"Around two PM, I returned home. I planned to take a rest. But my friend called me. He is the one who is a tenant in this building. He asked me to pick up and store his belongings for a while."

"You must be a wonderful person to the point that your friend has entrusted his keys and belongings to you."

The man laughed at Yìngyuè's praise.

"It's nothing like that. This is the first time he asks me to keep his belonging. On the phone, my friend sounded a little panicked. He said his life was in danger. I don't know how true that was. Sometimes the person is a bit over the top. He is very fond of mystery and detective stories. Several times he held mystery or detective games with his friends. The person is still young. He is not yet thirty. So I think it's natural that he still likes to act like that."

After pausing for a while, he continued his story.

"I don't know this time he is really in trouble, or this is just part of his game. But whatever it is, I don't think it would hurt me to help him store things for a while."

"That's right," Yìngyuè said.

"Then, the keys to this place. Did you keep it from a few months ago?"

"I never kept the keys. On the phone earlier, my friend asked if I had received the package he sent. It turned out that the key and an explanation of what to do were in the package. He did not speak much on the phone, fearing for his safety. So I read this instruction in the letter that he included in the package."

"Did the package come after he called?" Yìngyuè asked again.

"The package arrived yesterday afternoon. But because no one was home, we haven't received it. There had also been such an incident before. Fortunately, our neighbor was kind enough to stand in for us to receive the package. I thought maybe this time it happened too. After receiving the call, I went straight to the next door to ask if there was a package for me yesterday. Our neighbor said that at 2 PM yesterday, the package arrived. After reading the instructions, I immediately went here."

When they are silent, Yìngyuè felt the time was running at a snail's pace. One minute felt like an hour. The situation differed from when they talked. So Yìngyuè asked the man further.

"Your friend who asked you to keep his belongings, where does he live?"

"His name is Sōngfēi. I don't know where he lives now. But previously, he lived in the western part of this city. The place is far away from here. He moved from there about three months ago."

"So he never lived here?"

"Never. This is an office building. Though I don't understand why people make office buildings on the city's outskirts where the atmosphere is like this?"

"When did the last time you meet him?" asked Yìngyuè. She leaned forward.

"About two months ago. We met Sōngfēi at a restaurant in a mall in the downtown area."

"Which downtown?" asked Yìngyuè.

"Píngyuán downtown," replied the man.

"Oh, the one near Yuèmíng," said Yìngyuè.

"Right," replied the man. He laughed.

"Sōngfēi said nothing about his new house. In fact, I don't think all of my friends realized that he had moved out of his old house."

"Yesterday, where did he call you from?"

"I do not know. I think from somewhere out of town. He called in a short time, so I didn't have time to ask anything. He only said that he was in danger. I don't know what this time he was involved in?"

It turned out that this man liked to tell stories. Quite different from the impression when Yìngyuè first spoke to him at the phone booth.

Yingyue could understand the man's concern over what had happened to her friend. Hearing that man's story, his friend might be in danger. She remembered what she had been through just a few hours ago. Feeling in danger was not a pleasant experience.

But there was something strange. Yìngyuè didn't feel panic or fear at this moment. In stark contrast to when she ran to avoid the criminals earlier, right now, even though she was trapped inside an elevator with a stranger, Yìngyuè felt safe. Yìngyuè herself also did not understand the calmness she felt.

In all her life, Yìngyuè had always felt insecure. This was understandable because since she was a child, she had lost both of her parents. She had to move from place to place to follow the relatives who took care of her. There was a lot of discomfort during this nomadic life. Yìngyuè'd understood these relatives had their hardships. It was impossible to expect them to care for her as wholeheartedly as they would care for and raise their own children.

Therefore, since a young age, Yìngyuè had tried to be independent. Her level of maturity far exceeded that of girls her age. Although Yìngyuè had never experienced this extreme situation. But mentally, she was ready to face whatever hardship laid before her.

In the dark, Yìngyuè thought back to the things that had happened in her life. Memories of the past swirled in her mind like a movie. There were sweet memories that make her happy, but there were also bitter memories that left tears in her solitude.

They were still chatting for a while. The man gave more details about his friend. But Yìngyuè then felt sleepy. Even though she tried to endure it, the drowsiness attacked her even more. Soon she fell asleep.