Against the Algorithm

Chapter 11: The Moment Everything Changed

His instincts kicked in immediately. There was only one reason he'd be getting a call this late. He snatched the phone without hesitation, pressing it to his ear. "What?" His voice was low, sharp, still rough with sleep—but instantly alert.

The voice on the other end was calm, steady, but carried an underlying weight.

"It's done. I handled it."

Sicheng's fingers tightened around the phone, his jaw clenching as his mind fully caught up.

Yao.

Something had happened to Yao.

He sat up immediately, throwing off the blanket, his body already moving before he could process the next words. "Explain." His voice was cold now, controlled but carrying an unmistakable edge.

"Someone broke into her apartment." The man's tone was even, efficient, not wasting time. "I took care of it. The guy won't be a problem ever again."

Sicheng exhaled slowly, running a hand over his face as his temper flared dangerously—but this wasn't just anger. This was something darker, something territorial, something that made his entire body tense with the urge to rip apart anyone who even thought of hurting her.

But then—

The next words hit him harder.

"She won't come out of the bathroom."

Sicheng stilled. "What?"

"She locked herself inside with the cat." A brief pause. "And the furball is pissed. He's hissing and growling at anyone who comes close."

Sicheng was already on his feet, grabbing his keys. "She's not hurt?"

"Not physically."

That was enough.

Sicheng didn't hesitate. Didn't stop to process anything else. Because none of it mattered. She wasn't staying there another second. Not after this. Not when she had locked herself in the bathroom, too shaken to come out. Not when her damn cat was baring its fangs in her defense, refusing to let anyone near. She wasn't staying there. She was coming home. He got in his car, his voice low, dark, and utterly final as he spoke into the receiver.

"Keep everyone away from that door."

A pause.

Then—

"I'm on my way."

~

The drive to Yao's apartment was a blur.

Sicheng wasn't speeding—he didn't need to. His focus was razor-sharp, his grip on the wheel firm, his breathing steady despite the storm building inside him. By the time he pulled up outside her building, he was already calculating everything. She wasn't hurt. She was alive. But she was locked inside a bathroom, refusing to come out, too shaken to even face the outside world.

And that?

That was unacceptable.

The moment he stepped out of his car, the man he had assigned to watch over her was already waiting by the entrance.

Sicheng didn't ask unnecessary questions. He didn't waste time confirming details he already knew. Instead, as he approached, his amber gaze dark and lethal, he spoke only once. "Where is he?"

The man didn't blink.

"Gone."

Sicheng exhaled slowly. Good. He didn't need details. Because the way the man had said it—efficient, final—meant only one thing. Whoever had broken in wasn't coming back.