Away from the hospital, the surrounding light dimmed.
Raindrops struck the ground, stirring up fleeting water splashes that appeared like ink under the dark sky.
The streetlight at the end of the road was malfunctioning, flickering as if about to extinguish at any moment. Shu Nian turned on her phone’s flashlight to illuminate the path ahead and slowly walked forward.
Cold wind mixed with fine rain continuously poured into the hollow of her neck. Her chest felt as if something sharp was piercing it, inexplicably painful.
Shu Nian gripped the umbrella handle tightly and let out a muffled sigh.
Had she mistaken someone else for him?
After all, so many years had passed. The Xie Ruhe in her memory was still just a youth.
Deep black hair, and eyes of the same hue. Blue and white striped school uniform, worn-white sneakers. Upright posture. Rarely speaking, rarely smiling.
So gloomy that no one dared approach him.
Always alone, always solitary. As if living in his world.
And the man just now.
Cool demeanor, dressed in a black coat. Even though he was much shorter than others due to being in a wheelchair, he still regarded everything with indifference. His features were more defined than in his youth, sharp and distinct.
A sense of familiarity washed over her.
Shu Nian sniffled.
She had no ill intentions, nor did she mean to seek favor. She had only seen that he seemed to be waiting alone for a long time and wondered if someone was coming to pick him up. And for some unknown reason, he was… in a wheelchair now.
So she just wanted to tell him.
The weather was cold, and the rain showed no signs of stopping; she could give him her umbrella. Her home wasn’t far, she could run back, or go to a nearby convenience store to buy another umbrella.
Just this simple offer.
But he still didn’t listen, and she no longer had the stubborn courage she once possessed.
Fang Wencheng didn’t understand why Xie Ruhe suddenly had such an idea.
With a complicated expression, Fang Wencheng shifted the car into first gear, half-releasing the clutch, and drove forward slowly. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a stray dog darting past from the side.
Exiting the small road, they entered the main street.
The woman walked on the sidewalk, and Fang Wencheng drove the car, maintaining a distance of about five meters behind her. From time to time, impatient honking came from vehicles behind him, making him uncomfortable.
After a few minutes.
“Young Master,” Fang Wencheng said with a pained expression, his hands sweating on the steering wheel, “I hope the people behind us won’t get out and come after me.”
Xie Ruhe continued watching the woman outside the window, motionless, ignoring his words.
Cars sped past from another lane.
Behind them came successive honking, occasionally accompanied by disgruntled cursing from male drivers.
Soon, Fang Wencheng couldn’t bear it anymore and carefully glanced at the rearview mirror: “Young Master, do you want to know where this young lady lives?”
Xie Ruhe didn’t speak.
Fang Wencheng swallowed and felt that his job was truly unbearable: “I don’t think following her like this in a car is appropriate. We might frighten the young lady.”
“…”
“What I mean is, if you like her, why not just ask for her contact information directly…”
“…”
Fang Wencheng scratched his head and offered another suggestion: “Or I could get out and follow her on foot… What do you think?”
This seemed to touch a nerve with Xie Ruhe. His eyes moved slightly, and he slowly withdrew his gaze, pulling out a smile that carried no warmth whatsoever.
After a few seconds, Xie Ruhe’s expression froze, the curve of his lips receding.
The atmosphere in the car instantly dropped to freezing.
Xie Ruhe’s voice was light, tinged with irritation, and unpredictable. His tone carried heavy malice, intensifying with each word he uttered—
“And let me, a cripple, drive instead, is that it?”
Because her thoughts were entirely focused on having just seen Xie Ruhe, Shu Nian’s mood was somewhat low, her attention scattered. Her vigilance wasn’t as intense as usual, but she quickly noticed… there seemed to be a car following her.
Afraid she was overthinking again, Shu Nian sneaked a glance in that direction, pretending to be casual.
A black Bentley, with a man visible in the driver’s seat. No one was in the passenger seat, and she couldn’t see clearly in the back seat.
Shu Nian lowered her eyes, took out her phone from her pocket, and cautiously dialed 110. Keeping her head down, she used her umbrella to shield her view, pretending to avoid puddles. Walking, stopping, then walking again.
All the while keeping an eye on that car with her peripheral vision.
The black Bentley, as she suspected, followed her stop-and-go pattern. When she walked, it drove; when she stopped, it stopped.
A car stuck to the side of the road, moving at a snail’s pace, ignoring the honking from behind, insisting on maintaining this speed—it might as well have hung a sign declaring to the world: “I’m stalking someone, don’t disturb me.”
Shu Nian’s face instantly turned pale, as if drained of all color, and she instinctively moved to the innermost part of the sidewalk. Her pace quickened, her breathing becoming uneven.
Only one thought remained in her mind.
Get to the nearby police station.