---

---

We’re all adults here, and I believe he can understand.

After the holidays ended, I returned to the hospital, and the doctor told me, “Your friend has been looking for you these past few days.”

Just as I was about to ask who, He Jinsheng barged into the ward, furious, with a look that could kill. “Where did you go? Cheng Yu, where the hell did you and Ji Mingxin go?”

He was coming straight for me. Seeing that neither the doctor nor the nurses could hold him back, Ji Mingxin, who had been silently standing behind me, suddenly stepped forward and knocked him to the ground.

“I’m in a really bad mood right now. If you don’t want to die, get out.”

But He Jinsheng wasn’t one to be intimidated by threats. Not only did he refuse to leave, but he even seemed ready to fight Ji Mingxin.

I noticed that He Jinsheng’s mental and emotional state seemed unstable.

To prevent any escalation, I grabbed Ji Mingxin’s arm. “Don’t hit him. I’ve already called his assistant to come and get him.”

“Let go!” He Jinsheng, still on the ground, suddenly shouted.

“Cheng Yu, let go. Don’t touch him!”

At this point, he was completely acting like a lunatic.

Ignoring him, I turned and went to the balcony to make a phone call.

What I didn’t expect was that instead of the assistant, He Jinsheng’s mother and fiancée showed up.

Despite everything, He Jinsheng still refused to leave, so his mother had him sedated and carried him out.

“Are you Cheng Yu?” A voice called from behind me.

I turned to see He Jinsheng’s fiancée.

“Can we talk?”

I nodded and followed her downstairs.

His fiancée was, by all standards—looks, figure, and demeanor—the epitome of perfection among the women I had encountered.

“I already know about you and Ah Sheng,” she said with a smile, as if discussing something trivial.

I smiled politely as well. “That’s all in the past.”

She shook her head. “Ah Sheng probably doesn’t even realize it himself, but he’s always genuinely liked you. He’s been spoiled by those around him to the point where he doesn’t even understand his own feelings.”

Seeing my confused expression, she added, “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve already had my family start the process of canceling the engagement.

“I’m Qin Shu. I have wealth and looks that are top-tier in this circle. I could find any man I want—there’s no reason to be fixated on someone who doesn’t love me.

“If you still have feelings for him, you should talk it out.”

---

When I returned to the hospital room, Cheng Xinxin was already asleep. Ji Mingxin pulled me onto the balcony.

“Yu-ge, why didn’t you let me hit him earlier? Do you still have feelings for him?”

I sighed in exasperation. Why does everyone assume that I still have feelings for He Jinsheng?

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I just didn’t want him dying in front of me. It’s bad luck.”

---

While walking home after buying groceries, I was suddenly stopped by a group of people who clearly had bad intentions. I was about to make a run for it when I turned around and saw that more people were blocking the way behind me.

Just as I was about to try reasoning with them, one of the men behind me suddenly covered my mouth and nose with a cloth.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying on a bed.

Recognizing the surroundings, my heart sank.

I had been here before.

The door opened, and He Jinsheng walked in. “You’re awake, Cheng Yu? Come eat something. I made it myself. You used to love my cooking.”

He reached out to help me up, but I slapped his hand away.

“You kidnapped me? Have you lost your mind, He Jinsheng?”

I stood up, trying to leave, but every door in this suburban villa was locked.

“Open the door. I want to go home!”

He Jinsheng walked down the stairs, unhurried. “If I let you leave, I’ll lose you.

“Cheng Yu, do you know what I went through during the days you were gone with Ji Mingxin? Every time I opened my eyes, I thought of you. Every time I closed my eyes, I still saw you. I was terrified you had run away with him.

“Back then, I decided that if I found you, I’d lock you up so you could stay with me forever. That way, I wouldn’t have to live in constant fear.

“Afraid that you’d leave, hold his hand, kiss him, and do everything we once did together.

“Cheng Yu, please stay here. We can start over. I’ve already broken off the engagement. We can even get married.”

He walked towards me, holding my face and kissing me reverently.

I wanted to resist, but perhaps the drugs hadn’t fully worn off—I was too weak to fight him.

When He Jinsheng forcibly kissed me, I mustered all my strength and bit down on his lower lip, refusing to let go.

Even when the taste of blood filled my mouth, he still didn’t let go of me. He was completely immersed in his own world.

During the days I spent trapped in that villa, I tried every possible way to escape. He Jinsheng noticed and stopped letting me leave the third-floor room.

I wasn’t sure if it was the drugs in the food he gave me or something else, but I constantly felt groggy and weak.

So, I stopped eating the meals he prepared.

When I finally regained enough strength to at least get out of bed, I picked up a chair and smashed the window.

When He Jinsheng rushed in, I had already climbed over the balcony railing.

“Don’t jump! Cheng Yu, don’t move. Come back, and I’ll let you go,” he said, trembling as he stood frozen in place.

I had never seen He Jinsheng cry before, but now he was kneeling on the ground, sobbing, begging me not to jump.

“Cheng Yu, we shouldn’t have ended up like this. Please come inside, and I’ll let you go. You have to believe me.”

But I could never believe him again.

I would rather die than spend another moment in the same house as him, subject to his abuse.

As I jumped, I heard He Jinsheng’s anguished scream, “Do you hate me that much?”

Luckily, I caught hold of a branch below. My leg was broken, but at least I wasn’t dead.

Enduring the intense pain, I got up and dragged my injured leg, running as fast as I could.

Behind me, I heard He Jinsheng’s hysterical scream: “Cheng Yu!”

I didn’t care. I just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.

I heard the heavy thud of something falling, and my heart skipped a beat, but I didn’t look back.

---

After escaping, the first thing I did was call the police.

The officers told me that after I escaped, He Jinsheng had also jumped: “He had no desire to survive at all. He really jumped to his death.”

I paused for a moment. “Whether he dies or not is none of my concern. He kidnapped me and held me captive. I want him to be punished for that.”