The concert hall was brightly lit, and there were private boxes on the second floor where people could enjoy a different kind of tranquility. If Zhou Luming had brought Xu Yan here himself, he would definitely have booked a box on the second floor, instead of squeezing into the crowd in the main hall with Wu Fan.
Because Xu Yan dislikes crowds, she is truly a reclusive person.
Thinking of Xu Yan, Zhou Luming smiled slightly.
Suddenly, Zhou Luming heard a very faint, crisp sound coming from above. He looked up and saw a huge, luxurious chandelier with countless light bulbs and pendants strung together, dazzling and an indispensable decorative element in the concert hall.
Zhou Luming frowned, listening intently to the frequency of the chandelier's swaying. Although the concert hall had no windows, it had a ventilation system, and the airflow came from it. The weak breeze wasn't enough to shake the massive chandelier, but the danger lay not in that, but in the tiny, extremely subtle metallic clicking sound it made when it was being blown around.
Zhou Luming closed his eyes to sense his surroundings, his nerves taut.
Wu Fan, standing beside her, thought she was focused on enjoying the music and only glanced at her a few times. But what he didn't know was that Zhou Luming was sensing impending danger.
She had a keen sense of danger, and after confirming her suspicions, she suddenly opened her eyes and turned to look at a private room on the second floor. The curtains of the room were half drawn, and Zhou Luming couldn't see the people inside from her angle, but she knew that someone inside was observing her from above.
Zhou Luming suddenly grabbed Wu Fan's hand and yelled, "What are you doing?! Pervert!" He stood up and slapped Wu Fan hard across the face. "Disgusting!"
After saying that, he angrily left his seat.
Suddenly slapped in the face, Wu Fan was completely stunned. What was she doing? Wu Fan hurriedly chased after her. Those sitting around them were also dumbfounded; they hadn't expected to encounter such a bizarre situation in such a setting!
That's really rude.
They thought to themselves, especially about the woman, who was making such a scene in such an elegant place; it was obvious that she had no manners at home.
Wu Fan caught up with Zhou Luming in the side passage, grabbed her arm, and asked in a low, angry voice, "What are you doing?!"
Zhou Luming deliberately chose a spot in a blind spot in the second-floor private room, saying, "The light above our heads is about to fall down."
"What? How is this possible? Don't be ridiculous, you have to give me an explanation." Wu Fan didn't believe it.
Zhou Luming shook off Wu Fan's hand and said coldly, "If you don't believe me, fine, but you'll thank me later."
Wu Fan continued to pester her, but the people around him were getting impatient, and concert hall staff were walking towards them.
“There’s no time,” Zhou Luming said seriously, looking up at the chandelier in the center. If it fell, it would endanger the audience around it. She pressed the fire alarm button on the wall.
"Ding ding ding—"
The piercing, urgent fire alarm blared throughout the concert hall, stunning everyone for a moment as their hearing was jolted by the sudden siren. Quickly, people on and off the stage began to evacuate.
"Are you crazy?!" Wu Fan questioned Zhou Luming.
"I don't have time to waste with you. If you want to die, come with me." Zhou Luming ran out with the crowd.
Wu Fan had no choice but to follow her. While they were still in the corridor, they suddenly heard a loud "bang" in the middle of the hall behind them, accompanied by the sound of glass shattering.
Everyone remaining in the concert hall froze, standing motionless as if they had lost their souls. In the very center of the hall, where Wu Fan and Zhou Luming had just been sitting, the chandelier that had suddenly fallen from above had smashed everything to pieces. The seats were askew, and shards of glass from the chandelier were scattered all over the floor.
Wu Fan's face turned ashen. He stared at the chandelier in the distance, and after a while, he belatedly realized he wanted to talk to Zhou Luming, but Zhou Luming had already disappeared.
Could she predict that the lamp would fall?
Outside the concert hall, the incessant wailing of sirens assaulted the eardrums of the fleeing audience. They were supposed to be enjoying a musical extravaganza, but instead, they were facing a crisis.
Ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks all arrived, and the scene was chaotic.
"A chandelier inside suddenly fell down. It shouldn't have hit anyone, but the chandelier still has wires attached, so be careful not to get electrocuted," a young girl wrapped in a blanket told a firefighter.
Before the firefighters could even ask her name, the girl had already left the scene and disappeared into the noisy crowd.
A few streets away from the concert hall, Xu Yan waited anxiously in the car. Although the driver was honking the horn frantically, the traffic was completely stuck.
"I'm sorry, we really can't move. I heard there was an accident at the concert hall up ahead." The driver turned up the volume of the loudspeaker to listen to the traffic information.
"I'll get off here." Xu Yan opened the car door.
“But we’re not there yet—” the driver shouted at her.
Xu Yan pressed "Confirm Arrival," took off her high heels, and ran barefoot on the street. She went directly from the hospital to the mall, and after hearing about the accident at the concert hall, she quickly hailed a taxi to get there, only to be stuck in traffic. Fortunately, the mall wasn't far from the concert hall, and Xu Yan could reach it by crossing the pedestrian street.
She knew perfectly well that becoming "Zhou Luming" would be dangerous, so why didn't she tell her sooner and advise her so that she could extricate herself before these crises came?
She shouldn't let others take the risk of her life; she shouldn't let anyone take her place.
My mind went blank; all I could think about was praying that Li Ruo wouldn't get into trouble.
As long as she doesn't get into trouble, she will never be allowed to play Zhou Luming again. She should take responsibility for her own actions and not drag others down with her.
Barefoot on the cold ground, Xu Yan didn't care how many pebbles hurt her feet. After passing through the alley and arriving at the spacious square in front of the concert hall, she saw a crowd of frightened people and a sea of flashing red and yellow car roof lights.
Xu Yan took out his phone and continued calling Zhou Luming. There was no answer at first, but after a few rings, someone finally answered.
"Hello? Xu Yan?"
Xu Yan was suddenly stunned. She heard Zhou Luming's voice from both the receiver and outside.
Turning around, she saw a person draped in a blanket standing behind her, smiling and tilting her head to look at Xu Yan, as if nothing had happened.
Xu Yan stared at her for a moment, then ran up to her in a few steps and hugged her tightly.
Why didn't you answer the phone?
"I was busy escaping and didn't have time—" Zhou Luming felt Xu Yan tighten her grip, as if trying to imprison her. "Xu Yan, what's wrong with you... what happened?"
Xu Yan is acting strangely; she's not like usual.
"It's nothing," Xu Yan leaned on her shoulder, greedily inhaling her scent, and murmured, "I just thought I was going to lose you."
Zhou Luming was taken aback, then smiled, reached out and stroked the back of Xu Yan's head, touching her hair as he said, "I am a weed, inconspicuous but tenacious, not so easily uprooted."
She looked down at Xu Yan's feet. "You're not wearing shoes? They're all cut. I'll take you to a doctor."
"No need, it's just a minor injury. Let's go home." Xu Yan was reluctant to let go of Zhou Luming, but the two of them couldn't continue to hug each other in the chaos and in the cold wind.
"Okay, let's go home." Zhou Luming's eyes curved into crescent moons.
She could clearly sense that Xu Yan treated her differently, and her intuition told her that their relationship would change starting tonight.
Back home, Zhou Luming brought a first-aid kit to disinfect and bandage Xu Yan's wounds. If the situation was serious, they would have to go to the hospital.
Xu Yan sat on the sofa, quietly letting Zhou Luming torment her.
"I checked it, and thankfully the wound isn't too big or deep, and there's no sign of infection or inflammation. I'll just disinfect it and put on a band-aid. You don't need to worry about going to the hospital." She teased Xu Yan while holding his foot, hoping to lighten the mood.
Xu Yan: "Yes, thank you."
Zhou Luming sat on the carpet, looked up at Xu Yan, and muttered dissatisfaction, "Just say thank you?"
Xu Yan smiled, bent down, stroked Zhou Luming's cheek, and kissed her on the lips.
"Thanks."
Zhou Luming was stunned for a moment before asking seriously, "You're not Xu Yan, who are you? Why are you impersonating Xu Yan?"
Xu Yan couldn't help but chuckle, "Why not me?"
Zhou Luming said seriously, "Xu Yan wouldn't be this proactive. She's always so hesitant, secretive, and self-deceiving. She's clearly interested but pretends to be indifferent, and she clearly wants me but pushes me to someone else..."
Xu Yan sighed, "Did she make you feel wronged?"
Zhou Luming nodded emphatically, "Yes!"
"That's because she's conflicted. On one hand, she needs someone to take her place so she can safely get away from investigating the truth behind her parents' car accident. On the other hand, she doesn't want the person taking her place to get hurt, especially someone she cares about."
Xu Yan stared intently into Zhou Luming's eyes, "My parents arranged a body double for me without my knowledge. Have you read 'White Night'? It's like a adaptation of that novel. I lived and studied under a different identity, while the little girl chosen to be 'Zhou Luming' was closely monitored and protected. Even so, she still..."
Xu Yan pursed her lips, thinking of the past, and felt grief. "I was young then and didn't understand what was happening around me. When I got a little older, I regretted not stopping my parents, but they were no longer here. Although I opposed their actions, I later had to follow in their footsteps and arrange for a substitute to take the blame for me, just like they did."
"Although he seems free, rich, and powerful, Zhou Luming is a caged canary. His master can crush him at any time if he's unhappy. I don't know who's behind this. Our task now is to find that person and get him to set Zhou Luming free."
"He attacked me again at the concert hall today. What provoked him to suddenly become so ruthless?" Zhou Luming asked.
"It might be because they found out that Wu Fan is dating you."
Zhou Luming frowned. "Did dating upset him? Does he have a crush on me?"
Xu Yan shook his head. "It's hard to say, maybe it's some kind of controlling desire."
Chapter 77
===================
Xu Yan could tell that Zhou Luming had been coaxing her all evening, making her run around serving dishes and pouring water for him, while he himself was wearing a silk nightgown and comfortably leaning back on the sofa watching TV.
The TV program was incredibly boring, and Zhou Luming had no interest in watching it. He kept glancing at Xu Yan, only to find that she had quickly returned to her study to attend to her own business.
Zhou Luming pouted, feeling wronged. After going through such a dangerous ordeal, Xu Yan actually ignored her completely? How cold-blooded...
"The investigation is complete," Xu Yan suddenly appeared from behind, startling Zhou Luming. "What's wrong with you?" Xu Yan looked at the TV screen, which was playing a boring and clichéd romance drama. He tilted his head slightly. "You really like watching this?"
The male lead is kissing the female lead.
Zhou Luming remained calm and composed. They were all adults; if it could be broadcast, it could be watched. "Ahem, what did you just say you investigated?"
"According to the information sent back by Wang Anjing, the concert hall you went to tonight had just undergone renovations. The crystal chandelier that fell down was the problem at that time. A screw that wasn't tightened properly caused tonight's accident. We also obtained information about the company responsible for the renovations—it's a company that was established less than a year ago. The boss came from a construction background and started from scratch, making money through renovation teams."
Zhou Luming immediately grasped the problem: "A new company couldn't possibly win the concert hall renovation project; there must be someone backing it up."
Xu Yan nodded with relief, "I had Wang Anjing investigate this company, but we might come up empty-handed. You saved Wu Fan tonight..." Xu Yan hesitated.
"I understand. I'll go and ask him for credit." Zhou Luming blinked. "After tonight, I should be able to gain his trust and turn misfortune into blessing."
Xu Yan hummed in agreement and was about to go back to her room when she opened the door. She hesitated for a moment, then turned around and looked at Zhou Luming, who was still sitting on the sofa in the living room. A thought flashed through her mind, and without giving herself any time to think, she blurted out, "Do you want to sleep in the master bedroom?"
Zhou Luming almost thought she had misheard, turning around in shock to stare at Xu Yan. Seeing the embarrassment on Xu Yan's face, she quickly blocked Xu Yan's retreat, practically jumping off the sofa and rushing into the master bedroom to hug the blanket.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Zhou Luming buried himself in the blanket.
It still carried Xu Yan's aura.
Xu Yan leaned against the door and explained, "I only let you in because you're injured, and I don't want to sleep on the sofa either."
"Thank you for your words." Zhou Luming was in a good mood.
"You're welcome," Xu Yan said guiltily.
After washing up, it was almost one o'clock in the morning when Xu Yan slowly returned to her room. The environment was familiar, the mattress was familiar, but the only unfamiliar thing was the person lying on her bed.
She kindly let Zhou Luming sleep in the room, but she felt guilty and delayed spending time alone with him in the room. After she had no choice but to step into the room, her heart was pounding.
Zhou Luming appeared to be asleep, lying on his side with his back to me, very quietly.
Xu Yan quietly lifted the covers and slipped into bed. Only Zhou Luming's side of the room had a lamp, which he left on for Xu Yan. Xu Yan had no choice but to get up and reach over Zhou Luming to turn off the light.