Chapter 33: The Paranoia of the Hunted

Chen Lin crept homeward, as skittish as a bird that had just escaped a slingshot, his eyes darting warily across the environment.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him, tailing his every step.

A simple glance over his shoulder would have dispelled the doubt, but Chen Lin dared not make such an obvious move. He feared alerting his stalker, revealing that he was onto them.

To lull his pursuer into a false sense of security, Chen Lin forced himself to remain calm, resisting the urge to turn around.

Though he couldn’t make any large, conspicuous movements, his small, subtle actions never ceased.

As he passed a car parked at the curb, his eyes immediately fixed on the side mirror. Using the reflection, he scanned the area behind him.

He couldn’t afford to slow down, so he maintained his pace. He had only a few seconds as he walked past the vehicle to utilize its mirror.

In those brief moments, his pupils darted frantically, taking in as much of the rear view as possible.

He focused on potential hiding spots: behind trash cans, in the shadowy corners of walls.

Even though he spotted no suspicious figures this time, Chen Lin didn’t let his guard down.

Failing to find an enemy didn’t always mean safety; sometimes, it only indicated a more dangerous opponent.

After walking a bit further, he spotted a vending machine by the roadside and stopped, pretending to be thirsty and in need of a drink.

As he inserted coins and paid, he cast seemingly casual glances around, yet still found nothing amiss.

The drink dropped into the dispensing tray.

While bending down to retrieve it, Chen Lin stole another quick look over his shoulder, using the natural motion to mask his surveillance.

In that one-second window, he carefully assessed the area but again saw nothing unusual.

And so it went: he seized every opportunity to probe, searching relentlessly for any trace of his stalker.

A journey that normally took twenty minutes had dragged on for nearly forty.

Finally, despite all his delays, Chen Lin arrived at the entrance to his apartment building.

He took out his key and climbed the steel stairs to the second floor, intending to unlock his front door.

From the corner of his eye, he scanned the area below, but still, no suspicious activity.

It didn’t make sense.

He found it utterly illogical. Based on his experience, Yanyan should have chosen this moment to strike him down.

Could she really let him enter his home unscathed?

Perhaps tonight, Yanyan had abandoned her murderous plan?

Just as Chen Lin began to relax his vigilance, his front door swung open, revealing his home shrouded in darkness.

Suddenly struck by a thought, he instinctively took a step back.

Could it be that he hadn’t spotted Yanyan following him because she had already entered his house?

That would explain why all his cautious measures along the way had seemed so futile.

In reality, Yanyan had already returned home ahead of him, lying in wait, ready to catch him like a hare in a trap.

‘No, impossible… Don’t scare yourself,’ Chen Lin shook his head vigorously.

Staring at his home, a place he knew better than anywhere else, he found himself momentarily unable to step inside.

It felt as though a wild beast lurked in the darkness, poised to prey on any poor soul who ventured in.

‘How could that be? My doors and windows are all securely shut…’ he muttered to himself, not to convince anyone else, but merely to reassure himself.

Summoning his courage, he darted into the entryway and immediately flicked on the living room light.

The lamp illuminated the room, banishing the darkness.

Gazing at the all-too-familiar scene, Chen Lin didn’t relax. Instead of closing the door out of habit, he pushed it open wider.

He stepped into the living room and meticulously checked every corner where someone could hide.

Even so, he still felt uneasy.

If Yanyan wasn’t in the living room, and if he were in her shoes, where would he choose to strike?

If he were the assassin, which location would offer the highest chance of success?

His bedroom immediately came to mind.

A bedroom is typically where people rest and let their guard down most easily.

Someone once said that visiting a person’s bedroom reveals a lot about their character. While somewhat exaggerated, the saying holds some truth. The underlying logic is that the bedroom is the place where a person is most likely to drop their defenses.

Given this special attribute, if Chen Lin were Yanyan, he would choose such a location for the highest success rate.

Moreover, compared to hiding in the living room, a victim standing at the entrance would have a chance to flee upon noticing danger. In the bedroom, escape wouldn’t be so easy.

Before entering the bedroom, an unsuspecting victim typically passes through the living room, and by then, the front door is usually locked.

Even if they make it into the bedroom without being killed immediately, their subsequent escape would be delayed by the locked door, allowing the attacker to catch up.

Chen Lin rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a cutting board to use as a shield.

After all, a cutting board is used to cushion knives, so it should have comparable defensive capabilities to a wooden shield.

With a shield in hand, he still needed a weapon.

He picked up a broom, detached the head, and wielded the handle as a staff.

He did consider using a kitchen knife, but Chen Lin wasn’t foolish. His goal was to escape death, not to become a killer.

Subduing Yanyan would be enough. If he accidentally killed her, he’d never be able to clear his name.

If the news reported that an elementary school girl had been stabbed to death in a male high school student’s home, all the negative accusations would undoubtedly be heaped upon Chen Lin, the high schooler.

Common logic would dictate that Chen Lin, driven by beastly urges, had harmed the little girl.

Clearly, Chen Lin was the victim, and Yanyan was the perpetrator.

But no matter how he explained it later, no one would believe him. His words would only make things worse.

Often, the public doesn’t investigate the truth or care about the process; they only believe the ‘truth’ they want to believe. Any evidence contradicting their accepted ‘truth’ is labeled ‘conspiracy’ or ‘fabrication.’

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