The grievances she had suffered over the past three years turned into a huge anger that burst through Cheng Zhiwei's usually obedient reasoning.
Her nerves taut like a drawn bow, she screamed shrilly, "Ah..."
Her fingers clung to the door frame, knuckles pale.
The room she had loved the most and the scent she had liked best now made her feel so nauseated she wanted to vomit.
Downstairs, Bai Zhuzhu's pitifully pursed lips spoke, "I don't know if Sister Zhiwei encountered any dangers outside, why would she be so badly injured."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on Zhou Lin's hand, and she covered her mouth and whispered, "Brother Lin, you should throw that thing away quickly."
It was covered in Cheng Zhiwei's blood, utterly disgusting.
Zhou Lin then looked at the gauze in his hand, his brows gathering in gloom and bemusement; such a filthy item, and yet he had not discarded it immediately, instead holding onto it, an irritation surfaced in his heart that even he hadn't noticed.
He then threw the gauze into the trash and carefully washed his hands.
When he came back, Bai Zhuzhu was still standing there wrapped in a bath towel, meeting his gaze with flushed cheeks, "My clothes are still upstairs, Brother Lin, will you accompany me to get them? I'm a bit scared of Sister Zhiwei."
"Let's go, get dressed, and I'll take you home."
Zhou Lin was about to lead Bai Zhuzhu upstairs when they heard Cheng Zhiwei's piercing scream, which immediately made him think impatiently, What craziness is Cheng Zhiwei up to now?
Bai Zhuzhu, holding her bath towel, had a face full of concern, "Does Sister Zhiwei have a headache? Brother Lin, should we call the family doctor?"
Zhou Lin replied with an indifferent expression, "Don't bother with her."
"But Sister Zhiwei is injured, if the wound isn't treated it will leave scars," Bai Zhuzhu said worriedly.
"Zhuzhu, you're just too kind," Zhou Lin touched her damp hair, "I'll go get you a hairdryer and clothes."
"Okay."
Cheng Zhiwei heard them going upstairs, she turned to face them, and with a raised hand slapped Zhou Lin, "Zhou Lin, you are really disgusting."
Bai Zhuzhu let out a shriek and darted forward to block Cheng Zhiwei, "Sister Zhiwei, how can you hit someone?"
Cheng Zhiwei's temples throbbed fiercely, and the blood and anger roared within her like a tsunami; the injustice of three years erupted with a surprising force, driving Cheng Zhiwei to an action that was beyond everyone's expectations.
She yanked away the bath towel from Bai Zhuzhu's body, her voice ice cold, "If you don't like wearing clothes, then don't wear them. Isn't it that you want Zhou Lin to see your body, what's the act for?"
The white bath towel fell to the ground, Bai Zhuzhu clutched her chest, squatting down with a scream, looking as if she were petrified, squatting on the floor, with the bath towel right at her feet, yet not picking it up to cover herself.
It was Zhou Lin who, out of compassion, picked up the bath towel and wrapped it around her, lifting Bai Zhuzhu up with tender care, "Zhuzhu."
"Brother Lin," Bai Zhuzhu threw herself into Zhou Lin's arms, crying breathlessly, "I... I..."
Zhou Lin lifted his eyes to glare coldly at Cheng Zhiwei, the light casting a shadow on his face, full of darkness and disdain, as well as disbelief.
Cheng Zhiwei's demeanor had always been gentle and demure; in these three years, she could be said to have never given anyone a hard time and would just casually admonish the servants at home if they did something wrong and leave it at that.
This was the first time he had seen her so furiously enraged.
It was like a fire, hysterical.
And it slightly pained his heart.
But what he felt even more was rage, "Cheng Zhiwei, have you lost your mind?"
Cheng Zhiwei felt her heart was being squeezed so tight she could barely breathe, and her entire body was shaking.
"Zhou Lin, must you really humiliate me like this? Not only have you trampled my sincere heart under foot, you even brought her into our home. Do you think I, Cheng Zhiwei, am so easily bullied, that I could tolerate you keeping a shameless mistress right under my nose?"
There was a dark and sinister air about Zhou Lin as he said, "Cheng Zhiwei, watch how you speak. Zhuzhu is not a mistress."
Bai Zhuzhu clung to Zhou Lin's chest, her slender fingers tugging at his shirt, tears rolling down her cheeks as she cried weakly, "Brother Lin, don't argue with Sister Zhiwei. It's okay, Sister Zhiwei is just misunderstanding things, I'll explain it to her clearly."
She then turned her head to look at Cheng Zhiwei, sobbing softly, "Sister Zhiwei, Brother Lin and I are innocent."
Cheng Zhiwei stormed into the room, grabbed Bai Zhuzhu's clothes along with her lingerie, scrunched them up in a mess, and threw them at her, "Is this your idea of innocent?"
The pink lingerie fell out of the dress and landed on Zhou Lin's arm.
Bai Zhuzhu's cheeks flushed with shame, and she quickly grabbed the lingerie into her hands. Seeing Zhou Lin's increasingly terrifying expression, she bent down to pick up her clothes, and her tears started swirling, "Sister Zhiwei, how could you humiliate me like this?"
Zhou Lin frowned and looked down at Bai Zhuzhu.
He began to understand why Cheng Zhiwei was angry.
She had misunderstood.
Bai Zhuzhu was an expert at reading people's expressions. She averted her gaze, tears hanging from her eyelashes, trembling. Petite and fair-skinned, with lips slightly bitten, she looked the picture of vulnerability.
Blinking back tears, she apologized to Cheng Zhiwei, "Sister Zhiwei, I'm sorry, I... I didn't know this was your room. I'm sorry, please, don't argue with Brother Lin over me."
Cheng Zhiwei turned her gaze away, her face filled with indifference.
Bai Zhuzhu, close to tears, lamented, "Brother Lin, I really didn't do it on purpose."
Zhou Lin affectionately stroked her hair and then, when he looked at Cheng Zhiwei again, his brow furrowed, "Zhuzhu simply walked into the wrong room by accident. Stop making a mountain out of a molehill."
Cheng Zhiwei felt an immense desolation inside her. Walked into the wrong room? Such a feeble excuse, and only Zhou Lin would believe it.
Cheng Zhiwei's laughter was cold and hollow, "It seems I returned at an inopportune time, disturbing your passionate affair."
Bai Zhuzhu hugged her clothes, shivering, struggling in Zhou Lin's embrace, "Brother Lin, let me go, let me leave. Sister Zhiwei's misunderstanding makes me wish I were dead."
Her mouth said leave, but her body seemed desperate to cling to Zhou Lin.
Zhou Lin, his arms around her waist, a dark storm brewing in his eyes, commanded, "Cheng Zhiwei, shut up."
"In Sister Zhiwei's eyes, am I that kind of person?" Bai Zhuzhu's voice shook with tears streaming down heavily.
Asking what she already knew.
"Can you just leave?" Cheng Zhiwei said coldly, looking straight at Bai Zhuzhu.
She felt terrible, with injuries all over her body from yesterday's car accident, and now she was furious, her rage exacerbating her condition.
At this moment, she felt an icy chill throughout her body, uncontrollable tremors, and her vision was fading in and out of darkness.
She couldn't hold on any longer.
Zhou Lin's gaze was fixed on Cheng Zhiwei; the anger had drained from his face leaving her complexion snow-white, her dark eyes filled with indifference, his gaze then caught the wound on her forehead.
His brow furrowed in concern, "You..."
Cheng Zhiwei couldn't keep up any longer, her legs gave way, and her body leaned forward.