CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 74; OKAY MOMMY ZHI

The silence was so heavy it pressed into her ears, making her feel like she was underwater, drowning without struggle.

Memories crashed back violently, each one sharp and painful.

The argument.

Her screams as she hurled vases, photo frames, and glass figurines at Shen Xiao’s tall, unmoving frame.

The way her palms bled from gripping broken glass, the red smearing against white marble like cursed ink.

The last thing she remembered was his cold, expressionless eyes as he reached out to her, before darkness swallowed her whole.

Her chest convulsed with silent sobs as she clutched the silk sheets desperately, her fingers curling until her knuckles turned white.

"Why... why can’t I leave...?"

She felt like a dying bird trapped in a gilded cage, its wings twisted and broken beyond repair, forced to watch the sky from behind golden bars.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, staring blankly at the intricate carpet patterns with unseeing eyes, before the bedroom door opened quietly with a soft metallic click.

Yueyao didn’t look up.

She didn’t need to.

She heard the light, purposeful footsteps glide across the carpet, followed by the faint clink of porcelain as a breakfast tray was set down on the ornate side table near the bed.

"Good morning, Madam Shen," Bai Zhi’s voice floated through the silence, sweet and soft, laced with a hint of feigned concern. "You must be hungry. I brought you bird’s nest porridge with red dates. It’s good for your health..."

Yueyao said nothing, her eyes staring blankly at the patterns on the carpet, her chest rising and falling in shallow, ragged breaths.

Bai Zhi continued arranging the small dishes, her delicate fingers moving gracefully as she poured warm herbal tea into a porcelain cup. The faint fragrance filled the heavy air between them.

"I heard you had a rough night again," Bai Zhi said lightly, her tone almost pitying. "Poor thing... nightmares are so draining. But you really should try to eat something, Madam Shen. You look so... fragile lately."

Her words curled into Yueyao’s ears like poisonous smoke, twisting deeper into her chest with every syllable.

Then, Bai Zhi chuckled softly.

"It’s best not to keep resisting, you know that President Shen really does everything for your own good and you won’t be able to go up against him. Even Shen Xuan... he understands that now."

Yueyao’s eyes flickered faintly at her son’s name, but she remained silent.

Almost as if summoned, light footsteps pattered across the marble outside, and Shen Xuan’s small figure appeared at the doorway. His round eyes brightened instantly when he saw Bai Zhi.

"Mommy Zhi!" he cried, rushing forward and clinging to her thigh, his little hands gripping her silk dress tightly. "Mommy Zhi, can I go play after breakfast? Daddy said I have piano class later..."

Yueyao’s vision blurred with hot, searing tears as her chest convulsed painfully. Her son’s innocent, childish voice felt like a blade twisting deeper into her ribs. She thought she could get used to it by now, but it was still so painful to hear him so gentle and warm towards this woman.

Bai Zhi smiled gently, ruffling his hair with her slender fingers.

"Of course, Xuan’er," she cooed gently smiling at him. "But first let’s feed Mommy Yueyao her breakfast, okay?"

"Okay mommy Zhi....."

Shen Xuan seemed to be more attached to Bai Zhi, he seemed to be himself compared to when he was around her.

Yueyao’s hands trembled as she clenched the sheets tighter, her fingernails digging into her palms until blood welled beneath them.