Chapter 19: Truly Embarking on the Path of Imprisonment

After all, it had always fed on raw, bloody meat, and the scent of blood only served to sharpen the predatory instincts deep in its bones. Still, because it was Jiang Liwu doing the feeding, Bal didn't want to miss a single bite.

Wei Xifeng pulled out his phone and snapped a candid photo of Jiang Liwu, who was focused on grilling meat for him. After a moment's thought, he cropped a portion of the photo and posted it to his social media feed, which had been silent for years. He added a caption: "The most delicious barbecue in the world." In the photo he posted, only Jiang Liwu’s hands were visible, the rest filled with an array of delectable food.

At that same moment, five different people, all occupied with different tasks, received a notification. It was like a stone tossed into a tranquil lake; the splash sent ripples spreading outward, impossible to ignore. They paused what they were doing and clicked on the post. There was nothing particularly special about it, yet they could all sense Wei Xifeng’s uncharacteristic behavior. They didn't quite understand it, but they all gave the post a "like." Seeing the likes pile up, one by one, the corners of Wei Xifeng’s mouth curled upward.

...

Wei Xifeng flipped through hundreds of photos taken by Uncle Wang. Many of the shots were repetitive, showing only subtle changes in micro-expressions, gestures, or lighting, but he loved every single one—except for the ones where Bal appeared. Uncle Wang, however, seemed to quite enjoy those. At that moment, he happened upon a section featuring Bal; one image captured Bal and Wei Xifeng competing for attention, both looking away from each other in mutual disdain. They looked like two kindergarteners after a spat. Uncle Wang felt that this version of Wei Xifeng finally possessed a spark of human vitality. All of this was because of Jiang Liwu’s arrival.

"Have all the photos printed, and get this one enlarged and framed," Wei Xifeng said, pointing to a photo where they were making a heart shape.

"Understood," Uncle Wang replied.

"Let me go! Let me out!" A commotion nearby drew the attention of Wei Xifeng and Uncle Wang. Wei Xifeng frowned and walked over, with Uncle Wang following close behind. They found Qiao Yiran locked in a standoff with the bodyguards, her face flushed with anger, which only added a vibrant allure to her delicate, fragile features.

Wei Xifeng’s gaze fell upon her, lingering for a moment. Catching sight of the man out of the corner of her eye, Qiao Yiran suddenly lunged toward the bodyguards. "Let me through!"

The bodyguards instinctively blocked her. Perhaps due to momentum or something else, Qiao Yiran bounced back after colliding with their arms, stumbling backward as she fell. The bodyguards looked stunned; they had only meant to block her, not push her. Seeing her about to hit the ground, Wei Xifeng grabbed her shoulders, forcefully steadying her.

The next second, he gripped her wrist tightly, his narrow eyes dark and cold as frozen stars. "What are you making a scene about now?"

Qiao Yiran bit her lip, looking up into Wei Xifeng’s eyes, her expression full of stubbornness. "I want to go out."

"Out? Where to? Do you even have anywhere to go?" Wei Xifeng stared at her, icy and sinister. "Do you think this is a place where you can come and go as you please? Out? Don't even think about it." With that, he shoved her hand away with cold, tyrannical force.

Qiao Yiran’s eyes reddened instantly, her voice laced with tears of grievance. "Why won't you let me out? I'm not a prisoner." Deep down, however, she felt a sense of relief at Wei Xifeng’s familiar, controlling attitude; her panic and anxiety eased considerably.

"Because you have no right to say no."

Jiang Liwu had just arrived in time to hear Wei Xifeng restricting Qiao Yiran’s freedom. Her head throbbed instantly. *No way, is Wei Xifeng actually following in his father’s footsteps and turning to imprisonment?* No wonder Qiao Yiran had run to her earlier to say those things. Was she afraid that Wei Xifeng would eventually lock her up too?

"Little Feng, say that again," Jiang Liwu said, approaching with a forced smile.

Upon seeing Jiang Liwu, Qiao Yiran felt a sudden, suffocating wave of crisis and discomfort. She instinctively looked at Wei Xifeng, and sure enough, seeing his attention shift entirely to Jiang Liwu, she gripped the fabric of her dress tightly.

Wei Xifeng’s instinct was to obey and repeat his words, but he felt a dangerous aura radiating from Jiang Liwu, and his intuition told him not to.

"Who gave you the right to restrict someone’s personal freedom?" Jiang Liwu emphasized each word, narrowing her eyes as she stepped closer, giving Wei Xifeng no chance to evade the question.

"I didn't," Wei Xifeng quickly said.

Jiang Liwu was momentarily stunned by his utter lack of guilt. "Didn't you just refuse to let her go out?"

Wei Xifeng admitted to that much. "Yes."

Jiang Liwu: "There you have it."

Wei Xifeng lowered his lashes, still not feeling as though he were restricting Qiao Yiran’s freedom in any way. Jiang Liwu, reading the subtext of his expression, couldn't help but feel strange. Before she could ponder it further, Qiao Yiran’s raised voice interrupted her.

"I need to go to the hospital to see my mother! The doctor called to say her condition has been very poor these past few days, and I haven't seen her in a long time. Please, let me go!" Qiao Yiran wept before Wei Xifeng, looking fragile, beautiful, and pitifully stubborn. Anyone would have felt a pang of sympathy. She knew that whenever she mentioned her mother, Wei Xifeng’s attitude would soften.

Sure enough, at the mention of her mother, Wei Xifeng’s gaze grew murky. Seeing this, Jiang Liwu knew he was thinking of his own mother. She reached out and covered the back of Wei Xifeng’s hand, offering comfort. "Let her go."

The warmth transferred through her hand was something Wei Xifeng yearned for and craved. He nodded obediently. "Fine."

Even though Wei Xifeng had agreed to let her go, Qiao Yiran couldn't bring herself to be happy. She didn't want her freedom to be a result of Jiang Liwu’s intervention.

"Didn't you hear him? Wei Xifeng agreed to let me out. Move aside!" Qiao Yiran said, her tone sharp. The bodyguards exchanged glances and stepped aside.

"If you aren't back before dark, I will cut off your mother’s medical funding."

Wei Xifeng’s cold, heartless voice rang out from behind her. Qiao Yiran’s spine stiffened, and she stopped in her tracks. She turned back in a panic. "Don't cut off my mother’s medical funding! She’ll die!"

Wei Xifeng remained unmoved. "What does your mother’s life or death have to do with me?"

Qiao Yiran felt as if she had been plunged into an ice cellar. It was true that her mother’s affairs had nothing to do with Wei Xifeng. In fact, if not for him, she would never have been able to afford the millions in medical bills, and her mother would certainly not have survived until now. One could say that her mother’s life and time were bought with cold, hard cash.

"But she is my mother..." Shouldn't Wei Xifeng care about her mother if he liked her? Meeting Wei Xifeng’s cold, cruel gaze, Qiao Yiran suddenly found herself unable to continue.