As lonely as the previous Shen Yanyue was, Yanyue was surprised by how many people visited her. It was Jason. Then, Wanyue and Beichen came the day before. Now, standing in her ward with a basket of blue, violet, and pink hydrangeas were Yanfeng.
She remembered Yanfeng well because he was very sick as a child and sent to live at the Shrine for a while. During his time there, he managed to befriend her through his hyperactivity and friendliness. And she, who was abandoned and alone, never easily trusted people, but she had felt his sincerity and sought his care. He was only a year older than her, but he quickly became an adult figure to her. Unfortunately, he had to leave the Shrine when his health was better.
Once he said that he would be her eyes and travel around the world in her place. And he did that; he would send letters that painted stories of all the places he visited. It was a warm gesture, and she appreciated his effort for upholding his words.
"Why did you not tell me that you are in the hospital? I was worried sick when I found out! Are you okay now?"
Even though he didn't know that she had regained her memories, Yanfeng still spoke to her with just as much concern as he had back then when he found her trying to sneak out of the Shrine. She was trying to save a stray cat hit by a carriage while making its way across the dirt road. In an attempt to climb the wall, she slipped and scraped her knees. She kept crying as he reprimanded her, his hands on his hip like a mother scolding her child.
Then, after voicing his fill, he sighed and hoisted himself over the wall with much difficulty due to his equally small and weak build. He carried the cat over with much effort as well. The cat had its last breath in their presence, and they buried it under the willow tree. They named the cat Pepper because it had tiny spots on its back.
"It's okay. Pepper is now in a better place," little Yanfeng comforted the sobbing girl by his side.
Yanyue pouted, and already past the verge of tears, she said with her little voice cracking, "Goodbye, Pepper."
She was five, and that was her first encounter with death. The days after that were the same, and then Yanfeng left two years after that on his eighth birthday.
"Yanfeng..." Yanyue's voice faltered, and she wanted to jump into his embrace and cry, just like how she did when they were kids. Seeing him again now, she felt like she was at home in this new identity for the first time.
Yanfeng set the basket on the table and pulled up a chair. "What's wrong? Do you miss me that much?" he teased. This woman had always been careful around him, but he could sense weakness from her just now. And this made him want to protect her even more, just like how he used to protect Lulu.
Yanyue calmed her unstable soul and found her voice again.
"I-" she wanted to say that she missed him, but now she was Shen Yanyue and not Lucianna, "Nothing...I'm not in grave danger. I'm recovering well."
"That's good," he stated in relief, his sincerity cast through the gentle expression in his eyes. He put his hands together. "I came here to visit, but also to bring you good news."
Yanyue looked at him with interest, and Yanfeng began clarifying, "There is a chance that we can prove your mother didn't plagiarize the Black Swan Crystal."
"What do you mean? Is that true?" Yanyue asked curiously. "The team that I put together couldn't find anything because every time that we got closer to a plausible case, we would always get blocked by someone."
"I also reached a dead-end, but I came upon this by chance." Yanfeng pulled out a small recorder from his pocket.
"This..." Yanyue had a bad feeling about the recorder.
"Listen."
Yanfeng played the recording.
The recording was a minute long. It was short, but Yanyue could not dismiss the hints revealed about the Black Swan Crystal in those sixty seconds.
"So, we should look back to the recordings from my mother's office," Yanyue said, full of emotions. She wasn't sure if this was herself or Shen Yanyue in her speaking because she wanted to seek justice for her mother.
Yanfeng nodded. "It seems like your mother's death was not simple. I'm guessing that the Black Swan Crystal might have something to do with her death."
Yanyue's face was grim, but she wasn't surprised because Shen Yanyue witnessed the murder herself. "I will tell my team to check the police records."
"I will always be here for you," Yanfeng expressed as he placed his hand on top of Yanyue's own to reassure her that she would not be alone on this journey. And Yanyue didn't retract her hand because she was thankful.
"It seems that President Yang doesn't shy away from a married woman too."
The two people, engrossed in their own emotions, looked to the door, distracted by the sound.
Yanyue almost groaned in annoyance, while Yanfeng only smiled smugly.
"Does President Lu still see Yanyue as his wife? As far as I'm aware, you already have a lover." Yanfeng poked his head out as if looking for something, then he said mockingly, "Where is she? Isn't she always following you around like a helpless bird?"
Beichen's expression turned dark, and he didn't bother to answer the man's ridiculous questions. Instead, he wished to strangle the woman who was on the bed until she begged him to stop. He was flaming inside with irritation because she was intimate with another man in a public space like the hospital. Even if he had no deep attachment to her, he didn't like his possession coveted by others.
"Why are you here?" Yanyue asked flatly.
Beichen remained quiet. He didn't want to talk with Yanfeng in the room. And Yanyue knew what he wanted just by reading the clouds above his head.
"Yanfeng, thank you for visiting me and also for your help. I feel tired, so I'm going to rest."
"It is my pleasure. I will see you again," Yanfeng said as he got up reluctantly to leave the room. He bowed slightly to Beichen when he crossed the man to open the door. He was still the prince, so Yanfeng knew that he couldn't be overtly rude. But if he could be, he would deliver a punch to the man for not taking care of Yanyue well. And he promised himself that the day when he could do that, then he would serve the man a punch and as well as a kick.
"Well, why are you here? I'm tired, so be quick," Yanyue spoke impatiently.
Beichen took his hands out of his pockets and strolled to the bed. Although Yanyue wasn't scared of him now, his domineering presence sometimes overwhelmed her when she was not prepared. So as he pinched her chin to speak to her, she felt that her heart was beating fast like a cheetah.
"You have the guts to speak to me that way. Do you think that you can do anything now because you're a patient?"
Yanyue suppressed her fear and summoned her strong voice. "Why can't I speak to you this way? As your wife, I stand on equal grounds with you."
Beichen sneered, "You know that you're my wife? Weren't you being excessively intimate with your lover just a minute ago?"
"Be mindful of your words. I'm not like you," Yanyue asserted.
"Like me?"
"Yes, I'm not dirty like you. I know what is right and what is wrong."
Beichen chuckled evilly. "Is that so? Why don't you know that when you drugged me and forced Wanyue to lose her baby?"
Yanyue laughed at his stupidity. So, even though she did not push Wanyue, she wanted to taunt his useless concerns for the fake woman. "Let me tell you: one day, you will thank me for pushing her down the stairs. She deserves that loss, and you... you don't deserve to be a father at all!"
Because you indirectly killed your child, Yanyue said in her heart, and her eyes looked directly at the man with immense pressure to kill. She was vengeful when she thought about her dead baby.
"Woman!" Beichen sneered, and his fingers clawed into her chin.
Yanyue winced, and she endeavored to move his hand away from her chin. "Let go... I said let go!" She finally broke free from Beichen's murdering clutch.
"Crazy bastard!" she voiced loudly under her breath.
Just as she finally stabilized, she felt a face over her. Beichen was so sudden that she couldn't dodge him, and in a matter of seconds, he had taken her lips with extreme aggression. He was biting and sucking her lips dry, releasing his anger in those painful acts. He didn't know why he suddenly kissed her, but seeing Yanfeng here earlier made him want to show her who owned her.
A lewd sound echoed in the room as Yanyue struggled to breathe and release herself from the man's proactive mouth. She was free only when Beichen chose to remove his lips, ending with a hard nibble to her bottom flap.
"Your discharge is tomorrow. Grandma refused to take her medications, but she might if you go see her."
"I don't need you to tell me what to do," Yanyue rebuked, wiping his saliva from her red lips, still angry that he forcefully bussed her mouth.
Beichen stared at her hypocritically.
"Grandma sees you as her grandchild, so is that how you repay her?"
Yanyue rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I plan on visiting her anyway, so I don't need you coming here to tell me."
"You talk as if I wanted to see you. But remember woman, my marriage with you is only to appease grandma. Once she gets better, then we will divorce," Beichen reminded her, and he was emotionless as always.
Yanyue kept quiet while he left angrily.
Yes, we will divorce, but on my terms, she thought.
The next day came faster than she had imagined. Assistant Wen entered the room to let her know of the discharge. Yanyue smirked deliberately. Of course, he would send his assistant. She didn't expect him to escort her. But she was going to be discharged from the hospital after more than a week, so to see that her husband did not care, stung her heart a little.
"Princess consort, I've taken care of the discharge procedure. The doctor reminds you to take precautions after leaving the hospital, and I've already notified the staff at the Eastern Palace to take notice of those. Please rest assured."
Yanyue smiled gratefully, "Thank you."
Then, she led the way out the door and got into the luxury car parked in front of the hospital entrance. Assistant Wen sat in the passenger seat and directed the driver to set out to the airport. From there, she would fly back to the capitol and visit Grandma Lu right away at the Royal Hospital.
After a few hours of traveling, Yanyue finally arrived at the hospital. It seemed that she had been visiting the hospital a lot lately, so much that it might as well be considered her third home.
The old lady was up by this time. She was preparing to go on a walk when Yanyue entered the VIP ward and exclaimed happily. They all walked to the garden. Only a few other patients were enjoying the garden. With the security guards and Aunt Li following closely behind them, the hospital was a very safe environment.
Yanyue held onto the old lady's arms to avoid the flower bed in front of them. "Grandma, be careful."
"Xiaoyue, look at you. Your stomach is getting bigger now, but your face has thinned down. Did that boy Beichen treat you badly these days? Was the hospital's food not to your liking?" Even though Grandma Lu was thin herself, she complained protectively of Yanyue.
Yanyue shook her head. "It's not like that, grandma. Beichen treats me very well."
The old lady frowned. "Is that so? I don't want you lying to me. If he did something wrong, then let me know, and I will give that boy a lesson!"
"Don't worry, grandma. He loves me very much. He even took care of me when I was sick," Yanyue lied partly. It was true that he took care of her in the cave, but he did not love her.
"Does grandma believe an outsider more than you believe your grandson?"
Beichen came around the two ladies. Yanyue was surprised to see him here. She had the impression that he did not want to see her soon after last night's confrontation. But perhaps, she was only talking about herself.