Chapter Two – Shadows at the Door

The bell above the café door jingled like it always did, soft and sweet. But this time, the sound made Mei Lin flinch.

She wasn’t even sure why. It had been a full day since the encounter in the alley. She told herself it was over. That maybe he’d just been some powerful stranger doing dirty business and that she was lucky to walk away.

But the memory of his eyes said otherwise.

It had clung to her all night—the way he looked at her, not like prey, but like a puzzle. And puzzles don’t get left unsolved.

“Mei Lin, table four,” her coworker nudged.

She blinked. “Right. Sorry.”

She grabbed the tray, tea still steaming, and turned toward the booth by the window. And stopped dead.

He was sitting there.

Xian Yu.

Same black coat. Same motionless calm. But this time, he looked... sharper. Even more out of place in the soft yellow light of the café. The other customers were chatting, laughing. No one else noticed the storm sitting silently in the corner.

But Mei Lin did.

She walked over slowly, heart thumping against her ribs like it wanted out.

“You followed me,” she said without thinking.

He looked up. His eyes scanned her face like he was checking to see if she still remembered who he was. Or if she was pretending not to.

“I came to see you,” he replied. Calm. Casual.

Mei Lin’s breath caught.

“I don’t know you,” she whispered.

“No. But you will.” He leaned back in the seat. “Eventually.”

A hundred questions burned in her throat, but none of them made it out. Her body was moving on autopilot—setting down the tea, adjusting the sugar jar, because that was safe. That was normal.

“What do you want?”

He pulled something from his coat pocket. A black phone. Unmarked. Clean.

He set it gently on the table between them like it was a gift. Or a warning.

“If anything strange happens,” he said, “you use this. Only this.”

Mei Lin frowned. “Strange like what?”

“Like people watching you. Following you. Asking the wrong questions.”

Her stomach turned. “You said I wasn’t in danger.”

“You weren’t. Yesterday.”

She stared at the phone like it might explode. “I’m not part of your world.”

“I know.” His tone softened—just slightly. “That’s the problem.”

Their eyes locked. And for a moment, it felt like the air in the room had been sucked away. Her hands were cold, but her skin burned under his gaze.

“I’m not your responsibility,” she said.

Xian Yu stood slowly. Every movement quiet, deliberate.

“People saw us talking,” he said. “That makes you vulnerable.”

“Then you should’ve left me alone.”

For the first time, something flickered in his expression. Not guilt. Not regret. Something deeper.

“I tried.”

And with that, he walked out—vanishing into the afternoon drizzle like he had the night before. The bell jingled again behind him. This time it sounded like a warning.

---

Mei Lin didn’t go home right after work.

She took the long way. Down backstreets. Through crowds. Her hoodie up, eyes sharp. Every sound made her jump. She kept checking her phone. Not the black one—her real one.

But no texts came.

No calls.

Nothing strange.

Until she reached her apartment door.

A single white envelope was taped there.

No stamp. No name. Just her.

With trembling fingers, she opened it. Inside, one line was typed in bold black font.

“You’re being watched. Stay away from him if you want to live.”

Her knees weakened. Her heart thudded so hard it hurt.

She didn’t even notice she was gripping the black phone in her coat pocket until her fingers brushed the keypad.

For a long second, she stared at it.

Then… she dialed.