章 12: Imprisonment

Author: Jiang Xiaoya

Translator: LazyButAmbitious

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Hearing her despondent tone, Feng De could only sigh, "My apologies, Miss Shi. The master invites you to stay as a guest until you hand over the child."

Guest?

This was imprisonment!

Her life took a downward spiral— she was assaulted repeatedly and now lost her freedom.

Shi Xiaonian couldn't understand what wrongdoings she had committed in order to deserve such a horrible fate. Her life was previously normal and she didn't do anything to provoke that disgusting man. Yet, she was stuck in such a precarious situation where she was declared to be a liar even after the results of the polygraph.

Silence pervaded as Shi Xiaonian sat quietly. She gazed at the outline of her lower body tucked comfortably under the soft quilt. Her hands slowly lifted with the intention to remove it but found no strength to do so.

The events of the past few days exhausted her greatly— both physically and mentally. Her body felt limp and useless, akin to that of a sandbag. Even breathing felt burdensome to her right now.

Shi Xiaonian's weak state of mind broke like that of a cracked dam, allowing all sorts of negative emotions to seep inside: sadness, despair, hatred, depression...

For a while, these torrential feelings materialized into droplets of tears that cascaded down her pale cheeks. Her throat felt itchy and swollen, causing her voice to hoarsen, "Aren't you all too much? Relying on your power to do whatever you want...why do you restrict my freedom?"

She was a living person, not an object.

"Miss Shi, as long as you hand over…"

"I really haven't given birth to any children," Shi Xiaonian pleaded, her eyes covered by a layer of sparkling tears, "I don't understand why out of everyone in the world, I was suspected to be the mother of his child."

This calamity fell out of the blue and happened to land atop her head like lightning.

"Last month, the British family palace was preparing a suitable marriage partner for the young master, so an investigation was mandated to gather information about previous relationships beforehand. When the profile of each woman was checked, only you, Miss Shi, stood out with evidence of having given birth to the young master's baby. However, we were unable to recover the child's whereabouts."

"What kind of evidence was it?" she asked.

"Miss Shi should know better than anyone else," Feng De avoided the question but continued speaking, "You should understand that it is impossible for the young master to allow his biological child to be kept outside the family."

"Then...can I go to the hospital? I can prove my innocence by undergoing an examination," Shi Xiaonian suggested her only other option.

As the words left her mouth, a sour taste remained. She squeezed her eyes shut while digging her fingertips into the hem of the bedsheet. Her palm quivered.

She obviously did nothing wrong, yet she had to compromise and undergo humiliation over and over again.

"I'm sorry, but the master said that he had already checked you personally and doesn't need a doctor," Feng De replied.

"..."

The so-called 'check' scenes replayed in her mind. Her cheeks flushed; it was unclear whether this was as a result of anger or embarrassment.

"Shi Xiaonian nibbled her bottom lip before stating once again, "I said, you made a mistake. There was no baby at all!"

"Miss Shi, when the young master speaks on a matter, the chances of his words being wrong is only one in ten thousand," Feng De, seeing her adamant denial, shook his head gently, "You must be hungry. I'll go down and get you something to eat."

Feng De bowed slightly before turning on his heels and leaving. Shi Xiaonian was left alone in the bedroom, thoughts her only company.

One in ten thousand?

She was that 'one in ten thousand'!

She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, blurring her vision slightly. It was then, a familiar object caught her attention. She buried her face in the silky sheets in order to regain her vision. In front of the purple curtain, a laptop was left atop a desk. Her heart trembled in delight, pumping residual energy throughout her entire body.

Shi Xiaonian rolled out of bed. Her legs wobbled as they struggled to support her weak body. She took small, strenuous steps towards the door before locking it from the inside. With this task complete, she crawled her way over to the laptop and pressed the power button.

Nervousness wreaked havoc in her mind while she waited for the device to boot up. Only by sheer will did she endure the mental pressure and physical fatigue overwhelming her body.

{Gong Ou!}

All of her sufferings were because of this man. Sooner or later, she swore to pay him back ten-fold.

Finally, the computer turned on, its screen reflecting a ray of hope. Shi Xiaonian was belated to find that...it was actually connected to the internet!