CHAPTER 84: CHAPTER 84; TAKE HIM

Very soon, everything would return to the way it should have always been.

With Yueyao locked away, her mind broken beyond repair... and Bai Zhi finally by Shen Xiao’s side.

Forever.

This has always been the plan for many years....

— — — —

Shen Xiao’s gaze lingered on Bai Zhi for a moment longer before he turned away silently, his polished shoes clicking softly across the marble floor.

He walked back to Shen Xuan, who still sat curled tightly into himself, small shoulders trembling violently with each silent sob that wracked his tiny frame.

The boy’s tear-reddened eyes were wide and glazed with shock, his hands clamped desperately over his ears as if trying to block out the memory of what he had just witnessed.

Shen Xiao crouched down slowly beside him, his tall frame folding into a poised, silent squat. His powerful hand reached out and brushed softly against Shen Xuan’s thin back.

"Xuan’er," he called him quietly, his deep, low voice rumbling with cold gentleness. "Look at Daddy."

The boy only shook his head, his small fingers digging harder against his ears as his lips trembled with soundless words.

"Xuan’er." Shen Xiao’s voice turned firmer, still calm but carrying an unspoken authority that made the boy’s trembling shoulders jerk faintly. "She won’t hurt you again. Daddy promises. She is sick... but she loves you. You must remember that she loves you. She is your mother."

Shen Xuan’s tears fell harder at his words, his broken voice finally escaping in a small, cracked sob. "No... no... she’s not my mommy anymore... Mommy Zhi is my mommy... she loves me... she doesn’t hurt me... I hate Mommy... I hate her... I hate her..."

Each word felt like a blade driven straight into Shen Xiao’s chest, carving deep, silent gashes into his frozen heart. It felt like their relationship was beyond redemption.

But his expression did not change.

He reached out and lifted the boy into his arms with quiet ease, cradling his small trembling body against his broad chest. Shen Xuan sobbed harder at the contact, tiny fists pounding weakly against his suit jacket.

"Enough," Shen Xiao murmured low against his hair, his voice chillingly calm. "You will go stay with Grandpa and Grandma for a while, okay? They will keep you safe until Mommy gets better."

But Shen Xuan only shook his head frantically, his small fingers clawing at his father’s jacket. "Don’t... don’t let her near me... please... Daddy... don’t let her come near me..."

Shen Xiao closed his eyes briefly, feeling the silent ache in his chest tighten. Then he walked over, still holding the sobbing child against his chest as he nodded towards the waiting butler near the foyer.

"Prepare the car and send Young Master to my parents’ estate today. Pack everything he needs for at least a month. That’s enough time for me to handle the situation"

"Yes, Sir."

The butler bowed deeply and hurried away.

Shen Xiao turned and walked back to the velvet settee where Bai Zhi sat trembling, her pale cheeks streaked with silent tears.

When she saw him approaching with Shen Xuan in his arms, her eyes softened with delicate sorrow.

"Xuan’er..." she whispered brokenly, reaching out her thin hand to stroke the boy’s tear-streaked cheek. "Don’t cry, baby... everything is okay now..."

But Shen Xuan only whimpered, burying his face deeper into Shen Xiao’s chest, refusing to look at her.

Bai Zhi let out a soft, choked sob, her fragile shoulders shaking beneath the pale blanket as her trembling gaze lifted to Shen Xiao’s impassive face.

"Xiao..." she whispered, her voice breaking. "I... I’m sorry... I tried to calm her down... but she... she was not Yueyao anymore... she was like a madwoman... I thought she would kill me... I thought... I thought I’d never see you again..."

Her delicate lips quivered as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Go and rest," Shen Xiao said quietly, his deep voice devoid of emotion as he shifted Shen Xuan’s weight slightly in his arms. "The doctors will give you something to help you sleep."

"Will... will you stay with me...?" she asked hesitantly, her trembling voice laced with timid hope.

But Shen Xiao’s obsidian gaze flicked away, cold and silent.

"I have work to do."

Bai Zhi lowered her eyes, biting back the flicker of bitter disappointment that burned behind her lashes. She nodded weakly, tears slipping silently down her face as she clutched the blanket tighter around her shaking body.

Without another word, Shen Xiao turned and walked away, carrying Shen Xuan out of the grand foyer.

He handed the boy silently to the waiting butler by the main doors. Shen Xuan clung to him desperately, sobbing broken pleas to stay, but Shen Xiao only pried his tiny fingers away with quiet force, placing him gently in the butler’s arms.

"Take him," he ordered coldly. "Ensure he arrives safely."

"Yes, Sir."

As the butler hurried away with Shen Xuan’s small sobbing form, Shen Xiao stood in the silent entryway, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the marble floor.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then he turned and walked towards his private study.

The door closed behind him with a soft, final click, sealing him into the quiet darkness of his sanctuary.

He stood in his private study, the muted afternoon sun filtering through sheer grey drapes that softened the blazing brilliance of the city skyline beyond.

It was just past 1 p.m.

The towering floor-to-ceiling windows cast angled beams of pale gold across the polished mahogany floors, illuminating the silent room with an austere, almost reverent light.

In his hand, the digital tablet glowed coldly with Yueyao’s psychiatric file.

(Dr. Han’s urgent referral to the secure psychiatric hospital.)

(Emergency protocols for violent schizophrenic episodes.)

(Genetic predisposition from her mother’s records.)

Shen Xiao’s obsidian gaze flicked across the crisp, clinical lines.

(Acute psychosis.)

(Delusional aggression.)

(Immediate inpatient psychiatric stabilisation recommended.)

His long fingers clenched around the tablet, the veins standing taut along the back of his hand, disappearing beneath the starched white cuff of his shirt.

For ten years, Yueyao had been... quiet, gentle, and endlessly patient with both of them.