A Tentative Freedom

Frost’s car was fast, yet the ride remained remarkably smooth.

Although she had no idea why Luo Yao wished to visit a place like Fanhai New City, Mu Yaochen had explicitly instructed her to fulfill his requests whenever possible.

Thus, she found herself compelled to follow Luo Yao’s every direction, a situation that subtly diminished her own standing.

Now, beyond her duties as Mu Yaochen’s bodyguard, she was also tasked with attending to Luo Yao.

“We’ve arrived.”

The car had reached the outskirts of Fanhai New City, and in just a few more blocks, the entrance to the residential complex would be visible.

“Mm.”

Luo Yao softly acknowledged Frost, his gaze, however, remained fixed on the world outside the window.

Despite being out, he was in urgent need of a new phone.

Yet, he harbored doubts about whether Mu Yaochen would ever permit him to acquire one, given the woman’s notoriously strong desire for control.

“Um… Frost, could you pull over so I can buy a phone?”

As the car passed a street-side phone shop, Luo Yao’s eyes lingered on the array of handsets displayed within.

At this particular time, the renowned “Fruit Phone” had only just released its seventh generation.

“Buy a phone?”

Upon hearing Luo Yao’s words, Frost instinctively eased her foot off the accelerator, gradually reducing the car’s speed until she found a roadside parking spot and brought the vehicle to a smooth stop.

Within Frost’s recollection, it seemed Mu Yaochen did not wish for Luo Yao to possess a phone.

“What, you can’t? Or does it require the mistress’s permission first?”

Luo Yao watched the hesitant Frost, his mind seething with unspoken complaints.

‘Why bother with that crazy woman?’

Luo Yao knew that if Frost were to truly report this matter to Mu Yaochen, his request for a phone would, without a doubt, be immediately rejected.

“About this, I should still inform the mistress.”

Mu Yaochen’s instructions to Frost were to accommodate any requests that weren’t excessively unreasonable.

Before Luo Yao could utter a word, Frost promptly pulled out her phone and began sending a message to Mu Yaochen.

“Hey, hey…”

Seeing Frost retrieve her phone, Luo Yao instantly understood her intention.

He scrambled to his feet, lunging directly towards her.

After all, he knew that even holding a phone might have already crossed Mu Yaochen’s red line; his earlier question had merely been a tentative probe.

“Don’t move recklessly. I must report everything concerning you truthfully to the mistress.”

Witnessing Luo Yao’s attempt to tackle her, Frost’s tall frame gracefully shifted forward, causing Luo Yao to miss entirely and, more precisely, embrace the seat cushion instead.

Luo Yao had not anticipated such agility from Frost, despite her imposing height and stature.

Even as Luo Yao attempted to thwart Frost, she had already dispatched the message to Mu Yaochen on the other end of the line.

Due to his lunge, Luo Yao had a clear view of the contents on Frost’s phone screen.

Seeing that the recipient of the message was Mu Yaochen, Luo Yao felt an immediate wave of discomfort wash over him.

“Behave yourself.”

Frost’s slender brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and then she returned the phone to her pocket, her gaze seeming to hold a faint hint of resentment.

Luo Yao felt the weight of Frost’s stare.

Since the message had already been sent, there was no way to retrieve the situation now, regardless of what he did.

Just as a quiet stillness settled between them, the phone Frost had just returned to her pocket suddenly chimed.

“Please be quiet for a moment.”

Frost whispered, then retrieved her phone from her pocket once more.

Luo Yao, surprisingly compliant, released his grip on the seat.

Frost, meanwhile, regarded the phone in her hand with a serious, thoughtful expression.

“Let’s go. What model of phone do you prefer?”

Swiftly, Frost finished reading all the messages on her phone.

Setting it down, she immediately opened the car door beside her.

“What?”

Luo Yao gazed at Frost in the front seat, a puzzled expression on his face.

Observing her actions, he couldn’t help but wonder if Mu Yaochen had actually consented to his desire for a phone.

“The mistress just agreed to give you a phone, so tell me what style you’d like.”

After exiting the car, Frost walked around to the sidewalk and opened the rear door for him.

Luo Yao stared at Frost before him, astonishment coloring his features.

No, his surprise stemmed more from the fact that Mu Yaochen would actually agree to him having a phone.

Hadn’t she been highly resistant when he’d wanted to borrow one to call his family before?

At this point, Luo Yao harbored little suspicion.

‘Perhaps Mu Yaochen was simply employing a “carrot and stick” approach to conquer him?’

‘No, rather than “conquer,” it felt more like “conditioning.”‘

Luo Yao slowly stepped out of the car, while Frost merely stood silently by the door, awaiting him.

“She agreed?”

At that moment, Luo Yao did not address Mu Yaochen as ‘mistress,’ perhaps never having acknowledged the master-servant dynamic between them from the very beginning.

“The mistress has agreed, but once the phone is purchased, I will need to inspect it.

Additionally, I will provide you with a SIM card; there’s no need for you to arrange it yourself.”

Frost meticulously relayed Mu Yaochen’s instructions from the phone to Luo Yao.

As for “inspecting” the phone, the unspoken implication was to install tracking features and other such functionalities.

Luo Yao tugged at the collar around his neck, admitting to himself that wearing the contraption made him feel more than a little uncomfortable.

Following that, Luo Yao and Frost exchanged few further words.

They entered the phone shop one after the other, and the purchase process proceeded smoothly.

The sales assistant, charmed by Luo Yao’s good looks, even offered him a small discount.

However, what truly vexed Luo Yao was that the phone’s cost was deducted from the three hundred thousand yuan Mu Yaochen had promised him.

Despite the loss of some funds, Luo Yao now finally possessed a means to communicate with the outside world.

He dared not imagine trying to open a business later without any tools for external communication; his every move would undoubtedly be controlled by Mu Yaochen.

At this thought, a shiver ran down Luo Yao’s spine.

Mu Yaochen’s sudden relaxation of his restrictions made Luo Yao suspect a trap.

Even as Luo Yao remained lost in his apprehension, Frost had already led him outside.

The phone’s packaging box was now in Frost’s hands, as she would need to “flash” (TL Note: “刷机” typically refers to reinstalling the operating system or customizing firmware on a mobile device, often to remove pre-installed software or add new features.) it once they returned.

“Is there anywhere else you’d like to go?”

Frost, now seated in the driver’s seat and buckled in, inquired of Luo Yao, who was in the back.

“Let’s just drive around these few streets for a bit,” Luo Yao murmured, then shifted his gaze back to the window.

Though he now possessed a phone, Luo Yao’s earlier suspicions had left him increasingly fearful that Mu Yaochen might be harboring some sinister plot to torment him.

These past few days had been overwhelmingly oppressive for Luo Yao.

His life had become entirely dictated by Mu Yaochen’s whims; he had completely lost all agency.

‘Forget it,’ he thought. ‘I shouldn’t dwell on such ominous matters.’

With that thought, Luo Yao instinctively turned his gaze back to the window.

****