Chapter 107: Fugitive

In the elevator, Nanny’s face is worried, and the fingers of both hands are tightly twisted. I look calmly at the mirror on the wall of the elevator.

When the elevator reaches the floor of my house, I pull her out and we stand in the corner of the door.

“Nanny.” I say, “Can I beg you something?”

“What?”

I look into her eyes, hesitate, and change to a serious tone: “I’m not afraid of the death.”

“What do you mean?” Her eyes are showing a little panic.

“I say, I’m not afraid of the death.” I pull a mocking smile from the corner of my mouth, “I didn’t tell you my story before, but I’m not afraid to die anyway… But I have something else to worry about now. Can you help me?”

She looks like about crying. I reach out and grab her face. I whisper: “Count it as a request from me, OK?”

“You say it.” Her tone is more liking the weak talking.

I nod, take a long breath, point to the door not far away from us: “I will take Dorra run away immediately and find a place to hide temporarily. But I want you to take care of Didi. Can you take care of my girlfriend?”

Without waiting for her to speak, I have lowered my voice and say quickly: “I’m the one who caused this thing… Those people are looking for me. I’m sure I’m going to run, but I can’t take her with me! She shouldn’t be involved in this matter… If she’s running away with me, it would be much more dangerous. So, I beg you. Could you take care of her for me?” I sigh and then say, “She’s a poor girl. She shouldn’t have followed me through those frightening days. You… Could you help me?”

Nanny is crying. She’s hiding her face with her hands and asking: “What do you want to do? Chen Yang… I won’t let anything bad happen to you! I won’t let them touch you!” She’s gritting her teeth.

I shake my head, stare into her eyes, and say in a solemn voice: “This is not the thing you can interfere with. What Yumi said just now does make sense. You can’t help me directly. I don’t want to cause you so much troubles. So, I just want you to take care of Didi for me untill we’re safe after some days. Could you promise me?”

“So…” Suddenly she’s breaking out of my hand and screaming hysterically, “What about you? What about you?! Where are you going? Which place are you going to hide? Will you never come back again?”

I quickly close her, put my hand over her mouth and stare into her eyes. The woman’s big beautiful eyes are weeping in panic, and her face is full of unknown panic. Her hands are involuntarily gripping my arm and her body is trembling faintly.

“Don’t shout.” I say softly, “Don’t be! Just don’t be emotional, al right? I just leave for some time. Just find a way to hide for a while. I will be fine!” After a pause, I lean over and whispere in her ear, “I promise!”

Then I lean my head back a little, draw a little distance between our eyes, and ask her again: “That’s what I’m asking for you. Can you promise me?”

She’s looking at me, saying nothing, just nodding with difficulty.

Five minutes later, Nanny and I walk into the door together. She has wiped away the tears from her face. Although her eyes are still a little red and swollen, seems very tired and haggard, but she has been a little calm. When I enter the door, I see Didi is holding a glass of water. It seems to be brewing medicine.

She sees me come in and Nanny is behind me, apparently stunned. Without explaining, I go straight over and take the glass from her hand and put it on the table. My tone is serious: “Didi, you go to the room and pack up now! Take everything you have. Photos, certificates, everything that can leave a clue, take them all away! Now, be quick! Get Dorra up and I’ll give her five minutes to dress up!”

“What happened?” Didi hasn’t finished asking. I’ve interrupted her.

“Do as I say first and I’ll explain to you when I have time! We have to move right away right now!”

She is pushed into the bedroom with doubt and confusion. I say: “Time is pressing now. Be quick!”

I ask Nanny to wait outside for a moment and go into my room to collect my own things.

Compare with women, I don’t have much to tidy up for myself. I just take a small bag that I can tie to my waist and pull out all my documents and bank cards from the drawer. Of course, the most important thing is the measuring device, which I carefully put into my bag. After hesitation, I take a larger bag in my hand, stuff some clothes in, and go out of the room.

Dorra has already asleep in the next room. Today, this girl suffered too many frightens. She is already tired physically and mentally. She also got cold water and has caught cold. She has just gone to bed. Now she is woken up and rushing out to look for me immediately. I watch her standing in front of me, panicked, in a pajamas which is obviously Didi’s.

“We’re leaving here now.” My face is calm, “Get dressed now.”

“Why?” At the moment, Dorra finally shows her age-appropriate response: panic and helplessness.

I just look at her. No words.

She immediately realizes: “It’s them… They found us?”

I endure the anxiety in my heart and say: “I don’t have time to explain now. You go to dress up first. We can talk on the way.”

The house is in a mess at once. I think about it, go to the kitchen and pick out a fruit knife with serrated teeth from the table. I weigh it in my hand and strike twice, touch the knife edge with my thumb to feel its sharpness. Then I silently stuff it into my waist bag.

Nanny is in the living room watching my movements with the knife. Her face is somewhat uncertain, and she seems to want to say something, but she dares not to speak.

I come out of the kitchen and take a look at her, smile lightly: “Just in case, I hope it won’t be used.”

No sooner, Dorra is crying to come out of the bedroom, dressed and carrying the bag she has brought from her own home this evening.

The girl’s eyes are full of the regret now. I can read her mind clearly.

I still don’t talk to her, just walk past her, pat her on the shoulder, then I go into the room to check Didi’s collection.

Didi moves so fast that she has taken all the clothes out and throw them into a big box at random. There’s no time to fold clothes, so we have to stuff them. I check the drawers one by one to make sure that she doesn’t leave any documents or photographs. Because I have to make sure that she and Amy’s identities are invisible. I have to make sure that when they track me down, they can’t find any clues in my house that will link to them.

Of course, I can imagine when they find my address. They can surely get some information from my neighbours and the property. For example, in this house there are women. They will also check out that I have a girlfriend.

But if they won’t find out who my girlfriend is! They don’t know the identity of DIdi and Amy, so maybe they two will be both safe!

I have checked all the drawers and find nothing missing. Actually, my biggest loophole tonight is Dorra’s phone!

It can be said that without that phone, they might not be able to find me very soon! But even if Dorra didn’t drop her mobile phone there, they can still find me by confirming Dorra’s identity and to check her phone record!

But even if I was seen in and out of the neighborhood, even if Dorra’s classmates know there’s a person like me. But they don’t know my name, phone number, address, etc! It’s hard for them to find me if they only know how I look like. After all, they are not the police. It’s impossible for them to catch me by arrest warrant.

So, my goal now is clear: I can’t hide the fact that I have a girlfriend from the people who are going to follow me up here, but at least I can’t let them know that my girlfriend is Didi!

I also thought they could check my phone call list. But at this moment, I suddenly feel very happy about one thing!

Instead, I don’t worry about them checking my phone list, because I rarely call Didi. Even Jojo and Azle seldom talk to me. I used to work in the nightclub, and I have at least hundreds of phone numbers in my phone record! Either some Mummies or some customers, they can’t check out who I am!

When DIdi and I are together, I have left the nightclub. People around me know her identity, except Azle, Jojo these best friends, only Nanny knows. No one else knows Didi’s existence. So, for now, she’s still safe.

Twenty minutes later, DIdi has packed up. She’s looking at the clock and is worried: “Amy hasn’t come back yet.”

“Call her.” I immediately say, “Do you pack her things together?”

“Well, I’m all packed up.” DIdi hesitats for a moment, “Actually… You had a quarrel with her this afternoon. She had packed all her things in the evening and was ready to move away.”

I laugh bitterly and say nothing. Compare with the trouble I’m having now, the afternoon’s conflict is almost nothing.

“Go down and wait for her!” I’m a little anxious. Amy doesn’t know where to run so late.

We go downstairs, three women and a man. Before leave, I don’t even bother to lock the door. Just glance at the door behind me, and suddenly felling a little sad.

… Home!

It’s been a long time. I really take this place as “home”.

At least, coming back every day, I know someone will keep the door for me at night, will turn on the living room light, will put some meals in the microwave. Although I seldom eat hot. There will be hot breakfast in the morning and laughter at the dinner table in the evening. I no longer eat takeout alone. On Sundays, washed clothes hang on the balcony. There are three different color’s toothbrushes in the bathroom.

Now, I need to stay away from this kind of life again. I can’t help laughing bitterly. At the last moment when the elevator door closes, I take a deep look at the door of my home.

Darra next to me is so guilty that she dares not to look up at me.

But to be honest, I’m not in the mood to blame this girl.

She’s only a child after all.

Didi keeps dialing Amy’s mobile phone. Finally, when we get out of the elevator, the telephone is connected. She says a few words to the phone and then looks at me with relief: “Have found her, she’s in a barbecue shop near the company.”

I say nothing but nod, then walk out of the building with them.

Nanny’s car is parking behind the building. I ask Didi to get in. She immediately realizes what it is meaning, staring at me in silence for a moment, and her voice is hoarse: “You’re not going with us?”

I pretend to laugh lightly: “You go with Nanny first. I’ll come to find you.”

Didi’s face is changing and his body is shaking: “You… Where are you going?”

I shake my head: “Don’t think too much. I’ll come to you soon. You go back with Nanny first. Remember to pick Amy up first. When you get her, you both go home with Nanny.” I go towards her and hug her for a minute, “Take leave these days, don’t go to work. Or, just change the job.”

I take out a mobile phone card out of my bag and open it.

This is an anonymous telephone card I have kept by myself. It was bought from the black market.

This kind of anonymous phone card is the safest because when you buy it back from the black market. No one knows what name the card is registered with. Anyway, there’s only the initial charge. This kind of the anonymous phone card, in general, is one of the necessities for gangsters. I’ve been out for a long time, but habitually, I’ll have a spare.

After I take this card apart, I take out the mobile phone from DIdi’s pocket, replace the phone card inside, then take out a new anonymous card, and also replace my own mobile phone card, shaking in front of her: “Now, let’s contact with the new numbers! These two numbers are reserved by me. I bought them from the black market. Nobody knows the registered names and can’t find us. You don’t have to call my original number. Do you understand?”

Didi is trembling, biting his lips deadly and looking at me. Tears are rolling around in her eyes, but she doesn’t say a word.

Actually, I know her character very well. Her silence at the moment is the saddest expression!

A girl like her doesn’t say such nonsense as “I’ll follow you wherever you go!” or “I’ll never leave you when I die”.

Some people say better than done, others do better than saying!

Didi is the latter.

She looks like a silly girl, but she knows everything in her heart. Now, although I haven’t said much about it, she already knows that I’m leaving.

She even knows that I can’t take her with me. Because to take her with me is not only dangerous to her, but also more dangerous to me! She is biting her lip so hard that a trace of blood is coming out of the corners of her mouth!

“Please!” I look at Nanny and say. Nanny’s face is as gray as death, as if she dares not to look at me. But she is nodding softly.

I push Nanny into the car with all my strength. Didi gets in herself, but her eyes are keeping staring at me as if she is going to imprint me in.

“Promise me you’ll come back to me!” Her lips are flicking a few times and jumping out a few words.

I grit my teeth: “I promise you!”

Then I call to Nanny: “Drive! Drive fast!”

Watching the car’s taillights are flickering and going away, I take a look at Darra next to me. The little girl is still wiping her tears. My heart is a little depressed, but I wipe her face vigorously. Then I pat her shoulder in a heavy embrace and pull a reluctant smile from the corner of my mouth: “Okay, now it’s time for us both to the fugitive!”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Chen Yang…” Dorra bursts into tears.

I look at her coldly and grit my teeth and say: “All right, it is not the good time to cry now!”

To be honest, I’m really angry at her. I even feel an aversion to the girl in front of me.

Yes! I know she’s just young and ignorant, and I promised Juan that I have an obligation to take care of her!

However, because of her youth and ignorance, I’m in a big trouble! Now I also give up the warm home, away from the lovely girlfriend, give up the quiet life, rushing like a dog in the middle of the night!

“Dorra, stop crying and don’t say anything now.” I take her to the roadside, stop a taxi and say lightly, “I’m in a bad mood now, so don’t say anything… I really don’t want to get angry with you! Just let me be quiet!”