"Sss..."
When He Li woke up, she found herself lying on a warm bed. A clean bedsheet seemed freshly bought covered her body. Looking around, she realized she was in a small room, seemingly a cleaned-up storage area. A candle lit on a bedside table. Beside it, a wooden door. Across from the door, a large window stood open to the dark night outside.
"What time is it...?"
He Li hurriedly sat up, feeling scared, fearing she had overslept. Li Lao Da had given her only two days. If she didn't return within the specified time, her sister would be in serious danger.
Anxious, He Li immediately searched for a way to check the time. Finally, she found a dusty digital clock on the desk opposite the bed. It displayed March 26, 2021, 9:22 PM. Realizing it was still the same day she left, He Li breathed a sigh of relief.
At the same time, she noticed two loaves of bread and a bottle of mineral water next to the clock, feeling somewhat surprised.
"Grr..."
Her stomach grumbled upon realizing there was food. He Li licked her lips, hesitating, but eventually tore open the packaging and began to eat hastily.
Outside the room, Bai Yin heard the commotion inside, knowing the other person was awake. However, he didn't rush to greet her. After all, few women would want others to see them wolfing down food like that.
Bai Yin was in a vast warehouse, with a small room in one corner, where He Li was now. The warehouse was stacked with various cardboard boxes containing household appliances like electric fans. Bai Yin sat next to a box, leaning against his backpack. He lit a candle, placing it on the ground beside him. As he watched the flickering candlelight, he contemplated how to introduce himself later. After all, he lacked normal interactions with women in any world. Yes, Bai Yin isn't very good at talking to women.
"Cough, cough..."
He Li's violent coughing broke the silence inside. It seemed she had choked from eating too quickly. The next logical step would be to open the bottle and drink water. However, Bai Yin didn't hear the sound of water being drunk.
"Bang! Boom!!!"
Instead, he heard something fall to the ground, followed by He Li's cry of surprise as if she had stumbled.
"Are you okay?"
Bai Yin quickly pushed the door open and saw He Li sprawled on the floor in a sorry state.
"Gulp, gulp..."
The bottle of mineral water rolled to his feet, still unopened. It seemed He Li had accidentally knocked it to the ground while trying to get water and then stepped on it, causing her to fall. Bai Yin picked up the bottle with his left hand and extended his right hand to help her up.
"Did you save me? Thank you..."
He Li took the water, her voice trembling slightly.
"No problem," Bai Yin replied calmly.
"I'm He Li, a teacher at A3 High School..."
He Li unscrewed the bottle cap and gulped down almost half, showing how thirsty she was.
"Really? That's a coincidence. I'm a student there!"
Bai Yin said, though he felt a bit guilty. Due to some special circumstances, he often took half-semester leaves. A3 High School included both junior and senior high, and Bai Yin happened to be a senior sophomore there.
"Is that so? What's your name?"
He Li, delighted to hear he was from her school, asked.
"I'm Bai Yin!"
Bai Yin introduced himself cheerfully, then asked,
"Ms. He, um... are you alone? Are there others?"
Testing the waters, he noticed He Li's expression was somewhat evasive.
"Um, well, there are a few others... They're waiting for me at home!"
He Li seemed to be deliberately hiding something, her expression awkward. Bai Yin sensed something was amiss but decided not to press her.
"It's dangerous to walk alone at night. Let's stay here tonight. If possible, can you take me to meet the others tomorrow morning?"
"Sure, welcome!"
The two spent the night without further conversation. He Li seemed to be avoiding something, retreating to her bed and falling asleep immediately. Bai Yin made a makeshift bed outside, making do with the floor. It was hard to find food in supermarkets now, but other things were not so scarce. Bai Yin found two thick cotton blankets, so they slept well that night.
It was probably around six in the morning the next day.
He Li, tiptoeing, sat up from the bed. She carefully opened the room's door, peering outside through the crack. She saw Bai Yin lying on the ground covered in a blanket. His eyes tightly closed, emitting a faint and steady breathing sound.
"Creak..."
The door was opened, emitting a creaking sound. But He Li was cautious enough that it didn't make much noise. She carefully approached Bai Yin's backpack. The next moment, she lifted it gently, then quietly left. It wasn't until she reached the first floor from the supermarket's second floor that she quickened her pace, hurrying towards the school with the bag on her back. He Li's heart raced with a mix of relief after getting what she needed and unease and guilt for her act of theft.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
She kept apologizing to herself, simultaneously searching for excuses to justify her actions.
"But I had no choice, Bai, I'm sorry, really sorry..."
Indeed, in He Li's view, taking things secretly was the best solution. If she didn't bring back the food within the specified time, her sister would be in danger. He Li had also considered whether to tell Bai Yin about her situation and ask for his help. However, Bai Yin was still too young in her eyes, just a kid. If she let him confront Li Lao Da and the others, Bai Yin would be the one to suffer in the end. So, amidst feelings of guilt and unease, He Li chose to return to school.
Meanwhile, Bai Yin, who had enjoyed a good sleep and woke up to find his bag gone, stretched lazily.
"Ms. He?"
He got up, opening the slightly ajar door in front of him, only to find the room empty. He walked in and felt the bed, realizing it was cold, indicating that the person had been gone for a long time. Even if Bai Yin was a bit slow, he knew something had happened.
"Human nature..."
He rubbed his eyes, feeling somewhat helpless. It wasn't that he cared about the food but the tools and weapons hidden in the bottom compartment of his backpack.