Chapter Fifty-Three: Reunion with the Madam
As night deepened, Lou Yingying finally took off her white coat and walked out of the hospital building.
Colleagues and subordinates she encountered on the street greeted her warmly, their eyes filled with respect and envy. Everyone praised her for being approachable, dedicated to her work, and for never seeking special treatment despite being the wife of a general, often volunteering to work night shifts.
Yes, this is the ninth time Lou Yingying has voluntarily worked the night shift this month. Her child went abroad to visit relatives with her mother this month, and when she gets home early, she is left alone in the huge, empty house.
With nothing to do and no one to talk to, she faces an even deeper loneliness when the night is deep and quiet.
Late that night, she woke up with a start, exhausted from a long day. A restless heat welled up inside her, and she broke out in a light sweat. When she reached out to touch the other side of the bed, she found it empty and cold. Her husband, who should have been sharing the bed with her, was nowhere to be seen.
Lou Yingying tossed and turned, but the sweat, like a sticky film, enveloped her relentlessly. Finally, as if she could no longer bear it, she got up and went to the bathroom.
In front of the huge full-length mirror in the bathroom, she slowly took off all her clothes. Looking in the mirror, she saw that at thirty-two years old, she still had a beautiful face that was well-maintained, and her skin was fair and smooth.
Her fingers traced the lines of her body, and everything in the mirror remained graceful and alluring.
However, it seems that this charm is no longer appreciated by the man she loves.
Lou Yingying thought about her husband's cold behavior over the past six months. She didn't want to look at herself in the mirror anymore. She turned around angrily and turned on the water to wash her restless body.
As the icy water rushed over her, Lou Yingying suddenly remembered that the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror in the bathroom was something she had insisted on installing when the villa was being renovated. At the time, her usually serious and unromantic husband hadn't understood her intentions, until their wedding night when she led her robust young husband to the mirror…
Lou Yingying closed her eyes; she didn't want to recall anything further, lest her bath be wasted. She turned off the water, dried herself, and left the bathroom. In the slightly chilly night, she still turned on the air conditioner.
Lying back in bed, Lou Yingying tried to fall asleep, but her thoughts were out of her control. Scenes that had discouraged her, made her resentful, and left her utterly bewildered began to replay in her mind.
Since her husband's promotion and sudden return from the Northwest, she had been living a life of widowhood. At first, the man said that he had too many affairs to handle as a new official, and in order not to disturb her and the children's rest, he no longer came home to sleep. Later, when everything was stable, the man said that he had just taken over the affairs of the clan, and in order to maintain his aunt's influence and facilitate the handling of various matters, he needed to spend more time in the Osmanthus Garden.
Gradually, aside from matters concerning the children, whenever she tried to see him, her personal secretary and subordinates would prevent her from doing so with various excuses. She did have her doubts and even made a scene, but the man's dual identity as a general and clan chief was of great importance, and she knew the consequences, so in the end, nothing came of it.
However, each time she finally expressed her dissatisfaction, the man would come home and stay for a few days. But who would have thought that a couple still in their prime would spend most of their time sleeping alone?
She had observed that the man's body was perfectly fine; he was still as imposing and robust as ever, which was one of the reasons she had been attracted to him at first sight during their blind date. But why had he suddenly lost interest in her?
Lou Yingying confided her secret worries to her best friend, who suggested she try changing her style to rekindle the passion. However, no matter how revealing her pajamas were, the man's eyes didn't ignite. He seemed to be just going through the motions, and the few times they did meet, he only half-heartedly fulfilled his marital duties with her.
This was nothing like when they first got married, when the man and woman experienced the most extreme things. Even after they had children, their marriage remained harmonious...
Lou Yingying really couldn't understand what had gone wrong. Just then, her best friend's expression changed after hearing her explanation.
Her best friend, who is just as straightforward as her, bluntly told her that if a man doesn't eat at home, he's probably eating out.
This sentence amplified Lou Yingying's deepest suspicions. She began to secretly investigate her husband's whereabouts, and carefully observed him during the few days he returned home.
In the end, she gained nothing. She failed to notice any of the signs that a man might be having a lover. Her husband was either busy with work or going back to Muxiyuan every day.
As far as she knew, no new people had ever entered the garden, and there was nothing inappropriate on her husband's body or clothes.
Was she really just being paranoid? But a woman's intuition was still subtly telling her that something was definitely wrong.
Until this day, Lou Yingying received an unsigned letter in her office. Her heartstrings suddenly skipped a beat, as if she had a premonition of something.
She didn't have anyone check the letter; instead, she opened it privately when no one was around.
Lou Yingying's hands trembled as she looked at the contents of the anonymous letter in disbelief. To convince her, the letter also included various pieces of evidence.
The letter concluded by stating that the sender hoped the general's wife could stop the general's secret and absurd behavior over the past six months and get everything back on track. This was for the sake of the clan's reputation and the general's honor, as well as to maintain the integrity of the general and his wife's family and to rescue the most innocent victims in this incident.
As Lou Yingying read the contents of the letter and the name of the person who had caused her husband to stay away from home but was also a victim, she was shocked and angry, but she couldn't help but recall the stunning scene when she first met that person.
That boy, as pure and beautiful as the bright moon, and that stunning dance performance that left a deep impression on her...
At the time, that man was the only lover the lady had brought back to the garden, her most beloved. He should have been living a life of unparalleled glory, but unexpectedly, he was humble, polite, sensible, and reasonable. When he saw her and her daughter in her arms, his eyes seemed to light up, and he was very friendly and gentle towards them.
Lou Yingying never imagined that the person she had been desperately trying to find to seduce her husband and keep him away from home was actually him! However, the letter also revealed that the whole incident was actually her husband's willful act. He locked the person in Muxiyuan and did all sorts of absurd things, even causing the person to suffer from depression.
Lou Yingying was still upset. She put down the letter and decided to investigate the truth of what was said in it herself.
But just as she was about to leave, someone she didn't expect came to visit her. It was Ming Xiao, the third young lady of Muxiyuan, whom she hadn't seen for a long time and hadn't heard much from since returning to the country half a year ago.
...
Deng Lu never expected that the new head of the household's wife would one day appear at the entrance of the West Garden.
A group of attendants tried to stop them, but were blocked by the people brought by the mistress of the house. They blocked the entrance to the west garden with great fanfare until the head of the house hurriedly returned.
The head of the family, with a stern face, told his wife to go home and talk again. However, the lady of the family refused to back down. In the midst of the argument, Deng Lu only heard the lady of the family angrily say, "Achi, don't try to fool me today! I've said it before, I am your lawfully wedded wife. You either give me rightful management rights of Muxi Garden, or you hand over the person you're hiding in the West Garden!"
At this moment, the head steward arrived and signaled all the servants and stewards present to leave. Deng Lu followed him out. She had no idea what happened between the head of the family and his wife afterward, or what they talked about.
News of that day was also strictly kept under wraps. However, later, Deng Lu noticed some new faces in Muxi Garden, and the matriarch of the family, who should have been the rightful mistress, would occasionally appear there as well.
The West Garden remained largely unchanged, except that the head of the family no longer came every day, but instead spent more time with his wife in order to appease her and her family's influence.
Because the matriarch's wife made a semi-public scene, although the news was suppressed, rumors still circulated within the clan, and undercurrents were swirling, suggesting that some forces were still plotting.
The head of the family tightened his guard over the West Garden, as if protecting a cherished last treasure, preventing anyone from getting close. The lady of the family also seemed to have compromised, no longer appearing near the West Garden, but only in other parts of the Osmanthus Garden.
But Deng Lu could still sense that something was different from before...
The autumn lotus has gradually withered, its brown branches lying bent and horizontal in the pond.
In the quiet pavilion by the pond, Yun Yao lay sprawled on the chessboard, staring blankly at something without any clear purpose. His soul seemed to be on the verge of death, like the withered lotus leaves on the pond.
At this moment, something suddenly happened among the servants who should have been following them closely. After a series of chaotic footsteps, the servants stopped moving.
Yun Yao remained unresponsive, seemingly indifferent to the world. Then, a young, somewhat familiar female voice rang out behind him, "Yun...Yun Yao, I've come to see you. I'm sorry I'm late."
A ripple stirred in Yun Yao's gloomy heart. He looked up at the other person: "Third Miss..."
The person who arrived was none other than the long-lost Third Miss, Ming Xiao.
Mingxiao looked at Yun Yao's empty eyes and felt a pang of heartache. She carefully squatted down and whispered to the expressionless Yun Yao, "Yun Yao, when I returned from abroad, it was too late to turn back. I couldn't stop my elder brother's dictatorial actions back then... But later, the family sent me to take care of the madam in the secret hospital..."
At this point, the third young lady, Ming Xiao, gazed intently at Yun Yao and said softly, "Yun Yao, Madam woke up a month ago. Shall I take you to see her?"
Yun Yao slowly opened his eyes, and a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in them, like a spark rekindled from ashes.
“Madam, Madam has woken up…” Yun Yao murmured, repeating the Third Miss’s words. He looked at her and said somewhat urgently, “Then, then Madam knows me…”
The third young lady, Mingxiao, lowered her eyes and said softly, "When Madam first woke up, her condition was unstable and she still needed to rest. Madam had already told the clan that she would let my eldest brother and the others handle the matters in the clan and the garden. In the future, Madam will probably stay in other places to continue her treatment and recuperation."
At this point, she looked up at Yun Yao and reassured him, "However, as long as Madam gives an order, no one in the clan dares to disobey, including my elder brother and the others. Yun Yao, my sister-in-law and I have already made arrangements. I will take you to see Madam, and she will definitely be able to let you leave here..."
The unspoken meaning in the third young lady's words made Yun Yao give a self-deprecating bitter smile. In the end, he was just one of the madam's lovers, nothing more than insignificant dust compared to the grand schemes of their circle. If the madam were forced to choose between protecting the eldest young master and him, he would probably be the one who ultimately sacrificed himself.
But he still had a sliver of hope. He had secretly sent a message to Xing Yu to find Lou Yingying, and it seemed to have worked. However, what he didn't expect was that the Third Miss would actually help him.
When the Third Miss tried to help him up, Yun Yao didn't move. He just looked at her and asked in a low voice, "Third Miss, why are you helping me? Aren't you afraid of offending your eldest brother and the others?"
The third young lady's eyes flickered slightly. She remained silent for a while before sighing, "Yun Yao, just consider this as me repaying the favor you did for me last time."
Yun Yao stared at her for a moment, then suddenly said, "Third Miss, do you want me to tell Madam about the eldest young master and the others' misdeeds? Perhaps this way, Madam can give you more power..."
“No,” the third young lady shook her head, speaking calmly, “Yunyao, I’m sorry, but my elder brother and I are family after all. I want to help you, but I can’t harm them. I know you wouldn’t do something so desperate, and Madam surely understands that too…”
Yun Yao gave a self-deprecating laugh. He stood up, took one last look at the cage behind him that had once imprisoned him, and his eyes returned to their coldness. He said softly to the Third Miss, "Third Miss, I understand. Let's go."
If he wants to leave, he has no choice but to compromise.
Led by the Third Miss, Yun Yao left the garden where he had been under house arrest for half a year without encountering any other attendants or guards.
They got into a black car, and Yun Yao put on a special security mask. The car drove towards the outskirts of the city center.
After an unknown amount of time, Yun Yao got off the car at a secret base he had never seen before. He followed the Third Miss and changed vehicles twice more before finally arriving at a high-class, officially secret hospital.
In the VIP ward, Yun Yao finally saw Madam again.
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