Chapter 155: Wrong Is Wrong

"Do not even think about running away; be a good girl and come inside."

The moment Shen Yanlie stepped out of the car and opened the door, he shot Yan Mai a warning. Yan Mai curled her lips in disdain, muttered a few disgruntled words under her breath behind his back, and then followed him inside.

Seeming completely accustomed to this routine, Shen Yanlie dropped his car keys the second he stepped through the door, shed his suit jacket, and walked over to the bar counter. He took out two crystal wine glasses and poured red wine into both. Lifting one glass in a gesture toward Yan Mai, he slid it across the counter in her direction.

"I'm not drinking that. I'm afraid it's poisoned," Yan Mai pouted, continuing her inspection of the house.

Shen Yanlie didn't mind. After taking a small sip, he watched Yan Mai pacing back and forth across his living room, then tilted his head back and finished the remaining wine in one gulp.

As Yan Mai remained absorbed in her observations, Shen Yanlie walked right past her and headed upstairs.

Watching that familiar figure gradually vanish from sight up the stairway, Yan Mai felt a momentary pang of distraction and quickly lowered her head. Still, what was up with Shen Yanlie? Was he really that utterly arrogant, genuinely believing that just by dragging her back to his house, she wouldn't attempt to leave?

Hah, what a joke! How could she possibly...

Yet, the truth was, she actually *had* put that thought into action, only to end up failing miserably. She had discovered that the front door of his house was completely locked; she couldn't open it, nor could she get out... Moreover, a quick survey of the area revealed no other visible exits. Even if there were, she hadn't found them, and even if she did, they would likely require keys or present some other insurmountable obstacle...

As for Shen Yanlie, this infuriating man had gone upstairs without a word and stayed there for so long, acting as if she were already a bird trapped in a cage with zero chance of escape unless the master of the house graciously decided to set her free...

Suppressing her turbulent emotions as best as she could, Yan Mai took a step-by-step approach up the stairs.

Upstairs, the second-floor living room looked just as it always had, but Yan Mai paid it no mind. Her current mission was to find Shen Yanlie. She intended to reason with this lunatic—what on earth did he mean by imprisoning her here?

Yan Mai headed for the room Shen Yanlie was most likely to be in, pushed the door open, and found it completely empty.

Next, she checked the second room. Still, absolutely no one...

Following that, Yan Mai paused in her tracks, gritted her teeth, abruptly spun around, and marched toward what she recalled was the room once exclusively designated for a certain woman in this man's heart. Yet, the moment she pushed the door open, the sight before her left her utterly stunned. The room, which used to be packed to the brim with belongings, was now completely empty. It looked as though it had been meticulously cleaned, yet not a single trace remained—not an object, not a single item inside. What kind of situation was this?

Yan Mai's delicate brows knitted together gently as she pulled the door shut, a profound sense of bizarreness washing over her. Could this guy play tricks like invisibility, or what? She had clearly watched him come upstairs, yet he had vanished into thin air without a trace.

Hesitating for a moment, Yan Mai pushed open the door to the room directly opposite. The flood of bright light inside instantly illuminated her eyes.

The room was completely packed—stuffed to overflowing with plush toys, miniature cars, tiny houses, an Ugly Duckling, a white swan, water guns, and a medieval castle constructed entirely from wooden blocks. Stuffed animals were piled high across an entire crib and a baby carriage. A small children's tent was set up in the corner of the floor, looking so exquisitely lifelike that it created an illusion: as if a small child were curled up inside, dozing soundly, occasionally twitching a tiny hand or kicking a little foot, perhaps even letting out an innocent, gurgling chuckle. What kind of boundless happiness would that be...

Shen Yanlie emerged from the bathroom, still casually drying his damp hair with a towel as he pushed open the door. However, the moment he saw Yan Mai standing in the nursery, looking so desolate and heartbroken, a sharp, twisting pain pierced his heart.

This agony originated from the deepest recesses of his soul, striking with utmost directness and clarity. He felt that perhaps in certain aspects of grief, he could never truly compare to Mai Xijun, because that child had been a piece torn directly from her own flesh. Yet in every other respect, Shen Yanlie felt his own suffering was no less than hers.

Only, right now, she was Yan Mai...

Shen Yanlie stood in the doorway beside Yan Mai, quietly gazing at her profile. He watched her profound sorrow and remained silent for a long while.

Three years. This nursery had been almost entirely filled with toys he had bought over time. If he were to pile in any more, there would barely be enough space left to set a foot down, though it was already on the verge of overflowing.

He had once passed by a storefront, and a matching parent-child outfit had captivated him so completely that he stood outside staring at it for two whole hours. At that time, he had been standing right across the street, half-leaning against his car door, his long legs crossed, wearing sunglasses, fixing his burning gaze solely on the two large and one small mannequins inside.

He had fallen in love with that set of matching clothes—an inexplicable, almost frantic obsession. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he finally stepped forward to buy it. He politely inquired about purchasing the outfit, but the store clerk informed him...

"I am terribly sorry, sir. Before you arrived, another gentleman had already reserved this set, so... perhaps you might wish to browse our other styles instead," the clerk said gently.

Because the clothing was a limited edition, there were no duplicates of that exact design. He obediently followed the clerk's guidance to look at other styles and patterns, but not a single one captured his heart at first glance again.

It turned out that while he was hesitating, a passing customer had spotted the matching outfits, walked straight inside without a second thought, paid for them, and said they would look at other shops first and return to pick them up later...

Just a matter of minutes. He had been late by mere minutes...

Whenever Shen Yanlie recalled that incident, a wave of bitter anguish washed over him—a pain too profound for words.

Sensing Shen Yanlie's presence behind her, Yan Mai hurriedly raised a hand to brush away the tears still lingering on the edge of her eyelids.

Still wearing the bathrobe he had put on after his shower, Shen Yanlie stepped forward and gently pulled the nursery door shut. That was the deepest sanctuary of his heart. Perhaps a part of him was still harboring the hope that one day she would return to his side and discover his true feelings. But letting her see all of this now felt far too premature, and honestly, terribly awkward...

Neither of them spoke a word; neither was willing to shatter this brief tranquility. Ever since their reunion, they had bickered and clashed endlessly like chattering birds. Even though Shen Yanlie dreaded the thought of her lapsing into cold silence even more, having her fight back like this was far better—at least it proved she had not truly forgotten.

Seated on the sofa, the two of them faced one another with a table separating them. Yet, looking at them, one could easily imagine an insurmountable chasm stretching right across the space between their hearts.

Shen Yanlie laced his fingers together, rubbing them gently before lifting his eyelids to gaze at Yan Mai. He saw no absent-mindedness in her expression; instead, her mental state was remarkably lucid, sharp, and sober. At that moment, a wave of heartache and longing urged him to pull her tightly into his arms, kiss her hair, and tell her that he would always be by her side, never letting her suffer even the slightest grievance ever again.

"Don't come any closer," Yan Mai suddenly erected every defensive thorn in her armor. The wall of wariness and heightened vigilance in her posture stopped Shen Yanlie dead in his tracks just two steps into his approach.

"Mai..." Shen Yanlie called out softly, a surge of deep emotion tempting him to lavish her with pleading words. It was his failure to fulfill his duty that had deprived her of a sense of security; he openly admitted his past failings and vowed to himself that from then on, he would cherish her properly and make amends.

However, a wrong was a wrong. What was lost was lost. Certain pains, from the very moment of their loss, would accompany him through the remainder of his life until his dying breath.

He could not escape them; while he could not fully face them straight on, neither could he completely ignore them. He lacked the carefree detachment required to simply let go of her hand and let her walk away in silence...