Around five-thirty o'clock, Xiu organized the things on her desk and turned off the desktop computer. She had just collected her things when the landline on her desk rang. With a dissatisfied frown, Xiu picked up the receiver and held it against her ear.
Before she could say anything, the voice from the other side sent a wave of astonishment through her whole body.
"Hello, can you speak to Mr. Qiu?"
That voice...
She stood motionless while her brain stuttered. Every single part of her felt like someone had put her on a pause mode. She couldn't feel anything except for a dull ache in her heart. Her eyes and mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned shock.
There were a million things running through her nervous system and yet she couldn't even utter a single word. It was like someone had a hold on her body. An invisible shadow that had caged her in his arms.