Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - Chapter 165

Chapter 165

The shop Assistants had already retired to their rooms for the night. Blood seeped from the shattered glass of the Oasis Matchmaking Agency’s front door, and a pile of Black Flying Insects’ carcasses remained uncleaned outside. Since it was late, Gu Huaiwei decided to wait until tomorrow to deal with the mess.

“I’m fine on my end,” Gu Huaiwei said, without opening the window.

Zhou Chuanning let out a long sigh of relief. “As long as you’re okay. I won’t be at the station for the next few days. If you call and I don’t pick up, send me a text. I’ll get back to you as soon as I see it.”

Gu Huaiwei nodded somewhat coldly, effectively dismissing him. “Mhm. It’s late, and I appreciate you making the trip. You should head back now.”

Zhou Chuanning didn’t overstay his welcome. He simply gave a few safety reminders before turning to vanish into the night.

However, not long after he left, Gu Huaiwei received a distress text from him: I was just attacked. It’s dangerous outside, don’t come out! Ignore me! Protect yourself!n
This was immediately followed by a voice message. When she played it, the recording was filled with static and the sound of gunfire.

It seemed Zhou Chuanning really was in danger.

Still, Gu Huaiwei figured that if he could send such a long text and a voice message after being attacked, he probably wasn’t dead yet and was still capable of fighting back.

She wasn’t one to meddle in others’ business.

She had absolutely no intention of going out to check.

Gu Huaiwei sent a reply back to Zhou Chuanning: Okay.n
Then, she burrowed into her bed, pulled the soft duvet over her head, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

The next day, Wu Ming led a team of colleagues from the police force to the Oasis Matchmaking Agency. They took Gu Huaiwei’s statement, followed standard procedure, snapped a few photos of the entrance, and then the crowd of officers departed.

Gu Huaiwei prepared the supplies she would need for the journey to the Dawn Alliance and printed a stack of information regarding the organization.

Lin She would be accompanying her this time, so he had prepared the materials for her in advance.

While using a flatbed trolley to haul some discarded construction materials from the shop out to the trash, Gu Huaiwei spotted a gray-haired woman climbing up the Heavenly Ladder.

The Heavenly Ladder was exceptionally steep, and the icy water of the waterfall lashed against the woman’s thin frame. She swayed precariously, looking as if she might fall at any moment.

There was no Alien accompanying her; she was climbing the Heavenly Ladder solely through her own willpower.

Gu Huaiwei didn’t think much of it at first. After all, there were often brain-dead humans who believed that climbing the Heavenly Ladder would grant them eternal love, so they would come here and pay the Magnetic Value to take the challenge.

As long as there was money to be made, she didn’t care.

Autumn had begun to set in, and a desolate chill lingered in the air.

“Miss Gu…”

Having reached the top of the Heavenly Ladder, the woman stood in the cold wind, drenched to the bone, calling out to Gu Huaiwei.

The voice sounded familiar.

Gu Huaiwei piled the construction waste in a deserted corner and turned around, her gaze locking onto the woman.

It was… He Jiarui!

After not seeing her for some time, He Jiarui had become almost unrecognizable.

She wore a tattered old coat, and her face was haggard. Her once-rosy skin had lost its luster and elasticity; her complexion was now sallow and dull, and the corners of her eyes were etched with wrinkles.

In just over half a month, time had acted like a heavy wheel, rapidly crushing her youth and leaving indelible marks on her face.

The change was so drastic that Gu Huaiwei almost didn’t recognize her.

Gu Huaiwei asked tentatively, “He Jiarui?”

“It’s me,” the woman nodded.

Gu Huaiwei’s gaze fell on He Jiarui’s soaked, ragged coat, and she frowned slightly. “Didn’t you move to a city far away?”

“It’s a long story.” He Jiarui shook her sleeves, and water droplets trickled down the frayed hem, forming a small puddle on the ground.

Gu Huaiwei set the trolley aside and brushed the dust off her hands. “Then make it short.”

He Jiarui’s voice trembled slightly. “Ji Xuan lied to me. I’ve abandoned him and come back.”
The thin jacket, soaked through by the waterfall, clung to He Jiarui’s skeletal frame.

Her hair was also drenched, matted messily against her pale cheeks, and her entire being radiated exhaustion.

Gu Huaiwei pursed her lips. Seeing her in such a pitiful state, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Don’t just stand outside. Come in.”

Was this some kind of curse from her first customer?

Gu Huaiwei had thought that Ji Xuan would take care of He Jiarui-that even if she were living a lie, she would at least be living well.

She hadn’t expected that He Jiarui still wouldn’t find a good life.

“I wanted to see you again.” He Jiarui’s eyes looked strange, as if they had undergone treatment but hadn’t fully healed.

“Whatever you have to say, say it inside.”

The heater was already running inside the Oasis Matchmaking Agency. The soft indoor lighting provided a sanctuary, sealing the early autumn chill behind the glass doors.

Gu Huaiwei went to the bathroom, grabbed a clean towel, and tossed it into He Jiarui’s arms. “Dry yourself off first. I’ll go get you a set of dry clothes to change into.”

He Jiarui looked up at Gu Huaiwei, her voice as raspy as if it had been submerged in water. “No need. I’m fine like this.”

Gu Huaiwei ignored her protest and placed a clean jacket on the sofa beside her.

“Change.”

He Jiarui lowered her head and whispered, “Thank you.”

“I sent my Assistants to the Branch Store, so they aren’t here right now. You can change in peace; I’ll keep watch for you.” Gu Huaiwei stood by the door to prevent any customers from walking in.

After He Jiarui changed, Gu Huaiwei brewed a cup of hot tea. As the delicate fragrance wafted through the air, she placed the cup in front of He Jiarui to help her warm up.

“Tell me, how did Ji Xuan deceive you, and how did you get back?” Gu Huaiwei leaned back against the sofa with a cushion on her lap, her tone calm.

He Jiarui’s eyes, which had once been as clear and moving as a spring lake, were now dull.

She first asked a question she was deeply concerned about: “Do you think Ji Xuan was good to me?”

Gu Huaiwei thought for a moment and spoke objectively. “He was alright. At the very least, he provided you with emotional value.”

“But he lied to me.” He Jiarui’s fingers trembled slightly as she held the hot tea, her fingertips white from the cold. “I could truly feel his kindness toward me, which is why I chose him. But… how can he hurt me and love me at the same time? Isn’t that a contradiction?”

“It’s not. For some people, hurting others is their way of loving.” Gu Huaiwei had been single her entire life and wasn’t particularly good at discussing emotional matters.

“How did you find out he was lying?”

“On the way to our new home, he mentioned some details about my rescue.” A coldness that wouldn’t dissipate lingered between He Jiarui’s brows. She lowered her head to catch the scent of the tea and took a sip. “You were clearly the one who rescued me. He met me outside the abandoned building with the police, yet he mentioned things about me being kept in a cage.”

“Regarding the details of the case, the police might have told him during the later investigation.”

“No!” He Jiarui looked up, a hint of stubbornness in her eyes. “He also said he could help heal my eyes. He gave me some kind of eye drops to use, and my vision really did start to improve, but… but it doesn’t make sense!”

At this point, He Jiarui’s tone became agitated. “Even Chen Liuxiang’s professional medical team said I needed surgery when they examined my eyes. He just took some unknown medicine, put a few drops in my eyes, and they gradually got better. What does that tell you?”

Gu Huaiwei’s tone remained flat. “It tells me he had the antidote. The kidnapping was most likely orchestrated by him.”

“Exactly!”

He Jiarui closed her eyes. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes pressed together like flower petals swaying in the wind, liable to wither away at any moment.

“Actually, you saw through it a long time ago, didn’t you? You didn’t want me to become the pathetic mess I am today, so you didn’t tell me.”