Chapter 31

After dinner, Qi Baizi helped Auntie Qin clear the dishes as usual. The house was quite old, renovated many years ago, and had two kitchens—one large and one small. Most of the time, they only used the smaller one, which was just three or four square meters, making it a bit cramped for two people. Gu Yuetong wanted to help but could only watch from the doorway.

They chatted idly while Qi Baizi silently wiped the water from the bowls, not interjecting. Auntie Qin sensed something was different about her today and shot a deep look at Gu Yuetong, only to see her staring intently at Qi Baizi without a word.

After a short rest, the sky began to darken. Auntie Qin naturally asked Qi Baizi to stay the night. She had expected the usual song and dance of polite refusals, but surprisingly, Qi Baizi agreed immediately, as if she had been waiting for the invitation.

Auntie Qin assumed their relationship had progressed after making up and winked suggestively at Gu Yuetong, but Gu Yuetong knew that wasn’t the case. She gave a helpless shrug, handed a banana to Qi Baizi, who was sitting dazedly on the sofa, and then said, “Shall we go upstairs together later?”

Qi Baizi took the banana and said earnestly, “I’ll just sleep downstairs.”

Gu Yuetong looked to Auntie Qin for help. Even someone less perceptive would have noticed something was off, so Auntie Qin quickly smoothed things over. “Little Bai, the room you stayed in before has been cleaned. I even got you a new mattress—a firm one. Go upstairs and try it out.”

Qi Baizi was taken aback, but Auntie Qin had always been enthusiastic, so such a gesture seemed plausible. Escorted by Gu Yuetong and Auntie Qin, she went upstairs. Auntie Qin followed her into the room, while Gu Yuetong watched from the bedroom doorway.

She pressed down on the mattress. It was indeed similar to the wooden board she was used to sleeping on, though it had a bit more spring to it.

Gu Yuetong spoke cautiously, “We can change it if it’s not right.”

Qi Baizi couldn’t possibly let them spend more money. She was just an employee, and it was already presumptuous of her to stay in her boss’s home. Having them change the mattress specifically for her was going too far.

“It’s perfect,” Qi Baizi said. “Thank you, President Gu. Thank you, Auntie Qin.”

Her gratitude was sincere, and so was Gu Yuetong’s concern for her.

“If you have something on your mind, just say it. If you don’t want to talk to me, you can talk to Auntie Qin.”

Qi Baizi knew what she meant but was still reluctant to share her troubles. She just lowered her head and mumbled an affirmative. When she looked up again, Gu Yuetong was gone.

Auntie Qin closed the door and sat on the chair opposite the bed. “Little Bai, is something troubling you?”

Qi Baizi didn’t know how to begin. After a moment of silence, she shook her head.

Of course, Auntie Qin wouldn’t press her. She simply stood up, patted her on the shoulder, and advised her to take good care of herself.

With that, Auntie Qin also left.

Downstairs, Gu Yuetong had opened a bottle of red wine, thinking Auntie Qin might get something out of her. But just as she took her first sip, Auntie Qin came down and shook her head from across the sofa.

In an instant, Gu Yuetong felt a lump in her throat, and the taste of the red wine turned sour.

Auntie Qin drew closer, saw her grave expression, and couldn’t help but sigh. “If you’re really that concerned, you should go and ask her yourself. What’s the point of this standoff?”

“I did ask,” Gu Yuetong said. “She won’t say.”

“It can’t be anything more than that argument you two had, or maybe something at work. Are you putting too much pressure on her?”

Auntie Qin guessed with confidence, but Gu Yuetong shook her head in denial.

“It’s probably neither of those,” she said, her eyes downcast in thought. “It seems more like something happened over the weekend.”

“Then… her family?”

“Perhaps,” Gu Yuetong murmured, swirling the wine in her glass. “If she doesn’t tell me, how am I supposed to know?”

“I’m not Gu Hezhu. I don’t have a habit of prying into people’s private lives.”

With that, she raised her glass and drained it in one go.

***

At four in the morning, the sky over Jingzhou City was just beginning to lighten. A sliver of white sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a glow on a person’s face.

Gu Yuetong had been sleeping fitfully. When she woke, she faintly heard a sound coming from the direction of the stairs.

She thought it might be Auntie Qin, but then a sense of unease washed over her. She quickly threw on a dressing gown and opened her door.

In the distance, she saw a slender figure sitting on the stairs. It was Qi Baizi.

Gu Yuetong’s chest tightened. She moved quietly, slowly approaching her side.

She saw Qi Baizi curled up on the cold steps, clutching her phone, seemingly asleep.

Alarmed, Gu Yuetong woke her up. Qi Baizi seemed dazed. “President Gu?”

“Why did you fall asleep here? Is the bed not comfortable?”

Gu Yuetong’s gentle tone was laced with worry. Qi Baizi scrambled to her feet and explained, “It’s comfortable. I just came out, President Gu.”

“This early?”

The light in the hallway was dim. A flicker of apology crossed Qi Baizi’s face. “…Yeah, I’m not going back to sleep.” She had only meant to doze off for a bit and hadn’t expected to startle Gu Yuetong.

Seeing that Qi Baizi had no intention of going back to bed, Gu Yuetong could only nod. “Then I’ll go wake Auntie Qin to make breakfast.”

“There’s no need, President Gu… Don’t trouble Auntie Qin.” Qi Baizi bit her lower lip, her fingertips restlessly rubbing her phone. “I’ll just sit here and clear my head.”

Gu Yuetong knew she felt a little awkward at the moment.

“Then I won’t disturb you. Sit for a while. Auntie Qin should be up soon.”

Hearing the sound of Gu Yuetong’s door closing, Qi Baizi sat back down. After unlocking her phone, the screen displayed a security camera feed.

The feed showed a full view of a small room, clearly in a shared rental apartment. It was simple but clean, with the wardrobe and bedding neatly arranged. The image occasionally skipped a frame, and the time stamp in the top-left corner indicated it was a live feed.

This was the camera Qi Baizi had bought on Saturday and installed at the top of her room.

When Qi Baizi had stormed back to her rental from East Mountain Manor on Friday, she had sensed something was wrong.

The room looked as if it had been rummaged through, and the table and chairs were slightly out of place from where she remembered them. But she was a cautious person and always locked her doors and windows before leaving. How could someone have gotten in?

Besides, nothing was missing.

Plagued by self-doubt, Qi Baizi washed up and went to bed.

But in the dead of night, she clearly heard someone turning the lock on her door—the sound of a key.

Qi Baizi immediately jumped up, turned on the light, and grabbed a fruit knife from a drawer, waiting. The light must have seeped out, because the sound of the lock turning quickly stopped. Without delay, Qi Baizi called the police.

However, when the police inspected the scene, they found no extra fingerprints on the doorknob. The landlord was out of town, and the other tenants weren’t home. Since Qi Baizi hadn’t suffered any actual harm, the investigation hit a dead end.

But Qi Baizi was certain she hadn’t imagined the sound. A cold sweat broke out on her back. She pleaded with the police to escort her to a nearby chain hotel, where she spent a sleepless night.

So, on Saturday morning, she went to a nearby store and bought a networked real-time security camera. Mustering her courage, she returned to the shared apartment, installed the camera on the hidden curtain rod, and fled.

Since her uncle and aunt were moving that weekend, she went to help them out and sign the contract.

Her aunt, Wu Yanfang, noticed her pale face and asked a few questions, but got nothing out of her. Worried that the back-and-forth travel would leave her exhausted, she insisted Qi Baizi stay the night at their new place. Qi Baizi agreed, but she kept checking the security feed on her phone from time to time.

She muddled through the weekend in a daze.

After three consecutive days of unease, she finally had a relatively sound night’s sleep, thanks to Auntie Qin’s excellent cooking and the calming aromatherapy placed in her room. After a full meal, she felt much better.

Although she woke up early, it didn’t mean she lacked energy.

However, one thing plunged Qi Baizi back into a state of listlessness: for three whole days, there had been no activity on the security camera.

There was no chance she had missed anything. Before buying it, Qi Baizi had specifically asked the store owner if the camera would automatically record any human or animal movement. But everything was far too peaceful; the room remained exactly as she had left it.

At half-past five, Auntie Qin got up to make breakfast.

Qi Baizi offered to help. Auntie Qin didn’t tease her about Gu Yuetong as she usually did; instead, she was more concerned about whether waking up so early would affect her health.

Qi Baizi thanked her for her concern and assured her she was fine. Before entering the kitchen, she casually placed her phone on the coffee table in the living room.

They were making fried eggs for breakfast, and the range hood was roaring loudly. It wasn’t until she was carrying the dishes to the table that Qi Baizi saw Gu Yuetong standing in front of the sofa, holding her phone with a grim expression.

Startled, Qi Baizi approached, about to say something, but then she saw the phone screen. A man in a ski mask was stealthily rummaging through the blankets on her bed.

Before Qi Baizi could speak, Gu Yuetong asked first, “Where is this camera feed from?”

A cold sweat broke out on Qi Baizi’s back as well. She could feel herself trembling and did her best to suppress it. “My shared apartment…”

After a half-second delay, Gu Yuetong made a decisive call. “Call the police.”

The two drove to meet the police downstairs from the apartment. Gu Yuetong handed over the compiled surveillance footage and said seriously, “This is definitely illegal entry. Please handle this matter with the utmost seriousness.”

Gu Yuetong’s luxury car parked in front of the old, dilapidated building naturally drew a lot of attention.

The officer who took the call happened to be the same one from before. He recognized Qi Baizi and initially thought it was another false alarm. But after seeing Gu Yuetong and the surveillance video, his expression turned serious. “The hallway cameras show no one entering or leaving through the main door, which means the person is still inside, possibly hiding in another room.” With a wave of his hand, he ordered his subordinates to conduct a thorough search.

Gu Yuetong raised her voice, “That’s not enough! Don’t forget the water and electricity meter boxes on each floor!”

It was the first time Qi Baizi had seen her so agitated. Amidst her fear, she felt a little touched.

Gu Yuetong comforted her, “It’s okay. Until this is resolved, you’ll stay at East Mountain Manor. Don’t come back here again.”

Qi Baizi hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

While the police searched upstairs, Qi Baizi and Gu Yuetong rested in the car. With her worries partially settled, Qi Baizi’s focus returned. She asked, somewhat puzzled, “President Gu, why are you so… practiced at this?”

She was referring to reporting the crime and catching the culprit.

She looked so professional. And so cool.

Gu Yuetong rested her hands on the steering wheel and gave a wry smile. “I learned it while studying abroad.”

Qi Baizi suddenly felt a pang of sympathy. “…Have you encountered something like this before?”

“Yes. I don’t like living alone, so I moved into the student dorms with a classmate. The area had very poor security, so things like this happened often.”

Gu Yuetong paused for a moment before answering. At the time, she had refused the villa Gu Hezhu had prepared for her and instead chose to live in the relatively cheaper student dorms with her then-girlfriend, Wang Lin. Although they had single rooms, they often stayed together.

Apparently, Wang Lin also had her own apartment, a rented one, but with a hefty annual rent. She claimed she was living in the dorms to experience life for her art, so she had dragged Gu Yuetong along.

The student dorms were much more basic, and it took Gu Yuetong a long time to get used to them.

A knock on the car window broke the silence. Looking up, she saw it was a police officer.

“We’ve caught the person. We’ll take him back to the station for questioning shortly. You two should go up and check if any valuables are missing.”

Gu Yuetong looked at Qi Baizi. “Let’s go. We’ll go up together.”