I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 16

Once again, Guan Xiaoxuan got on the creaky, swaying bus and found a window seat at the very back.

As time passed, the bus entered the city. The sky was starting to darken, and since it was rush hour, the bus moved painfully slow—barely over a hundred meters every five minutes.

When Guan Xiaoxuan got on, there were only a few people, but now the entire bus was packed. People jostled against each other like sardines in a can.

She could smell the sweat of the passengers nearby, so she cracked open the window slightly and looked out at the bustling cityscape.

After observing for a few days, Guan Xiaoxuan realized that besides some dirty places, this city still held traces of her old world.

For example, the Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles and Jinling duck bl00d vermicelli soup everywhere on the streets often made her feel a bit dazed—almost like she’d just woken from a dream. But after looking closer, she understood these were only similar versions, not exactly the same.

On the bright side, it meant she didn’t have to worry much about what to eat anymore—no matter where she went, it would be familiar. So for now, she just treated this place as another city.

The crowded sardine can of a bus kept moving slowly forward. When passing a bus stop, Guan Xiaoxuan instinctively glanced at it.

She remembered it was at this very stop that she once saw a woman in a red long dress and high heels.

The woman had been hiding behind the bus stop’s advertisement board, and from Guan Xiaoxuan’s angle, she could only see the woman’s slender, long legs and the red dress trailing just below her knees.

At that time, there was a puddle of water at the woman’s feet, which seemed odd on such a sunny day.

Guan Xiaoxuan wondered if the woman had been bullied—maybe someone had poured water on her?

If that was true, it was really pitiful.

But today, Guan Xiaoxuan didn’t see the woman’s figure. After a brief pause at the stop, the bus doors closed again and slowly drove away.

Back at the apartment complex where she was currently renting, every time Guan Xiaoxuan saw the well-kept surroundings, she felt a little sting thinking about the six thousand yuan rent she paid each month.

Still, she didn’t dwell on it too long. Compared to six thousand yuan, she felt it was more important to keep herself alive.

Besides, the “official daddy” was reimbursing her, so it wasn’t a big problem.

She just didn’t know how long the reimbursements would last.

Taking the elevator upstairs, Guan Xiaoxuan pulled out her key to open the door. But as she did, she suddenly froze in place.

“Huh?”

She bent down a little and leaned close to the door handle, tilting her head to look.

If she hadn’t been so careful, she might have grabbed it without noticing.

“What’s this?” Guan Xiaoxuan lightly touched the silver door handle with her finger and found it damp. Then she noticed there was some water pooling near her feet too.

Where did this water come from?

Puzzled, she stood upright and looked around the hallway. Only two households lived on the 17th floor—hers and Xing Tianqing’s across the hall.

Could it be that Xing Tianqing had spilled water in front of her door?

Guan Xiaoxuan quickly dismissed the thought. Considering who Xing Tianqing was, there was no way she’d randomly pour water outside Guan Xiaoxuan’s door.

Maybe it was the cleaning staff from the property management who caused it while doing their rounds?

But what about the wet door handle?

Were the property staff trying to enter her apartment?

Her brows furrowed as she stared at her door. In the end, she decided to call the building manager downstairs.

“Hello, I’m a tenant on the 17th floor of this building. I found quite a bit of water in front of my door today. I’d like to check the surveillance footage.”

The property staff were very responsible and came up quickly to check the water marks at her door, then accompanied her inside.

After walking around the apartment, Guan Xiaoxuan found nothing missing. The place was dry, and the water seemed to only be at the doorstep.

While she was inspecting, a familiar voice came from the door.

“What’s going on?”

Xing Tianqing looked like she was about to head out. Dressed in a black trench coat, she stood at Guan Xiaoxuan’s door, noticing the wide-open door and the two property workers. With one hand in her pocket, she asked, “Did someone break in?”

If it were someone else, Xing Tianqing might just be curious. But since it was Guan Xiaoxuan living opposite, she felt she should be a bit more considerate.

Guan Xiaoxuan hurried out and smiled brightly when she saw Xing Tianqing’s outfit.

“Good evening, Miss Xing. Are you heading out?”

Guan Xiaoxuan had seen Xing Tianqing before. When not working, she usually wore casual clothes at home. Only when something serious came up did she put on the black trench coat.

Remembering she had called the police earlier that day, Guan Xiaoxuan guessed Xing Tianqing was probably going to the Normal University to handle something.

“Mm,” Xing Tianqing replied softly but didn’t continue the conversation. Her calm eyes glanced at the people inside the apartment. “So, no burglary?”

“No,” Guan Xiaoxuan explained, “It’s just that there was suddenly a puddle of water at my door. I asked them to take a look.”

“A puddle of water…”

Xing Tianqing seemed to recall something and after a pause said, “That probably means it’s nothing serious.”

Guan Xiaoxuan looked at her curiously.

Xing Tianqing didn’t say more, just glanced at her again and said, “I have some things to deal with. Get some rest early after you’re done.”

Watching Xing Tianqing get on the elevator, Guan Xiaoxuan turned to the property workers.

“Thanks for your help today. It looks like there’s nothing wrong. I appreciate it.”

At first, Guan Xiaoxuan was worried something had happened and had specifically called the property staff. But seeing how lightly Xing Tianqing took the situation, she immediately relaxed.

If even Xing Tianqing didn’t think it was serious, then maybe she was just overthinking.

After taking a hot shower and making a bowl of instant noodles, Guan Xiaoxuan opened a can of main food for Guazi (her pet) and finally sat down to enjoy her evening.

Honestly, this three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment felt a bit empty with just her living there, but she didn’t like having roommates. She preferred living alone—both before and now.

As for the two extra rooms, Guan Xiaoxuan thought they weren’t useful at the moment, so she left them alone.

Lying in bed that night, she opened a shopping app on her phone and ordered a surveillance camera. Only then did she go to sleep satisfied.

At three in the morning—

Guan Xiaoxuan was sound asleep in her dream. Guazi lay curled up at her feet, softly snoring.

The peaceful night was suddenly interrupted when the phone beside her pillow lit up and started ringing wildly, as if urging its owner to wake up.

On the phone screen was the name [Zhang Wen].