Chapter 12

Because of what Xu Yan said, the Counselor didn’t dare let me move into a new dorm.

She scheduled an appointment for me three days later and personally took me to see a doctor.

If it really was that serious, they would arrange for me to be hospitalized.

By then, there would truly be no escape.

I wasn’t willing to let myself be toyed with like a puppet, so I secretly booked a flight to the capital.

No matter how powerful Xu Yan was, he couldn’t cover the sky with one hand.

There would always be a psychologist more skilled than him.

As long as I could get a certificate of mental health, I could send both of them to prison.

The flight was scheduled for Wednesday night.

I chose that time specifically.

Bailu was out for a club activity.

Xu Yan had an academic conference, and Duan Yan was away on a business trip. Leaving now was the safest option.

Carrying a small suitcase, I walked out of the school gates and hailed a taxi.

“To the airport, please.”

I lowered my head, busy communicating with a classmate in the capital. When I finally looked up from my phone, I froze.

The car was speeding along the city highway, already entering the luxury residential district.

“Driver, did you take the wrong-”

The question died in my throat. Through the rearview mirror, I saw a pair of familiar eyes.

Cool peach blossom eyes, with slightly upturned corners.

It was Duan Yan.

“We didn’t take a wrong turn, Xianxian. Today is the day you come home.”

I was stunned for a second before decisively grabbing my phone to call the police.

The man in the passenger seat said softly, “Pull over. I’m going to the back.”

I hadn’t even noticed that Xu Yan was sitting in the front.

The moment the call connected, Xu Yan opened the back door.

A long, broad palm covered my mouth. He gently took my phone away and ended the call.

“Trying to run?”

He pinched my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze, a trace of pitying amusement curling his lips.

“What a shame. Our Xianxian can’t run away.”

They abducted me to a spacious apartment.

Duan Yan switched on the living room lights; the pale blue glow was dim and hazy.

I had caught a chill, and as soon as I entered the room, I let out several sneezes.

Duan Yan went to draw a bath for me.

Xu Yan, meanwhile, unhurriedly laid my suitcase flat and opened it to unpack my things.

“You prepared quite a bit, but… most of this isn’t necessary. We’ve already prepared everything for you.”

I shivered.

Resentment filled my heart. “Why does it have to be me?”

Xu Yan’s thumb brushed away my wet tears and smeared them onto my lips. “Xianxian, I don’t like it when you cry, you know?”

The tears were salty, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Can’t you just let me go?”

Xu Yan laughed. He suddenly hooked his arm around my waist and whispered, “No.”

By the time Duan Yan returned from drawing the hot water, Xu Yan had already led me into the bedroom.

Separated by a single door, Duan Yan asked, “Xu Yan, where is she?”

Xu Yan stood right behind me. In the darkness, he spoke in a voice so sultry it made one’s heart go numb, coaxing me gently:

“Xianxian, tell me… if I went a little further and he heard us, do you think he’d break down the door?”

In a panic, I tried to flee, grabbing the doorknob. The moment I pressed it down-

Bang!

Xu Yan shoved me by the back of my collar.

Due to the momentum, I slammed into the door, gasping as a sharp pain shot through me.

The culprit, Xu Yan, let out a soft chuckle. “Shh, keep it down.”

Then, he raised his voice toward the outside: “She said she was hungry and went to the kitchen. Go look for her there.”