Chapter 6

She sat far away, gazing blankly out of the car window. The streets were crowded with people, constantly coming and going. Yet she felt like a bird in a cage, unable to fly out.

He was merely laughing, a mocking laugh, as if ridiculing Dong Muxun's overestimation of himself: "Am I not a man? Can't you just ask her to find out clearly?" As expected, he saw her face flush again, like flowers blooming in spring.

Dong Muxun was furious: "Chu Tianlei, do not go too far!" He remained leisurely smiling: "Mr. Dong, first I must tell you one thing, my surname is not Chu, it is Duan. My real name is Duan Xulei. Second, why should I duel with you? What gives you the right to duel with me? You are now in my hands; whether to kill or to spare, it is all up to my word, isn't it?"

He raised his head and said, "Aren't you the one who loves desserts the most?" In the past, when they were in the North, the two of them loved to visit various restaurants to taste desserts. She would always finish his portion as well.

She stood at the door, feeling somewhat timid. After taking several deep breaths, she gently pushed the door open and entered. Although the furnishings in the room could not be described as luxurious, they appeared to be quite adequate. Her anxious heart finally began to ease slightly

Such simplicity brought her an indescribable joy. Her elder brother was originally concerned for her, fearing that she would suffer hardships outside. Yet he readily agreed to her elder brother's wishes, and after their marriage, he would also reside in the mansion. He treated her so well that she already felt very content and fulfilled

The surname is Duan, Duan Xulei. Dong Muxun immediately thought of the Southern military governor, who is also surnamed Duan, Duan Xuren. The character 'Xu' indicates the generation of the Duan family, and the two names differ by only one character, so he must be from the Southern Duan family. Dong Muxun quickly calmed down and looked up at him, saying: "Mr. Duan, what conditions do you require to let us go?" Currently, the North and South are at a stalemate, but in terms of strength, the South is far inferior to the North. If it were not for foreign powers mediating, the North would have already sent troops. After Helian Jingfeng came to power, he successively conquered the West and Jiangnan, and it is only a matter of time before he unifies the country. If Duan Xulei is a wise person, he should not cause disputes over this matter, giving the North an opportunity to mobilize troops.

She continued to shake her head in refusal. Surprisingly, he was not angry; instead, he smiled and said, "Then let's have some cake first." The cake was the latest cheese fruit cake, with thick cheese paired with various colors of fresh fruit. Just looking at it made one's fingers itch with desire. She picked up a small spoon and kept playing with it, but did not eat.

The weather was stiflingly hot, and even the occasional breeze that blew in carried warmth. Yet she felt that this moment was so beautiful; in her entire life, she had never felt such a sense of joy. He stood beside her, gently glanced at her, and firmly answered the priest's question: "Yes, I do."

He leisurely walked to the side of the table, sat down, and slowly poured a cup of tea. After taking a small sip, he repeated, "Let you go?" He gradually finished the cup of tea before looking up and staring at the hands of the two that were clasped together: "I never thought about letting you go."

The car came to a stop in front of a Western-style restaurant, and the attendant opened the car door. He got out first, extending his hand to assist her out of the vehicle. The restaurant manager came out to greet them from a distance: "Third Young Master, we have been looking forward to your arrival! The private room is ready." He respectfully invited them to ascend the stairs

Duan Xulei raised his eyebrows and said with a cold smile, "Who can prove that it was I, Duan Xulei, who invited you here? Moreover, in a confrontation between two armies, you in the North may not necessarily gain any advantage." The Southern forces are not weak to begin with; otherwise, they would not have been able to hold their ground against the North. If it were not for the power struggle between my elder brother and second brother after our father's death, which prevented timely support to the West, we would not have missed the opportunity and allowed Helian Jingfeng to take advantage. Now that my elder brother holds great power and my second brother has withdrawn from the center of power, the morale among the Southern generals is stable. If it were not for the power struggle between my elder brother and second brother after our father's death, which prevented timely support to the West, we would not have missed the opportunity and allowed Helian Jingfeng to take advantage. Now that my elder brother holds great power and my second brother has withdrawn from the center of power, the morale among the Southern generals is stable. If the North intends to destroy the South, it may not be an easy task!

The priest turned his gaze towards her: "Helian Jingqi, do you wish to?" She turned to look at her elder brother, Helian Jingfeng, and saw him smiling at her, a smile filled with the comfort of seeing his sister grow up. Her elder brother had always respected her decisions and genuinely hoped for her happiness, just as she wished for his. Since the departure of her sister-in-law, she had not seen her brother smile again. Today, seeing him so happy, she understood his intentions better than anyone else. Just as she wished for his happiness. Since the departure of her sister-in-law, she had not seen her brother smile again. Today, seeing him so happy, she understood his intentions better than anyone else.

Jingqi looked at the soldier with the gun and said softly, "Brother Dong, let him go." If he were to harden his heart, he could truly do anything. The person he is now is no longer the person he used to be. In fact, even back then, how well did she really understand him?

He suddenly swept his hand across the table, causing all the bowls and dishes to crash to the floor with a series of clattering sounds. The room fell silent. A knock came at the door, and the restaurant manager trembled as she asked from the other side, "Third Young Master, is the food not to your taste?" Duan Xulei raised his head to glare at her and coldly replied, "All of you get out!"

He seemed to be in a good mood, clapped his hands, summoned the restaurant manager, and instructed, "Please bring out the dessert first." He then cut a piece of his steak, held it with a fork, and offered it to her mouth, saying, "Here, try a piece first. Test the flavor. This is a well-established restaurant that has been open for decades. My mother brought me here when I was a child."

He took action to cut the tender steak into small pieces and then handed it to her, saying: "This one is more tender." She had no appetite and refused, saying: "No, I don't want to eat." The intimate gesture he had just made in front of Brother Dong made her feel extremely resistant and uncomfortable. She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt towards Brother Dong. She was Brother Dong's fiancée, yet now she had engaged in such actions with him. Although it was unavoidable, the fact remained that it had happened. His earlier declaration was something even a fool could understand. When she left, she did not dare to look at Brother Dong even once. Whether one loves or not is one thing; whether one respects or not is another.

He let out a cold laugh, his voice growing louder. He shouted: "Li Jiezai, have someone take Mr. Dong to the military prison. You all listen carefully, take good care of Mr. Dong. If anything happens to him, bring me his head to see."

Dong Muxun then raised his head and discovered that he was standing at the door, blocking out a large portion of sunlight. Due to the backlight, it was difficult to see the expression on his face clearly. He grabbed Jingqi's hand and glared at him, saying: "Chu Tianlei. If you are a man, then let us have a fair duel. Do not bully Jingqi"

After a while, she finally looked up and said, "I don't want to eat!" He seemed not to have heard her, elegantly cutting and eating, occasionally savoring a sip of red wine. She let out a sigh of relief and slowly put down her spoon

After a while, he coldly said: "Helian Jingqi, just because I don't give you a bit of color, you start your own dyeing workshop. You wanted to see that person surnamed Dong, and I let you see him. So? You accompany me for a meal, and you give me a long face?" She turned her head away, said nothing, and had no intention of dealing with him.

Dong Muxun said coldly: "If you are unwilling to let us go, then wait for the northern army to press in, and for the two armies to clash. You are also aware of how much Commander Helian of the north dotes on his sister."

He held her and said apologetically, "Jingqi, I am truly sorry. I cannot provide you with a grand wedding." What does it matter? He was orphaned, with no elders in the family. As for her, she too was without parents, having only an older brother as her sole relative. Although there were a few aunts, the relationships had always been distant. She did not like extravagance and despised tedious formalities even more.

A few steps away, Helian Jingqi slowly came to a stop and called softly, "Brother Dong!" Dong Muxun was taken aback, suddenly turning around, only to see the person he had longed for standing right in front of him. He hurriedly ran over, grasped her hand, and feeling her warmth, he dared to believe, "Jingqi, it really is you! I'm so glad you're safe, so glad!"

Jingqi anxiously tugged at his clothes and said, "Brother Dong, please don't do this. Let him go quickly." Now, they were within his sphere of influence, where he held the power and they were at his mercy. Causing a scene like this would bring him no benefit whatsoever.

She felt a constant pang in her heart, even her eyes were affected. She was on the verge of tears, repeatedly nodding her head to comfort him, saying, "Brother Dong, don't worry, I'm fine." Despite his haggard appearance and having not shaved for several days, he still cared so much about her. Sometimes, when she calmed down, she pondered countless times what was so good about herself that warranted such treatment from him. Yet, she could never come up with a satisfactory answer. Matters of life are always difficult to articulate. Just like her brother, who usually exuded authority, yet when faced with his sister-in-law, even the strongest steel could turn soft.

Four years ago, in the northern region, in Anyang City

Duan Xulei listened to her words and smiled slightly, feeling surprisingly cheerful. He pushed aside Dong Muxun's hand, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "You just stay here well." He stood up, walked to Jingqi's side, and regardless of her resistance, tightly embraced her waist, leaning down to sniff her neck, which was fresh and serene. With a sideways glance and a smile, he said, "How could I bully her? I can hardly wait to cherish her. After all, we have been married. She is my wife!"

Her face suddenly turned pale as she looked up at him: "What else can you do besides threatening me with Brother Dong?" He laughed, such a wild laugh that he was almost brought to tears: "Yes. I can only threaten you with him." But apart from being able to use this to threaten her, what else could he do to her?

Dong Muxun was pacing back and forth when he heard the sound of the door opening. Thinking it was a soldier coming to deliver food, he paid no attention and said without turning his head: "Call Chu Tianlei over, I have something to say to him." For the past few days, he had been anxious and restless, only wanting to obtain even a little news about Jingqi; even a small piece of information would be good.

Dong Muxun released her hand, rushed forward, grabbed his arm, and exclaimed angrily: "Are you even human? Even if you won't let me go, you must at least release her!" The soldiers standing at the door, seeing this situation, rushed in in groups, pointing their guns at Dong Muxun and shouted: "Quickly let go of the Chief of Staff!"

The scene was filled with affection, truly a display of love. He stood coldly at the door, lightly clapping his hands a few times, like a competent audience member. He sneered and said: "Well, a brief separation is better than a new marriage. How wonderful!"

But who knows that all of this is merely a performance on his part. His encounter with her was likely a meticulously crafted play. All the intentions were merely to draw closer to himself, to the Helian family, in order to facilitate his theft of information

Does he still remember the past? She sat quietly, gazing at the tempting cake. How long has it been? She could hardly recall. What he did not know was that she had already given it up and no longer ate cake. Just like some things in life, you must learn to let go.

Upon their arrival, he hurriedly bowed and saluted from a distance: "Chief of Staff." He signaled to the soldiers to open the door.

The cell was better than she had imagined. It was not an ordinary prison, but rather a form of house arrest, confined to a room without the ability to go outside. Armed soldiers guarded the surroundings.

She turned her head, looked at him, and resolutely said: "Yes, I am willing." His kiss slowly descended, filled with infinite tenderness, as if it were the gentle fall of goose feathers, bringing a slight itch and a subtle warmth