Meanwhile, at Nanjiang Villa.
Madam Lai’s dinner was as light as usual, just a bowl of rice porridge and two plates of plain stir-fried vegetables.
Half an hour earlier, Li Zihan had gone to the hospital to accompany Uncle Yuan Feng. During this time, he had been running back and forth, and Madam Lai saw it all, which pained her heart.
If only Zishen could come over!
Madam Lai thought to herself, and slowly made her way to the upstairs study. Practicing calligraphy before bed had become a must-do for her over the years.
Otherwise, how could she get through the long nights? She didn’t want to take those medications anymore.
Madam Lai entered the study, picked up the brush, and began practicing her calligraphy. Her characters were strong and forceful, each stroke appearing naturally.
Here, she could immerse herself in her own world, enjoying a sense of tranquility and peace.
What IVF procedures, Tang Xiaowan’s marriage into the Leng Family, including Third Aunt Lai’s sudden cerebral hemorrhage, Li Mingyue calling her a vixen—all these troubling matters she no longer wanted to think about.
Let them be, whether they pursued wealth or used pregnancy to marry into the Lai family. It had already come to this; she couldn’t possibly atone with her own death.
Suddenly, there were several knocks on the door.
Then, Nanny Wu came in with a tray, which held grapes and figs.
"Madam, look, this season and there are still such large figs, bright red. Please try them, Young Master Zishen just specially had someone send these over, including the grapes."
Madam Lai glanced at the fruits and couldn’t help but think of Tang Xiaowan.
Why did she marry Ling Xiao?
Is my Zishen not good enough? At 25, he has already achieved so much—how is he inferior?
Perhaps, this is my retribution. I shouldn’t have used my child to beg Zhenshan to marry me, to beg the old master to take me in, and I certainly shouldn’t have dreamed of replacing Xiao Dan.
"Are you alright, Madam?"
"The sins I created are always to be repaid, only a matter of time, isn’t it, Nanny Wu?"
"Are you referring to...Young Master Zishen?"
As the words fell, Madam Lai’s face turned pale, and she tightly pursed her lips, as if struck by lightning.
Nanny Wu quickly stepped forward to support her.
"Madam, I meant...recently Young Master Zishen has been traveling a lot, busy with work, so he hasn’t been able to come...to have a meal with you. Please don’t be sad; the young master is also busy for the company, and actually, the pressure is quite high."
Some words just make things worse.
At this moment, Madam Lai’s complexion has turned extremely sour, the brush in her hand trembling slightly.
"Did you already know about this?"
"Young Master Zishen... going to the hospital to see the uncle, I didn’t intentionally hide it from you," Nanny Wu said, lowering her head, not daring to look directly into Madam Lai’s eyes.
She indeed had known about the IVF. However, it wasn’t Yuan Feng who told her, but rather she overheard it while massaging Madam Lai at night to relieve stress.
"It was Zihan, wasn’t it?"
"Young Master Zihan meant well, thinking that maybe the uncle..."
"Thank you, Nanny Wu, it’s alright."
With that, Madam Lai continued her calligraphy practice, but a trace of sorrow added to her brow.
"Daddy, can you please stop calling Auntie? She’s a bad woman, she’s a vixen, make her leave, please make her go." Thıs content belongs to noᴠelfire.net
"Daddy, she’s the vixen, a bad woman, I want mommy. Daddy, you can’t have children with her, you are only Ming Yue’s daddy."
"Give me back my mommy, give me back my mommy!"
Li Ming Yue’s words echoed once again in Madam Lai’s ears. Though children should speak carefreely, each cry and curse stabbed into her heart.
The brush fell from her hand onto the paper.
Her mind was in disarray, one moment she was frolicking and fooling around on campus with Yi Xiaodan, another she was secretly following Li Zhenshan to the hospital. There was also her brother Yuan Feng who had bought a new car and took her to visit his office. There were so many folders, and she looked through each one.
Many fragments suddenly surged into her mind like watching a movie. Madam Lai’s thoughts were occupied by various chaotic memories and scenes.
"Madam, what’s wrong?"
"I’m not a vixen, how could I possibly be a vixen? I’m not! Nanny Wu, I’m not."
Seeing this, Nanny Wu quickly ran to the storage cabinet.
Then, she held a glass of water in one hand and medication in the other, looking very concerned about Madam Lai: "Madam, here, take the medicine first."
"Should I take the medicine?"
But unexpectedly, Madam Lai’s hand trembled slightly, and she didn’t hold it steady; the glass fell to the ground.
The cup made a crisp shattering sound, and fragments scattered splashing droplets on the floor. Madam Lai was stunned; she stared blankly at the broken glass, as if seeing her own inner brokenness.