Tangled web 2

Liu Wei stepped closer to Zhang Yan, so close she could hear his heart pounding in his chest. She leaned in, her breath warm against his ear, and whispered, "Don't forget, Zhang Yan… I will always remember what you did back then."

Zhang Yan stiffened, his expression shifting from surprise to something darker, almost haunted. The words seemed to trigger something deep inside him, pulling him back to a memory he had tried so hard to bury.

Flashback Scene: University Rooftop – Years Ago

It was a cool autumn evening on the university rooftop. Zhang Yan stood at the edge, his face a mix of fear and desperation. Opposite him was a fellow student, his face twisted in anger. Words were exchanged — sharp, cutting words — and then a sudden push. The student stumbled back, lost balance, and in an instant, disappeared over the ledge with a scream.

Zhang Yan's eyes were wide, his breath rapid, as he stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened. He turned, and across the rooftop, he saw her — Liu Wei. Her eyes locked with his, filled with shock and disbelief. She was the only one who had witnessed the fall.

She had never spoken about it, not to anyone. Until now.

Back to the Present:

Zhang Yan's eyes searched Liu Wei's, his mind racing. "Liu Wei…" he began, his voice strained, but she stepped back, shaking her head slightly, a cold smile playing on her lips.

"Save it," she murmured. "You can't change the past, Zhang Yan. But I want you to know… I remember."

Before he could respond, she turned and headed back inside, leaving him standing in the cool night air, his mind reeling.

Inside, they found Chen Wei and Lin Mei, clearly more than a little tipsy. Chen Wei was laughing loudly, while Lin Mei was giggling uncontrollably, her head resting on her hand.

Liu Wei sighed. "Looks like we need to get them home."

Zhang Yan nodded, still shaken but forcing himself to focus. "Yeah, I'll take Chen Wei. You take Lin Mei."

They each helped their friends up, steadying them as they made their way out of the restaurant. Zhang Yan dropped Chen Wei off at his apartment, making sure he got inside safely. Chen Wei mumbled something incoherent, his eyes half-closed, and Zhang Yan just sighed, closing the door behind him.

He drove back quickly, a sense of unease gnawing at him. Something about the way Liu Wei had spoken to him… it unsettled him deeply. He needed to talk to her again, to make sure things were okay between them — or at least, as okay as they could be.

Meanwhile, Liu Wei had just managed to get Lin Mei home and tucked into bed. She left quietly, feeling the weight of the night pressing down on her. Her thoughts were still spinning with memories she had tried to forget, memories Zhang Yan had unintentionally dragged back to the surface.

She finally reached her apartment building, climbing the stairs with tired steps. But as she approached her front door, she noticed something strange — the door was slightly ajar. Her heart skipped a beat. She knew she had locked it before she left.

A chill ran down her spine. Had someone broken in?

Her mind racing, she quickly reached into her handbag and pulled out a small canister of pepper spray. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and slowly pushed the door open, stepping inside cautiously.

The living room was dark, the only light coming from the streetlamp outside. Everything looked almost normal… except for a few items that seemed slightly out of place. Her pulse quickened as she took another step forward, her ears straining to catch any sound.

There was a faint noise — a creak of the floorboards. Someone was still inside.

She tightened her grip on the pepper spray, her eyes darting around the room. "Who's there?" she called out, her voice firm but laced with tension.

A shadow moved in the darkness, and she heard the soft, almost inaudible sound of a footstep behind her.