Jiang Jiusheng announced calmly, “Power’s been cut.”

A power cut? All high-end residential estates had back-up power generators, so there must have been an accident.

Mo Bing felt her hair stand on end and, having asked Jiang Jiusheng to be careful, instructed Xiao Qiao, “Quick, turn back now!”

Before the call ended, the pale light from the cell phone spread across Jiang Jiusheng’s face, illuminating her eyes, sparkling like stars, in the dark as she looked up.

“Show your face,” she said—a command given in a low and calm voice.

“Sheng.”

The unfamiliar voice of a man from the left stairway.

Jiang Jiusheng slid her hand across the cell phone, looking for the number of the security team.

“No police!”

The man charged wildly at her, trying to snatch her cell phone. In her struggle with him, she felt numbness in the back of her hand and dropped the cell phone, which rolled up against the wall.

Jiang Jiusheng lowered her head and saw, in the faint moonlight, a red pool of blood spreading over the back of her hand, accompanied by searing pain. The man had a knife in his hand.

She stepped back on her left leg and placed her right hand in front of her body, a classic self-defense stance with one arm. “Who are you?” she asked.

The man moved in closer.

In a flash, she moved nimbly and swerved to the man’s back, thankful that she had changed out of her formal dress after the awards ceremony; that dress would have gotten in the way.

In the dim light, she couldn’t see the man’s face and could only take a guess as to his position. He was probably about three meters away from her, moving sideways, the fruit knife in his right hand reflecting a faint glow.

“It’s me, Sheng. I am the one who loves you the most in this world.”

He spoke rapidly in a hoarse voice filled with anticipation. Jiang Jiusheng knew for sure that this was a secret fan, and a crazed one at that.

“This is your lucky day,” the man cajoled in a low voice and inched closer. “I am very happy and have prepared a feast to celebrate with you. Why don’t you come with me?”

She could smell the stench of alcohol on him. This was a drunken secret fan.

Trying to stay calm, she moved back a step and, stealing a glance at her cell phone on the floor, said, “Don’t come any closer.” Otherwise, she could not guarantee that she wouldn’t hurt him.

Somehow, it appeared that her words had angered the man.

Sounding sinister, he asked, “Sheng, you don’t want to come with me?” Without waiting for Jiang Jiusheng’s response, he began to rant at the top of his voice, “Why don’t you want to come with me? I love you so much. I’ve been longing for you for three years! I joined that martial arts class because of you, only to have to stand aside and watch you sparring and flirting with everyone else but me. That broke my heart, but I forgave you because I love you so much.”

Intoxicated, mentally unstable, excitable, and irritable—there was no way she could reason with this guy, and it would be a while before the security guards figured out that something was amiss and came to her rescue.

She had to resort to self-defense, then.

Placing her injured left arm behind her, Jiang Jiusheng moved her wrists and ankles, flexing her muscles. She clenched her right hand into a fist, keeping an eye on the knife in the man’s hand.

“I know that you love yogurt, so I sent bottles to you every day. Why didn’t you drink them? Not even once?” The loud, angry rant suddenly transformed into a low whine. “Don’t be scared. I didn’t mean to shout at you.” Switching erratically between confused muttering and high-pitched hysteria, the man declared adoringly, “Sheng, I really love you! I moved here just to be near you. From now on, you will be mine! Hahaha..!”

The man’s demented laugh was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. Jiang Jiusheng rushed to grab the cell phone from the floor.

“Don’t pick it up!” the man shouted. He charged forward, brandishing the knife randomly, shrieking like a wild beast. “Why don’t you answer me? Why don’t you want to come with me?” In the dim moonlight, the man’s eyes became fixated on Jiang Jiusheng. “You are mine—you are mine..!”

Opening his arms, he surged forward like a man possessed.

Rubbing her toe into the ground and inhaling deeply, Jiang Jiusheng prepared to launch a flying kick and hit him hard with her good arm.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and the man was thrown against the wall.

Her arm was caught in midair, and she felt the cooling sensation of flesh against flesh like the seasonal frost that had formed outside. She heard the gentle, soothing voice against her ear, whispering, “Sheng, it’s me.”

Surprised, Jiang Jiusheng lifted her head. “Shi Jin?”

In the dark of night, illuminated only by faint moonlight, she could not see his face but instead, smelt a tinge of disinfectant and mint—a very familiar scent.

Yes, it was him. Shi Jin.

As she relaxed and released her tightly clenched fist, Jiang Jiusheng realized that her palm was sweating profusely. Shi Jin held onto her arm, not letting go.

Lowering his head, he sniffed. “You’re bleeding.”

It was not a serious wound. Just a scratch. Surgeons certainly had awesome senses of smell.

“No big deal, just a scratch,” said Jiang Jiusheng.

Without a word, Shi Jin cleaned the wound and bandaged it with his handkerchief, securing the off-white handkerchief with a surgeon’s knot.

“Go hide.”

Releasing her, Shi Jin moved two steps forward. Since his back was facing her, she could not see his face. Yet for some inexplicable reason, she could sense his gaze in the cool fall air and felt a sudden chill that reminded her of the icy winds of deep winter penetrating through her bones. Suddenly, the situation seemed surreal. Jiang Jiusheng felt like she was dreaming.

“Who are you? Why are you taking my Sheng away from me?” exclaimed the other man, trying to stand up and waving the knife like a madman. “Get lost! Who do you think you are to take Sheng away from me?!”

The man had completely lost it, becoming violent. As the rage burned in his crazed eyes, he turned into an uncontrollable beast with fangs bared and lethal weapon in hand, ready to pounce and kill. And yet, in such a dire situation, Shi Jin remained calm and collected.

“She is not your Sheng,” Shi Jin said in an unemotional voice.

He was capable of maintaining a sense of calculated calm in the face of trouble—quietly sizing up the enemy and then waiting patiently for the opportunity to strike. Shi Jin was just such a person.

The man screeched crazily and irrationally. “She is! She’s mine, mine!”

When he finished ranting, the man gripped the knife at the handle with both hands and charged wildly at Shi Jin.

Alarmed, Jiang Jiusheng barely managed a warning. “Shi Jin!”

He turned and glanced at her before quickly stepping forward to reach past the knife, grab the man’s wrist, twist it to the back, and restrain the attacker in a stranglehold. The man yelled loudly as the knife fell to the ground.

Such agility!

Jiang Jiusheng was stunned. Even at her best, she couldn’t have managed the maneuver so swiftly. Shi Jin most definitely had special training. She wondered about the background and grooming that he must have had to be able to handle a situation like this with such style and conviction. Even..

Even to the point of being ruthless and vicious.

Rooted to the ground, Jiang Jiusheng could only watch as Shi Jin pulled the fire extinguisher from the stairway and slammed it against the man’s head.

Thud—thud—thud.

Beating him until his head began to bleed.