When Zong Yan returned home, Si Jiang was in the kitchen stir-frying, humming an unfamiliar little tune.
“Master, you’re back! Tonight we’re having pork with fried peppers and—”
He noticed something unusual about her.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Zong Yan shook her head. She simply walked to his side and began tidying the kitchen utensils he had left in disarray.
“BuildBest wants me to intern with them.”
“That’s great news!” Si Jiang’s eyes lit up. “With your level of professional skill, it was only a matter of time before they scouted you.”
“Mhm.” Zong Yan’s reaction was flat. She showed no joy regarding this bright future.
“It’s just...” Si Jiang thought of something unpleasant. “If you go to an internship, Master, you’ll have to stay at the company all day, right?”
They might even make her work overtime. He didn't know what time she would get back; would he have to wait until dark? Suddenly, this didn't seem like something worth celebrating.
He tentatively tested her attitude. “Do you plan on going?”
“We’ll see,” Zong Yan replied.
She didn't actually have any strong feelings about it, nor did she truly believe she was as exceptional as they claimed. She simply pushed every task to her absolute limit.
Doing her utmost had always been her way of survival. When she was a child, her biological parents rarely looked after her, but her mother had been obsessively demanding regarding her studies.
“Listen well. You must study hard. Get into a good university later and never end up like I am now.”
“If you don’t study seriously, I’ll throw you away and stop caring for you.”
She had to learn everything to the extreme, striving for a perfect score. Only when she brought home an award would her mother finally offer a long-awaited smile.
Otherwise, she would be grabbed by the throat by the hands that should have treated her with tenderness: “Didn’t I tell you! Study hard! Even if it kills you, you have to get good grades! If you can’t even handle school, what use are you? What future do you have? You’ll just rot here with me. I was supposed to go to university back then. If I had gone, I wouldn't have married that man, and I wouldn't have ended up in this state...”
“Study hard. You must become a student at a prestigious university.”
These words had been whispered in her ear since childhood. It was as if an unyielding soul was reminding her day and night that she carried the weight of heavy expectations.
So, day after day, year after year, no matter how hard life was or how much work she had, even when she could only sleep three hours a night, Zong Yan never slacked in her studies.
She didn't own much. After she was left alone, she had taken on everything—her mother’s wishes and even the derelict, unfinished apartment left by her stepfather. If she didn't even have these things, then Zong Yan, as a person in this world, would have no place to belong and no future to walk toward.
“Master.”
The pet clung to her, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Even if you go to work, don’t forget about me.”
*I’m always here waiting for you to come back.*
Zong Yan turned her head, and the pet’s eager, pleading expression fell into her gaze. For some reason, her eyes grew complex.
Staring at Si Jiang’s transformed appearance, she asked, “Si Jiang, do you still want to go back?”
“Go back? Back where?” Si Jiang didn't react for a moment.
“Home. Back to the Si family.”
The head on her shoulder vanished instantly. The pet bristled, looking at her defensively. “I haven’t thought about that! I’ve already forgotten them!”
“Why are you asking this?”
“I promised! I’m your pet. I have nothing to do with the past anymore!”
He was agitated, his feelings hurt. “I’ve already... already been willing to let you have your way with me. Do you still not trust me?”
Zong Yan lowered her eyes. “I understand.”
She nodded and turned to bring the dishes to the table.
During dinner, Si Jiang’s phone suddenly rang. Their gazes snapped to the device simultaneously.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“...Probably Chen Bai,” Si Jiang said dismissively. “He called me today too, but I hung up. I don’t know why he’s suddenly acting like a lunatic.”
“...”
Zong Yan’s heart sank. She remembered the conversation in the classroom. It seemed Chen Bai had received the news. If so, what about the Si family?
“Give me the phone.” Her tone was firm.
Si Jiang pursed his lips, feeling a bit wronged and unsure of what he’d done wrong, but he handed the phone to her. “Maybe I should just change my number?”
“You need an ID to register a phone number,” Zong Yan said, providing the former young master with some basic common sense. “Si Jiang, haven't you looked at the messages he sent you?”
She scrolled through the screen.
“No.” He didn't want to look.
At first, Chen Bai had been overjoyed, realizing Si Jiang wasn't dead and asking why he hadn't appeared. When Si Jiang didn't answer the calls, he began to suspect the phone had been stolen. He sent a barrage of texts, using both threats and bribes to induce the "thief" to return the phone.
Later, realizing something was wrong, he suspected someone close to Si Jiang was controlling the phone. He questioned the holder, asking if they knew where Si Jiang was and warning them not to harm him.
*“As long as you’re willing to send him back, the money is negotiable.”*
*“Please reply, or we will choose to call the police.”*
...
Chen Bai was frantic. He wanted to contact Si Jiang’s parents, but they happened to be abroad. They were currently on a plane, and the secretary said she would inform them of Chen Bai’s call as soon as possible.
He gripped his phone tightly, countless dark thoughts flashing through his mind. Where had Si Jiang been for the past six months? What had he experienced? Was the phone really stolen and used by someone else?
If all else failed, he would have to find someone to track the phone’s GPS to see if he could find any clues.
Chen Bai kept staring at the Weibo post from the marketing account, unconsciously scrolling through the comments. Aside from some passersby commenting on Si Jiang’s looks, one caught his eye.
*“I’ve met this guy too. He’s definitely good-looking, but he has a scar on his face and he’s a cripple. Ladies, don’t get your hopes up.”*
His heart trembled. A scar on his face? A cripple? Neither of those descriptions fit the Si Jiang he knew. But if Si Jiang really had become like that, what kind of tragedy had he endured?
He quickly asked the commenter where they had met him, and the person replied with the address of a milk tea shop. Chen Bai decided right then to head out and investigate the shop for himself.
However, a call suddenly came in. He looked down; it was "Old Si."
Under Zong Yan’s watchful eye, Si Jiang dialed the number. He was restless, his fingers picking at the fibers of the rug.
*So annoying, so annoying, so annoying.*
Why did everyone have to disturb his life? Couldn't they just treat him as if he were dead? Why did he have to talk to anyone other than his Master? What if she minded? What if she thought he wasn't loyal?
He had worked so hard to make her treat him better, not only becoming her only pet but also establishing a physical relationship with her. A conservative, abstinent person like Zong Yan—since she had taken him, she would surely take responsibility for him. She wouldn't want to raise other pets, she wouldn't throw him into the darkness like before, and she wouldn't want to discard him.
He already had a Master. Why did they have to come and ruin his life?
The call connected. Si Jiang’s breath hitched as a familiar voice came through the speaker.
“Old Si? Is that you?”
For a moment, he felt pulled back to the ball courts and the bars, back to the old noise and prosperity. A familiar face seemed to lean in toward him, shouting: *“Hey, Old Si, what do you want to play today? I’m with you to the end!”*
Si Jiang remained silent for a long time. “It’s me.”
“Holy shit! It really is you! Why haven't you been picking up? Where are you now? What happened after the earthquake? Why didn't you contact me? Why didn't you come home? I saw someone say you’re injured—what’s going on? Was it from the earthquake, or did someone come after you?”
Chen Bai’s questions came rapid-fire, like a machine gun.
“I’m fine. I just don’t want to go back.”
“Huh? What do you mean? What do you mean you don’t want to come back?” Chen Bai said hesitantly. “Is there someone with you? Is someone stopping you from coming back?”
“No, don’t overthink it. Who could keep me trapped?” Si Jiang said dismissively, quickly slipping back into his old tone of voice. “I was rescued during the earthquake and just happened to go to their house. To be honest, the earthquake really scared me. I thought about it a lot and felt my old life was pretty meaningless—the Si family too. You know those two old fogies annoy me. I couldn't find a chance before, but now is perfect; I can have some peace and quiet for a while. I’m doing great right now, so don’t worry about it.”
“I don’t believe you,” Chen Bai said stubbornly. “Unless you video call me. Seeing is believing.”
Si Jiang froze and looked to Zong Yan for help.
Zong Yan crossed her arms over her chest. Her thoughts spun through several cycles before she finally nodded.
Si Jiang felt a deep internal resistance. He didn't want to video call, and he especially didn't want Chen Bai to see what he looked like now—his face... But if he didn't accept the call, Chen Bai would never believe him.
He had no choice but to accept.
“Fine, are you satisfied now?” He rolled his eyes impatiently. “Little Shu, why are you as fussy as a girl, demanding a video call?”
On the screen, Si Jiang’s expression was no different from before—still just as punchable.
But Chen Bai still noticed his face. “What happened to the wound on your face?”
“I just accidentally scraped it during the earthquake. If it leaves a scar, so be it. I’m a grown man anyway.”
“Where are you? I want to come find you.” Chen Bai was still uneasy.
“Why would you come find me? We’re not some little couple. You’re being all clingy and gross. I’m planning to go abroad for a bit to see if I can pick up some foreign girls. Don’t ruin my fun, and don’t tell the Si family about me.”
Si Jiang curled his lips into a frivolous smirk, looking like a man longing for a romantic encounter.
Chen Bai was immediately provoked into a laugh and cursed at him. “You bastard, you really choose women over friends! I’ve been worried about you for so long, and all you’re thinking about is picking up girls!”
“Alright, we done? I’m hanging up if there’s nothing else.”
“Fine, I won’t ruin your 'fun.' But remember to stay in touch. Don’t pull this disappearing act again. Come back early once you’ve had your fill of fun, or they’re really going to register you as deceased.”
“Got it. You’re dismissed, Little Shu.”
“Get lost.”
Si Jiang hung up the video call, and the frivolity on his face vanished instantly. He put on a cautious expression again, observing Zong Yan’s reaction.
“Master, did I do okay?”
“Mhm.” Zong Yan took his phone back.
“Then... shall we continue eating?”
“Mhm.”
Only then did Si Jiang breathe a sigh of relief. He sat beside her, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating. Since they had slept together, he had gotten rid of the small side table and successfully moved up in the world, now able to eat at the same table as Zong Yan.
“Master, try this. It’s a new dish I just learned. How is it?”
“It’s good.”
The pet was all smiles, as if he had forgotten all his troubles.
But Zong Yan’s mind was not at ease at all. She knew this matter could never be resolved so simply. After all, she was the one who had imprisoned Si Jiang. Although things were chaotic during the earthquake, someone must have witnessed her taking him away.
Furthermore, the things Si Jiang had said were full of holes. Chen Bai might be fooled, but if the Si family stepped in and conducted a targeted investigation, she feared she would no longer be able to hide the truth.
What should she do?
***
