The day was drawing to a close, and she wondered if she would truly follow through with her words and do something to herself.
In the evening, Xiang Wan acted unusually, lying in Lu Mingzhe's arms and asking him to hold her tightly.
"Hold me tighter, tighter, hold me close."
"What's wrong? You're going to deform me if you squeeze any harder, don't your bones hurt?"
"No pain. Just hold me tighter."
Lu Mingzhe smirked, his hands growing restless.
"Haven't you... in a while? Are you feeling a bit... eager? How about I give you..."
"That's not what I mean. I just miss you terribly today. Just hold me still."
Held in his embrace, she spoke many sweet words, and they finally fell asleep past ten o'clock.
Little did they know, as they slept, what was meant to happen would eventually come.
The buzzing of her phone, just twice, jolted her awake from her slumber.
She grabbed it and looked. It was Mai Wenhui.
Her heart leaped into her throat.
Could it be that her boyfriend had found her?
Xiang Wan hesitated to answer.
She felt as though the night had transformed into a monstrous beast, its gaping maw ready to swallow her whole.
Lu Mingzhe was also awakened by the commotion.
Seeing her terrified gaze fixed on the phone screen, he was startled as well.
"What's wrong? Who's calling? Why are you so scared?"
"Mai Wenhui. I'm afraid to answer, I'm scared something has happened. Why don't you take it for me?"
So it was her.
"If you ask me, you shouldn't have helped her. Whatever happens to her is her own fault."
Lu Mingzhe answered the call, but there was no sound from the other end.
He called out several times before Mai Wenhui's sobbing voice finally came through.
"Wanwan, I'm so sorry. Can you come over for a moment?"
Lu Mingzhe: "What's wrong? If you have something to say, say it. Why are you crying?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I..."
Her stammering and hesitation made Lu Mingzhe want to slap her twice.
"What exactly happened? Can you just be direct and tell me?"
"He found me. Your home caught fire, the entire building is on fire, I'm so sorry..."
Xiang Wan had never imagined such a thing could happen, despite all her worries.
Because she had kindly helped someone, her own house had burned down.
Not just her house, but the entire building!
The neighborhood she lived in was of decent quality, and the entire apartment had cost nearly two million yuan to purchase.
She had bought the apartment outright because she had a high-paying profession.
Many people, pooling their family's resources, had only managed to pay the down payment and had taken out bank loans spread over decades to buy their homes.
Now, it had all gone up in smoke.
She couldn't bear to imagine how she would face those people, nor could she imagine the consequences she would have to bear.
Her face turned ashen. Lu Mingzhe, fearing she might get upset, quickly asked Mai Wenhui:
"Where are you now? Are you safe? Did you call the fire department? What about the neighbors? Did anyone get hurt?"
"I... Can you come over first, please? I'm very scared right now, can we talk about it when you get here?"
The two of them drove quickly towards the neighborhood.
Even before they got close, they could see thick black smoke billowing in the air from a distance.
The entire building resembled a giant fireball, emitting an evil glow in the dark night.
The two surrounding streets were abuzz with people, as if everyone had come out to watch the spectacle, pointing and murmuring.
Firefighters were inside conducting rescue operations, keeping everyone else outside the perimeter.
Lu Mingzhe supported Xiang Wan and successfully found Mai Wenhui waiting by the roadside.
"Around nine o'clock, he called me from someone else's phone, saying he had found my location and wanted me to meet him outside."
"I refused, and he said he would sneak in, find me, and make sure I had no peace. I was scared, so I went out to meet him."
"He promised me that if I gave him 100,000 yuan as a breakup fee, everything would be settled. Who knew..."
Lu Mingzhe asked doubtfully, "Then how did you escape from inside? You didn't know he would set the fire beforehand."
Mai Wenhui explained, "I couldn't sleep."
"I heard movement at the door and went out to see, so I escaped immediately, and I also managed to alert the neighbors on two floors. Fortunately, most people were still awake, and they all managed to get out."
Most people had escaped? Xiang Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if the house was completely destroyed and she had to pay a lot of compensation, it would still be manageable.
But if there had been a fatality, how could she live with herself?
Lu Mingzhe disliked her pitiful expression.
"Did you report it? Hand over all that man's information to the police. Xiang Wan shouldn't have to bear this responsibility!"
"I've reported it. They said they'll have you come over to take statements."
Mai Wenhui led them to find a staff member.
After inquiring about the basic situation, the staff member told Xiang Wan:
"Her boyfriend isn't some rich second-generation heir, but a fraudster in disguise."
"He never gave her any money and relied on her for everything. You've been deceived by your friend."
"Ah?"
"All the information the man gave her was fake. We identified his true identity through cross-referencing online information."
"Furthermore, she didn't report it to the police immediately, giving the suspect ample time to escape. Now it's more difficult to catch him."
Lu Mingzhe: "What do you mean? It's only been a few hours, and it's already more difficult?"
"A few hours is enough for him to escape from this city to another. These guys are very cunning; they've been looking for him online for years without success. Do you think it's difficult?"
"..."
The staff member continued:
"If this person cannot be found, or if he is found but is unable to bear the cost, then the loss must be borne by the homeowner."
Lu Mingzhe exploded immediately.
"Why? She's also a victim. This is too unfair to her! What if we refuse to bear the responsibility?"
"Look at the neighbors over there. We've sent many personnel to manage the situation, and we've managed to calm their emotions, otherwise, they would have rushed over by now."
The staff member pointed to the chaotic crowd over there.
"They don't care about fairness. Their life's savings have gone up in smoke. If you say something like that now, it will only escalate the conflict."
"Let's just say that for now. If you refuse to take responsibility, they might file a joint lawsuit."
"In any case, no one wants to encounter such a situation. But since it has happened, you must face it bravely. Running away won't solve the problem, alright."
Lu Mingzhe was truly exasperated.
What was all this?
It was simply a disaster out of the blue!
However, he dared not complain.
Xiang Wan's expression was too grim. She must be suffering a hundred times more than him, and she was pregnant, so she couldn't be overly stimulated.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry, take care of yourself."
"He's right. Since it has already happened, let's face it bravely. I'm here for you."
Xiang Wan looked at the residents who were arguing with the staff members.
She recognized many of them; the elderly people with children often greeted her.
How confident and happy they had all been before.
Now, look at them, each one looking as if they wanted to devour someone.
It was truly exhausting and disheartening. Facing such a situation, she couldn't even bring herself to cry.