After auntie Yi fussed over Ru Yin Yue, Xia Ning Xue showed up in the afternoon. Auntie Yu could read the mood, so she excused herself.
"I'll leave you young ones to catch up."
"Thank you, auntie Yi." Ru Yin Yue lowered her head politely. Xia Ning Xue watched the middle-aged housekeeper leave, and then turned to gape at her friend in shock.
"When did you have a maid? Oh, right…you got married to the president of the Si Corporation. Of course you'll have your own personal maid."
"Auntie Yi isn't my personal maid. She's the housekeeper of Zha Nan's villa."
"Same thing." Xia Ning Xue waved her hand dismissively. "Ah, I'm so jealous. I also want to get married to a rich and handsome CEO."
Ru Yin Yue stared at her darkly, feeling a sharp pain in her chest. "Be careful what you wish for."
"Huh? Why?"
Ru Yin Yue shook her head, deciding not to say anything. Some things were better off not being said. The relationship between her and her husband was a private affair, and she didn't feel comfortable telling an outsider about it. So she simply remained quiet. Instead, she bowed her head slightly.
"Sorry for making you worried. But it was just a fever. I'm okay. You didn't have to visit me."
"What fever?" Xia Ning Xue snapped. "I heard from the nurse that you got pneumonia! It was really serious! Also, look at how thin and haggard you are! I haven't seen you in a week, and you've already lost so much weight! What happened?!"
"A lot of things." Ru Yin Yue forced a smile. "But don't worry. I should be able to handle it. I look thin now because I'm sick, but I'm sure I'll recover in a few days."
"Ah, you really scared me, you know?" Xia Ning Xue took a seat by Ru Yin Yue's bedside and leaned forward worriedly. She didn't believe her friend, but she knew she couldn't do anything. How could she interfere in someone else's marriage? She didn't have the right to. What happened between a husband and a wife was something that only the two of them could settle. She could only offer advice, but she didn't even know the truth.
Though she did suspect that Ru Yin Yue's husband was abusing her.
"You have to stand up and fight for yourself," she said sternly. "You can't let your husband bully you. Even if he's the CEO of Si Corporation and heir to the Si family! Just because he's rich and powerful doesn't mean he can treat you like that!"
Ru Yin Yue fell silent, refusing to say anything. Xia Ning Xue knew she had hit the nail on the head and she sighed angrily.
"If not for yourself, then at least for Lu Bao!"
"Huh? Who the hell is Lu Bao?" Ru Yin Yue demanded, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Your son!" Xia Ning Xue threw her hands up in exasperation. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten about your son?! Didn't you tell me to take care of him for you?"
"I don't have any son," Ru Yin Yue snapped, annoyed.
"Yeah, you do! You had a son with Si Zha Nan three years ago, but you decided to keep it a secret and give birth to him without him knowing anything! Even though you're now married to him, he still doesn't know that he has a son with you!"
"Huh?" Ru Yin Yue felt as if she was having a headache, though not the same one she suffered from when she had a fever. "Ning Xue, you've been reading way too many trashy CEO novels. I don't have a son. Not with Zha Nan. Do you think I'm some stupid, irresponsible and delusional woman who would abandon her son just to marry a toxic, abusive bully who hates me? Just because I'm pining for him? that I would choose to love an abusive husband and agree to marry him because of his mother's request to help him forget the woman he loves, but decide to throw my son to someone else to take care of him for a year?"
"Yes."
"Oh, come on!" Ru Yin Yue almost shouted. "No mother would do something as ridiculous as that! What mother would abandon her son just to marry a man who hates her? Even if I love Si Zha Nan, that's my son! I won't throw him one side just to pursue a pointless romance with an abusive CEO and wallow in a toxic relationship!"
"You say that, but you end up marrying him anyway, just to get the Si family to pay your mother's hospital bills."
"That's different!"
"Really? How is it different? You're still selling yourself."
Ru Yin Yue covered her face with a hand. "For one thing, Lin Bu Hui was in no urgent need of money at all. Her motivations for throwing her son aside to marry Xia Yu Sheng made no bloody sense. She just went along with her mother-in-law's request for no reason other than because the plot demanded it. There was nothing that forced her into such circumstances, she simply did what other people told her to do and went with the flow, allowing herself to get abused because she was weak. For another, I don't live with my mother in the first place. I have no choice but to leave her in the hospital because only they have the specialized equipment to treat her. It's totally different from a scenario where I'm a mother and I have lived with my son for three years. Do you think I'll just hand him over to someone else to take care of him for a year, and then return and expect him not to resent me? Also, how do you think my son will feel if his mom disappears for a year?"
"Whoa, you actually mentioned Lin Bu Hui and Xia Yu Sheng specifically. So you know what I'm talking about." Xia Ning Xue was impressed. She then cleared her throat. "Anyway, you really should take care of yourself. Don't let your husband bully you."
She placed a hand on Ru Yin Yue's arm, as if to console her.
"I'm always here for you. If you wish to leave that scumbag, I'll support you."
"Leave him…?" Ru Yin Yue stared at her friend, surprised. She avoided her gaze. "I don't know." Then she forced a smile. "I almost thought you would ask me what will happen if we fall in love with each other a year later."
"Fall in love?" Xia Ning Xue snorted derisively. "Look at you. Obviously your marriage caused you to fall sick and lose so much weight. Don't lie, I know it's not just the pneumonia. You're clearly suffering from a toxic relationship. What kind of loving husband will allow you to deteriorate to such a condition? You're better off leaving him."
"Not yet." Ru Yin Yue clenched her fists. "Right now I'm still financially dependent on the Si family. Once I establish connections and secure a proper job in the music industry, I'll think about it."
"If you say so." Xia Ning Xue looked helpless. There was only so much she could do. This was Ru Yin Yue's marriage, after all. She clasped her friend's hands. "But whatever you decide, I'll support you 100%."
"Thank you." Ru Yin Yue smiled gratefully.
Shortly after Xia Ning Xue left, a doctor came into the room to check on Ru Yin Yue.
"Mrs. Si?" The doctor stopped in front of her bed. "Do you have a moment? I would like to speak to you."
"Yes, Dr. Sheng." Ru Yin Yue noticed her identification card, which hung via a lanyard from her neck. She tensed, wondering if her condition had taken a turn for the worse. Dr. Sheng's expression was unusually grave, after all. "What's the matter?"
"This might take a while, so relax." Dr. Sheng gestured for her patient to lean back in her bed while she took a chair and sat beside her. Once she was fairly comfortable, the doctor looked at Ru Yin Yue seriously. "Are you having problems with your marriage?"
"Problems with my marriage?"
"Yes. Are you being…abused? Bullied?"
Ru Yin Yue averted her eyes, staying silent. Dr. Sheng sighed and shook her head, her doubts confirmed. But before she could say anything else, her patient spoke up.
"What gave you that idea?"
"When I examined you earlier, after your husband brought you here, I noticed some bruises." Dr. Sheng jerked her chin toward Ru Yin Yue's wrists. "So I ran a more thorough examination. I apologize for going beyond my jurisdiction, but when I did a full checkup, I found out that you've been raped."
"…" Ru Yin Yue turned away. Dr. Sheng leaned closer, choosing her words carefully.
"Was it your husband?"
Silence. Dr. Sheng took that as confirmation.
"If you want, I can help you contact a lawyer to get a protection order. I'll certify for you, provide the medical evidence that you have been abused…"
"No!" Ru Yin Yue interrupted sharply. Then she lowered her voice. "Sorry. I just…don't want to turn this into a huge, noisy affair."
"I understand." Dr. Sheng had seen many cases like this. Many wives refused to report their husbands even though they were being abused. She didn't like it, but she couldn't do anything about it. Even so, she tried to continue persuading her patient. "But remember, your husband has no right to touch you like this. You do not deserve such treatment. Don't punish yourself like this. Perhaps you think you deserve this, that your husband has the right to punish you, but that's far from true. Your husband has gone too far. A marriage has to be built upon mutual respect, and he clearly doesn't respect you at all. You are a strong, independent woman, you don't need to rely on a man. That's why you can't let him push you around."
"Unfortunately, I'm not independent." Ru Yin Yue smiled bitterly. "There's a few things I must depend on my husband for."
"Like what?" Dr. Sheng frowned. "This is already the twenty-first century. Women are a lot more independent and resourceful now. You can find a job. You don't have to restrict yourself to just this one man. Find someone who treats you better. If you really have trouble, I can help you."
"Really?" Ru Yin Yue looked at Dr. Sheng sharply. "Then can you help me pay for my mother's hospital bills? 50,000 yuan a month?"
"That's…" Dr. Sheng withdrew. Then she closed her eyes. "I might not be able to help you with paying those bills, but I can certainly see if I can help with subsidies. And you shouldn't sell yourself off just for money. Do you think your mother will be happy if she learns about this?"
"I will never let her know about this. She must never know."
"How long can you hide this?" Dr. Sheng glanced at the door. "Even your friend from earlier was able to see that there's something wrong. What makes you think you mother will never know about this?"
"I…will be careful." Ru Yin Yue clenched her fists, gripping the blanket tightly.
"Look, I understand how you feel. I really do. I can recommend a marriage counselor." Dr. Sheng realized that she had been overly zealous. She shouldn't have tried to take matters into her own hand. This called for professional counseling, something that was beyond her expertise. "Meet the counselor, hopefully with your husband. A few sessions should…"
"Please…" Ru Yin Yue interrupted, her face hidden in shadow. "I don't want to talk about this."
Dr. Sheng sighed and nodded. "Sorry."
She rose to her feet and made to leave, but before she turned around, she fixed the forlorn patient with one last sympathetic expression.
"If you change your mind, please let me know."
Ru Yin Yue didn't watch the doctor leave her room. She continued to stare downward, unable to say anything.
There was no way she could leave the Si family. No way at all.