Chapter 25
Outside a small cottage in the north of the city, a clear figure was shivering in the doorway, not sure if it was because of the cold or fear.
Perhaps because of the lunar eclipse, there was almost no moon tonight, and the cottage was situated on a panic-stricken, uninhabited beach.
“Open the door quickly, Ms. Ke …” Ho Gina pressed ringing the doorbell once again.
Finally, a light came on inside the house, and a woman yawned and came out, saying through the iron door without good grace, “Miss Ho, our wife is already asleep, what are you doing here so late?”
“I have something important to say to Ms. Ke. Sister Ling, please open the door.”
“Let’s talk about what’s going on tomorrow.
“But it’s really important, I’ve been looking for Ms. Ke all day.” Ho Gina looked anxious.
Ling was about to open her mouth to shoo someone away when a slightly hoarse voice suddenly came from inside the room, “Let her in.”
Ling opened the door and Ho Gina was busy squeezing in sideways and going straight up to the second floor.
“What’s so urgent?” Inside the dimly lit bedroom, the tall, black-clad woman held a tall glass in her hand and raised her hand to take a light sip of the red wine inside.
Ho Gina did not go in, and stood sagely at the door, with an anxious face through the panel, “Ms. Ke, I’m afraid Yang June is going to wake up.”
The woman’s slender fingers squeezing the cup tightened and she held her breath.
When Ho Gina saw that she did not respond, she continued, “I did as you said and took Cheng Lydia to see Yang June and told her everything. She was indeed shocked and angry, but just when I told Yang June that Ron had taken another wife, Yang June actually burst into tears, the way she looked as if she understood what I was saying, which had never happened before.”
Coe was surprised for a few seconds, activated his lips and asked, “Did you read that right?”
“No, absolutely not.”
After another flurry of silence, Coe pulled his lips into a faint smile, “It seems she does have a strong will to live.”
“What to do Ms. Ke sis, if she wakes up, Ron will be taken from her again.”
“Don’t worry, if you do as I tell you, she won’t wake up.”
“What do you want me to do, sister?”
“Add two more milliliters to the dosage.”
“Will that do?”
“Well, let me know if there’s anything.” Cor yawned and set down his glass and headed in the direction of the king-size bed.
Ho Gina knew this was her silent eviction, as she turned and went downstairs, stepping out of the villa, Ho Gina stopped and turned her head to gaze at the already darkened windows on the second floor.
Four years ago, the day before Shen Ron married Yang June.
Ho Gina sits alone by the river and cries, then Ling shows up and asks her if she wants to take Shen Ron back, she nods with tears in her eyes.
It was something she had dreamed of.
The next day, the main wedding car picking up the bride accidentally collided with an oncoming truck while passing by Riverside Road, sending Yang June flying over the stone railing along the riverside and staining her wedding dress with blood.
From that moment on, Yang June has been asleep and has never awakened.
She had asked Cole why she was doing this for her, and Cole had told her with an evil look on his face that Shen Ron owed her that.
She had chosen to believe, and had trusted and listened to all that she had been told all these years.
The couch was large and soft, but Cheng Lydia still didn’t sleep well all night because she wasn’t used to it, and it wasn’t until the sky appeared fish-belly white in the distance that sleep finally sank in.
It was still a day of rest, and without the distraction of an alarm, she slept until she woke up after nine.
She ghosted up from the couch, a little confused about her surroundings, and looked up to see Shen Ron sleeping on the bed wrapped in a blanket.
Everything from last night came clear in her mind, and from a few meters away, Cheng Lydia watched Shen Ron’s back and stared for several minutes before she carefully got up and went into the bathroom to wash up.
When she shuffled out, Shen Ron had also woken up and was sitting up in bed rubbing his sore neck with his hands.
Cheng Lydia paused slightly on her feet and gazed at him, “You’re awake.”
Shen Ron looked up at her and said, “Why am I sore and achy all over? You didn’t rape me while I was drunk, did you?”
Cheng Lydia gritted her teeth and walked over to the couch to gather up the bedding as she grimaced, “Of course you’re sore all over from all the laughing and singing and lap dancing you did last night at the Shen Mansion.”
“I do a big lap dance?” A certain man frowned.
“And it’s a striptease.”
“How could that be.” Shen Ron snorted coldly and got out of bed in search of his slippers. He’d been drunk last night, but he still had a mental picture of what he’d done, including a clear memory of what the old woman and Cheng Lydia had talked about in the room.
A flash of heartache crossed his heart, and both of his fists clenched involuntarily.
“Here are your slippers.” Cheng Lydia placed a pair of cotton slippers at his feet, pulling him from his sadness to reality.
“You made too much of a scene last night and Grandma was furious, so I’ll see her later with a softer attitude.” Cheng Lydia reminded kindly.
Shen Ron looked at her with disdain, “I’ve lived with my grandmother for almost thirty years and I still need you to tell me what to do?”
Cheng Lydia’s breath caught in her throat and she gave him a sour look and stopped squealing.
There was a sudden knock at the door, followed by Zhang Jane’s voice, “Eldest young master, young lady, are you up?”
Cheng Lydia was just about to respond that it was up when Zhang Jane pushed herself through the door.
Cheng Lydia had no time to tuck the covers back into the cupboard before she was blocked in by Zhang Jane, and she froze in place, watching as Zhang Jane’s scanner-like gaze swept over every corner of the bedroom with some vague understanding coming to her mind.
Every time Zhang Jane had come in, although she had knocked, she had pushed in without waiting for her response, thinking that she had a purpose, and that her purpose must be what the old lady meant.
“I was just passing the door when I heard a commotion in the house and guessed you guys would be awake.” Zhang Jane smiled as she took the quilt from Cheng Lydia’s arms and said with a smile, “It’s been a while since I took this quilt out to dry, so I’ll move it to the roof.”
“I’ve asked Gina to prepare breakfast, young master and young lady should go down to have breakfast once they are washed and blossomed.” Zhang Jane said and turned to leave the bedroom.
Throughout, Cheng Lydia didn’t open her mouth to say a word.
She turned back, looked at Shen Ron, who also hadn’t said a word, and asked, “Do you have any other quilts?”
“How should I know, you won’t find out for yourself?” Shen Ron waved that off and walked to his closet and grabbed a clean set of clothes and went into the bathroom.
Cheng Lydia watched breathlessly as he entered the bathroom, then walked to the closet and dressing room and searched briefly, not seeing any covers.
At the breakfast table, Mrs. Shen, who had already had her breakfast, sat opposite Shen Ron and Cheng Lydia, gazing sullenly at Shen Ron who had buried his head in his breakfast, but did not say anything for a long time.
Finally, Shen Ron couldn’t help but stare up at her and spoke, “Grandma, are you staring at me like that, with the intention of making me eat less?”
“Don’t you have anything confessional to say to Lydia?” The old woman was not kind.
Shen Ron raised an eyebrow in confusion, “Why would I say confessions to Lydia?”
“What do you think? What did you do to yourself last night that you don’t know?”
“What did I do last night?” Shen Ron put down the chopsticks in his hand and turned to Cheng Lydia continuing to stare at her in feigned confusion.
“It’s nothing, it’s all just a few little lapses.” Cheng Lydia gave him a stiff smile back.
“Look, Lydia all but said it was okay.” Shen Ron turned to the old lady again.
The old lady glared at him, “That’s because Lydia knows how to behave and doesn’t bother you, next time don’t drink too much you hear me?”
“Grandma, you think I want to drink by myself? It’s not like you don’t know I work a lot and have a lot of social engagements, how can I push my work without drinking.”
“You’ve been working a lot?”
“Of course, LILY happens to be pregnant again, and I have to handle a lot of things myself.”
“LILY is pregnant?” The old woman rejoiced.
LILY is the secretary general of Shen’s group, Shen Ron’s right-hand man.
Shen Ron looked at his grandmother’s delighted expression and mentally began to regret telling her about it, wondering what his grandmother, who was as shrewd as a ghost, was trying to calculate again.
“Then let Lydia go and replace her for a while.” The old woman smirked.
Sure enough!
Shen Ron frowned breathlessly.
Cheng Lydia on the side heard the old lady’s words and gave her chopsticks a lurch in her hands, looking up in surprise. Did she hear it right? The old lady asked her to work at Shen’s? A clerical job that she didn’t know anything about?
“LILY is also considered an old employee of Shen’s, and now that she is pregnant and of advanced age, let her take paid maternity leave, just as Lydia is free from work.” The old lady turned to Lydia: “How many days a week does Lydia work? Four days? I’ll call the dean later and ask him to move your shift to three days a week.”
“Grandma, I haven’t done anything else but medical work.” Cheng Lydia said apologetically.
“It’s okay, the secretarial work is all relatively simple, it doesn’t take three days to get up to speed, and besides, isn’t Ron there.”
The old lady has been thinking about how to get Cheng Lydia to Shen Ron for the past few days, asking Lydia to resign without thinking that she would be rejected, but she didn’t expect the opportunity to come so coincidentally, LILY is pregnant.
“Grandma, I really can’t …” Cheng Lydia tried to save the day and touched her knee under the table on Shen Ron’s leg, asking him for help.
Shen Ron took heart and immediately said, “Yeah, she’s definitely not okay with such a violent temper.”
Where was her temper, Cheng Lydia was upset, but in the way of bad timing, she had to put up with it.
“Lydia has no idea how good her temper is, and she’s polite to people.” The old lady looked like she was not negotiable, “LILY is on maternity leave, she will come back to work after giving birth, Lydia you will work a little harder to fill in for her during this time.”
With that, Shen Ron could only cast a loving look at Cheng Lydia.
It certainly didn’t sit well with Shen Ron to place Cheng Lydia at his side, but there was little use in disliking what the old woman wanted to do.
The old lady watched the two men’s reactions back and forth, and when she saw that Cheng Lydia still hesitated, she was busy adding, “Lydia, you don’t have to feel too much pressure, Ron will take care of the big things in the sky.”
“Grandma, you really look up to your grandson.” Shen Ron breathlessly put down his dishes and stood up from his chair, “I’m off, bye.”
Shen Ron leaves, and the old woman, fearing that Cheng Lydia will rebuff her, gets up and buggers off too.
Cheng Lydia understands that Mrs. Shen is deliberately creating opportunities for her and Shen Ron to spend time together, but is it working? She didn’t think so. Mrs. Lim was also trying her best to get her and Lim Toby together, but in the end she and Lim Toby got divorced.
You really can’t force things with emotions.
Cheng Lydia drew a tissue to clean the corner of her mouth and got up to go upstairs.
Standing in the doorway of her bedroom, she craned her head to look at the rose-filled air corridor to her left, the other end of which was where Yang June lived, something she had never known before.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
Ever since she’d learned of Yang June’s existence, she’d stopped every time she entered or left her bedroom and couldn’t help but cast her eyes across the airy corridor.
Shen Ron’s bedroom was only separated from Yang June’s by that beautiful airy corridor, and the terraces of the two bedrooms were since they were side-by-side, which she had only discovered today.
Did Shen Ron arrange this on purpose? I think so.
It is indeed convenient to think of his June at night and just step out onto the terrace to see Yang June’s bedroom.
Cheng Lydia’s grip on the doorknob paused briefly, then she released it and stepped in the direction of the air corridor with a twist of her shoe.
She walked cautiously, hesitantly, not really knowing if she should go, if she could go. Instead, her feet moved forward little by little, as if uncontrollably.
When Cheng Lydia pushed the door and walked in, a maid called Jenny was rubbing Yang June’s body. Seeing her enter, Jenny was stunned for a moment and looked down politely, “Good morning young lady, what brings you here?”
“Come and see Ms. Yang,” Cheng Lydia smiled and stepped towards the bed, casually testing the water temperature in the basin, “The water isn’t very hot, add some more hot water.”
Jenny looked at the warm water in the basin and said hesitantly, “But Gina-san said this is the perfect temperature.”
“What does that Gina kid know, I’m a doctor, I know more than her, listen to me.” Cheng Lydia lifted a hand to pat her on the shoulder and took a step forward, surveying Yang June’s slightly pale little face.
Jenny gave an ‘oh’ and picked up the kettle to add some hot water to the basin and asked Cheng Lydia, “Is that enough, young lady?”
Cheng Lydia tried it with her hand and nodded, “That’s enough, next time I’ll bring you a water temperature card at the hospital, that way you won’t have to pinpoint the temperature of the water.”
“That would be great, thank you young lady.” Jenny said excitedly.
“It’s okay.” Cheng Lydia smiled lightly at her.
It was the second time Cheng Lydia had seen Yang June, and there was no longer the shock and fear she had felt yesterday morning, but her heart was still beating a little unsteadily.
Anyone would feel uncomfortable seeing a face that looks particularly similar to their own with no blood ties.
She hesitantly reached out and carefully caressed the back of Yang June’s hand, murmuring bitterly, “Ms. Yang, is this your misfortune or mine?”
Responding to her was the silence around her, the motionless sleeping face of Yang June.
Cheng Lydia sighed quietly and turned towards the bedroom door.
“Take your time, young lady.” Jenny said politely.
Cheng Lydia’s footsteps paused and she turned her head to ask her, “Who usually waits on Ms. Yang here?”
“It’s me and Gina,” Jenny replied.
Gina … the girl who was so hostile to herself. Cheng Lydia was slightly surprised then nodded and stepped away.