Chapter 12

Is it because of my heavy sins that I’ve ended up in such a hopeless situation that can’t even be described as awkward?

Fang Shimian covered his ears, staring blankly at the calm surface of the lake.

Maybe I should just die for a bit.

But I haven’t saved enough money to buy a burial plot, and what if I’m still unlucky in my next life?

A cyclist passed by with a portable speaker, blasting a popular song by a trending male star, the sound growing louder as it approached.

What a great opportunity!

Fang Shimian mustered up his courage and slowly climbed down from the rock. They wouldn’t come to the lakeside, so as long as he left this dangerous area, he could circle around the lake to the other exit and go home.

Just then, he heard faint sobbing from the woods behind him, accompanied by low pleas for mercy.

“Please… spare me, I won’t dare again…”

Fang Shimian crouched and moved with difficulty, feeling that everyone’s life was so hard.

“Don’t move.” It was a stern command, devoid of any emotion.

Fang Shimian was almost scared out of his wits, thinking he had been discovered. He raised his trembling hands in surrender, wanting to tell those two people that he really hadn’t heard anything.

“Woof…”

“Can a dog speak human language?” The seemingly gentle inquiry was actually a cruel judgment.

I wasn’t discovered, I wasn’t discovered!

“Woof… whimper.”

The whimper turned into a low dog bark, then transformed into a distorted moan.

Cold sweat broke out on Fang Shimian’s forehead. He was already a bit away from the rock he had been sitting on. If he started running now, even if he was discovered, that person probably wouldn’t dare to chase him.

Just as he was thinking this, a loose stone by his foot rolled down the bank, and since this part of the lakeshore was slightly elevated, the stone quickly plunged into the water with a dull “thud.”

The calm lake surface rippled with huge waves.

It seemed like the whole world went silent for a moment, even the woods were deathly quiet, and the bird calls disappeared.

I’m dead.

The fear of being discovered made Fang Shimian forget everything else. He ran forward in a panic, not knowing if it was because he had been crouching for too long or if his legs were weak, he almost rolled into the lake.

When Fang Shimian got up from the ground, he instinctively looked back and saw a man in a suit standing leisurely next to the rock he had just been sitting on, watching him.

The man stood with his back to the light, and Fang Shimian couldn’t see his face clearly in his hurried glance, but he heard his voice.

Relaxed and cheerful, with a hint of reassurance.

“Just a stray dog, don’t worry.”

Fang Shimian ran for his life for a while, his adrenaline surging, and only slowed down when he saw tourists appearing in the distance.

The shadowy fear gradually dissipated after leaving the Wetland Park and riding his electric scooter back to his rented apartment. Fang Shimian drank the half bottle of water on the sofa, finally feeling the intense heartbeat and a slight metallic taste in his throat.

After calming down for a while, he took a hot shower, threw his dirty pants into the washing machine, and simply wiped his clothes with a damp cloth.

After doing all this, Fang Shimian collapsed on the sofa and started to rethink. It was his first time encountering such a situation, and he felt his reaction was a bit too much. Those two people came to a public place to do such things without notifying him, how was he supposed to know where he could and couldn’t go?

It wasn’t his fault. Why was he scared at the time? He should have just stood up and left openly and honestly.

Maybe he could have pretended to take a phone call to ease the awkwardness.

His childhood experiences of frequent beatings and scoldings made Fang Shimian always maintain a high level of fear and panic when encountering unfamiliar things. His first reaction was to find his own faults. It wasn’t until he left that oppressive environment that he realized this had become a personality flaw.

He would try to change, Fang Shimian thought. He should be getting better.

Maybe, but he didn’t really know. Even now, he was still full of confusion.

The wind picked up outside the house again, and Fang Shimian closed the living room window. But the window was old, and even when fully closed, there was a small gap, allowing the sound of the wind to be heard from the sofa.

When he went to work the night shift, Xu Long took a photo of Fang Shimian clocking in and then started playing mahjong with enthusiasm. In the middle of it, he took a call and sent Fang Shimian out to pick up a delivery for him.

The surveillance room was in a relatively hidden place under the building, and the delivery person couldn’t find it. Fang Shimian took his phone and waited by the main road at the building entrance.

Since he had already called, it would only take a few minutes, so Fang Shimian didn’t wear a coat, just a thin sweater and a washed-out blue-gray hoodie.

The spot where Fang Shimian stood was next to the side door exit, and the cold air poured into the basement. The thin hoodie couldn’t keep out the cold, and Fang Shimian shivered a bit.

He didn’t care if it looked silly, he put on the hood of his hoodie and started stomping his feet to keep warm.

Fortunately, the delivery person arrived quickly. While verifying the name and phone number, Fang Shimian shrank his head and was just about to take the delivery when a car passed by slowly. The window was half-open, and the smell of smoke wafted out, making Fang Shimian instinctively look up.

He only saw the tail of a black Bentley and the slowly closing window.

Another wave of cold hit, and Fang Shimian snapped back to reality, thanked the delivery person, and carried the large bag back to the surveillance room.

Warm soup and rice were a strong weapon against the cold. Fang Shimian held the edge of the meal box to warm his hands.

“In this cold weather, you went out dressed like that. If you catch a cold again, you’ll have to ask your cheap brother to take leave for you.” Xu Long opened his meal box, frowning so much he could squash a fly.

Fang Shimian looked at the fragrant stir-fried beef and swallowed, deciding to confess, “Actually, I went downstairs to eat wontons.”

“I said you could eat that portion, right? How can I eat two portions by myself?” Xu Long pretended to take the meal box from Fang Shimian’s hands.

Fang Shimian pitifully let go of the box’s edge, looking at him with puppy eyes, “I knocked on the door, you were sleeping, otherwise I would have cooked instant noodles.”

Xu Long nonchalantly withdrew his hand and continued opening the meal box, “We got paid, let’s change our taste for a while. It’s on me. I don’t save money… Eating instant noodles all the time is a bit disgusting.”

“I heard there’s a new flavor, but the supermarket doesn’t sell it. It’s called…” Fang Shimian was about to check his saved videos.

Xu Long raised a hand, palm facing Fang Shimian, “Alright, that’s enough, stop talking.”

“Okay.” Fang Shimian obediently continued to enjoy the soup and rice in front of him, already smelling the sour and spicy aroma of the golden soup beef.

Just then, two brothers on patrol duty came into the surveillance room to rest. Xu Long invited them to join in eating, but they smiled and declined, sitting in the back corner of the surveillance room to smoke.

Fang Shimian remembered the smoke smell he had encountered while picking up the delivery. It was a very unique scent, not as pungent as regular cigarettes, with a faint woody aroma and a gentle sweetness.

The fire alarm beeped once, followed by the faint sound of a receipt being printed. Fang Shimian picked up his phone, tapped twice in front of a machine, and then reported the location in the group chat, tagging the two patrol duty security guards.

The two replied in the group chat that they received the message. After finishing their cigarettes and resting for a few more minutes, one of them grabbed the keys and went out.

These fire alarms were very sensitive, and even a little smoke could trigger them. The false alarm rate was high, with ninety-nine out of a hundred being false alarms. But every time, the surveillance room had to notify someone to check the scene and record it.

After a while, a photo of the alarm location was sent in the duty group chat, tagging Fang Shimian, indicating it was resolved.

Fang Shimian replied with a received message.

The security guards in the surveillance room rested for a while and then went out, telling Fang Shimian to call them if anything happened during the second half of the night before sending a message in the group chat.

Fang Shimian was busy eating, and upon hearing this, he made an OK gesture. The security guard brother looked down at his phone, biting a cigarette, and hummed a tune as he left.

Xu Long ate and then went to sleep in the back, soon snoring.

Fang Shimian cleaned up the console, swept the floor, and took out the trash.

When he returned, he saw a message notification on his WeChat on the computer. It was from Manager Yang, but before he could read it, his phone on the console lit up.

It was a call from Manager Yang.

“Xiao Fang, are you and Xu Long on the night shift tonight?”

“Yes, Manager.” Fang Shimian had already read the message Manager Yang sent on WeChat and asked, “I saw the information you sent on WeChat. Should I copy the video and give it to the patrol to take it to the owner?”

Manager Yang’s voice fluctuated, “The patrol is covering the main and side gates right now. After you copy it, have Xu Long watch over things, and you take it to the owner, as soon as possible.”

The call was hurriedly hung up.

Fang Shimian looked at the WeChat message again.

[Get the surveillance video from the entrance of Building Six and the main road, from 8 AM to 6 PM today, copy it all, and deliver it to the owner of Building Six. Be very polite.]

Fang Shimian had some impression of Building Six in Yunjin. Although it was within the Yunjin community, it was almost like a separate entity. That area was on the edge of the community but occupied the best location with a river view. There was a side gate there, exclusively for Building Six residents, leading directly to the most bustling commercial area in Haishi, truly luxurious.

But Manager Yang only said to deliver it to Building Six. With so many people in one building, how was he supposed to know who to give it to?

While waiting for the video to copy, Fang Shimian messaged Manager Yang to ask.

Manager Yang sent a voice message.

“Go through the main path of the community, there’s only one road. There’s someone guarding the entrance of Building Six. Just hand it over to them.”

After listening to the voice message, the video was also copied. Fang Shimian pulled out the USB drive and called Xu Long to wake up.

“Surveillance at the entrance of Building Six?” Xu Long, still half-asleep, was in a bad mood, “They don’t even let the community security patrol in there, not even a fly can get in. There are only two surveillance points, both on the outskirts, in corners where you can’t see a ghost. And now they want someone to personally deliver it in the middle of the night.”

Xu Long sat in the chair, seeing that Fang Shimian had already put on his coat and was ready to leave, suddenly feeling a subtle sense of unease.

“No, you can’t go.”