Chapter 003 Ayao, Don’t Be Afraid, I’m Here

When Jiang Yao returned to her rented apartment, it was already three o'clock in the morning.

As the elevator doors opened, she paused for three seconds in surprise.

There, sitting atop a flattened suitcase by her door, was her dear friend Ye Yiyi, leaning against the wall and sleeping soundly.

Ye Yiyi was, without doubt, a true beauty—one who had been stunning since childhood. Even now, paying no heed to her sleeping posture, with her hair messily draped across her cheeks, she still looked as lovely as the last glow of sunset on the horizon.

Awakened by Jiang Yao’s footsteps, Ye Yiyi slowly opened her drowsy eyes.

"Yao, you're back!" she exclaimed, rubbing her large eyes without caring for her appearance, instantly becoming radiant. "Hey, what happened to your face?"

She spotted Jiang Yao’s swollen, red cheeks at a glance.

"It's a long story," Jiang Yao replied helplessly, eyeing her friend. "Weren’t you supposed to be out of town? Why did you show up here all of a sudden without even calling me?"

Ye Yiyi stood, lifting her suitcase. "I just wanted to surprise you!"

"But you can’t just sleep out here—what if you caught a cold? Or ran into trouble?" Jiang Yao brushed the wrinkles from Ye Yiyi’s clothes, then tapped her gently on the forehead with her finger.

Ye Yiyi stuck out her tongue. "How could that happen?"

"You..." Jiang Yao truly had no way of dealing with her, pinching her cheek lightly before fishing out her keys to open the door.

Ye Yiyi was indeed beautiful—an oblivious, carefree beauty.

"Yao, Yao," Ye Yiyi clung to Jiang Yao, swinging her arm back and forth, "How could I leave you alone on your birthday?"

Ye Yiyi was a master of acting cute.

And Jiang Yao was never immune to it.

She couldn't help but smile. "Are you hungry? I'll make you some dumplings."

Ye Yiyi nodded enthusiastically. As an obscure, struggling actress, she never dieted and never worried about her figure.

"Oh, right, this is for you—and this, too."

Jiang Yao took the two small boxes Ye Yiyi handed her. "Why are there two gifts?"

"The one on the bottom is from me. The one on top isn’t," Ye Yiyi explained.

"Then who’s it from?"

"I don’t know," Ye Yiyi shook her head. "It was already at your door when I arrived. It was tied with a pretty ribbon and had your name on it. It must be a gift from someone."

Jiang Yao didn’t think much of it, carrying the presents inside with Ye Yiyi following close behind.

When the dumplings were ready, Ye Yiyi happily ate at her side while Jiang Yao began unwrapping the gifts.

Ye Yiyi’s present was a delicate star-shaped necklace.

Jiang Yao looked up and saw Ye Yiyi across the table pointing to her own neck, indicating that she wore an identical one. Jiang Yao couldn’t help but smile as she clasped the necklace around her own neck.

But the moment she opened the next box, her smile froze.

"What’s wrong?" Ye Yiyi noticed immediately and came over to look.

Inside lay a beautifully dressed doll, with golden hair, large blinking eyes, and a pink dress.

"Why would anyone give you a doll at your age?" Ye Yiyi frowned in confusion. But when she glanced back at Jiang Yao, she saw that her face had gone deathly pale.

Jiang Yao's hands gripped the edge of the box tightly. "Look again—on the doll’s chest. Is there a letter?"

Ye Yiyi checked. "There is—a ‘Z.’"

"I have one too," Jiang Yao said quietly, though her body trembled. She lifted her hand to cover her own chest.

Ye Yiyi paused, then realization dawned. "Is it... him?"

Jiang Yao didn’t answer, swallowing hard.

Silence was answer enough.

"What does he want?" Ye Yiyi hurled the doll away. "People like him belong behind bars for life—never to be released!"

Jiang Yao took a deep breath. "When a cat catches a mouse, it doesn’t kill it with one bite."

It will torment it, torment it until it dies.

Ye Yiyi was startled by the metaphor.

"But who is the cat, and who is the mouse, is yet to be seen." Jiang Yao quietly retrieved the discarded doll, placed it back in its box, and closed the lid as if it were just an ordinary gift. Her gaze grew resolute. "I will make him walk into the grave he’s dug for himself."

Ye Yiyi looked at Jiang Yao with aching sympathy. She was always like this—her shell as hard as stone, never letting anyone see her wounds.

Who could know how many times, in unseen corners, she had nursed those wounds alone?

"You can’t come here anymore," Jiang Yao said, suddenly cold and calm.

"No, I want to stay with you," Ye Yiyi insisted. "Yao, let’s move out together. We can’t stay here—let’s move tomorrow."

"I will move, but you can’t come with me." Jiang Yao rarely spoke to her with such distance.

Ye Yiyi knew that once Jiang Yao set her mind on something, no one could sway her.

"Alright then... but at least let me sleep with you tonight?" Ye Yiyi pouted. "If we don’t sleep now, it’ll be morning soon, Yao."

By five o’clock, the sky was pale with the first hints of dawn.

Jiang Yao lay on her back, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, sleep nowhere to be found.

Beside her, Ye Yiyi slept soundly as ever. She rolled over, replacing the stuffed rabbit in her arms with Jiang Yao’s own arm.

Apparently satisfied even in her dreams, Ye Yiyi burrowed closer to Jiang Yao and smacked her lips.

"Yao..."

Jiang Yao stiffened, thinking Ye Yiyi had woken, but turning her head, she saw her friend’s eyes were still closed.

"I’m not afraid of being dragged into this," Ye Yiyi murmured.

Jiang Yao couldn’t tell if it was a dream or not.

She bit her lip and whispered, "But I am."

Someone had already died because of her—she couldn’t risk anyone else.

Ye Yiyi nuzzled her head into Jiang Yao’s shoulder, mumbling softly, "Don’t be afraid, Yao. I’m here."

Tears spilled from Jiang Yao’s eyes.

She rolled over, gazing at Ye Yiyi’s sleeping face, biting her lip to stifle any sound, gently tucking the blanket around her.

But the tears fell like broken pearls.

She was two years older than Ye Yiyi. When they first met, Ye Yiyi was only seven.

Almost everything that had happened to Jiang Yao, Ye Yiyi had witnessed.

Through countless dark, helpless nights, Ye Yiyi had crouched beside her on the stairwell, hugging her arm, whispering, "Don’t be afraid, Yao. I’m here."

Beautiful and innocent, Ye Yiyi always cared most about Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao drew a deep breath and sat up in bed.

She remembered that in this world, Ye Yiyi’s closest person was now only her.

"Don’t worry. I promise nothing will happen to me."