The woman's face was a ghastly white, her features twisting with agitation.
She raised her slender arms, wrapping them around Gu Feiyu's neck, her icy fingertips tracing down the man's cheek.
After licking off her vivid lipstick to reveal thin, purplish-grey lips, she leaned close to Gu Feiyu's ear and whispered softly.
"When two people fall for the same thing, the fairest way is to divide it, one half for each."
Her kitchen knife deftly unbuttoned the security guard uniform. Every movement she made was gentle.
The security guard slumped on the sofa struggled to open his eyes. He wasn't completely unconscious, retaining some awareness.
"My sister and I both found our love, the first person we ever loved."
She leaned lightly against Gu Feiyu's chest. "Your personality is very much like his. I had planned to invite you to my home in a few months, but it seems those people have already found me. I must leave this city as soon as possible."
Listening to Gu Feiyu's heartbeat, the woman tilted her head back. "Don't be nervous, I won't hurt you."
She entered the bedroom, took down the black leather suitcase from the top of the wardrobe, and from within it, produced a cassette recorder from many years ago.
Kneeling beside the recorder, the woman selected a dust-covered cassette tape. She kissed the edges of the tape frantically, as if performing some sort of ritual.
She inserted the tape, pressed the switch, and a boy's singing voice emerged from the speakers.
Holding the kitchen knife, the woman listened quietly. The boy's voice was clean and warm, carrying threads of affection.
This must have been a love song.
"I copied his voice onto over a dozen tapes, but sadly, most were lost."
A familiar melody filled the living room. The woman seemed to have traveled back many years. She tossed Gu Feiyu's uniform aside, pulled a rope from under the sofa, and after securing him, dragged him into the bathroom.
Hiding in the wardrobe, Chen Ge had witnessed the entire process. "The freezer locked in the kitchen, the large bathtub in the bathroom—this woman had prepared everything. It's too crazy."
He took out his phone and stepped out of the wardrobe. If he didn't act now, Gu Feiyu's life would be in danger.
Lowering the volume, he stood by the bedroom door, grabbed a solid makeup chair, and dialed Gu Feiyu's number.
The woman in the bathroom had just thrown Gu Feiyu into the bathtub when a ringtone blared from the living room. "Why now, of all times?"
Barefoot, the woman walked out of the bathroom and picked up the security uniform from the corner.
While she was rummaging through the uniform for Gu Feiyu's phone, Chen Ge crept up behind her with the makeup chair.
As if sensing something, the woman holding the uniform glanced back. Before her head had fully turned, Chen Ge had already swung the solid makeup chair down with all his might.
"Thud!"
The woman never expected another person to be in the house. She collapsed to the floor, blood blooming on the top of her head, her eyes fixed on Chen Ge as if they were about to burst from their sockets.
"How are you here?!"
"Thud!"
Chen Ge was not one for unnecessary words, especially when the opponent hadn't fully lost the ability to resist. The chair came down again, on the same spot. The woman felt her head swim. Her body was already weak, and now she couldn't even stand.
He untied the ropes binding Gu Feiyu and then used them to secure the woman's hands and legs. "Didn't expect the two tasks to intersect like this, but this works out."
From his pocket, he took out his own cassette tape and inserted it into the recorder. The singing stopped, replaced only by the soft hiss of static in the room.
"Those who do not respect life will not be respected by it."
Blood stained the woman's face. She lay on the ground, staring at Chen Ge, but her expression was peculiar—showing no fear or worry, only surprise and astonishment.