Chapter 110
“I hope she’s well.” Cheng Lydia sighed and said to him, “Take care on the road, bye.”
“Bye.”
After watching Gu William’s car leave, Cheng Lydia turned around and headed inside the mansion.
It was after ten o’clock, but the old lady was still awake and was slowly coming down from the second floor, while Shen Ron, who looked like he had just returned from outside, was talking to the old lady while tugging at the tie around his neck.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.
“I thought you were together, but I didn’t expect to come back separately.” The old woman swept the two of them, finally moving her gaze to Cheng Lydia’s face and said in a serious tone, “Why are you still with another man at this late hour? How can you behave?”
Cheng Lydia glanced at Shen Ron, who merely cast a faint glance at her, unreadable in his joy.
Still two kilometers from Shen Mansion, he saw Cheng Lydia sitting inside Gu William’s Bugatti, the two of them talking and laughing, and saw Cheng Lydia feeding Gu William with her own hands.
He was certainly upset, and almost rushed up to cut them off at that moment, but the thought of his private agreement with Cheng Lydia sobered him up instantly.
“Grandma, Master Gu and I are just friends.” Cheng Lydia explained.
“The first time we met at Gu’s, I could tell that Master Gu was looking at you differently.” The old woman walked up to her and patted her hand, “Since you decided to stay with The Shen Family, you have to be willing to give up the outside, you hear me?”
“Heard that.” Cheng Lydia nodded meekly.
“Good girl, both go to your rooms early and rest.” The old lady said at the two.
“Okay, good night Grandma.” Cheng Lydia took a step upstairs.
Shen Ron lazily pulled the tie off his neck, stood up from the couch, and smiled at the old lady, “Grandma, do you think human feelings are set by a computer system? That they can be reset and deleted?”
“What? You let her get chased away by Gu William?”
“If I’m meant to be with her, no one can chase her away, can they?”
“Don’t you talk to me here with all this literary breeze, I’m giving up Ho Gina to keep her, you better not make me regret it.”
“That depends on whether your good grandson, me, has the skills.” Shen Ron shrugged and took a step upstairs.
Cheng Lydia came out of the shower and saw Shen Ron standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window looking at himself. After a pause in her footsteps, she stepped up, sized him up and asked, “What? Are you waiting for an explanation from me too?”
“Do you think it’s necessary?”
“No.”
“That’s right.”
“And what do you mean by looking at me like that?”
“Nothing in particular, just wanted to remind you to watch your image before we both make the divorce official, and that forms like feeding snacks to men in the car are best avoided.” Shen Ron turned his back to her and looked up at the night scene outside. His tone sounded flat, like he was reminding her of a very small thing.
He couldn’t admit that he was just waiting for an explanation from her, even if it wasn’t really necessary.
Cheng Lydia’s heart was gloomy, and she suddenly felt a sense of desolation before she parted.
She nodded in agreement, “I’ll keep an eye out for that now.”
Shen Ron added, “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to interfere with you guys being together.”
“I know.”
“Is your mother doing better?” Shen Ron changed the subject.
“Got a Valium and won’t wake up until tomorrow morning.” Cheng Lydia looked at him and asked, “What did my mom tell you?”
“Nothing, just called out your name and said you’re the one …” Shen Ron mused, thinking back to the words Cheng Lena had just struggled to utter to herself, unable to really guess what Cheng Lena was trying to say.
“Say I’m the one who needs more attention, right? She’s always been so heartbroken for me.” Cheng Lydia snatched away a sardonic smile, especially after learning about her memory loss, her mother’s heart ached for her.
“Maybe, so you’ll have to be happy to show her.”
“Thanks, I will.”
The two stood silent for a few moments before Cheng Lydia said to him, “Go in and take a shower, I’ve put the hot water on for you.”
Perhaps this was the last time she put the bath water in for him, just before she put it in, she wiped the disinfected tub over and over, scrubbing it with extra care and adjusting the water temperature just right.
There came a time when the song ended, and she was grateful that he had given her this opportunity gratuitously without giving her a hard time.
In the morning, having won Cheng Lydia’s trust, Aunt Helen got her family card and entered Cheng Lena’s ward before Cheng Lydia came to the hospital.
Cheng Lena was still awake when she entered, and it was he who nudged her out of her sleep with his hand.
Cheng Lena opened her eyes sulkily, and when she saw her, her face was not as excited as it had been the first time, just looking at him blandly.
“The good sister who was once almost Mrs. Young, you’re awake?” Aunt Helen surveyed her with a smiling smile, her condescending posture causing Cheng Lena to feel an invisible pressure.
She opened her mouth, still unable to speak.
“What are you trying to say, sister?” Aunt Helen put her ear close to her mouth and heard the few words she faintly spat out, “Where is the little … painting …?”
Improved again today from yesterday, and was able to break off three words.
The fact that she seemed to be recovering well, and that the chances of her being able to speak properly were just around the corner, gradually clouded Aunt Helen’s mind with a sense of unease.
She took a light breath, her eyes growing grim, it seemed that some things could not be delayed.
“Is Sister asking about Lydia, she’s gone back to her employer’s house and hasn’t come over yet.” Aunt Helen smiled vaguely and turned to say, “Sister must not know yet that Lydia went to be a surrogate for a rich family in order to get the money for your operation and is staying with that employer at night.”
Before her words were out of her mouth, Cheng Lena did stare at her in shocked, wide-eyed astonishment.
“I guess sis doesn’t know yet.” Aunt Helen sighed again, “Lydia must have not told you because she was worried that you would be angry if you found out, but don’t blame her sister, she did it for your own good, she’s had a really hard time for you all these years.”
Aunt Helen secretly observe Cheng Lena’s face, see her face a shock, as is then said: “sister a sickness is five years, these five years is Lydia in with expensive medical expenses to feed you up in. For the sake of money, Lydia married the young master of The Lim Family before she finished college, suffered the beatings of Master Lim and Miss Lim day after day, and was thrown out of the house after being beaten half to death by The Lim Family half a year ago, nearly losing her life. After being abandoned by Master Lim, Lydia went back to work as a surrogate for a certain rich man for your medical expenses, probably because of her bad health from working too hard, she hasn’t conceived for almost six months. Last month she was beaten half to death by that family again, and was hospitalized for a whole month, and was only discharged a few days before your surgery, I don’t know if you noticed the new injuries on her forehead and left leg in Shanghai, which were left by this latest one.”
Cheng Lena’s tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, her hands clutching the snowy bedding, her body trembling slightly.
These days, Cheng Lydia never told her anything but the good things, never this.
She certainly noticed the new scar on the corner of Cheng Lydia’s forehead and asked her with her eyes where it came from, but Cheng Lydia told her with an indifferent look that she had accidentally bumped it.
“By the way, I heard that Lydia brought Shen Ron over to see you last night? Actually that was Lydia acting on purpose to show you because she was afraid that you would worry about her future with Shen Ron. You still don’t know that Shen Ron got married to June four years ago and they are very much in love and happy now.” As Aunt Helen spoke, she took out a photo from inside her bag and handed it to her eyes.
The photo was taken at their wedding four years ago and shows Yang June in a beautiful wedding dress and Shen Ron intimately holding hands as they slowly pick their way down the spiral staircase, both with happy smiles covering their faces.
“Did you get a good look? This is June, not Lydia,” Aunt Helen said as she passed the photo in front of her eyes some more.
Cheng Lena got a good look and clearly saw that the girl in the photo was Yang June and not her Lydia, only she didn’t know that the photo was actually taken when Shen Ron and Yang June were interviewing for a wedding dress in a wedding agency, not a wedding.
Of course, Yang June wore the same wedding dress during the wedding, but unfortunately, the wedding car suddenly had an accident while passing by Riverside Road, and Yang June has been sick since then.
“How can your Lydia smile so young and pretty when she’s already tormented by life, pale and lower than a dog because of you?” The look on Aunt Helen’s face grew grim as she glared at Cheng Lena and sneered through her teeth, “When she was little, she followed you into that life of poverty and scorn. When she grew up, she had to suffer from you, selling her marriage for money, selling her body, and living this life without dignity. Don’t you feel guilty seeing your own daughter being dragged down by yourself like this? If it wasn’t for you, maybe she would have lived a good life long ago, she could have lived an easy life with her job’s salary, and probably would have found a good man to marry.”
Cheng Lena couldn’t speak and couldn’t do anything but weep.
Her heart goes out to her daughter, and who says she doesn’t care for her Lydia?
Aunt Helen was right, she hadn’t given Lydia a good life since she was a little girl, and now that Lydia was old enough to finally be on her own, she had dragged her down to this herself.
“Lydia …” She whimpered, her body trembling even more sharply.
Her heart, already aching and depressed, was about to be unable to inhale and exhale.
“Does crying help?” Aunt Helen closed in on her and smiled grimly, “If I were you, I would have ended this rotten life of mine long ago so that Lydia could live a happy life. Do you think you’re really going to get better? Do you think you can really walk out of the hospital like a normal person? What a nice thought! This is just another one of your family Lydia’s well-intentioned lies.”
Cheng Lena’s body trembled with excitement, her face turned red, and she began to cough incessantly and uncomfortably.
Aunt Helen was busy bending down to pat and stroke her chest, feigning concern, “Don t you die like that, sister, I will not get away with it Calm down, calm … down.”
Aunt Helen was stunned by the sudden sound of the door opening, but she was prepared for it and quickly settled down and continued to calm an agitated Cheng Lena.
As soon as Cheng Lydia entered the hospital room, she saw her mother gasping for breath and coughing, and put down the bag she was holding and rushed over to her, “Mom, what’s wrong with you? Why are you like this?”
Knowing that it was useless to ask Cheng Lena, she turned to Aunt Helen again as she did, “Godmother, what did you say to my mother? Why is my mom so excited?”
Every time she met a stranger, her mother had this emotional look, and today it was worse by far, so she guessed that Aunt Helen must have said something to her mother that she shouldn’t.
Aunt Helen said with an innocent look on her face, “I just told her about you being beaten and thrown out of the house by Lim Toby and you giving someone else a surrogate to have a baby to raise money for medical bills, I …
“How can you say that to my mother?” Cheng Lydia yelled at her in exasperation.
Aunt Helen gave a startled look of regret, “I was thinking you worked so hard for your mother, she should know.”
“Get out! Get out of here!” Cheng Lydia screamed, pushing her towards the door of the ward.
Aunt Helen was forcibly pushed out of the ward by her and with a ‘bang’ the door of the room was flung hard shut.
Cheng Lydia turned and flung herself back at her mother’s bedside, taking her hand in an emotional way, “Mom, don’t listen to her, I’m fine now, I’m fine …”
Cheng Lena whimpered and cried like tears.
She wrenched her palm from her grip and brushed a shaky hand up to the corner of her forehead, a new scar where she had deliberately covered it with her sea of hair, a scar that stabbed her heart.
She brought her palm up to Cheng Lydia’s left leg again; Cheng Lydia was wearing trench coat stockings and she couldn’t see her wound.
“Mom … don’t you worry, it’s all healed.” Cheng Lydia followed with tears, “As long as you can get better, it’s worth it for me to suffer more and more injuries, don’t cry, okay?”
Cheng Lena coughed again, coughing up blood.
Cheng Lydia was terrified and desperately pushed the distress bell on the wall with her hand while crying out in pain, “Mom, don’t you scare me, I’ve been waiting so hard for you to wake up …”
The doctor soon arrived and after a brief examination of Cheng Lena’s condition, requested a transfer to the emergency room.
Cheng Lena, however, grabbed Cheng Lydia’s palm and refused to let go before the doctor took herself away.
Cheng Lydia urgently advised, “Mom, go with the doctor, or it will be dangerous.”
Cheng Lena’s lips quirked, clearly with something else to say.
Cheng Lydia knew her personality, she would definitely not cooperate properly with the treatment until she had heard her out, as she put her ear to her mouth and said, “Mom, go ahead, I’m listening.”
Cheng Lena spat out two words with difficulty, “Mu … hi …”
Her spitting was very unclear because of her discomfort, and Cheng Lydia, baffled, asked her, “Ron was it?”
Cheng Lena nodded.
She asked again, “Mom wants to see Ron?”
Seeing Cheng Lena nodding again, Cheng Lydia busily agreed, “Okay, I’ll call Ron to come over now, mom you cooperate with the doctor first, okay?”
Cheng L ena was wheeled into the emergency room and watched as the emergency room door was closed and Cheng Lydia’s heart instantly hit rock bottom.
She wiped a tear stain from her face with her sleeve and crumpled to the floor.
Thinking of her mother’s instructions, she got up as she did and took out the phone to call Shen Ron. The call went through, but there was no answer, she didn’t know if Shen Ron didn’t hear her or didn’t answer the phone on purpose, repeated numerous times with the same result.
Worried that her mother would be as emotional as she had just been when she came out and didn’t see Shen Ron, she hesitated briefly, glancing up at the emergency room door panel before turning and walking quickly in the direction of the elevator.
After leaving the hospital, Cheng Lydia took a taxi to Shen’s.
Since the car accident, Cheng Lydia hasn’t been to Shen’s since, and now that she’s there again, feeling namely so sad, she takes the elevator directly up to the president’s office on the top floor.
The secretary lady greeted nonchalantly, “Secretary Cheng it’s been a long time.”
Although they didn’t know what kind of relationship Cheng Lydia and Shen Ron had with each other, anyone could see that it was not simple, so the girls, who had always ‘protected their master’, had unconsciously come to the same side and together they rejected the lucky female secretary who had just arrived and gotten the favor of CEO Shen.
Especially when they see Cheng Lydia barging into CEO Shen’s office without even paging them properly.