The entire process took roughly three seconds.

The first second was the most terrifying — because Dong Siyang let go.

In that moment, Zhu Yun felt the same terror as Hou Ning. A thought flashed through her mind: it was all over. They had made the same mistake as before, and this time it was even more unforgivable.

When a person is frightened to a certain degree, they abandon all extraneous thoughts. In that instant, Zhu Yun’s entire world narrowed to the image of Hou Ning falling backward with his head tilted up. She thought the fall would take about six seconds, and once those six seconds passed, everything would collapse.

But those six seconds never came.

On the balcony directly below the spot where Dong Siyang had released his grip, two burly men had been waiting. At first, everyone’s attention had been fixed on Dong Siyang, and no one had noticed them. The instant Dong Siyang let go of Hou Ning, the two men simultaneously reached out, firmly catching the falling Hou Ning, swung him around a few times, and hauled him back onto the balcony.

Zhu Yun watched the scene unfold, her mind reeling, until the young men beside the van whistled to snap her out of it.

They apparently had their own hierarchy — those who could go upstairs were probably ranked higher than those waiting below. These young thugs watched their “seniors” put on a spectacular performance and responded with enthusiastic applause.

Zhu Yun slowly came back to herself, buried her face in the steering wheel, and trembled uncontrollably throughout her entire body. She gripped her hands tightly, trying to control herself, but it was no use. After several failed attempts, she simply gave up and, shaking all over, pushed open the car door and stepped out.

The rowdy chatter of the young men nearby fell silent. They turned to look at Zhu Yun. She ignored them and headed straight upstairs. She normally hated climbing stairs, but this time she flew up them, making it to the twelfth floor in nearly one breath, her heart pounding furiously when she reached the top.

The apartment building’s layout was similar to the startup park — seven or eight units per floor. The hallway was completely empty. Zhu Yun spotted one room with its door open, and several men stood outside in small clusters, arms crossed, chatting idly.

She walked over. The men at the door stopped talking. Zhu Yun moved to go inside, and one of them blocked her way.

He didn’t say much — just stood there in front of her with his arms crossed, silently driving her away.

Zhu Yun said, “I’m looking for Dong Siyang.” Her voice was still slightly unsteady.

The man glanced back at the others, smirking. “Another woman looking for Brother Dong — they all end up coming here.”

The others laughed. The man turned back to Zhu Yun and said, “Wait to the side. Brother Dong’s handling things right now. He doesn’t like being interrupted by women.”

Zhu Yun tried to slip past him into the room, but he shifted sideways and blocked her again. She raised her voice and shouted directly into the room: “Dong Siyang——!”

The man startled. “What are you yelling for?!” He grabbed her arms and began steering her back out.

Inside, on the balcony, Dong Siyang was saying something to Li Xun. Hearing the screaming at the door, Dong Siyang’s brow tightened and he said, “Why did you bring her here too?”

Li Xun replied, “She wanted to come.”

The shouting from the door continued: “If you don’t come out right now, I’m quitting tomorrow——!”

Dong Siyang’s face twisted in irritation. He muttered a curse under his breath, then called toward the door, “Let her in!”

Zhu Yun stormed into the room and glared at Dong Siyang.

“Where’s Hou Ning?”

Dong Siyang waved a hand. “In the room.”

Zhu Yun turned and headed off. Dong Siyang watched her retreating figure and cursed several more times. Li Xun said, “She might blow up at you.”

Dong Siyang replied, “You think I’m scared of a woman blowing up at me?”

Li Xun said nothing. After a moment, Dong Siyang added, “She wouldn’t actually quit, would she?”

Li Xun: “No idea.”

Dong Siyang’s thick brows knitted tightly, and he let out another vicious curse: “Damn it!”

The secondary bedroom was small, sparsely furnished — a single bed, a writing desk, a few storage cabinets, and two potted plants on the windowsill, both long dead. There were no signs of anyone living there; the apartment was probably being prepared for rent. Zhu Yun had no idea how Dong Siyang had gotten hold of the keys.

Lying on the single bed was Hou Ning, shaking uncontrollably.

The sound of the door opening frightened him, and he curled even tighter into himself. Zhu Yun walked to the bedside and asked, “Are you alright?”

Hou Ning buried himself completely. Zhu Yun understood his fear — she herself had been trembling just watching from the sidelines. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for Hou Ning, who had actually been pushed off the edge.

“What they did was genuinely excessive,” Zhu Yun said quietly. “Even if you really had destroyed our game, it’s still just a project.”

She stood at the bedside, looking down at Hou Ning.

“Li Xun told me about you.”

Hou Ning’s shoulders gave a faint shudder. Zhu Yun continued: “You didn’t expect it to escalate like this, did you? You thought that hacking such a small company — even if you got caught — wouldn’t amount to much? No matter how small a company is, it’s still someone’s life’s work. Don’t underestimate people.”

She turned to leave. Reaching the doorway, she paused and, for no particular reason, asked: “Li Xun has a very strong pull on people, doesn’t he?”

Hou Ning seemed to shudder again.

Zhu Yun said: “You’ve been dragging your feet this whole time — you haven’t even left the city, let alone the country. Are you hoping he’ll come back for you?”

Silence fell, and then Zhu Yun heard a soft, muffled sobbing behind her. She turned back. Hou Ning’s thin, lonely silhouette came into view — he was so slight, barely the build of a middle-schooler. Curled in on himself like that, he looked pitifully small.

Zhu Yun said softly, “I can understand that, actually. But he won’t go back. If you truly can’t let go, then come find him yourself.”

Out in the living room, Dong Siyang and Li Xun were still leaning against the windowsill, smoking. Li Xun gestured toward the door, and Dong Siyang turned to see Zhu Yun approaching.

Before she could say a word, Dong Siyang got there first. “There was absolutely no danger! We’ve done this countless times — the safety is completely sound.”

Zhu Yun aimed a punch at his chest. Dong Siyang reacted instantly, seizing her wrist and twisting lightly, neutralizing her in an instant.

He grinned.

“You think a woman can get the better of me?”

From the side, Li Xun took the cigarette from his mouth and said, flatly, “Hey.”

Dong Siyang lazily released her.

Zhu Yun rubbed her wrist, staring at him fiercely.

Dong Siyang said, “We were just scaring him.”

Zhu Yun: “Is that any way to scare someone?”

Dong Siyang took a drag of his cigarette and said impatiently, “I already told you, nothing was going to happen. And I’m warning you — don’t turn against your own side.”

Zhu Yun noticed the pack of cigarettes on the windowsill and felt a sudden urge to pick up smoking again.

“He won’t go to the police, will he?” she asked.

Dong Siyang let out a scornful laugh.

Zhu Yun: “What are you laughing at? If he really went to the police, he could go straight to attempted murder charges. Look at that mob you’ve gathered downstairs — our entire company would get dragged down along with you!”

Dong Siyang laughed even more arrogantly. He said to Zhu Yun, “I’ve been in this business for years. I may not have many skills, but I can tell at a glance who will or won’t go to the police.” He pointed at Zhu Yun: “Someone like you — you’d call the police no matter what.” Then he pointed toward the inner room: “That one in there? Wild horses couldn’t drag him to the police.” Then he seemed to remember something, pulled his elbow in, and jerked his thumb toward Li Xun, who was smoking beside him: “And this one won’t either.”

Zhu Yun: “……”

Dong Siyang said lazily, “As for what to do with that scrawny little monkey—” he glanced at Li Xun, “what do you think?”

Li Xun: “Ask her.”

Dong Siyang turned back to Zhu Yun. “What does our political commissar think?”

Zhu Yun: “Don’t ask me. The two of you are so sure of yourselves — do you even need my opinion?”

Dong Siyang nodded. “Then we throw him in the sea.”

Zhu Yun: “Stop talking nonsense!”

Dong Siyang: “That’s exactly why I’m asking the commissar for her opinion.”

Zhu Yun looked at the silent Li Xun. “What do you want to do?”

Li Xun hadn’t answered Dong Siyang, but now he answered Zhu Yun. “I want to keep him. We can find a use for him.”

Zhu Yun: “After a scene like this, would he even agree to stay?”

Li Xun: “Yes.”

Zhu Yun nodded. “If you say yes, then keep him.”

Li Xun: “You’re okay with that?”

Zhu Yun: “What other choice is there? If we leave him alone and he has another outburst, what then? If he leaves this city, can you even catch him again? Better to keep him close where we can watch him.” She paused, then added: “Besides, you said he’s talented. Our company is so short-handed right now — any help is welcome.”

Dong Siyang clapped his hands when he heard this. “Now that’s what I like to hear. You’re a Feiyang employee — you should be thinking from Feiyang’s interests. We’re keeping him.”

Zhu Yun turned to Li Xun. “I’ll head out first. Ride back with him tonight.”

Zhu Yun’s legs were still trembling as she went downstairs. The young men waiting below were still there — Zhu Yun genuinely couldn’t tell if this outfit was a startup or a revolution.

She stepped out of the apartment building into a cool breeze that made the skin on her face tighten. Only then did she realize how much she’d been sweating.

Li Xun stood at the window watching the car drive away below. Dong Siyang said, “Women are just damn cowardly.”

Li Xun: “Mm.”

Dong Siyang: “Over something this small and her lips went pale with fright — and she was still trying to hold it together.”

Li Xun smiled slightly.

Dong Siyang slowly turned the moment over in his mind and said, “When she’s a little scared like that, she’s actually a lot more endearing than when she’s usually going around baring her teeth and claws.”

Li Xun said nothing. He watched quietly as the taillights disappeared into the night.

The events of today had shaken Zhu Yun deeply. She drove aimlessly through the streets for a long while, with no idea where she was headed. Every time she recalled the moment Dong Siyang let go, she couldn’t stop shaking.

Zhu Yun drifted through the city without direction and finally pulled over to the curb and called Ren Di.

She hadn’t expected Ren Di to pick up, but the call went through.

Ren Di: “Hello?”

Zhu Yun: “Are you in Beijing?”

Ren Di: “Yeah, what is it — did you have a falling out with that animal?”

Zhu Yun pressed her lips together. “No. Something happened today and I got a bit scared. I wanted someone to talk to.”

Ren Di yawned. “What did he get up to now?”

Zhu Yun didn’t tell Ren Di the specifics. She peeled away the layers and gave her the core of it.

“They’re so reckless — they’ll do anything.”

Ren Di laughed. “That’s normal. You’re pretty reckless yourself.”

Zhu Yun: “When have I ever been reckless?”

Ren Di: “Back when Li Xun had just gotten out, you didn’t know anything about his situation, but you dropped everything and went all in to help him.”

Zhu Yun: “That’s different.”

“How is it different?” Ren Di seemed to have been drinking — her words carried a slightly tipsy grandeur. She declared: “Men throw everything away for their ambitions; women throw everything away for love. That’s just how fair the universe is.”

“……”

She really was drunk.

Zhu Yun watched the traffic flow past her window and said softly, “I’m scared. Ever since he got out, I’ve been even more frightened…” Ren Di’s end seemed not to catch it clearly. Zhu Yun murmured to herself: “I feel like I’ve developed some kind of ‘once-bitten, twice-shy’ condition. I’m afraid something will happen to him — more than I’m afraid of failure.”

The homeward-bound cars flowed in a steady stream. Zhu Yun rolled down the window, wanting some air, but caught a whiff of exhaust fumes and rolled it back up.

Then Ren Di said: “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

Zhu Yun had thought Ren Di hadn’t heard a word she’d just said. But Ren Di lit a cigarette on her end and murmured: “Don’t worry. With you around, he can’t go off the rails.”

As Ren Di spoke, Zhu Yun happened to look up and saw a full moon on the horizon — brilliant and flawless, completely untouched by the exhaust fumes of the world below.