TBWE Chapter 3

Surveillance

The weekend passed in a flash.

On Monday, Huo Xiu went to work as usual. Aunt Wang’s granddaughter had a fever, so she took the day off. Before leaving, Huo Xiu kissed Chu Li’s forehead and told her to continue sleeping—he would come back to make lunch.

Chu Li slept until ten o’clock and woke up naturally.

The villa was quiet, and she felt that gaze again, coming from the direction of the door.

“Yuan Bao, play this morning’s local news.”

“Yes, master. Now playing Hai City morning news for you. According to reports, in the early hours of this morning, a man surnamed Zhang got into an argument over trivial matters and was called useless by his wife. In a fit of rage, he took a knife and castrated himself…”

The lively artificial intelligence voice dispelled the sense of silence.

Chu Li got out of bed to wash up. Among the various neighborhood gossip in the news, she heard something that happened nearby.

“At 5 AM this morning, a sinkhole occurred on Construction Avenue. The cause is unknown, and repairs are still underway…”

Construction Avenue was the route Huo Xiu must take to get to his company. If this road was blocked, he’d have to take a detour that would add twenty minutes.

She hoped the repairs would finish soon so it wouldn’t affect his normal commute home.

Chu Li silently prayed, quickly washed up, then felt along the wall step by step to the bedroom door, tentatively reaching out—

No one was there, and the gaze disappeared too.

She held the handrail and slowly went down the stairs. The house echoed with “tap tap” sounds, like some strange rhythm.

Her mind uncontrollably conjured terrifying thoughts.

What if that “person” was following behind her down the stairs, making footsteps with the same rhythm?

Chu Li’s footsteps involuntarily stopped, and the “tap tap” sound stopped too. She stood on the staircase handrail, with only darkness before her eyes, and that gaze appeared again.

This time it was behind her, very close.

The naked, dark gaze slowly licked at her exposed skin, from her pale earlobe to her neck, then continued downward.

Chu Li gripped the handrail tightly and turned around without warning.

The gaze disappeared again.

Was her condition worsening, or were there strange presences in this house?

She couldn’t tell anymore. She only knew that if this continued, she would collapse from being unable to bear it.

When Chu Li reached the living room, she remembered she hadn’t had any water.

She had broken out in a cold sweat on the stairs, and when she licked her lips, they were so dry they were peeling.

There was a water dispenser in the living room, on the left side of the TV cabinet in front of the sofa. She first felt her way to the sofa, then slowly walked forward, her hand touching the TV screen, then sliding left.

Chu Li found the mug on the water dispenser. Her finger pressed the smart panel, and after two “beep” sounds, water gushed from the outlet. After waiting a moment, she picked up the water cup and turned around.

Unexpectedly, her heel accidentally hit the TV, causing her to lose balance. The hot water in her hand sloshed and spilled.

The scalding water splashed onto her fingertips.

Chu Li’s waist tightened, and her whole body was pulled backward. She stumbled, her back hitting a warm chest.

Crash! 

Broken porcelain and hot water splashed all over the floor.

Not a drop splashed on Chu Li.

The entire house was so quiet there wasn’t a sound, except for her heartbeat and somewhat unsteady breathing.

“…Huo Xiu.”

A chill rose from beneath her skin. Chu Li pressed her dry lips together hard, trying to make her voice sound natural.

But she failed. Her throat felt like she had swallowed a handful of sand, making her voice stiff.

“Didn’t you go to the company?”

Footsteps walked from behind her to in front of her. He took Chu Li’s hand, gently stroking the scalded fingers, then carefully examined her all over. After confirming she had no burns on her body, he began answering her question, his voice warm and natural.

“I just came back not long ago. I left an important document in the study, so I decided to come back to work from home, and I can also look after you.”

His palm gently stroked the top of her head, as if comforting her.

“The study door wasn’t closed. I saw you getting water, so I came over. Your finger is a little red. Let me apply some burn ointment for you.”

Chu Li was led by him to sit on the sofa.

She sat in boundless darkness, listening to Huo Xiu pull open a drawer, open the medicine box, then return to her side, carefully and meticulously applying ointment to her stinging fingers.

“Why did you come down to get water? Did you finish the water by your bed?”

Chu Li’s tense body gradually relaxed, and she shook her head. “I forgot to drink it.”

Huo Xiu seemed to laugh a little. He poured a new cup of water, brought her breakfast, and began cleaning up the water and broken porcelain all over the floor.

Breakfast was a thick egg and ham sandwich with hot milk. She ate half of it and remembered that morning news. “There’s a sinkhole on Construction Avenue.”

The sofa sank as Huo Xiu leaned close, using his fingertip to wipe away a bit of milky white residue from her lips, laughing. “Yes, the temporary detour wasted quite a bit of time. Even the morning meeting was postponed.”

Chu Li caught his cold, crisp scent, mixed with the fragrance of the body wash they shared.

The warmth of his fingertip still lingered on her lips.

She inappropriately thought of the car Huo Xiu usually drove. Last month, she had bought a new car air freshener with a light citrus scent that lasted long. When placed in the car, anyone who rode in it would carry a hint of citrus fragrance.

Huo Xiu didn’t have that scent.

Not just today—since she went blind and moved into this villa, every day when he came home from work, he never had the citrus fragrance on him.

Chu Li’s breathing became rapid.

“Li Li, what’s wrong?”

Huo Xiu moved even closer, his gentle, caring voice now sounding sinister. He used his fingertip to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead, stroking that patch of skin with just the right pressure, murmuring, “You’re sweating so much.”

Chu Li inevitably thought of a snake.

The air seemed to be squeezed dry. She felt like a snake was coiled around her chest, almost suffocating her.

So unfamiliar.

Despite the completely familiar voice, scent, and build, she felt this was an outsider.

Chu Li began to feel dizzy.

Was this Huo Xiu?

Or was this the owner of that gaze?

Perhaps he had never left at all, pretending to go out but always quietly standing somewhere, silently watching her.

He was too close—so close that if she lifted her head slightly, she could touch his nose and thin lips. Warm breath brushed across her face, and the hand that had been wiping sweat now embraced Chu Li as he asked softly, “Li Li, where do you feel uncomfortable?”

Her stomach, which was digesting breakfast, cramped violently several times. Stomach acid surged upward, and Chu Li couldn’t help but retch.

She covered her mouth, physiological tears seeping from her eyes as she kept taking deep breaths to suppress her emotions.

Stay calm, stay calm. Don’t let him see anything abnormal.

She resisted the urge to push him away, gripping her phone tightly. Even though she couldn’t see, she could imagine how pale and terrible her face must look. She tried to make her voice natural. “My stomach… feels uncomfortable. I need to go to the bathroom.”

Chu Li covered her mouth, pushed aside Huo Xiu’s hands, and stumbled toward the bathroom. On the way, she passed the dining room and accidentally bumped into a chair, making a harsh scraping sound.

Behind her was silence. Huo Xiu said nothing and didn’t follow.

She tremblingly found the bathroom door, her fingers shaking as she turned the lock, leaning against the cold door panel and finally finding a thin sense of security.

****

Water rushed loudly, droplets sliding down her pale chin.

After washing her face with cold water, Chu Li barely calmed down.

The omnipresent gaze might be her delusion during episodes, but Huo Xiu lying was a fact.

She suspected Huo Xiu had been replaced.

Like in movie plots, someone had taken the place of her original fiancé, approaching with ulterior motives, most likely for money.

Both she and Huo Xiu came from wealthy families. It was possible they had been targeted by a criminal organization during their overseas island vacation.

She couldn’t see, so confrontation would be difficult. But they had a mutual friend—Xin Tong. No matter how well someone acted, if they weren’t the same person, there would inevitably be subtle differences.

Chu Li needed help to expose this conspiracy.

Where had the real Huo Xiu gone…

As soon as this thought emerged, Chu Li hurriedly pushed it back into her heart. She felt a little short of breath, her throat severely blocked, and her nose beginning to sting.

Using the sound of running water as cover, she lowered her voice, “Xiao Yi, call ‘Miss Tong Tong’.”

Soon, her phone emitted dialing sounds.

“The number you have dialed is temporarily unreachable…”

Being unreachable at this time meant Xin Tong had already boarded her flight. Chu Li took a deep breath and lowered her voice even more, asking her phone’s AI assistant to help leave a message.

The phone vibrated once, indicating the message had been sent.

Her heart was still racing wildly, and from her fingertips to her forearms, everything was tingling. Her back was soaked with sweat, and when a breeze blew, her nightgown felt cold and clammy against her skin.

Chu Li stiffened her neck and slowly looked up.

A gaze was staring intently at her, very close, as if watching an unextinguished screen.

In the summer heat of late July, Chu Li experienced what it meant to have her hair stand on end in the bathroom.

“Ahhhh——!!”

She frantically pushed forward while extinguishing the screen. This push hit empty air, her palm striking the tile wall, and her whole body fell forward with it.

“Click” The bathroom lock turned twice, and the door opened.

When Huo Xiu entered, his footsteps were hurried. He bent down to help Chu Li up. “How did you end up like this? Where did you hurt yourself?”

“Li Li, you look terrible.” As he spoke, he raised his hand to wipe her cold sweat.

The moment she was touched, Chu Li reacted as if stung by something poisonous, crying out briefly as she swatted the hand away.

The bathroom fell quiet, with only her rapid breathing.

Chu Li leaned against the wall, her hands and feet weak, when she suddenly noticed a detail.

Huo Xiu had entered too quickly.

As if he had been prepared with the key, waiting outside the door.

He was monitoring her.

Chu Li’s mind went blank, the air in front of her became thin, and this person before her was like a time bomb—she couldn’t predict when he might drop his disguise, nor did she know if she would face mortal danger.

He was like a guillotine hanging over her head, ready to fall at any moment.

Tap, tap.

Footsteps suddenly rang out, approaching her, stirring up a bit of wind. Chu Li’s whole body tensed, gripping her phone, ready to use it as a weapon.

Warm fingers slowly wiped across the corner of her eye, completely removing the tears with infinite patience.

Huo Xiu sighed softly. “Li Li, you’re afraid of me. Why?”

“Is there something I haven’t done well? Tell me, and I’ll correct it.”

Chu Li realized he didn’t want to drop the pretense for now.

“I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax her tense body. “I’ve been having nightmares lately… my mental state isn’t very good. Just now there was wind blowing into the bathroom, and I was startled. I’m not afraid of you.”

Huo Xiu used tissues to wipe the cold sweat from her face, his voice warm and understanding. “It’s okay, I understand. Does your stomach still hurt?”

The intimate contact made her stomach start cramping again.

Chu Li shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m a little tired. I want to go back to my room to rest.”

“Alright.” Huo Xiu bent slightly, his hair brushing across her face.

His arms supported her back and the crook of her knees respectively. Chu Li’s body became airborne as she was steadily lifted up.

The cold, familiar scent was inescapable.

Stay calm.

Chu Li repeatedly told herself this, wrapping her arms around Huo Xiu’s neck as usual, but physiological reactions don’t change because of mental will—her body was much stiffer than usual.

Huo Xiu seemed not to notice, tightening his arms a few degrees, step by step climbing the stairs toward the master bedroom.