Chapter 60: Make Do for Now |
Fear swept through Zhou Shiyan in an instant.
Her body was lifted off the ground, legs instinctively kicking, her eyes straining to see the person behind her.
“Shhh!”
A soft but urgent hush came as Liu Changqing used one hand to cover Zhou Shiyan’s mouth, preventing her from making any noise.
He signaled toward her house with his eyes.
When Zhou Shiyan saw that it was Liu Changqing, she froze in place, her gaze following his to look at her home.
It was just as it had been when she left.
Without making a sound, Liu Changqing slowly set Zhou Shiyan back on the ground and let go of her.
As soon as her feet touched the floor, Zhou Shiyan turned to look at him. Just as she was about to speak, she saw him raise a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay silent.
Liu Changqing looked at Zhou Shiyan’s house.
After searching for Zhou Shiyan earlier that morning, he had left to buy something for self-defense. If the person targeting Zhou Shiyan was determined, they would strike again. The earlier attack on Liu Zhiyue was likely because Liu Changqing’s son had been escorting Zhou Shiyan home every day, leaving no opportunity for the perpetrator to act.
What a lunatic.
No matter who it was, anyone capable of such actions was clearly not in their right mind.
Since he had already reported the incident to the police, Liu Changqing had seen officers in the area that afternoon. While they didn’t find anything conclusive, he doubted the culprit would stay around there, unless they were truly brainless.
Planning to warn Zhou Shiyan not to stay out alone for long periods, Liu Changqing returned to her home near dusk.
He hadn’t known she’d spent most of the day at the hospital with his son. While he’d given her the address earlier, he assumed she would visit briefly and return home soon after.
So when Liu Changqing knocked on Zhou Shiyan’s door in the evening and received no response, he was puzzled.
He knocked several times, calling her name from outside, but the house remained silent.
Unaware that Zhou Shiyan hadn’t returned yet, Liu Changqing turned to leave, feeling a bit uneasy. Just as he was about to walk away, he heard a soft exhale from inside the house.
He paused.
Only for a moment, then resumed walking casually.
And that led to the events that unfolded when Zhou Shiyan returned home.
Liu Changqing felt like he might have been overthinking. The walls in these rental apartments were poorly insulated, but to hear a mere exhale? Yet he was certain he’d heard it.
Better safe than sorry.
He gestured toward the door, signaling Zhou Shiyan to open it.
Though she didn’t understand his reasoning, Zhou Shiyan nodded. She trusted Liu Changqing enough to comply.
Pulling her keys from her pocket, she approached the door. She inserted the key into the lock, twisted it, and with two clicks, the door unlocked. Removing the key, she gripped the handle and pressed down, pulling the door open.
Standing before her was a man, mid-swing, about to strike downward.
The blow came.
“Ahhh!!”
A scream escaped Zhou Shiyan as Liu Changqing yanked her aside. The sudden movement threw her off balance, and she fell to the ground.
The next sound was the iron rod slamming into the door.
Liu Changqing leaped over Zhou Shiyan, pulling something from his pocket—a device he switched on.
Electric arcs crackled.
He lunged, thrusting the stun baton toward the man.
“Ughhh!!”
The attacker groaned, his hand holding the rod spasming as if he had polio, his body jerking uncontrollably.
With a clang, he collapsed to the floor.
Zhou Shiyan was still in shock.
She hadn’t seen what had happened—her view was blocked by the door. She sat dazed on the ground for a moment before scrambling to her feet and rushing inside.
There, she saw Liu Changqing crouching, pulling at the cloth covering the man’s face.
“Uncle Liu!”
“Don’t talk yet.”
Liu Changqing peeled back the fabric, revealing an unremarkable face. He stood, found the light switch, and turned it on. The yellow bulb flickered a few times before illuminating the room.
Approaching the attacker, Liu Changqing nudged him with his foot. The man’s body twitched slightly.
Seeing movement, Liu Changqing activated the stun baton again, delivering another jolt.
This time, the man lay completely still.
He then turned to Zhou Shiyan.
“Is this your dad?”
“N-No…” Zhou Shiyan looked equally confused as she cautiously approached, studying the man’s face. “I don’t know him!”
“Hmm…”
Liu Changqing fell into thought before prying the iron rod from the man’s grasp and setting it aside. He began patting the man down, searching his belongings.
The man’s clothes reeked, as if he hadn’t changed in days. When Liu Changqing lifted the fabric, the stench hit them both like a wave.
Wrinkling her nose, Zhou Shiyan instinctively pinched her nostrils.
With a grimace, Liu Changqing searched thoroughly but found nothing—not even a scrap of paper.
What kind of lunatic is this? Just an iron rod? Not even a knife?
He had expected the attacker to carry more weapons, but the man seemed oddly underprepared.
Taking precautions, Liu Changqing handed the stun baton to Zhou Shiyan.
“I won’t need this anymore. You should keep it for self-defense. It’s dangerous for a girl to be out alone at night.”
“How... how do I use it?”
“It has a switch on the side. Push it.”
Nodding hesitantly, Zhou Shiyan fiddled with the device, pushing the switch.
“Crackling!”
The loud noise startled her, and she nearly dropped it. Panicked, she quickly turned it off.
Liu Changqing ignored her, focused on the man lying on the floor. He was already thinking about how to deal with the body.
Turning to Zhou Shiyan, he asked, “Do you have any rope?”
“Rope?”
Responding quickly, Zhou Shiyan rummaged through her house. After a while, she handed him a bundle of ribbon.
“This is all I have… my mom used it to tie bread.”
“This…”
Liu Changqing gave the ribbon a tug. It seemed decent enough.
“It’ll have to do.”
Muttering to himself, Liu Changqing got to work.
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