Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Freedom
Guan Mi emerged from the study, her eyes glancing at the glass of warm milk on the chair by the master bedroom door. Then she walked over to the bar and poured herself a glass of cold water. She held the glass and gazed at the balcony. Downstairs was still Chen Yanfeng's house, so even if she screamed, no one would hear her.
She tried the living room door lock again, but it still gave the same warning. In the end, she didn't return to the master bedroom, curling up on the sofa, gradually drifting off to sleep, dragged by exhaustion.
In the room on the second floor, Shen Yanfeng withdrew his gaze from the surveillance screen.
He carried the blanket downstairs, gently covering Guan Mi with it, then knelt on one knee on the carpet beside the sofa. He carefully held her slightly cold hand, gazing at her restless sleeping face in the fading night, and only closed his eyes as he leaned against the sofa towards dawn.
When Guan Mi woke up, she found Chen Yanfeng asleep on the sofa, holding her hand. She tried to pull her hand away, but he unconsciously held it tighter. She had no choice but to wake him up, "I need to go to the bathroom."
Chen Yanfeng opened his eyes, let go of her, and watched her walk quickly into the master bedroom before getting up, washing up, and preparing breakfast.
Guan Mi naturally wouldn't resort to such a stupid method as fasting. How could he compete with Shen Yanfeng on an empty stomach?
She sat quietly at the dining table, sipping her porridge.
She was the only one on the first floor. After Chen Yanfeng placed breakfast on the table, he went upstairs on his own accord, leaving the space completely to her.
After breakfast, Guan Mi fell into a state of bewilderment. Not knowing what to do, not knowing what to do, he finally turned on the TV and sat aimlessly on the sofa.
At noon, Shen Yanfeng went downstairs on time to prepare lunch, and left silently after the food was served.
The same is true in the evening.
A whole day passed, and Aunt Li, whom Guan Mi was looking forward to seeing, never showed up.
She turned off the TV, went back to the master bedroom and soaked herself in the bathtub. Before she knew it, she had been soaking for nearly an hour. It was not until there was a hasty knock on the bathroom door that she slowly dried herself.
As soon as the door opened, she was met with Chen Yanfeng's face, which was filled with worry. With her red and swollen eyes and wet water stains on her face, she said calmly, "I want to go out."
Seeing her like this, Shen Yanfeng softened his tone: "After a while, okay?"
"how long?"
"uncertain."
Guan Mi pushed him away, rushed to the bed and wrapped himself in the quilt.
Shen Yanfeng followed in and hugged her tightly from behind, his hot chest pressed against her back.
Her first reaction was to struggle desperately, using her elbows to push his arms away, until the man behind her reluctantly let go and got out of bed silently.
Shen Yanfeng did not leave, but just sat quietly on the sofa in the corner and stayed up all night.
The second day, the third day... until the sixth day, it continued like this.
The days passed in stalemate. Guan Mi looked at the unchanging scenery outside the window, and suddenly raised his hand to touch his cheek.
Her skin was warm and her heart was still beating, but she felt like she was slowly turning into a soulless doll.
Chen Yanfeng also had never left the house, but Guan Mi had already figured out the time when someone would deliver things.
She pretended to be asleep that night. Around five in the morning, she opened her eyes immediately when she heard Shen Yanfeng's phone ringing. After he got up from the sofa and walked out, she tiptoed and followed him out.
She held her breath as she approached the entrance and heard a strange man's voice: "The big box contains the ingredients you requested, and the small box contains pastries. Just heat them up a bit and you can eat them."
"Thank you for your hard work." Shen Yanfeng responded briefly.
"Then I'll be leaving first."
Just as the man outside the door turned around, Guan Mi rushed towards the open door, but the next second he was picked up by strong arms around the waist.
"Close the door." Shen Yanfeng ordered calmly.
"Help... Help me!" Guan Mi shouted desperately, but the only response she got was the heavy sound of a door closing.
She beat Shen Yanfeng's chest in despair, tears pouring out: "Why do you treat me like this... Is this the way you love someone? Locking me up like a prisoner?"
Shen Yanfeng pursed his lips and said nothing, then carried her into the bedroom.
Guan Mi was placed on the bed. Seeing him leaning over to press her down, she turned over and quickly hid under the quilt.
She said coldly, "Don't touch me."
"I've already told you that I won't do anything to you without your consent." Chen Yanfeng directly hugged the quilt into his arms, "Go to sleep, and let's go out for dinner together tomorrow night."
Guan Mi suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes flickering slightly. She didn't move, and her face was expressionless, as if she hadn't heard what he said at all. But a small flame ignited in her heart, and she began to think about how to use this opportunity to escape.
Shen Yanfeng felt that he hadn't slept so peacefully for a long time. Even through the quilt, he could feel her body temperature and presence, which finally made his heart feel at ease.
He lowered his head to the back of her neck, sniffed gently through the air, and finally closed his eyes contentedly.
Guan Mi hadn't slept all night. When she heard the even breathing sound behind her, she slowly moved out of the quilt. She stepped barefoot on the carpet and wanted to go out directly. After thinking of something, she walked around behind Shen Yanfeng, staring at his hands holding the quilt.
A crazy thought flashed through my mind: it would be great if I could use this hand alone to open the door.
Just then, she caught a glimpse of the dimly lit cell phone on the bed, and her heart suddenly began beating violently.
The phone had already fallen out of Chen Yanfeng's pocket, so Guan Mi easily got it. The moment she held the phone, her heartbeat almost burst through her chest. She glanced at the sleeping man and quickly walked into the study.
Relying on her memory, she carefully entered the password that Shen Yanfeng had said, digit by digit.
Fortunately, he didn't change his password.
She originally thought that it didn’t matter if there was no internet, as long as she could make phone calls.
But when she placed her hand on the dial, she froze. Who should she call? Wen Li? She really couldn't involve him anymore.
Despite her confused thoughts, she still entered the string of numbers that she had memorized.
There were long beeps coming from the receiver, each one like a knock on her tense nerves.
The more she listened, the more she felt that the sound was not right. She quickly took out her phone and glanced at the upper right corner - no signal!
She felt cold all over and her phone almost slipped from her sweaty palms.
When did Shen Yanfeng start planning all this? He could even completely block the signal.
She squatted down weakly holding the phone, burying her face in her knees. After almost five anxious minutes, as if she had made up her mind, she bit her lower lip hard and pressed three numbers on the dial pad.
However, the result is the same.
"Who do you want to call?" A low, hoarse voice sounded faintly at the door.
Guan Mi suddenly raised his head and saw Chen Yanfeng leaning against the door frame. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, his eyes clear and bright, without a trace of sleepiness.
He walked over slowly and squatted in front of her. Instead of taking the phone away, he raised his hand to push her hair, which was soaked with cold sweat and stuck to her cheek, behind her ears, and then wiped the sweat off her face with his hand.
He said in a gentle voice, "Who would answer your call in the middle of the night?"
Guan Mi said expressionlessly: "I'm calling the police."
As expected. Chen Yanfeng lowered his eyelids to hide the hurt in his eyes. He leaned closer and put his arm around her shoulders. "Go to bed. Didn't I tell you? I'll take you out for dinner tomorrow."
"Where are you going?"
"Uncle Guan's place?" Chen Yanfeng patted her back gently, as if soothing a frightened animal. "Let him cook your best dish."
Guan Mi quickly thought about the road over there. It was not far from the road, but that place was full of Shen Yanfeng's people. He would definitely think about what she might do.
She said, "I'm going to eat at the Sichuan restaurant on Yaoxin Road."
Chen Yanfeng frowned slightly and was silent for a moment, "Spicy?"
"If you don't want to go, don't go." She pretended to break free. "I'll go by myself. If you're worried, just send a few more people to keep an eye on me."
"Go," he said, "it's all up to you."
Guan Mi threw the phone into his arms, got up and walked outside.
/
The next day.
Guan Mi spent the whole day sitting in the study, finding a few books to pass the time. Chen Yanfeng would bring in the prepared meals, and after eating, he would come in on time to take them away, and from time to time he would bring in some cakes and juice.
As the sun set, she closed the book, looked out the window at the sky dyed red by the sunset glow, and took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm the waves in her heart.
Shen Yanfeng knocked on the door and stood at the door without going in, Guan Mi's coat hanging in his arms, "Let's go now?"
Guan Mi put down the book, took the coat and put it on. When she reached the entrance, she waited quietly for him to open the door.
Chen Yanfeng took his coat from the hanger, bent down and rubbed Becky's head, then walked over to Guan Mi. His thumb pressed lightly on the fingerprint lock, and the door lock made a crisp "click".
Guan Mi couldn't wait to open the door, but saw three tall bodyguards standing outside.
Her chest rose and fell violently twice, and she turned to look at Shen Yanfeng: "You don't trust me."
Shen Yanfeng rubbed the top of her head, his tone gentle but: "I'm just worried that you will get lost."
The bodyguards did not ride in the same car with them, but followed behind.
The car parked directly at the secluded back door of the Sichuan restaurant. There was no one in this place, not even a fly.
Guan Mi was led into the restaurant by Shen Yanfeng. Apart from the owner and the chef, there was no one inside. The front door was locked, with two bodyguards guarding the back door and another guarding the restroom.
Guan Mi looked at the scene after the clearing and his heart sank completely.
She simply abandoned all her plans and ordered all the signature dishes on the menu in a fit of anger, specifically emphasizing on each one, "Extra spicy, very spicy."
The boss subconsciously looked at Shen Yanfeng, and when he saw him nod slightly, he responded and went down.
When the dishes, covered in boiling red oil and piles of chili peppers, were placed on the table, a strong spicy smell instantly spread, and even the bodyguards guarding the store couldn't help but wrinkle their noses.
Guan Mi remained calm and started eating with his chopsticks.
Shen Yanfeng sat beside her, and seeing her eating heartily even though her nose was sweating from the spicy food, he actually felt his appetite was aroused.
After hesitating for a moment, he picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece of spicy fried chicken, which was Guan Mi's favorite.
He put the chicken into his mouth. First, the aroma of the sauce hit him, and then, an explosive burning sensation shot out from the tip of his tongue and rushed straight to the top of his head. The spiciness instantly made his ears ring and his eyes dizzy, and beads of sweat oozed from his forehead.
He tried hard not to lose his composure, but his neck and ears quickly turned red uncontrollably.
Guan Mi caught a glimpse of his forced calmness from the corner of his eye, and a hint of cold satisfaction flashed through his heart.
She pushed the water and tissues in front of him and said, "It seems that you not only like to force others, but also yourself."
She picked up her water cup and whispered before drinking: "I wonder if Mr. Shen can taste this 'reluctant' feeling? Is it... particularly uncomfortable?"
Chen Yanfeng's eyes flushed, and he chuckled softly. He took Guan Mi's hand holding the water cup and took a big sip of water from her position. His lips, reddened by the spiciness, were glistening with water. "If this is something you like, then I'll willingly adapt to this 'reluctance'."
Guan Mi was speechless. She mechanically ate the food in her bowl, which tasted like chewing wax.
After returning home, she continued to stay in the study. She slept for half an hour and woke up. She flipped through the book in a distracted state, forcing herself to calm down.
Just then, there was a noise in the living room. She walked to the door, opened it a crack, and saw a thin figure in a black coat, who looked nothing like the tall and strong bodyguards at the door.
"Pay more attention to rest and eat light food these two days."
As the man spoke, he turned around.
It was Fu Qinghe, the young Chinese medicine doctor who had come to apply medicine on Shen Yanfeng’s knee.
Guan Mi hesitated for a moment, thinking that this person might not help her. She was about to close the door, but Fu Qinghe happened to look over.
He was stunned for a moment, "Secretary Guan?"
She had no choice but to open the door, "Doctor Fu."
Fu Qinghe came over carrying a box and said, "I thought you were not here."
Guan Mi smiled and said nothing.
Fu Qinghe asked doubtfully, "You've been staying in the room all this time?"
When he was treating Shen Yanfeng just now, he thought that there was no one else in the house. Fortunately, Shen Yanfeng was still able to make a phone call at that time, otherwise the acute gastroenteritis attack would be very dangerous.
Guan Mi looked at the pure confusion on his face and decided to take a gamble. She lowered her voice and confessed with a last glimmer of hope: "Doctor Fu, Chen Yanfeng locked me up here."
Fu Qinghe's face was instantly filled with astonishment: "Closed?"
"Yes," she nodded, her voice trembling slightly. "He won't let me out. I've been locked up here for many days."
The astonishment on Fu Qinghe's face gradually turned into a complex contemplation. He subconsciously turned his head to look in the direction of the guest bedroom and lowered his voice: "How did you get into such a mess?"
"Can you help me?" Guan Mi pleaded.
Fu Qinghe paused, avoiding the question, and said, "He just had an acute gastroenteritis attack and was in so much pain that he could hardly speak."
Guan Mi frowned: "Gastroenteritis?"
"Yes. It seems to be because he ate something extremely spicy." Fu Qinghe shook his head. "Yan Feng's eldest brother said that his younger brother couldn't stand spicy food since he was a child. I don't know what happened this time to make himself like this."
Guan Mi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his eyes dropped to the floor.
"I can see that he cares about you very much." Fu Qinghe's gentle tone was filled with a sense of alienation. "But it's inconvenient for an outsider like me to interfere in your affairs. Our Fu family is just an ordinary medical family, not as well-established as the Shen family. I'm sorry."
Guan Mi didn't say anything. She didn't have much hope in the first place.
"Take care of yourself." Fu Qinghe sighed softly when he saw her gloomy expression. "Since a head-on confrontation doesn't work, why not try to overcome hardness with softness? I think Yan Feng will fall for your trick."
Guan Mi forced a smile: "Thank you, Doctor Fu."
At this time, Shen Yanfeng walked out of the guest bedroom and saw the scene in front of the study. His brows darkened, "Doctor Fu, aren't you going back?"
Both of their eyes turned to him at the same time.
Guan Mi's gaze lingered on Shen Yanfeng's pale face for a moment.
"I was just about to leave. I just told Secretary Guan about your dietary precautions for the next few days." Fu Qinghe turned around and greeted him, "When did your access control become so strict that you have to verify your fingerprint before leaving."
Shen Yanfeng glanced at Guan Mi, did not respond, and walked straight to the entrance.
"What's going on between you and Secretary Guan?" Fu Qinghe asked in a low voice as he walked out.
"nothing."
"If you really like me, why use such harsh measures?"
Shen Yanfeng pushed him out: "Don't come here again."
The door slammed shut.
When he returned to the living room, the study door was already closed. Shen Yanfeng stood in the middle of the empty living room, the stomach discomfort and Guan Mi's last indifferent look like a double pain entangled him.
He walked to the door of the study, raised his hand to knock, but in the end he just placed his palm quietly on the cold door panel.
Inside the door, Guan Mi stood with her back against the door for a long time. She could feel the silent presence outside the door. She emptied herself and thought about nothing.
The next morning at breakfast, Shen Yanfeng returned the phone to Guan Mi.
Guan Mi glanced at it but didn't touch it: "There is no network and no signal, it's useless for me to hold it."
Shen Yanfeng sat down opposite her, smiled and drank some milk. He looked much better than last night.
"How do you know it's not possible if you don't take a look?"
Guan Mi's eyes widened slightly, then he put down his chopsticks and picked up his phone.
She quickly unlocked the phone, and the top-right corner showed a full signal bar, indicating a smooth network. She then opened WeChat and found that all her work messages had been replied to seriously by Chen Yanfeng in her tone. He also brushed off Zhuang Shuimo and the others' WeChat messages asking why she wasn't back home with the excuse of "being on a business trip."
After reading it, she put down her phone, picked up her chopsticks again, and looked at him directly, "Aren't you afraid that I will contact the people outside?"
"You are free now." Shen Yanfeng said calmly.
Guan Mi was stunned, his hand holding the chopsticks hanging in the air, looking at him in a daze.
"I left you here because you always have someone else in your heart." Chen Yanfeng put down the milk cup and looked into her eyes with his deep eyes. "Guan Mi, I am very selfish. Whenever I think that you still care about someone else, I wish that person would disappear, or keep you by my side forever. One year, two years...you will slowly forget him."
"Everything I do is just to win a little of your love." His Adam's apple rolled violently, his heart filled with the resentment of not being able to get what he wanted. "Since the last relationship is over, why don't you take back your love and give some to me?"
After he finished speaking, he stood up, his tone returning to calm. "After you finish eating, you can leave. Apart from going to Jianwenli, you can go wherever you want and do whatever you want. Or you can call the police, and I will provide all the evidence."
At the stairs, he stopped without looking back. His voice was cold, "Between us... you don't have the right to call a halt. From now on, either get married or live with this relationship for the rest of your life. Or wait until I die, and then you'll be completely free."
After returning to his residence in Changping, Guan Mi locked the door.
A familiar scent with a faint aroma of laundry detergent enveloped her. Outside the window came the sounds of neighbors cooking and the faint laughter of a couple.
These most ordinary things in life made her nose sore at this moment.
She fell into bed and fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up, it was almost dark. Looking at the mottled light and shadow on the ceiling, she began to think about her next step.
If she stayed here, and if she upset Shen Yanfeng again, would the events of the past week happen again?
She wanted to escape. His love was too suffocating, and she couldn't bear it.
"Zizi-" The phone vibrated at this moment, it was a text message.
Yi Ziting: [Wen Li just sent me a WeChat message, asking me to go find him right away. His phone was unreachable, so he disappeared after sending the message. Didn't he go to Beijing to look for you? Are you guys not together?]
Guan Mi's heart tightened and she immediately got out of bed. She thought Wen Li had already returned to Jiangcheng.
She replied: [What's the address? Please take a screenshot and show it to me.]
The screenshot sent by Yi Ziting contained the address of an apartment in the suburbs, specifically which building and which room.
Why is Wen Li here?
She paced around the room for a while holding her cell phone, then grabbed her coat, put it on, and walked out of the room.
In the evening, Shen Yanfeng came to the Lu family to attend the full moon banquet.
The courtyard was decorated with lights and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of cakes. Liao Yihai had arrived early, carrying Lu Kai's eldest nephew while he picked fruit from the trees.
Seeing Shen Yanfeng come in, he put the child down, took a toy and asked him to play in the living room.
"What have you been busy with lately? I haven't seen you for a week." Liao Yihai glanced at him. "I met Fu Qinghe at noon, and he said you had acute gastroenteritis last night. I was planning to go to Qingtaoyuan if you didn't come."
He patted Shen Yanfeng's arm, "Why do you have gastroenteritis?"
"I ate the wrong thing." Shen Yanfeng said lightly.
"Yan Feng is here?" Lu Xi came out of the room holding the baby. "Come in and sit down. Dinner is about to start. We'll have some good wine and food tonight. Come have a few drinks, you childhood friends."
Shen Yanfeng stepped forward and looked at the newborn: "Sister Lu Xi, the baby looks so much like you."
He gently touched the baby's hand and said, "Your eyes are so bright."
Lu Xi smiled and said, "Lu Kai gave me the longevity lock you gave me last night. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Yan Feng.
At the banquet, Lu Kai, like on Lu Xi's wedding day, dragged Shen Yanfeng and Liao Yihai to toast his brother-in-law. The three of them took turns toasting, and the other party soon got drunk.
But Shen Yanfeng was not in a good mood, so he just drank a glass.
When he went to the yard to get rid of the alcohol, he saw Lu Kai's nephew sitting on the ground, pointing a toy gun at him, "Bang!"
He laughed and fell backwards in coordination.
At this moment, a text message came on the phone.
[She took a taxi.]
Seeing these words, Shen Yanfeng's eyebrows quickly turned cold.
“Uncle Shen, can you play with me again? This time you have to fall to the ground.”
He squatted down and said, "Can I accompany you another day?" He glanced at the toy gun the child was holding. It was black and looked quite realistic.
Guan Mi got out of the taxi and headed straight for the specific address on the screenshot.
She had just called Wen Li, but the call was also disconnected. The complete loss of contact after sending what was clearly a request for help filled her with a strong sense of unease.
She pondered over it over and over in the car, feeling that Wen Li's disappearance was closely linked to Shen Yanfeng. He was visiting Lu's house tonight, and even though she knew he would be furious if she knew, she had to come.
Standing downstairs of the unit, she looked up at the dark window on the sixth floor, took out her cell phone and edited a text message to Shen Yanfeng.
The notification that the text message was sent successfully just disappeared, and she was about to take a step, but suddenly her whole body froze.
A cool, round object gently pressed against the back of her neck.
"You're not being honest again," a familiar voice sounded in her ears with a hint of teasing, "Mimi."
Suddenly, Guan Mi remembered Fu Qinghe's words. Without thinking, she turned around and threw herself into the arms of the person behind her, "I was wrong."
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The author has something to say: I will continue writing like this later, and there will be more melodrama. If you really don’t like this, please stop the loss in time and don’t spend money to buy unhappiness [burst into tears]
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