Ji Yu’s words were absolute, causing a sharp pang in Jiang Huai’s heart. He should have realized it much earlier—Ji Yu would never fall for someone so easily.
But he was jealous. Jealous of the way Ji Yu loved Gu Qixiao.
Why hadn’t those feelings been directed at him instead?
"Yu, don’t even think about leaving me." His words, like the murmurs of a devil, left Ji Yu with no escape.
Ji Yu didn’t know what was wrong with her; all she knew was that she needed rest.
Gu Qixiao noticed the darkening expression on Jiang Huai’s face. He understood that things were unlikely to end well this time. "Jiang Huai, what exactly are you trying to achieve? Yu will never love you. You don’t want my wealth either. Acting , do you think it’ll lead to any good outcome?"
He truly couldn’t make sense of Jiang Huai’s behavior.
Perhaps it was just that Jiang Huai had grown used to living this way, so no matter the situation, nothing could deter his obsessions.
Now, with Ji Yu right in front of him, if he were to give up now, he’d probably never harbor such feelings for anyone in his lifetime again.
On the other side, Ji Yu maintained a calm expression, fooling the maid into thinking she no longer cared about the matter.
But in the very next second, Ji Yu swiftly knocked out the person by her side.
She removed her earpiece and tossed it into a nearby glass of water, softly muttering to the servant, "I’m sorry."
She had other things to handle. She couldn’t afford to spend her entire life trapped here.
Ji Yu was acutely aware that the guards would soon rotate shifts at this time, leaving her in a rush to employ such drastic measures.
Hearing the noise through his earpiece, Jiang Huai immediately realized Ji Yu must have taken action.
Unfortunately, even though Ji Yu had calculated every detail, escaping here was still an impossibility.
"Yu, you belong to me."
He wore a faint smile, and as he rose to his feet, it was obvious he no longer intended to continue speaking with Gu Qixiao.
"You’re jealous of me." As he brushed past Gu Qixiao, he heard the sudden remark.
For a split second, he felt exposed and defeated, but more than anything, it fueled his hatred for the current situation. "What do you have that I would envy? You couldn’t even protect the woman you claim to love. Do you think you still have any right to compete with me?"
He firmly believed that one day, Ji Yu would realize he was the perfect lover. Gu Qixiao? He was just a fleeting moment in her life.
"You’re jealous that Yu loves me. You’re jealous of the bond we share. And yet, you’ve gained nothing. Deep down, you think we are the same, but Yu only feels love for me—and only disdain for you."
Gu Qixiao wasn’t trying to provoke him with these words. Rather, he found Jiang Huai’s mindset utterly absurd.
"Gu Qixiao, what do you think you are? What makes you think you’re better than me? I’ve already locked Yu away in my villa..."
Realizing something mid-sentence, his gaze toward Gu Qixiao turned sharper and fiercer. "You’re stalling for time, aren’t you?"
Jiang Huai should have known better. Ji Yu wouldn’t act without preparation. If she dared to move, it must mean she’d planned it all out beforehand.
Indeed, upon double-checking the situation, he discovered that the surveillance feed no longer showed Ji Yu’s presence.
It was clear she had found a blind spot in the cameras. She might have already left the villa.
On the way back, Jiang Huai sped recklessly, but once he arrived, there was still no trace of Ji Yu.
He was nearly unhinged. He knew Ji Yu would never stay obediently confined at home.
"Find her for me. If you can’t, don’t bother coming back!"
In truth, Ji Yu hadn’t gone far at that point. She had already dealt with the nearby surveillance cameras and was now merely waiting for the right moment.
However, Jiang Huai’s villa was in such a remote area that escaping would be no easy task. Racing through the wilderness, who knew when she’d finally reach freedom?
Jiang Huai seemed to grasp this same thought. As he gave orders, he emphasized the point, "Yu, don’t even think about leaving. There’s nothing but my villa for miles around. Even if you want to leave, it’s impossible. Do you expect to starve to death out there?"
He intentionally painted an intensely bleak picture. Ji Yu, hiding in a nearby cluster of flowers, had no intention of showing herself. If this was the game they wanted to play, then she’d play along until the end.
"Yu, you’re always scheming against me, aren’t you?" His voice turned anguished, as if he didn’t even know how to address Ji Yu anymore.
What they all seemed to forget was something crucial: while he knew Ji Yu well, she knew him just as intimately.
She had chosen this moment to hide because she trusted Gu Qixiao would act.
Indeed, Gu Qixiao wasn’t idly standing by. As Ji Yu sabotaged their systems, Hong was working rapidly to pinpoint their location.
"Jiang Huai is a dangerous man. If you’re heading there, be cautious. Sister Yu should’ve left behind a clue for you. I trust Sister Yu isn’t so easily fooled."
Ji Yu had managed to escape. The rest was up to them.
The most urgent task now was figuring out how she could get beyond the confines of the villa.
By nightfall, Ji Yu could feel the mosquitoes biting at her skin, and if it weren’t for her unwillingness to return and face Jiang Huai’s threats, she might have abandoned her plan long ago.
Meanwhile, Jiang Huai was in a foul mood.
Every time he thought about how Ji Yu would go to such lengths just to escape his grasp, his hatred burned all the more fiercely.
"Yu, where are you? Is staying by my side really so awful?" He couldn’t understand why Ji Yu rejected him so completely. They used to share such harmony—how had things come to this?
"Yu, I love you. Please come back. I swear I won’t threaten you anymore. Stay by my side, and I’ll do anything for you. Is it my life you want? Fine—it wouldn’t be the first time."
Hidden in the shadows, Ji Yu quietly observed him drunkenly ranting, wondering where he even got such ideas. His life wasn’t worth anything to her. Besides, this endless, painful entanglement between them was going nowhere. Watching him from the sidelines was far more cathartic now. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel fire.net
"Yu, I know you can hear me. I want to see you. Come out and talk to me."