At the sound, the man on the sofa lifted his gaze.
Xia Yiwan was wearing the long dress from yesterday, her face a clean palette, her long black hair splayed across her shoulders, a slight chill on her pure face.
Sensing the man's attention, Xia Yiwan, who was initially about to retreat, slowly set her foot down, inching her way to about three meters away from him.
"I want to go out," stated Xia Yiwan.
It was Monday and she didn't have any publicity appearances, so she needed to go to school.
The man flicked her a disinterested glance, "You're not allowed out today."
"Why?" Xia Yiwan couldn't help raising her voice to ask.
Did he intend to control her life completely using her grandma as leverage?
"Because I said so!" Si Mo glared at her, visibly annoyed, "If you disagree, you're welcome to leave immediately!"
Xia Yiwan clenched her fists tightly, inhaled deeply, and turned to walk towards the door.
"Think carefully, once you step out of this door, it won't be as easy to get back in," Si Mo's cold voice trailed after her.
Xia Yiwan's steps faltered to a stop.
Yesterday morning, she had chosen to say 'no' to Si Mo, but the eventual outcome was worse than if she had said 'yes'.
Turning around, Si Mo had already walked towards the dining room, so Xia Yiwan followed him.
She admitted, she was afraid of Si Mo.
Lunch was nothing extraordinary: meat, vegetables, and soup. It smelled delicious but Xia Yiwan could hardly eat a bite.
Several times, she wanted to strike up a conversation, but seeing Si Mo's silent demeanor as he ate, she gave up.
Finally, Si Mo put down his chopsticks, and Xia Yiwan seized the chance to speak, "Will you lift the...ban on the Chen family now?"
But before she finished her sentence, she fell silent under Si Mo's icy gaze.
Si Mo left abruptly.
Xia Yiwan stared at his departing figure in frustration for a while, then resignedly sighed and dialed Xia Min's number.
"Hello," Xia Yiwan barely got a word in when Xia Min's wrath exploded on the phone.
"Xia Yiwan! What on earth did you do? Where's Mr. Liu, why was his company suddenly raided by the police?"
A series of furious shouts left Xia Yiwan's ears buzzing.
Not only was Liu Dacheng's hand ruined, but his company was also shut down?
Just how powerful was Si Mo?
"Are you mute? Speak!" Xia Min's voice was bristling with anger.
The Chen family had been on shaky ground since last year due to the economic downturn. It was only this year that they had a chance to turn things around with Liu Dacheng's investment.
But now, everything had turned out like this.
"Where's grandma?" Xia Yiwan asked directly, ignoring her words.
"She's dead!" Xia Min roared.
Xia Yiwan felt her heart lurch, her voice trembled, "What did you say?"
"Don't play dumb with me. You were the one who had someone take away the old lady. And now you're asking me?"
Xia Min, furious at Xia Yiwan, huffed and puffed on the other end of the call.
Xia Yiwan was taken aback at hearing this.
Someone took Grandma? Who?
"Don't assume I can't touch you just because you took the old lady away. Just wait and see!" Xia Min hung up the phone furiously.
Xia Yiwan furrowed her brows, looking up towards the second floor. Could it be Si Mo who had her Grandma taken away?
Xia Yiwan pondered a while before deciding to get a clear answer from Si Mo.
Si Mo was in the upstairs study. She went up to knock on the door, and after a long wait, a voice from inside finally said, "Come in."
Pushing open the door, she was greeted by a massive room, much larger than a bedroom, walls lined with books. In the center was a desk with a computer and a desk lamp on it.