An Uninvited Return

“Bang, bang, bang!” Just as Luo Yao reached his bedroom, an urgent knocking suddenly echoed from beyond the door.

“What is this nonsense? Are they addicted?” Hearing the insistent knocking, Luo Yao spun around, striding furiously towards the reinforced door, intending to peer through the peephole and identify the culprit of this prank.

Though a surge of anger coursed through Luo Yao, it was overshadowed by a creeping tension. After all, Luo Yao was utterly alone in his apartment…

‘No, that’s not right,’ he mused. ‘Didn’t Su Mengqi arrange for people to protect me covertly? What do I have to be afraid of?’

With that thought, Luo Yao’s eye pressed against the peephole. Yet, before Luo Yao could discern anything outside, he heard the distinct click and turn of his own door lock.

The peephole itself appeared to be obstructed, covered by what seemed to be a piece of paper adorned with a small, pink heart.

Before Luo Yao could even react, he felt a sudden surge of pressure from outside the door, causing him to lose his balance and nearly stumble to the floor.

“Who’s there?!” Luo Yao stared, utterly bewildered, as the door slowly swung inward.

‘Who could possibly possess a key to his apartment? Could it be Su Mengqi? While it was plausible, hadn’t she just spoken to him on the phone moments ago? For her to appear at his door now seemed utterly preposterous.’

Luo Yao’s body trembled uncontrollably. He was a man, and though his spirit might not cower, his physical form possessed its own primal instincts.

Suddenly, Luo Yao remembered the kitchen was directly behind him. Given the apartment’s cramped size, the kitchen and the front door were practically adjacent.

Seizing the moment before the door fully opened, Luo Yao instinctively retreated into the kitchen, snatching up a formidable-looking cleaver. Its sharp blade glinted menacingly in the dim light, and by the illumination spilling from the living room, Luo Yao could vaguely make out the situation at the entrance.

At the very least, it offered Luo Yao a semblance of security.

Clutching the knife, Luo Yao now watched the door before him, his hands trembling. He had no idea who stood on the other side, and this uncertainty fueled his terror.

“Luo Yao?” Just as Luo Yao’s tension peaked, a voice drifted in from outside—a voice he wished he would never hear again in this lifetime. Her voice was as beautiful as a babbling brook, soothing and refreshing. Sweet as honey, it brought comfort and delight to others. Yet, to Luo Yao’s ears, it was nothing short of an echo from hell.

“Mu Yaochen?!” Luo Yao was utterly stunned; he had never imagined Mu Yaochen would suddenly appear before him. ‘Wasn’t she…?’

‘Wasn’t she supposed to be in Fanhai City? He had fled all the way to Pingzhou City; how could she possibly be here?’

At that moment, Luo Yao’s eyes were practically bulging as he stared at his front door.

‘That voice, that voice… Luo Yao could not be mistaken about Mu Yaochen’s voice; it was undeniably hers.’

Clutching the cleaver tightly, Luo Yao felt a profound uncertainty about what to do next.

‘Was this a dream? Yes, it must be a dream. It was too outlandish. Luo Yao had never conceived that Mu Yaochen would reappear before him. Luo Yao would rather believe that his current reality was nothing more than a nightmare. Yes, that’s it. People in dreams usually don’t realize they’re dreaming, right?’

His head spinning, Luo Yao gazed at the gleaming cleaver, a desperate idea forming in his mind. ‘If it’s a dream, a sharp pain should wake me up.’

Beads of sweat trickled down Luo Yao’s forehead; he was now consumed by extreme tension. His trembling hand gripped the handle tightly, the blade poised directly over his chest.

‘This is merely a nightmare.’

Recalling his past with Mu Yaochen, Luo Yao yearned for death. The memory of her attempts to control him with drugs, and her countless other past actions, churned his stomach with revulsion.

‘Yes, let me die quickly and cleanly. No, let me wake up.’

“Luo… Luo Yao, no!” The door fully opened, and Mu Yaochen’s silhouette sharpened into a clear figure.

Luo Yao could see she was still clutching a collar in her hand.

‘A collar, heh.’

Mu Yaochen’s face was etched with panic. She dropped whatever she was holding and lunged towards Luo Yao.

Seeing her pounce like a leopard, Luo Yao plunged the knife towards his chest with all his might. His slender frame was pressed against the kitchen cabinets on the floor; beside Mu Yaochen, Luo Yao appeared pitifully small.

More than reality, Luo Yao believed this to be a dream. ‘A dream that was strikingly vivid, profoundly real.’

However, Luo Yao was a fraction too slow. Just as the blade was a mere centimeter or two from his chest, Mu Yaochen’s hand clamped firmly around the cleaver’s handle.

“Why would you hurt yourself?” Despite not having seen each other for two or three months, Mu Yaochen’s composure was far greater than Luo Yao had anticipated.

With a solemn expression, Mu Yaochen gripped Luo Yao’s hand, her eyes holding a hint of reproach as she spoke.

“You… how did you find me?” Gazing at the familiar face before him, Luo Yao felt a wave of nausea. The tattoo scars on the left side of his body began to throb faintly.

‘Mu Yaochen had gotten those tattoos without even anesthetic.’

“When hearts are connected, a natural understanding blossoms between people,” Mu Yaochen murmured, her eyes overflowing with affection. Yet, Luo Yao’s only response was undisguised disgust.

“You… you put a tracker on me?” Observing Mu Yaochen’s demeanor, Luo Yao knew she must have tampered with his body in some way. ‘Otherwise, how could she have found him? Unless, of course, there was a mole among Su Mengqi’s people who leaked his whereabouts to Mu Yaochen. But compared to that, Luo Yao was more inclined to believe Mu Yaochen had manipulated something on his person.’

“No, I didn’t,” Mu Yaochen protested, her voice laced with alarm as she saw Luo Yao’s furious expression. Her grip on the cleaver’s handle loosened.

‘Gazing at Luo Yao, Mu Yaochen couldn’t help but recall the look of profound disappointment on his face just before she had lost consciousness that day. He must have been so disappointed in her, wasn’t he? Otherwise… otherwise. No, someone like me doesn’t deserve Luo Yao’s affection at all.’

“Let go, Mu Yaochen! What exactly do you want from me? I’m begging you, just leave me alone, please!” Luo Yao tore her hand away, and the cleaver, still glinting with cold menace, clattered to the floor.

Luo Yao’s eyes blazed with fury. He had no idea how long Mu Yaochen had been observing him. ‘And where were Su Mengqi’s protectors? Why hadn’t they appeared yet?’

Unbeknownst to Luo Yao, Mu Yaochen’s every move had deftly evaded the watchful eyes of those protectors. To them, Luo Yao’s apartment remained undisturbed, utterly devoid of any suspicious activity.

“No… Luo Yao, Luo Yao. I… I can’t live without you anymore. Please, forgive me, alright?” Mu Yaochen’s eyes brimmed with desperate longing. She seemed to barely register Luo Yao’s words, instead rambling on with her own fervent plea.

Her head nuzzled against Luo Yao’s chest, like a large cat seeking affection or a small dog begging for forgiveness.