Weakness Trap - Chapter 42

Wedding day.

“Miss Yu, she sigh. You should go take a look, but keep your distance. Don’t enter the room.”

The nanny responsible for taking care of Yu Lingxue spoke while sighing, the wrinkles on her face twisted with grief, her eyes filled with unbearable pity.

Yan Lanshen took off her coat, loosened her watch, and walked inside. “How is she now?”

Everyone knew what had happened last night.

The person Yu Lingxue had always loved had set herself on fire and burned to death.

The household staff had been trying to comfort Yu Lingxue.

But Yu Lingxue had already taken the ashes away, what other possibility could there be?

It happened too suddenly.

Even Yan Lanshen never expected Yu Qingluan to resort to such extreme measures.

Was it all because of that entertainment news?

That news wasn’t Yan Lanshen’s doing. Why would she write about herself as the other woman and provoke someone who had already lost?

The article was deliberately written. The comments were posted by paid trolls. The hype was bought.

How could anyone go so mad over such things as to commit suicide?

Yan Lanshen frowned deeply, her expression grim.

She couldn’t understand Yu Qingluan.

Just as she couldn’t understand Yu Lingxue either.

What was so good about that person?

Worth making Yu Lingxue lose her mind over and over again, reducing herself to such a pitiful state.

What was most frustrating was Yu Lingxue’s condition.

Since last night, Yu Lingxue had locked herself away, forbidding anyone from approaching.

It was only in the morning that the nanny managed to knock the door open, but judging by the situation, the outcome probably wasn’t good.

The nanny shook her head repeatedly. “It’s heartbreaking. She’s gone mad. Half her hair has turned white, and she’s clutching a sewing box, completely unaware that I entered the room.”

“I tried to tidy up her room and noticed what looked like a pile of shredded paper on her desk. When I went to throw it away, she threw herself over the desk, guarding those scraps like a wolf protecting its prey, staring at me without even recognizing who I was.”

As she spoke, the nanny wiped the corner of her eye. “She was always such a gentle and refined girl, how could she have gone mad like this?”

By then, Yan Lanshen had already reached the door of Yu Lingxue’s room.

Heeding the nanny’s advice, she didn’t enter but stood at the doorway, watching Yu Lingxue inside the room.

Yu Lingxue was still holding that sewing box, occasionally pressing it against herself, murmuring something under her breath, even kissing it.

Her hair was a tangled mess, her clothes disheveled her inner wear was inside out, and she had only one sleeve of her outer coat on.

The room was pitch dark, the curtains drawn shut, the lights off. Only a sliver of sunlight seeped in from beneath the heavy curtains, allowing a glimpse of Yu Lingxue’s face.

The nanny didn’t know what the shredded paper was or why Yu Lingxue was clutching the sewing box.

But Yan Lanshen had some idea.

The girl Yu Lingxue loved was an embroiderer, her family having practiced Chu embroidery for generations.

Most likely, Yu Lingxue was treating the sewing box as if it were Yu Qingluan.

As for the shredded paper, it was probably something Yu Lingxue had picked up the night of the engagement, also given to her by that girl.

Other than that, there shouldn’t be anything else in Yu Lingxue’s room related to Yu Qingluan.

“Little bird.” In the silence, Yan Lanshen heard Yu Lingxue’s trembling voice.

She seemed to be humming a song, or perhaps she simply had no strength left.

Clutching the sewing box that never belonged to Yu Qingluan, she swayed gently.

“Little bird, look at me.”

“Little bird my little bird, I’m here. Just hold me, that’s all.”

The murmuring sounded like a child learning to speak.

The incoherent words, paired with her half white hair and the faint bloodstains visible on her face, hands, and feet, created an eerie atmosphere. It felt like the climax of a horror game step inside, and Yu Lingxue would tear you apart.

“Miss Yan, please don’t go in,” the nanny said, pulling Yan Lanshen back as she tried to force her way into the room.

“The wedding is about to begin. She should be ready, prepared to leave.” Yan Lanshen’s nerves were stretched taut, unable to articulate why she was so determined to enter that room.

Was it to shatter Yu Lingxue’s madness? Or simply to complete the ceremony meant for public display?

Or perhaps,

Was it because she couldn’t stand that Yu Lingxue had never truly held her in her heart from the very beginning?

That person’s presence weighed too heavily.

Now reduced to a mere corpse, light as a wisp of ash, tucked away in a box so inconspicuous that even holding it felt like cradling a feather.

And yet, Yan Lanshen still couldn’t measure up to her.

“No, Miss Yan,” the nanny, though well-trained, felt Yan Lanshen’s behavior had gone too far. “She’s in this state can’t you be a little kinder to her? Show her some care, help her recover quickly. This if word gets out, it would reflect poorly on your reputation.” As she spoke, the nanny gently guided Yan Lanshen further away.

Yan Lanshen turned her head slightly, still able to hear Yu Lingxue’s voice from inside the room.

“What do you want to do? Why won’t you answer me, Did I do something wrong again? Did I make you angry?”

Yu Lingxue’s voice carried its usual softness, so faint it could be drowned out by a single breath.

“Don’t, don’t be angry, little bird. It’s all my fault. I was wrong, I was wrong, little bird. I regret it so much. Please come back.”

But her weeping could not be concealed.

As Yan Lanshen stood in a standoff with the nanny, she could hear Yu Lingxue’s sobs.

At first, they were quiet.

She cried while wiping her tears, clutching a sewing box, caressing the lifeless object that would never respond to her.

“Please, I beg you little bird, I beg you. I truly know I was wrong, little bird. I can change, I can change everything. Please don’t go! Don’t leave me!”

As the sewing box remained eternally silent, Yu Lingxue’s voice grew louder.

Her wails could no longer be suppressed.

She cried as if her heart were being torn to shreds, as though she had endured a thousand cuts.

The box lay in her embrace, clutched tightly against her chest. She curled herself into a small ball, kneeling on the bed, her hair covering her face.

She sat and wept, knelt and wept, cradling the box and crying as if gazing at Yu Qingluan herself.

Her sobs came in broken waves, endlessly pleading with the one who would never return.

Finally, she hurled the box onto the bed, clawing at her scalp and pulling out strands of white hair.

The white strands floated in the darkness, as though she were tearing herself apart.

She had become a tattered ragdoll, so fragile that a single tear could make her stuffing fly out.

Releasing her useless blood and flesh, her belated tears and cries.

“Please don’t go in, really,” the nanny pleaded, her own heart aching after hearing Yu Lingxue’s anguished wails.

What kind of person could remain unmoved by such a girl and still insist on carrying out their own agenda?

The nanny couldn’t bring herself to criticize Yan Lanshen outright and could only try to persuade her.

Yan Lanshen closed her eyes, a shadow of gloom darkening her gaze.

She clenched her fists tightly, then finally released them and turned to leave.

“Postpone the wedding. I’m going to find a doctor.”

She walked away from the bridal chamber that imprisoned Yu Lingxue.

Yu Lingxue remained in that small room, playing a game of pretending the past was still alive with a pile of lifeless objects.

Cycle after cycle meeting, falling in love, arguing, and always ending in separation, a parting she could never catch up to no matter how hard she ran or chased.

She would still whisper sweet words to someone who could no longer respond, over and over, never tiring of it.

Just like before, when they could still hold hands and walk together through the empty night.

Back then, the moonlight was hazy, and the distant streetlights flickered intermittently.

But Yu Lingxue had never feared the darkness.

She knew that if she turned her head, there would always be someone beside her.

That person would hold her close, kiss her hair, and soothe her fears.

Unfortunately,

Now she was buried deep in the darkness.

Not even one of the many gifts Yu Qingluan had given her could be found.

She could only lose herself in disordered illusions, mistaking an unrelated sewing box for the phantom of her still being alive.

“It’s likely severe self-isolation after intense trauma. Someone important to her passed away, right? So she constructed a world or a memory, where that person is still alive and immersed herself in it, unwilling to face reality.”

After the doctor finished speaking, Yu Yueheng furrowed her brows and pinched herself until it hurt.

“Is there any way to bring her back to reality?” she and Yan Lanshen asked almost in unison. Then Yu Yueheng shot Yan Lanshen a glance, her eyes tinged with hostility.

“To put it simply, this is her way of self protection,” the doctor replied, shaking her head before exchanging a meaningful look with Yu Yueheng.

Although the doctor had been brought by Yan Lanshen, she was more familiar with the Yu family.

“What do you mean?” Yan Lanshen didn’t understand, his face tense as he pressed for an answer.

“It means reality is too cruel for her. She doesn’t want to face it, so she retreated into her own world. Even if that world is filled with tears and arguments, she still finds it better than reality.”

The doctor didn’t pry into the complicated relationships of the wealthy family, nor did she ask what exactly Yu Lingxue had been through. She based her analysis on fragments of conversation and past case studies.

“From the patient’s perspective, I think it might be better to leave her as she is.”

Intervening could lead to unpredictable outcomes there have been cases where patients recovered only to take their own lives shortly after.

Yu Yueheng understood the doctor’s implication.

Just as she was about to see the doctor out, Yan Lanshen spoke again. “Treat her. I’ll make sure someone is there to prevent any accidents.” What use was a madwoman to him anyway?

Yu Yueheng stared intently at his face.

“You are the most heartless person I have ever met,” she said after three seconds.

It felt like a slap across Yan Lanshen’s face.

He instinctively raised a hand to his cheek, only to find nothing there.

All that remained was the sting from the slap Yu Lingxue had given him months ago, when he tried to stop her from meeting Yu Qingluan.

Even after all this time, the pain lingered.

Yan Lanshen adjusted his glasses, using the motion to hide the turmoil in his eyes.

“It’s just a business marriage,” he said. What feelings did he need to have for Yu Lingxue?

In the end, if it weren’t for those feelings, perhaps things wouldn’t have become so complicated.

“Hah.”

A single syllable shattered Yan Lanshen’s facade.

Yu Yueheng shook her head and turned to the doctor. “I’ll go in with you. After all, I am her mother.”

“Alright,” the doctor replied helplessly.

Treating this condition wasn’t particularly difficult.

The real challenge lay in the patient’s psychological state after recovery.

Given Yu Lingxue’s situation, the outcome was far from certain.

About half an hour later, the two of them left Yu Lingxue’s room.

After the treatment, Yu Lingxue, who hadn’t slept all night, had taken a sedative and was now asleep, no longer in a frenzied state.

Outside the door, Yan Lanshen was no longer waiting.

Yu Yueheng grew even more disappointed. But it was too late now, what was done was done. Their marriage had passed the public notice period, and the certificate had already been issued.

All she could hope for was that once Yu Lingxue woke up, they could resolve the matter quickly and finalize the divorce with Yan Lanshen.

Fearing something might happen to her daughter, Yu Yueheng stayed in the marital home that night.

Yan Lanshen returned very late and, as if nothing had happened, greeted Yu Yueheng.

“Once Lingshuang recovers, around autumn, I’d like to hold another wedding ceremony,” Yan Lanshen said to Yu Yueheng.

Yu Yueheng almost thought she was joking and looked up at her.

Her glasses still reflected a cold gleam, and her expression was indifferent meticulous yet devoid of human warmth.

“You must be joking. I won’t allow it.” After such a major incident involving Yu Lingxue, Yu Qingyuan had already given up on her, and even Jian Xi had been abandoned along with her.

As for Yu Yueheng, she could finally use this opportunity to break free from the Yu family’s control.

There was also some good news: Yu Qingyuan couldn’t even be bothered to target Jian Xi anymore.

Now, without her interference, Yu Yueheng could find the necessary medication.

She still had the confidence to prevent her daughter from holding a wedding with this person.

“Why? It’s necessary,” Yan Lanshen replied, her body still tense.

She had been rigid all day, unable to understand the reason, but she couldn’t relax. The moment she let her guard down, Yu Lingxue’s face would appear in her mind a face covered in bloody scratches, wounds repeatedly torn open.

Blood trickled from the corners of her eyes, and her mouth was stretched wide in a grimace.

Yu Lingxue stared at Yan Lanshen, silently tearing her heart apart.

Yan Lanshen was somewhat afraid and had to keep clenching her fists, tensing her muscles to keep that image from resurfacing in her mind.

“What necessity are you talking about? I suspect you have ulterior motives toward Lingxue. For an ordinary business marriage, why do you need a wedding or an engagement banquet? Why make such a public spectacle?” Yu Yueheng retorted mercilessly.

Yan Lanshen couldn’t stand hearing such words. She turned her head away, took a deep breath, and seemed about to argue.

Just then, the housekeeper rushed downstairs in a panic, stumbling so badly that one of her shoes flew off.

“Young mistress, Miss Yan! Miss Yu, she” The housekeeper was so frightened she began to stutter, trembling and unable to form a complete sentence.

“Calm down, what’s wrong with Lingxue?” Yu Yueheng hurried forward to support the housekeeper.

The housekeeper trembled violently, gripping Yu Yueheng’s arm tightly. She even slapped herself before continuing, “The rooftop! The rooftop Miss Yu, she went up there!”