"Are you not going to tell me, or do you just want to call that doctor and thank her for helping you get out of here?"
Mu Yiran suddenly looked up, "I ran away on my own! It has nothing to do with anyone else!"
Shi Youxi ignored him, his fingers sliding up her face little by little until they stopped on the bandage... and pressed down hard.
"ah--"
"Does it hurt?"
Shi Youxi didn't let go, looking coldly at Mu Yiran's pained and wrinkled face.
"Do you know how I felt during this past hour? This is the kind of pain I felt."
"While I was anxiously praying for your safety outside the door, my sister was probably happy to be leaving me."
Shi Youxi felt that she was really pathetic. "After I found out you ran away, I was still like an idiot, wondering if you would call me to let me know you were safe."
Mu Yiran broke free from his grasp, a throbbing pain shooting through her head. "Shi Youxi! You're the one who locked me up! You locked me up and deliberately withheld my medicine. It would be crazy if I didn't run away. And this is a police station—"
Shi Youxi: "What, do you want them to come and arrest me? Tell me, or do you want me to say it for you, hmm?"
Mu Yiran gritted her teeth and glared at him. How could she not know what it meant that Shi Youxi had appeared here so quickly?
Why was it so easy for Shi Youxi to capture her?
"I'm not going back, I won't go back with you!" Mu Yiran pushed her away and got up to walk out, but as soon as she got up, she felt dizzy and lightheaded, biting her lip and stumbling as she walked out.
Shi Youxi did not stop her, but coldly watched as the woman shrank back and took a few steps before fainting on the ground.
Mu Yiran was locked back in that luxurious room.
The broken windows were replaced with bulletproof glass. The room is still beautiful, but it's completely airtight.
Her hunger strike was no longer effective. Shi Youxi had plenty of ways to exhaust her, and in the end, she could only accept being fed by Shi Youxi while feeling dizzy. In order to prevent Shi Youxi from touching her, Mu Yiran had no choice but to eat obediently.
Each time, Mu Yiran would be left with heavy marks. Shi Youxi would not say anything, but the next time he would always make those marks worse.
The sight of those green and red marks made Mu Yiran feel embarrassed and uncomfortable, and she resisted even more fiercely. She thought Shi Youxi would stop, but Shi Youxi's perverted behavior continued unabated.
Wherever she had a mark, he made himself look like that, even deliberately getting tattoos.
Shi Youxi's body was covered with her marks, marks that were difficult to erase.
He would touch the scratches Mu Yiran had left on his body with fascination, saying, "This is proof that we belong to each other."
"Whenever my sister sees these, she will think of me."
"Only thinking of myself."
Shi Youxi kept a closer eye on her, no longer leaving her alone, and even holding Mu Yiran while eating.
Occasionally, she would wake up in the middle of the night to find the man beside her staring intently at her. The tension in Shi Youxi's eyes was as if she might disappear from the dream at any moment. Staying up all night made the dark circles under Shi Youxi's eyes grow deeper and deeper.
Mu Yiran saw it clearly; the words "Don't stay up late, go to sleep" that were on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back as she felt the coldness in her ankles.
The two remained deadlocked, and their relationship deteriorated further. When Mu Yiran once again tried to remove the foot clamps with a sharp object and cut herself in the process, Shi Youxi finally gave in.
Seeing the man kneeling at her feet applying the medicine, Mu Yiran couldn't help but speak to him for the first time in days:
"Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"
Shi Youxi held her slender ankle with one hand. Hearing her words, Shi Youxi's Adam's apple bobbed. She rubbed the delicate skin until she finished applying the scar removal cream before replying, "How do you plan to run away?"
"Should we get that doctor to help you? Or should we call that Englishman to save you?"
"What a pity. Because he fabricated a medical record and covered for you, the patient, leaving the hospital without permission, that doctor has been transferred elsewhere. As for that British man..." Shi Youxi couldn't hide the sneer on his face as he said this.
"His brother was originally the most likely candidate to become the president of the Senate, but because he took you away that day, he got involved in the Simpson scandal and is now in trouble himself. Do you think he still has the mind to save you?"
Shi Youxi looked at Mu Yiran with a grin: "Sister, because of your selfish desires, two people have been harmed and have had to bear the consequences for you."
"You dare say you didn't interfere?! Was it because of my selfish desires or you?!" Mu Yiran's face turned pale at his words.
Shi Youxi knew best where Mu Yiran's weakness lay. Knowing that someone had suffered an undeserved disaster because of her, Shi Youxi's guilt and self-blame alone were enough to hold Mu Yiran's life in her hands, making her dare not easily entertain the idea of running away.
"Of course there is." Shi Youxi didn't care what she thought. "So you can keep running and see who it is. Whoever dares to help you get out of here, I have a way to kill him/her."
"Shi Youxi!"
"—Ah, you can't go in, the young master will be out soon." Just then, a sound came from outside the door.
The door, which was not closed, was pushed open.
His official knowledge extended far beyond mountains and rivers: "—Shi Youxi!"
"What's wrong with you? Are you treating medicine like it's rice?! And what's the condition of your mother? Does she need my help?—Busy, busy, aren't you?!"
"....."
Guan Shiyan's gaze shifted from Shi Youxi's clenched hand to the marks on Mu Yiran's feet. His pupils dilated slightly, and he looked away embarrassedly. When he saw the long chain lying beside him, Guan Shiyan's face turned as red as prickly heat. If it weren't for his glasses, his pupils would have popped out.
"Sorry to bother you, haha, sorry to bother you." Guan Shiyan covered his eyes with his hands, then spread his two fingers apart. "You guys continue, you guys continue."
As she spoke, she cast a glance at Shi Youxi with a mixture of admiration, envy, jealousy, sadness, anger, and disdain.
"Hmph, you only care about your own enjoyment, you don't care at all about your brother's happiness—"
"etc!"
Mu Yiran called out to Guan Shiyan, then anxiously asked Shi Youxi, "Has your illness worsened? And your mother..."
"Do you care?" Shi Youxi asked, looking up.
Mu Yiran was stunned. "I...."
Shi Youxi looked up at her, but Mu Yiran didn't answer even after he saw the flower shadow. He curled his lips and stood up. "If you don't really care about me, you don't need to ask. I don't need your overflowing sympathy. And don't think that if you give me some sweet words to coax me, I will let you go."
Mu Yiran opened her mouth silently, but in the end, she just pursed her lips and said:
"...Think whatever you want."
"..."
It wasn't until they reached the study that Guan Shiyan belatedly realized, "Were you two just... playing some new kind of game?"
"What new kind of play?" Shi Si asked as he arrived at the study on time.
"It's those two!" Guan Shiyan pointed at Shi Youxi, whose face looked displeased, and began to nag:
"They actually argued after they did *that*?!"
"Do you even care? Do you even care about me?"
"I don't need your overflowing sympathy!"
Guan Shiyan described it vividly in a high-pitched voice, which was indistinguishable from that of a crowing rooster.
"You clearly want people to care about you, but you're pretending! Otherwise, you would have shut me up the moment I called you!"
"So even I'm just a part of your play, huh!" Guan Shiyan cursed more and more vehemently, feeling increasingly aggrieved.
"Some people you can't even meet! And some dogs are flirting in front of others!"
"Tsk," Shi Si pretended to be a little distressed, "Why can't we see him again? Did he take the wrong flight?"
Guan Shiyan rejected his feigned concern and even spit out a spit, "She went to deliver goods! How dare you ask! Didn't we agree to bring Ai Ni back!"
"Why are they being transferred further and further away!"
"She didn't want to come back," Shi Si said innocently, shrugging.
"Didn't you tell her it was me who told her?" Shi Youxi asked, his face still dark.
“Of course I told her, but she refused as soon as she heard it was your request,” Shi Si scratched his nose. “Maybe she felt too guilty for not protecting Cheng Ran back then.”
"She likes Cheng Ran so much, how could she possibly agree to have a stand-in?"
“I told you, she’s not a substitute!” Shi Youxi stared coldly at Shi Si. “Don’t make me remind you again. I don’t want to hear that word again, and I don’t want her to hear it either.”
"Yes, yes, I was being sarcastic, but that's how normal people think. It's understandable that Ai Ni doesn't want to. Besides, if you want someone to keep an eye on you, there are plenty of people in the Time Gate; you don't necessarily have to choose Ai Ni."
Guan Shiyan looked at Shi Youxi and asked, "What, you're always clinging to him, why do you need a bodyguard?"
“It’s Madam,” Shi Si sighed. “These past two days, Madam’s memory has deteriorated significantly, and she’s even a bit confused. She’s been making a fuss about wanting to see Xiao Xi.”
“It’s just a matter of a moment, why make such a big deal out of it?” Guan Shiyan looked at the bodyguards everywhere inside and outside the house and the sealed doors and windows, and felt a chill. “Besides, this isn’t the way to be clingy. Not everyone wants to be a caged bird. I don’t think your sister would want to be one.”
"Based on my years of experience with unrequited love, let me tell you, it's best not to try the 'sugar daddy/sugar baby' approach. You'll almost always end up in a nightmare trying to win her back!"
Toki: "Oh~ so you've been chasing your wife at the airport all these years, right?"
"Get out! Get out! Get out!"
Guan Shiyan turned his head and glared at Shi Youxi, raising his chin, "Want your brother to teach you a few tricks? Don't underestimate me just because I'm a golden bachelor, I've been reading for over ten years, okay!"
Otherwise, how could he so easily accept Shi Youxi's absurd claim that "my wife is my stepmother"?
He's someone who's seen the world, after all.
When are you going?
Shi Youxi didn't even look at him. The scar behind his ear was a little itchy. He resisted the urge to scratch it, but his mind involuntarily recalled the feeling of a woman pinching his ear when she was lost in thought.
Shi Si: "Tomorrow, we'll hear that Qi Pan has returned to England. The master is worried about his wife's safety and wants to take her back to Z country. You probably don't want to go back with her now, so let's go see her as soon as possible."
Shi Youxi's brow twitched inexplicably. "Where is Shi Bianji?"
Shi Si checked and replied after a few seconds: "Don't worry, it's locked."
Guan Shiyan, unusually serious, patted Shi Youxi on the shoulder and said, "Alright, I'll take my team to see Auntie. Don't worry, my team consists of world-renowned experts. Even if they can't handle it, I can find other experts. Auntie will be fine."
Shi Youxi lowered his eyes and didn't speak. The tickling behind his ears made him restless. He picked up the cheese candy on the table and chewed it again and again.
...
Shi Youxi was acting strangely that day.
Mu Yiran sat on his lap, looking at the various breakfast items laid out in front of her, including a variety of desserts, the aroma of cheese and cream filling the entire restaurant.
It smells very good.
But what kind of lunatic eats so many sweets first thing in the morning?!
This lunatic was holding her, serving her food as usual, and watching her finish eating before starting to push the cake away. Mu Yiran couldn't help but say, "I do have low blood sugar, but not to this extent. Do you want me to have diabetes?"
Shi Youxi shoved the nearest Basque cake to her lips: "Don't you like it? I saw you eating this all day yesterday."
"Who in their right mind would eat so many sweets first thing in the morning?! And I only ate one yesterday!"
Seeing that she really didn't want to eat, Shi Youxi had the food removed, saying, "Then leave it for you to eat when you want."
Afterwards, Shi Youxi warmly led her to the villa's courtyard and workshop, which was the first time Mu Yiran had seen the entire villa.
The long-awaited return to normal human activities improved her mood considerably, and she became more talkative with Shi Youxi.
"What's that big flower-like thing you put in your workspace? It takes up a lot of space." Mu Yiran was led back to the sealed-off suite by him.
"Those are all things you'll need."
"I can?"
Shi Youxi didn't say anything more, but carried her back to bed and removed the chain.
Mu Yiran jumped up instantly, "Shi Youxi! What are you going to do now! Don't even think about locking me up again!"
"I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back."
Mu Yiran gritted her teeth: "So what?!"
Shi Youxi cornered her against the headboard, pressing his knee against her side. "If I take you with me, my sister might find another chance to run away, so—"
"Don't lock it! Shi Youxi!"
The cold iron chains were put back on her ankles, and Mu Yiran kicked her legs with all her might.
Shi Youxi held her ankle firmly. "Don't move. No one will help you apply medicine if you get hurt. It'll only be a moment. I'll be back soon."
Mu Yiran couldn't overcome his strength and angrily said, "You're going back on your word! If that's the case, then stop pretending and unlock it for me!"
Shi Youxi let her scold him, put down the projector in the room, found a TV series in the history archive and played it, then leaned down and rubbed his nose against hers.
"I just want to make sure you're here."
"If you're hungry, have someone bring it in for you. If you need anything, have them call me. I'll be back soon. Don't even think about running away, sister."
After arranging everything, Shi Youxi summoned bodyguards to the entrance and left the villa alone.
Mu Yiran struggled for another half hour, trying to pick the lock with the hardest things in the room. Finally, she reluctantly withdrew her claws from the colorful stones in the room and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted, to accept reality.
As she counted down the time, intending to use ordering food as a way to probe the bodyguard's intentions, an alarm suddenly rang out in the villa.
The sound made Mu Yiran tense up instantly.
This is a fire alarm!
The room door was flung open, and the female bodyguard rushed towards her, shouting, "Miss Mu, there's a fire! Please come with me!"
Mu Yiran: "Is the fire big? I want to, but—"
"Click".
The bodyguard used a strange pair of pliers to snap the chain in two.
Mu Yiran: "......."
fine.
Mu Yiran was escorted out by bodyguards. Looking through the villa's floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see that thick smoke had filled the entire space. Meanwhile, the male bodyguards who remained inside the villa were responsible for extinguishing the fire that was growing larger in the backyard.
The fire also affected nearby residents, causing some chaos, but...
Mu Yiran glanced at the bodyguards who were focused on putting out the fire, and secretly began to plan her escape route.
As she walked, Mu Yiran suddenly realized something was wrong. She was led to the garage by her bodyguards, where a black car had its door open.
Where are you taking me?
Short-haired female bodyguard: "Young master wants us to take you to him."
Mu Yiran felt something was off, but since everyone around her was from the Shi Men, she didn't say anything. She got into the car, and the bodyguards quickly sat on either side of her. In that instant, Mu Yiran suddenly realized something and asked the short-haired woman next to her:
"You've been right next to me the whole time, how come I didn't see you answer the phone?"
Her sixth sense made her body instinctively want to get up.
But it was too late.
A pungent smell suddenly filled her nostrils, and Mu Yiran only heard the short-haired woman say softly, "Sorry."
Then she completely fainted.
...
…
(Hey, being exhausted doesn't necessarily mean you have to do it.)
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