"But... but Mommy..." Shen Xuan whimpered, tears pooling in his lashes as he looked longingly at the closed bedroom door.
Bai Zhi’s smile sharpened subtly as she bent down to scoop him into her arms. She held him close, pressing his tear-streaked cheek to her chest as she turned gracefully away.
"It’s alright," she whispered, her voice soft as silk but her eyes cold and glittering over his small head, locked onto Shen Xiao’s stoic face. "Mommy Zhi will always be here for you. You don’t need anyone else."
As she walked down the dim corridor with Shen Xuan clinging to her, Shen Xiao stood silently, his towering fra casting a long shadow across the polished marble floor.
Behind him, the heavy mahogany door remained closed, sealing Yueyao away in her silent prison as the scent of sandalwood and roses seeped faintly through the crack beneath it, mingling with the cold, suffocating stillness of the mansion.
His jaw clenched imperceptibly.
"When you wake up... everything will be different."
He turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing down the silent halls like a grim, inevitable promise.
The corridor fell silent once more, the distant ticking of the grandfather clock marking each passing second with cold indifference.
Bai Zhi’s bedroom door was slightly ajar as he passed.
Inside, warm lamplight spilled across soft ivory carpets and rose-print curtains. She sat propped gracefully against her satin pillows, her robe slipping slightly off her smooth shoulders. Shen Xuan lay curled up beside her, clutching his stuffed bear tightly as his small chest hiccupped with leftover sobs.
At the sight of Shen Xiao’s tall silhouette filling the doorway, Bai Zhi’s painted lips curved into a delicate smile.
"Ah Xiao," she murmured softly, "Xuan’er couldn’t sleep. He was so scared after all the noise... I was just comforting him."
Shen Xiao’s cold gaze flicked to her briefly before settling on Shen Xuan’s trembling form.
"Get up," he said quietly.
Shen Xuan flinched, his wide, tear-swollen eyes darting up to et his father’s stern face. Bai Zhi’s smile faded slightly as she glanced between them trying to ease the situation up.
"Ah Xiao... It’s late, just let him sleep here tonight....."
"I said get up," Shen Xiao repeated, his deep voice brooking no argunt.
Shen Xuan scrambled off the bed hurriedly, clutching his stuffed bear to his chest as he padded barefoot across the plush carpet towards his father. His small shoulders trembled under the thin cotton of his pajamas.
Without sparing Bai Zhi another glance, Shen Xiao turned and walked down the dim corridor with Shen Xuan trailing behind him, his small footsteps quick and uneven to keep up with his father’s long strides.
They entered Shen Xuan’s bedroom, the pale moonlight spilling through the gauzy curtains, illuminating the quiet nursery-thed room with its soft pastel walls and scattered toys.
Shen Xiao stood by the door, watching his son climb into the race-car bed and curl up against his stuffed bear. His obsidian eyes were dark and unreadable as he spoke quietly.
"You are a man. You don’t need to sleep with other people to feel safe."
Shen Xuan blinked up at him with tear-bright eyes, his lower lip trembling.
"But... Daddy... Mommy... Mommy didn’t even look at ... Did I do sothing wrong...?"
For a brief mont, silence weighed heavily in the room. Shen Xiao’s throat tightened as he watched his son’s small, broken face.
"Your mother is... sick," he said tonelessly. "Go to sleep."
He walked over and tucked the duvet around his son’s thin shoulders with stiff, chanical movents. Shen Xuan clung to his bear, his lashes fluttering as exhaustion pulled at his eyelids.
Reviews
All reviews (0)