Chapter 1

Chapter 1

This was my first time visiting my boyfriend’s home.

His apartment was spacious and bright, a luxuriously renovated flat on a single level. The environment was very pleasant, much like Liang Xuan himself-modest and polite. He had pursued me publicly for over a year, from high school graduation until our sophomore year of college, before I finally agreed to be his girlfriend.

This year marked our third anniversary together.

On that anniversary, he dropped to one knee and, with a look of deep affection, pulled out a ring to propose to me.

While I was deeply moved, marriage is no small matter, so I decided we should meet each other’s parents first.

As expected, my parents were very satisfied with Liang Xuan. He was handsome, excelled at his job, had a good character, and came from a well-off family. I heard his father started out in the renovation business and now managed real estate projects. He also had a younger sister who was currently a freshman in college.

The only strange thing was that Liang Xuan rarely mentioned his mother, only saying that she had passed away after giving birth to his sister.

Hearing this made my mother feel even more sympathy for him. She often told me in private to treat Liang Xuan well and not to bring up the subject, lest it touch a raw nerve.

And today was the day I came to visit Liang Xuan’s home.

Liang Xuan’s father was impeccably dressed and well-mannered. Although his skin was dark and he had put on quite a bit of weight in recent years, he gave off a very warm and friendly vibe. Liang Xuan’s sister had recently returned to school, so she wasn’t home.

“Xiaoxiao, you can just call me Uncle,” Liang Xuan’s father said with a gentle smile. “You have no idea, Xuan-xuan has been praising you to the skies! I didn’t believe him at first, but one look at you and I know our Xuan-xuan found the right person.”

I felt a bit embarrassed. “I’m not as good as Liang Xuan says I am.” As I spoke, I stole a glance at Liang Xuan.

Liang Xuan just sat there, grinning at me like a fool.

“By the way, Xiaoxiao, do your parents live here in A City?” Liang Xuan’s father asked as he took a sip of tea, as if something had just occurred to him.

I nodded. “Yes, we’ve been in A City for many years… since I was in elementary school.”

“Did something happen at home?” Liang Xuan’s father asked with concern.

I hesitated for a moment, not revealing everything. I simply said, “When I was little, something happened to my maternal grandparents. My dad was afraid my mom would be overwhelmed by grief if she stayed where they were, so he moved us back from abroad.”

“Oh-” Liang Xuan’s father was about to say something when his phone rang.

He took the call and then told me apologetically that something urgent had come up and he had to head out.

“I’ll bring back something delicious for you two,” Liang Xuan’s father said with a kind smile before leaving.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

Sitting back on the sofa, I looked up and saw a family portrait hanging on the living room wall. The three people in the photo were full of smiles; it looked like a very warm and loving family.

“What are you looking at?” Liang Xuan sat down beside me.

I pointed at the portrait on the wall. “Just looking at your family photo… I’m still a little worried about how we’ll all get along in the future.”

Liang Xuan pulled me into a relaxed embrace. “It’s fine, I’m on your side. Besides, my family is very easy to get along with. And even after we get married, we won’t be living here.”

“We won’t be living here?” I replied casually. I didn’t expect that the relaxed expression on Liang Xuan’s face would suddenly tighten. He stared at me so intensely that it made my skin crawl. I frowned and called his name. “Liang Xuan?”

Liang Xuan snapped out of it and quickly forced a smile. “Of course. Didn’t you say you didn’t want to live with parents? We’ll live in our own new place, naturally.”

“You were acting a bit strange just now.”

“Was I? Why don’t you watch some TV for a bit while I go peel some fruit for you.”

The TV flickered on to a boring drama. I flipped through a few channels until I stopped on a dance program on a satellite station.
The woman on the screen was graceful and elegant, a scene as beautiful as a poem or a painting. The dance music flowed softly, making it a moment meant for appreciation-

Thump, thump!

Thump-

Right then, a series of sudden bangs echoed as something began hitting a door.

Amidst the beautiful music, the sound was jarringly out of place. I couldn’t help but jump in fright.

But the noise wasn’t coming from the front door.

It was…

I stood up and realized the rhythmic thuds were coming from right behind the television.

Next to the wall-mounted TV, there was a small door.

In fact, I had noticed this little door as soon as I arrived at my boyfriend’s house today. When I asked Liang Xuan about it, he had paused for a moment before answering dismissively, “It’s just a Storage Room. It’s full of junk and usually kept locked.”

Then Liang Xuan’s father had returned, and the topic ended there.

Didn’t Liang Xuan say it was a Storage Room? Why was there a sound of something hitting the door?

Through the noisy blare of the television, the dull thuds came from behind the wall, one after another.

It wasn’t a sharp sound, nor did it seem particularly forceful. It sounded like something hitting the door or the wall, but instead of an object, it sounded more like…

A head.

No matter how bold I usually was, I was startled by the thought.

Liang Xuan was still in the kitchen. Since the apartment was quite large, the living room was actually a fair distance away from the kitchen inside.

“Is someone in there?” I glanced toward the kitchen, then turned back and cautiously whispered toward the small door of the “Storage Room.”

The music played; the thumping continued.

But no one answered.

The steady, slow, heavy thuds felt like they were beating against my own heart.

I took a few steps closer to the small door and raised my voice. “Is anyone inside?”

The thumping stopped abruptly.

At that moment, the hand I had placed on the doorknob gave a slight twist-

It was unlocked.

Should I go in and take a look?

But this was Liang Xuan’s home.

Thinking of this, I withdrew my hand.

But simultaneously, the thumping started again.

It was rapid and violent, as if-as if someone were desperately throwing their life away against the wood.

The door itself began to vibrate with the force of the impact.

Who on earth was inside?

When I was a child, I had studied grappling for a while, and after I grew up, my parents had me take up boxing. So, although I looked delicate and weak, I actually had some combat training. Of course, I hadn’t told my boyfriend, Liang Xuan, any of this.

The thumping stopped again.

My hand returned to the doorknob.

I twisted it-

The smell of blood hit my nose.

Harsh, piercing light forced its way into the small, dark room.

It was stifling and blinding.

An extremely foul odor accompanied the scent of blood, making me instinctively cover my nose.

That smell was much like rotting furniture or seafood that had been preserved for too many days, but it was even more like…

The smell of excrement.

What was kept in here? Was this really a Storage Room?

Just as I was about to step into the room, the sound of something hitting the floor suddenly came from behind me-

Clack!

Roll-

Something came rolling from behind me, stopping right at my feet.

It came to a halt precisely against my toe.

For some reason, my heart gave a violent lurch.

And then, my boyfriend Liang Xuan’s voice rang out tenderly from behind:

“Xiaoxiao, what are you doing?”