Parasite

Seeing Xiao Yuan be so self-deprecating, Wen Yiqian felt a flicker of awkwardness and quickly said, “I should be thanking you. If you hadn’t known the area, I probably wouldn’t have found that grandmother and granddaughter in time.”

He paused. “What brings you by?”

“You probably don’t know what I do.” Xiao Yuan produced a business card. “I’m a newspaper reporter. I came to do an exclusive interview.”

“With me?” Wen Yiqian looked at the card, visibly confused.

“Three cases in two days, three psychopathic criminals handed over to the police.” Xiao Yuan’s expression was openly admiring. “You’re practically a one-man detective agency. If I don’t interview you, who do I interview?”

“How do you know about all that?” Wen Yiqian wasn’t moved by the flattery and asked with suspicion.

“Word gets around.” Xiao Yuan gave him a look that said: you know how it is.

Wen Yiqian pressed his lips together.

“An interview really isn’t necessary.” He knew better than most what happened when a name got out into the world, and declined without hesitation.

“Don’t say no just yet. Have you eaten lunch?” Xiao Yuan pressed quickly. “Let me treat you. We can talk over the meal. How does that sound?”

“Alright.”

Wen Yiqian agreed faster than Xiao Yuan had expected.

“Shall we head out now?”

“Sure.” Wen Yiqian nodded, leaving the door slightly ajar as he moved to follow.

“What happened to your door?” Xiao Yuan asked, eyeing it.

“Lock’s broken.”

“You should get that fixed. It’s not safe.”

Wen Yiqian brushed it off and headed downstairs with him.

Calling the landlord now would mean compensation he couldn’t currently afford. He would wait until the Outstanding Citizen prize money came through. There was nothing worth stealing at home anyway.

“Lately there have been reports of homeless people sneaking into apartments around the city.” Xiao Yuan glanced back, looking genuinely concerned. “Worth being careful.”

“To steal things?” Wen Yiqian asked, without much alarm.

“No.” Xiao Yuan shook his head, his expression turning uneasy. “These people are stranger than thieves. They just hide inside.”

“Hide inside to do what?”

“While the owner’s home, they stay completely silent.” Xiao Yuan’s voice went oddly flat. “When the owner leaves for work, they come out and treat the place as their own. Eating. Bathing.”

He seemed to recall something unpleasant, and his face went slightly pale. “And other things. Things I’d rather not describe.”

Wen Yiqian felt a vague discomfort settle over him.

Though he had set up the stool and glass at the door last night, and everything had been undisturbed this morning. That was something, at least.

He tried to let it go.

The two walked and talked, and the conversation moved on. But somewhere between his front door and the complex entrance, a thought slid in and refused to leave.

His apartment had been unlocked for the entire day yesterday. Someone could have been inside before he even got home.

The thought lodged in his throat. He couldn’t help glancing back toward his floor.

If someone was up there right now, they might be at the window at this very moment, watching the owner walk away. And once he was gone, they would have the run of the place.

The more he turned it over, the worse it felt.

The past two days had left him with a mild but persistent sense that something was always lurking somewhere. The feeling had become harder to dismiss.

He wanted to go back and check, but didn’t want to drag Xiao Yuan into it and look ridiculous if there was nothing there.

He made an excuse, said he had forgotten something, and asked Xiao Yuan to wait.

Back upstairs, Wen Yiqian moved through the apartment with careful eyes, checking every plausible hiding spot.

Everything looked undisturbed. The stool and glass exactly where he had left them.

Which meant if someone had come in, they must have done so before he returned the night before.

The thought of having slept in the same apartment as a hidden stranger gave him goosebumps.

Cabinets. Behind the curtains. Kitchen. Bathroom.

Nothing.

He exhaled with some relief. Overthinking it, apparently.

Only the bedroom left. He shook his head. Surely no one would be that brazen.

He pushed the bedroom door open and started to step inside.

Then he stopped. Stepped back. Pulled the door shut behind him.

On the other side of the closed door, a dark figure rose slowly from beneath the bed, a knife in hand.

…

There really is someone in there. Why am I so unlucky?

Wen Yiqian stood staring at the closed bedroom door, his expression somewhere between dismayed and incredulous, backing away quietly.

When he had left earlier, he had not closed the bedroom door. He was certain of that.

But now it was firmly shut.

Someone had been hiding in the apartment, heard him come back, and hadn’t been able to slip out in time. They had retreated to the bedroom and closed the door behind them, instinctively seeking cover.

Almost certainly still in there. But charging in alone was not an option. If whoever it was had nothing left to lose, a knife would be the answer before any words were exchanged.

This isn’t cowardice. This is prudence, Wen Yiqian told himself firmly, and moved toward the front door.

The person was trapped. There was no need to take risks. Getting help and coming back ten to one was the sensible move.

He was nearly at the front door when Xiao Yuan appeared in the doorway, looking mildly concerned.

“You were gone a while. I came up to check.” He took one look at Wen Yiqian’s face. “What happened?”

“In my bedroom right now, hiding under the bed, is exactly the kind of person you were just describing.” Wen Yiqian kept his voice low and quick.

Xiao Yuan’s eyes lit up. “Really? Let me take a look.”

“Wait: I’ll go get more people first.” Wen Yiqian was immovable.

“I already told you, I’m not scared.” Xiao Yuan was already moving past him toward the bedroom, practically vibrating with enthusiasm. “Last time I held back because my leg was hurt and I didn’t want to slow you down. This time is different. Let me catch this one myself.”

Wen Yiqian stared after him.

“Are all reporters this fearless these days?”

Someone hears there’s a criminal in the next room, and their first instinct is to walk straight toward them.

The reporters in this city were something else entirely.

(End of Chapter)