The room remained silent for a long time.

After a while, Si Yuheng stood up and walked over.

Unexpectedly, he wasn’t angry; he merely squinted his eyes, carefully listening to her accusations.

Quick to anger?

Did this woman not know that he had already suppressed his greatest temper in his life for her?

"Needing relaxation? What could you possibly need to relax from? Have I mistreated you? What else do you want?" he asked, squinting his blue eyes.

Since she and Xiaoxiao arrived, he had provided them with the best material arrangements, even assigning her servants from the Chinese community to ease her homesickness.

It wasn’t as if he restricted her from going downstairs; even her beloved dog was allowed to play with her.

Though, for certain considerations, he didn’t permit her to stray far from the castle, there were plenty of entertainment options both inside and outside the castle to consume her time.

What else could be troubling her?

This woman was just too ungrateful!

She found it inexplicably amusing. Perhaps this was what they meant by "summer insects unable to speak of ice."

This man only measured things by his own standards, thinking he was treating her well without even asking her.

He asked what else she wanted.

What else she wanted was right on the tip of her tongue, but it couldn’t be spoken.

She pulled back her thoughts, clenched her fists, and changed the subject, "Anyway, I never intended to run away."

Seeing her silent, he didn’t press further but lifted her trembling face and said slowly, "This is the longest sentence you’ve ever said to me. If a few days ago when you sneaked into the forest, you had explained yourself like this, you wouldn’t have been punished with confinement. Regarding your solitary venture into the forest, let’s end it here; I won’t pursue it further."

She looked at him in disbelief and let out a long breath.

Really... it’s ended just like that? He won’t pursue it?

Before she could fully regain her breath, his voice suddenly deepened again, "But there’s another matter—darling, you probably haven’t explained it properly."

Liang Anya widened her eyes, looking at him, and from his even colder gaze than before, seemed to guess a bit.

"Did you encounter some outsider in the forest?" His fingertip brushed her chin.

As expected! As expected... this was what he was asking about!

She steadied her racing heart, "...No."

His fingers continued to wander, slowly sliding to her neck, coldly saying, "Are you sure?"

This was something she absolutely couldn’t admit to.

With his temperament, if he knew Fei Han often sneaked into his private gardens to hunt, he would certainly fly into a rage and cause trouble for Fei Han!

Moreover, it would bring trouble upon herself!

Better to have less hassle than more!

Her face remained calm, her voice unprecedentedly serene, "That forest is your private garden; how could I meet some outsider?"

Si Yuheng’s brow gradually furrowed.

Hearing from Beth that she had fallen into a hunting trap and twisted her ankle, he began to have doubts.

The traps set by Beiming Hall in the forest were at least the height of a person; without help, she wouldn’t have been able to climb out on her own.

His private garden must have been intruded upon by an outsider who saved her.

In his domain, ordinary people wouldn’t dare to intrude.

Anyone daring to intrude must surely have ulterior motives or a specific purpose. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Just who could it be...

Yet this woman stubbornly refused to admit it!

But the other party was more than likely a man.

Only a man would have the strength to haul her up.

His fingers arched into a scissor-like shape against her neck, ready to clamp down at any moment, yet finally, he released her, slid his hand down, and locked eyes with her, "Alright."

With a single word, he turned and left.

Si Yuheng slammed the door open, his footsteps in the corridor fading further and further away.

Liang Anya figured he probably wouldn’t continue questioning her and sighed in relief.

He was likely just suspicious and not certain, so he was trying to scare her!

Yes, that must be it...!

Lost in thought for a moment, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps from the adjacent nursery.

Beth burst through the door, panicked, "Miss, Miss Liang..."

"What is it?" She was alarmed, immediately thinking something might have happened to Xiaoxiao.

"The Hall Master took Xiaoxiao away when he left. What happened..."

Liang Anya’s face changed color; she rushed to the neighboring nursery, found the crib empty, then ran out of the room. The corridor was deserted; Si Yuheng and his men had already left.

She didn’t think twice, quickly changed into a nightgown, and hurried upstairs to the top floor.

As expected, the entrance to the corridor was already blocked by a few men.

The men reached out to stop her, "Miss Liang, it’s late; is there something you need?"

"Where did he take Xiaoxiao? Let me in to find him; I want to ask him why—"

The men easily blocked the woman trying to force her way in, "Miss Liang, the birthday banquet lasted all day, and it just ended. The Hall Master is very tired and has already gone to bed. If you have any issues, discuss them tomorrow."

With Xiaoxiao taken for no reason, how could she wait until tomorrow!

"Si Yuheng! Give Xiaoxiao back to me!" Unable to get through, she could only shout at the ginger-colored ornate door at the end of the corridor.

The sound echoed through the castle’s ceiling, reverberating until it gradually faded away.

Exhausted, she clutched the nearby railing, her voice hoarse, "Why did you take Xiaoxiao! Where is Xiaoxiao! I want to see you, come out! What did I do to offend you again! Come out, so we can discuss it face to face!"

"Miss Liang, please do not disturb the Hall Master’s rest. Please go downstairs!" one of the men emphasized.

"I won’t go downstairs until Xiaoxiao is returned to me!" Her face flushed red, yet she felt a deep sense of helplessness.

Every one of the burly men, over six feet tall, guarded the corridor so tightly she couldn’t possibly approach his room.

Fine, so he won’t come out!

A surge of anger welled up! Looking around, she rushed to the wall, yanked down an expensive European oil painting, smashed it on the ground, and stomped on it hard, "Si Yuheng! If you don’t come out, I’ll smash all your precious decorations!"

She knew how childish and ridiculous such behavior was, but she truly didn’t know how else to make him come out.

The painting had special protective film on it; no matter how much she stomped, she only managed to dirty it a bit—it didn’t even wrinkle. Furious, she shifted her gaze to a redwood decorative table at the corner of the corridor, where a few medieval antique vases were placed.

She marched over, picked up a vase, and hurled it to the ground.

The valuable vase shattered upon impact, breaking into pieces!

The men exchanged glances, feeling quite sorry for the Hall Master about those objects, about to stop her when a close confidant of the Hall Master walked out and quietly instructed:

"The Hall Master said to let her smash."

The words drifted into Liang Anya’s ears, freezing her in place.

Of course, he wouldn’t care about some vases or paintings!

Suddenly, she gathered her strength and shouted at his room angrily, "Si Yuheng, what do you want! Come out!"