Five minutes later, Su Xiaoxi clutched a hastily packed backpack as Lin Yi hurried her out of the apartment building. An unfamiliar black car waited by the curb. He ushered her inside and sped off without a word.
"Where are we going?" Su Xiaoxi hugged her bag, her knuckles white.
"A safe house," Lin Yi replied tersely. "More discreet than the last one."
The car cut through the night, familiar cityscapes gradually giving way to unfamiliar streets outside the window. Lin Yi kept checking the rearview mirror, ensuring they weren't followed.
"Did they... take anything?" Su Xiaoxi asked quietly.
"Your laptop, camera, and some documents." His grip on the steering wheel tightened. "They were after that photo."
"But the photo is in the cloud..."
"They don't know that," he said flatly.
Thirty minutes later, they pulled into an old residential complex, stopping in front of a nondescript building. This safe house was even simpler than the last—straight out of the 1990s—but clean and orderly.
After locking the door and drawing all the curtains, Lin Yi methodically checked every room. Standing in the middle of the living room, Su Xiaoxi suddenly realized: from now on, she'd be living with Lin Yi day and night.
"The bedroom is yours." He returned, handing her a bottle of water. "I'll take the couch."
"Is this place... safe?" She took the water, her fingers brushing against his—icy cold.
"For now." His gaze lingered on her for a second. "Get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow."
Lying in the unfamiliar bed, Su Xiaoxi stared at the ceiling, replaying the night's terror. *If Lin Yi hadn't been there...* She couldn't finish the thought. Faint sounds from the living room told her he was still on guard.
Sometime later, she finally drifted into a fitful sleep, her dreams filled with shadowy figures and silver briefcases.
When she woke, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains. Rubbing her eyes, she checked her phone—10 AM. She'd slept far longer than usual.
Pushing open the bedroom door, she was greeted by the rich aroma of food. Lin Yi stood in the small kitchen, plating scrambled eggs and bacon. He wore a gray T-shirt, his hair slightly damp, as if he'd just showered.
"You can cook?" Su Xiaoxi blurted in surprise.
Without turning around, he replied, "Basic survival skill."