The slight dizziness from her tipsy state had already made Hua Lianxi feel somewhat uncomfortable. Suddenly, enduring the car's rapid speed — weaving sharply left and right, cutting past one vehicle after another — the alcohol in her stomach surged up toward her throat. Her face turned pale, and clutching her chest, she was nearly about to vomit.
Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Cheng Shaobai restrained the urge to look at her with pity and fixated on the road ahead. Familiar with the twists and turns, he skillfully maneuvered through intersection after intersection. In less than fifteen minutes, they finally reached their destination.
With a loud "bang," he slammed the car door shut, quickly walked around to the passenger side, forcefully pulled the door open, bent down to unbuckle her seatbelt, and without mercy grabbed her arm, pulling her out. "Hua Lianxi, wake up! Look at where you are!"
The scorching sun beat down on the asphalt road, hot waves rolling toward them. In the distance, faint and sparse singing wafted on the air—not clear and bright voices, but husky, aged tones of decline; songs from an era long past.
Not yet recovered from the dizzying ride, Hua Lianxi was abruptly yanked out of the car. Holding her mouth, she could no longer suppress a violent dry heave. "Cough, cough, cough…" Her long hair hung loosely as tears and snot accompanied her severe coughing, leaving her utterly disheveled.
Cheng Shaobai's face darkened, completely devoid of his usual gentleness. Before she could calm from her coughing, he grabbed both her arms firmly, forcing her upright. "Look! Go inside and see your mother. Do you remember how many days it's been since you came to visit? Look at her—she waits at the window for you every single day!"
Shaken violently, Hua Lianxi struggled to lift her head. Blinking against the blinding sun, she gazed at the white building ahead. Sparse tunes floated in the air — the "Orchid Grass" hymn her mother sang daily with the other patients.
Staring blankly, as if clarity washed over her from drunkenness, Hua Lianxi remained silent.
"You live as if in drunken stupor, but your mother awaits you behind this terrifying high wall!" Cheng Shaobai, who had never spoken negatively about the psychiatric hospital in her presence before, now couldn't help but deliver a harsh blow. Her mother lived in fear inside those walls, while she wasted her life indulging herself. Is this how you want to live?
"Terrifying?" she murmured, repeating his words. Imagining Hua Zhenzhen's longing eyes, yearning for her to visit, to take her away from the high walls and back home, Hua Lianxi suddenly spun around and ran. "No, I won't see her! I can't go see her!"
At this moment, she was the good-for-nothing Hua Lianxi, using drink to drown her sorrows. She could not appear so wretched before her mother.
"Hua Lianxi, why won't you see her? Are you afraid she'll see you like this? Afraid she'll smell the alcohol on you?" Without hesitation, Cheng Shaobai spun her around and gripped the hem of her clothes with a large hand, determined not to let her escape. His voice grew rough as he shouted loudly, "Are you awake now? Have you finally sobered up?"
He had waited for her to awaken from stupor, trusted that she would recover after rest, believed that her wild ride screams would purge her and she'd return to normal. But instead, she recklessly rode the roller coaster, screamed her heart out, and then ran off to KTV, drowning herself further in alcohol.
Watching her drunken state, his heart felt on the verge of exploding. He could no longer bear—could not tolerate her continued evasions.
"Let go of me, Cheng Shaobai! Let me go!" All the drunken haze evaporated the moment she looked upon the white building. All her decadent intoxication dissolved there. She was fully awake now, yet instantly hated her own weakness and regretted her own decadence. She could not allow her mother to see her like this.
"I won't let go! I can't! If I do, you'll just retreat into your own world and hide again! Hua Lianxi, I won't allow you to hide and lick your wounds. You have no wounds. You are the strong Hua Lianxi — you shouldn't destroy yourself for anyone!" Every word from Cheng Shaobai stabbed her heart like a knife. The Hua Lianxi he loved was the one who, even when unjustly scolded by her mother, lifted her face and smiled innocently; who lived strongly and never destroyed or abandoned herself.
Hua Lianxi covered her face and slowly squatted down, biting her lip as she sobbed softly, "Wuuu…"
Catching his breath, Cheng Shaobai wiped his face forcefully, then crouched down beside her. After hesitation, he reached out and gently pulled her into his arms, whispering apologies, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just got anxious. I can't watch you torment yourself like this. I can't…" Her torment was also tormenting him. It made him want to fiercely punch Kong Chengyi while hating himself for not having met her sooner—before she suffered such injustice.
Sobbing for a long while, Hua Lianxi buried herself without reserve into his chest. At this moment, all her drunken stupor was finally over. She stepped out from her hiding dark corner. The stubborn mask she had worn silently fell away. Now she was simply a hurt woman in pain.
Her legs numb from squatting, her entire body drenched from the blazing sun, she finally stopped gasping and just as she stood, she turned around and suddenly vomited again.
"Xixi, what's wrong?" Without warning, she had just stopped crying and now was vomiting again.
Head bowed, like Cheng Yi had been at the amusement park, Hua Lianxi's nose ran, and she vomited repeatedly until her stomach was completely emptied and she could finally stop.
"Are you unwell? I'll take you to the hospital!" Her feet still numb, every small movement brought uncontrollable pain. Cheng Shaobai gritted his teeth and tried to support her toward the car.
After vomiting, she wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand and didn't even mind wiping her runny nose the same way. Feeling released, she smiled, "I just puked out all that beer I forced down—what a waste!"
The stifling heaviness she once tried to swallow was now poured out under the burning sunlight. Perhaps like the darkness in her heart—struggling and hiding—it vanished in an instant?
"Really okay? Could it be heatstroke?" Nervously placing his hand on her forehead, Cheng Shaobai feared she might have fallen ill from lingering too long under the sun.
Shaking her head with a smile, Hua Lianxi trembled her still-numb legs. "I'm sober now. Let's go back to rest. I'll visit Mom again tomorrow."
"Starting tomorrow, go work at the mansion and concentrate on designing my house properly!" Mimicking her trembling legs, Cheng Shaobai's handsome face shone in the sunlight, immersed in a rousing spirit.
The next day, Hua Lianxi got up early and brought the nearly finalized draft along with Cheng Yi to work at the Cheng family mansion.
"Hey! Do you not, or what? I told you—I'm your future daughter-in-law's mom. Hurry up and open the door! I want to see my daughter-in-law!"
"Where are your eyes? Don't you recognize your place? Soon I'll have your son-in-law fire you all, huh!"
Beyond the iron gate, a man and woman kept shouting at those busying themselves in the garden, cursing angrily with dissatisfaction.
"What's going on? Who's outside? What are they shouting about?" Lin Xiao had been suffering headaches all night worrying about Kong Chengyi and Hua Lianxi's affairs, barely able to sleep. The moment dawned she blinked open her eyes. Before noon, the garden was filled with shouts and noises, forcing her to get up.
Holding a small Chinese cabbage, Auntie Yang curled her lip disdainfully. "Those two are a couple. They keep saying they're Ding Jia's parents and the future daughter-in-law's parents, shouting to come in like crazy people!" The Kong family was in turmoil, the matriarch still hospitalized. She wouldn't dare let just anyone in easily.
"Future daughter-in-law? Where did that come from?" Tugging on her clothes, Lin Xiao felt a pounding headache. "One Hua Lianxi caused enough trouble already! Now a crazy couple comes along—what do they think this is?!" Venting her frustration inwardly, she grew angrier and, not wanting the media to catch wind of this, she stepped out.
"Who are you? What's all this shouting about?" Seeing their flashy and exaggerated clothes, Lin Xiao's impatient tone became even more disdainful.
"Oh, isn't this the in-laws? Don't you know? We're Ding Jia's parents. Chengyi is living with our daughter—that's known all over the city!" Seeing Lin Xiao come out, Lin Meifeng's face blossomed into a smile. She leaned vigorously over the gate, trying to get closer.
"I'm Ding Jia's father. We came to discuss our daughter's marriage to Chengyi. The whole world knows Chengyi cheated—our daughter is the victim!" Waving the newspapers from recent days, Ding Qiang puffed out his chest and shouted righteously.
The newspapers and magazines reported this daily. It was true. Besides, Kong Chengyi had helped pay off their usury debts before. If the marriage went smoothly, they would have no money worries and wouldn't have to hide from loan sharks. They would be swimming in money.
"Crazy fools!" Listening to their protestations and righteous indignation, Lin Xiao spat angrily, nearly telling the servants to kick them out.
"Hey! In-laws, why call us crazy? We're Ding Jia's parents! We can't watch her be bullied by Chengyi and pretend we don't know! It's a fact everyone knows. Your neighbors know too!" Lin Meifeng yelled loudly, throwing caution to the wind, even hoping to attract the nearby neighbors for a spectacle.
"You're denying it? Aren't you afraid the papers will brand you as liars?" Ding Qiang's eyes were bloodshot as he shouted alongside his wife, brandishing the newspapers.
In the distance, dog walkers and passersby glanced toward the Kong family's courtyard. Lin Xiao pressed her lips and frowned deeply, instructing the gardener to open the gate.
"Let them in."
Judging by their brazen attitude, they didn't fear the matter escalating—they wanted the media frenzy until it blew over. With Kong family already attracting huge attention, they could not afford to lose face any further.