First, then, love.

Outside.

A gust of eerie wind suddenly rushed into my neck, carrying a chilling sensation like a knife cutting through it.

Shu Yao shivered from the cold and pulled her scarf up, leaving only her eyes exposed.

The art center's underground parking garage has been leaking for the past few days and is currently undergoing comprehensive repairs.

All cars can only be parked in the open-air parking lot in the backyard.

To get from the back door of the building to the parking lot, you have to walk through a narrow alley that is more than 100 meters long.

There were no shops in the alley, and tall red brick walls lined both sides.

The wall was covered with dead ivy, its tendrils flailing wildly in the cold wind. Several old streetlights, long neglected, flickered and emitted a buzzing sound.

Shu Yao lowered her head, her short boots clicking as she walked quickly.

The wind howled through the alley, whipping up fallen leaves and plastic bags from the ground, which swirled in the air, making a rustling sound.

In the still of the night, the air was as cold as a giant block of ice, and it hurt to breathe it in.

while walking.

Sudden.

Shu Yao's pace slowed down without her realizing it.

My back stiffened uncontrollably.

She felt something was wrong behind her.

A chilling feeling of being watched intently from the shadows slowly crept up her ankles and along her spine.

My scalp tingled instantly, and a cold sweat broke out on my back, even though I was wrapped in a down jacket.

A woman's intuition is terrifyingly accurate, especially in the dark.

For several nights in a row, Shu Yao felt like someone was watching her in the dark when she left work.

A few days ago, she was walking through this alley and always felt like there was a pair of eyes watching her, but every time she turned around, there was only an empty street.

Tonight, this feeling was particularly strong, so strong that it made her panic.

She didn't turn around immediately.

Instead, he quickly reached into his pocket with his right hand, gripped the car key tightly, and pressed his thumb against the edge of the red alarm button, ready to press it at any moment.

She forced herself to remain calm and continued walking forward.

"Da, da, da."

The leather ankle boots made a crisp sound as they stepped on the asphalt, echoing through the deathly quiet alley.

Following her footsteps, there seemed to be another sound, hidden in the wind.

"rustle."

It was very light and dull, like the sound of soft-soled shoes stepping on ice and snow.

The frequency almost perfectly matched her footsteps.

She was fast, and her voice was fast too.

She was slow, and her voice was slow too.

Shu Yao's heart began to race wildly, pounding in her chest like a drum, and her blood rushed to her brain.

The cold sweat in my palms soaked the lining of my leather gloves.

She gritted her teeth, slammed on the brakes, and stopped abruptly.

The rustling sound behind them disappeared instantly.

It ended abruptly, cleanly and decisively.

Only the cold wind whistled through the bare branches, producing a mournful wail.

Shu Yao took a deep breath of the biting cold air, mustering her courage.

He suddenly turned his head.

The alley was deserted.

There was nothing under the dim, flickering streetlights.

Only her long shadow, stretched by the streetlights, was cast against the mottled red brick wall, all alone.

A gust of wind swept by.

A black stray cat darted over a nearby trash can, knocking several empty soda cans to the ground.

"Clang! Crash!"

The ear-piercing sound of metal clashing echoed through the alley.

Shu Yao shuddered in fright and almost dropped the violin case in her hand.

"Meow—"

The wildcat let out a mournful howl and quickly disappeared over the wall.

Shu Yao's extremely tense nerves suddenly relaxed as the cat left.

She leaned against the wall, panting heavily, exhaling puffs of white mist.

He patted his violently heaving chest; his hands and feet felt weak.

It's neurasthenia, absolutely neurasthenia.

She smiled wryly.

The rehearsals have been too intense lately, and I haven't fully recovered from my cold yet. Staying up so late every night must have caused me to hallucinate due to the high level of stress.

There aren't that many perverted stalkers here; this is the city center.

But when I looked back, there was nothing there.

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of those chaotic and terrible thoughts.

I quickened my pace and almost jogged out of the alley.

Arriving at the brightly lit open-air parking lot, and seeing the lights on in the security booth, I finally felt completely safe.

He walked up to the Porsche, opened the car door, and stuffed the violin case into the back seat.

He quickly got into the driver's seat.

"Click," the first reaction was to press the central locking button and lock all the doors tightly.

It was cold in the carriage, so she turned on the heater.

I glanced up at the rearview mirror inside the car.

Apart from the violin case, the back seat was empty, and outside the car window was a quiet parking lot.

Shu Yao let out a long breath, started the car, and drove into traffic.

Shu Yao shook her head, trying to shake off those messy and terrible thoughts from her mind.

She thought she was just imagining things because she was too tired.

When they got home, He Zheng hadn't returned yet. The police had been conducting year-end surprise inspections these past few days, and the two of them were extremely busy.

After taking a hot shower, Shu Yao collapsed onto the big bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next few days were peaceful.

That chilling feeling of being watched never returned.

Shu Yao completely put the matter out of her mind and devoted all her energy to rehearsals at the Starry Sky Art Center.

*

December 31st, New Year's Eve.

The southern part of the city experienced its second heavy snowfall of the year, with goose-feather-like snowflakes swirling down and blanketing the entire city in white.

Red lanterns hung from the trees along the street, and a large screen outside the shopping mall played a New Year's countdown on a loop. It was festive and lively, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of roasted sweet potatoes and sugar-roasted chestnuts.

In the large, single-level apartment, the underfloor heating was scorching hot.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Shu Yao, unusually, did not stay in bed.

She slipped on her slippers and walked out of the master bedroom.

He Zheng is off today, as originally scheduled.

He was wearing gray loungewear and standing in front of the kitchen island, looking down and fiddling with something in his hands.

Two black and gold tickets for the Starry Sky Art Center New Year's Eve Concert, first row, VIP seats in the very center.