Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hearing Liang Xuan’s voice gave me goosebumps for some reason. I pulled my hand back from the door and turned around to find him standing not far behind me.

Liang Xuan was holding a platter of peeled oranges and washed peaches. Though his expression seemed gentle, it felt different from usual. His brows were flat, and while his eyes and lips were slightly curved, the arc was so minimal it gave me an unsettling sense of dissonance.

Dissonance?

I told myself I was overthinking it.

Glancing down, I saw a bright red apple rolling to a stop by my feet.

An apple? Did he drop it? I noticed there weren’t any apples on the platter Liang Xuan was holding, and besides, I didn’t even like apples that much.

Seeing my gaze fixated on the apple, Liang Xuan spoke again. “My grip slipped, and I accidentally dropped it. I know you don’t like apples; I brought this one for myself.”

His tone remained as mild as ever. He then asked again, seemingly casual, “Xiaoxiao, what are you doing?”

I bent down to pick up the apple as I replied, “Oh, I just heard something making noise in this room. A thumping sound, like there was someone inside. I came over to check it out and didn’t expect the door to be unlocked.”

Liang Xuan took the apple from me and set the fruit platter on a nearby table. He walked past me toward the door, letting out a soft “mm” before asking, “A thumping sound?”

“Yeah, like something was hitting the wall. I wondered if it was a person.”

“How could there be a person in there?” Liang Xuan looked at me and sighed helplessly, wearing that familiar, indulgent expression. “You know I’m a coward, Xiaoxiao.”

“But I heard-”

“Oh, I know. Did you smell something fishy too?” Liang Xuan had been looking into the room, but he turned back as if remembering something.

I nodded. “Yes, it smelled like blood.”

“That explains it,” Liang Xuan said with a smile. “There’s a tub in there where we’re keeping some fish. My dad bought them from a seafood wholesaler he knows. They were too big for the two of us to finish at once, so we thought we’d keep them alive for a few days. I didn’t realize a couple of them had died already; I haven’t had a chance to clear them out yet. They’ve been thrashing around in the tub lately… the smell must be leaking out. It’s a Storage Room, after all, filled with all sorts of junk, so the odor gets trapped.”

“Fish?” Would fish really make such a loud noise?

Liang Xuan placed his hand on the doorknob and pushed it inward, gesturing for me to look.

Light from the hallway spilled into the pitch-black little room. I did indeed see a patch of shimmering liquid that looked like water.

So there really was a tub. I looked away, and Liang Xuan asked, “Do you want to go in and take a look?”

“No, the smell is too strong. Just close it and clean it up as soon as you can.”

“Alright.” Liang Xuan closed the door and took my hand, leading me to the sofa. He looked at me with a tender smile. “Our Xiaoxiao is a neat freak who loves cleanliness. I know.”

As we ate the fruit, Liang Xuan brought over some childhood photos to show me.

“My family was quite poor when I was little.”

“Your father built everything from scratch. It couldn’t have been easy.”

There weren’t many photos of Liang Xuan from before he was five. In the ones from when he was five or six, although his clothes were nicer, he was thin, scrawny, and dark-skinned-completely different from the fair, tall, and elegant man he was now.

As the photos progressed to later years, Liang Xuan’s younger sister began to appear. She was usually being held by Liang Xuan or his father, smiling adorably.

Looking at the photos, I glanced up at the man beside me and sighed instinctively. “It’s a pity your mother passed away. Otherwise, it would have been so wonderful if you could have all taken photos and family portraits together.”
Liang Xuan didn’t answer me right away. Instead, he subconsciously glanced toward the small room next to the TV, but quickly pulled his gaze back, forcing a smile. “Yeah.”

Liang Xuan had turned the TV off long ago, and I didn’t hear that sound of something hitting the wall again.

A short while later, Liang Xuan’s father returned. As expected, he brought back plenty of groceries, including quite a bit of seafood.

Normally, I love seafood, but seeing it now-and remembering the smell I’d caught from that room earlier-made me feel a wave of nausea.

“What’s wrong, Xiaoxiao? Don’t you like this?” Liang Xuan’s father asked with concern. “Xuanxuan told me you usually love seafood.”

Before I could answer, Liang Xuan, who was sitting beside me, spoke up. “Dad, this is your fault! Why didn’t you lock that room properly? The fish were thrashing around in the tank, and the dead ones are starting to stink. Xiaoxiao smelled it.”

I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination, but I saw Liang Xuan’s father’s hand tremble slightly as he picked up some food with his chopsticks.

“Oh-that Storage Room. I’m so sorry, Xiaoxiao, you…” His tone remained warm and friendly. “The things inside didn’t scare you, did they?”

“It’s fine, Uncle. I just heard a noise while I was outside and wondered what was in there.”

Liang Xuan’s father smiled at me and nodded. “Good, as long as it didn’t scare you. I really am sorry, Xiaoxiao. I haven’t been a very good host today. Once Niannian comes back, I’ll treat you all to a proper meal.”

Niannian was Liang Xuan’s younger sister, Liang Nian. She was five years younger than him.

We chatted for a while longer. Around two o’clock, I had things to attend to at work, so I told Liang Xuan not to bother seeing me out. I would just take a taxi to the newspaper office myself.

Liang Xuan stood at the door and watched me leave. I waved to him, catching a glimpse of the apple on the coffee table out of the corner of my eye-the one that had rolled to my feet earlier…

Liang Xuan never did eat it.

Liang Xuan’s building was a mid-rise with an elevator, but his family had chosen a unit on the first floor for the sake of convenience.

Since it was a high-end complex, the landscaping was beautiful, but some of the lush greenery ended up obscuring the first-floor windows.

Under the layers of shade from the trees, my phone buzzed with a message. It was from Liang Xuan, telling me to be careful on the way.

I looked down, about to reply, when I suddenly felt like someone was watching me from behind.

In truth, it was a very subtle sensation. Even though I hadn’t turned around and didn’t have eyes in the back of my head, I had a distinct feeling-like a prey animal being stalked-that made me snap to attention.

That goosebump-inducing feeling was back.

I turned around.

Behind me was a cluster of trees, and behind the trees was Liang Xuan’s home.

French windows. Hanging curtains.

A silhouette?

Among the shadows of the leaves, the curtains seemed to twitch slightly.

That pair of eyes, that silhouette… they seemed to vanish instantly.

At that moment, I suddenly heard a child call out to me: “Big Sister!”

I turned back around. It was a handsome little boy, dressed very fashionably. He looked quite sharp.

His eyes darted around before he gave me a wide grin. “Big Sister, are you one of Big Brother’s girlfriends too?”

Big Brother’s girlfriend?

Too?

What did that mean?

But before I could even process his words, my phone buzzed with another notification.

In the silence, while I was still reeling from the boy’s question, the sudden sound made my heart lurch violently.

I looked down. On the screen that had suddenly lit up was a message from my boyfriend:

[What is that kid saying to you?]

[Xiaoxiao?]