Bian Yiqiu felt a sharp pain in the hand that had just slammed against the wall. The skin on the back of his hand had been scraped off in a large patch, blood dripping from the wound, looking pretty terrifying. His knuckles were likely dislocated, and his clenched fist couldn’t even unfold. Every movement sent a jolt of pain through his tendons and bones, making his heart tighten.

It was probably true what they said about “the heart being connected to the fingers.”

When he returned to the cell, the hostility in his body hadn’t had time to subside. As soon as he walked in, he saw someone completely unexpected—the drug dealer.

It seemed that the dark aura emanating from the man was so intimidating that the others in the cell stood on the far side, not daring to approach or speak to him. But when they saw Bian Yiqiu return, they immediately rushed to him like they’d found a source of support.

The drug dealer was sitting on the bottom bunk of the bed in the first spot on the left, directly across from Bian Yiqiu’s own bed. That spot had originally been occupied by Old Jiang, the one who embezzled public funds.

Bian Yiqiu glanced at Old Jiang, who meekly explained, “The guard said the toilet in Cell 18 got blocked, and the sewage flooded the floor. They can’t have people staying there for the next few days, so they moved the inmates to other cells that still had available beds.”

“Mm.” Bian Yiqiu had originally planned to ask why the drug dealer was sitting on his bed. There was still an empty bed in the cell, but it was the last one, next to the bathroom. However, seeing Old Jiang’s reaction, it was clear that the bed had likely been taken from him, and he’d been pushed to the back.

Normally, Bian Yiqiu would’ve helped Old Jiang out, but today he wasn’t in the mood. He simply nodded to show he understood and walked straight to his own bed, positioning himself face-to-face with the drug dealer.

The drug dealer was a high-risk inmate, and considering his dangerous nature, they hadn’t even removed his handcuffs.

Bian Yiqiu didn’t want to cause trouble, nor did he have the energy to think about why the drug dealer was assigned to his cell. After playing a game of ball and getting into a fight, his tense nerves suddenly loosened. The fatigue and pain in his body rushed in all at once. He felt exhausted and in pain, but couldn’t pinpoint where the pain was coming from. It seemed to come from everywhere—his limbs, organs, every cell in his body, every bone. Each breath felt like a needle piercing his chest, the sharp, precise pain growing with each inhale, layer upon layer, until it was almost unbearable.

He didn’t even have the energy to take a shower. All he wanted was to sleep it off. Maybe if he fell asleep, the pain would stop.

His ankle was swollen even worse now, the swelling spreading up to his calf and the sole of his foot. The flat shoes he wore pressed painfully into the swollen top of his foot, leaving dark purple marks, and despite struggling for a long time, he couldn’t get them off.

The small-time thug came forward, trying to help, and as Bian Yiqiu kicked the shoes off, he lifted his eyes and met the drug dealer’s gaze. For some reason, the look in the drug dealer’s eyes made him feel like he was being eyed by a venomous snake—cold, sticky, and malicious. That uncomfortable feeling from the court resurfaced, now even stronger.

The drug dealer just stared at him without saying a word. Bian Yiqiu didn’t feel like exchanging pleasantries, treating him as if he were just someone crashing for a couple of nights. He didn’t think too much about it, tossing himself onto the bed and falling asleep.

The bed in the detention center was narrow and hard, and with Bian Yiqiu’s muscular and tall frame, it was a tight fit. He turned to face the wall, lying on his side, and closed his eyes, forcing himself to fall asleep as quickly as possible. But his mind kept returning to that news, to the photo of Ke Mingxuan and that woman, intimately embracing each other. The more he tried to ignore it, the clearer the image became. He could even remember the style of the suit Ke Mingxuan was wearing, the brand of the watch on his wrist, the material of his cufflinks, the pattern on his tie, and the shape of his pocket square. His profile, the curve of his face, the soft smile, everything was crystal clear, playing over and over in his mind like a revolving lantern, lingering, impossible to shake off.

How he missed that face, missed his eyes, his voice, his smile, the strength of his embrace and kiss… But he was getting married. From now on, all of that would never again have anything to do with him. Of course, he knew why Ke Mingxuan was suddenly getting married. It was precisely because he knew, that it hurt even more.

If his freedom had to be traded for Ke Mingxuan’s marriage, he would rather not have it. He wasn’t afraid of death, nor was he afraid of being in prison, but he was terrified that after getting out, in a vast world filled with billions of people, he wouldn’t be able to find the one person who could stand by his side. How lonely would that be?

Ke Mingxuan…

Bian Yiqiu pressed his uninjured hand tightly to his chest, murmuring the name.

It hurt so much, fucking too much. How could it hurt like this?

Ke Mingxuan, why did you give up? Why did you compromise? You should know, even if I had to spend a lifetime in prison, I would rather have it that way than to gain my freedom and find that you’re no longer by my side…

Bian Yiqiu didn’t know when he fell asleep, nor did he know how he fell asleep. His sleep wasn’t peaceful; he wandered through chaotic dreams all night but couldn’t remember any specific details. The only image that lingered was of him standing on a vast, empty road, stretching endlessly in both directions, sinking below the horizon. He stared at the infinitely long road, with no living creatures in sight, no sound to be heard, not even the slightest breeze—so quiet it felt like a dead zone. The growing fear and loneliness slowly reached out from the depths of his heart, wrapping around him with cold, unyielding hands, impossible to escape. He screamed out a name, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came.

The guard’s wake-up whistle saved him. Gasping for breath, he forced his eyes open, pulling himself out of that crushing feeling of loneliness and despair. What he saw in front of him was the gray-white wall—he had somehow slept the whole night in the same position, not even turning over once.

His left arm had gone numb from being pressed, and his head felt foggy, with the nerve above his temple throbbing painfully.

He let out a heavy breath, struggling to roll over and get up. As soon as his feet hit the floor, a sharp, piercing pain shot through him. His sprained ankle, untreated, could no longer bear weight, and he was about to collapse to the side. Reflexively, he reached out to brace himself against the bedframe. Then, gritting his teeth, he muttered a curse, “Fuck!” His dislocated knuckles, still not healed, slammed painfully into the hard bedframe, making him nearly burst into tears from the pain.

He felt that in his more than thirty years of life, he had never been so pathetic. Even when he was a teenager, beaten by a group of thugs, almost losing his life, he still found the strength to pull one of them down with him. But now, he was trapped in this cage, frustrated and powerless, unable to do anything.

The guard stomped down the corridor, banging on doors loudly, his booming voice growing nearer: “If you’re not out in three minutes, there’ll be no breakfast in the yard today!”

The others quickly scrambled out of bed and rushed out, even the drug dealer across from Bian Yiqiu obediently heading out of the cell before the guard arrived. But Bian Yiqiu didn’t want to move. He simply sat on his bed, glaring at the wall before him.

In the end, the guard was the first to back down, granting him permission to skip the morning exercises today.

The cell quickly fell silent. Bian Yiqiu leaned against the wall, almost as if punishing himself, and forcefully popped his dislocated fingers back into place. When the sharp pain finally subsided, he let out a slow breath, collapsed onto the pillow, and closed his eyes again.

What he didn’t know was that Zuo Cheng and He Xu had already prepared all the documents and luggage. In three hours, they would be picking him up from the detention center and taking him directly to the airport to catch a flight to the United States.

What he didn’t know even more was that, right after the wedding, Ke Mingxuan would immediately head off on his honeymoon with Chen Fei to Hawaii. Afterward, he would fly to New York and meet Bian Yiqiu there. Chen Fei had already arranged for another simple wedding ceremony for them.

Because Ke Mingxuan was afraid too many people would find out and expose the flaw, even He Xu only received the call last night. He was so excited that he couldn’t sleep a wink and, before dawn, he had already dragged Zuo Cheng up to hurry and pack.

Ke Mingxuan also got up early, because as the groom, he had to go to the hotel with his entourage to pick up the bride.

Although it was said earlier that the brothers didn’t need to attend the wedding, on the day itself, no one was missing. After all, if some important families didn’t show up, it would look strange. Even Lu Xiao came with Chu Yi’s persuasion. However, when he saw Ke Mingxuan, he didn’t hide his displeasure.

Ke Mingxuan didn’t pay him any mind, his focus was entirely on Bian Yiqiu. It wasn’t until Commander Ke told him that the court files had been sent to the detention center that he finally left, after his mother’s persistent urging.

At that moment, Director Yu, who was having breakfast at home and hadn’t gone to work yet, suddenly received a call from the detention center. The news made him spill the porridge he had just sipped all over the table.

He quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks, grabbed his uniform, and hurriedly put it on while making his way out the door.

It was 8 a.m., the peak hour when countless workers were heading out. No matter which road he took, traffic was a nightmare, making people restless and frustrated. The long line of cars, twisted and out of place because some were switching lanes, made the already jammed roads even worse. The air was filled with honking horns and angry shouting.

Zuo Cheng was driving his sleek Maybach, sandwiched between a tiny Alto and a battered van, so irritated he almost twisted the steering wheel off. He Xu, however, remained calm, glancing at the time and noting that it was still early. Based on his frequent trips to the detention center to pick up clients, he knew they wouldn’t start releasing people just yet.

Director Yu’s car was also stuck in traffic. Cursing the court’s incompetence in his mind, he poked his head out to survey the endless traffic ahead, his eyelids twitching. He had a strange feeling that something was going to happen today.

Ke Mingxuan’s route to pick up his bride had been carefully planned to avoid busy streets, so it was relatively smooth. However, while waiting at a traffic light, he nearly rear-ended the car in front. Luckily, the driver was skilled enough to brake in time, preventing an accident. But for some reason, Ke Mingxuan couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling creeping into his chest.

He went over his plan from start to finish, double-checking for any possible mistakes. Once he was sure everything was in place, he looked at his watch.

The wedding was in two hours, and in two hours, Bian Yiqiu would be released on the grounds of innocence.

As long as He Xu and Zuo Cheng successfully picked him up, and as long as Bian Yiqiu obediently followed his instructions and boarded the plane… they would soon meet in the U.S., and Commander Ke would have no way of reaching them.