Undercurrent, family lock
Undercurrent, family lock
At six o'clock sharp, I woke in Gu Yanshen's arms. The morning light filtered through the thick velvet curtains, casting dappled shadows across the bedroom. Three years of marriage had accustomed my body to his sleep patterns, even learning to discern his deep sleep from subtle changes in his breathing. His arm was still habitually wrapped around my waist, his fingertips unconsciously resting on the buttons of my pajama top, as if confirming my presence even in his sleep.
I waited quietly, counting his steady breaths. Only when I was certain he was completely absorbed in sleep did I begin to carefully move his body, as if disassembling a delicate instrument. I gently lifted each finger, then his wrist, and finally his entire arm. This process required immense patience; any excessive movement could wake him. When my feet finally touched the cool marble floor, I felt a pitiful sense of accomplishment—my first small act of defiance today had succeeded.
The Swiss clock on the bedside table ticked ever so softly. It was an antique Gu Yanshen had bought at an auction; he'd said he liked the precision honed by time. I walked barefoot to the bathroom, the coolness of my feet bringing me full alertness. The woman in the mirror was pale, the dark circles under her eyes difficult to conceal even with the most expensive eye cream. Ever since my last meeting with Shen Que in the cafe, I'd clearly sensed Gu Yanshen's control was quietly escalating. Though he didn't express it explicitly, the feeling of his ever-present gaze was growing stronger.
"Awake?" Gu Yanshen's voice suddenly came from behind me. He always appeared when I was least prepared, as if he had installed a radar specifically to detect my movements.
I quickly adjusted my expression, raising the corners of my mouth to just the right degree. "I woke up a little early today, maybe because I slept better last night."
His fingers stroked under my eyes, his movements as gentle as if he were touching a fragile antique. "Your dark circles are getting worse. I'll have Doctor Wang come over today to see you and prescribe some tranquilizers." As he spoke, he grabbed his phone and began making arrangements. "By the way, the nursing home recently said Mom's condition is stable. Do you want to go see her? I'll have Zhou Ling take you."
My heart sank. Today was the day he was going to a meeting in a neighboring city. This was the first time he'd asked me to meet my mother alone, and the timing was so coincidental. So many questions swirled in my mind, forcing me to be wary.
At ten o'clock in the morning, Zhou Ling parked his black Bentley downstairs. He was wearing a meticulously ironed suit, and even the length of his tie strictly followed the standard set by Gu Yanshen.
"Ma'am," he handed over a gift box tied with a champagne-colored ribbon, "Mr. Gu specifically asked me to bring you some supplements for Auntie. He said they're imported health supplements that are good for your heart."
I took the gift box and gently rubbed my fingertips over the smooth wrapping. It was much lighter than I'd expected; this didn't seem like an ordinary health supplement. The gift box was wrapped in special paper from the high-end gift shop Gu Yanshen usually used, and the ribbon was tied in his own way—he always liked to leave his mark on these details.
On the way to the sanatorium, Zhou Ling glanced at me for the third time through the rearview mirror. I pretended to admire the street view, but in reality, I was mentally memorizing the route. At the fourth traffic light, I noticed a black Mercedes behind me, keeping a steady distance. This wasn't Zhou Ling's usual car, and the figure in the driver's seat looked unfamiliar.
In the nursing home's sunroom, my mother, accompanied by a caregiver, was arranging flowers. The afternoon sun filtered through the glass ceiling, casting a much brighter complexion than when we last met. Upon seeing me, a delighted smile immediately lit up her face, the wrinkles around her eyes softening. "Xiaoyu! Yan Shen called this morning to say you'd be coming today. He even asked the kitchen to prepare your favorite almond tea and osmanthus cake."
I froze, my fingers unconsciously tightening. "He... called?"
"Yes, she said she was worried about you before she left on a business trip." My mother's eyes fell on the gift box in my hand. "Is this a gift for me? Open it and let me see it."
I slowly untied the ribbon, my movements as slow as if I were defusing a bomb. Inside the gift box, besides some beautifully packaged imported health supplements, was an exquisitely designed smart bracelet. The dial was inlaid with tiny diamonds, gleaming with a cool sheen in the sunlight.
"This is the latest health monitoring bracelet." Zhou Ling stepped forward at the right moment and explained in his usual steady voice, "Mr. Gu had it specially ordered from Switzerland. It monitors heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation, and it also has a fall alarm. He hopes you and your aunt can keep an eye on your health at all times."
The mother happily took the bracelet, as if it were a rare treasure: "Yan Shen is so thoughtful. He even thinks about such a small thing so carefully." She immediately put it on her wrist. The size was just right, as if it was tailor-made for her.
I felt a chill run down my spine. This bracelet was too delicate, the arrangement of the diamonds on the dial too elaborate, to be anything but a typical health monitor. And why the specific emphasis on "customization"?
During lunch, the mother kept praising Gu Yanshen: "Yanshen specially invited a cardiologist from Beijing for consultation last week, and also invested in upgrading the security system of the nursing home. Now there are surveillance cameras in every corner here, and it is much safer." As she said this, she pointed to the newly installed cameras in the corridor.
My hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly, and the silverware shone coldly under my fingertips: "Mom, what if...what if I want to leave him?"
The mother's smile froze on her face, and the soup spoon in her hand fell into the bowl with a clang: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I feel so tired," I whispered, my voice coming from far away. "He monitors everything about me, even who I meet, what I buy, and how much I eat..."
"That's out of concern for you!" Mother interrupted me abruptly, her voice piercing. "Look at this nursing home, look at these professional caregivers. If it weren't for Yan Shen, how could we afford to live in a place like this? Do you know how much it costs a month here?"
She suddenly stopped, her eyes flickering, as if she had said something wrong or shouldn't have said.
"Mom, are you hiding something from me?" I put down my chopsticks and looked into her eyes.
The mother lowered her head, twisting her napkin nervously with her fingers. "In short, you have to learn to cherish. A man like Yan Shen is hard to come by. If it weren't for his help, the debts left by your father..."
Only then did I realize that my father's business had failed before he died, and he had a huge debt, all of which was secretly handled by Gu Yanshen. My mother had kept it secret from me because she didn't want me to worry.
At this time, the nurse pushed the medicine cart in. I noticed that there was an unfamiliar electronic device on the cart, and the screen displayed my mother's heart rate, blood pressure and other data in real time.
"Is this a new device?" I asked casually.
The nurse smiled and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Gu donated it last week. Now the entire nursing home has been upgraded with an intelligent monitoring system, and all data is transmitted to the attending physician's tablet in real time. This way, if there are any abnormalities, the doctor can deal with them immediately."
My fingertips began to feel cold. This was all so thoughtful, so thoughtful that it was disturbing.
When I left the sanatorium, I ran into Dr. Liu, my mother's attending physician, in the corridor. He had just emerged from the elevator, a document in his hand.
"Ms. Mo, please stay." He stopped me. "I need your signature regarding your mother's next stage of treatment."
I took the document and quickly scanned the specialized medical terminology. My eyes suddenly stopped at the signature on the last page. Besides Director Liu's signature, there was another handwriting I was all too familiar with: Gu Yanshen.
"What is this?" I pointed at the signature, my voice shaking uncontrollably.
Director Liu pushed his glasses up. "This is the special guardianship agreement signed by Mr. Gu. He requires us to conduct more detailed health monitoring of your mother, and all data must be transmitted to his medical team in real time. This is also for your mother's own good. After all..."
"Why is such an agreement necessary?" I interrupted. "I'm her only daughter. Why was I completely unaware of this?"
The doctor's tone remained formulaic. "This is Mr. Gu's concern for your mother. And..." He paused. "Mr. Gu is the largest investor in the nursing home. He has the authority to make these decisions."
Back in the car, Zhou Ling keenly noticed my abnormality: "Madam, you don't look well. Do you want to rest for a while before going back?"
"Go straight back to the apartment." I closed my eyes, not wanting him to see the emotion in them.
When I got home, to my surprise, Gu Yanshen was waiting for me in the living room. He had a purple clay tea set in front of him and was leisurely brewing tea, as if he had expected me to come back at this time.
"Is mother okay?" he asked without looking up, steadily filling the teapot in his hand with water.
"Why are you spying on her?" I asked bluntly.
"It's out of concern." He put down the teapot and raised his eyes, his gaze calm. "After all, her medical expenses are not small. This nursing home costs two hundred thousand dollars a month, not including the cost of specialist consultations and specialized care. Without my support, it would be difficult for the nursing home to maintain its current level of service."
He stood up and slowly walked over to me. "You wouldn't want to see your mother forced to be transferred to a regular hospital ward, would you? The conditions there wouldn't even provide basic care."
That night, I sat alone on the bed in the guest bedroom, holding a photo of my mother wearing the bracelet. On the back of the photo, Gu Yanshen's flamboyant handwriting read, "May you always be healthy and happy." The date was our first wedding anniversary. It turned out that, without my knowledge, he had already turned even the people closest to me into bargaining chips to control me.
At eleven o'clock in the evening, I quietly opened the encrypted document. The cursor flickered on the screen, as if awaiting my judgment.
"Today I truly understand that love can be the cruelest weapon. When he threatened me with Mother's safety, I realized this war was unequal from the start. The smart bracelet on Mother's wrist, the special guardianship agreement at the nursing home, and the debts I still don't know about... He had already laid a tight net around me."
I paused at this point. The document's auto-save prompt indicated that this article would be uploaded to the cloud in 30 seconds. And Gu Yanshen could see these words at any time through some unknown means.
But I continued writing.
"But the stronger the lock, the more worth breaking. Even if it means paying a heavy price, even if it means losing everything you have. Because some things are more important than a comfortable life—like freedom and dignity."
As I was saving the document, Yuntuan silently jumped onto the bed and rubbed his furry head against my arm. I gently stroked his fur and suddenly found a thinly rolled piece of paper in the gap of his collar. I unfolded it and saw only a short line of words on it:
"Tomorrow afternoon at 3 o'clock, fire escape. I must come this time. - Shen"
The handwriting on the note was sloppy, as if written in a hurry. But I could recognize it; it was indeed Chen's. How did he do it? Under Gu Yanshen's strict surveillance, how did he find opportunities to contact me again and again?
Outside the window, raindrops began to hit the glass, making a fine and regular sound. But this time, I seemed to hear a different rhythm.
That is the sound of fingertips knocking on the prison door, the sound of hope sprouting in the darkness.
I know tomorrow's meeting might be a trap, but I have to go. Because if I don't even have the courage to try, then I will never escape this cage in the name of love.
The closest relatives have become the strongest locks in the cage
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