Loving You in Silence - Chapter 11

The temperature inside the cabin was pleasant, a stark contrast to the biting cold outside. The room was bustling with noise; Jiang Zi spoke very softly, and the slight rustle of the blanket being spread over her went unnoticed by most.

Xia Zhou caught it, though, and let out a “Tsk.” “Ms. Jiang, you’re playing favorites! Ms. Meng hasn’t even said she’s cold yet, and you’re already tucking her in. When I said I was cold just now, why didn’t I see you looking out for me?”

Jiang Zi sat up straight again. “Weren’t you just hugging me for warmth?”

“That was me taking the initiative, okay? I thought you were as stiff as a board and didn’t know how to care for people, but it turns out you just pick and choose,” Xia Zhou said, clutching her heart with a look of utter devastation. “My feelings have been wasted. No more little buns for you when you skip breakfast.”

The commotion caused the people around them to turn and stare.

Unable to tell if she was joking or truly upset, and unable to think of a witty comeback, Jiang Zi offered a sincere, “I’m sorry.”

Xia Zhou: “…”

Her expression shifted instantly, and she burst into non-stop laughter, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “I’m just teasing you. Ms. Jiang, how are you so easy to mess with?”

The others at the table watched their interaction, chiming in when they heard that. “Ms. Jiang does seem a bit introverted.”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Ms. Jiang smile yet.”

“She’s just naturally not a smiler, hahaha.”

Facing their teasing, an imperceptible flash of irritation crossed Jiang Zi’s brow. Her mood soured, and she felt a sudden urge to leave.

The blanket slipped slightly. Meng Yihuai stood up, set the small blanket aside, and walked straight over to Xia Zhou with a cup of hot tea in hand.

“I heard Ms. Xia is afraid of the cold,” Meng Yihuai said, placing the cup in front of her. “Have some; it’ll warm you up.”

Xia Zhou was overwhelmed by the attention. “I’m not that cold anymore.”

“Have some anyway. Do you need me to scald your utensils for you too?”

“No, no, no need.”

“What, do you only like it when Ms. Jiang cares for you?” Meng Yihuai said with a half-smile. “Is it not okay for me to be a little thoughtful?”

After Meng Yihuai sat back down, the focus shifted to Xia Zhou, who began talking about her sister’s minor car accident, leading into a discussion about social safety issues. Meng Yihuai pulled the blanket back over her lap.

Jiang Zi’s mood relaxed, and she listened quietly to their chatter.

Before long, the servers began bringing out the food. The dishes were primarily Beicheng specialties, interspersed with some expensive seafood. It looked quite costly.

Seeing some people hesitate to pick up their chopsticks, Qi Yan said, “Eat up, teachers! The team-building expenses are all reimbursed by the school. Don’t let the money go to waste. To be honest, if I could have rented this whole boat, I wouldn’t have just booked a private room.”

At that, everyone began to eat.

Jiang Zi wasn’t a picky eater; she ate whatever was rotated in front of her, rarely speaking and only listening quietly. On either side of her, Xia Zhou and Meng Yihuai kept the conversation flowing with laughter, keeping the atmosphere lively.

In the middle of the meal, someone brought over a crate of beer. The alcohol content wasn’t high. Just enough for a pleasant buzz and almost everyone took a can. Xia Zhou was about to place one in front of Jiang Zi, but Jiang Zi shook her head. “I’ll just have coconut milk.”

“Sure,” Xia Zhou looked at Meng Yihuai. “What would you like, Ms. Meng?”

“The same as Ms. Jiang.”

“Got it.”

It was a tall bottle of coconut milk. Just as Jiang Zi grabbed it, she saw Meng Yihuai push her glass toward her.

After pouring for her, it didn’t end there. Meng Yihuai signaled with her eyes and said plainly, “Ms. Jiang, I like that cod, but my arms are too short to reach it.”

Jiang Zi understood. A pampered young lady like her liked to be served even while eating. She stood up to plate a few pieces for her. As she sat back down, Jiang Zi couldn’t help but steal a glance at those slender fingertips.

Meng Yihuai spoke again: “Aren’t you going to get some for yourself?”

Jiang Zi also quite liked the dish, so she plated some for herself as well.

“The chicken wings are to my taste too.”

“…”

“I’ll have some lettuce as well; a balance of meat and vegetables is more nutritious.”

“…”

Watching Jiang Zi constantly standing up to serve her like a little maid being ordered around, Qi Yan, as the Dean, couldn’t quite bear it. “Ms. Meng, you shouldn’t order people around like that.”

“I have a blanket on; it’s inconvenient to stand up,” Meng Yihuai looked at Jiang Zi, her voice softening. “Ms. Jiang, if you don’t like it, it’s okay. I don’t have to trouble you.”

Jiang Zi’s heart softened at her “pitiful” look. Besides, her tastes were surprisingly identical to Meng Yihuai’s, and the things she was plating were all things she liked anyway, so she didn’t find it troublesome. “It’s fine.”

Meng Yihuai looked at Qi Yan and blinked. “Ms. Jiang says it’s fine.”

Qi Yan: “…”

The corners of Meng Yihuai’s lips curled up slightly. “Ms. Jiang, I’d like some soup too.”

“…”

The sightseeing boat took over an hour to loop around the Beicheng riverside and return to the starting point. After dinner, some people stayed in the room to smoke, while those who disliked the smell of smoke went outside to look at the river view.

Finding a quiet, deserted spot, Jiang Zi rested her fingers on the cold railing, feeling the biting river wind. The dazzling night view drifted slowly by with the boat’s movement, the sound of the wind mixing with the rushing water in her ears.

Her long hair blew gently in the breeze. Jiang Zi watched in silence for a long time.

After a while, she began to feel the chill. Just then, her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.

— [How could you just leave without a word?]

It was a very baffling message, and given it was from a stranger, Jiang Zi assumed it was a wrong number.

— [You have the wrong person.]

The other party didn’t respond.

Jiang Zi put her phone away, wrapped her trench coat tighter, and headed back inside.

The boat meandered around the river before finally docking. The teachers, heading in different directions, waved their goodbyes.

After Xia Zhou and Qi Yan left together, Jiang Zi prepared to call a car. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Meng Yihuai approach. “Ms. Jiang, I drove here. Do you need a lift?”

“Ah,” Jiang Zi didn’t want to trouble anyone. “No thanks, but thank you.”

“It’s fine. You served me food today; it’s only right that I give you a ride.”

Jiang Zi: “But… we probably aren’t going the same way.”

“It doesn’t matter. I happen to want to enjoy the night breeze a bit longer,” Meng Yihuai said.

After a brief thought, Jiang Zi didn’t refuse the kindness again. They walked to a black sedan parked by the road, and Meng Yihuai opened the door for her.

Sitting in the passenger seat and buckling her seatbelt, Jiang Zi kept her eyes forward until Meng Yihuai tapped the steering wheel. “What’s the name of your neighborhood?”

“Peninsula.”

Meng Yihuai put the route into the GPS.

The temperature in the car was comfortable, and a love song by Yan Renzhong was playing. The atmosphere was soothing and relaxing. No one spoke, and Jiang Zi looked out the window.

The scenery slowly shifted. As time passed, the wide, brilliant highway night view turned into dark, secluded lanes. As they neared her neighborhood, the surroundings became increasingly dilapidated.

Suddenly, Jiang Zi remembered the night she stayed at Meng Yihuai’s place and how she had made the “blasphemous” comment about her being poor. Even though she hadn’t meant it maliciously, at this moment, she hoped Meng Yihuai’s memory wasn’t too sharp or better yet, that she’d forgotten entirely.

Fortunately, when the car stopped at the gate, Meng Yihuai’s gaze swept over the area without a hint of disdain.

Jiang Zi let out an imperceptible sigh of relief and unbuckled her seatbelt. “I’ll head in then.”

Meng Yihuai nodded, her tone gentle. “I’ll tell you when I get home.”

That sentence sounded a bit strange. Usually, it would be the person being dropped off who said that but Jiang Zi didn’t dwell on it and nodded. “Okay.”

It was nearly 11:00 PM, and the sky was pitch black. Some of the streetlights in the neighborhood were in disrepair, emitting a dim, flickering yellow light. There was no one around.

As Jiang Zi walked forward through a patch of shadow, she felt the faint, phantom sound of footsteps behind her. At one point, she turned around, only to see the vast, empty darkness.

Jiang Zi frowned and quickened her pace. There was no elevator in the building, so she climbed the stairs to the sixth floor. During the climb, she became absolutely certain someone was following her, as the sound of footsteps on the stairs was distinct.

Thinking back to the recent news about stalkers harassing women living alone which had been a hot topic a while ago, she wondered if they had been caught. Jiang Zi’s lips pressed into a tight line.

Reaching her door, she quickly fished her keys from her bag, opened the door as fast as she ever had, and locked it behind her.

Before she could even catch her breath from the tension, she discovered something even more tragic: the power was out.

For a moment, she suspected it was intentional.

Jiang Zi knew where the circuit breaker was but didn’t know how to fix it. Her phone’s flashlight dimly lit a small patch of the floor when suddenly:

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone was knocking on the door.

Jiang Zi’s heart hammered against her ribs. She swallowed hard and took tiny steps toward the door, asking cautiously, “Who is it?”

The person outside didn’t answer, only continued to knock.

Surrounded by darkness, with her phone as the only light, Jiang Zi dragged the shoe racks from either side to block the door. Still feeling it wasn’t enough, she haphazardly piled some heavy objects. She didn’t even know what—onto the racks.

The knocking continued.

Then, the person outside spoke: “Open up.”

It was a man’s voice.

Jiang Zi’s whole body trembled. She collapsed onto the sofa, her fingers shaking as she pulled up An Jia’s number and dialed.

The line rang for a long time, but no one answered.

In her panic, she noticed a flickering red dot under the TV in the living room. After staring for a few seconds, Jiang Zi clutched her phone and slowly crept toward it, pointing her flashlight at the red light source.

It was a small camera.

With the car parked in the garage, Meng Yihuai closed the door and gave Jiang Zi a call after stepping out of the elevator.

The call was picked up quickly.

“Ms. Jiang, I’m home,” Meng Yihuai said as she entered her passcode, stepped inside, and swapped into her slippers, her voice tinged with a smile. “You should get some sleep soon too.”

The other end of the line was incredibly quiet, save for the sound of slightly heavy breathing.