"One! Two..." Just as Damian raised his foot to kick the door, it creaked open slightly. He immediately barged in, asking, "Are you… alright?"

His temple twitched as he took in the scene before him, his brows furrowing slightly.
 
"Would you believe me if I said he accidentally hit his head on the door?" Evelyn asked innocently as she stepped aside, biting her lower lip. She looked up at him with clear, innocent eyes.

Damian raised an eyebrow as he surveyed the unconscious man on the floor with a bleeding forehead. Then, he glanced at the spotless door beside him and remained silent.

Evelyn quietly tucked her weapon of choice, her crossbody bag, behind her back. Following Damian's gaze to the clean door, she had to admit it was not very convincing.

After a moment's thought, she crouched down, held the door with one hand, and grabbed the unconscious man's hair with the other, smearing

The officer moved forward, reaching for his keys as he prepared to inspect the next carriage. His flashlight swung briefly across the connecting area, and he nearly dropped it in surprise as he blurted out, "Whoa! What're you doing standing here in the middle of the night?"

Evelyn felt her scalp tingle with dread. She thought she would have been better off staying in the bathroom. Fortunately, since the officers had changed shifts in the evening, this was not the same one from earlier, and he did not recognize them.

The officer's flashlight beam bounced between their faces suspiciously and asked, "What's your relationship?"
  
Evelyn tried to steady herself, still scrambling for an answer, but Damian was already a step ahead. He smoothly stepped in front of her, shielding her completely.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a smoke," he said casually, pulling out a cigarette pack. "Ju

Evelyn had been rationing her water intake on the train, knowing how difficult it was to compete for the single bathroom with so many passengers. It was not until the dead of night, when everyone else was fast asleep, that she finally seized her chance.

As she approached the bathroom, she suddenly stopped and instinctively held her breath, covering her nose with her sleeve. "Yuck. That's some heavy cigarette smoke."

Clearly, someone was chain-smoking in the connecting corridor up ahead. Who would be out here smoking at this hour?

In a flash, Evelyn recalled a tall, striking figure she had only glimpsed earlier that day. While passing through the front of the train just now, she had made a point to look over at their seats.

Lucas was sitting upright and sound asleep, but the seat next to him remained empty. She could not help but wonder if Damian had already gotten off at the last stop. Well, apparently not, since he had to be the one smoking up ahead. 

"Why is he wandering around at night? It's just suspicious..." Evelyn thought to herself.

According to the novel's plot, the male lead was already on this train. Could this mysterious man be him? 

The thought sent a chill down her spine. His striking looks, aloof demeanor, and the strange way she was drawn to him—the more she considered it, the more likely it seemed.

Evelyn had only one thing on her mind—to avoid trouble. To do that, she should stay away from both the male and female leads. She forced herself to drop the thought, figuring if she could not mess with him, she could at least avoid him. 

Quickly, she turned to enter the bathroom. Just then, a familiar crisp scent wafted past her nose, mixed with the cigarette smoke. 

It was the same unique scent she had noticed at the station, and both times, it had been accompanied by cigarette smoke. Could that distinctive aroma be coming from a specific brand of cigarettes?

This realization excited her. Once she got off the train, she could track down these cigarettes and extract that unique scent, which would bring her one step closer to perfecting her perfume formula. But for now, avoiding trouble took priority.

When she pushed open the bathroom door, Evelyn was pleasantly surprised. The bathroom on this newer train was much more spacious and cleaner than she had expected. Moreover, the passengers had been remarkably considerate about maintaining it.

After washing her hands, Evelyn remembered the mysterious item Susan had insisted she bring. Wondering what was in that package, she decided to finally check. Whatever it was, it was heavy.
 
She pulled it out to find a neatly wrapped object in clean cotton cloth, and her heart began to race. While the novel never specified what this item was, it surely had to be worth something. 

Evelyn carefully unwrapped the layers, her mind already racing with potential business plans. This could be her startup capital. 

When the last layer fell away, her face fell. It was a medallion—or more precisely, half of an old medallion with unique engravings.

Still hopeful, Evelyn held it up to the window, examining it in the moonlight. Yet, no matter how she looked at it, it was identical to the half-medallion she remembered being used to prop up a wobbly table leg in her room.
 
With no other choice, Evelyn sighed, surrendering to reality. She carefully rewrapped it, knowing that if it were truly a family heirloom, it would have gone to her uncles, not to her.

"Well, I'll just consider it a lucky charm," she consoled herself. 

After straightening her clothes, Evelyn reached for the door. However, a hand suddenly emerged from the darkness before she could step out, pressing a sweet-smelling cloth against her nose and mouth. 

Before she could react, the stranger shoved her back into the bathroom and locked the door behind them. A dull thud echoed, and then there was silence.

Outside, the glowing red cigarette tip suddenly went dark. The man who had been quietly watching noticed the commotion and quickly rushed over, banging on the door.

"Open the door!" His icy voice demanded. "I'll count to three!"

"One! Two..." Just as Damian raised his foot to kick the door, it creaked open slightly. He immediately barged in, asking, "Are you… alright?"

His temple twitched as he took in the scene before him, his brows furrowing slightly.
 
"Would you believe me if I said he accidentally hit his head on the door?" Evelyn asked innocently as she stepped aside, biting her lower lip. She looked up at him with clear, innocent eyes.

Damian raised an eyebrow as he surveyed the unconscious man on the floor with a bleeding forehead. Then, he glanced at the spotless door beside him and remained silent.

Evelyn quietly tucked her weapon of choice, her crossbody bag, behind her back. Following Damian's gaze to the clean door, she had to admit it was not very convincing.

After a moment's thought, she crouched down, held the door with one hand, and grabbed the unconscious man's hair with the other, smearing his bloody forehead against the door. She muttered, "There, that's more believable!" 

Before letti

Chapter 12 Follow Me!