Chapter 9: Sister Lin Is Out of Danger

She knew that making this call again might arouse the police's suspicion, but... thinking of how kind Sister Lin had always been to her, she truly could not bear to see her come to harm.

Driven by a sense of morality and conscience, she dialed the number.

Mao Hong listened to the girl's slightly trembling voice on the other end, and her heart softened. Her intuition told her that this girl was not the type to play pranks on the police or report false alarms.

"Don't worry, officers have already been dispatched."

Hearing that the police were already on their way, Lin Xiaoyan felt a slight sense of relief. "Thank you, thank you so much!"

"You're welcome. It's our duty."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiaoyan lay in bed, only then realizing that she was drenched in sweat.

She checked the time—twelve-twelve. She got up to take a quick rinse, returned to bed, and prayed for Sister Lin's safety.

"Hiss..."

As Lin Xiaoyan closed her eyes to sleep, her left eye began to ache again.

She had to get up and go to the mirror to check it.

It was red again!

Lin Xiaoyan’s heart gave a jolt. She quickly swallowed the remaining anti-inflammatory medication, applied eye drops, and lay back down to sleep.

However, she tossed and turned for half an hour, unable to drift off. Not only was her head splitting with pain, but images of Sister Lin being harmed kept flashing through her mind, and she couldn't stop herself from wondering about her current situation...

At some point, the sound of rain outside the window faded, and the wind died down.

Lin Xiaoyan forced herself to sleep; she had to work the next day!

That night, Lin Xiaoyan hovered in a semi-conscious, restless state. When the alarm clock went off, she felt a strange sense of relief.

Finally, she didn't have to force herself to sleep anymore. That feeling of being unable to sleep was unbearable!

Lin Xiaoyan opened her eyes. Her left eye still ached and was visibly red. She washed up quickly, packed her eye drops and medication, and prepared to head to the office.

Stepping out of the residential complex, the scorching sun hit her. Lin Xiaoyan took a deep breath, walked quickly toward the bus stop, and bought breakfast on the way.

Her heart was filled with anticipation—she was desperate to know how Sister Lin was doing.

As soon as she arrived at the office, she saw many people gathered together, discussing something. She slowed her pace, watching the group, wanting to hear if they were talking about Sister Lin, yet feeling a deep sense of dread.

She glanced at the group, unable to overcome her fear. She didn't know what to say if she went over there, or how to interact with them.

After a moment's hesitation, she returned to her desk, slowly opened her computer, and strained her ears to listen to their conversation.

"I'm never ordering takeout again. It’s terrifying!"

"Ai Lin is lucky. It's fortunate the police showed up when they did, otherwise, last night would have been dire!"

"Truly. It goes to show that women living alone really need to be careful; there are just too many perverts out there these days..."

Listening to the fragmented snippets of conversation, Lin Xiaoyan let out a breath, her heart finally settling. It seemed Sister Ai Lin was alright.

Relieved, she opened her computer and began organizing files.

Working part-time at this company, Lin Xiaoyan was like a ghost; she was only responsible for filing, and nothing else concerned her.

Usually, she only talked to Ai Lin and the two other part-time girls; she rarely spoke to anyone else.

At noon, during the lunch break, the two other part-time girls came to Lin Xiaoyan’s desk, their faces filled with excitement.

"Xiaoyan, it's lunch time! Let's go eat!" Gao Miao hurried over to her desk and said.

Then she leaned in and whispered, "Do you know about the big thing that happened in the company today?"

At that moment, the other part-time girl, Susan, also ran over. She looked excited as she whispered, "I know, I know! I heard Sister An from the front desk talking about it—something terrible happened to Sister Ai Lin last night!"

Hearing this, Lin Xiaoyan’s body stiffened. She shut down her computer and forced a smile. "Wh... what happened?"

Susan grabbed Lin Xiaoyan. "Come on, let's go eat! We'll tell you while we eat!"

Gao Miao took her other arm. "Exactly! I almost overslept this morning and didn't have breakfast; I'm starving!"

At the moment they took her arms, Lin Xiaoyan felt a wave of panic, terrified that she might "see" another vision.

After a few seconds, when she realized she hadn't "seen" anything, she let out a sigh of relief and let them pull her toward the cafeteria.

Before long, the three of them sat in a corner with their trays, eating and chatting.

Gao Miao ate greedily, and only after a few bites did she feel like she wouldn't starve to death.

"I heard from Sister An that when Sister Ai Lin ordered takeout last night, the delivery man broke into her apartment and tried to kill her!" Gao Miao whispered.

Susan took a bite of her food, and before even swallowing, she added, "I heard the same thing. Everyone has been talking about it all morning. It's so scary!"

Lin Xiaoyan gripped her chopsticks tightly. "So... how is Sister Ai Lin? Is she okay?"

Gao Miao took another large bite. "She's fine, just shaken up and slightly injured. She took a week off and will be back in a week."

"Phew... that's good." Lin Xiaoyan felt completely at ease, her body relaxing as she lowered her head to eat.

"The world is just too scary now. Sigh, I'm considering whether to go back home to build a career."

Gao Miao looked troubled as she ate. "My mom keeps urging me to go back for blind dates, telling me to find a job there. She says they can't stop worrying about me out here alone..."

Hearing Gao Miao, Susan also looked melancholic. "Don't even get me started. I'm struggling with the same thing."

"I originally thought that after graduation, I'd get into a company, work hard, save money, and buy my own place in this city. Then, when I go home, I'd have the confidence to refuse blind dates and marriage pressures..."

"But look at me now. I've been graduated for a year, still haven't been hired by a proper company, and I'm struggling every day with odd jobs, living in a dump of a place with such high rent!"

"It's true. After I pay for all my expenses, there's nothing left. When I think about it now, going home might actually be better."

"At the very least, if I go home, I don't have to pay rent, and I don't have to worry about living expenses. Whatever I earn is enough to cover my needs!"

The more they talked, the more melancholic Gao Miao and Susan became.

"Xiaoyan, what about you? Are you not going home?" They both looked at Lin Xiaoyan.

Listening to them, Lin Xiaoyan felt a bitter ache in her heart.

"I don't know, but for now, I don't want to go home," Lin Xiaoyan said, feeling lost.

What would happen if she went back? She didn't want to live at home, fearing that if she did, her sister-in-law would argue with her family because of her.

When she was a child, she felt that home was home.

Now that she was an adult and her brother was married, she realized that home was no longer just her home anymore...