Gao Jian walked to the door, "Ah Xu?"
"Brother, are you alright?" his younger brother's worried voice came from outside the door. "Is Auntie locked in there too?"
"I'm fine here, don't worry. Hurry back to your room and don't let Dad see you near this room again."
Gao Jian felt his father was a lunatic right now and might take his anger out on Gao Xu.
Gao Xu wasn't afraid of that, but he was worried that if his father saw him again, he might not be allowed near this place, and then he wouldn't be able to help his brother and auntie.
"Then you must wait for me! I'll think of a way to rescue you!"
"Thanks, Ah Xu."
The sound of hurried footsteps faded away outside the door. Gao Jian returned to the bedside and sat down, bringing up the previous question again: "How exactly do you plan to get out?"
"You'll know in a moment."
Shen Qingqing was looking down, fiddling with the ring in her hand.
Gao Jian was almost dying of curiosity. Could she suddenly grow a pair of wings?
Of course, that was impossible. Shen Qingqing hadn't even brought a paraglider with her this time. It was definitely out of the question to fly down empty-handed.
However...
She soon pulled a very thin silver steel wire from the ring.
"This is..." Gao Jian leaned in to look at the steel wire. It was only slightly thicker than a hair. "You're not planning to use this to go down, are you? You're crazy! How can such a thin steel wire bear both of our weights?"
Even one person at a time wouldn't work.
"How do you know it won't work if you don't try?" Shen Qingqing secured one end of the steel wire to the railing, then turned to look at Gao Jian, who had a look of utter disbelief on his face. "Watch closely. I can only give you one demonstration. After this, I'll send the ring up to you. You can use it to get down, but you'd better pay attention to how I use it, otherwise, you might not fall to your death but have your finger torn off by the ring."
Gao Jian: "..."
He already thought it was impossible, and hearing her say that made him even more terrified.
So, the outcome was either falling to his death or having his finger torn off. In either case, he'd end up disabled.
Before he could even figure things out, he saw Shen Qingqing place a hand on the railing and flip herself over!
Gao Jian clung to the railing and looked down.
The steel wire from Shen Qingqing's ring grew longer and longer, but the speed was very slow. Shen Qingqing was sliding down at a very steady pace.
Finally, she landed smoothly.
When Gao Jian saw this, his heart, which had been hanging in mid-air with her, finally thumped back into his chest. She had actually succeeded!
Gao Jian couldn't believe it.
Then he saw Shen Qingqing take off the ring, and the ring itself began to ascend, slowly retracting the steel wire.
Soon, the ring appeared before Gao Jian.
He took the ring in his hand and suddenly remembered something. This was a woman's ring, and their fingers were different sizes. He probably wouldn't be able to wear this ring.
Shen Qingqing, who was below, began to urge him on. Although he couldn't hear her, he could tell from her lip movements what she was saying: "What are you dawdling for!"
Gao Jian hesitated, then tried to slip the ring onto his finger. To his surprise, it actually fit!
The bottom of the ring had a movable joint, which wasn't noticeable unless you looked closely.
Gao Jian's way of getting over the railing was not as graceful as Shen Qingqing's. He carefully flipped himself over the railing and his heart trembled just from looking at the height below.
He didn't dare to look down again. He took a deep breath, placing all his hope on this ring.
No matter what, he had to try.
He made up his mind, closed his eyes, and let himself fall freely from the air.
Throughout the entire process, Gao Jian's mind was racing with thoughts, like a flickering montage, recalling all the events he had experienced and the people he had met over the years.
It wasn't until his feet touched the ground that Gao Jian truly felt like he had survived.
Shen Qingqing patted his shoulder, took the ring back, and put it on her finger. "Alright, you're free. Come with me."
It wasn't until they had truly left the villa's main gate that Gao Jian realized he was really free. He didn't even look back as he got into the car.
He never wanted to return to this home again, ever.
The next day, as expected, Gao Jian received a call from Mr. Gao. Mr. Gao was very agitated on the phone, constantly asking where he had been and warning him to come home immediately.
Gao Jian hadn't even woken up yet. He was woken by his phone and, with a full stomach of morning grumpiness, spoke without any politeness, coldly retorting.
"Why should I go back just because you tell me to? I'm a person, not your puppet! And since I'm out, I'm not going back. You can give up on that idea. From now on, consider that you don't have a son."
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
Mr. Gao on the other end was so furious he was trembling all over. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and fiercely threw his phone.
With a "crack!"
The phone hit the wall, then fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
Unlike his father, Gao Jian was in a very good mood. Since he was awake, he didn't plan to go back to sleep. He packed lightly and headed to the company to report for duty.
Upon arriving at the company, he bantered with Lu Shu, greeted Ke Lin, and seeing Shen Qingqing arrive, his mood instantly improved immensely.
"President Shen, will you be coming to the company every day from now on?"
"What, you don't welcome me?"
Shen Qingqing casually took off her trench coat and placed it on the sofa. She walked to the nearby water dispenser and poured a cup of warm water, then looked at Gao Jian leisurely.
"It seems you're in a good mood today."
Gao Jian chuckled. "Of course, I'm in a good mood. I've finally regained my freedom, and I'm going to enjoy my future life."
"That's the right attitude." Shen Qingqing drank half of the water in her cup and took out two red invitations from her handbag, giving one to Gao Jian and the other to Lu Shu.
They exchanged a look and opened them.
"So, it's your son's birthday."
Shen Qingqing nodded. "I'm planning to book a venue and hold a birthday banquet for him. Many people will be invited, and since you are both my friends, I'd like you to come as well."
Friends...
Gao Jian and Lu Shu exchanged glances, both feeling that the word was very comforting.
"We will definitely be there!"
They said it almost in unison.
Shen Qingqing smiled lightly and turned to look at Ke Lin. Before she could speak, Ke Lin started complaining, "Why do they both have invitations, and I don't?"
"Do you need an invitation?" Shen Qingqing couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. "You've followed me for so many years. Who among the people around me doesn't know you?"
Giving invitations to Gao Jian and Lu Shu was also to prevent any issues with security guards who might not recognize them. Otherwise, for just a birthday party, why would she go to such trouble to prepare invitations?
Ke Lin immediately smiled. "Got it, I was just joking with President Shen. Even if you didn't give me an invitation, I would definitely go. Besides, my face alone is pretty much an invitation."
That was a bit of a boast.