CHAPTER 238: CHAPTER 236: SHI SU IS LOCKED UP

"Home?" Shi Su seemed to have heard a joke, but couldn’t muster a laugh.

The servants of the Shi Family recognized her, especially the older ones, who were never particularly friendly to her since childhood. Now, seeing her brought back by Mr. Shi, after the initial surprise, they wore expressions of profound sighs, exchanged glances signaling to mind their own business, and went about their duties as if seeing nothing.

It was already late at night. Mrs. Shi and the beloved actress daughter Shi Lingkang cherished were evidently resting, not coming downstairs.

Shi Su turned sideways, glanced at the two bodyguards outside the door, walked over, and extended her hand: "Give me back my phone."

The two bodyguards stood there like rocks, not moving, pretending not to hear.

When Shi Su tried to take it herself, the bodyguard who had taken her phone pushed her hand away with ruthless indifference, and with a "bang," shut the door in her face, locking her inside.

Shi Su, unwilling to give up, was about to open the door when Shi Lingkang, standing behind her, said in a casual and calm tone, "It’s late. No matter how much you struggle, it’s useless. Go upstairs to rest now, we can talk in the morning."

"Talk about what?" Shi Su caught the underlying meaning in his words, immediately turning back: "Shi Lingkang, I’m warning you, I’m no longer a part of the Shi Family. Don’t act recklessly, otherwise, if I make a fuss, you’ll have a hard time maintaining your reputation in the capital."

"Just a naive girl, do you think you can threaten me?"

The twenty-four-year-old "naive" Shi Su laughed coldly, "Unless you kill me, but do you dare? Now I’m in the entertainment industry, as a public figure, if I disappear without reason—even if you are my father, if I die by your hand, do you really think you can clear your name?"

"What ’dead or not dead’ nonsense?" Shi Lingkang resumed his script-like tone, coldly stating, "Go up to rest first, the room you used to stay in hasn’t been tidied up much, it’s been vacant. There’s a guest room on the second floor, choose one to stay in for now."

Seeing Shi Su still not intending to go upstairs to rest or cooperate obediently.

Shi Lingkang threatened directly, "The box with your mother’s belongings is still in the attic. Do you want it?"

Shi Su didn’t speak for a moment, just stared at Shi Lingkang’s face. After a long while, she said, "Having your blood in my veins is indeed my greatest shame."

Recognizing her intent to compromise, Shi Lingkang seemed prepared: "If you want to stay in the attic, that’s possible too. That room has been locked for five years, filled with dust. You probably can’t sleep there."

Silence lingered in the air for several seconds.

Shi Su didn’t utter a single unnecessary word, glanced at the two bodyguards outside the door, and simply said, "The attic key."

Only then did Shi Lingkang look at her with satisfaction, called for a servant, and the servant nodded, finding an aged-looking key after a few minutes. When handing it to Shi Su, the servant dared not touch her hand, as if Shi Su was a ghost or a plague. After Shi Su took it, the servant quickly distanced themselves, maintaining an eye of persistent disdain.

This home remained unchanged.

The old servants still didn’t regard her as the young lady of the Shi family.

So how did those two bodyguards suddenly call her "Miss"?

Clutching the key, Shi Su assessed the surroundings through the floor-to-ceiling windows, found no gap for escape, and, holding the key, walked upstairs guided by old memories.

This "attic" was really just the top floor of the Shi Family’s main villa, a cramped space filled with neglected items, with year-round inconsistent temperatures and humid air.

Mostly, it contained her old clothes and her mother’s belongings, but many other miscellaneous items as well. The door was often locked thus, and no one came here, not even the servants for cleaning. Precisely for this reason, those people were reluctant to clean, ironically leaving her mother’s relics untouched here as in a forsaken room.

When Shi Su used to live here, at least she could tidy up by herself. There was a little bed by the window in the corner, suitable for living.

Now, opening the door revealed dust accumulated over five years, with grey cobwebs even around the stacks of clutter. Instinctively wanting to turn back to ask the approaching servant outside for cleaning tools, the moment she stepped inside, the door suddenly shut behind her.

"Click—"

The sound of a lock secured from outside.

She turned back, glanced at the dust-covered door, and twisted the handle.

As expected, it wouldn’t open.

She was locked in.

What were they planning to do?

Did they think she was still the young teenager who could easily be grounded?

But this attic was on the fourth floor, with small windows, so escaping wouldn’t be easy.

She pondered briefly, refrained from struggling with the door, and ventured in, brushing aside the intertwined webs with one hand and waving away the choking dust from the air with the other.

She approached the small bed she’d lived in for years, seeing its rotted, yellowed sheets covered in dust, she endured the discomfort, and turned to the small cabinet by the bed, reaching inside and finding a large box indeed.

This box was a safe she bought with scholarship money years ago. All her mother’s relics were inside. Though it wasn’t particularly expensive, no one else could open it.

The Shi family always scorned her mother’s belongings; Xv Yaru couldn’t even be bothered to touch them. But they didn’t know she had left this behind at home, only Shi Lingkang knew, and now, it was used as a bargaining chip to force Shi Su into this attic willingly.

...

Dawn.

Shi Su could not sleep at all.

Without her phone, she couldn’t call for help. The window was too small; she couldn’t fit through it as a teenager, let alone now, unable to rescue herself.

She could only wait for daylight.

Shi Lingkang clearly had a purpose in bringing her back this time. Though he locked her up, he wouldn’t starve her; someone would deliver food eventually; there must be other methods.

Without a phone or a clock, she just watched the sky outside the window from dark to light until she guessed it was probably around seven. She heard servants moving nearby, but they seemed not to plan on delivering food, only busying themselves with unknown tasks outside the door, pacing back and forth, without knocking or entering.

Until around noon, Shi Su didn’t wait any longer, taking off her dust-covered coat and placing it by the bed, she started tidying the room.

Without cloth or water, cleaning was challenging due to the amount of dust.

Eventually, she sat on the still dusty bed, feeling dizzy and exhausted from the dust, head throbbing painfully, enduring uncontrollable coughing from the dust.