Chapter 41 - 41: Escape
Wen Nian quickly turned around and briskly descended the stairs, pulling the hood of her sweater over her head to shield her eyes.
“Stop right there!”
A harsh, masculine voice echoed from behind, laced with a hint of ruthlessness that compelled Wen Nian to quicken her pace even further.
Upon reaching the first floor, Wen Nian’s gaze fell upon a water bottle and a box of Go sitting atop the coffee table. Without hesitation, she picked up both the water bottle and the Go box.
Wen Nian turned around and lowered her head slightly. She smashed the kettle on the floor behind her and threw the chess box back forcefully. More than 300 go box pieces scattered all over the ground.
The man hastily hit the brakes and looked at the mess on the ground. He could only slow down and cautiously tiptoe around it.
Wen Nian had already opened the door and ran out. Since the elevator required a security swipe, Wen Nian had no choice but to return to the secure corridor.
Wen Nian couldn’t enter Shen Jun’s house without the password. After all, the other party had already caught up with her when she scattered the flour and entered the password. Therefore, Wen Nian had no choice but to quickly run downstairs.
Suddenly, Wen Nian felt a pair of large hands grab her shoulder, which startled her. She immediately turned around and punched out due to the stress, but her fist was once again enveloped by a force.
“It’s me.”
Wen Nian recognized Shen Jun’s voice, and just as she breathed a sigh of relief, they heard the door of the residence being pulled open.
“Go upstairs! 120599.”
Wen Nian was already feeling extremely tense, but she quickly realized that this was the password for the fireproof door on the 12th floor. She immediately took off her shoes and held them in her hand, running up the stairs three steps at a time.
As soon as the edge of Wen Nian’s shirt disappeared from the platform around the corner, the man with the tiger head tattoo opened the fire door. He saw Shen Jun with one hand in his pocket, lowering his head and selecting a DJ on his phone. Shen Jun descended the stairs leisurely.
“The man with a tiger head tattoo hesitated for a moment, looking up and down the stairs, unsure of which way Wen Nian had fled. He suspected that Wen Nian would choose the opposite direction and started heading upstairs.”
Shen Jun casually stepped to the side, blocking the path of the man with the tiger head tattoo.
The man with the tiger head tattoo was aware that the people here were wealthy and of high status. He glanced at Shen Jun and quickly stepped aside.
Shen Jun cast an indifferent glance at the man with the tiger head tattoo. After a few seconds, he continued down the stairs with an air of impatience.
The man with a tiger head tattoo gazed at Shen Jun’s back and let out a soft sigh. Although the other party was clearly only a teenager, the weight of his presence made even the man’s breathing cautious.”
The man with the tiger head tattoo searched all the way up to the 12th floor, but found no one. He feared that he had misjudged and allowed Wen Nian to escape, so he had no choice but to return and report his findings.
Wen Nian only relaxed completely once she successfully returned to the Shen family’s residence, where she discovered that the password for the front door was the same as that of the fireproof door.
Upon entering the room, Shen Jun noticed Wen Nian sitting on the sofa in a daze. He then headed to the kitchen to pour her a glass of warm water.
Wen Nian regained her senses and took the cup from Shen Jun. She looked at him and expressed her gratitude softly. “Thank you so much for today,” she said.
Shen Jun’s lips curled up slightly as he teased, “1 didn’t expect you to have the ability to sneak into someone else’s home.”
Feeling embarrassed, Wen Nian touched her nose and smiled wryly. She then changed the subject and asked, “Why did you suddenly head downstairs?”
Shen Jun picked up his computer and accessed the property surveillance system that he had designed. He operated it a few times to erase any traces of Wen Nian entering the neighborhood. He then turned around and replied, “1 saw that you were in a hurry and didn’t even ask me to open the elevator. 1 thought about it and decided to head downstairs to look for you.”
Shen Jun was not typically one to pry into other people’s affairs. He had helped Wen Nian earlier because he did not want to lose someone who could assist him in saving on part-time work.
If he had to give a particular reason, it was likely because he felt that Wen Nian could bring some excitement to his life here.
Unable to express her reasons, Wen Nian remained silent. Remembering the task she had yet to complete, she retrieved the bag of unused flour from her backpack and was about to put it back in the kitchen. “I’ll start working,” she said before leaving the living room.
Observing Wen Nian’s actions, Shen Jun quickly intervened. He widened his eyes and said, “Wait a moment. You already took it out. You’re not planning to put it back in, are you?”
Wen Nian glanced down at the bag of flour, feeling it would be a waste to dispose of it. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll take it home,” she said.
Shen Jun nodded. “Take it.”
As Wen Nian looked at Shen Jun’s expression of germaphobia, she couldn’t help but remember the dirty clothes strewn throughout the house when she first arrived at the Shen residence that morning. She quietly returned the flour to her bag and proceeded to the laundry room to retrieve the clothes from the dryer. Afterward, she went to the master bedroom to fold them.
Due to her encounter with the man with the tiger-head tattoo, Wen Nian was a bit distracted. After finishing her work, she said goodbye to Shen Jun. “I’ve finished all the cleaning. 1’11 head home now..”