Chapter 12: Is There Someone?

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Xu Xin said earnestly, "As long as you feel happy, that's all that matters."

"I'm really happy now. He's been so good to me. He just prepared a surprise for me."

Thinking about my previous doubts, I felt a twinge of guilt.

"I... I kind of feel sorry for his love for me..."

"You don't have to blame yourself. After all, you two haven't been together for long," Xu Xin comforted me softly.

I opened my mouth, about to say something, when suddenly I heard heavy footsteps.

Dong, dong, dong—

The footsteps stopped at the door, and then came the sound of someone pounding on the door. My expression tightened instantly. I frowned and looked in the direction of the door.

Dong, dong, dong—

The sound kept coming from outside the door. It didn't sound like a knock; it was as if someone was smashing the door, and they were getting more and more forceful. I almost thought that someone would break in the next second.

My heart was pounding in time with the door being smashed. I felt extremely nervous.

"What's that noise on your end? Is someone doing renovation?" Xu Xin asked in confusion.

"I... I don't know either!"

At this moment, my mind went blank, and the sound seemed to be getting louder in my ears.

Remembering the strange things that had happened earlier, I immediately said, "I felt something was wrong just now. Now someone is smashing the door, and I'm too scared to go over..."

"What?" Xu Xin shouted. "Should I call the police for you?"

Her last few words stopped abruptly. I looked down and realized that my phone was out of battery.

I quickly ran to the bedroom to charge my phone, planning to call the police myself after it turned on.

But at this moment, the door - smashing sound outside stopped.

I waited quietly for a few seconds. After making sure there was no sound, I summoned up my courage and walked towards the living room.

I listened carefully, but there was no sound at all.

My eyes were fixed on the closed door, and my heart was in my throat.

It all seemed like the calm before the storm.

Maybe someone had come to the wrong place?

I tiptoed to the door, my fingers clenching tightly. I cheered myself on in my heart and finally mustered up the courage to reach the door.

I looked out through the peephole, and there didn't seem to be any suspicious people.

Suddenly, it went dark in front of my eyes.

"Ah!"

I was so startled that my heart skipped a beat. I let out a scream, stumbled back two steps, and fell to the ground with a thud.

I looked at the door in fear. Then, the crazy door - smashing sound started again. The sound pierced my eardrums, and there was a hissing in my ears.

Seeing the door being smashed loudly, as if it was about to be broken down, I immediately got up from the ground, went back to the bedroom, and locked the door.

Just then, my phone was able to turn on. The first person that came to my mind was Xie Yan.

Without thinking, I immediately dialed his number.

But there was no answer for a long time.

I was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, my mind in a mess.

However, after dialing several times in a row, there was still no answer.

So I had to call Xu Xin.

But Xu Xin's phone couldn't be reached either.

Should I call the police?

This thought crossed my mind.

But I had only seen darkness and no suspicious people. What would I say if the police came?

I was still hesitating when footsteps sounded outside the door...

My heart tightened suddenly. My heart was in my throat, pounding

so hard that it seemed like it would burst out of my chest the next second.

I stared at the closed bedroom door without blinking.

Suddenly, a shadow was reflected through the crack of the door.

Almost reflexively, I covered my mouth, held my breath, and didn't dare to make a sound.

Had that person come in?

Was it a burglar?

But if it was a burglar, why would they knock on the door so blatantly?

Maybe they were trying to find out if there was anyone at home?

There were so many questions in my mind, but at this moment, I was helpless. I could only watch as the shadow passed by the bedroom door.

I wasn't sure if there was really a person outside.

After the shadow disappeared from my sight, suddenly my phone rang.

My lips were dry, my throat tightened, and my pupils contracted violently.

I quickly took out my phone, planning to hang up, but when I saw the caller ID, I answered it out of some strange impulse.

The shadow came back. I turned the volume to the minimum, covered the phone with a quilt, and only took it out and put it to my ear when the shadow left again.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Xie Yan's concerned voice came from the phone.

My nose twitched, and my eyes filled with hot tears.

"I... I don't know. It seems like there's a burglar in the house. I'm so scared..."

My voice was trembling, my tone off - key, and there was even a sob in my voice. My lips were also shaking uncontrollably.

"Don't be afraid. I'm coming back right now. Don't do anything rash," he said in a low voice, filled with concern. I immediately felt much more at ease and nodded repeatedly.

"I know. I'm hiding in the bedroom right now."

Robbery would be bad enough, but what if the person wanted to kill? Or what if they were after both money and...? Such things did happen.

"I..."

Xie Yan seemed to want to say something, but the phone suddenly froze. The "hissing" sound drowned out what he was going to say, and I panicked.

I was so scared that I pleaded, "Don't hang up. I'm scared!"

The next second, the call became normal again.

"Okay," he said in a low voice. "I won't hang up."

His tone was extremely calm, showing no sign of panic or worry, as if all this was normal to him.

In an instant, a cloud of suspicion rose in my heart.

"It seems like someone is following me here too," he suddenly said.

I was shocked, and then felt a bit guilty the next second.

I was doubting him again.

Maybe the two of us had already been targeted by a group of villains.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

Xie Yan's deep and magnetic voice sounded, as steady and reassuring as ever. "I'm fine. I'm not sure if I was seeing things. There's no one around now."

As soon as he finished speaking, he added, "Just wait in the room. I'll stay with you and come back right away."

Just as he finished, I vaguely heard the footsteps outside getting farther and farther away.

The sound seemed to be moving towards the door. The footsteps gradually faded, as if the person had walked out.

With a bang, the door was closed.

That sound seemed to hit me right in the heart. I suddenly realized a problem.

How did that person get into the room?

By force?

But the door seemed intact.

Did he have a key? Or...

In an instant, a chill swept through my body. I felt my blood running cold, and my whole body was shaking. I didn't dare to think any further.