Ye Mubei looked at her somewhat pale little face but did not wake her this time.
He simply embraced her slowly from behind, probably only when both were asleep could there be such tenderness.
At night, Ye Mubei was awoken by Shen Ruoxi's cries of pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw her clutching her stomach, seemingly in great pain.
"Xixi, what's wrong?"
His sleepiness vanished, replaced by eyes full of concern.
Shen Ruoxi was in such severe pain that she ignored Ye Mubei's gaze.
"I'm going to call the doctor now. Xixi, bear with it."
He was dressed in pajamas with his hair still somewhat messy. In this state, he looked truly unkempt.
But he didn't care about that at all and immediately phoned the family doctor.
"You said she was fine, didn't you? Why is her stomach hurting now?"
The doctor was somewhat helpless and hung a drip for Shen Ruoxi.
"I didn't know you would abuse her by not feeding her."
Ye Mubei then remembered that Shen Ruoxi hadn't had a single grain of rice today. It would indeed be strange if her stomach weren't hurting.
After getting an injection for the pain and the drip, Shen Ruoxi was still frowning, as if she was still in pain.
"Can't you see she's frowning? She's still in pain. Figure out something quick."
"The painkiller won't work instantly, wait a bit longer."
If he was so concerned now, why didn't he make sure she ate something during the day?
The doctor muttered to himself but dared not speak these thoughts out loud in his presence; the man was mad, and he feared getting involved.
The doctor soon left, and Ye Mubei's legs had gone somewhat numb. Only then did he realize he had been kneeling by the window.
After coming to his senses, Ye Mubei couldn't help but scoff at himself. Even now, he found himself caring for Shen Ruoxi.
Wasn't this all her own doing?
Some time passed, and Shen Ruoxi's brows finally relaxed.
While feeling repulsed, Ye Mubei waited for the IV to finish before finally removing the needle.
"Shen Ruoxi, you really know how to make trouble for me."
Even if she was sick, she would have to receive treatment by his side; he wouldn't give Shen Ruoxi any chance to escape.
The next day, Shen Ruoxi's condition had clearly improved.
Thinking back to the previous day when he knelt by the bed, Ye Mubei's expression cooled.
"Take off your clothes."
"What?"
Shen Ruoxi was caught off guard at first, but when she was pressed down beneath him, she clearly realized Ye Mubei wanted to have sex with her.
Her hands trembled slightly, the back of her hand still showing the mark from last night's IV.
Ye Mubei saw it all, but he didn't want to wait anymore.
Lately, he felt that Shen Ruoxi was becoming increasingly elusive, like sand about to be carried away by the wind, making him desperately want to cling to her.
He covered Shen Ruoxi's eyes with his hand, his kisses trailed downward, and soon they were intimately entwined.
Shen Ruoxi's body shook throughout, and even with her eyes covered, she was still scared.
She hated how familiar she was with Ye Mubei's body, how easily she accepted him.
Even though she didn't want to right now.
"Xixi, you are mine."
In the moment of possessing her, Ye Mubei gasped beside her ear.
Shen Ruoxi's body and emotions had both gone numb; she didn't know how to respond to him now.
As he kissed the diamond necklace she had given him, Shen Ruoxi shivered.
Their relationship seemed to have changed since this necklace, which she thought was a gift from Ye Mubei.
But in reality, it was a shackle he had imposed on her.
She let herself sink into the desolation with Ye Mubei, yet she clearly understood that it was impossible for them to be together again.
When she saw the light again, Shen Ruoxi failed to conceal the disappointment in her eyes, and Ye Mubei caught a good look at it.
Ye Mubei didn't understand why he loved her so much.
But she kept thinking about leaving. Wasn't she supposed to compensate him? Then why was she the one leaving him first now?
"Ye Mubei, why don't you go be with your fiancée?"
That way, the two of them could end this abnormal relationship.
"Thinking of pushing me off to someone else? Keep dreaming!"
That night, Shen Ruoxi was drowsy and unaware of how many times Ye Mubei took her.
The next morning, she knew only that she awoke with her limbs so weak that she couldn't get out of bed.
Surprisingly, Ye Mubei didn't leave this time but held her in his arms, still in slumber.
"Awake?"
Ye Mubei's sleep was always light; just a slight sound was enough to awaken him.
In the past, Shen Ruoxi's presence was his place of peaceful sleep, but now it seemed even that had changed.
"Ye Mubei, you've had your fun, now can you let me go?"
She wanted Ye Mubei to let her go, so she didn't resist his desire.
However, those words were particularly grating to Ye Mubei's ears.
"You think after sleeping with me you can just run away? Shen Ruoxi, you will never be able to leave here."
He wouldn't let her out of his sight, no matter if he felt disgust or disappointment; as long as she was here, all that could change.
Shen Ruoxi looked at him pleadingly, even considering kneeling before him, but Ye Mubei yanked her up.
"Don't kneel."
"Ye Mubei..."
The feeling of heart-wrenching weariness appeared once again. Before, Shen Ruoxi was curious about what could drive a person to despair.
Now she understood, it was the crushing of her heart, making her unable to leave.
"Shen Ruoxi, have I indulged you too much? So now you dare to look at me like that? Have you forgotten what our relationship is?"
She was the daughter of his enemy, just a tool for him to vent and take revenge on.
That was her role, but now she was incredibly weary of it.
She didn't understand what Ye Mubei was thinking. She had no intention of interfering with his marriage, and if he were to get married, she was willing to leave.
But Ye Mubei's attitude was erratic; his feelings flickered in and out of view, making them difficult for her to discern.
"Ye Mubei, you've succeeded."
He had successfully driven her to despair.
However, Ye Mubei obviously did not grasp her meaning, only thinking that he had succeeded in his imprisonment of her.
"Behave yourself and wait for me here; I'll come back tonight."
Meanwhile, at the hospital.
Zhao Yiru had passed the critical stage but still hadn't seen Shen Ruoxi.
The uncle had made countless calls to Shen Ruoxi, but she had vanished without a trace, with no response whatsoever.
And, to his confusion, two caregivers had suddenly appeared in the ward.
"May I ask who hired you to come here?"
"We don't know either, just told to come here and take care."
They seemed to know nothing when asked; could it be Ruoxi who arranged this?
But if it were really caregivers arranged by Ruoxi, why hadn't she shown up yet, or even answered his calls?
"Could something have happened to Ruoxi?"
The uncle looked distressed and at a loss for what to do.