Meanwhile…
Still with no news from Yu Lizhu, Zuo Shihuan didn’t dare gamble on how ruthless his father might be.
He closed his eyes in pain, fingers trembling as he prepared to dial his father’s number, to give in, to beg for mercy, to plead for Yu Lizhu’s safe release.
But just before he pressed the call button, the screen suddenly lit up.
A familiar ringtone sounded, and Zuo Shihuan’s eyes flew open in shock. Seeing Yu Lizhu’s name on the caller ID, he could hardly believe it.
Yet fear crept into his heart.
Could it be that his father had seized Yu Lizhu’s communicator, using it to lure and threaten him back to the Zuo family?
Whatever the case, Zuo Shihuan answered the call without hesitation.
His expression was grim, his voice low. “Hello.”
“…”
The silence made his stomach sink. Just as he feared his worst suspicion was right,
A familiar, clear female voice came through. Relief and disbelief surged through him.
“Hello, Zuo Shihuan, it’s me, Yu Lizhu.”
“…Mm.”
Zuo Shihuan’s tense brows instantly relaxed. Hearing her steady, spirited tone, he could tell she hadn’t been harmed or mistreated by his father.
“I saw the message you sent me last night,” he said quickly. “Yu Lizhu, are you okay now?”
“Okay, and not okay,” Yu Lizhu said with a yawn, glancing around the guest room bathroom. “Your father wouldn’t let me leave yesterday. He dragged me to the Zuo residence and even had people watching me. I barely slept last night and didn’t dare text you, I was afraid he’d find our chat history.”
Zuo Shihuan’s brows furrowed tightly. “You’re still at the Zuo house? He still won’t let you go?”
“Your father is unbelievably overbearing!” Yu Lizhu huffed. “It’s been a whole day already! He can’t find you, and he still refuses to let me leave!”
She sighed. “I’m hiding in the bathroom of your guest room right now. No one’s watching me this morning, so when I saw your message, I snuck in here to call you.”
Hearing her words, guilt instantly welled up in Zuo Shihuan’s chest. He lowered his gaze, pressing his lips together. “Maybe I should just yield to Father, let him release you and let you go home.”
But Yu Lizhu rejected the idea at once, furious. “Exactly because of that, you must not give in to your father!”
“Why?” Zuo Shihuan asked, startled.
Hands on her hips, Yu Lizhu snapped, “I was dragged here by your father and spent the whole night terrified and miserable. If you give in that easily and go back, then all my suffering will have been for nothing!”
“No way!”
She continued, “You worked so hard to escape. If you go back now, you’ll just fall right into your father’s trap, so absolutely not!”
Zuo Shihuan’s voice grew heavy. “But I can’t drag you down because of me. Maybe I should…”
Yu Lizhu cut him off. “But this might actually be an opportunity. I can stay here for a bit, figure things out. I don’t want to go back to the Yu family right now, the situation there is a mess anyway. And while your father did force me to stay, he hasn’t mistreated me. I’m still being treated lavishly, like before.”
Zuo Shihuan knew she was only trying to comfort him, to ease his guilt. But in truth, it was his selfish act, his running away from the engagement, that had caused her to be detained at the Zuo residence.
He shook his head. “You’ll have to return to the Yu family sooner or later. This can’t go on forever.”
Yu Lizhu fell silent for a moment before quietly saying, “But Zuo Shihuan, you went through so much, and finally decided to run away with Gu Heng. I don’t like that guy much, but I have to admit, anyone who’d risk his life to snatch you away from your engagement banquet must really love you. If you give in to your father and go back without even talking to Gu Heng first… is that really right?”
Of course Zuo Shihuan knew it wasn’t right.
He hadn’t even discussed it with Gu Heng. Just earlier, Gu Heng had been full of joy, looking forward to starting their life together, and now, Zuo Shihuan was already planning to return home, leaving him behind.
He couldn’t bear the thought of Gu Heng’s hurt expression. But this was the responsibility he had to take. If he hadn’t been so selfish, Yu Lizhu wouldn’t be trapped now.
Covering his eyes with one hand, he bit his lip and said in a low, hoarse voice, “Once I go back to the Zuo family, I’ll find a way, a way for both sides to have what they want. If it takes one year, fine. If it takes two, so be it.”
He would find a way to be with Gu Heng again.
On the other end of the line, Yu Lizhu’s face filled with sorrow and conflict.
She didn’t want Zuo Shihuan to abandon Gu Heng and surrender to his father because of her, but she also knew the two of them had no power to resist the might of the elder Zuo.
Because Zuo Shihuan blamed himself for her situation, her loss of freedom, there was no way he could selfishly run away again while she remained captive.
If Zuo Shihuan were that kind of man, Yu Lizhu would never have befriended him in the first place, nor come to trust him as deeply as she did.
And yet, now she almost wished he could be a little selfish.
As his friend, someone who had finally seen him find a bit of happiness, she couldn’t bear to see him give it all up and bow to his father because of her.
But the truth was cruel.
They were still too powerless.
Yu Lizhu sat on the toilet lid, tilted her head back to look at the patch of blue sky through the window, then took a deep breath and asked into the communicator, “Have you made up your mind?”
Zuo Shihuan’s gaze deepened. “Yes.”
Yu Lizhu said, “How about this, let’s just keep dragging it out.”
Zuo Shihuan was taken aback. “Hm?”
Yu Lizhu explained, “Let’s keep stalling. Don’t tell your father anything.”
Zuo Shihuan’s eyes dimmed. “Sooner or later, I’ll still have to go back. When that time comes, I’ll think of another plan.”
Yu Lizhu said, “Your father hasn’t found you yet. That means the initiative is still in our hands. I have to say, that Gu Heng guy is actually pretty capable, he’s hidden you so well that even the Zuo family’s forces can’t find your whereabouts. Yesterday, your father was in such a fury that he resorted to locking me up in the Zuo residence.”
As she spoke, a sharp glint flashed through her eyes, and she gave a cold snort. “To use me as leverage to threaten you, does he really think we’re that easy to bully? All the more reason we can’t let him get what he wants.”
“We can keep dragging this out and testing your father’s limits until he can’t take it anymore. If you give in now and walk right back to him, he’ll definitely restrict your personal freedom and power in the future. He’ll keep you on a tight leash, and you’ll never be allowed to see your boyfriend again.”
Zuo Shihuan’s hand clenched tightly. He was mentally prepared for this possibility. In fact, he suspected that when the time came, his own situation would be even more miserable and humiliating than Yu Lizhu’s current confinement.
Of course, being threatened by his father in such a shameless way filled him with anger, but he couldn’t risk dragging Yu Lizhu further into this.
Lowering his gaze, he said quietly, “But Lizhu, you’re in the Zuo residence, under Father’s watch. You don’t know how cold and ruthless he can be. We can’t take that risk, we don’t have a choice.”
Yu Lizhu bit down on her teeth. “Your father’s surveillance of me has eased. Now that I can use my communicator to talk to you, even if I’m confined here, I can still contact you every day to let you know I’m safe. Besides, your father wouldn’t go so far as to harm or kill the Omega daughter of an allied family just to force you out of hiding, would he?”
After all, Yu Lizhu also came from a powerful family.
Even for a top-tier clan like the Zuos, alliances through marriage were necessary. If word got out that the Zuo family had murdered the carefully raised daughter of a partner family simply because a marriage fell through, no other noble house would ever dare ally with them again.
Zuo Shihuan frowned. “Father… probably wouldn’t go that far.”
“Then it’s fine,” Yu Lizhu said decisively. “I’m not afraid of being confined. I’ll just treat it like being a guest at your house. And I’ll keep calling you when I can.”
Zuo Shihuan could hear the determination in her tone. After frowning and thinking deeply for a while, he finally said, “All right.”
He added, “But you must always keep your communicator with you. If there’s ever a day I can’t reach you, I’ll go back to the Zuo residence immediately.”
Yu Lizhu paused, then smiled. “Deal.”
But as Zuo Shihuan heard her agreement, his mood only grew heavier, his breathing thick with unease.
Yu Lizhu sighed softly. “This is our shared decision, Shihuan. Don’t let it weigh too heavily on you.”
He answered with a quiet “Mm,” but clearly hadn’t taken her comfort to heart, his expression remained grave and burdened.
Yu Lizhu sighed again, then forced a little smile. “I have my own reasons for doing this, so don’t overthink it.”
“If your father ends up stripping you of your power and freedom, our plan will fail anyway. We’ll both just end up under our families’ control again. I wouldn’t even be able to be with Ji Shenwen for real. So the reason I’m taking this risk, suggesting this plan, it’s also for my own future with Ji Shenwen.”
Zuo Shihuan could tell she was speaking from the heart, and that she was also trying to ease his guilt. His expression softened slightly.
“I understand. I’ll think of a way to get you home as soon as possible.”
“No rush,” Yu Lizhu said breezily. “Right now, we can still talk. The one who’s anxious isn’t us, it’s your father, who’s lost contact with you.”
“We’ll just drag it out. If one day doesn’t work, we’ll drag a week. If a week doesn’t work, then a month. We’ll drag it until your father decides I’m of no use anymore, maybe then he’ll let me go home.”
Then, through gritted teeth, she added, “But if this goes on too long, I won’t be able to go on dates with Ji Shenwen. Your father is so infuriating!”
Zuo Shihuan quietly listened to her complaints about his father, occasionally responding with a few soft words of agreement.
After a while, when Yu Lizhu felt she had talked enough, and her legs were starting to go numb from sitting on the toilet lid, she said, “I should go now. If your father’s people find me here, it’ll be trouble.”
Zuo Shihuan frowned and nodded. “All right. Be careful.”
Yu Lizhu smiled. “I will. I’ll keep in touch. Though, come to think of it, it’s strange. I sent a bunch of messages to Ji Shenwen, but he hasn’t replied to any of them.”
Zuo Shihuan was puzzled. “Is he busy with work?”
Yu Lizhu pouted. “I don’t know. He usually lets me know in advance when he’s working, even tells me when he’ll be done. But since yesterday, he hasn’t replied at all, not even once.”
Zuo Shihuan tried to reassure her. “Maybe he’s just swamped with work. I’m sure he’ll contact you soon.”
Yu Lizhu sighed. “I don’t know… forget it. Enough about that guy. So, how about you, Shihuan? How are you doing now?”
Zuo Shihuan said, “I’m fine.”
Yu Lizhu grinned mischievously. “Fine in what way, exactly? Where are you right now?”
Zuo Shihuan replied, “At Gu Heng’s place. Why?”
Yu Lizhu’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Yesterday, I sent you so many messages, and you didn’t reply to a single one. Was it because you were at Gu Heng’s house the whole time?”
Zuo Shihuan answered honestly, “Mm, what is it?”
Yu Lizhu arched an eyebrow. He actually asked her what, fine then, she couldn’t be blamed for being nosy.
Her tone was casual as she said, “Nothing much, just curious what you were doing at Gu Heng’s house last night that you couldn’t reply to my messages.”
The moment Zuo Shihuan recalled what happened the night before, a flush slowly crept over his face. “Nothing.”
Yu Lizhu didn’t buy it. “Oh? Really nothing?”
Then her tone shifted.
“If it was nothing, why not tell me?”
Yu Lizhu teased with a laugh, “Honestly, as someone who’s been there before, I totally get how hard it can be for young couples to rein in their enthusiasm for a whole day. Looking at the time you just texted me back, don’t tell me you two only just…”
Zuo Shihuan’s face turned scarlet. Embarrassed beyond measure, he stammered shyly, “It’s not as exaggerated as you’re saying, Yu Lizhu. I just overslept, that’s all.”
On the other end of the communicator, Yu Lizhu ignored his protests and continued to giggle and tease, making the easily flustered Zuo Shihuan bow his head, his ears and neck burning red.
He didn’t even hear the sound of someone approaching.
“Shihuan, who are you talking to?”
Gu Heng walked over slowly, his gaze cold as it fell on Zuo Shihuan’s flushed face, those light brown eyes clouded with embarrassment and guilt, while from the communicator came the grating laughter of that persistent woman.
He asked though he already knew the answer, his voice calm but edged with jealousy.
Inside, jealousy was surging like a stormy sea.
