Don't touch my man

Chapter 8

Because everything happened so suddenly, before I could even react, Wang Zhengming had already let go of me and pushed Huo Yan away. "You perverted woman, what do you want? Why? Why is it always you? When will you ever stop?" Wang Zhengming shouted hoarsely.

Huo Yan stood there, glaring fiercely at Wang Zhengming. If looks could kill, Huo Yan would have killed Wang Zhengming countless times already. "Why? You ask me why? You've already killed so many people, aren't you going to stop?" Huo Yan's words snapped me out of my daze. I touched my still-burning cheek. I'm not a woman who gives up easily. I've always been pampered. In the past, I wouldn't have stopped after such an insult, but today's situation forced me to swallow my anger. Looking at the two men and women still locked in a stalemate, Wang Zhengming's face had turned pale, perhaps because of Huo Yan's words. Could he really be the real culprit? At that moment, I thought of Xiao Lin. If only he were here, because his detective skills could easily discern the truth from their words.

"I killed them? Yes, I killed them. If they hadn't been with me, you perverted woman wouldn't have done it to them. Starting with Wang Ling, one by one, they just died like that. That's right, I'm the murderer. No, you're the murderer, and I'm just an accomplice. Hahahaha~~~~~~~~~~~" Wang Zhengming was very agitated, and with the added effect of alcohol, his face was deathly pale.

Someone must have called the police, because officers appeared at the door and surrounded us. Before they could even speak, Jimmy ran over and said, "Excuse me, officers, they've had a few too much to drink. They're fine, so we won't trouble you any further. We're sorry." Jimmy explained carefully.

"Are you the boss here?" a man who seemed to be the leader asked Jimmy.

"Yes, yes, these are all old friends here. It's nothing, they just had a bit too much to drink." As he spoke, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to the policeman in front of him, but the man waved his hand and refused.

"It's good that nothing happened, but what's wrong with you young people?" He looked us up and down. "Don't drink all the time, and don't cause trouble when you're drunk. If this happens again, I'll take you away. This time, I'll let it go, brothers, let's go." With that, they turned and left, while Jimmy followed behind apologizing. Yes, the police these days are really not to be trifled with. The scene of my first meeting with Xiao Lin flashed through my mind again.

After the commotion, Wang Zhengming and Huo Yan stopped arguing. Wang Zhengming collapsed onto the sofa, while Huo Yan was pale. "Zimi, I warned you last time not to get close to him, why didn't you listen?" Huo Yan said weakly, turning to leave. "Sister Huo..." I called out to her.

She turned around, her eyes no longer filled with the resentment and hatred from before, but empty, as if everything had given up hope.

"Did you really kill them?" My heart nearly stopped as I asked that question, waiting for her answer.

She didn't speak, only gave a sorrowful smile. She turned and walked towards the door. What did her smile mean? Was it yes or no? I stood there, turning to look at Wang Zhengming. He remained in the same position, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Jimmy came over and patted me. "Come on, I'll see you out. Let him be alone for a while."

“But…he…” I didn’t want to leave him here alone, but I had no other choice. I looked to Jimmy for help, and he nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m here.” He then helped me lift Ouyang up.

It took a lot of effort to get Ouyang settled in; she was really heavy. Jimmy only dropped us off at home before leaving. I put Ouyang in the room where Luo Fei used to sleep, and watching her sleep so peacefully, I felt a little envious. If only I had been drunk earlier, I wouldn't remember anything. I chuckled self-deprecatingly, closed the door behind me, and went back to my own room. As soon as I entered and turned on the light, everything went black, and I knew nothing more.

Chapter Fourteen

When I woke up again, I found myself completely immobilized, my hands and feet tightly bound to a chair. I had been kidnapped; that was the only explanation I could think of. "Let me go! Is anyone there?" But my voice only made a buzzing sound because my mouth was gagged. I looked around. It seemed to be a warehouse or some kind of warehouse room. It was empty except for a table next to the chair where I was tied, with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter on it, the cigarettes still unopened. Directly in front of me was an iron door, and on the top of the other three walls were small windows, letting in a little light.

I kept twisting my hands, hoping the rope would loosen, but it was futile; the rope was too tight. I collapsed like a deflated soccer ball. I wanted to scream, but the things in my mouth were in the way, and my tongue was fixed under the cloth, unable to push it out.

"It's over, it's over, is my life really over? No way? Xiao Lin, Xiao Lin, where are you? Why did you suddenly disappear? You promised to protect me, you bastard, now that I'm in trouble, where are you? Men are truly untrustworthy creatures." Just as I was lost in thought, the iron door opened. Because it was so bright outside and so dark inside, my eyes were momentarily disoriented. But I could see a woman had entered. "Sister Huo..." She was the only person I could think of. The door slammed shut behind her.

My eyes adjusted, and it was indeed Huo Yan. She came over and pulled the food out of my mouth.

"What do you want? I knew it was you all along. Why? You'll get your comeuppance for killing so many people." As soon as his mouth was free, he began to curse her loudly.

"Haha, I'm saving you, you'll be free." She laughed wildly, then suddenly stopped. "Zimi, do you want to know everything?" She looked at me very seriously.

"Will you tell me?" I tilted my head and stared intently at her.

"Why didn't I tell you? You're going to die anyway." She then burst into laughter. "I didn't kill them, I didn't kill any of them, but I will kill you. I'm saving you, do you understand? Otherwise, you would have died a gruesome death too. They were all killed by ghosts, killed by Wang Ling. You've heard of Wang Ling, right? She died three years ago. Her hatred ran too deep, so she wanted to kill all the women around Wang Zhengming, you know? All of them. Hahaha~~" Huo Yan's face contorted with laughter.

What hatred does she harbor?

“Wang Zhengming is her hatred.” Hearing my question, Huo Yan stopped laughing abruptly, turned her head sharply, and moved her face closer to me. She was no longer the capable Huo Yan of the past; she was blinded by jealousy and resentment, and became ferocious.

"And what about you? Why did you kill me? Did you love Wang Zhengming?" I now know I have no chance of escaping, but I want to die knowing why.

"I love him? Do I really love him? I don't know. Maybe I really do." Huo Yan straightened up, talking to herself. "But he let me down. From the time we graduated from university, after he started his company, I started helping him until now. What have I gotten in return? Nothing. I love him, but he's indifferent, constantly changing women, one after another, until Wang Ling appeared. Wang Zhengming fell in love with her like he was bewitched. But men are never satisfied with just one woman. He kept changing women, only Wang Ling was his publicly acknowledged girlfriend. But women are possessive. When Wang Ling found out that Wang Zhengming was constantly seeing other women besides her, she couldn't bear such love and jumped off a building to commit suicide. Her last words to the world..." She cursed all the women around Wang Zhengming to die tragically, ensuring he would never find true love. Later, every woman who had an affair with Wang Zhengming died, one by one, their deaths gruesome and unspeakable. But Wang Zhengming, he seemed to forget his past wounds, replacing one woman with another. And I, he never paid me any attention. Now he's set his sights on you. Why? What do you, Zimi, have that I can compare to? Besides being younger, what else do you have? So I'm going to kill you before Wang Ling does, so no one will suspect me; they'll just think it's a ghost. Haha~~~~~~~" She turned around, pulled a five-inch dagger from her bag, and slowly approached me.

"No, wait, I have something else to say." Huo Yan stopped and looked at me coldly.

"Speak up, you don't need to waste time here, no one will save you."

"Then why don't you just kill Wang Zhengming? You need to know that a bachelor like him is every girl's dream prince charming, and no one can resist him. In a way, we're innocent. Even if you kill me, there's always another girl. Can you kill everyone?" Huo Yan paused for a moment, and slowly lowered the dagger in her hand. But she quickly raised her hand again.

"You're right, but after I kill you, I'll kill him too. I want him to stay by my side forever. Since you know everything, I can't leave you alive. You're still going to die." As she spoke, she approached step by step. I opened my eyes wide. I was still helpless in the face of death. Why couldn't I be smarter? Maybe if I were a little smarter, I could persuade her not to kill me. But now my mind was a mess. I closed my eyes and could only wait for death to call me down.

Just when I was in complete despair, I heard a gunshot. I opened my eyes and saw Sister Huo lying in a pool of blood. "Ah ...

As I slowly regained consciousness, the delicate fragrance of lilies wafted on the breeze, making me greedily inhale deeply. Was I in heaven? Heh, no, I didn't die. I opened my eyes to a world of white, and Xiao Lin's face loomed large before me.

"You bastard, where have you been? You said you'd protect me, but where were you when I needed you most?" I sat up and glared at him fiercely. Tears welled up in my eyes uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, Mi'er, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault, I frightened you." Xiao Lin buried his face in my hands.

"Where did you go? Do you know how much I missed you?" I lifted Xiao Lin's face and stroked his stubble-covered face.

“You’re weak right now, so listen to me. I’ll tell you the details when you’re feeling better, okay? I miss you so much, and I really want to call you and tell you how things are, but…”

"Alright, if there's anything you're uncomfortable saying, don't say it. I believe you won't abandon me." Looking at his guilty face, I felt a pang of heartache. Suddenly, I remembered that Sister Huo had collapsed in a pool of blood before I fainted.

"Xiao Lin, did you fire the gun just now? Is Sister Huo dead now?" Although I almost died at her hands, we were colleagues after all.

"Just now? You've been unconscious for a whole day and night. She's not dead, but she hasn't woken up yet."

"What exactly happened? How did you get here?"

"I told you, I'll tell you after you're discharged from the hospital, okay? You should rest for a bit now, okay?" Xiao Lin's large hand ruffled my messy hair.

"I'm fine now, I can be discharged. Let's go." As I was saying this, I tried to get out of bed, but Xiao Lin pressed me back down.

"No, you can only leave after the doctor gives you permission. Here, you lie down first, and I'll go ask the doctor for you." Xiao Lin took a banana from the table, peeled it, and handed it to me. He then went out, and when he came back in, the doctor was following behind him.

"Doctor, can I leave now? I'm fine."

"Okay, Captain Xiao will handle the formalities for you, and then you can leave." The doctor smiled kindly.

"Dr. Liu, are you sure she's alright?" Xiao Lin looked at me with concern and asked the doctor again.

"It's alright, your girlfriend was just a little shocked, she's fine now, don't worry." Dr. Liu patted Xiao Lin on the shoulder. "Come with me to get the surgery done." Xiao Lin looked at me and went out with the doctor.

Xiao Lin took me home. As soon as I entered the house, I closed the door. Xiao Lin turned around, covered his chest with his hands, and said, "What are you trying to do? Don't try to molest me."

"Are you crazy? Did I molest you? Look in the mirror, ugh." I tapped him on the head.

"Haha, Mi'er, you're so cute." He said, pulling me into his arms.

"Xiao Lin, please tell me what happened?" I pleaded.

"Little girl, you haven't forgotten. Okay, come sit down. I'll go get you some water and then I'll tell you in detail, okay?" He flicked my nose, got up and went to the kitchen to get water.

I turned on the TV, and the news was playing. I've never liked watching the news because I feel like I'm just a nobody, and neither national nor local events concern me. But this particular news story caught my attention.

"Our reporter reports that a shooting occurred yesterday morning at the Huanghai Warehouse in the suburbs. The shooter was Xiao Lin, a well-known detective in the city, and the injured person was a white-collar worker at a well-known company in the city. According to reports, the injured person had kidnapped a woman from the same company, and Xiao Lin still shot and saved her in the emergency. The injured person is still unconscious due to the severity of his injuries. The police revealed that the injured person may be the perpetrator of a series of murders in a certain building."

"Xiao Lin, come out here! What's going on? You know perfectly well that the murderer isn't Sister Huo. Why are you police saying this?" I asked Xiao Lin, who ran out of the kitchen, pointing at the TV.

“Mi’er, don’t get agitated. Actually, I heard everything Huo Yan said to you in the warehouse. During the time I was gone, I was also investigating Huo Yan and I know that she is not the real murderer. This is just a delaying tactic. You think that as long as the real murderer thinks that we have caught the murderer, he will think that we have lowered our guard and he will continue to make his move. Huo Yan is just bait, bait for us to catch the big fish, understand?” Xiao Lin handed me a water glass.

"You investigated her? Can you tell me what happened? Because you promised to tell me." I was eager to know the answer. Xiao Lin nodded and recounted the whole story in detail.

The story begins six years ago. At that time, Wang Zhengming's company had just been established, and it was incredibly small. His only assistant was Huo Yan, his classmate from four years of university; they were both graduates of the Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts. Six years ago, decoration companies were rare, and computer-generated graphics were not widely used. People hadn't truly embraced this new design method, so it wasn't as easy as it is now. Wang Zhengming was just a recent college graduate with limited social experience, while Huo Yan gave up a promising future for him, even nearly severing ties with her family. All because of her unspoken love for Wang Zhengming.

Huo Yan believed her devotion would win Wang Zhengming's love, but she was wrong. Two years later, when the company was starting to take shape, Wang Zhengming started dating his first girlfriend, but was cheated on and lost both his money and his life. During his most despondent time, Huo Yan was there to encourage and care for him, gradually pulling him out of his despair and helping him regain his strength. He diligently managed the company, but his personal life became increasingly decadent, constantly shifting his affections from one woman to another. Huo Yan witnessed all of this, her heart aching, but she never gave up on her love for Wang Zhengming, believing that one day he would realize her love. But six years passed. How many six-year periods of youth does a woman have? She had given her all.

Three years later, Wang Ling appeared. Wang Ling was a very smart and beautiful girl. After graduating from university, she applied for a job as an administrative assistant at Wang Zhengming's company. Indeed, she was very smart. With no social experience, she mastered all the company's operations in just one month, which was a great help to Wang Zhengming. Because of this, Wang Zhengming began to pay attention to this girl. Without much effort, Wang Ling fell into his arms. However, Wang Zhengming did not remain chaste for Wang Ling. He continued to change women. Just as Huo Yan said, no matter how many women he changed, Wang Ling was always his official girlfriend, and no one could change that.

But fate is unpredictable. Wang Ling discovered Wang Zhengming's philandering history. Unable to persuade him otherwise, the naive Wang Ling cursed Wang Zhengming and all the women around him with her own life. From then on, women kept dying. Huo Yan thought that with Wang Ling dead, she would have a chance to win Wang Zhengming's love, but she was wrong. Although Wang Zhengming was sad for a while after Wang Ling's death, he quickly recovered and found a new target, entering into another relationship.

It wasn't until Mei Zi appeared that Wang Zhengming truly reformed his ways, abandoning his philandering and devoting himself entirely to Mei Zi. Because Huo Yan was Wang Zhengming's college classmate and the company's founder, he confided in her. When she learned that Wang Zhengming planned to marry Mei Zi, she went mad—an uncontrollable madness. Years of love transformed into hatred, and it was precisely because of this that, after Mei Zi's death, Wang Zhengming shifted all the blame onto her. Perhaps this is what led to the scene Jimmy witnessed in the bar.

Because we worked in the same company, she saw Wang Zhengming showing affection for me, the newcomer, which fueled Huo Yan's hatred even more. She wanted to kill me herself to vent her anger. It's fair to say that she had been planning to kidnap me for a long time.

After listening to what Xiao Lin said, I sighed. A woman's love can be so terrifying!

"Where did you learn all this from?" Xiao Lin took out a thick diary from his bag.

“Actually, we didn’t find anything unusual while tracking Huo Yan. We learned about her past through various channels. During the tracking, I noticed that she often sat at the table writing something. On the night before she kidnapped you, I stole her diary when she wasn’t paying attention, and that’s when I learned about the danger you were facing. Luckily, we found out in time, or you would have lost your life.” Xiao Lin affectionately touched my face.

"No way, I know you're the strongest. You promised to protect me, so you definitely can, right?" She finished speaking and gave him her sweetest smile.

"Speaking of which, wouldn't this completely cut off all your leads? Wouldn't that be a huge problem?" I started to worry for him.

“It’s a bit tricky, but it’s okay. Think about it, the real culprit’s goal is to kill the women around Wang Zhengming, and you’ve been in the closest contact with him recently, so we can deduce that the next target is you. This time, as long as we follow you 24 hours a day, it will be easy for you to find the murderer. But it’s tough on you, you’ll have to be the bait again.” As he spoke, Xiao Lin hugged me tightly.

Chapter Fifteen

To outsiders, the case may seem to have ended there, because this morning when I entered the company and was in the elevator, I kept hearing various discussions about Sister Huo.

"I really didn't expect it to be her. I never would have guessed," said A.

“Yes, I didn’t expect it either. She’s usually so organized and capable. I never imagined she was a murderer. Luckily, we didn’t offend her, or we might be dead by now,” said B.

After hearing this, I felt particularly bad, because I knew that things were not as they thought. Sister Huo was just unlucky and became a scapegoat.

We walked in silence until we reached my floor. As I stepped out of the elevator, I saw Ouyang peering out of his office. When he saw me come out, he came over to greet me. "Mi'er, are you alright? It's all my fault. I shouldn't have drunk so much that day. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been kidnapped by that perverted woman." Ouyang looked full of guilt.

"It's alright, Ouyang doesn't blame you, don't blame yourself." I took her hand and led her into the office. As soon as we entered, everyone surrounded us, asking all sorts of questions and constantly blaming Sister Huo. I didn't say anything; at this moment, it was best for me to remain silent and say nothing.

Just then, the phone on my desk rang. I glanced at them, smiled sheepishly, and they immediately understood what I meant and walked away. I picked up the phone, "Hello..."

"...Haha~ Haha~" A sarcastic laugh came from the microphone.

"Who is it? Speak up." I tried to remain calm because I knew this call wasn't a prank by any friend; Meizi was calling me again.

There was silence on the other end.

“Speak, is that Meizi? Meizi, is that you?” I asked cautiously.

"Haha~~ I told you not to touch my man, didn't you listen? Then don't blame me for being impolite, haha~ Thank you for finding me a scapegoat. To repay you, I'll let you die a little more happily, haha~~"

There was silence on the other end, followed by a busy tone. I put down the phone; my back was already soaked with cold sweat. It happened too fast, too quickly. I picked up the phone again and dialed Xiao Lin's number.

"Hey, she called me again. She told me to die happily. I'm scared, I don't want to die." As she spoke, tears fell. Ever since the Huo Jie incident, I've started to fear death. It's a real fear. I think anyone would feel this way when facing death.

"Don't cry, okay? I won't let you die. I'll protect you. Don't worry. Why don't you ask your boss for leave? You're too stressed. Don't go to work anymore; I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it, okay? That's it. I'll be waiting for you downstairs at your company in 10 minutes. Go ask your boss for leave now." Xiao Lin hung up the phone after saying that. One minute it was a suggestion, the next it was an order. So authoritarian! But there was no time to think about it now. I picked up my bag and headed towards Wang Zhengming's office.

When I asked to rest, Wang Zhengming nodded without saying a word; his eyes were filled with exhaustion. I wanted to say something, but I didn't, and turned to leave.

After I went downstairs and waited for a while, Xiao Lin drove over. He invited me into the car, and I had calmed down a little. "Xiao Lin, I'm scared, I'm really scared. Can I please stop? I don't have the courage anymore..." As I said this, tears fell again.

Xiao Lin didn't say anything, but simply parked the car to the side and hugged me tightly. After a long silence, he lifted my tear-streaked face and said, "Mi'er, I know you've endured too much, and maybe you can't take it anymore. Okay, never mind, I don't want you to suffer even the slightest bit of harm. So go on a trip and forget all these unhappy things, okay?"

"And what about you?" I might be able to get away unscathed, but what about Xiao Lin, who is a policeman? Can he just ignore this matter like I can?

"Me? Hehe, Mi'er, I still have work. I can't rest until the case is solved. If you don't want to go alone, how about asking Luo Fei to come with you?" Xiao Lin's eyes were so gentle, and his tone couldn't hide his concern. I nodded. Just then, the phone rang. I looked at Xiao Lin nervously, and he looked at me too. This scene was so familiar. I remembered that at the beginning, it was Xiao Cui who had been by my side the whole time, but now he was...

"Mi'er, answer the phone." Xiao Lin's voice pulled me from my thoughts. The phone was still ringing stubbornly. I took the phone out of my bag, looked at the caller ID, and my heart relaxed. It was my father.

"Hello, Dad. What's up?" I said in our family dialect. Xiao Lin, standing next to me, covered his mouth and chuckled. I turned around and glared at him. He immediately stopped laughing, but his face was contorted from trying to suppress it. His expression amused me. But I didn't dare make a sound because I was on the phone with my dad.

"Mi'er, how's work lately?" That's always the first question Dad asks, and the next question is always, "Do you need money?"

"Yes, Dad, don't worry, I'm doing a good job."