Prada-wearing woman in red

The bathroom door opened, and the woman, wrapped in a towel, walked out with a pale face, saying coldly, "Why haven't you left yet? Do you want to see how embarrassed a girl can be after being rejected by you?"

Without a word, Ye Chong picked up his shirt and draped it over his shoulders, heading straight for the door.

"Stop!" Just as his hand touched the doorknob, the woman's voice sounded from behind, "Do you think I'm frivolous and cheap, so you dislike me?"

"No."

"Then why are you leaving?"

Ye Chong sighed, "One moment you ask me to leave, the next you ask me to stay. What exactly do you want?"

"Where did you live before?"

"In a construction shed."

"And after?"

"Cement pipes, roadside curbs, dry drainage ditches."

"Until you find a new place to live, this is your home."

Ye Chong's heart trembled, a surge of warmth flooding over him. Perhaps he hadn't heard the word "home" for a long time...

The night grew late, with silence outside the window, only the faint rustle of leaves. A beam of moonlight fell on the sofa, like a silent serenade.

In a daze between sleep and wakefulness, a scream suddenly came from upstairs.

The sound had barely subsided when the door slammed open, and under the moonlight, Su Moning's long hair hung low. Just as Ye Chong was wondering how a person could act so quickly, he found Su Moning already standing in front of him.

"What's wrong, did you have a nightmare?"

The woman tried to hide her cheeks in the darkness, avoiding letting him see her expression, and nodded slightly.

In the darkness, Ye Chong's starry eyes flickered, speaking gently, "There's something I've never understood. How could a woman like you get involved with someone like Ma Hong, and why would you go to a nightclub with him?"

This time, Su Moning didn't conceal anything, "Ma Hong's son goes to my school, and I have contact with every parent. Once, Ma Hong proposed to support the school's development and intended to donate money. Knowing he was a businessman, and with his son studying at the school, donating seemed highly likely."

"Last night, he invited me to dinner to discuss the details of the donation, with several of his friends present. I went without hesitation."

"We had a pleasant conversation during dinner. He readily agreed to the donation and even planned to establish a charity fund at the school to support students who excelled but couldn't afford Elite High's tuition."

"At the time, I was very grateful for his generosity and even admired his character, especially with his friends' flattering. I let down my guard."

"After dinner, one of his friends suggested going for karaoke. Despite my reluctance due to my status, I couldn't refuse in front of them. And with his male and female friends present, I didn't refuse."

"Shortly after we entered the private room, one by one, his friends made excuses and left, leaving only the two of us. That's when he finally showed his true colors."

"He became increasingly aggressive, urging me to drink more, and his words and actions became more disgusting. Sensing trouble, I got up to leave, but he... If you hadn't barged in, I don't know what would have happened."

With a bitter smile, she said, "Am I so foolish?"

Listening carefully, Ye Chong asked, "And then?"

"I took you to a nearby budget hotel. Since you didn't have an ID, I had to use mine to check you in. After making sure you were asleep, I left."

"Early the next morning, worried about you, I went back to the hotel. But the receptionist said you'd been arrested by the police. I went to the police station to find out what happened, explained everything, but they didn't agree to my request for bail."

It seemed that Su Moning didn't know about the other woman's situation.

"If you want revenge on Ma Hong, it's simple."

"No, he's just a student, and this has nothing to do with him."

Changing the subject, Ye Chong said, "Your dream just now has nothing to do with this."

His words hit the mark, and Su Moning bit her lip. "Yes."

"If I'm not mistaken, it's because of Xu Jianfeng."

At the mention of "Xu Jianfeng," the woman's body trembled slightly, and she slowly turned her face away. "I'm fine now. You should rest."

Ye Chong felt a bit deflated; when she was crying, he was like a spiritual guide, but now that she was fine, she shut him out immediately.

He had just reached the doorway when Su Moning suddenly called out to him, "Hey!"

"What's up?"

"Thank you."

It had been a long time since anyone had said those three words to him, and he felt a long-lost warmth in his heart.

He smiled faintly and closed the door behind him.

Waking up to a new day, he stretched lazily and saw a pink note on the coffee table. In elegant handwriting, it read: "I've gone to work. I prepared a new outfit for you, breakfast is in the dining room, I'll be waiting for you at school... Moning."

Seeing the new men's outfit on the hanger, a wave of warmth washed over him, and he smiled knowingly.

What is home? For a man, most of the time, "home" is actually a woman.

He put on his slippers and headed to the bathroom, taking a refreshing shower.

Dressed in the new clothes, he looked sharp and well put-together.

Standing in front of the mirror, wearing a light blue knit sweater, brown casual pants, suede leather shoes, he touched his clean face and smooth chin, smoothed his chiseled hair, and put on a pair of black-framed glasses. In a second, he transformed from a dusty construction worker swinging a sledgehammer to a sophisticated urbanite.

Dressed in this outfit, he couldn't help but feel a bit "dapper."

When he arrived at the dining room, a delicious breakfast was indeed prepared: half-cooked fried eggs, baked sausages, sliced ​​bread, and a glass of milk, along with today's newspaper placed considerately beside it.

For a moment, an unprecedented warmth surged through him. The days of being downtrodden and mechanical seemed to be a thing of the past, and he felt like he had found the feeling of home.

Although the work he did was despised by many, he was like many others in this city. Whether it was selling his last ounce of strength for a meal, enduring being scolded by his boss every day to maintain his dignity, or sacrificing himself for Dior and Audi just to avoid being looked down upon by his colleagues, regardless of the greatness or meanness in the eyes of the world, they were all seeking the same thing in this city: home!

Because no matter how degraded one might be outside, one can only find a minimum of dignity at home!

Since Su Moning could leave him, a stranger, in her home, it at least showed her absolute trust in him. However, in Ye Chong's experience, this trust was more precious than gold!

Everything sorted, he left "Wangfu Garden," hailed a taxi, and just as he was about to say "Elite High School," his phone rang.

Taking out his phone, he saw an unfamiliar number. These days had been a bit chaotic, with many strange people and events popping up out of nowhere.

He patiently answered the call, intending to hang up after a single sentence, "You've got the wrong number."

Unexpectedly, just as his finger touched the red button, a seemingly familiar female voice sounded, "Where are you?"

Hearing this voice, Ye Chong felt a chill down his spine. "It's you."

"I'm waiting for you at Times Square."

"Can it be another day? I've just found a new job, and today is my first day."

"You can choose not to come, but I can guarantee that three days from now, you will lose all job opportunities in this city. By then, don't even think about leaving, because you'll be out on bail. As long as you dare to leave Haitian, the police will immediately throw you into prison, and I guarantee you will face the most severe charges!"

Ye Chong frowned, "Who do you think you are? You think you can scare me with just a few words? Even if I go along with you, what can you do..."

He argued for a while before realizing that the other party had hung up long ago. The taxi driver looked at him through the rearview mirror, "Brother, you're pretty tough."

"A man can't be easily intimidated by a woman... Anyway, I'm not going to Elite High School today, I'm going to Times Square instead."

The taxi driver looked at him strangely, showing a hint of speechlessness.

Arriving at Times Square, he saw a woman in a white dress with long hair feeding pigeons by the fountain from a distance. In the morning light, she appeared exceptionally pure.

That person was none other than the mysterious woman with whom he had inexplicably crossed paths.

At this moment, he glanced at her, and in his mind flashed an image: night, a taxi, three men, a woman in red Prada...

Indeed, the woman in front of him was the same woman he had inadvertently saved that night, only to mysteriously disappear later.

The various doubts from before surged into his mind. Who was this woman? Why was she with those three men? Why did she suddenly vanish, only to reappear in his bed later?

A coincidence might be a coincidence, but when many coincidences collide, things are probably not that simple.

He lit a cigarette, then walked step by step towards her. He squatted down beside her, imitating her actions in feeding the pigeons. "Did you ask me to accompany you to feed the pigeons?"

The woman's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Standing up, she walked away, and he followed. She remained silent, and he didn't know how to break the silence.

The two of them walked along the willow-lined bank for a long time. Finally, the woman spoke softly, "Are you going to keep your promise from last time?"

"Of course."

"To compensate me, will you do anything I ask?"

"That's right."

The woman stopped and looked at him with certainty. "You might be overestimating yourself."

"Overestimating oneself is a man's nature."

From her bag, the woman took out the petite and delicate Walther PPK handgun and handed it to him, saying word by word, "I want you to kill someone."

With that sentence, it was as if everything around them was blocked out. Instantly, the smile disappeared from his face. He never expected her to make such a demand. "Who am I supposed to kill?"

The woman slowly raised her hand, and he followed her gaze. He saw a pair of high school students coming towards them, playfully fighting and appearing very close.

A trace of coldness flashed in his eyes, as if he had entered a different mode. Skillfully, he unlocked the safety and cocked the gun. "Both of them, or just one?"

With a voice devoid of emotion, the woman said, "Pick one."