Chapter 723: Do Not Take A Single Step Away

Inside the room—

The messy space was deathly silent.

Liu Xin'ai stared blankly at the ceiling, her mood heavy to the extreme.

Just then...

"Buzz—"

Liu Xin'ai's phone vibrated somewhere.

She blinked, as if the sound had brought her soul back, and suddenly sat up abruptly, searching frantically.

Finally, amidst the chaos on the floor, she caught a glimpse of a glimmer of light.

She wrapped the bedsheet around herself in a disheveled state, stumbled off the bed, and hurriedly grabbed it.

Only to see it was a message sent by Jiang Chenghao.

【Xin'ai, those words of mine were not a momentary impulse; they are my promise to you. I will wait for you forever, until the day I die.】

Liu Xin'ai stared blankly at the screen, her soul, which she had barely managed to recover, seeming to be lost once again.

A moment later—

"Drip—"

A tear hit the screen with a splash.

Then, like a floodgate opening, it could no longer be held back.

Liu Xin'ai gasped for air as if she were drowning, stared at the phone for a few more seconds, and then, as if she had touched something scalding, she flung the phone far away and rushed into the bathroom without looking back!

"Whoosh—!!!"

The sound of a massive flow of water erupted.

Liu Xin'ai hugged her arms, frantically scrubbing her body in the cold water.

She could no longer hold it in, collapsed directly onto the floor, and wailed...

Why?

Why was all of this happening...

There was no part of her body or heart that didn't ache; she was tired from crying and felt all her strength gradually draining away.

Not knowing how much time had passed, Liu Xin'ai finally managed to stand up with great effort, forced herself to run some warm water, and threw herself into the bathtub.

She lay there quietly.

And then she lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, Liu Xin'ai realized she had returned to the bed at some point.

By now, the sky outside was already pitch black.

Clearly, she had slept for an entire day.

Liu Xin'ai forced her body to sit up, scanned the room, and suddenly felt the world spinning before her eyes, her head aching as if it were about to burst.

"Ma'am? Are you awake?"

A young girl wearing a maid's uniform walked in, looking at Liu Xin'ai cautiously.

She was a new maid.

On the day they got married, no one had been arranged here, so Liu Xin'ai did not recognize her.

The girl handed her a hot towel and said with careful concern: "Ma'am, you fell asleep in the bathtub. I was afraid you would catch a cold, so..."

"..." Liu Xin'ai paused slightly, only then realizing she had been changed into pajamas.

Thinking about the state she must have been in when she was put back to bed and dressed, Liu Xin'ai's gaze froze.

She had been seen.

Four words instantly surfaced in her mind.

She should have been angry.

Liu Xin'ai thought faintly, but at this moment, even moving a finger felt like it would exhaust all her strength.

Her dignity and pride had been destroyed completely by the most violent means today.

Forget it...

Let it be...

"Ma'am..."

Seeing her not speaking, the girl immediately lowered her head in fear: "We are all very tight-lipped; we won't tell anyone about you and the young master. You..."

Her expression was somewhat conflicted.

The two of them had caused such a huge commotion earlier that it would have been hard for anyone not to hear.

Was the relationship between the young master and the mistress not good...

The mistress looked so pitiful...

But, as maids, they were not allowed to casually comment on the affairs of the master's family...

"Thank you."

Liu Xin'ai said these two words faintly.

Hearing this, the girl let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly replied: "This is what I should do. I'll go prepare some food for you right away. The young master said to let you rest well..."

Hearing her mention Qin Yiyan, Liu Xin'ai suddenly trembled violently.

"He..."

She spoke in a low voice, but after uttering only one word, she clenched her fists tightly and stopped.

"The young master went out earlier and hasn't returned yet."

The girl sensed what she wanted to ask and hurriedly answered.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xin'ai let out a sharp sigh of relief, then suddenly thought of something and immediately moved to climb out of bed.

She had to leave this place.

"Madam!!!"

Seeing this, the girl hurriedly blocked her path, looking at her with a face full of conflict.

"I am going out; please help me pack some luggage."

As Liu Xin'ai spoke, she was already searching everywhere for a suitcase, not wanting to stay for even one more second!

"Madam, you... you cannot leave!!!"

The girl was also somewhat flustered, looking at her with a hint of pleading: "The young master said that without his orders, you cannot leave here; if you really leave like this..."

Liu Xin'ai's figure stiffened, her expression one of disbelief.

She cannot leave without his orders?

Is this what he wants...

To imprison her?

"Heh..."

Liu Xin'ai let out a bitter laugh.

"Madam, I'm sorry... I beg you... don't make things difficult for us..."

The girl still looked at Liu Xin'ai with some unease, fearing she might do something drastic.

After a long while—

Liu Xin'ai turned around and sat back down on the edge of the bed, weak and listless, her eyes staring blankly into the air before her.

Leave...

Where could she go?

Even if she returned to the Liu Family, she would just be dragged back by that devil!

If she could not completely abandon the Liu Family and leave, then what difference would it make where she went?

"Madam..."

"Go out; I want to be alone for a while."

Liu Xin'ai interrupted her, her voice already somewhat hoarse.

The girl dared not say more and tactfully retreated.

The door closed.

Finally, quiet was restored once more.

Liu Xin'ai remained expressionless, her gaze slowly sweeping over her own wrists, a trace of gloom flashing through her eyes.

She had never imagined that one day she would live such a failed life...

Whether it was her life or her love, she had no way to control either.

She was even ridiculously kept in this villa, unable to go anywhere.

What was she being treated as?

A pet to be kept in captivity after being toyed with?

If only she weren't the eldest daughter of the Liu Family...

If only her father hadn't fallen ill... how good that would be...

Thinking of Liu Tengnian, Liu Xin'ai's eyes could not help but turn red again.

"Buzz—"

Her phone suddenly vibrated twice more.

Liu Xin'ai turned her head in silence and glanced casually at the screen.

She saw a message from Liu Qingze, asking if she was feeling any better.

Scrolling up further, Cai Xiaotang had also sent a message, asking about her situation.

Liu Xin'ai stared at it for a few seconds, then silently put the phone down without replying.

The light in the room was dim, just like her bottomless eyes at this moment, devoid of any light.

Let it be...

Her life had been completely ruined from the moment she met Qin Yiyan...