Xie Ruhe lowered his eyes dully, staring at her hand placed in his palm. The warm sensation carried a hint of dependence, and he instinctively held it back, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down.

He knew she would have concerns, and would be timid and afraid to move forward.

So Xie Ruhe was willing to take it slow, willing to wait for her answer, willing to place himself in a humble position, willing to summon the courage to say things he had never said before, willing to do his best to set her mind at ease.

Yet he never expected that she would also, because of his courage, follow without hesitation.

Rushing toward him without any reluctance.

The sudden role reversal left both of them somewhat bewildered and at a loss.

Soon, a faint blush appeared on Xie Ruhe’s cheeks, and he suddenly brought the back of his hand to his lips, turning his head away. His other hand still tightly held Shu Nian’s, not letting go.

They remained frozen like this for several minutes.

Shu Nian’s palm gradually became sweaty as she considered whether to take the initiative to say something. After all, she had been in a relationship once and should have more experience than Xie Ruhe, able to guide him appropriately.

But that relationship had never made her feel this nervous…

Before she could decide what to say, Xie Ruhe looked at her again. His appearance had returned to normal, but a large area around his ears was still red. He responded with composure: “Alright.”

He met Shu Nian’s eyes: “I understand.”

Shu Nian was stunned, not knowing how to respond to his reaction, and could only pretend to be equally composed as she made a sound of acknowledgment.

Xie Ruhe released her hand and said softly, “Then I’ll go back now.”

Shu Nian nodded: “I’ll see you out.”

“No need,” Xie Ruhe said, “Get some rest early.”

With that, he turned and opened the door, walking out. His movements were quick, his body language considerably stiffer than usual, looking rather unnatural.

Xie Ruhe said goodbye to her from outside the door, then closed it.

The room suddenly became very quiet, the romantic ambiance dissipated, and the temperature seemed to drop along with it. Shu Nian stood in place for a while, lost in thought when she suddenly noticed Xie Ruhe’s umbrella left at the entrance.

Worried it might still be raining outside, she grabbed the umbrella and hurriedly went out.

The temperature outside was much lower than inside, with cold damp air creeping into her neck. She was only wearing a thin sweater and, in her hurry, hadn’t even put on slippers.

Only when she opened the door did she notice she was barefoot?

Just as she was about to go back and put on shoes before she could move, Shu Nian suddenly noticed that Xie Ruhe hadn’t left yet; he was standing halfway down the stairs. He was looking down, doing nothing, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, lost in thought.

Hearing the noise, Xie Ruhe looked up.

Shu Nian’s heartbeat inexplicably quickened, bubbling with sweetness. She licked her lips, handed him the umbrella, and said softly, “You forgot your umbrella.”

He hadn’t expected her to come out again.

Xie Ruhe’s gaze moved from bottom to top, pausing for a few seconds before he stepped up. He didn’t take the umbrella, just stared at her feet, and in the next moment suddenly picked her up.

It was an extremely unexpected action.

Shu Nian’s breath caught.

Xie Ruhe carried her a few steps into the house and set her down on the shoe cabinet. Then he walked back to the sofa, bent down to pick up her slippers, and returned.

Because of his actions, Shu Nian was petrified, sitting motionless in her original position, like an obedient doll.

Xie Ruhe placed the slippers on the shoe rack, freeing both his hands. The light shining on his face highlighted his distinct features, creating shallow shadows beneath his eyes.

His eyelashes were dense like crow feathers, his ink-dot eyes focused and serious.

He didn’t speak, seemingly not minding the dirt at all as he directly brushed off the dust from the soles of her feet and quietly put the slippers on her. After completing this series of actions, Xie Ruhe raised his eyes and stared at her.

Several seconds passed.

Shu Nian, unable to maintain her composure, looked away first.

As if hesitating, Xie Ruhe was silent for a few seconds, then asked softly, “Would you like me to carry you down?”

After Xie Ruhe left, Shu Nian stood in place for a few seconds, then suddenly ran back to her room. She knelt on the bed and pulled open the curtains. After about ten seconds, she could see Xie Ruhe’s figure walking out from below.

Perhaps he sensed her gaze.

Xie Ruhe stopped in his tracks as if he might look up at any moment.

Shu Nian immediately rolled over, hiding herself behind the wall.

Soon she carefully peered out again.

This time she could only see his receding.

Noticing he wasn’t using his umbrella, Shu Nian realized it wasn’t raining outside. The ground was still wet, the clouds in the sky had mostly dispersed, and the moonlight emitted a pearly white glow.

Remembering Xie Ruhe’s question just now, and her silent nod in response, Shu Nian felt her face heat up. Although it might have seemed particularly forward, she didn’t feel the slightest regret.

She felt that this was the brightest and happiest day she’d had in a long time.

It was the first time she believed.

That the pitch-black tunnel would eventually have an end.

The heavy rain would stop, the gloom would disperse, and the day would finally break.

Shu Nian barely slept all night, tossing and turning without a hint of drowsiness, her mood indescribably excited. She somewhat wanted to chat with Xie Ruhe, but after checking the time, she decisively abandoned the idea and simply got up to read the script instead.

She alternated between reading and dozing.

When she woke up the next day, there was a gray-blue circle around her eyes.

Shu Nian groggily went to the bathroom to wash up, her eyes so sore she could barely keep them open. She ate a sandwich, changed her clothes, and was preparing to go out when she suddenly noticed her haggard face in the mirror.

She paused, went back to her dressing table, and applied some light makeup.

Only then did she leave.

It was just past eleven o’clock.

Shu Nian closed the door and heard movement from upstairs. She looked up, and at that moment, He You was also just coming out of his apartment, carrying a bag of garbage. He had probably just showered and looked considerably fresher than usual.

Seeing her, He You took the initiative to greet her: “Hey.”

Shu Nian nodded and casually asked, “Don’t you have to go to work?”

He You said, “Yes, I came back to get something.”

The two of them walked out the main door downstairs.

It had rained yesterday, and overnight the temperature had dropped several more degrees. As the cold wind blew, Shu Nian couldn’t help shivering, taking gloves out of her bag and lowering her head to put them on.

He You looked at her sideways and suddenly asked, “Do you still feel like someone is following you?”

Shu Nian blinked: “Not for a long time. Why?”

He You said, “Nothing, just asking.”

Afraid that her sensitivity and vigilance might lead him to misunderstand and think there was a pervert in the area, Shu Nian thought for a moment and said quietly, “I was overthinking. Don’t worry about it.”

He You didn’t say anything else, only: “If it happens again, you can look for me.”

The last five words reminded Shu Nian of what Xie Ruhe had said to her at her home before the Spring Festival. It was the same phrase, but when different people said it, it gave her completely different feelings.

Shu Nian tugged at the loose thread on her glove, breathing warm air onto her hands, and said softly, “No need.”

He You wanted to say something more.

Shu Nian’s lips curved in a small smile, the dimple on her cheek looking especially delicate. As if sharing a happy little secret, her tone was light and cheerful: “I have a boyfriend now.”

“…” He You gave her a speechless look, “Why are you acting like I just confessed to you?”

“Huh?” Shu Nian hadn’t thought of it that way at all; she just inexplicably wanted to share this news with someone. With his comment, she felt a bit embarrassed: “No, that’s not what I meant. Besides, aren’t you with Ke Yi…”

Before she could finish, Shu Nian suddenly realized that saying this to him might not be appropriate, and she immediately closed her mouth.

He You frowned and finished her sentence: “Ke Yiqing?”

Shu Nian didn’t know what to say and consoled him tactfully: “…You don’t need to be too upset.”

Not understanding what she meant at all, He You found it somewhat amusing: “Me? Upset? What are you talking about?”

Shu Nian pressed her lips together, not to explain.

He You asked again: “You know her?”

Shu Nian thought for a moment, nodding hesitantly: “Yes.”

“She didn’t ask you for my contact information, did she?” He You hooked the corner of his mouth casually, making a tsk sound. “I’m just too charming, she’s relentlessly pursuing me.”

“…”

“Don’t give it to her—” He You exhaled, looking particularly frivolous as he drawled, “I don’t have time to play games with her.”

The two sides had completely different stories.

Although Shu Nian had questions, she just remained silent.

They happened to reach the community entrance.

The two were heading in different directions, and just as Shu Nian was about to say goodbye, He You scratched his head as if he had been holding something back for a long time. His expression immediately became serious, and he apologized to her very solemnly: “I’m sorry.”

“…” Shu Nian opened and closed her mouth, stunned, not knowing why he was apologizing. “Huh?”

He You found it difficult to say such things, turning his head away awkwardly.

“Just take it to heart, that’s all.”

Yesterday, after meeting Shu Nian on the road, he later heard bits and pieces about her past from the captain. He You tentatively mentioned a few things to the captain and almost got beaten for it.

He You had thought about it all night.

Men can be thick-headed, acting without much thought, but they also feel very guilty.

Because of his job transfer, he moved here to live for a year.

He got to know Shu Nian because, in the beginning, Deng Qingyu often brought him food and frequently talked to him, with the general meaning being that if Shu Nian needed help in any way, he hoped He You could look after her more.

Whenever Shu Nian saw him, she often had a frightened and uneasy appearance, asking in a pleading tone if he could escort her home because she felt bad people were following her.

At first, he took it seriously.

As it happened more often, He You found there was no such thing at all.

Later, he treated it as a joke, joking about it in front of Shu Nian and joking about it in front of others. He just thought this girl was very silly and perhaps this was a new tactic young people used to pursue someone.

He never considered that this girl might have truly experienced something similar, or even something more severe, leaving an indelible psychological shadow.

The captain had only roughly outlined the situation to him.

It was a case from several years ago that caused a huge stir.

The serial killings in Shi Yan Town.

At that time, Shu Nian was studying at a university in Ruchuan City and disappeared after returning home for the National Day holiday. Her parents contacted the school, the school reported to the police, and the police began searching. Various public accounts from the school and students’ social media were all sharing this news.

From the time she disappeared until she was found, nearly a week had passed.

He You didn’t ask about other details, but as a police officer, he knew very well that it was a brutal murderer. What kind of torture Shu Nian had endured was something people dared not think about and could hardly imagine.

He didn’t know clearly and hadn’t thought much about it before, even treating her scars as a joke.

Seeing that Shu Nian still looked dazed, He You coughed forcefully twice, pushed her head away, and said, “I just said it casually. You’ve heard it, that’s enough, don’t think too much.”

Shu Nian touched her head, wanting to ask something more.

Her gaze shifted, and she suddenly noticed a familiar man getting out of a car in the distance.

He always preferred dark clothes, now wearing a turtleneck sweater with a black long coat over it. He looked noble and unapproachable.

His face was always expressionless, his eyes cold with a hint of hostility.

Probably having seen He You’s gesture toward Shu Nian, Xie Ruhe’s eyes narrowed, his lips straightened, his mood appearing extremely poor, his hostility also very obvious.

He walked over quickly, stopping about a meter away from them.

Shu Nian’s eyes widened slightly, looking quite surprised. She walked over to stand in front of him, happily saying, “Why are you here?”

Xie Ruhe lowered his eyelashes, suddenly raising his hand to touch her head.

Shu Nian paused, asking softly, “What’s wrong?”

He You, standing nearby, immediately understood their relationship and said nothing more, knowingly leaving.

Xie Ruhe didn’t make a sound, just continued to smooth her hair by himself.

Seeing him like this, Shu Nian vaguely had an idea but wasn’t quite sure. She stared at his face, allowing him to fuss with her hair.

Shu Nian was too embarrassed to say it but felt it was the only possibility. Her words came out stuttering, her voice extremely small: “Are… are you jealous?”

Hearing this, Xie Ruhe’s movements stopped, and he calmly answered with a sound of agreement, saying directly, “I am jealous.”

Shu Nian froze, not having expected him to admit it.

In the next second, Xie Ruhe pressed his lips together and expressionlessly made a request.

“I hope you can comfort me a little.”