that fast?" Shen Mingying gripped Ruan Yu's shoulders, scrutinizing her from head to toe. "Did he not use protection?"
"..."
Before Ruan Yu could explain, her phone rang.
Incoming call: Lawyer Xu.How could she have forgotten about him again!
She quickly answered the call and blurted out, "I'm here, I'm here! I forgot to message you that I arrived safely..."
"Then I'll leave now."
He hadn't left yet?
Ruan Yu froze, rushed into Shen Mingying's house, opened the balcony window to look down, and immediately met Xu Huaisong's gaze.
He had already gotten out of the car and was looking up, apparently intending to come up because she hadn't reported her safe arrival in time.
A voice came through the phone: "Don't lean out too far."
Ruan Yu pulled her head back.
But Shen Mingying curiously leaned out to look and had a shockingly intense eye contact with Xu Huaisong.
Afraid she might blurt out Xu Huaisong's name, Ruan Yu hung up the call without another word.
The next moment, Shen Mingying indeed let out an "Ah," staring dumbfounded at the scene below until the Cayenne disappeared from view. Then she turned back and said, "Can I swear?"
Ruan Yu knew she must be too shocked to contain herself and pouted, "Go ahead..."
"Holy shit! The one who checked into the hotel with you was Xu Huaisong!"
On Shen Mingying's couch, Ruan Yu completed a half-hour-long confession.
After hearing every detail, Shen Mingying also fell into deep thought and slowly said, "Why would the aloof male god suddenly fall from grace overnight?"
Ruan Yu hugged a pillow and leaned forward. "If I allow myself to be a little delusional, could it be that..."
Shen Mingying crossed her hands in an X, signaling negation. "You said during your three years in high school and that month before, there wasn't even a spark between you. Now, all of a sudden, without any transition or buildup, he just falls for you? Is that possible?"
Ruan Yu frowned deeply. "Right, impossible. If this were written in a novel, readers would definitely criticize the romance as unnaturally developed."
"Stop right there. I think you've written too many novels and let your imagination run wild."
"But then why?" Ruan Yu touched her shoulder, lost in thought. "He even held me..."
"Simple, let me analyze it for you." Shen Mingying cleared her throat. "Look, in all the instances where he acted strangely within these twelve hours, weren't you in a particularly vulnerable state?"
Ruan Yu nodded. "Yes." Whether it was Cen Sisi's live-streamed suicide attempt, the fever incident, or the elevator malfunction—all of them.
"Then here's the answer. A capable man, upon seeing a woman—especially a beautiful one—in distress and at her most vulnerable, can't help but feel protective, right? Especially when he's a lawyer dedicated to helping people in need."
Ruan Yu let out a long "Oh," then heard her continue, "To test this, just see how he behaves when you're no longer in a vulnerable state."
Convinced, Ruan Yu quickly reined in her delusional thoughts and focused on finding a new place. However, after two days, she still hadn't found anything more suitable than that high-rise apartment.
She thought the elevator malfunction wasn't a dealbreaker. In fact, after one incident, the property management would likely pay more attention to it, making it safer in the future.
So that afternoon, Ruan Yu sent Xu Huaisong a message: Lawyer Xu, I've decided to move, but I haven't heard back from Mr. Cen yet. Do you think it's safe for me to return to the apartment to pack my things now?
Xu Huaisong: I'm free tomorrow morning.
Ruan Yu showed the chat to Shen Mingying, who was doing laundry. "What does this mean?""It means helping you move. Don’t be so jumpy. Since you’re still troubled by the defendant, you haven’t completely shed your ‘client’ status yet. He’s just being responsible."
Ruan Yu did admire Xu Huaisong’s meticulousness. Fearing that something might really happen and she wouldn’t see the sun tomorrow, she decided to enjoy the perks of being a client one last time: Then I’ll have to trouble you again. What time works for you?
Xu Huaisong: 8:30.
The next morning at 8:30, Ruan Yu went downstairs.
Shen Mingying had originally planned to come along to help, but Ruan Yu stopped her.
She was afraid Shen Mingying might fail to control her expressions and give something away, or that Xu Huaisong would recognize her as his alumna.
While waiting for Ruan Yu to come downstairs, Xu Huaisong kept replaying Liu Mao’s advice from a couple of days ago: "Think about how she subtly distanced herself from me back then. Because she saw through my feelings too early, she deliberately dressed plainly, avoided sitting in the passenger seat, and even lied to me that the issue was resolved when she needed legal help… If you don’t want to end up like me, take it easy. Don’t scare her into retreating into her shell."
Xu Huaisong had laughed it off at the time, but now that he was about to meet Ruan Yu, he found himself carefully reconsidering those words.
Then, from a distance, he saw her wearing a T-shirt and jeans today—dressed very plainly.
He immediately locked the backseat door and, as she approached, pointed to the passenger seat.
Fortunately, she only looked puzzled for a moment but didn’t refuse.
After exchanging greetings, they headed to her old apartment. For safety reasons, Xu Huaisong accompanied her upstairs and waited in her living room while she packed.
Ruan Yu poured him a glass of water before heading to the bedroom to start with her clothes.
Being a homebody, she didn’t own many clothes, but her winter coats were bulky and best packed in vacuum-sealed bags.
She took down a row of thick coats from the closet and placed them on the bed. Just as she was about to fetch the vacuum bags from the other room, her knee brushed against the edge of the bed, knocking over a wool coat.
With a crisp clink , something fell out of the coat’s pocket.
She looked down and froze.
It was a white USB drive.
The very same white USB drive that contained the outline and all the detailed plot points of her novel—the one she thought had been lost at the café.
She paused, bent down to pick it up, and held it in her palm, staring at it intently.
Then she remembered.
On the last day of the Qingming holiday, it had rained, and Hangzhou was experiencing an unseasonable cold snap. The weather was unusually chilly, so she had worn that wool coat when she went out.
Later, her mother had suddenly arrived, and she’d hurriedly left the café—likely stuffing the USB drive into the coat’s pocket without thinking.
After that, the weather in Hangzhou warmed up, and she had shoved the wool coat into the closet, never wearing it again.
By the time the plagiarism scandal broke out in May, it hadn’t even occurred to her to check her winter clothes, leading her to assume the USB drive was lost.
In other words, her outline had never been stolen at all.
Ruan Yu stood there dumbfounded, her face a picture of shock, when suddenly, the bedroom door was knocked.
Xu Huaisong’s voice came from outside: "What’s wrong?"
Author’s Note: What’s wrong? Hehehe… (Updates will likely be around this time tomorrow. Regular 8 p.m. updates will resume after the Dragon Boat Festival!)
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