Pure Love Imprisoned: My Ex-Boyfriend, Who Blamed Me, Imprisoned Me in Love

The next day, He Duoye still took Lin Mian to see the place where he lived as a child.

Actually, it's not far from the city center. It's just behind an old residential area, separated by a small patch of unfinished land where a large number of low, dilapidated houses stand crammed together.

It looks like a densely packed rural street, with houses on both sides very crowded, each gap filled with houses of varying heights. Most of the shops on both sides of the street are small, garish pink shops, with a woman sitting or standing in front of each shop, and occasionally a man and a child.

The pedestrians on the street were almost all men, being pulled and dragged into the houses by the owners of those pink-clad shops.

The air was filled with a strange, pungent odor.

He Duoye told her that it smelled like leaves, and that this stuff was more widely available and legal than controlled drugs. However, it was rare when he was a child.

Lin Mian looked around. There were quite a few people on the street, including many children running around. Some of the shops had pretty exteriors and even played foreign songs inside.

But for some reason, this place feels very oppressive and uncomfortable.

Lin Mian casually glanced around and met the gazes of several people in succession.

From the moment they entered the street, people had been watching her and He Duoye. However, He Duoye was tall and strong, and had an unapproachable appearance, so no one dared to come close.

Lin Mian couldn't help but look at the children.

Unlike the children she had seen before, the children here did not have innocent and bright faces. They were either gloomy and fierce or slick and cunning. Even when they smiled with their teeth showing, they had a maturity far beyond their age.

Not long after they entered the street, they encountered an adult punching and kicking a boy who was about half a year old. But the boy did not obediently take the beating. He quickly jumped up, fought back, and then turned and ran away.

The adults were left behind cursing.

After walking a little further, He Duoye paused slightly.

He looked at a row of old-fashioned buildings, probably rental properties. The first floor was a shop, and the second and third floors were densely packed with dilapidated wooden doors. Laundry clothes hung in the corridor, interspersed with a large number of colorful lingerie.

As he looked up, he saw a child, no more than four or five years old, leaning on the railing and looking down as well.

Lin Mian noticed He Duoye's pause, so she tightened her grip on his hand and followed his gaze to the second floor.

At that moment, the door behind the child, adorned with a large Chinese knot, opened, and a woman with flowing hair walked out, arm in arm with a man.

She smiled as she saw the man off, wearing only a sundress with one strap hanging down to her arm, but she didn't care at all. She leaned against the door and started smoking.

The little boy, who was leaning on the railing, turned around, looked at her, and said, "Mommy, I want to go inside."

The woman rolled her eyes at the boy impatiently, turned around, slammed the door shut, and locked the boy out.

The boy stared at the closed door for a while, then continued to lean quietly on the railing. He looked down, meeting He Duoye's gaze with little expression. Then, his eyes flickered, and he looked at the woman next to He Duoye.

She has a young, beautiful, kind, and easily deceived face, and is very likely to give him food or a little change out of pity.

The boy thought to himself, and then gave that face a fawning smile.

That smile did indeed stir Lin Mian's compassion. She raised her arm, wanting to beckon the child down, but He Duoye held her down.

He Duoye wrapped his arm around her slender body, pressing down on her arm as he led her forward: "There's no need to pity him."

This temporary pity is useless and will only bring trouble.

There are so many neglected children here. If she becomes pitiful, a whole bunch of them will be watching her.

Lin Mian noticed the eyes staring at her and realized this, but she couldn't help turning around to look at the child lying on the second floor.

Seeing them leave, the boy withdrew his ingratiating smile and continued to stare blankly down at the ground with a blank expression.

Perhaps Lin Mian was just being sentimental and overthinking things, but she had a feeling that... she seemed to see He Duoye as a child.

He Duoye grabbed her chin and turned her face back: "If you really want to pity me, you should pity me instead."

Lin Mian looked at him, hesitant and wavering.

He Duoye lowered his eyes, meeting Lin Mian's soft gaze, and brushed his fingertip against the corner of Lin Mian's lips: "My requirements are very low, just pity me a little bit."

Lin Mian: "..."

She pulled He Duoye's hand away.

But this interruption immediately dispelled Lin Mian's attempt to appear pitiful.

After leaving the street, they found a place to have lunch. It was a roadside restaurant with half of its walls made of glass.

Lin Mian always had the feeling that she was being watched. She turned her head to look outside, but there were many people and cars around, so she couldn't see anything unusual.

He Duoye fed her a piece of steak and said lazily, "Don't look. Someone is watching us, but don't worry about it. These people will disappear soon."

No one knows how He Duoye did it, but after a while, those gazes did indeed disappear.

After having lunch and taking a nap at the hotel, He Duoye leisurely led Lin Mian back to the He family's old residence.

The old house is not far from the city center. It is not as large as He Duoye's manor, but the walls are surrounded by trees. The towering canopies and dense branches completely block out the outside view and noise.

The car drove through woods, meadows, and large gardens, finally arriving at an antique-style courtyard.

The old mansion's butler, along with Su Yan, whom they had met before, were already waiting at the entrance. The two welcomed He Duoye and Lin Mian into the courtyard. Su Yan smiled and said, "Master has been waiting for you two for a long time, especially Miss Lin. He has been eager to meet you."

As they talked, they passed a small building.

"This house is the new home that the master prepared for you," Su Yan said. "All the furniture inside is new, and the appliances are imported. You can take a look later. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, just let me know, and I'll arrange for someone to take care of it immediately."

As we talked, we walked through a long corridor, next to which was a lotus pond. The emerald green lotus leaves swayed, and the pink lotus flowers were in full bloom, with a faint fragrance of lotus flowers in the air.

But looking at this place, I have the illusion of strolling through a traditional Chinese courtyard.

As he walked to the study, Su Yan raised his hand and knocked on the door, his tone respectful: "Master."

A voice inside replied, "Come in."

Su Yan pushed open the door, then stepped back to the doorway, inviting Lin Mian and He Duoye to enter first.

The thought of facing He's father head-on made Lin Mian nervous, but He Duoye was completely uninhibited. He took Lin Mian's hand and stepped inside.