Ru Yin Yue woke up, feeling groggy. She found herself still in the bathtub, soaking wet and naked, and her body shivering from the cold. She tried to get up, but her head spun and she fell back into the cool, damp surface. Staring up at the ceiling dizzily, she closed her eyes and sank back into blissful unconsciousness.
In the morning, Si Zha Nan went to the company as usual, as if the previous day's events hadn't occurred. He wasn't surprised to see that Ru Yin Yue was absent from work. After the events of last night or early this morning, she probably wouldn't be in any mood to work.
That was perfectly fine with him. He smirked to himself, relieved that he would spared from a whole day of having to look at her, just one desk away in his own office.
Putting her out of his mind, he continued to work, perusing documents, reviewing contracts and arranging deals. He was so absorbed in his work that he didn't realize it was lunchtime when auntie Yi called him at noon.
Picking up his smartphone, he swiped the screen without thinking and brought it to his ear. Inwardly, he was curious. Auntie Yi usually never called him when he was at work. What happened? "Auntie Yi? What's the matter?"
"Young master, please come back quickly. I found madam unconscious in the bathroom, and she still hasn't woken up yet. I'm worried…"
"I understand," Si Zha Nan cut her off impatiently. He sighed in exasperation, wondering to himself what tricks that damned Ru Yin Yue was playing now.
When he returned home, he found a very worried-looking auntie Yi waiting for him at the main entrance.
"Young master, you're back!"
"Yeah. You called me, after all." Si Zha Nan shook his head, irritated, and followed the housekeeper upstairs to Ru Yin Yue's room. Auntie Yi had already brought her to the bed and made her as comfortable as possible, placing a cool, damp cloth on her burning forehead and wrapping her thin, frail body under thick covers.
From a glance, Si Zha Nan could see that Ru Yin Yue was pale and trembling uncontrollably. Her ghostly white skin was slick with perspiration – she was clearly suffering from a high fever. Si Zha Nan studied the unconscious woman while she lay in bed, skepticism growing within him. Wasn't she a very scheming, devious woman? How was it possible for someone as rebellious as her to fall sick?
But it was clear that she wasn't faking it.
"When I went to clean the bathroom this morning, I found madam lying unconscious inside the bathtub," auntie Yi explained anxiously, on the verge of tears. "I don't know what happened or how she ended up in there. Maybe she dozed off when taking a bath, or she fainted when taking a bath, but she seemed to have been in there the whole night. I wiped her body clean, helped her put on some clothes and even gave her some medicine for her fever. But even after giving her paracetamol pills, her fever didn't go down. Instead, her temperature seemed to go up! I didn't know what to do, so I called you, young master."
Auntie Yi was clearly frightened to death, unable to keep still while she anxiously watched Ru Yin Yue suffer in the throes of a high fever. She helplessly held up a hand, showing Si Zha Nan a thermometer.
"The last time I took her temperature – which was right before I called you, it was 39.8 degrees Celsius."
Si Zha Nan glanced at the thermometer, which retained a record of the last temperature it measured, and narrowed his eyes. Some of the iciness melted away and he leaned forward. In a single movement, he lifted Ru Yin Yue from the bed and carried her in his arms. Turning around, he proceeded toward the door, intending to go downstairs.
At that moment, he realized how hot Ru Yin Yue was, and how thin and light. She clearly hadn't been eating much, despite the meals that auntie Yi prepared for her. It was almost as if she was malnourished.
He frowned, but tried to push those thoughts out of his mind, making a mental note to ask auntie Yi later if Ru Yin Yue had been eating properly. Instead, he continued walking downstairs. Glancing over his shoulder, he issued an instruction to the astonished auntie Yi.
"Auntie Yi, prepare some of her belongings. We'll be bringing her to the hospital."
"Yes, young master." There was a sense of relief in auntie Yi's voice as she swiftly complied with the young master's orders.
Inwardly, Si Zha Nan felt a sense of guilt stirring within his gut. Clearly he was the one who caused Ru Yin Yue's current condition. He didn't know what happened last night, except that he had been consumed by an uncontrollable fit of rage.
The thought of Ru Yin Yue accompanying another man so late at night had incurred his wrath. He wasn't sure why. Obviously he hated her, so why would he care if she went out with other men?
That was right! This slut was the one who schemed against him and forced Ni Yao away! He was justified in punishing her. Ru Yin Yue had to pay the price for causing Ni Yao to leave him, for driving his beloved away.
At the hospital, the doctor was able to swiftly diagnose what was ailing Ru Yin Yue. After a few observations, she sighed and shook her head, staring sternly at Si Zha Nan.
"Your wife is suffering from pneumonia," she said. "How did you end up leaving her in the bathtub for an entire night and not notice anything? Her body is so weak to begin with, and now her condition deteriorated after being soaked in water for an entire night. I've given her an IV drip and some medicine to control the fever, and her life is no longer in danger, but she'll need to remain in hospital for observation, until her pneumonia clears."
"Fine. Send me the bill. I'll pay by card."
"That's all very good and well, but when observing her, I found something." The doctor was glaring at Si Zha Nan. "You're her husband, correct?"
"That's right," Si Zha Nan said coldly, a fact that wasn't lost on the doctor. She pursed her lips.
"I found evidence of physical abuse on her body. That she has been…raped. Did you know about this? Have you reported this to the police?"
For a moment, Si Zha Nan stayed silent. Then he shook his head.
"I'll talk to her when she wakes up."
The doctor regarded him suspiciously. Now she was certain that the husband had been abusing his wife. This wasn't all too rare, she had seem such cases happen here and there. But this man was one of the richest and most powerful men in the country. Even so, she couldn't allow the poor lady to suffer.
"Please make sure to take care of her," she said instead. Inwardly, she resolved to help the poor madam. Advise her on counseling and perhaps to take a protective order against her husband. Though she knew that it would prove futile, given the husband's wealth and influence.
Not to mention that many women insisted on suffering, refusing to take action against their husbands. They would justify it by claiming that they deserved it, that their husbands would change eventually, or even defend their husbands. It was a scene the doctor had seen many times before. She could only hope this particular madam would make the smart choice.
Ru Yin Yue finally began to stir, and she caught sight of Si Zha Nan standing by the side of her bed. First, she felt dread, remembering what he did to her last night…and she sank back to unconsciousness again.
That wasn't lost on Si Zha Nan. He scowled, his anger increasing inside him. Obviously Ru Yin Yue deserved what she was suffering right now, and yet she refused to repent. He stalked off with clenched fists, while the doctor remained behind, glaring at him. She decided to ask the housekeeper about this, but auntie Yi demurred on the details.
What happened inside the Si family was not something for her to expose to outsiders.
"When the madam wakes up, tell her to talk to me," the doctor said, frustrated. She took a deep breath. She might be a doctor, but there was little she could do. She couldn't get involved in her patient's marriage, but she resolved to give some proper marriage advice. These young women had their entire lives ahead of themselves. They shouldn't trap themselves in such a toxic and abusive marriage. Leaving such a violent husband was for their own good.
The next time Ru Yin Yue woke up, she found auntie Yi by her side, taking care of her.
"Auntie Yi…?" She opened her eyes and tried to sit up, only to realize that she wasn't inside her bedroom. "Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital now." Auntie Yi placed her hand on her chest. "Madam, you scared me to death. Luckily, the young master came back in time, otherwise I don't know what would have happened."
"Zha Nan came back?" Ru Yin Yue couldn't believe it. But she faintly recalled seeing Si Zha Nan's silhouette earlier, when she woke up just now. So that wasn't a dream. But why would he help her when he hated her so much? He should be happy if she died.
"Madam, it seems that the young master isn't very harsh on you." Auntie Yi brought a cup of water to Ru Yin Yue and assured her happily. "From what happened today, I can tell that the young master really likes madam."
…what the hell? To be fair, all auntie Yi saw was Si Zha Nan getting worried over his wife and helping her. Even though she was worried about Ru Yin Yue's condition, she was happy to see that the young master was willing to look after her. If this didn't happen, then he would never learn to cherish his wife.
The naïve housekeeper had no idea of the violence that Si Zha Nan meted out upon Ru Yin Yue, and that he had raped her. In fact, Ru Yin Yue knew that the whole reason why she fell sick so severely was because of Si Zha Nan in the first place.
The scumbag really liked her? What a joke. It was his fault that she fell sick and almost died in the first place.
Rather than be happy from auntie Yi's words, she actually felt sick. If this was "love" then she could do without it.
Seeing her expression, auntie Yi tried to persuade her further.
"You don't believe me? I've been married before, so I know." Auntie Yi gestured to her eyes. "Sometimes, it's the actions that matter, not the words. I saw with my own eyes the actions that the young master took. He never did this for Miss Zhou before. Also, the eyes are the windows to the soul. By looking at someone's eyes, you can tell their true nature. I can see what's in the young master's eyes and what's in the madam's eyes, and I'm sure you'll be fine."
You haven't seen him rape me twice, have you? Ru Yin Yue thought bitterly, tightening her grip on the blanket. As much as she felt angry at auntie Yi's pretentiousness and attempt to sound poetic, she knew that the housekeeper was trying to make her happy, that she only had good intentions. So she swallowed her resentment and plastered a smile across her pale face.
"I'm sure you're right – that it's the actions that matter. Not the words."
And when she said that, another person came to mind.