The Eldest Lady always wants to have a double O Relationship with her old enemy - Chapter 21

Tang Yanzhao was pulled by her right hand to lean against the headboard, her expression cold as she stared at Shen Jianxi. Beside them, the private doctor who had been hurriedly summoned was carrying out a simple physical examination on Shen Jianxi.

After calling out “baby” just now, Shen Jianxi’s lips had curved into a satisfied smile. She obediently let go of Tang Yanzhao, but not entirely—she turned her hand and caught hold of Tang Yanzhao’s instead.

With no other choice, Tang Yanzhao could only let herself be held and stand at the bedside.

The doctor put down his stethoscope. “From the preliminary check, nothing serious.”

“She sometimes gets sudden pains,” Tang Yanzhao spoke out about the problem that had troubled her the entire day.

The doctor looked at her and asked, “Where exactly?”

Tang Yanzhao shook her head slightly. “I don’t know. She never says.”

“What symptoms?”

“She shakes all over, her face goes pale, her breathing gets rapid, and she breaks out in cold sweat.”

“How often?”

Three black lines seemed to fall across Tang Yanzhao’s brow. “Twice today, the last one about half an hour ago.”

“With just a few descriptions it’s hard to pinpoint the cause. It’s best to go to the hospital for a full, detailed examination.”

Tang Yanzhao agreed, and the doctor began to pack his things to leave. Only then did Aunt Zhou, who had been standing anxiously at the side, come over with a distressed look on her face. “Why did you drink so much?”

She? Drank too much?

One cup of fruit wine—was that considered much?

Tang Yanzhao’s lips twitched, losing control for once, before she cleared her throat quietly.

Fine. For someone with no alcohol tolerance, that did count as a lot.

Aunt Zhou continued, “I’ll go make a bowl of hangover soup for Jianxi, so she won’t have a headache tomorrow. Zhaozhao, keep an eye on her.”

Tang Yanzhao obediently nodded. “Okay.”

Once Aunt Zhou had left, Tang Yanzhao gently drew her hand free, flexing her fingers twice to relieve the stiffness from keeping one position too long. She sat down on the single armchair nearby, her gaze quietly falling on Shen Jianxi’s peaceful, sleeping face. Her own expression was blank, carrying a touch of aloofness that warned strangers away.

She pulled out her phone, opened the memo app, her lips pressing into a thin line as her mind began replaying every instance of Shen Jianxi’s physical abnormalities.

Starting with the one half an hour ago…

1. Evening of Nov 19, 202x – Shen Jianxi squatted on the ground, clutching herself in pain.

2. Morning of Nov 19, 202x – While measuring me, she had another episode.

3. 202x…

…

When she had written down twelve entries, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open. Tang Yanzhao instinctively shut off the screen and looked up. All she saw was Shen Xiaoyin entering, her entire presence radiating a chilling aura.

Tang Yanzhao quickly stood, politely bowing her head. “Aunt Shen.”

Shen Xiaoyin merely glanced at her, then immediately went to the bedside. She bent down, grasping Shen Jianxi’s hand, her other hand tenderly stroking her smooth cheek, her voice soft as water. “Jianxi?”

“Aunt Shen, the doctor just came by. Nothing’s wrong. She’s asleep now.”

Other than the faint fruit-wine scent lingering on her, Shen Jianxi was normal: steady breathing, rosy complexion. Shen Xiaoyin’s heart, which had been heavy with worry after hearing Aunt Zhou’s report, finally settled. After smoothing her daughter’s hair, she stood up and turned to Tang Yanzhao.

“Zhaozhao, come out with me.”

She walked directly out of the room.

The two stood in the hallway. Shen Xiaoyin leaned against the reddish-brown wooden railing, arms folded, her face calm but carrying a natural air of authority.

“Where did you two go today?”

Tang Yanzhao stood straight and gave a clear, detailed account of the entire day.

“Jianxi, she’s been spoiled by me. She has no sense of restraint, always acting like a little princess. She needs someone to keep her in check. Zhaozhao, you’re steady by nature. I’ll trouble you to watch over her more in the future. If you have any problems or needs, just tell me.”

“I will.” Tang Yanzhao’s eyes were full of sincerity. She paused, then began, “Aunt Shen, I’ve noticed something about Jianxi’s hea—”

Just as she was about to reveal the secret, the bedroom door behind them suddenly opened. The person in question stumbled out in a daze, tripping forward. Tang Yanzhao reacted quickly, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her.

Oblivious to the crisis she’d just caused, Shen Jianxi buried her face against Tang Yanzhao, taking in the reassuring scent on her body, and instinctively began to whine, “Why aren’t you with me!”

Tang Yanzhao held her, for some reason glancing at Shen Xiaoyin—only to see her lips curved in a fond smile. She teased, “Our little princess always speaks in commands. Zhaozhao, please bear with her.”

Half-conscious, Shen Jianxi seemed to hear someone mocking her. She blinked her eyes open and retorted with righteous confidence, “I am not a princess.”

Shen Xiaoyin chuckled. She was about to reply when her phone rang sharply from her pocket. She took it out, glanced at the screen, then told Tang Yanzhao, “I have to go to Europe to open a new market. I’ll probably be away from Rong City for about a month. Jianxi, I’m entrusting her to you.”

“I understand.”

Shen Xiaoyin gave her a nod, then answered the call and hurried off. “Yes, I’m home. Come pick me up…”

Tang Yanzhao looked down at the girl in her arms. “Let’s go back inside.”

“Okay~” Shen Jianxi gave a silly little laugh.

Aunt Zhou came in right after, carrying the hangover soup. “Perfect timing. Since Jianxi is awake, let’s get her to drink this first.”

At the smell, Shen Jianxi wrinkled her nose and hid deeper in Tang Yanzhao’s embrace. “I don’t want it.”

Forced to tilt her head back, Tang Yanzhao felt strands of hair brushing lightly against her neck. The faint tickling made her throat bob unconsciously, but she still patiently coaxed, “If you don’t drink it, you’ll have a headache tomorrow.”

“Yes, Jianxi, let’s just drink this. It’s good for your body,” Aunt Zhou added.

Shen Jianxi squirmed even further into Tang Yanzhao’s arms, nearly knocking her flat onto the bed. She whined, “I said I don’t want it!”

Tang Yanzhao had no choice but to say to Aunt Zhou, “Please leave it here. I’ll feed her later. You should get some rest.”

Aunt Zhou clicked her tongue twice and sighed. “Fine then. I’ll put it on the nightstand. If you need help, call me.”

“Alright.”

The sound of the door closing was followed by another sound—Tang Yanzhao’s involuntary gasp.

Because that soft head in her arms had nestled against her neck and, whether intentionally or not, lightly bitten her Adam’s apple.

The bite was feather-light, barely there, but that made it even harder for Tang Yanzhao to endure. Better to bite hard than tease like this.

Her breathing grew heavier, heat climbing up her cheeks.

Just then, the girl in her arms suddenly turned her head and began coughing.

Tang Yanzhao seized the chance to slip free, straightening up to support her. “Does it hurt again?”

Shen Jianxi tilted her head back, the rims of her eyes flushed red. She held up a wobbly finger. “Just a little.”

In that instant, the forgotten fragments in her mind clicked with the notes she’d written earlier.

It wasn’t just pain and those other symptoms—it was coughing too.

Could coughing be a precursor to the attacks? But why did the severity vary?

And coughing didn’t always lead to a full episode. For example, with normal illness, if the body couldn’t heal itself, each relapse would usually worsen with time.

But many times it started with sudden coughing. Sometimes it ended there, other times it escalated into a full attack. Was it because the time for the next episode hadn’t come yet?

If it was time-related, then what exactly triggered the coughing? How long until it developed into full symptoms?

If it wasn’t time, then what was the cause?

All the past anomalies tangled together in her mind, thoughts knotted like a ball of yarn with no loose end to pull.

“Ah! Zhaozhao~ why are you ignoring me?”

Tang Yanzhao, lost deep in thought, was jolted back when Shen Jianxi bumped into her side. Looking up, she saw tear-bright eyes fixed pitifully on her, as if she were the one bullying her.

“Drink the soup, then sleep.” Tang Yanzhao pushed down her doubts for now, remembering the hangover soup was still untouched. She spoke again to coax her.

“No. I want to take a bath.”

“You’re drunk. Bathing alone isn’t safe.”

Shen Jianxi answered as if it were obvious: “Then you help me.”

“……”

“Zhaozhao, bathe me.”

Support The Eldest Lady always wants to have a double O Relationship with her old enemy