Chapter 74: What If I Refuse to Behave?
“Discharged? !”
A look of shock crossed Shen Yunheng’s face. His gaze darted helplessly toward the hospital bed. He wanted to ask more but held his tongue.
From the looks of it, if Zhou Manxiang hadn’t discharged herself, then only one other possibility remained.
She had been taken away by someone.
Shen Yunheng immediately dialed the number Jian An had just called from, but the automated voice indicated the phone was turned off. He furrowed his brows, an uneasy feeling rising in his chest.
Jian An had just asked him to come pick up Zhou Manxiang, yet a living, breathing person had vanished from the ward. Could his secret phone call have been discovered by Ji Songting?!
Shen Yunheng’s anxiety and worry were visible to the naked eye. He couldn’t be bothered to figure out where Zhou Manxiang had been taken; the only thought in his mind was that he had to go to the Ji family villa to find Jian An.
He hurriedly left the ward and headed straight out.
Driving all the way to the gates of the Ji family residence, Shen Yunheng rang the doorbell and paced continuously outside.
His heart trembled slightly, and his jawline grew tense, as if he were enduring some unspeakable anxiety.
The main gate suddenly opened, and out came Chen Ma leading several maids. Ignoring Ji Songting’s previous warning to keep his distance and never return to the Ji family, he immediately stepped forward and asked:
“I have some business with Jian An. Please ask him to come out for a moment. I’ll leave as soon as we’re done talking.”
Chen Ma first had the young maids behind her close the gate. Then, she raised a hand to push the man back. Crossing her arms over her chest, she exuded a formidable aura and said coldly:
“Apologies, Young Master Shen. Our Young Master has stated that no one is allowed to see Mr. Jian, and no one is permitted near the villa. Please go back. Don’t make things difficult for us.”
Hearing this, a mix of suppressed anger and forced composure appeared on Shen Yunheng’s handsome face. His fingers occasionally pressed against his temples, and his voice carried a hint of raspiness:
“I won’t make things difficult for you; just let Xiao An come out. I truly have urgent business with him. Or have Ji Songting come out to see me. What right does he have to restrict someone else’s freedom!”
Chen Ma rolled her eyes upward, thinking to herself: Why is this brat so stubborn? He can’t tell good from bad. I try to advise him to leave with good intentions, but he just gets more fired up!
She let out a helpless sigh, but her mouth said:
“Young Master Shen, what evidence do you have that our Young Master is restricting Mr. Jian’s freedom? Besides, our Young Master is currently at the company. Isn’t it inappropriate for you to come privately to see his spouse? Aren’t you just making the Ji family a laughingstock?”
“I’ll bear all the consequences myself. Just let Xiao An come out and see me.”
Shen Yunheng’s attitude was resolute, his tone brooking no argument, and the anxiety in his eyes hadn’t faded in the slightest.
He took a few steps back, squinted as he looked up at the upper floors, cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, and yelled:
“Xiao An! Are you inside? It’s Yunheng! I’ve come to find you! Can you please come out for a moment?!”
But because the villa was too large and had many floors, his volume was nowhere near enough to carry inside.
Shen Yunheng panted slightly but didn’t give up. Straining his vocal cords, he continued to yell: “Xiao An! Xiao An! If you hear me, come out and find me! I’m at the gate!”
“Stop yelling! Mr. Jian won’t hear you!”
Chen Ma immediately jogged over to shove him, constantly pushing him outward, terrified that he would actually shout loud enough to bring Jian An down. Then, she waved to the maids behind her, warning:
“You lot, come here and kick him out. Truly refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Making such a racket, it’s annoying to death! Young Master Shen, if you don’t leave, I’m calling the bodyguards!”
The moment her words fell, several maids swarmed forward. Some even held brooms, grabbing the man’s clothes from the left and right, and unceremoniously shoved him out of the courtyard.
Shen Yunheng was still shouting “Xiao An,” his eyes fixed on the main gate. However, due to being outnumbered, he couldn’t rashly force his way into the villa.
Chen Ma took the opportunity to close the iron gates of the courtyard and lock them. The previously somewhat angry look on her face suddenly shifted into a not-quite-kindly smile as she stated calmly:
“I think Young Master Shen should leave immediately, and never come back. Our Young Master and Mr. Jian are getting along perfectly fine. There’s no need for Young Master Shen to trouble himself.”
Shen Yunheng’s fingers, resting on the iron bars, tightened forcefully. His gaze remained locked on the villa ahead, turning a deaf ear to Chen Ma’s incessant chatter. All he wanted to know was how Jian An was doing inside. Had something happened to him…?
That person was clearly right inside the house, so close to him, yet he couldn’t rush in and take Jian An away.
This sense of powerlessness was driving him insane…
“Why aren’t you leaving yet?” Chen Ma urged again.
“I’m going to ask one question. Once I ask it, I’ll leave.”
Shen Yunheng steadied his emotions, but his face remained as dark as deep water, his eyes laced with fine red veins. He gripped the bars tightly and shook them, asking anxiously:
“Chen Ma, tell me, how exactly is Xiao An doing? Did Ji Songting do something to him? I’m warning him, if he dares to continue laying hands on Xiao An, to hurt him, I definitely won’t let him off!”
Seeing him so persistent, Chen Ma also felt helpless. She raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and spoke slowly:
“Mr. Jian is perfectly fine. What could our Young Master possibly do to him? Knowing Mr. Jian got into a car accident and is in poor health, the Young Master even bought a pile of nutritional supplements for him to eat.”
Hearing that Ji Songting would care about Jian An’s health, Shen Yunheng instantly snapped, letting out a mocking laugh: “Ji Songting actually caring for someone? Even buying nutritional supplements for Xiao An? Chen Ma, this joke of yours is truly hilarious.”
As he spoke, his tone was laced with heavy sarcasm. Completely disregarding the other party’s increasingly unsightly expression, he reined in the sneer at the corner of his lips and continued with heartache:
“He also knows Xiao An got into a car accident and is in poor health? Yet he still disregarded Xiao An’s life, forcing him to be discharged before he’d even finished a few days of IV drips! Is this what you call caring for him? !”
Questioned like this, Chen Ma slowly lowered her hands from her hips. The usually sharp and unforgiving mouth of hers couldn’t utter a single word at this moment.
A look of embarrassment flashed across her face, but to defend her Young Master’s reputation, she stubbornly retorted: “The Young Master naturally has his reasons for doing so. He wouldn’t just watch Mr. Jian die.”
“Reasons? Does Ji Songting have the most ‘reasons’ in the entire world? Is he the only one who’s right?!”
Shen Yunheng’s voice carried extreme rage, as if it could pierce eardrums, but the intense emotion suddenly and gradually subsided in the next instant, transforming into sorrow:
“Xiao An truly can’t handle his continued torment anymore…”
“Alright, Young Master Shen, have you said enough?”
Chen Ma abruptly interrupted him, her face full of impatience, as she shooed him away: “Hurry up and leave! Even if you stay until night falls or the sun rises, you won’t see Mr. Jian!”
Hearing this, Shen Yunheng slowly lowered his head. An undeniable disappointment and pain lingered in the depths of his eyes. His hands let go of the bars, and he turned around, utterly despondent.
The twilight grew dim, and night began to fall. The final, thin crimson glow of the setting sun spilled onto the glass of the black Volvo before him. Through the car windows, a patch of dusky light was reflected, as if gilded with a layer of gold.
The man in the car had his hands clasped and resting on his knees. His eyes were slightly downcast, remaining silent in a heavy atmosphere.
Soon, the engine roared to life. The car gradually started, pulling away from the Ji family villa and vanishing into the vast night.
On the balcony, Jian An watched helplessly as the small car drove further away, eventually disappearing from his line of sight, until it was completely gone… This process was fast, taking only a few seconds, yet in his heart, he had suffered through the torment countless times.
The biting cold wind howled past, blowing the snow that had accumulated on the branches over several days, sending it rustling down.
Jian An’s hair was blown slightly messy by the wind, but his chaotic mind also grew significantly clearer.
He raised his fingers to gently caress the green leaves of a potted plant. Suddenly, he exerted a bit of force, pinching a nearly imperceptible mark onto the edge of the leaf. His voice turned raspy:
“You’ve been monitoring me? Where is my mom?”
He hadn’t expected that despite being so careful, his phone call would still be discovered.
And he had stood on this balcony for an hour, biting his lips until they turned white, unable to speak a word, watching Shen Yunheng pace outside the gates until he helplessly left. During that time, he hadn’t even blinked.
Even the very last shred of hope was completely shattered.
Several times, he had desperately wanted to run out of the room and leave with Shen Yunheng, but he couldn’t. Ji Songting wouldn’t give him the chance to escape; Zhou Manxiang was still in that man’s hands!
It was his fault, he was too hasty… Perhaps from the very beginning, Ji Songting had never intended to let his mother go.
What should he do now…
Ji Songting definitely wouldn’t let him off!
Uncle Li, standing behind him, coughed symbolically a few times. His hands were clasped behind his back, his posture straight, carrying a bit of a gentleman’s demeanor. Even his speech was methodical:
“Rest assured, Mr. Jian. The Young Master has settled Ms. Zhou elsewhere. There will be no danger whatsoever.”
The other party seemed to have directly ignored his first question, but didn’t that just tacitly admit to the surveillance?
“No danger…”
Jian An murmured these words softly, pressing his lips together as if trying to control his emotions, not wanting them to leak out. Yet, a trace of irony still flashed in his eyes:
“Isn’t it most dangerous in Ji Songting’s hands? Is he that afraid I’ll run away?”
Uncle Li walked to his side, resting a hand on the balcony railing. His eyes stared straight at the high-rises in the distance, then he turned his head to look at the youth, saying meaningfully:
“I can only offer one reminder: Mr. Jian should just behave. It’s better for everyone this way.”
Jian An’s hands clenched into fists. His face showed anger, and his gaze revealed a sense of determination as he said darkly:
“What if I refuse to behave?”
Hearing such a rebellious tone from him for the first time, Uncle Li was stunned. The gentle smile on his face instantly froze, leaving only disbelief and confusion.
This was entirely different from the Jian An he knew.
But it didn’t matter. He actually thought the other person was better this way; at least he wasn’t as frail as before.
Uncle Li nodded in relief, but still advised:
“If you continue to cause trouble, the result will be nothing more than your failure, and then you’ll implicate Ms. Zhou. You know the Young Master’s temperament perfectly well, so it’s best to just cooperate.”
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