Death Timeline

Chapter 10

That morning, Director Chen sensed something was amiss as soon as he arrived at work. Sure enough, after making his rounds, he discovered that Li Hui was absent again. The department was already short-staffed, and had been particularly busy lately, but Li Hui had taken two consecutive days of leave after recovering from her injury, leaving him struggling to manage the workload.

However, what worried Director Chen the most was Li Hui's injury.

Although he always adhered to the principle of "it's better to avoid trouble," a young woman whose husband was not at home should have received more attention from her superiors in this special situation.

Director Chen called the head nurse to discuss buying some fruit to visit Li Hui. However, after making many phone calls, no one answered at Li Hui's home.

Right now, Li Hui is wandering around a supermarket owned by foreigners. As soon as Dadun left, she felt she couldn't stay in the room anymore, so she thought of going to the supermarket.

Lately, she's been so stressed about her "death schedule" that she hasn't had the time or inclination to go to the supermarket in ages. Normally, even if there's nothing to buy, she enjoys browsing in places like this. The shelves are filled with a dazzling array of imported goods, from beautiful Simmons mattresses to tiny pacifiers—all so exquisite and beautiful they're captivating. Even just looking at them is a pleasure.

Now, she could temporarily forget the contents of the email she'd seen before leaving the house. As time passed, the man lurking behind the scenes seemed quite annoyed, hysterically yelling in the email: "Today is day ten, and a third of your death sentence has passed! Watch your head..."

Li Hui recalled everything that had happened after the hint about "ears" yesterday and felt it was somewhat absurd: she had actually fallen into this terrifying vicious cycle again.

How could that thief be so lucky? How did he know the woman of the house had an hearing problem? And why did he choose such a night to break into her house?

Yesterday, she had unconsciously accepted "SW's" psychological suggestions again, and followed his instructions step by step, letting things develop as he expected. But today, she would never do that! "Be careful with your head"? Fine! She would stay in the supermarket this afternoon. Anyway, she could eat fast food at the entrance after shopping; she hadn't eaten anything since noon! She wanted to relax. With so many people around, who would dare to harm her in public? Besides, the mall was so lively; once her attention was diverted, her psychological barrier would naturally dissipate.

It was one o'clock in the afternoon, and the supermarket wasn't too crowded. The sales clerks were busy putting various goods on the shelves. It was clear that their business was booming; many items had sold out by the end of the morning.

Look at how efficient those foreign-managed companies are! Watching the sales clerks, manipulating the long iron arms of their carts, lift large boxes full of goods and place them one by one on the top shelf. Other carts are busy moving boxes that were placed on the top shelf yesterday or this morning to empty spaces on the lower shelves, so customers can choose freely.

The advantage of this warehouse-style supermarket is that goods are placed inside the supermarket after they arrive, eliminating the need for separate warehouses. This reduces the cost of goods, allowing them to be sold cheaper. However, Li Hui felt that the worker operating the forklift next to her seemed a bit clumsy, making her worry for him.

Li Hui carefully walked around to the side to admire the crystal-clear glass products.

The various glass fruit platters from Japan and Germany, regardless of size, are all so elegant, beautiful, and interesting. There are colored ones, transparent ones, and sets ranging from large to small; each one is simply captivating.

She couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke the edges of them, which were carved with beautiful patterns. Some were bunches of grapes, some were roses, and others were adorned with colorful little animals or various fruit-shaped ornaments.

The fruit platter she was using at home was an oval-shaped, boat-shaped platter made in Japan, with both ends pointing upwards. It felt heavy and sturdy, yet it looked exquisite and artistic. The ones in front of her now were all no less impressive than the one she had bought before.

Sigh! You can't possibly buy that many fruit platters for one household, can you?

But she absolutely has to buy one today! Otherwise, she won't be able to satisfy her itch.

Let's give this to Zhang Lili. She's worked so hard taking care of her these past few days. Sending her an imported fruit platter is a nice gesture to show our appreciation.

After browsing for a long time with her eyes wide open, she finally reluctantly chose a round fruit plate with strings of red lychees on the outside. It was the perfect size, suitable for both one person and guests.

Li Hui glanced at the price: 160 yuan. She thought to herself, "It's a bit expensive, but the gift for Zhang Lili needs to be exquisite; she's a very picky woman."

Li Hui weighed the fruit platter in her hand and felt very satisfied. It was as if the price was directly proportional to the weight, making it seem like a genuine product.

Should we carry it? It's too heavy. We can pick up this fruit platter at the end of our shopping trip.

Just as she carefully placed the fruit plate on the shelf and breathed a sigh of relief, she turned around and saw a familiar face—wasn't that Mr. Yang?

Li Hui felt a little uncomfortable recalling Mr. Yang's overly attentive behavior at the hotel the night before last. She thought she should just avoid him and walk around him, so she quickly moved closer to the nearby shelves.

Mr. Yang, leading a little boy, was picking out strollers from under a shelf not far from her, one after another, seemingly without getting tired. Li Hui wondered, "Is this man... a married man?" She couldn't help but worry about Zhang Lili.

Maybe that woman is also in the mall, picking something out somewhere! Thinking this, Li Hui's heart pounded wildly, and a strong desire to pry into Mr. Yang's privacy surged from the depths of her heart. She decided to pretend to stroll around, slowly wandering about, hiding behind shelves, afraid of being discovered.

"Okay! This one will do?" she heard Mr. Yang say to the child.

"Mommy! Mommy!" the little boy suddenly called out. Li Hui peeked in the direction the boy was facing, but saw no one. She peeked again, but still saw nothing.

When she turned back to look at the stroller rack, she found that Mr. Yang and the child were gone. She hurriedly came out from behind the rack, intending to chase after them.

Just then, a huge cardboard box fell off the shelf behind her with a thud, landing squarely where she had just been standing.

When the sales clerk ran over, Li Hui was standing there in a daze. She looked at the edges of several colorful wooden planks exposed in the cracked cardboard box. It was an unassembled wooden bookshelf.

"Watch your head!"

The vicious language in the morning email suddenly popped up. Li Hui imagined herself lying under that pile of wooden planks with her brains splattered out. Her legs went weak and she leaned against the shelf, causing several wooden CD and floppy disk racks to fall to the ground with a clatter.

"Miss, Miss, are you alright?" The saleswoman helped Li Hui up and asked with concern.

Normally, she would have done what an ordinary Shanghai woman would do: go to the manager's office in the mall to demand justice.

But now, she absentmindedly broke free from the sales clerk's hand and ran to the back of the shelf at an astonishing speed to check. She couldn't believe that such a heavy thing could have been accidentally knocked down by herself!

But it was all in vain.

Of course, she found nothing; even Mr. Yang's shadow had long since vanished.

Li Hui froze for a moment, then ran out of the supermarket without looking back. She heard people behind her saying, "How could this person be so careless? They knocked over something so heavy and almost died!"

"The items in your mall aren't stored securely enough; it's quite dangerous!"

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, everyone was frightened. It wasn't because we didn't put it away properly, it must have been moved by a customer and not put back in. This will never happen again, please rest assured..." Li Hui thought to herself, "This humble person must be a small manager in the mall. He's really benefited from my bad luck today."

Li Hui ran to the mall entrance and quickly scanned the crowd, trying to find a familiar face, including Mr. Yang.

But the customers coming out all hurried past her, each carrying large bags and looking satisfied yet exhausted. Those who had just entered the courtyard were full of enthusiasm and anticipation. None of them seemed like the person who had pushed the cardboard box down from behind, intending to ambush her.

Suddenly, a figure flashed through my mind—the clumsy person cutting in line didn't look like one of those well-trained employees in the mall at all…

She hurriedly ran back into the mall and examined each of the workers installing the crates, only to find that they all looked exactly alike; none of them resembled Ning Kun, and none of them were clumsy anymore. Even as her eyes grew tired, she still couldn't make them out clearly.

"Watch your head!" Li Hui felt her head buzzing, as if she had just been hit by something.

Is there really no safe place in this world?

Director Chen couldn't get through to Li Hui's home phone, so he had to come to the physiotherapy department to find Zhang Lili.

He rarely interacted with Zhang Lili, even though they were the heads of two different departments, they seldom saw each other except for meetings. Furthermore, Zhang Lili was a young, beautiful, and single woman. A middle-aged man like Director Chen, who was always cautious in his words and actions, would usually keep his distance from such a woman to avoid inadvertently attracting gossip.

Now, he had to go see her because he was worried about Li Hui's condition these past few days; he felt that Li Hui's emotions were a bit abnormal. She was a key member of the department, and her position in the hospital and department was irreplaceable. If anything went wrong, the impact on the department would not be underestimated.

That day, he called Li Hui to the director's office, intending to give her a heads-up. It wasn't impossible for problems to arise during that kind of surgery, but as long as the family didn't make a big deal out of it, the leaders usually turned a blind eye. But Li Hui was different; she was about to be promoted to associate chief physician, and he absolutely couldn't afford to cause a blunder at this crucial time. Besides, if word got out, it would embarrass him as the department head.

Actually, he spoke quite tactfully at the time, only hinting and not going any further. He never imagined that Li Hui would fall from the fire escape ladder just minutes later. Hearing the news, he felt as if he himself had fallen. How could he have foreseen that her mental fortitude was so weak?

Director Chen regretted it for several days.

He finally felt relieved when Li Hui went back to work, but then she took two days off, saying she wasn't feeling well. He wondered if she had some internal injury that hadn't been diagnosed. He couldn't help but keep thinking to himself: I hope nothing else goes wrong!

Zhang Lili was giving acupuncture to a patient in the acupuncture room when she saw Director Chen and gave him a bright smile: "Wow! The sun must have risen in the west today!"

"You go ahead and do your work! I'll come back in a bit!" Director Chen said, about to leave. Zhang Lili had already finished her work in no time and followed him out.

"Director Chen, you didn't come here just to see me, did you?" Zhang Lili pulled up a chair for him to sit down, then sat down herself. "How can I help you? Please don't hesitate to ask!"

"No, I wouldn't dare. I wanted to ask how Li Hui has been these past few days? Have you seen her?"

"Even the director can't see her, how could I possibly see her?"

"Aren't you her good friend? I heard you took care of her for two days and two nights after she fell and got hurt."

"It's nothing. I've been a bit busy these past few days and haven't gone over after work. She said she could handle it herself, so I didn't think much of it. What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"No, it's just... our department wanted to go see her at noon today, but we've been trying to call her all this time and no one's answering."

"Are you worried something might have happened to her? No way! How about this, I'll go over this afternoon. I have something to discuss with her, and I'll check on her while I'm at it." Zhang Lili was very straightforward, and Director Chen felt that dealing with a woman like her was quite pleasant.

As soon as Director Chen left, Zhang Lili dialed Li Hui's home phone number, but as Director Chen had said, no one answered.

She glanced at her watch; it was three in the afternoon.

Half an hour later, Zhang Lili called Li Hui again, but no one answered.

Zhang Lili couldn't get through to the phone even after she finished get off work that evening. She went out, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for Li Hui's house.

In a coffee shop on Julu Road.

Li Hui sat alone in the innermost corner.

A few pairs of red-haired, green-eyed foreigners were scattered around the other seats.

There was a cold cup of coffee in front of her; she took only one sip and didn't touch it again.

The moment she stepped out of the supermarket, she truly didn't know where to go. She needed to think things through; this situation couldn't continue any longer. Where to go? She remembered the coffee shop she'd gone to with Dadun.

The Julu Road area is renowned for its quietness and seclusion. In the old days, it was a place only the wealthy could afford to live, and the streets still exude a subtle aristocratic atmosphere. Therefore, the people who frequent the cafes there are often those with a touch of nostalgia, melancholy, or a sense of loss. Of course, excluding the foreigners.

Li Hui is currently experiencing a complex and inexplicable emotion; she needs this place.

The afternoon is the "off-season" for coffee shops, a perfect time to relax and think about more complex issues.

In the dim light, Li Hui quietly and carefully observed the guests in the room, but none of them showed any suspicious behavior that made her uneasy.

She looked up at the ceiling again; artificial green vines twined around the natural wood, making it feel like sitting under a melon trellis or grapevine. The ceiling looked simple yet sturdy, and it wouldn't collapse anytime soon.

After confirming that her head was no longer in danger, Li Hui, like a frightened bird, carefully relaxed her body and let out a long sigh of relief.

The scene in the supermarket just now kept flashing before her eyes, and the thought of it made her scalp tingle.

She carefully recalled the scene and remembered that she hadn't even noticed the cardboard box falling from the high shelf above her. If she had been just one second slower, the outcome might have been completely different.

She was secretly observing Mr. Yang and the boy when the cardboard box fell down. When she turned back to look for them, they had vanished without a trace, as if they had suddenly evaporated.

What does Mr. Yang have to do with that cardboard box? No way, he was focused on choosing a stroller the whole time and didn't even see her. Besides, he was about ten meters away from her, two rows of shelves away.

Li Hui carefully recalled the situation when she hid behind the shelf. She didn't remember leaning against the shelf or the goods. Besides, the shelf was so heavy that even if she pushed hard, she might not be able to move it, let alone shake the things off it.

At the time, there were several customers around her selecting items, but she didn't pay attention to them; she only noticed that there were people in front of and behind the shelves.

But when the box fell, there was no one next to her, and the box landed squarely on the spot where she had been standing.

If that person (if such a person really exists) was going to do all this, he should have been nearby. He couldn't have left the scene so quickly.

But she remembered only two or three male and female customers carrying shopping baskets who gathered around her within seconds of the cardboard box falling to the ground. They were all so surprised, looking at the thing on the ground as if it were a monster, then at Li Hui, who was standing there dumbfounded. Clearly, they were all terrified by this sudden accident.

Among those people, there probably isn't a single professional actor with superb acting skills, right?

The figure of the seemingly newly hired or imposter mechanic reappeared; only he had the opportunity to move freely in the high places of the mall without arousing suspicion! But she simply couldn't distinguish him from the large group of workers.

...

Ten days had passed on that "death schedule," leaving her with two-thirds of the time to endure. In just ten days, she felt as if she'd been skinned alive; in another twenty days, she feared she would be torn to pieces…

She realized once again that the guy who had been hiding behind the scenes, playing a game of "spiritual victory," was finally making his appearance and was about to confront her head-on!

Li Hui felt that if she continued to shoulder this burden alone, she was really about to collapse...

Wang Yang won't be home for another month, and he's been too busy to call or email her lately.

She understood what he meant. They'd already endured two years, and they were about to meet again, so they should save money where they could. Money was incredibly important to them right now. She felt a warm glow inside when she thought about his promise to buy her a Sail, but that also required money, money he'd saved by scrimping and saving abroad.

Who else can she rely on? Da Dun'er, the man she feels guilty towards Wang Yang whenever she thinks of him, who suffered such a huge loss in her family, will he still care about her?

Li Hui suddenly realized that, so far, she knew very little about Da Dun'er. She didn't really know what kind of person he was; she just sensed his concern for her through a woman's intuition.

Men's concern for women has various purposes, but she didn't know what kind of concern Dadun'er had for her was besides "sexual attraction".