CHAPTER 100: CHAPTER 100; TWO WOMEN

Then he stood slowly, backing away only far enough for the doctor to kneel where he had just been. As the wound was cleaned and dressed, Shen Xiao remained at the edge of the room, his hands still stained red.

And for the first time in years, he didn’t wipe it off.

Because this time, the blood was not from a ritual. Not from any accidents... But rather....

It was from a woman who had already died for him once, lost everything... and was begging not to die alone again. What was he supposed to do?

"She will be okay," Doctor Wu said softly, glancing at Shen Xiao. "It’s not that deep. But... whatever pushed her to this, it’s not going away with bandages. You know some situations need to be handled carefully..."

Shen Xiao didn’t respond. He simply nodded, his gaze never leaving her. Deep down he knew what he was insinuating,

After the doctor left, the room fell into a hush again. He picked her up and took her back to her bedroom.

Bai Zhi shifted slightly, murmuring something incoherent in her half-conscious state. Shen Xiao rose and adjusted her pillow, then sat beside her on the bed.

He didn’t touch her, but his presence wrapped around her like a quiet shadow.

The afternoon sun streamed through the sheer curtains, casting warm golden patches across her face. Shen Xiao leaned back against the headboard, gaze still locked on her profile.

"I’m not leaving you all alone," he whispered.

Not this time. But he couldn’t make a promise to stay by her side forever.

So he stayed, through the quiet hours, watching her breathe, listening to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat, as if his presence alone could keep her anchored to this world.

And when exhaustion finally pulled at him, he didn’t leave. He sat beside her still, one hand resting lightly on the edge of her blanket, not touching her, but never letting go.

Eventually, when her breathing grew deeper and her fingers stopped twitching in restless tremors, he rose quietly to his feet. His hand lingered a moment longer on the blanket, as though reluctant to let the silence swallow him.

Then he stepped out.

Now he sat in the hallway, slouched against the cold wall between two closed doors, one behind which Bai Zhi lay still and bandaged, and the other behind which Yueyao hadn’t made a sound in hours.

His shirt was still stiff with dried blood on the sleeves towards the chest.

For two hours, he had sat by Bai Zhi’s side, saying nothing, doing nothing, simply watching her chest rise and fall. That had been enough, but still, it won’t make it up to her.

The silence between them had always been an ancient thing, older than their bond, full of things unsaid, and sacrifices unspoken. It’s been years, and this was what he couldn’t solve until now.

But when the light from the window shifted just slightly, Shen Xiao finally stood up from the cold floor.

His joints ached, his legs numb, but his mind was sharper than ever. He walked quietly to his guest room and locked the door behind him.

Once he entered the guest Shen Xiao pulled off his bloodied shirt and trousers in one fluid motion, tossing them into the laundry basket by the door.

Without a word, he stepped into the bathroom and took a long, scalding shower, letting the water wash away the dried blood clinging to his skin like guilt.

He got a sponge and cleaned the blood from his arms in slow circles, like trying to erase what had already been written into his skin.

This was Bai Zhi’s blood. Her pain.

And this was all for him.

He just stood there, under the scalding shower lost in what to do. Two women, each with their own instabilities.

"I said I’d protect her," he muttered to no one but himself, recalling the vows he had made that fateful night. It was he who had brought all this on her, and it was he who had failed her.

His reflection in the mirror stared back hollowly. There was no fire in those eyes now, only weight, and guilt was weighing him down.

And yet... just down the hall, Yueyao was still locked in the private wing. He had placed her there, said it was for her own safety. But maybe it was also for his sanity at the moment.

Because facing her meant facing everything he had failed to be. And facing Bai Zhi was difficult as he had failed her, every promise he had broken. Every truth he had buried.

Two women.

One who had given everything for him, and another who had been in his life for the past few years. Someone who had given him an heir.

He knew at the beginning he wasn’t in favorable of the marriage, he didn’t want to have a baby who wasn’t Bai Zhi’s but at the end of the day, he couldn’t stay without an heir, yes, he had wanted to live Shen Xuan but still, he can’t forget the son they had lost, conceived out of love!

And him, somewhere in between, unworthy of both.

Shen Xiao closed his eyes.

When he snapped his eyes open again, his mind had calmed down.

By the time he emerged, steam trailing behind him, he was dressed in fresh clothes, crisp, dark, and deliberate.

He opened the door slightly and handed the basket of soiled garments to a waiting maid. "Have these cleaned immediately," he said, his tone quiet but final. "Also, notify them to check if Yueyao has woken up. If she has, let them give her something light to eat. Make sure she eats something."

"Yes, sir," the maid responded with a slight bow before hurrying off.

Shen Xiao ran a hand through his damp hair as he crossed over to the sitting area, his steps unhurried. Silence trailed him as he moved down the hallway, the ends of his hair still clinging faintly to his temples.