Jade Feet

"Wang Keyan! I'm human, not a ghost. Stop screaming—you'll wake up the whole building!" Li Ming held her up, bringing her face closer to his so she could see him clearly.

But the calm reaction he expected didn’t come. Instead, as Wang Keyan stared at his face less than ten centimeters away, her fear only grew.

Not a ghost—but a man! Someone who had sneaked into her home in the middle of the night and hidden under her bed! No way was he a good person…

Wang Keyan let out another ear-piercing shriek.

"HEEEELP!!!"

Li Ming sighed. If anyone heard her at this hour and came knocking, he’d have no way to explain himself.

With no other choice, he delivered a swift chop to the back of her neck. Her screams cut off instantly as her eyes rolled back, and she slumped unconscious in his arms.

Li Ming exhaled in relief.

Finally, silence.

Holding the unconscious Wang Keyan, her body pressed softly against his, he felt a flicker of discomfort—an unwelcome thought crossing his mind. Quickly, he carried her to the living room, turned on the lights, and laid her on the sofa.

Only then did he relax.

Since things had already escalated, Li Ming pushed open the bedroom door to confirm no one else was inside. Satisfied, he returned to the living room and sat across from Wang Keyan, waiting for her to wake up.

As a former special forces operative, he knew plenty of ways to rouse someone—pouring cold water on their head, dunking their face in water, slapping them, pinching their philtrum, or even dislocating a limb to shock them awake. The methods were endless.

But looking at Wang Keyan’s unconscious form, he hesitated. Knocking her out was bad enough—if he did anything more, she’d probably label him a terrorist when she woke up.

Tilting his head, he considered gagging her preemptively to avoid another round of screaming. Before he could act, though, Wang Keyan stirred awake.

Clutching her sore neck, she slowly regained awareness. Her eyes fluttered open, landing on Li Ming, who sat calmly across from her.

The urge to scream rose in her throat, but the sharp pain silenced her. She stared at him fearfully. Sure, he was kind of handsome—but that didn’t make him any less of a creep.

"Ahem! You’re awake!" Li Ming softened his voice. "I’m not a bad guy. Your mom sent me to check on you."

Wang Keyan: "…"

"Seriously! She was worried about you. She gave me your address, but when I got here, I heard you hadn’t lived here in a while. The place was empty, so I had to sneak in."

Wang Keyan: "…"

She stayed silent, blinking at him in confusion.

"Uh… why aren’t you saying anything? I was in your room when I heard the door open. I didn’t want to be mistaken for a burglar, so I hid under your bed. Turns out it was you—guess my trip wasn’t wasted."

Wang Keyan gingerly moved her neck, relieved the pain had dulled. Still wary, she finally spoke.

"You… know my mom? Then what’s her name? Where is she now?"

"Your mom is Wang Xin. She’s in prison, but she’ll be out soon. She misses you so much. She knows you resent her and don’t want to see her, but she doesn’t blame you. She said even if you never acknowledge her as your mother, just seeing you from afar—knowing you’re doing well—would be enough for her."

"You’re really her friend? You look about my age. How do you even know her? Are you… a drug dealer?" Wang Keyan’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she held them back, still skeptical.

"Do I look like a drug dealer? Fine, I’ll tell you. I’m actually the warden of the prison where your mom’s held—newly appointed, though. She came to me because she heard you were marrying some delinquent. She didn’t want you repeating her mistakes, so she begged me to check on you."

"That’s the whole story. Now can you relax?" Li Ming spread his hands, finally laying everything out.

At the mention of her mother’s concern, Wang Keyan’s composure shattered. Tears streamed down her face as she bit her lip, struggling to hold back sobs. After a moment, she choked out a reply.

"It’s not that I didn’t want to see her… I dreamed of it. But my aunt never told me where she was locked up. I begged her countless times, and she always said Mom was a drug dealer who didn’t care about me. Even when she visited Mom in prison, she hid it from me. She just wanted me to forget Mom, be her perfect niece, and marry some rich guy so she could cash in."

"And that stuff about me and a delinquent? Total lies! She was the one who brought a wealthy man home, trying to sell me off! I’d rather die than let that happen—so I jumped from the third floor to escape. She must’ve told Mom I ran off with some guy after she couldn’t find me!"

Li Ming’s eyes widened in understanding. No wonder the house was empty—Wang Keyan’s aunt must’ve fled to avoid retaliation.

"So that’s what happened. Thank God you’re okay. Jumping from the third floor and walking away with just scratches is a miracle. Where’d you go after that? Why’d it take so long to come back?"

Wiping her tears, Wang Keyan continued.

"After I landed, I only had a few scrapes. I was too scared to feel the pain, so I hid in the bushes near the gate. Luckily, they didn’t find me. I didn’t have my phone or even my ID, so I walked to a friend’s rented place and stayed there for a few days. Then I found a temp job and worked until now."

"I came back today to get my mom’s photo, but it’s gone. My aunt must’ve taken it!" She stomped her foot in frustration.

The movement drew Li Ming’s gaze to her bare feet. Unbidden, a thought flashed in his mind: Jade-like…

"Ahem… you should put your shoes on. The floor’s cold," he said, pointing at her feet.

"Ah! R-right!" Blushing, Wang Keyan hurriedly grabbed her shoes and slipped them on.