Chapter 002: Odd Neighbor 02

Chapter 002: Odd Neighbor 02

Yu Bai paused, then immediately lifted his hand to press the button to unlock the door.

The entire elevator gave a gentle shudder, followed by a clank as the doors swung open.

A man, burdened with several plastic bags, hurriedly pushed his way in. He wore a loosely-fitting polo shirt with a sagging collar and had a substantial potbelly. As he held the door open with one hand, he pressed the button for his desired floor while casting a glance at Yu Bai beside him.

"Thanks," he muttered to himself. "I made it just in time; otherwise, I'd have to wait half the day again."

Yu Bai didn't respond directly, instead offering a polite curve of his lips as an answer.

The elevator started its ascent, and soon the cabin was filled with a rich aroma of food.

BBQ, fried chicken, spicy noodles... Yu Bai swiftly identified the components of the scents, all of which smelled delicious.

He glanced silently at the pile of plastic bags, even noticing the trace of chilled beverages. The heavy bottles pulled the bags downward, with a thin layer of mist clinging to the plastic exterior.

In his haste on the way back, he had forgotten to order takeout in advance.

Feeling a pang of hunger, Yu Bai reached for his phone, intending to choose his dinner for the day. Suddenly, the ascending elevator jolted again. Yu Bai and the Polo-shirt man looked up simultaneously, instinctively gazing toward the ceiling. Their puzzled gazes met in mid-air. "Why did it shake?" The Polo-shirt man wiped sweat from his neck and struck up a conversation, "Surely it's not malfunctioning, is it?" Immediately after, his eyes shifted past the similarly startled Yu Bai, landing on the third person in the corner of the elevator. He exclaimed, "Oh, a foreigner." A sense of foreboding crept into Yu Bai's mind. He chose to ignore the ominous question and reflexively followed the other man's gaze. The unfamiliar passenger who was also heading to the same floor had lifted his head. No longer looking down, he was now gazing straight ahead, revealing a pair of eyes that had previously been hidden by his slightly curly black hair. They were beautiful, translucent gray-blue eyes, like an icy lake frozen in a winter forest, quietly shimmering under the dim elevator lights. The handsome, seemingly mixed-race stranger appeared somewhat reserved yet fixated on some point ahead, as if he wanted to speak but held back. Yu Bai froze, the unsettling feeling in his heart growing more intense.

The last time he encountered someone with such striking looks, he had witnessed a criminal case where a love confession turned into a bitter grudge.

Before that, he stumbled upon a disillusioned superstar, drunk and collapsed in a secluded alley, almost suffocating under his own vomit.

But this time... it was merely three unfamiliar strangers and an elevator that felt like a confined space.

Following the gaze of the man with gray-blue eyes, Yu Bai noticed the warning stickers in red and black on the elevator doors, detailing safety instructions for its use.

One of them read: Doors must not be obstructed by body parts or objects.

For some inexplicable reason, Yu Bai had a hunch that the hybrid standing beside him was reading those words.

He faintly furrowed his brow and instinctively reached out to hold onto the elevator's handrail.

The man in the POLO shirt, still carrying numerous takeout bags, kept talking nonstop while curiously observing the silent hybrid, "Hey, do you live in this building too? I haven't seen you before. Are you new here? Wait, can you understand me?"

In the next moment, the elevator jolted again.

"I need to recall, how do I say it in English... Hello! Hey there... Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!"

Amidst its previously steady ascent, the elevator suddenly began plummeting downward, accompanied by shrill metallic screeches from outside.

Heart pounding with the sensation of freefall, Yu Bai clung to the handrail amidst the cacophony and expletives. His mind involuntarily conjured up the latest draft of his will that he had penned beforehand.

Though it was already the thirteenth revision, at the brink of life and death, new regrets always seemed to surface. He suddenly found himself dissatisfied with the wording in the previous edition. If possible, he wished to pen a fourteenth version with his own hands. Of course, if fate allowed for a fifteenth iteration, the number would sound more auspicious – and sixteen would be even better...

Lost in absurd musings, the metallic wails from the elevator's exterior grew louder and louder until, in a moment bordering on deafening, all sound abruptly ceased.

The elevator's frenzied descent came to an abrupt halt.

The unsuspecting Polo-shirted man lost his balance and tumbled onto the ground, the plastic bag he'd been holding landing in his lap. His stunned expression morphed into one of alarm as he blurted, "Hot, hot, hot! It's burning me... Damn it, are we still alive?!"

With hurried hands, he lifted the plastic bag filled with steaming food, disregarding his disheveled appearance. He quickly turned his head to examine the other two unfamiliar companions.

Next, he caught sight of Yu Bai, leaning against the railing with an adept self-protective stance, and the hybrid who still stood in place, his expression unchanged.

The Polo-clad man, who was holding his food aloft in an upside-down position, was momentarily taken aback, feeling like an inverted turtle amidst the elegance of humanity, desperately striving to regain his composure and climb back up.

"Remain still." A voice, though somewhat composed, halted him.

Yu Bai took a deep breath, calming his body's instinctive tremors, then continued, "The elevator didn't crash to the bottom. It should be suspended mid-air right now. I'm afraid that any sudden movements might make it fall further."

The Polo-shirt man immediately froze upon hearing this. "Okay, okay, I won't move. What should we do now? Call the police? Is there any signal on your phone?"

"There is a signal."

Adjusting his slightly crooked glasses, Yu Bai had already unlocked his phone and dialed the emergency rescue number indicated above the elevator buttons.

The call connected promptly, and through the conversation with the rescue team, he grew increasingly composed.

"They said they'll arrive within fifteen minutes and asked us to stay calm," Yu Bai relayed their reassurance. "The elevator has ventilation, so there's no need to be too scared. There's enough oxygen."

"That's good, that's good," the Polo-shirt man on the floor repeated. "Thank goodness you're here. I've never experienced anything like this before. Thank you."

Yu Bai shook his head. "It's alright."

He had never encountered such a severe elevator malfunction either, but he had dealt with similar situations before.

For a moment, the elevator fell silent.

Yu Bai's mind wandered afar, contemplating the fourteenth draft of his will. The POLO-clad man stared blankly, striving to regain his composure.

Slowly, both men unintentionally and belatedly turned their attention to the third person in the elevator.

The dark-haired, blue-eyed apparent hybrid remained as still as before, silent as if he hadn't just experienced the harrowing moment. He continued to wait calmly for the elevator to reach its destination, like an ill-timed ghost.

If it weren't for the fact that ghosts didn't exist in this world, Yu Bai would have sworn he was seeing one.

Decisively, he shifted his gaze away, resolving not to concern himself with this peculiar neighbor.

In just fifteen more minutes, he would be home safe and sound, lounging on his couch, grabbing a bag of snacks...

In the unusually quiet elevator, a sudden "gurgle" echoed loudly.

Yu Bai first looked down at his stomach, ruling it out as the source. Then, he heard the POLO-clad man on the floor speak with a hint of embarrassment, "After a long day, I was already hungry. That scare just made me hungrier."

The plastic bag in his hand continued to emit a strong aroma of fried chicken, barbecued meats, and spicy noodles.

Everyone continued to wait in silence for the rescue team's arrival.

Fifteen minutes felt like an eternity.

Gurgle, gurgle.

The Polo Man fumbled with the left side of his bag, then the right, eventually succumbing to his bodily needs. He carefully placed the plastic bag on the ground and reached out to untie it.

He offered warmly, "It seems like the spicy and sour noodles have spilled. Would you two like some fried chicken and barbecue instead?"

Yu Bai was about to decline when he heard the rustling of another bag being opened. "There's also cold Coke and beer. It'll be easier for you to drink standing up, and it'll help calm your nerves."

The icy Coke rested beside the warm fried chicken.

An offer hard to refuse.

Yu Bai gracefully accepted the Coke. "Thank you."

"No need to be polite. We're all neighbors, and we've already been through life and death together, right?"

The polo-shirt-clad man, still lying on his back, cracked a joke while warmly offering the skewers and fried chicken in a bag. "This place serves delicious food, you should try it."

He had actually wanted to offer some to the mixed-race person in the corner, but seeing that the latter hadn't spoken a word, he began to have second thoughts and whispered to Yu Bai.

"Does this foreigner really not understand us? I'd love for him to taste our local delicacies. Speaking of which, he's got nerves of steel, not afraid at all..."

With fizzy cola as a base and crispy, tender fried chicken in his mouth, even Yu Bai's mood improved slightly.

He didn't believe that the unfamiliar neighbor beside him was a foreigner who couldn't understand their conversation. The other party had been reading the notices in the elevator, so he likely just didn't want to engage with them.

"Maybe he doesn't need it," Yu Bai casually said.

As soon as his words fell, the tall man with black hair and blue eyes suddenly lit up, casting a glance at him.

If Yu Bai wasn't mistaken, there seemed to be... agreement in the man's gray-blue eyes?

Agreement about what? That he indeed didn't need it?

Yu Bai was puzzled.

He chose to overlook these subtle oddities; today had been eventful enough, and he didn't want any more complications. All he wanted was to go home and rest.

"Pity him then," the man in the POLO shirt shook his head, his nervousness fading under the soothing effect of the food. "So, isn't it delicious?"

Yu Bai nodded. "It smells fantastic. Where did you get it from?"

The mixed-race man gave him another look with the same intensity.

Did he find it equally aromatic?

...Enough already.

Closing his eyes briefly, Yu Bai refrained from stealing glances at the man. He focused on the road ahead, eating without distraction.

As the man on the ground munched on his skewers, he replied, "Just beside the bus stop. They have a buy-one-get-half-off deal."

"Pretty convenient. I'll drop by next time I pass by."

"You've helped me bring him business then, ha-ha," the man chuckled. "I run a hardware store next door. If anything breaks at your place, make sure to come find me. I'll fix it for free – just call me Master Wang."

The malfunctioning elevator, reeking of fried food, had transformed into a nocturnal street stall.

As the elevator doors suddenly swung open, the rescuers were met with this surreal scene.

"Alright, the door is now open. The trapped individuals can exit slowly, no need to be nervous—uh."

"Everything's alright, everything's alright. We'll have the elevator inspected immediately. Everyone, please return, there's nothing to see here—eh?"

Outside the elevator stood a throng of people: rescue team members, journalists and photographers tagging along on the rescue mission, property management staff, and curious residents...

The photographer's finger hovered eagerly above the shutter, uncertain in the eerie silence. In confusion, he pressed down.

Click.

Master Wang, sprawled on his back and feasting on barbecue, looked up at everyone with a dazed expression.

The enigmatic neighbor with jet-black hair and blue eyes stared into the lens, straining to recall something, then offered a textbook camera-ready smile.

Yu Bai, holding fried chicken in one hand and a cola in the other, shut his eyes in despair.

He knew that today could become even more eventful.

After explaining the situation to the rescue team and the property management, and requesting the journalists and photographers to pixelate the photos, Yu Bai finally freed himself from this chain of unexpected events. Heaving a sigh, he headed towards the stairwell.

Due to the insistent demands of the onlooking residents, both elevators in the building were to be temporarily out of service for maintenance. As a result, he had no choice but to take the stairs to his home.

Fortunately, it wasn't a skyscraper; there were only twelve floors in total, with his apartment situated at the top. The malfunctioning elevator was currently parked on the fifth floor, not too far away.

Pushing open a fire door, Yu Bai heard a voice behind him.

"Excuse me, can I get to the twelfth floor from here?"

Surprised, he turned around, his gaze locking onto those lake-blue eyes that resembled a serene body of water.

His unfamiliar neighbor had finally spoken, enunciating clearly with a pleasant voice. There was, however, an odd hint of nervousness, as if it was their first time engaging in conversation through language.

Indeed, they weren't a foreigner.

They seemed more like an extraterrestrial.

"Sure." Yu Bai had already stepped into the stairwell and instinctively held the door open, waiting for the person to enter.

But the stranger didn't move.

Yu Bai noticed the neighbor's gaze fixated on his hand that was blocking the door, a hint of genuine concern shining through their eyes.

He fell silent for a moment before, for some inexplicable reason, he said, "This isn't an elevator; it's fine to hold the door open."

...

What am I saying? Am I treating this person like an idiot?

Although the gray fire door did resemble an elevator door to some extent.

Before Yu Bai could explain his peculiar comment, the unfamiliar neighbor seemed to exhale in relief and walked in with long strides.

"Thank you," the neighbor said politely, with sincerity in their tone.

"You're welcome," Yu Bai replied.

With a stoic expression, Yu Bai concluded the amicable exchange, unwilling to delve into the underlying reasoning.

Well, it wasn't as if he hadn't encountered a handsome sixth-grader, towering at six feet, being hit on by a beautiful woman before.

No matter how peculiar this stranger, who resembled a mixed-race individual, was, it was none of his concern. They just happened to live on the same floor, where numerous households coexisted – they wouldn't run into each other often anyway.

After climbing seven flights of stairs, Yu Bai arrived at door 1205 on the twelfth floor. As he fished out his key from his pocket, the mixed-race neighbor had already unlocked the door to 1204 with his own key. Before entering, he politely bid farewell, his eyes, resembling a serene lake with shimmering hues of gray and blue, reflecting politeness.

"Goodbye."

"…" Yu Bai forcefully suppressed the unsettling, all-too-familiar premonition in the depths of his heart. "Goodbye."