CHAPTER 86: CHAPTER 86; WE HAD NO IDEA

He fell silent as Shen Xiao’s fingers tightened around the report, the paper crinkling under his grip.

His obsidian eyes narrowed in thought and he wondered how a human being could behave like this! It wasn’t normal at all under any circumstances.

"She was never this violent," he said again, more to himself than to Liang Chen. His deep voice carried an edge of confusion that unsettled the usually unflappable assistant, "She was never angry... even when I ignored her for months... even when Bai Zhi... even when Shen Xuan did anything, she was never this angry... She has always been calm and careful..."

His words trailed off into silence. Even before he married Yueyao, she knew there was Bai Zhi; it wasn’t something new; she should have gotten used to her existence by now.

Liang Chen hesitated before speaking carefully.

"President Shen... perhaps she has reached her emotional limit. Anyone... anyone would eventually..... Eventually, she breaks down; she is just a normal human being... She has feelings...."

Shen Xiao’s gaze snapped up, freezing him mid-sentence.

A heavy silence descended in the room, the only sound the faint hum of the central heating, and Liang Chen didn’t dare to insinuate anything.

Finally, Shen Xiao set down the reports and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples with long, veined fingers to relieve himself from the tension that was building up.

"Arrange for Doctor Qiao to visit her today... Quietly... I want her psychological evaluation by tonight. I don’t trust Dr Han as much as we want to say it’s genetic. Something just feels off. I can recall her reports before marriage; she didn’t have this kind of condition in her medical reports, so the condition can’t suddenly break out as a flu..."

"Yes, sir."

"And Liang Chen," Shen Xiao added, his voice returning to its usual icy calm, "No one must know about this, not even Bai Zhi. Do things discreetly."

Liang Chen bowed deeply. "Understood."

As the assistant left, Shen Xiao sat alone in his vast office, his elbows resting on the armrests as he steepled his fingers under his chin.

His mind replayed her dead, emotionless eyes, her hoarse screams, her bitter words to their son. She seemed to have totally changed and no longer had any patience.

Regret... Guilt.... Or perhaps fear... fear that something irreversibly broken had finally snapped in her and he would never be able to be in control.

He clenched his jaw, his expression darkening as he turned to the large glass window overlooking the city skyline.

’No matter what it is... I will fix it. Even if it means breaking you further to make you mine again

He called the hospital to check the condition of Auntie Mei and the chauffeur, but they were still in a coma and their conditions were deteriorating. He had sent two maids over to the hospital.

In that Van, they weren’t there, did they remain behind? Did they use another means of transportation? He felt like things were oddly off. Nothing seemed to make sense.

Because they were also supposed to be injured if they were in that van, just like Auntie Mei and the chauffeur.

He rose to his feet, his silhouette cast tall and cold against the glass.

Exiting the study room, he moved with quiet urgency down the corridor, footsteps echoing through the marble hall.

He spotted the two maids, Xiaoling and Wenna, just outside the linen room, whispering among themselves.

Their faces paled as soon as they saw him.

"Follow me," Shen Xiao said curtly, turning on his heel without waiting for confirmation.

He led them to the smaller anteroom near the staircase, shut the door behind them, and folded his arms.

His expression was unreadable, but the chill in his eyes made the air feel colder.

"You two were assigned to accompany Aunt Mei and the chauffeur to the hospital and back home," he said. "Explain to me, clearly, how they ended up in the van alone and the two of you were missing."

Xiaoling heavily swallowed and didn’t dare to look at him, "President Shen, we, we did accompany them to the hospital..."

Xiaoling stammered, "We... we visited a family friend who was admitted there."

Wenna’s eyes widened slightly, a flash of panic darting across her face. "President Shen, it was only for a few minutes. Madam had already been helped into the van by Auntie Mei, and the chauffeur was ready to leave. Auntie Mei said we could return separately since she could manage from there."

Shen Xiao’s gaze sharpened taking in all their little antics!

"A family friend?" he echoed, voice low, dangerous. "While you were on duty?"

Xiaoling’s knees wobbled.

"We didn’t mean to neglect our duties, sir. It was a quick visit... We thought....."

"You thought?" Shen Xiao snapped, his voice cracking like thunder in the small room. He took a step forward, and both maids instinctively backed up. "You thought it was fine to abandon your post while she was barely recovered? While she was still in a wheelchair?"

Wenna bowed deeply, her voice trembling. "We are sorry, President Shen. We didn’t imagine something like that would happen. We didn’t..."

"No," he cut in coldly. "You didn’t think at all."

The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating.

Shen Xiao slowly paced the room, jaw tight, fury simmering beneath his skin.

"The van crashed less than a kilometer from the Shen mansion. The chauffeur and Aunt Mei are both unconscious in the ICU. Yueyao’s whereabouts at that time are unknown. And you two..." He turned sharply, his eyes piercing. "...were visiting a friend."

Tears welled in Xiaoling’s eyes.

"We didn’t even see the crash, sir. By the time we got back, the van had already been towed away... We... we had no idea until we returned to the mansion and heard the news days later."

Shen Xiao’s voice dropped to a near whisper. "And what happened?"

The words struck like a dagger. Were they going to report to him?