She wanted to see how Mr. Nian would react.
Mr. Nianâs eyes flickered slightly, but overall, he remained calm. Lowering his gaze, he said, "That must have been a particularly terrifying dream. Donât worry, dreams are often the opposite of reality. Heâll be fine."
"Hmm..." She nodded. "Iâll also make sure to protect Mr. Nian. I wonât let anything happen to you."
She didnât want anything to happen to him... not at all.
Perhaps it was the fear of that frightening nightmare coming true, but at that moment, as Heather looked at Mr. Nian, she made up her mind: no matter the costâeven if it meant sacrificing her own lifeâshe wouldnât let Mr. Nian face any danger.
"Then Iâll be in your capable hands," he said after wiping the cold sweat off her forehead. "Itâs all fine now, go back and rest."
After Heather closed the door, Mr. Nian didnât return to his room.
He sat in the living room, contemplating her words, and then chuckled softly.
Little fool.
...
Ever since that nightmare in the middle of the night, Heather didnât fall asleep again for a long time.
She kept an ear out for sounds from the living room and noticed that Mr. Nian seemed to sit there for quite a while. As for when he finally went back to his room, she wasnât sureâby then, she had drifted off to sleep.
For some reason, she slept very peacefully.
The next morning, after freshening up, Heather put on the black womenâs suit Yi Yang had bought her the day before.
As soon as she stepped out the door, she bumped straight into Qu Leqi, who happened to step out at the same time.
Of course, Heather remained calm, but poor Qu Leqi was so startled that she stumbled back a few steps, stammering, "Ha... Ha... Heather?!"
"Yes, I am Heather, Miss Qu," she said with a warm smile. "Not Ha-Ha-Ha-Heather."
But that clearly wasnât the point at all!
"What are you doing here?!"
"Why canât I be here?" Heather countered, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, you didnât see me last night, did you? I was here then too."
"How did you get in?!"
"Hmm... If it wasnât you, Miss Qu, who opened the door for me, then what do you think? How do you suppose I got in?"
Such a simple questionâdid it even need asking?
Qu Leqi was evidently so shocked by Heatherâs sudden appearance that she could hardly speak.
"I... Iâll just clarifyâTang Mingâs matter has nothing to do with me!" Qu Leqi said nervously. Just as Heather happened to take several steps forward, Qu Leqi instinctively retreated to maintain a safe distance. "Really! It has nothing to do with me! Iâve already given a statement to the police. If you donât believe me, you should at least believe their evidence!"
Mr. Nian emerged from inside, his demeanor calm as he assessed the situation. "Looks like you two have already exchanged introductions. Good, saves me the trouble."
"...Weâve met..." Qu Leqi mumbled in a small voice. Seeing Mr. Nian appear, she quickly moved to stand by his side. "But Mr. Nian, why is Heather here?"
She seemed to finally understand what others had felt before.
Just like how she used to call him Mr. Li all the time, now hearing herself addressed similarly by Qu Leqi brought back certain memories.
Mr. Nian didnât hesitate in answering her directly. "Iâve hired Heather to be my bodyguard."
"What?" Qu Leqi blurted out, completely unprepared, her expression betraying her shock.
Of course, Heather found her reaction understandable. After all, if it were herâa situation where sheâd have to see someone she disliked every single dayâit would also feel like a huge disaster.
"No, I didnât mean..." Qu Leqi, realizing her response had been a little too strong, quickly softened her tone. "What I meant was... why did you suddenly decide to hire Heather as a bodyguard?"