As Yun Li prepared to enter the car, she hesitated briefly between the front passenger seat and the back. Miss He hadn’t been clear, only mentioning that this person was a staff member. Possibly someone was sent to pick her up. Sitting in the back might seem impolite as if treating him like a chauffeur.
Reluctantly, she chose the front seat.
Rain and lights intermingled, cascading from above. The windows were covered with droplets like stars.
Yun Li fastened her seatbelt and pulled out a tissue from her bag to wipe off the larger water droplets from her body.
The car interior was silent.
Usually, when taking taxis, she’d sit in the back and stay quiet, only asking about the fare when preparing to exit. Sitting in the front with a stranger was uncomfortable and awkward. She felt the need to break the silence.
After wracking her brain, Yun Li spoke up: “I’m sorry for troubling you to come pick me up.”
After a few seconds, the man responded flatly, “Mm.”
Silence fell again.
Unable to think of anything else to say, Yun Li pretended to busy herself. She took out her phone and repeatedly scrolled through a few frequently used apps.
After driving for a while, the man suddenly asked, “Where should I drop you off?”
“Ah,” Yun Li sat up straight and quickly replied, “The Yangjin Hotel.”
“Mm.”
The man didn’t speak again after that.
He seemed to have no desire for conversation, only speaking when necessary.
He had very consciously taken on the role of a driver.
The two people she’d met tonight were opposites in personality.
One is overly enthusiastic, the other excessively cold. Both, however, were strikingly handsome.
Thinking this, Yun Li stole another glance in his direction.
From this angle, she could see most of his profile, partially covered in shadow. He had removed his hat, revealing a strong jawline. Damp bangs partially obscured his brow and eyes.
His lips were still pale.
He was wearing an overcoat in this weather.
Moreover, he still seemed cold.
Yun Li looked away, pretending to admire the scenery, but couldn’t help sneaking a couple more glances.
Purely in terms of looks, the man was her type.
His demeanor was cold and detached, seeming devoid of worldly desires or weaknesses. He appeared frail, yet somehow exuded a hint of ruthlessness.
Like a wounded wolf picked up from the roadside,
Barely alive, yet ready to bite back at any moment.
…
The quiet atmosphere persisted until they reached the hotel.
There was a glass awning at the entrance. The man stopped the car, muttered “We’re here,” and got out. Yun Li responded with a quick “Okay,” hastily gathered her things, and followed closely behind him.
He carried her suitcase to the steps in front of the door, then gestured inside with a tilt of his chin: “Just go in.”
Yun Li: “Alright, thank you.”
The man nodded without further response. He turned and walked back towards the driver’s seat.
The rain showed no signs of letting up. Yun Li stared at the man’s retreating figure, recalling his sickly pallor. On an impulse, she stepped forward: “Um, excuse me!”
The man stopped and turned around.
Yun Li’s heart raced as she held out her umbrella: “The rain probably won’t stop soon.”
He didn’t move.
“I’ll be visiting EAW tomorrow,” Yun Li met his eyes, inexplicably nervous, her voice slightly trembling, “You can leave it at the front desk, and I’ll pick it up.”
Fearing a repeat of the earlier umbrella rejection, Yun Li hesitated for a moment.
She decided to place the umbrella on the car hood, quickly saying: “Thank you for driving me here today.”
Before the man could respond, Yun Li had already grabbed her suitcase and headed inside.
After walking a few meters, nearly at the hotel entrance, Yun Li dared to look back.
The spot where she’d left the umbrella was empty.
The car moved forward, disrupting the rhythm of the falling rain. White lines danced in the air, guiding him into the darkness.
Only then did Yun Li relax, letting out a soft sigh—
Back in her room, Yun Li showered and went straight to bed. However, in the unfamiliar environment, her sleep quality was poor. She experienced sleep paralysis at one point, her consciousness hazy yet aware.
Finally, she had a dream, reliving the night’s events.
Everything proceeded as normal until she got into the man’s car. Then, things took a different turn.
Instead of taking her to the hotel, the man drove her to a remote, desolate area.
There, Yun Li encountered the young man from the airport. He laughed maniacally, calling her stupid and revealing that the driver was the leader of their criminal organization.
The man’s gaze towards her changed, becoming cold-blooded and cruel as if regarding caged prey.
She panicked, trying to run.
Just as she turned, the man stabbed her through the heart with the umbrella she had lent him earlier that night—
Then Yun Li woke up.
“…”
The terror from the dream lingered, and she unconsciously touched her chest. After a few minutes of lying in bed, as her consciousness fully returned, she realized how absurd the dream had been.
After a while, Yun Li picked up her phone to check the time.
On WeChat, Miss He had added her to a group chat, notifying everyone to gather in the hotel lobby at 3 PM.
Yun Li didn’t dawdle any longer. She got up to wash and get ready.
She left ten minutes early.
Upon arrival, she saw two men and a woman sitting on the sofa, with only the woman facing her. Catching the sight of Yun Li from the corner of her eye, the woman immediately stood up and greeted her: “Are you Teacher Xian Yun Di Da Jiang?”
Yun Li nodded.
Xian Yun Di Da Jiang was her registered account name on the E platform.
E platform, short for EndlessSharing, was a video creation and sharing platform. It started as a small communication platform but later expanded into video content. As online users gradually increased, the website grew.
During the summer before her sophomore year, Yun Li began posting videos on the E platform out of boredom.
At first, it was just for fun, without the expectations of an audience. The content was diverse, mainly focusing on food, but she would record anything that interested her on a whim.
Now, while not hugely popular, she had gradually accumulated several hundred thousand followers.
The woman was Miss He, whose full name was He Jiameng. The two men were also somewhat famous E platform creators, one called Zhi Bu Liao and the other Fei Shui.
Later, the group boarded a car.
They were provided with a seven-seater SUV. Yun Li and He Jiameng sat in the middle row, with the other two behind them. They chatted casually throughout the journey.
Yun Li’s phone vibrated.
She opened it to find a message from her friend, Deng Chuqi.
Deng Chuqi: [Are you in Nanwu now?]
Yun Li replied off-topic: [I almost died just now.]
Deng Chuqi: [?]
Yun Li: [In a dream.]
After a moment.
Deng Chuqi: [I almost got a job with an annual salary of one million today.]
Yun Li: [?]
Deng Chuqi: [Too bad they didn’t want me.]
“…”
Yun Li couldn’t help but laugh.
Then, whether it was her imagination or not, the background chatter seemed to quiet down. She turned her head and met He Jiameng’s smiling face.
“Teacher Xian Yun, you find it funny too, right?”
“Hm?” Yun Li hadn’t been listening at all and sheepishly replied, “Yes… it’s quite funny.”
Possibly sensing her evasive response, they didn’t pursue the topic further and soon moved on to other subjects.
Yun Li relaxed mentally but felt a bit dejected.
She felt like a conversation killer.
…
EAW Tech City was located in a large commercial area called Haitian Mall. It wasn’t far from the hotel, about a fifteen-minute drive.
The area was bustling, with commercial streets on both sides of the route, passing by Nanwu University of Technology. It happened to be the Qixi Festival today, so the streets were filled with couples, creating a lively atmosphere.
Looking out the window, Yun Li could see a huge Ferris wheel on top of the mall.
EAW’s entrance was on the first floor.
Today wasn’t an official filming day, just a preliminary visit to familiarize themselves with the environment and plan the shooting process. Attendance wasn’t mandatory; it was up to each individual’s discretion.
Yun Li, fearing falling behind and not knowing what to do later, hadn’t declined.
Besides their group, a few others had already arrived. Yun Li didn’t recognize most of them.
After exchanging greetings, He Jiameng led them inside.
Past the reception and ticket check, they took an escalator down. EAW’s entertainment facilities occupied part of the top three floors, separated from other stores in the mall.
As it hadn’t opened yet, the place was empty and the equipment wasn’t running. He Jiameng gave them a brief overview of each floor’s attractions.
After the introduction, they were allowed to explore freely.
Yun Li went off on her own, marking interesting projects in her notes app. Afterward, she started drafting content ideas. Meanwhile, her phone displayed another low battery warning.
Rummaging through her bag, Yun Li couldn’t find her power bank.
Did she forget to bring it?
Looking around, she spotted He Jiameng sitting on a rest chair in the corridor of the same floor. Yun Li approached her: “Jiameng, do you have a charger here?”
He Jiameng looked up: “Not here, but there’s one in the break room.”
Yun Li: “Oh, then…”
“It’s no problem, our break room is very close. I’ll take you there,” He Jiameng checked the time, “We’ll probably be here for another hour, so you can rest there and charge your phone.”
Not having a charged phone would be inconvenient, so Yun Li accepted: “Okay, thank you.”
They left EAW, exited through the nearest fire escape, and went down the stairs to the basement level. A long corridor led to several single glass doors, one labeled “EAW Tech City.”
Below it was a sign: “Unauthorized Entry Prohibited.”
He Jiameng swiped her card to enter.
Inside, there were two doors ahead and to the left, leading to the office and employee break room respectively.
They entered the break room and turned on the lights.
The entire left wall was lined with lockers, with two small changing rooms nearby. In the center were two rectangular tables and a small bar counter.
The space was quite large. He Jiameng only turned on the lights for this side, leaving the rest somewhat dim. However, they could still see three sofas arranged in a U-shape at the far end, surrounded by several bean bag chairs.
He Jiameng picked up the air conditioner remote, muttering: “Why is the AC on at 30 degrees…”
Yun Li: “Is someone here?”
“Maybe someone came down earlier. Only a few people came today, and they’re all in the store now,” He Jiameng lowered the temperature and pulled out a charger for her, pointing to one of the tables, “You can charge here or over by the sofas, whichever you prefer.”
“Okay.”
He Jiameng was about to sit with her but glanced at her phone and suddenly pulled out a powder compact to touch up her makeup.
Yun Li blinked: “What’s wrong?”
“The boss is here, he’s in the store right now,” He Jiameng said excitedly, “My boss is super handsome, super rich, and super gentle! Teacher Xian Yun, you should touch up your lipstick too!”
Super handsome?
Hearing this keyword, Yun Li asked: “Is it the person who picked me up yesterday?”
“No. Yesterday, my boss called me and gently reprimanded me,” He Jiameng clutched her heart, “Then he said he’d send someone to pick you up, but I don’t know who exactly. I guess it was probably one of my colleagues.”
“…”
A gentle reprimand, indeed.
“My boss rarely comes here. During the trial operation days, he only came once, and I didn’t even see him then,” He Jiameng said, “The fact that he has time on Qixi probably means he’s single.” She then smiled and invited, “Do you want to go up with me now to take a look?”
Yun Li was amused by her enthusiasm: “No, thanks. I’ll charge my phone for a bit first.”
He Jiameng didn’t insist: “He’ll probably still be there when you come up later. I’ll head back to the store then.”
“Okay.”
There was a power strip right at the table, and since Yun Li didn’t plan to stay long, she didn’t move to the sofa area. She intended to charge her phone to half capacity before leaving.
After a while.
Deng Chuqi sent a voice message: “So what dream did you have yesterday?”
Yun Li typed out a brief description of her dream.
Deng Chuqi: “An umbrella can kill someone?”
Deng Chuqi: “That’s an ominous dream. The borrowed umbrella became a murder weapon. Remember to get it back. Having the ‘murder weapon’ in the hands of the ‘murderer’ feels unsettling.”
“…”
Her words made sense.
Yun Li was somewhat superstitious.
Usually, she forgot her dreams upon waking, but this one felt as real as if it had happened. She could still recall the blood splattering before her eyes.
Getting the umbrella back could be a way to distance herself from the dream, right?
Yesterday, she had told the man to leave it at the front desk. She wondered if he had come by today.
She’d ask He Jiameng about it later.
With this in mind, Yun Li lost interest in charging her phone and started to pack up. Just then, she heard a faint noise from the sofa area, neither loud nor soft.
Yun Li paused and hesitantly walked in that direction.
As she got closer, she realized someone was lying on the sofa.
Earlier, the chair back had blocked her view, and with the dim lighting and distance, Yun Li hadn’t noticed when she first glanced over.
The man was tall, barely fitting on the sofa, his limbs constrained. He was covered with a thin blanket, his brows slightly furrowed. It was hard to tell if he was asleep or awake.
Yun Li recognized him immediately.
It was the man who had picked her up.
“…”
Her breath caught.
Recalling the voice message she had played earlier, Yun Li wasn’t sure if the man had heard it. As her mind went blank, an even worse situation unfolded.
She saw the man open his eyes.
His gaze was clear; it was impossible to tell how long he had been awake.
The surroundings seemed to freeze, even their breathing becoming more audible.
In the next moment, the man sat up without hurry, reaching for her umbrella from beside the sofa. Instead of handing it to her, he placed it on the coffee table in front of him.
“Your umbrella.”
Feeling like a student caught using a phone in class, Yun Li stood frozen for three seconds before going to retrieve it.
The man calmly said: “Thank you.”
Yun Li didn’t dare look at him, only responding with a small “Mm.”
Seeing that he had no intention of speaking further, Yun Li could no longer bear the awkward atmosphere. She swallowed and stammered: “I’ll… head up now.”
Before she could move, the man spoke again. His voice was soft as if making a casual observation.
“This is a folding umbrella. It can’t be used to kill someone.”
Yun Li froze, turning her head to meet his eyes once more, feeling as if she had returned to that rainy night in her dream. The cold, damp rain seemed to seep into her chest along with his next words.
“A straight-handled one might be possible.”
“…”