NFBE Chapter 302 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (13)
Chapter 302 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (13)
He was so afraid that he could barely move.
Lu Liruan was completely unprepared for this situation; the boy's voice across from her was filled with fear.
"I'm sorry, if you're not here... Here you go..."
“I’m on my way back, it’ll only take a few minutes. You should call the police first. No matter who they are, breaking and entering is illegal!” This was the first time Lu Liruan had experienced something like this, and she didn’t know what was going on.
She had just gotten off the subway, steadied herself, and started running.
Jin Shuhe took a deep breath. He had actually regretted it the moment he heard Lu Liruan's voice after dialing the number.
Why would he expect help from a stranger he's only known for a short time? Why would he want to let that person know about his messy life...?
Hearing his breathing on the other end of the phone, Lu Liruan thought he was terrified: "Don't be afraid, nothing will happen."
When the call ended, Jin Shuhe realized that the approaching footsteps were not a hallucination, but were indeed coming from downstairs.
He slammed the door shut, inserted the key into the lock, and then placed two chairs against the door, weighing himself down on them. After doing all this, he prepared to call the police.
"Bang bang bang—" The vibrations from the door reached him.
"Please open the door. I know there are people inside. Please open it quickly so we can talk. We're all civilized people..."
Jin Shuhe stood frozen in place, his hand gripping the doorknob tightly.
There are all kinds of debt collectors. When he was a child, he saw those who came to his door with violence, and those who threatened him with sticks when he was in his hometown.
"What, you fucking owe money and you think you're in the right? If you're not going to pay, what are you pretending to be? Stop pretending no one's home, this damn lock's broken." The man outside said in a cocky, sinister tone.
Clearly, they didn't want to make a big fuss.
Seeing that there was no sound inside the house and the talking outside stopped, a powerful, silent impact came over Jin Shuhe. In a daze, he felt as if he had returned to his childhood, to a night when it was pouring rain.
When someone broke into their house, his mother shoved him into a cupboard that smelled of mothballs, and tremblingly told him, "No matter what happens, don't come out, understand!"
So the three- or four-year-old child cowered and hugged his knees.
All sounds were muffled, and through a tiny slit, streaks of lightning stung my eyes.
I don't know how much time passed before the cabinet door was reopened.
The child looked over in terror and trembling. Fortunately, standing there was his mother, her hair disheveled and her face still showing signs of shock.
boom--
The next knock on the door pulled him back to reality.
Will these days never end?
Just as he painfully closed his eyes, a firm voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Stop."
The sound seemed to split the chaotic tide in an instant, and only it clearly entered Jin Shuhe's mind.
"Who do you think you are! How dare you talk to me like that! I advise you to mind your own business and get lost!" The person outside the door lowered their voice, and Jin Shuhe could only hear them clearly by pressing his face close to the door.
“You have already disrupted the normal lives of the residents here. I have already called the police.”
Lu Liruan's voice remained firm, and she was carrying a cute cat-patterned handbag. Her expression showed no sign of backing down.
She rushed back as fast as she could, calling the police as she ran, worried that the child wouldn't be able to explain himself.
The operator handled the situation skillfully and quickly, telling Lu Liruan that the police would be there soon and that she should protect her personal safety.
Lu Liruan originally planned to wait for the police downstairs, but remembering Jin Shuhe's excessively fearful voice just now, Lu Liruan went upstairs instead.
If nothing has happened yet, take him home as soon as possible.
When they reached the corridor, Lu Liruan saw three or four people blocking the door to the child's house, pushing the door forcefully inside. The door wobbled and struggled against each other.
The leader seemed to have lost his patience and kicked the door, which slammed inward. Lu Liruan heard the sound of something falling to the ground.
Considering the surrounding environment, and the fact that the old residential area had ample surveillance cameras at the entrance, Lu Liruan acted impulsively and rushed forward.
Her voice was calm, but her heart was pounding. As an honest citizen, Lu Liruan was facing something like this for the first time, but she couldn't panic!
Jin Shuhe froze for a moment inside the room. Without thinking twice, he stepped over the overturned chair and headed towards the door, looking out through the peephole.
I saw my neighbor standing in front of my house.
The other side consisted of four people of varying heights and builds. The neighbor, dressed in a soft dress and carrying a cute bag, stood in front of them, as if surrounded by several towers.
But her expression remained calm and indifferent. Jin Shuhe knew that his neighbor's smile was warm and bright.
I've never seen her angry.
Those people were clearly also taken aback by Lu Liruan's actions, wondering why she suddenly came out to stop them.
"Who are you to this family? If you're related to them, why don't you pay off their debts for them!"
Jin Shuhe was anxious to open the door. He had just been overwhelmed by the fear of the past, but now, all he wanted was to stand with Lu Liruan!
Lu Liruan noticed the movement inside the door.
Noticing that Jin Shuhe wanted to open the door, she grabbed the handle on the corridor side of the door and applied slight force to signal him not to come out.
Raise your other hand and hold the phone up.
"What are you doing?" the leader said, making a move to grab it.
“My profession is an entertainment streamer. I am currently live streaming on my social media account. Your actions have been recorded and watched by many people. If you do anything to harm me now, these videos can be used as evidence in court. I will pursue this to the end and send you to jail!” Lu Liruan raised her head, showing no fear of his threats.
These words caused the leader's expression to change. They were just sent to collect debts; when do debt collectors ever sue people? What's the point of collecting debts then!
They're not exactly doing anything legitimate, and if they get caught... they won't fare well either.
Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, the police alarm sounded downstairs.
The police were clearly used to vicious debt collection tactics.
Several police officers in uniform rushed over, glanced at the situation, and took the lead in protecting Lu Liruan behind them, scrutinizing the men from head to toe.
"What's going on?" The policeman glanced at the leader of the debt collectors.
The man grinned at the police officer with feigned innocence, then glanced at Lu Liruan and took a few steps back.
"Comrade police, I was the one who called the police!"
Lu Liruan subconsciously raised her hand to signal. She had never dealt with the police before, and for a moment she answered a question from the teacher in class.
The policeman nodded, signaling Lu Liruan to stand beside him and not move.
Another policeman first took several people downstairs, leaving the leader and Lu Liruan to explain the situation.
Jin Shuhe wanted to be with Lu Liruan, but Lu Liruan's hand remained pressed against the door.
Jin Shuhe didn't know what she meant, but when the police arrived, he obediently stayed inside the door as Lu Liruan instructed.
After understanding the situation, the interrogating police officer looked at Lu Liruan and asked, "Are you my neighbor?"
"Ah...yes, I'm the neighbor."
"You have a good heart, but next time, if you encounter something like this, don't act rashly. Protect your personal safety, understand?" The policeman looked at Lu Liruan and earnestly educated her.
The young girl is quite kind-hearted and brave; that's the meaning behind the policeman's expression.
"Yes, I understand!" Lu Liruan nodded sincerely, clenching her fist at her chest to express her seriousness.
The policeman looked over her shoulder and into the doorway, then had his colleague, who had come back up, take the leader, who looked terrified, away as well.
"Who's inside the house?" the police officer asked after they left.
“It’s the neighbor’s kid, still in high school. His family’s affairs have nothing to do with him. We don’t want those people to see what the kid looks like, or they’ll cause trouble at his school…”
Lu Liruan had blocked the door to prevent Jin Shuhe from coming out because of this.
"You're quite vigilant, why were you so impulsive just now?" The policeman smiled and asked Jin Shuhe a few questions as he entered the room.
Since no conflict occurred and the situation was clear, the police told Lu Liruan that she didn't need to go to the police station.
After taking his statement, the police turned and left, telling Jin Shuhe not to stay there until the door was repaired.
Once the corridor was completely quiet, Lu Liruan finally breathed a sigh of relief, not even noticing that her bag had fallen to the ground.
"Xiao He." Lu Liruan heard Jin Shuhe's heavy breathing.
"you……"
As soon as she spoke, Lu Liruan suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder.
Caught off guard, the boy met her gaze. Not wanting anyone to see his expression, he instinctively bent down and rested his head on Lu Liruan's shoulder.
His slightly rapid breathing hit Lu Liruan's neck, making it feel hot and itchy. Lu Liruan subconsciously wanted to pull her neck away, but it was not a good time to push him away, so she could only endure it and remain still.
He reached out and patted the boy's thin, trembling shoulder.
Unlike the gentle pat on the head last time, Lu Liruan placed her palm firmly on the top of his head, patting it soothingly...
The early summer evening was a bit muggy, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on the boy's forehead, which transmitted the heat to Lu Liruan through his clothes.
After that moment of impulsiveness, Jin Shuhe closed his eyes, unsure of what to do. He didn't know what he should do.
Belatedly, his limbs stiffened. Since starting junior high school, no one had ever snuggled up to him so intimately—no family, no friends.
My neighbor has a pleasant scent, like sunshine, like a warm breeze, like the comforting scent of spring.
He endured that resistance for a long time, absorbing the energy.
Lu Liruan's shoulder was numb from his weight, so she slowly moved her hand to the back of his neck, stroking it like a small animal, while gesturing for him to get up.
Lu Liruan had never taken care of a child before and didn't know what to do. Her heart was still pounding from the shock.
The boy's handsome yet still somewhat childish face, with its panicked expression, was enough to evoke pity.
Lu Liruan's heart trembled, but she tried her best to appear experienced.
She whispered reassuringly, "Don't be afraid, it's alright now."
"I'm not afraid..." The boy's hoarse voice was not very convincing.
"Oh."
"real!"
"Uh-huh."
Jin Shuhe didn't even know what nonsense he was talking about.
Suddenly he remembered: "Won't your live stream have any impact?"
"Oh, I wasn't live streaming. I just turned on the camera to fool them." Lu Liruan showed him her phone screen.
Lu Liruan thought that the two of them were now like cowards and needed to find a place to calm down. She looked through the door and saw a mess on the floor.
"Come to my place, no one can stay here anymore." Lu Liruan patted his back: "Go find some clothes to change into!"
Lu Liruan just touched him and found that his sweat had seeped through his thin school uniform.
Following Lu Liruan into her house in a daze, Jin Shuhe felt as if everything had just happened in a dream.
The neighbor's house was no different from the last time I visited, except that there were a few more unopened delivery boxes on the living room floor, which he had helped bring up a few days ago.
Lu Liruan kicked the ground to the side, a little embarrassed: "I haven't had time to tidy up yet."
"Do you want to go... Hey? What happened to your hand?"
She hadn't noticed before, but now that the room was brightly lit, Lu Liruan saw a bloodstain on his hand.
Jin Shuhe followed her gaze and saw that he must have been scratched when he moved the chair, but he hadn't felt any pain because he was too nervous.
Even now, looking at the wound that had stopped bleeding, Jin Shuhe still felt very uncomfortable.
"Go change your clothes, I'll find you a band-aid!"
Watching Lu Liruan's retreating figure as she entered the house, Jin Shuhe quickened his pace, went into the bathroom, and rinsed his hands under the tap until the cold water washed away all the bloodstains.
"What are you doing? Playing in the water?" Lu Liruan listened to the splashing water and watched the boy staring blankly at the mirror.
"I...I'll change my clothes." Jin Shuhe turned off the tap, lowered her head, and hurriedly closed the door.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Jin Shuhe closed her eyes, feeling extremely ashamed. It seemed that she felt embarrassed every time she saw her neighbor. Jin Shuhe sighed in despair.
When he finished changing and went out, Lu Liruan had also changed into a casual T-shirt and shorts, with a pair of black-rimmed glasses on her nose and her hair tied up in a bun.
"Come and eat. I'm not in the mood to cook today, I only have instant noodles that I bought at the supermarket yesterday." Lu Liruan took the kettle that had just boiled and poured it into the two instant noodle boxes.
Steam rose as the two sat silently across the table, staring at the instant noodles in front of them and inhaling the unique aroma of the seasoning packets.
"Ah—" Lu Liruan slammed her hand on the table: "I was so scared just now!" She looked pained, but finally relaxed completely. When she was boiling water, she still felt soreness in her calves.
Hearing her voice, Jin Shuhe lowered his head even further: "I'm sorry." He didn't know if it was from the heat or what... but he felt a burning sensation on his cheeks and around his eyes.
"What are you apologizing for? I really didn't expect that there could be such lawless people in a society governed by the rule of law!" she complained angrily and sincerely.
Yes...there is always, there has always been, Jin Shuhe silently answered in his heart.
He has been encountering this since he was a child.
He glanced at Lu Liruan with shame and guilt, then quickly lowered his head: because his neighbor's life was completely different from his own; she had never seen such things, while he seemed to have always lived on a lower level than ordinary people...
It's like living in a gutter forever, not knowing when you'll see the light of day.