Jian Yao sits down on the couch.  She decides to take a nap.  

It doesn’t take lengthy for her to face up once more.  She is carrying a skinny jacket and her palms and toes are getting chilly.  

I’d catch a flu.  She thought to herself.   

She makes her solution to the room the place Bo Jinyan is in. On the finish of the hall, she will get one other shock.  

Mild.  

A slender streak of sunshine shines by way of the hole on the backside of the door. There may be emergency lighting gear!  

Jian Yao stand there, surprised for a second.  She knocks on the door.  

The door opens.  Fluorescent tubes within the ceiling shines brightly.  She finds it exhausting to regulate to the brightness after being within the darkness for thus lengthy. 

Then she sees a person, blocking many of the gentle as he stand in entrance of the doorway.  

Jian Yao blinks.  She is curious what else is contained in the room.  However Bo Jinyan rapidly stands in entrance of her to dam her view.  

“What’s up?’ says the person carrying an enormous white surgical masks.  All Jian Yao can see is his eyes.

“I’m chilly,  I have to borrow some garments.” says Jian Yao

After just a few moments of silence, he replies :” I don’t like different individuals carrying my garments.”

Jian Yao is dumbfounded. 

Then he steps again and closes the door.  

Darkness surrounds her as soon as once more.  

Whereas he was closing the door, she observed Bo Jinyan was carrying surgical gloves.   She additionally noticed some spherical containers sitting on the cabinets contained in the room.  She will not be certain what’s in them, however they’d one thing in them.  

——-

Jian Yao goes again to the lounge.  She sits down for a couple of minutes, after which she stands up as soon as once more. This time, heading towards the kitchen.

She lights up the fuel range high.  Jian Yao locations her palms near the yellowish inexperienced flame to heat herself up.  She seems up and sees a cabinet.  The bottle of wine she gifted to Bo Jinyan is sitting on one of many cabinets.  With out hesitation, she opens the bottle and takes just a few sips.  

Now that she feels just a little hotter, she realises that she can also be fairly hungry.  She begins trying to find meals within the kitchen.  

Empty.  There’s nothing within the cupboards.  Not even a chunk of fruit or biscuit.  She seems contained in the freezer.  Once more, it’s empty.  She turns to the fridge subsequent.  Bingo!  

Fish.  Numerous fish.  Neatly stacked contained in the fridge.  She chooses the largest one and places it on the chopping board.    

Utilizing the sunshine from her cell phone, she makes herself a plate of poached fish fillet items.  It’s nonetheless fairly darkish within the kitchen, however it’s sufficient for her to organize the meals.  

Glad with what she has cooked, she locations the plate on the eating desk and heads again to the kitchen to scrub up earlier than she enjoys her meal.  

After she is completed, she returns to the eating room, solely to search out the desk empty. 

A tall white shadow stands on the opposite aspect of the desk. A pair of palms is holding the plate of meals. 

“Thump” Bo Jinyan places the plate again on the desk.

“Unpalatable!” He says in his deep voice.  

“The fish is boiled for too lengthy.  And also you added an excessive amount of salt.”

Jian Yao feels as if a bomb has exploded inside her.  She walks over to him, takes the plate and brings it again to the opposite aspect of the desk. “Did I say you possibly can eat it?” 

Then she sits down, picks up the chopsticks, and eats in silence.

Bo Jinyan offers no reply.  He simply stands there, like a quiet white tree.  The wind is howling exterior.  However inside the home, it’s a pointy distinction.  Every little thing appears so nonetheless and quiet.   The flickering flames from the fuel range are the one motion.  

All of the sudden, he walks over to her.  She retains her head going through down in the direction of the desk and pretends he’s not there. Within the nook of her eyes, she sees him leaving a person’s jacket on the again of one of many eating chairs.   His fingers are slender however plump, not skeletal as Jian Xuan has described.

Jian Yao is just a little surprised.  However she chooses to not remark.

Then he turns round, and walks into the kitchen.

———

He rolls up his sleeves. After washing his palms below the tap, he stands earlier than the chopping board and begins filleting extra fish items.

He locations the items of fish on the plate neatly, then one after the other he places them into the pot, and scoops them out rapidly, like an skilled chef.

Quickly he holds up one other plate of poached fish, put it on the desk pushes it in entrance of her. 

“That is what poached fish ought to be like.”

Jian Yao seems up at him.

All that work simply to show he can do a greater job?

He’s standing very near her.  Shut sufficient for Jian Yao to see his face. He’s not carrying a masks anymore.  However he’s carrying a pair of chunky sophisticated wanting glasses with bits of crimson beam exhibiting on the perimeters.  They’re so large that the majority of his face is roofed.

Night time imaginative and prescient goggles?

His home has no handheld torches as a result of he wears evening imaginative and prescient goggles?

Even with the goggles on, Jian Yao can inform that he has engaging facial options.  A slender and straight nostril, skinny lips and a pleasant jaw line,  Nicely proportioned and …clean, not like ‘crumpled concave’ as Jian Xuan described.

……

Jian Yao protests in silence and refuse to strive his fish.  She continues to complete what’s on her plate. 

With out saying one other phrase, Bo Jinyan heads again up the steps and as soon as once more, his tall white shadow disappears within the darkness.

Jian Yao is alone once more. 

She picks up the jacket.  This seems acquainted.  Ah, it belongs to Fu Ziyu.  It was hanging on a fabric rack on the day of their interview.   Half method by way of their dialog, he stood up, walked over to the jacket to retrieve his cell phone.  

She immediately remembers what Fu Ziyu stated.   Bo Jinyan is an eccentric man with no associates. 

So, Bo Jinyan is socially challenged and lack interpersonal communication expertise.  

That thought makes Jian Yao feels just a little higher.  Unable to include her curiosity any longer, she picks up the chopsticks.  She chooses the smallest piece of fish fillet she will discover from his plate and places it in her mouth.  Then she strikes the remaining items of fish across the plate to make it look as if she has not touched the plate in any respect.   

Sigh! She has to confess, it tastes significantly better than hers.

–

Jian Yao  is awaked by  loud banging sounds. She sits up from the couch, and finds two home windows shifting with the robust wind.  The banging sounds are attributable to the home windows hitting the body.  

The sky continues to be darkish.  The rain appears to have eased just a little however the whistling sound of the wind is sort of a roaring beast.

–  If the home windows preserve banging on the frames, the glass will shatter. 

Instantly, she will get up and walks over. When she is in entrance of the window, she notices Bo Jinyan can also be making his method down towards her, apparent involved after listening to the banging sounds.  His face continues to be largely darkish.  He’s nonetheless carrying these evening imaginative and prescient googles.

Jian Yao  is simply too busy to speak to him now.  She manages to seize the deal with of one of many home windows and rapidly safe it again to the locked place.  As she reaches out for the second window, a gush of wind rips by way of.  A streak of white lightning blinds her eyes.  The window is coming in the direction of her with nice power.

Jian Yao reflexively turns to flee, whereas lifting her palms to dam her face. She feels a hand clenching her proper wrist.  She is pulled away from the window. In the meantime behind her, there’s a loud ‘bang’,  adopted by a big space of damaged glass shattered everywhere in the flooring ……

What a detailed name.  

She turns round to face Bo Jinyan.  As a result of they’re standing so shut to one another, she will odor his scent, masculine and unfamiliar to her.   His hand nonetheless holding her wrist.

“Thanks.” She tries to loosen his grip. The subsequent second, he bends down, lean her again into his arms and carries her.

Jian Yao is shocked: “What are you doing?”

Bo Jinyan seems at her: “I don’t assume you possibly can bypass all damaged glass on the bottom with out evening imaginative and prescient googles.”

He walks towards the couch.

With shut proximity to his chest, his faint masculine scent is much more obvious.  She feels secure within the arms of this tall and slender man.

Jian Yao feels just a little awkward.  She’s by no means been in such shut contact with a person earlier than.  However there’s nothing she will do.  She will be able to solely maintain on to him for now.

“Thanks.” Jian Yao says.

After placing her down on the couch, he heads to the kitchen. Inside a minute,he’s again.  

“I consider you may have come to a conclusion.” He says.

–  Huh? Oh, the fish. She thought she hid the proof very nicely. How does he know?  

With a trustworthy and calm reply, she says “I admit, your fish is extra scrumptious than mine, however are you able to not communicate in such a condescending method?”

Bo Jinyan ignores her criticism.  Softly, he says to her: “Good evening” Jian Yao is bound there’s a smile on his face when he stated that.  A smile of victory. 

He disappears up the steps once more..

–

Jian Yao wakes up.  The storm has handed.  

She takes a breathe of the clear chilly morning air.  Every little thing that occurred final evening is sort of a dream.  

She folds Fu Ziyu’s jacket and leaves it on the couch, takes out a brush, cleans the damaged glass in the lounge and goes dwelling.  

–

There’s not lots of people on the road on this time of the day.   She heads over to her step-father’s home however he has gone to work.  She sends a textual content to her mother to say she is okay.  Just a few safety guards stroll previous her. 

Jian Yao overhears their dialog.   They sound anxious and offended.

“It have to be him, that Frankenstein.”

“Sure, it have to be him that has kidnapped the kids.”

“We have now to do one thing.”

……

– Abduction?  

Jian Yao remembers what Lee talked about beforehand in regards to the kidnapping circumstances.   The safety guards hop in a automobile and drive off.  

Jian Yao is aware of that is one thing to do with these circumstances. She feels it’s necessary to inform Lee in regards to the safety guards. She tries to name him however nobody picks up the cellphone.  

Possibly he’s someplace with poor cellphone sign reception.  He did point out he’s working within the countryside for just a few days.   She decides to strive once more later.  

–

At dwelling.  She tells Jian Xuan in regards to the safety guards.  Jian Xuan tells her that one of many sons of the guards has been lacking for a day. 

“They’ve reported it to the police.” Jian Xuan stated, “However the police gained’t do a submitting except he’s lacking for greater than 48 hours.”

Jian Yao nods.  She tries to name Lee once more however she nonetheless can’t get by way of.  Feeling very drained, she takes a nap.   

–

Jian Yao wakes up round midday. Scattered clouds, shiny sunshine.  It’s a pleasant day exterior.

Jian Yao eats a late breakfast and will get prepared to depart the home.  

”Are you heading again to the villa? Didn’t you simply come again from there?”

Jian Xuan requested.

Jian Yao replied: “Just a bit work left to finish.  I ought to end every part at the moment.” She pauses and provides, “Yesterday, I noticed Bo Jinyan.”

“Actually? “Is it a scary encounter?” Asks Jian Xuan

Jian Yao don’t know what to say.  She offers a sigh.  Quickly, the work she is doing for Bo Jinyan will come to an finish.  Bo Jinyan and her won’t ever meet once more.

Life will return to regular.  The vacations might be over.  She’s going to return to B metropolis, the place she’s going to work as an intern for an organization.  She’s going to discover a boyfriend, get married and have youngsters.  

However unknown to her now, her life is about to take a flip.  This very afternoon, within the villa.  One thing sudden will occur.  Her life will change dramatically, main her down a path that’s so totally different from her present goals and aspirations.