At the foot of the unfinished building, Ji Ye and Tang He stopped at the same time.
“Is… this your home?” Tang He asked uncertainly, staring at the dilapidated, pitch-dark building.
She felt a little uneasy. What if this kid was bait sent by a criminal gang? She was genuinely afraid a few burly men might come charging out once she went inside.
“Yeah…” Ji Ye replied, sounding unsure. He nervously twisted the hem of his shirt between his fingers.
Tang He didn’t think the boy looked like he was lying, so she put on a calm front. “Come on. Take me inside and show me.”
The quiet entrance to the stairwell echoed with the click of Tang He’s heels. Apart from that, the silence was almost frightening.
Tang He switched on her phone’s flashlight in the darkness. By its faint beam, she could just make out a narrow stairwell containing a worn-out mattress, a small pot, and a few half-eaten vegetable leaves.
Her heart tightened. She turned and left…
A soul-deep entanglement between a cool, aloof older sister and a sweet younger puppy of a man, as they save each other.
