My arm slid under An Zhi’s sweaty knees, and I held her against my chest in a princess carry.
Her stiff body curled up, her eyes filled with surprise.
“Mingshan…!?”
She puffed out her tear-stained cheeks.
“Lie down for a bit. It’s okay, I’ll be with you the whole time.”
“…Okay.”
I carried her to the bed and lay down beside her, as if that would make her feel more at ease.
We put our heads together, looking at the small phone screen.
“Why did you intentionally send those nasty insults?”
Under my questioning message, Jiang Lulan quickly replied.
“Oh my~ Has Zhizhi found herself a boyfriend to back her up?”
“Drop that tone. You know An Zhi can’t stand those insults, yet you kept pressuring her. That’s practically a threat! Do you actually care about her?”
When An Zhi was trapped at the Company, what was Jiang Lulan’s mindset while she stayed by An Zhi’s side?
Originally, I felt a bit of gratitude toward her, but thinking about it now, everything she did was just to make An Zhi obey her.
What was the difference between this method and psychological control?
“Otherwise, should we rely on you to take care of her? You wouldn’t dare! A boyfriend who only shows up to talk after the fact is so scary~ Is this all you came to say?”
“At least I’m actually thinking of her. You restricted her freedom, locked her in a livestream room, and set those impossible quotas. What do you see her as? A money-making tool?”
“Well, that’s the Company’s requirement. It has nothing to do with me. Of course I care about her.”
As soon as the topic turned to things that were bad for An Zhi, she immediately distanced herself.
Beside me, An Zhi turned her head away, as if she couldn’t bear to see Jiang Lulan’s coldness.
In my eyes, this was her true, hidden nature.
“If that were true, you wouldn’t have said those nasty things or helped the Company threaten her. In the end, you just value her ability to make money!”
“So what? Who doesn’t want to make money? Personally, I like Zhizhi very much. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken care of her daily life. Do you know how much trouble that is? Zhizhi is like some rich young lady; she doesn’t know how to do anything.”
“You only did those things for money! If you had even a shred of feeling for her, you wouldn’t be an accomplice!”
An Zhi’s body curled up further as she hugged my arm.
‘Even though this is Jiang Lulan’s excuse, An Zhi really is a young lady from a wealthy family…’
Realizing this, I felt a brief sense of distance from An Zhi and lost myself for a moment before forcing myself to focus.
“An Zhi isn’t going back. She’s living comfortably here.”
“Whatever~ The breach of contract is confirmed. If she doesn’t come to process the breach and pay the compensation by the end of the month, she can wait to be sued and go to jail!”
“She won’t go to jail. Go ahead and sue!”
I steeled my heart and clicked send.
I didn’t know if my strategy was correct, but I felt I had to be tough with her.
“Is that so? In jail, your Zhizhi can wait to be tortured until she’s broken and her innocent soul turns black~”
“I already said that threats and restricting personal freedom are illegal. All of An Zhi’s records at the Company are on this phone, and I’ve already saved them locally. If we go to court, these will serve as evidence that you restricted An Zhi’s freedom!”
Following the plan I had already formulated in my head, I sent the message.
The other party didn’t reply immediately.
‘Is it working?’
Even if An Zhi’s breach of contract was a fact and compensation was unavoidable, they had also broken the law.
The pressure shouldn’t all be on An Zhi’s shoulders.
If we really went to court, even though An Zhi would have to pay more compensation, the other party wouldn’t have it easy either, and the process would be very troublesome.
Neither of us wanted a mutually destructive ending.
“Mingshan, you’re so brave. If it were me… I definitely wouldn’t dare send those messages.”
An Zhi murmured, leaning her head on my shoulder and looking at the screen timidly.
“You little dummy, if you get bullied in the future, try fighting back,” I said, half-joking as I touched her cheek.
“…I’m a little dummy, a little dummy…”
She seemed a bit disgruntled.
We both hoped the Company would back down, pressing our bodies together in our nervousness, sharing each other’s warmth.
The numbers representing the time kept changing, and as it approached noon, the other party finally replied.
“For Zhizhi’s sake, I’ll plead with the Company. We won’t sue you for now, but the compensation must be paid.”
Looking at the words on the screen, both An Zhi and I breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to relax our aching bodies.
Jiang Lulan still chose to distance herself, saying it was the result of her pleading, but in reality, the Company was probably scared.
At least we wouldn’t have to go to court now, but the compensation…
Was it still unavoidable?
“You’re the ones who restricted her freedom and caused her to breach the contract, and you still want compensation?”
I fought back with all my might.
“Do we? But she chose to run away herself~ I suggest you come process the breach as soon as possible. Zhizhi’s ID, phone, and everything else are in my hands. Who can prove that Zhizhi is An Zhi now?”
Damn it, she’s still choosing to use these methods to threaten us?
Right now, An Zhi had nothing on her to prove her identity, so it would be difficult to report it as lost.
On top of that, even her phone was in the other party’s hands.
Because of this, she couldn’t use her bank card or electronic accounts.
Her movements would also be restricted.
Even reporting it to the police would be difficult to process due to identity issues…
That said, I could still do it.
I just had to make the other party point their spear at me.
It would be best if they all came at me.
“I’ll figure something out. I need time to pull the money together. Give me some time and don’t do anything!”
“Can’t say for sure~”
“If you dare do anything to me, I’ll keep the evidence and call the police. You won’t get a cent of compensation then!”
“Yes, yes, the Company won’t do anything to you. But remember, time is limited. That’s all.”
It seemed my line of thinking was correct.
As An Zhi and I saw this message, we both collapsed onto the bed, breathing in the warm air that smelled of dust.
For now, we were safe.
“Mingshan… I’m so glad you’re here… If I were alone, I really wouldn’t know what to do. Thank you…”
An Zhi wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed a kiss onto my cheek.
I didn’t think the other party would stop their demands, but at least they would be much more restrained than originally planned.
500,000.
Could I raise that much within the “limited time” she mentioned?
“An Zhi, just stay home for now. Lock the doors and windows and don’t go out, okay?”
I whispered into her ear as I held her shoulder.
As long as she was safe, I could relax and find a way to raise the money.
“Mhm, I’ll stay home. I’ll also find a way…”
“No, you just stay home. Leave the money to me.”
“But…”
“An Zhi, trust me. As long as I’m here, I won’t let you suffer anymore.”
I turned on my side to hold her, trying to put her mind at ease.
She was a little resistant at first, but she quickly hid her head against my chest and gently hugged me back.
“Mingshan, I’m very happy. Running away was the right choice. I’m not thinking about going back anymore…”
“That’s good.”
My fingers lightly touched her smooth back.
A comfortable hum came from her throat, and her breathing leveled out.
Having woken up so early in the morning, she must have been very sleepy, as she fell asleep quickly.
But I couldn’t sleep at all.
The massive sum of 500,000.
All the money I had earned in the first half of my life didn’t even add up to half of that…
‘Should I rely on my monthly salary? Impossible. Or try to get them to agree to installments? But the interest alone would crush me, and An Zhi can’t go without her identity for that long…’
‘What should I do?’
‘For now, I’ll just stall and enjoy the time spent with An Zhi… No, I can’t do that!’
I immediately cast aside the thought of escaping.
The sleepiness I had finally managed to find disappeared with it.
I quietly picked up my phone and scrolled through my contacts and chat history.
I only regretted that my social circle was too narrow; I couldn’t find anyone capable of helping…
Finally, my gaze stopped on Mo You’s avatar.
She had already helped me so much that I was truly embarrassed to bother her again, but she was the only one who could help me now.
Only with this thought was I able to breathe a sigh of relief and crawl under the covers.
The duvet and sheets had become a bit sticky with our sweat.
The fabric clung to our skin, drawing away our body heat as the sweat evaporated.
In this situation, could An Zhi really sleep?
I looked at her closed eyelids.
Her long lashes occasionally tickled my skin, making it itchy.
Even after crying, she was still so beautiful.
Her features were as delicate as a doll’s, and her cheeks were so rosy they looked like they were painted with blush.
I felt an impulse to pinch them.
She had chosen to take that job because of me.
She had abandoned a much broader future, choosing the livestream company instead of flying abroad for further study, and even breaking ties with her family…
Therefore, I must not let her regret it.
I was her last pillar of support here.
Thinking about these things, I held her tighter.
The scent that belonged only to her drifted into my nose, finally coaxing me toward sleep.
This time, she was the one who gave me the courage to stop running and find myself again —