CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 83; I WAS SO SCARED

She sat on the velvet settee near the far wall, wrapped in a pale cashmere blanket. Her face was ghost-white, her eyes red and swollen with tears. Her hands clutched the blanket tightly around her trembling body as she let out soft, ragged sobs.

When she saw him approaching, her eyes filled with tears again, and her lips trembled.

"Xiao..." she whispered brokenly, her voice hoarse and raw. "Xiao... I... I was so scared... I thought she would kill me... I thought... I thought I would never see you again... I can’t... I can’t stop shaking..."

Her voice cracked into another sob as she pressed the back of her trembling hand against her forehead, her fragile shoulders quivering beneath the blanket.

He said nothing, only looked at her with those cold, dark eyes, eyes that flickered briefly with an unreadable emotion before turning towards Dr. Han, who stood a few steps away, packing up his black medical kit.

Dr. Han glanced up, pushing his silver-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose as his sharp gaze flicked between Bai Zhi’s trembling form and Shen Xiao’s expressionless face.

"Physically, she will be fine," Dr. Han said quietly, nodding towards Bai Zhi. "The wound is superficial. I’ve disinfected and dressed it."

Bai Zhi whimpered softly, curling deeper into the blanket as tears streamed silently down her cheeks. Her voice trembled with fragile fear as she whispered,

"She... she’s not sane anymore... Xiao... she... she wasn’t even herself... she looked like... like a madwoman..."

Dr. Han’s gaze shifted back to Shen Xiao, his expression grave.

"Mr. Shen... we need to discuss Madam’s condition. Today’s outburst was not just a violent impulse. Given her family history... it could be indicative of a genetic predisposition."

Shen Xiao’s eyes narrowed slightly, a faint flicker of coldness passing through their obsidian depths.

"Explain."

Dr. Han cleared his throat softly, folding his hands neatly in front of him.

"Her mother... as you know, she suffered from severe schizoaffective disorder in her late thirties. Inherited psychiatric conditions often manifest under prolonged trauma or emotional triggers. Yueyao has been... functioning adequately for ten years, but prolonged emotional suppression is never sustainable."

Bai Zhi let out another sob, wiping her tears with the back of her trembling hand. Her voice cracked as she whispered,

"What triggered her...? She was always so calm... so obedient... what changed...?"

Dr. Han exhaled quietly.

"Sometimes, it takes only one catalyst to shatter a decade of emotional repression. It could be cumulative stress, a perceived betrayal, or, as today shows, the loss of perceived control. Her violent behaviour... delusional speech... and suicidal ideation all point to a severe psychotic break."

Shen Xiao’s jaw tightened, the veins along his wrist standing taut as his fist clenched at his side.

"So you’re saying she’s going crazy. Just like her mother."

Dr. Han hesitated, his eyes flicking to Bai Zhi’s pale, tear-streaked face before returning to Shen Xiao.

"I’m saying... her mental state is unstable. Without immediate intervention, it will deteriorate further."

Bai Zhi sobbed softly, her shoulders shaking under the blanket as she whispered brokenly,

"Xiao... you can’t let her near Xuan’er again... please... please... she will kill him... she will kill me... she’s... she’s not Yueyao anymore... she’s just like her mother was... please... I’m so scared..."

Shen Xiao’s gaze lowered to Shen Xuan, still curled into himself on the cold floor, his shoulders trembling silently.

Then his dark eyes flicked back to the secured room where Yueyao lay sedated and unconscious behind locked steel doors.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then his quiet, cold voice cut through the silence.

"Prepare everything for transfer to the psychiatric facility."

Dr. Han bowed slightly. "Yes, Mr. Shen."

As the doctor turned away to make the necessary calls, Shen Xiao remained standing in the middle of the vast marble foyer, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the gleaming floor.

His gaze lingered on Bai Zhi, her sobs echoing softly in the silent hall.

Then he looked back towards the locked room.

His face remained impassive, carved in stone.

But deep within his obsidian eyes, something flickered.

Something dark.

Something final.

— — — —

Bai Zhi’s POV

Bai Zhi sat curled on the velvet settee, her head lowered, tears dripping silently onto the pale cashmere blanket pooled in her lap.

But behind the quivering lashes and trembling lips, her mind burned with cold, meticulous calculation.

She could still feel the sting of Yueyao’s blade grazing her throat, a thin, stinging pain that would leave only the faintest of scars if treated promptly. She pressed her fingers delicately against the gauze bandage, wincing theatrically as another tear slipped down her cheek.

Perfect.

Everything had gone perfectly.

For years, Yueyao had remained infuriatingly silent and docile, refusing to react, refusing to crumble no matter what schemes Bai Zhi planted around her. But today... Today, Yueyao had finally snapped. Bai Zhi almost smiled behind her tears.

A violent outburst in front of Shen Xuan, in front of Shen Xiao, in front of all the guards and household staff.

Threatening his beloved son, breaking down into hysterics, screaming that she wanted to die, and her manic actions just exposed every last crack in her fragile little soul.

Bai Zhi sniffled softly, dabbing at her eyes with the blanket’s edge. From the corner of her tear-blurred gaze, she watched Shen Xiao’s tall, silent figure as he stood with his back to her, staring at the locked room that held Yueyao inside.

He was angry.

More than angry. He was shaken and his mind was already working, calculating, strategizing. Bai Zhi could see it in the way his jaw tightened, in the faint tremble of his clenched fist.

Yueyao’s madness.

Yueyao’s dangerous instability.

Yueyao’s unfit motherhood.

All of it was becoming undeniable.

Bai Zhi lowered her eyes again, tears spilling in silent rivers as she buried her trembling face into the blanket. But hidden beneath her tear-soaked lashes, her lips curled into the faintest, poisonous smile.

Soon.