The day was drawing to a close. Would she really go through with what she said and do something to herself?
In the evening, Xiang Wan, acting unusually, snuggled into Lu Mingzhe's arms, holding him tightly.
"Hold me tighter, even tighter, just hold me tight."
"What's wrong? You'll warp me if you squeeze any harder, don't your bones hurt?"
"No, it doesn't hurt. Just hold me tighter."
Lu Mingzhe smirked, his hands becoming restless.
"Haven't you had enough for a while? Are you feeling a bit… maybe I can give you…"
"That's not what I mean. I just really miss you today. Just hold me still."
Held by him, with many sweet words exchanged, they finally fell asleep past ten o'clock.
Unexpectedly, as they slept through the night, what was meant to happen, happened.
The buzzing vibration of the mobile phone jolted her awake from her slumber with two sharp rings.
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 if the dark night had transformed into a monstrous beast, opening its gaping maw to swallow her whole.
Lu Mingzhe was also awakened by the noise.
Seeing her staring at the phone screen with a terrified expression, he was equally startled.
"What's wrong? Who's calling? Why are you so scared?"
"Mai Wenhui. I don't dare to answer. I'm afraid something's happened. Why don't you answer it for me?"
So it was her.
"If you ask me, you shouldn't have helped her. Whatever happens, it's her own fault."
Lu Mingzhe answered the call, but there was no response 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 there's something, just say it. Why are you crying?"
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I…"
Her hesitant words made Lu Mingzhe want to slap her twice in his impatience.
"What exactly happened? Can you just be straightforward and tell me?"
"He found me. Your home caught fire, the whole building is on fire now. I'm so sorry…"
Xiang Wan had imagined countless scenarios, but never anything like this.
Because of her kindness in helping someone, her own home had burned down.
Not just hers, but the entire building, the entire building!
The neighborhood she lived in was quite decent. Buying the entire apartment cost nearly two million yuan.
She had bought the apartment outright because she had a high-paying job.
How many people, pooling all their family's resources, only managed to pay the down payment, and then took out bank loans for decades to buy their homes.
Now, it had all been reduced to ashes by a single fire.
She couldn't bear to imagine how she would face those people, nor could she imagine what consequences she would have to bear.
Her face turned ashen. Lu Mingzhe, afraid she might get too upset, quickly asked Mai Wenhui,
"Where are you now? Are you alright? Did you call the fire department? What about the neighbors? Did anyone get hurt?"
"I… you guys come over first, okay? I'm really scared right now. Can we talk about it when you get here?"
The two of them drove to the neighborhood at breakneck speed.
Even before they got close, they could see thick black smoke billowing in the air from afar.
The entire building looked like a giant fireball, emitting an evil light all by itself in the dark night.
The two streets around it were filled with a clamoring crowd, as if everyone had come out to specter, pointing and talking.
Firefighters were inside conducting rescues, keeping everyone outside the scene.
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, but he said he would sneak in, find me, and make sure I wouldn't have an easy life. I was scared, so I went out to meet him."
"He promised me that as long as I gave him 100,000 yuan as a breakup fee, everything would be fine. 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 also managed to alert neighbors on two floors. Fortunately, most people were still awake, and almost everyone got out."
Almost everyone got out? Xiang Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if the house was completely destroyed, and the compensation was huge, it could still be managed.
But if there had been a fatality, how could she live with herself?
Lu Mingzhe detested her pitiful expression.
"Did you report it? Hand over all of that man's information to the police. This responsibility shouldn't be borne by Xiang Wan!"
"I have reported it. They said they would take your statements when you arrived."
Mai Wenhui led them to find a staff member.
After inquiring about the basic situation, the staff member told Xiang Wan,
"This boyfriend of yours is not some rich second generation, but a fraudster in disguise."
"He usually didn't give her any money and relied on her entirely for support. You've been deceived by your friend."
"What?"
"The information the man gave her was all fake. We identified his true identity by cross-referencing online information."
"Furthermore, by not reporting it to the police immediately, you gave the suspect ample opportunity to escape. Now it's more difficult to catch him."
Lu Mingzhe: "What do you mean? Only a few hours have passed, 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 were wanted online for years without being found, so do you think it's difficult?"
"…"
The staff member continued to say,
"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.
"Why? She's also a victim. This is too unfair to her! What if we refuse to take responsibility?"
"Look at the neighbors over there. We've had many personnel working on calming them down. Otherwise, they would have rushed over by now."
The staff member pointed to a chaotic crowd on the side.
"They don't care about fairness. Their life's work is gone. If you say such things at this moment, it will only escalate the conflict."
"Let's just say it like this 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. Escaping won't solve the problem, alright."
Lu Mingzhe was truly exasperated.
What was all this?
It was sheer misfortune!
However, he dared not complain.
Xiang Wan's expression was too grim. She was undoubtedly suffering far more than he was, and she was also pregnant. He couldn't let her get overly agitated.
"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 looked in normal times.
Now, look at them, as if they wanted to devour someone.
It was truly exhausting and powerless. To be caught in such a situation, she couldn't even bring herself to cry.