Chapter 61

The shadow was a bat.

Bats are active in summer, but normally she was cautious. She had no idea where this bat had flown in from.

At this moment, Shi Tingyu regretted terribly that she had just washed her mosquito net today. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t be so scared.

Right then, the bat flew towards her. Shi Tingyu screamed and grabbed the thin blanket from the bed, throwing it towards the bat.

The bat seemed to anticipate her move and turned away in a circle, flying far.

Before she could catch her breath, the bat flew at her again. Shi Tingyu screamed, her heart pounding, and raised the blanket with trembling hands.

When the bat flew away again, she pulled the blanket over herself, listening to the flapping of the bat’s wings. Her face was pale as she peeked out from under the blanket.

But then she noticed the bat was gone.

This made her even more scared, afraid that it would suddenly fly out from some unknown corner, catching her off guard.

The door to the room was bolted, and the windows were closed, so the bat couldn’t have flown out of the room.

She carefully picked up the pillow from the bed, wanting to check.

Just then, the missing bat seemed to hear something and took off again, circling continuously in the room.

Shi Tingyu’s throat felt hoarse from shouting.

She repeatedly used the pillow and blanket to swat at the bat, not even realizing she had started crying.

Next door, Captain Zhang turned over and patted his wife. “Honey, wake up. There seems to be some noise from the young couple next door.”

Mrs. Zhang woke up and listened, but there was no sound. “Are you dreaming and hearing things?”

Just as she said this, another scream came from next door.

This time, both of them heard it clearly.

Mrs. Zhang was suddenly wide awake.

“It really is! Old Zhang, hurry and go check it out.”

Captain Zhang didn’t say another word, pulled on a pair of pants, and went with Mrs. Zhang to the next door.

Shi Tingyu’s front door was bolted from the inside. They pushed a few times but couldn’t open it.

Mrs. Zhang patted the door and shouted, “Girl! What’s happening?!”

Captain Zhang could only stand by and watch his wife shout.

This late at night, if he, a grown man, shouted at the door, who knew what stories might come out of it.

Did Shi Tingyu hear the voices outside?

Of course she did. Mrs. Zhang’s voice wasn’t small.

But even though she heard it, she didn’t dare move for the moment.

Maybe because of the light from the bedside lamp, the bat’s flight path had changed, now flying from the door to the other side of the bed in a diagonal line. She was waiting for a moment when the bat wasn’t near the door to go open it.

Several times she gathered the courage, thinking if she ran out quickly, she would be saved. But whenever the bat flew near, she got scared again.

Seeing his wife shout at the door for so long without anyone opening it, Captain Zhang worried something had happened. He looked at the courtyard wall, ready to climb over.

At this moment, they heard footsteps behind them.

Lu Weiguo had just finished his task and was heading home when he heard Mrs. Zhang shouting at the door. His heart tightened, and he sprinted over.

“Sister-in-law, what’s going on?”

Before Mrs. Zhang could answer, another scream came from inside the room.

Lu Weiguo’s heart leaped into his throat.

He dropped his backpack to the ground, took a few steps back, ran, and jumped, climbing over the wall.

The wall was covered in climbing roses, full of thorns, but Lu Weiguo didn’t notice the pain.

He swiftly jumped down into the courtyard and ran towards the house.

The door to the main room was propped open with a chair. This was a family housing area, so they never had safety issues. When the main room door’s latch broke, they didn’t replace it.

Now it was convenient for Lu Weiguo.

He pushed open the main room door and saw Lijian anxiously scratching the door with its good paw, whimpering urgently, its mouth showing marks from gnawing on the door.

Lu Weiguo told Lijian to step aside. He went to the bedroom door, patted it, and shouted, “Honey, what’s wrong?”

Shi Tingyu was cornered by the bat at the desk lamp.

She had tried to get up to open the door, but the bat flew at her, so she retreated again. She noticed the bat didn’t fly towards the light, so she wrapped herself in the blanket, held the pillow, and hid near the lamp.

Hearing Lu Weiguo’s voice, Shi Tingyu thought she was imagining it in her desperate state.

It wasn’t until she heard the sound of Lu Weiguo kicking the door that she realized she wasn’t imagining it.

“Honey, what’s wrong? Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

As soon as she heard his voice, Shi Tingyu felt warmth return to her body. Just as she was trembling and trying to open the door again, Lu Weiguo kicked the door open.

Lu Weiguo entered the room and didn’t see her on the bed. He turned around and saw his wife wrapped in a blanket, holding a pillow, barefoot, and curled up near the bedside table.

Under the light, her face was very pale, her eyes were red, and there were still tear stains on her cheeks.

Her pitiful appearance made his heart ache.

Lu Weiguo walked over, unwrapped her from the blanket, and carefully checked her over. After confirming she had no injuries, his anxious heart finally calmed down. He hugged her trembling body and gently asked, “What happened?”

His embrace was broad and strong, with a heart still pounding from worry. Shi Tingyu nestled into his arms, her voice trembling, “There’s a bat.”

Lu Weiguo, holding her tightly, looked around the room and saw a fairly large bat flying by.

“Don’t be afraid, this bat won’t bite. I’ll get it out.”

He said, picking up Shi Tingyu’s clothes from the side and draping them over her. Then, with a bit of strength, he lifted her up.

It wasn’t a princess carry but more like holding a child, wrapping her almost entirely in his arms to protect her from the bat.

Once outside the bedroom, Lu Weiguo closed the door to prevent the bat from flying into the main room by accident.

He carried her over to the wall and fumbled for the light switch. Once he found it, he turned on the light.

The sudden brightness made Shi Tingyu relax.

Lu Weiguo said softly, “Wait here in the main room, I’ll take care of the bat.”

Shi Tingyu nodded and obediently curled up on a chair.

Lijian, the dog, was circling around Shi Tingyu at this time. She patted its head, noticing the blood at the corners of its mouth. Feeling a bit distressed, she checked it over, “You must have been so worried.”

Lijian barked once, resting its head on her feet, lying down in front of her.

Shi Tingyu felt quite uneasy.

Lu Weiguo praised Lijian, then turned and went back to the bedroom.

The door had been kicked open, and the wooden board nailed to the latch was broken, though the door itself was still sturdy and hadn’t completely shattered.

He entered the room and closed the door behind him.

Shi Tingyu gradually calmed down. She thought she had heard Mrs. Zhang’s voice earlier and wondered if she was still outside.

After putting on the clothes that were draped over her, Shi Tingyu got up and went to the courtyard gate to open it.

Hearing the sound of the latch being pulled, Mrs. Zhang felt a sense of relief.

When the door opened, Shi Tingyu saw the anxious faces of Mrs. Zhang and her husband standing at the door.