Chapter Thirty Night Patrol

  The first rain after entering summer, gentle and lingering, bringing waves of coolness. Big literary flavor.

  At seven o'clock in the evening, the sky was overcast with dark clouds, and the lights in the residential area were shining like stars. I walked under my umbrella, enjoying the refreshing breeze, walking in the rain.

  Today is my first patrol, thinking that I will be alone in the almost empty teaching building, wandering around with a flashlight, and my heart is a little scared. The scene should be as scary as a horror movie... Ruo Xi wanted to accompany me together, but was rejected by me, letting her have time to cultivate feelings with Ji Dong, don't worry about me. Just now I was still swearing that I wasn't afraid at all, but being in this rainy day, it formed a strange atmosphere, my heart became tense, and I slowed down my pace, need to calm down first.

  It's come to this point, and there's no room for turning back. Fortunately, there's still the duty uncle who can help, and Teacher Bai said it's just a casual look, and there are also senior students from the cram school, nothing to be afraid of!

  The teaching building of the summer school was pitch black, only the top floor had lights on, which was where the cram school was located. The streetlights on the main road were still on as usual, and the guard room was also brightly lit.

  He closed his umbrella and walked under the eaves, lightly knocking twice on the wooden door of the guard room. The door creaked open, revealing a middle-aged security guard in a blue uniform standing before him, slightly furrowing his brow with some impatience, asking in a rough Northeastern accent: "What's up?"

  It seems he's in a bad mood, having to work during summer vacation when everyone else is off. Who wouldn't be unhappy?

  I smiled awkwardly: "Uh, I'm in charge of night patrol, may I ask Liu..."

  He leaned against the door, nodded before I finished speaking, and walked into the house with a knowing expression. His tone returned to normal: "Oh, you're here for patrol? Wait a minute. Big Literature."

  I also walked a few steps inside, the workspace was neither cluttered nor tidy, and there was only one person here, he should be Liu Jianwei... Standing on the side watching him, I saw him stretch his hand into the drawer and rummage through it casually, pulling out a small shiny copper key attached to an iron tube flashlight and handing it over: "The power switch at the bottom of the ladder, use this to unlock it, check it out and then restore it, then come back here and wait until 10 o'clock when I close the door."

  I took the key in a daze: "Open the lock?" Isn't he going with me? What if I made a mistake and cut off all the electricity?

  He sat back at his desk without looking up: "Right, and close the door on your way out."

  I couldn't get anyone to come with me, so I had no choice but to go alone. But it's okay, it seems I won't need a flashlight after all - if the lights can be turned on, it'll be just like daytime, and my worries were unnecessary. I'm really getting more timid as I grow older.

  A dark and gloomy parking lot, shrouded in a thin mist of rain, reminded me of the night I was taken away by Xiao Ruan. It was also enveloped in darkness, but tonight's atmosphere seemed even more ominous. Taking a deep breath, I perked up my ears, rubbed my eyes clean, turned on my flashlight, and slowly walked into the stairwell. The white beam of light illuminated the snow-white walls, casting an eerie glow. My nerves were taut, but there was no movement in the darkness. Summoning my courage, I rushed down to the bottom of the stairs, but there was no black-clad figure jumping out as I had expected. The faint light landed on the electrical box, reflecting a soft sheen.

  I inserted the key and turned it gently, at least unlocking didn't require any skill. With a "click", the iron cover popped open. A row of black power switches of varying sizes, with the largest one in front labeled "Master Switch" and the ones behind labeled XX. I flipped all the switches up, but the room was still pitch black, except for a vertical row of lights near the stairs that lit up. It seemed like I needed to go up to the middle of the second floor to find the switch.

  Just as I was about to go upstairs, a black shadow suddenly darted in from outside the door. My heart skipped a beat and I took a step back, ready to defend myself. Could it be that Xiaoran really had an ambush? After calming down and seeing the person's face clearly, my eyes lit up.

  The tall figure shook off the water droplets on its arm and opened its mouth with a slight pant: "Hasn't it started yet?"

  A petite figure followed him in, poking her head out, holding a small flower umbrella that was dripping with water, and stuck her tongue out at me: "I'm telling you, cousin, aren't you afraid being alone? On a rainy night, I've never seen a girl as brave as you."

  I happily bounced up to them, grabbing one of their arms and shaking it: "Wow! Winter melon sister! You're all here!" I thought I was going to be on high alert and patrol alone, but now I have company! Seeing them for a moment really touched my heart.

  Ji Dong put his hands in his pockets and walked up the stairs first. He went up two flights of stairs, then turned around and looked down at us with a serious expression, patting his chest: "I'll go take a look, you guys just wait here." His solemn face made me want to laugh, but Ruoxi was already smiling all over her face. It seemed that Ji Dong's attempt to act cool in front of Ruoxi was still quite effective.

  "I'll go with you too, I need to get familiar with it. There are still many times, can't always let you guys help me!" I followed behind him, holding onto Ruoxi's hand.

  Ji Dong took the lead, turning on all the lights. I followed him with Ruo Xi, supposedly patrolling but actually just wandering around without any technical expertise at all.

  "You're a girl, it's already late at night and very dangerous. Isn't Lao Ban always good to you? Why did he assign this kind of task to you?" Ji Dong said angrily: "If I hadn't heard it from Ruoxi, I wouldn't have known. You're always so stubborn, can't even bear the burden yourself yet still insist on jumping into the fire pit?"

  I squeezed Ruoxi's hand tightly and smiled at her gratefully. She was indeed a true sister, with a deep understanding of my heart. At this moment, only she still cared about me and even arranged for a bodyguard... Speaking of which, I wondered what Yu was doing at home. His mother seemed to be particularly clingy to him lately, and as a filial son, he had begun to embody the spirit of "obedience". That night, after I completely treated myself as a commodity and traded with him, he hadn't even summoned me yet. But shouldn't true boyfriends and girlfriends be like Ruoxi, sticking together through thick and thin? The situation was indeed complicated. I secretly developed good feelings towards Yu, while Yu used me as a shield. Xiaoran and my aunt would have been better off if I had never been born. Jidong was in a transitional phase, and Ruoxi continued to care for me with meticulous attention... Ah, for the sake of Ruoxi and Jidong, I could endure any suffering!

  "Yes! It won't do like this, why don't you contact Zhang Jiu Yu and let him come to accompany you?" Ruoxi's eyes were worried: "There must be a boy with you, don't you know that your current situation is dangerous? You've had lessons before, but you still don't pay attention!"

  "Alright, alright! Don't worry, Winter Melon sister! Of course I know safety comes first. Originally, I was going to ask the security uncle to accompany me, but he's busy today, so... I'm not that annoying, am I? Who would stare at me with nothing better to do after eating their fill?"

  "What's going on! Isn't it Li Xiaoran? Didn't you say her mom was also strongly opposed to it? You'd better be careful!" Living together day and night, Ruoxi is the one who understands my situation best. What she said is exactly what I'm worried about. I always feel that this matter won't be so simple.

  "If there's any danger, call me, don't leave your phone behind." Ji Dong turned his head to look at me, his face serious.

  "Alright! I've saved all your numbers as speed dial, that should be fine!"

  Three of us walked, with Ruo Xi in the middle and Ji Dong and I on either side. As their senior confidants and big electric light bulbs, I felt both comforted and embarrassed, wanting to sneak a peek but also wanting to disappear, it was really a difficult situation! They gave up some alone time to accompany me, and I felt quite guilty about it. Okay! Next time I must not disturb them from cultivating their feelings again!

  I smiled slyly and nudged Ruoxi with my elbow, whispering in her ear: "What stage have you guys reached? Are your feelings good enough?"

  She couldn't help but glance at me with a smile, then quickly looked away, lowering her head and whispering: "Nothing..."

  I don't know why, but I feel like they're a perfect match, just like the legendary golden boy and jade girl. The fake mask dance party at the milk tea house was just a coincidence, but it really hit the spot! As for me and Yu... we're not as wrong as everyone thinks. Even though I've become his "official girlfriend" on the surface, even though I've developed some special feelings for him in my heart, even though he occasionally shows me abnormal tenderness, even though he's willing to let me take the punishment for Ji Dong... none of these things can explain anything. The only thing I feel is that the resentment in his heart still hasn't dissipated after all these years. He seems like he can't rest until he gets revenge, and in tormenting Ji Dong, he's also tormenting himself. But I haven't even figured out the most basic things, so even if I want to help him get rid of his demons, I don't know where to start. Maybe my emotional journey is destined to be full of twists and turns.

  I reached out from behind Ruoxi and poked Ji Dong's arm, pretending to be angry: "The night before last you just ran off like that, without even giving me an explanation! Tell me! What did you go do?" They appeared as usual by my side today, proving that Ji Dong had let his guard down. On the other hand, if I didn't ask, it would seem like there really was something going on.

  He slightly frowned and said in a stiff tone: "Go buy beer."

  "Huh? Beer is that important to you? Looks like someone's going to be jealous again!" I glanced at Ruoxi, who smiled and playfully bumped me. I just realized that she and Jidong weren't holding hands like I thought they were - I assumed they'd been holding hands the whole time. To think that their relationship had been confirmed for so long, but they still hadn't even held hands? This progress was slower than a snail's pace... my face felt warm, this must be the difference between reality and fake.