The two of them hadn’t yet recovered from the sudden turn of events when a loud bang erupted behind them.
The wooden door of the storage room was slammed shut from the outside.
The faint light in the room was instantly blocked, plunging everything into pitch-black darkness.
The silence was suffocating, broken only by their rapid breathing.
Lin Zhao froze, panicking:“What do we do? The door’s shut!”
“First, move your hand.” Xu Ning’s voice came from the darkness.
Only then did Lin Zhao realize her hand was still pressed against Xu Ning’s waist—probably left there in the fluster of the earlier fall.
She yanked it back like it had been electrified, fingertips still lingering with Xu Ning’s warmth, and hurriedly apologized:“Sorry! I didn’t mean it… Did I press on you too hard? Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself anywhere?”
She babbled on, reaching forward again, but Xu Ning raised a hand to stop her.
“I’m fine.” Xu Ning’s voice paused.“What about you?”
Lin Zhao was momentarily stunned by the question.
She had fallen onto Xu Ning earlier, and Xu Ning had cushioned her fall. Except for a dull pain from her forehead brushing against Xu Ning’s shoulder, she hadn’t been hurt at all.
She blinked a few times before replying:“I’m fine too.”
As soon as she said it, reality hit—they were trapped.“It looks like we’ve been locked in.”
“Was it you?”
Lin Zhao raised her voice indignantly:“How could it be me? I’m not that low! Even if I’m a jerk, I’d never lock someone in a dark room—especially not with you!”
Xu Ning didn’t respond. Lin Zhao could hear her shifting footsteps in the dark.
After a moment, Xu Ning’s voice came again:“I’ll go check… stay here.”
Lin Zhao’s irritation faded slightly.“No, I don’t trust you to go alone.”
She reached forward, trying to steady Xu Ning by feel, but in the darkness her vision was useless. As she bent down, her forehead slammed into Xu Ning’s, producing a dull thud.
Both gasped, pain knitting their brows.
“Can you not move around like that?” Xu Ning scolded.
Lin Zhao rubbed her numbed forehead, pouting:“I was just trying to help! I was worried you’d fall… why are you scolding me?”
Xu Ning was silent.
The collision had surely hurt Lin Zhao too. She pressed her lips together and chose to remain quiet, slowly standing with Xu Ning’s guidance and using the wall for support, inching toward the door.
Lin Zhao heard Xu Ning rise, and obediently stayed put:“Careful… don’t trip.”
Xu Ning’s footsteps neared the door. Lin Zhao then heard the doorknob being yanked repeatedly, each pull harder than the last—but the old wooden door wouldn’t budge.
After a while, Xu Ning stopped:“It’s locked. We can’t open it from the inside.”
“Locked?!” Lin Zhao stepped forward in disbelief, kicking an abandoned iron box.“Who’s bold enough to lock us in here?”
“Then what do we do now?” Lin Zhao asked, voice low.
Xu Ning leaned against the door, silent for a long moment, then slowly said:“We can’t get out. We’ll just have to wait for someone to find us.”
Lin Zhao ran a hand through her hair in frustration, anger and helplessness gnawing at her.
After a pause, she teased:“I notice you’re talking more than usual today. Normally, I say ten things, and you barely respond once. Today, you’re surprisingly chatty.”
Xu Ning was usually quiet. In most of their interactions, Lin Zhao did all the talking, and Xu Ning listened—occasionally replying.
But today, with all the unexpected events, Xu Ning had spoken quite a bit, which Lin Zhao found curious.
Xu Ning was silent for a moment, then her voice turned cold:“You don’t want to leave at all, do you?”
Lin Zhao paused, then let out a low laugh, following her lead:“Not leaving is fine… as long as you’re here with me.”
The air around them fell completely still; even their breathing grew soft.
Just as Lin Zhao thought Xu Ning wouldn’t respond, her voice came from the dark, earnest:“I still don’t understand… why did you suddenly get close to me?”
Lin Zhao’s heart skipped a beat.
She couldn’t exactly explain why she had taken an interest in Xu Ning. She was always impulsive—if she liked someone or wanted to protect them, she would act without thinking.
Now, being asked so directly, she was momentarily speechless.
After a pause, she deliberately teased:“You really want to know that badly?”
Xu Ning didn’t respond. Lin Zhao felt her gaze focused on her.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Zhao inched forward a couple of steps, now close enough to smell the faint scent of soap from Xu Ning. It was strangely comforting.
She curled her lips and said deliberately, word by word:“Because I find you interesting… and cute. Is that enough of a reason?”
To her, Xu Ning appeared shy and quiet, yet beneath that was a stubborn resilience, like a gardenia growing quietly—pure and beautiful.
Xu Ning didn’t respond—neither affirming nor denying—just stood there silently, as if she hadn’t heard.
Lin Zhao moved two more steps closer, pressing:“You wanted to know, didn’t you? Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you think that reason is lame… or you don’t believe me?”
She stepped too quickly and tripped on a protruding wooden stick, losing her balance and falling forward onto Xu Ning.
Lin Zhao felt a fleeting, warm softness on her lips.
She froze—her lips had brushed Xu Ning’s forehead in her flustered fall.
“What are you doing?” Xu Ning recoiled, pushing her away—not harshly, but enough.
Lin Zhao stumbled back, hitting a metal rack behind her, confused:“Doing what?”
*”Why did you suddenly lean in… and…” Xu Ning’s voice faltered, trailing off.
Lin Zhao immediately realized Xu Ning must have misunderstood her accidental movement.
Ever one to assert herself, Lin Zhao shrugged, feigning indifference:“I didn’t mean it. We’re both girls—my lips just brushed your forehead. It’s no big deal. Even if it touched your lips, what’s the harm?”
She didn’t care about others’ opinions; to her, it was an accidental touch—why make it a fuss?
“Stop it!” Xu Ning snapped.“How can you say something like that?”
In Xu Ning’s conservative worldview, even girls should maintain boundaries. Lin Zhao’s words embarrassed and angered her.
Lin Zhao found her reaction amusing, raising an eyebrow with a soft laugh:“Why so serious? What’s the big deal?”
She teased her, curious how Xu Ning would react—but then Xu Ning’s voice returned, cold enough to startle:“Do you treat everyone this way?”
Lin Zhao’s heart skipped. She decided to tease further:“How do you know?”
Breath quickened in the dark storage room:“Lin Zhao, you’re so shameless. I’ve never met someone this thick-faced.”
Lin Zhao had only wanted to tease her, but Xu Ning’s accusation was sharp.
She bit her lip and admitted, softly:“I lied… you really believed me? Silly.”
She added:“I’ve never said anything like that to anyone else, never gotten this close to anyone else.”
Xu Ning went silent immediately.
The storage room fell into a stillness heavier than before.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Lin Zhao broke the silence.
Xu Ning’s back pressed against the wooden door, fingers tracing the raised grain:“It’s none of your business. You don’t need to say these things to me.”
“Then who was angry just now?” Lin Zhao chuckled, moving half a step closer.“Who scolded me for being shameless and flirtatious? And now suddenly it’s nothing to do with you?”
Xu Ning, embarrassed and frustrated, snapped:“I wasn’t angry. I just don’t like you teasing people like that—carelessly, without considering boundaries or who it’s directed at.”
“Teasing?” Lin Zhao paused, then laughed.
She reached out in the darkness, fingertips grazing Xu Ning’s arm before quickly retracting:“No. Xu Ning, everything I say to you is sincere.”
“Lin Zhao… stop that.” Xu Ning cut her off sharply.“Your words are slippery—can’t tell if they’re sincere or just a joke.”
Lin Zhao softened her voice:“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Don’t be mad, okay? I know you’re sensitive… I shouldn’t have said those careless words.”
“I told you, I’m not mad. You don’t have to apologize.”
“Okay, okay. Not mad.” Lin Zhao echoed, still attentive.
She always believed Xu Ning had an independent, self-contained nature. The book may describe her as a simple obedient girl, but Lin Zhao knew better.
A girl’s character could be multifaceted—bold or reserved, outgoing or introverted. There was no need to confine her to a single label.
And Xu Ning? She could never be reduced to just “obedient girl.”