After the Most Hated Persona Faked Their Death, the Ex-Husband Lost His Mind - Chapter 26

The weather was gradually turning colder, and the changing of seasons brought about the peak period for Influenza A. Recently, the flu had become severe in S City, and many students at Li Zhi’s school had returned home to recover.

When luck is against you, even a sip of water can get stuck in your teeth. Out of all the people at school, those who mingled in crowds all day, like Han Ziyao and his ilk, remained as energetic as ever, while Li Zhi, who usually avoided social interaction, was the one who caught it.

When Li Zhi opened his eyes again, he found himself lying stiffly in bed. Perhaps because he had just woken up, his head felt as if it were splitting apart. Just as he was about to turn over to alleviate the discomfort, someone pressed down on his shoulder the moment he moved.

“Young Master, do not move. Be careful not to dislodge the needle.”

Only then did Li Zhi realize he was on an intravenous drip. The decor before his eyes was familiar; it was his own room.

A woman draped in a fringed shawl stood on the balcony outside. She had her back to Li Zhi and was smoking. Li Zhi could only see her waist-length, seaweed-like hair and the slowly rising smoke.

The family doctor placed a thermometer in Li Zhi’s mouth. After a few minutes, she pulled it out and took a look. “39 degrees Celsius. Young Master, have you felt any other discomfort these past two days?”

“I,” Li Zhi began with difficulty, his voice weak and hoarse. “My head hurts. I have no strength, no appetite. I vomit everything I eat.”

The family doctor nodded. A nurse stepped forward to draw blood from Li Zhi, but when she rolled up his sleeve, she took a terrified step back. “Ah!”

“What is it? Why the sudden outburst?” The family doctor looked at her with dissatisfaction. The young nurse took a quick glance at Li Zhi and hurriedly wiped the sweat from her forehead. “No, it is nothing.”

She swiftly finished drawing a vial of blood. Not long after, Li Zhi felt lightheaded and could only faintly hear the sound of the sliding balcony door opening. Someone approached him; it seemed to be Wang Xiaochun. The family doctor stood respectfully to the side, speaking with her. “Based on current observations, it should be Influenza A, though the final results will have to wait for the lab report.”

Wang Xiaochun pulled her shawl tighter and asked, “How long will that take?”

“An hour at the earliest, Madam.”

Wang Xiaochun frowned slightly and waved her hand for them to leave. However, the nurse following the family doctor hesitated for a moment, took a step forward, and whispered something into Wang Xiaochun’s ear.

A flash of surprise crossed Wang Xiaochun’s eyes. While her back was turned, the family doctor glared at the nurse, seemingly blaming her for being meddlesome. She then said, “Madam, we will take our leave now.”

At this moment, Wang Xiaochun ignored them. She stared blankly at the IV bag hanging high up until there were no outsiders left in the room. Only then did she look away.

Wang Xiaochun took a step forward and reached out toward the youth sleeping on the bed. Surprisingly, her hand was trembling slightly.

When her fingertips were only a few centimeters from his cuff, Wang Xiaochun suddenly stopped. She curled her fingers and withdrew her hand.

Her heels clicked on the floor, the sound growing fainter. Finally, with the soft click of the door closing, Wang Xiaochun left Li Zhi’s bedroom.

The lab report came back quickly; Li Zhi had indeed contracted Influenza A.

However, both Wang Xiaochun and Li Zhi knew that the situation was far more complicated than just having the flu.

Li Zhi’s illness came on fast and hard. Compared to his classmates, Li Zhi was much more severely ill. For the first two days, his head throbbed painfully; even wrapped in thick blankets, he felt as if he were in an ice cellar. His throat felt as if it were being cut by knives, an experience of pure agony.

After a few days of medication and IV fluids, he seemed a bit better. His temperature dropped, and a blood test showed that his vital signs were back to normal. Yet Li Zhi still could not muster any spirit. The porridge the servants brought in the evening remained untouched even after it was completely dark.

He could sleep in bed all day without eating or drinking, curled up in the blankets without even changing his position. If not for the fact that he was still breathing, he would have been indistinguishable from a corpse.

Strangely enough, even though he was not eating, he kept vomiting; mostly just stomach acid.

During those days, rumors spread among the servants that the Zhou household was haunted. They claimed to hear someone crying, sometimes during the day and sometimes at night, and suggested it was likely the child Madam had lost returning home to seek justice.

The rumor was quickly debunked when the servant responsible for Li Zhi’s daily care spoke up. “Haunted? There is no such thing. Though, someone is crying, that is the truth.”

“It is not anyone else crying; it is the Young Master.”

She described it vividly. “He cries for no reason. He cries even when no one is around. Once, when I was on the night shift and passed his door, I heard crying. I thought something had happened and rushed in. Turns out, there was nothing wrong; he was still sleeping.”

“He cries even while asleep. And that is not all.” She suddenly went silent and peeked around suspiciously. “Yesterday afternoon, I found something under his bed.”

The surrounding servants leaned in to listen. Upon hearing her words, their expressions changed. “Is that true? Why would a normal person hide such things? How dangerous!”

“Heaven knows! I did not dare touch them; I put them all back!” The servant patted her chest in fear. Then she glared at them. “None of you are allowed to speak of this!”

The group promised repeatedly, but there is no such thing as a secret in this world. Within two days, Wang Xiaochun entered Li Zhi’s room with her retinue. With a glance from her, Butler Zhang, who was very perceptive, dragged out the servant who had been caring for Li Zhi.

He asked sternly, “Where are the things you spoke of!”

The maid turned pale with fright and walked forward unsteadily. Li Zhi was still lying in bed; he had been asleep but was now awake, startled by Butler Zhang’s shout.

He was still dazed, not quite understanding the situation until the maid bent down and dragged an inconspicuous tin box from under his bed.

Li Zhi realized something was wrong, but it was too late. He could only watch as the maid opened the box, exposing the contents clearly to everyone’s gaze: various blades, butterfly knives, and utility knives, filling the large box.

On the blade edges, there were even traces of dried blood.

“Madam!” Butler Zhang cried out in alarm, quickly reaching out to support Wang Xiaochun. Wang Xiaochun steadied herself and pushed his hand away. She took a deep breath and commanded the two servants behind her, “Open the curtains! Open them all!”

With a loud rustle, the curtains were pulled back, and the well-lit room was instantly flooded with brightness. Li Zhi, who had not seen sunlight for many days, could not adapt to the intensity. He reflexively raised his hand to block his eyes and let out a pained cry, “Ah!”

Li Zhi wanted to hide under the covers, but his body felt like a rusted robot. He had only partially hidden himself when the blankets were stripped away. Then, his left sleeve was pulled up. Li Zhi tried to pull his hand back, but Wang Xiaochun’s strength was surprisingly great.

Li Zhi rarely wore short sleeves. His public excuse was that he had a UV allergy, so even in the height of summer, he wore long sleeves or a light jacket.

Even his pajamas were thin and long-sleeved.

But only he knew the real reason. The skin’s ability to heal has a limit. When the scars on his wrist would not fade over time, he had to keep them covered with sleeves.

With Li Zhi’s biggest secret exposed, Wang Xiaochun let go of his hand. She took a deep breath and brushed aside the stray hairs on Li Zhi’s forehead, her movements incredibly gentle. “When did this start, Xiao Zhi?”

“I,” Li Zhi felt an inexplicable urge to cry. His voice was unsteady as he said, “I do not remember clearly.”

“Mama knows. It must have been recently. It is just because the academic pressure is too great. Only because the pressure is too great.”

Li Zhi regained some composure and wanted to shake his head, but Wang Xiaochun’s gaze seemed to carry something indefinable, weighing on him like a stone and making it hard to breathe. Wang Xiaochun added, “This is normal. This is nothing.”

No one expected Wang Xiaochun to react this way. Even Butler Zhang was stunned. Wang Xiaochun gave him a look, and he quickly laughed. “Yes, yes, Madam is right.”

“This is not a big deal. You will be fine after resting for a while.” Wang Xiaochun curled her lips into a graceful smile. She leaned down and stroked Li Zhi’s face. “Before long, you will get better.”

Li Zhi looked at her as if looking at a stranger. Wang Xiaochun’s hand was warm and soft, yet Li Zhi felt as though the palm against his face was like a block of ice, nearly freezing him to death.

“Then Madam, regarding the Master”

“What a funny question.” Wang Xiaochun gave a light laugh. “Did I not say this is normal? Since it is a common little matter, what need is there to tell Guoxiong?”

“He has been very busy abroad lately. Old Zhang, you should know what to say and what not to say.”

Without the need for further explanation, Butler Zhang understood. He nodded repeatedly. Wang Xiaochun waved her hand for them to leave. Once everyone had gone, Wang Xiaochun did not even look at Li Zhi as she walked toward the balcony.

She lit a cigarette, her lipstick-stained lips pressing against the filter. Wang Xiaochun had just returned from the office. During this time, Zhou Guoxiong was busy with a major project abroad, and Wang Xiaochun was in charge of domestic affairs.

Zhou Guoxiong originally did not want her to take over company business so soon, but he could not resist Wang Xiaochun’s persistence. Combined with the fact that she had just lost a child, Zhou Guoxiong’s guilt got the better of him. He relented and told the people in the company to guide her.

Wang Xiaochun had been abroad recently and had just returned. Trends in the business world change in an instant; she had to adapt quickly and ensure no mistakes were made to prevent Zhou Guoxiong from changing his mind.

She was still relatively young, so Zhou Guoxiong loved her, and with the added guilt, he was almost entirely submissive to her. But who could guarantee she would stay young forever? Who could guarantee Zhou Guoxiong’s guilt would not fade?

Wang Xiaochun was under a lot of pressure. Those old dogs on the company board were very dissatisfied with Zhou Guoxiong allowing her to interfere in key business matters.

At this critical juncture, Wang Xiaochun would not allow anyone to distract her. She could not make mistakes, and she could not let those people catch her off guard. Thinking this, Wang Xiaochun had already made a decision.

She extinguished the cigarette on the railing, unlocked her phone, and made a call. Li Zhi could not hear the specifics of what she said. He only saw her put the phone down after finishing the call and turn to walk toward him.

“Xiao Zhi.” Wang Xiaochun leaned down slightly, her black, wavy hair falling onto Li Zhi’s chest. “You are a good boy, right?”

Li Zhi looked at her and nodded as if controlled. Aside from nodding, he could do nothing else.

“You must know that everything Mama does is for your own good. Bringing you back to the Zhou family, sending you to this school, and even more things you do not know about, everything is for your own good.” Wang Xiaochun stroked his face, her nail digging a mark into his cheek. “You know, I only have you as a child.”

“Mama cannot get pregnant again. Xiao Zhi, you know that, right? Mama loves you.”

Li Zhi’s teeth chattered uncontrollably. A fear embedded in his bones bound him like silk threads. Unable to resist, he could only nod and nod.

Wang Xiaochun smiled with satisfaction. “Very good. Then you must be obedient. You must.”

The next morning, Li Zhi was sent to the hospital.