Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

The Panamera drove out of the Genting Resort Hotel villa area.

Bai Li gripped the steering wheel and glanced at the passenger seat.

Zhang Qian wasn't wearing any of those flashy clothes today, but rather a relatively conservative short-sleeved shirt.

She kept staring at the gift boxes in the back seat, remaining silent for a long time.

"What are you looking at?" Bai Li asked.

Zhang Qian looked away, her blue hair falling over her shoulders.

"I was thinking about my aunt's family."

Her tone was muffled.

Ever since her aunt said there were things going on at home, she has been frequently distracted.

Bai Li stepped on the brake and waited for the red light.

"Are you worried that your aunt is having health problems? Don't worry, I'll figure out a way if you don't have enough money."

Zhang Qian shook her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes.

"That's not what I'm afraid of."

She bit her lower lip, looking worried.

"I'm afraid it's that beast causing trouble."

Bai Li knew quite a bit about Zhang Qian's family situation.

Her parents divorced when she was young, and neither of them wanted to take care of her, let alone support her schooling.

In the end, Zhang Qian was awarded to her biological mother.

After her biological mother remarried, the new man she found was the beastly stepfather that Zhang Qian described.

This man is rotten to the core.

He doesn't work, he plays cards all day long. If he wins, he goes to a foot massage parlor; if he loses, he goes home and beats his wife.

That's not even the worst part.

Zhang Qian developed early and became quite beautiful by junior high school.

That beast got drunk, and the way he looked at Zhang Qian started to look strange.

However, Zhang Qian was sensible at a young age and knew what that look meant. After picking up the kitchen knife and forcing him back, she ran out of the house.

Fortunately, the school was a boarding school, but it was precisely because he had no family to protect him that he was bullied by Zhang Yan.

Ultimately, Zhang Qian chose to drop out of school and became a "spiritual young woman".

This is the first half of her life.

In this rotten network of relatives, there is only one exception.

The aunt she was going to visit today was also the wife of her stepfather's younger brother.

For Zhang Qian, her aunt was the only ray of light she had ever seen in that quagmire.

Bai Li looked at Zhang Qian's uneasy expression.

A girl who was usually carefree and did whatever she wanted is now filled with fear and anxiety.

Thinking of this, Bai Li felt a pang of heartache:

"A man like your stepfather should really get a good night's sleep with the gas on."

Zhang Qian paused for a moment, then turned to look at him.

Bai Li took a deep breath and continued:

"But don't worry, even if it's related to him, I'll take care of it all for you..."

......

Ten minutes later.

The Panamera stopped at the entrance of an old residential area.

Bai Li pushed open the car door and got out.

He went around to the back of the car, opened the back seat, and picked up the gifts and toys.

Zhang Qian followed closely behind, getting out of the passenger seat and walking to his side, reaching out her hand to help him share the load.

"No need. You lead the way."

Zhang Qian nodded and led Bai Li into the residential area.

This is an old five-story building without an elevator.

The hallway was dimly lit, and the walls were covered with pictures of guys offering services like document processing and locksmithing.

The two climbed the stairs and arrived at the dark green security door of room 402.

Zhang Qian stopped in front of the door, turned around and glanced at Bai Li to make sure he had followed.

She took a deep breath, raised her hand, and prepared to knock on the door.

knock knock knock.

I waited for thirty seconds.

Zhang Qian pressed her ear against the door panel and listened.

There was silence; there was no response.

Bai Li could clearly sense that this was different from the joy and excitement he felt when he returned home with Chen Tingting, Li Jiaxin, and Lin Xiaoshuang.

Zhang Qian felt heavy-hearted.

She frowned, raised her hand again, and knocked on the door:

"Auntie!"

"It's me, Zhang Qian!"

Still, no one agreed.

Zhang Qian's expression grew increasingly panicked.

"That's strange." She turned to look at Bai Li, her speech quickening:

"Tongtong should be on summer vacation. Auntie usually only goes out to the market and never leaves the house. It's the middle of the day now, she should be at home."

Bai Li didn't speak, her gaze falling on the floor mat under the security door.

This place is very dusty; there's a layer of dust all over the stair railings.

On this red floor mat, there are a few shoe prints.

"There's someone in this house." Bai Li pointed to the shoe prints on the floor mat:

"Someone went in within the last two hours at the latest."

Zhang Qian immediately tensed up.

The face of that beastly stepfather flashed before her eyes.

"Should we just kick the door down and go in?" Zhang Qian asked anxiously.

"No rush," Bai Li stopped her. "Try sending a WeChat message first."

Bai Li's goal was simple: to first ascertain the situation inside, so as to avoid making a misunderstanding by misidentifying the person.

Zhang Qian obediently opened WeChat and typed quickly.

"Auntie, I'm outside your house, aren't you home?"

Click send.

The two stood outside the door waiting.

The temperature in the hallway was very high, and it was extremely stuffy.

Zhang Qian felt a chill run down her back.

ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Thirty seconds.

Zhang Qian stared at her phone screen without replying.

Just as she was about to give up and take action directly.

The door lock rattled.

squeak-

The dark green security door was opened a crack from the inside.