Alaricka felt oddly disappointed.
Dressed in a plain black sweatshirt and pants, he kept his head down, features obscured. He carried a black trash bag, placing it gently by his doorway.
His ordinary clothes hung on him with runway-perfect ease, like an edgy menswear model on a shopping app’s homepage.
Honestly, any man appearing all-black in a dim hallway felt vaguely eerie—straight out of a crime thriller.
Alaricka watched his hands, ready to look away, when abruptly he lifted his head and met her gaze.
For a heartbeat, Alaricka froze.
His face was stunningly impactful.
He looked mixed-race, impossibly sculpted and handsome. Had someone called him a top-tier model, Alaricka would’ve believed it.
He had sharp features, a high nose bridge, and pale skin with strikingly red lips, looking like a vampire who’d just fed and stepped out for a nap. His expression was detached, eyes carrying a hint of condescension. When his gaze swept over Alaricka, it felt casual—yet being under that stare made her feel utterly dismissed.
Alaricka, committed to building good neighborly relations, raised her hand to greet him: “Hello?”
Her confusion stemmed from expecting this pretentious man to ignore her, yet doubting anyone could be so rude.
Sure enough, within half a second, he averted his eyes without the slightest courtesy, turned around, and slammed his door shut.
Alaricka’s hand froze mid-air.
Tamika glanced back and muttered disapprovingly: “How rude!”
She tugged Alaricka’s still-outstretched arm. “Forget him. Let’s go in.”
Alaricka arched an eyebrow and followed Tamika inside.
The incident barely registered with Alaricka, who promptly forgot her neighbor was a supermodel-caliber guy, focusing entirely on learning coding from Nie Guanyu.
Nie Guanyu proved a dedicated teacher. Whenever free, he’d pick a spot for daily lessons, explaining every concept meticulously. Though Jaylene constantly nitpicked, Nie Guanyu remained infinitely patient, clarifying each point.
Gradually, Jaylene’s talent for computing emerged. Initially struggling to keep pace with Nie Guanyu and Alaricka, she soon began anticipating answers.
Alaricka, naturally quick-witted herself, accelerated their progress. The trio’s learning curve shot up like a rocket.
Nie Guanyu marveled at his students’ aptitude, speaking faster and faster, eager to pour all his knowledge into them.
Through this, Alaricka sensed Nie Guanyu’s deep expertise and passion for computing.
Her days weren’t solely consumed by coding and National College Entrance Exam prep. She devoured books on entrepreneurship, scoured online business videos and articles—her startup vision crystallizing daily.
One evening, Jaylene left for hospital duty with her grandmother. Alaricka took the subway alone back to her rental apartment.
Walking the dimly lit alleyway, familiar yet unsettling, she quickened her pace past shadowy corners.
Suddenly, a faint sound rustled behind her.
Late-night silence amplified the noise—only her footsteps had echoed moments before.
Alaricka froze, then sped up.
The sound grew louder.
Now distinct.
Footsteps. And the scraping of fabric against fabric!
And the heavy panting of a man!
Alaricka’s mental alarms blared wildly, her heart rate and blood pressure nearly peaking. Holding her breath in terror, she desperately lifted her feet and sprinted toward her rental building.
As she ran, her mind raced—who was chasing her?
Only the Argent family and the Whitaker family held grudges against her.
But she’d fled this far—why wouldn’t they let her be?
Behind her, ragged breathing and footsteps grew louder.
Dangerously close.
Alaricka gritted her teeth.
This rental complex was densely packed with residents, its buildings offering little soundproofing.
One loud shout would reach most neighbors nearby.
She opened her mouth wide: “Help—”
The heavy breathing vanished for a split second. Alaricka’s eyes widened as a pale hand shot from behind, clamping over her mouth at lightning speed.
Thud!
“Mmph!”