Xia Shuang’s arm was painfully gripped by Aunt Bai but didn’t dare to break free. Seeing her abnormal expression, she panicked and asked, “Aunt Bai, what’s wrong with you?”
“He cut my waist, my waist…” Aunt Bai said, then looked down at her waist, only then discovering her pants were wet and giving off a foul smell.
At this moment, Chen Gao entered from outside, seeing Aunt Bai sitting on the bed wearing only undergarments, and mockingly said as he approached, “How come you’re sleeping so late today…” Halfway through his sentence, he saw the light yellow stain between her legs and smelled the odor of excrement, and immediately stopped.
Seeing the disgusted expression on Chen Gao’s face, Aunt Bai felt utterly humiliated. She screamed and pulled the blanket over herself, jumping off the bed and fleeing, rushing into the bathroom before calling out, “Xia Shuang, Xia Shuang, bring water and clothes, quickly!”
Chen Gao stopped Xia Shuang and frowned, asking, “Xia Shuang, what’s going on?”
Xia Shuang whispered, “This servant doesn’t know. When this servant came to wake Aunt Bai, she seemed to have been frightened by something.”
Aunt Bai shouted from the bathroom, “Qiu Yan!
“
Another maid immediately responded and went to prepare hot water.
Chen Gao, noticing the strong odor in the room, told Xia Shuang, “Clean this up first, then come to the study to send a message.”
After Aunt Bai washed herself twice with rose-scented bath soap and applied lots of fragrant cream, Xia Shuang had already taken the bedding to wash, and another maid was cleaning the bed. Aunt Bai walked restlessly around the room, confirming that no trace of the odor remained before ordering Xia Shuang to invite Chen Gao.
Chen Gao came over but didn’t want to enter the inner room, standing in the outer room and asking Aunt Bai, “What happened?”
Aunt Bai tremblingly recounted her experience during the afternoon nap.
Chen Gao asked the maids, “Did anyone else enter this room?”
All the maids shook their heads.
“Did you hear anyone else speaking in the room?”
The maids shook their heads again.
Chen Gao signaled the maids to leave and then said to Aunt Bai, “You must have been caught in a nightmare. This happened a year ago, and Yu Bin Yi became a ghost early this year. If he really wanted to claim your life, he would have done so long ago, not waited until today. Besides, you say the ghost cut your waist, but look, your waist is fine.”
Aunt Bai listened to his reasoning and found it logical, but when she heard the last part, she became anxious.”
She lifted her clothes to show Chen Gao a faint, thin red mark on her waist.
Chen Gao was dismissive, saying, “You probably just pressed against something while sleeping.”
Aunt Bai could only nod along with Chen Gao, but in her heart, she felt this “nightmare” was too real. Although she couldn’t open her eyes at the time, she was certain she was awake.
Chen Gao didn’t want to discuss this further and advised Aunt Bai to rest early. Aunt Bai thought he was hinting at intimacy and shyly entered the inner room, lifting the bedding. When she turned back, she saw that Chen Gao had already disappeared.
The second day, Madam Bai was possessed again during her afternoon nap. Although she did not lose control of her bladder this time, it made her even more incoherent.
Chen Gao originally adored Bai Xiu, but after seeing her lose bladder control that one time, he always felt uncomfortable facing her. Even when Bai Xiu tried to seduce him repeatedly, he couldn’t muster any interest.
Every time Bai Xiu saw him, she would look worried and mention Yu Binyi’s matter, which greatly displeased him. This matter had been done secretly and had been over for a long time, and should not have caused any more waves. But if Bai Xiu talked about it too much, it might attract unwanted attention and cause trouble.
So Chen Gao rarely went to Bai Xiu’s quarters.
Bai Xiu dared not take afternoon naps anymore and had her maid accompany her everywhere.
But she couldn’t avoid sleeping at night, right? One night, she woke up due to a sharp pain in her waist and screamed in terror: “Help! Xia Shuang!” But there was no response. She huddled in a corner of the bed and kept shouting.
Xia Shuang, who had been sleeping in the room, was under the effects of a sedative spray and did not wake up immediately. After a while, she heard Madam Bai and hurriedly lit a lamp. She saw Madam Bai covering her waist and screaming: “Yu Binyi is here, Yu Binyi is going to cut my waist!”
However, Madam Bai’s clothes were intact, with no visible injuries. When she lifted her inner garment, there was only a thin, long red mark, with no clear indication of its origin. Xia Shuang found it strange, but Bai Xiu was terrified and screamed: “It’s deeper than last time! He’s really come for revenge! He’s going to cut me into pieces bit by bit!”
Then she looked into the empty space and cried: “This wasn’t my doing, don’t come to seek revenge on me!”
Chen Gao heard the report about Madam Bai’s screams and hurried to her place. Before entering the room, he heard her crying and screaming, and his eyebrows furrowed deeply.
He did not enter the room to see Bai Xiu.
Instead, he called out Xia Shuang and asked her about the situation. Xia Shuang said she was sleeping in the room and was awakened by Madam Bai’s crying. When she woke up, she saw Madam Bai huddled in a corner of the bed, with no other figures present. Madam Bai was then talking to the empty space.
Chen Gao shook his head and murmured: “She’s gone mad.” Bai Xiu had become a dangerous burden, and she couldn’t be allowed to continue like this, nor could the servants hear her nonsense.
Chen Gao locked Madam Bai in a two-story small building in the north courtyard, with only trusted confidants to guard her.
Since Yu Yi returned to her own time and space, more than ten days had passed. Every time she went to the city, Yu Song’shi did not ask her what she was doing, only instructing her to be careful and return early.
Yu Yi had been focusing all her energy on dealing with Chen Gao and Bai Xiu, and clearing her father’s injustice. She had not actively contacted Bossi to ask if there were any tasks to be done. During these days, Bossi had contacted her once, only asking if everything was fine and if she needed any help.
On this day, an unexpected visitor arrived at Xiye Mountain Villa.
Yu Yi was rarely at the villa during the day, sitting with Yu Song’shi, Yu Xin, and Yu Wan, sewing winter clothing.
Twelve-year-old Yu Hui and ten-year-old Yu Yue were learning to sew simple parts, while six-year-old Yu Ting helped them by holding needles and threads. As the family sat together, working and chatting, Fu Cheng called from the main hall door: “Miss Yu, a Chief Guan is here to see you.”
Yu Yi’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. Chief Guan coming to find her – could it be about the Lei Yuan matter?
Yu Song’shi and Yu Xin put down their half-sewn clothes and needles and returned to their rooms. Yu Yi then said: “Brother Fu, please ask Chief Guan to come in for a talk.”
Guan Yue entered and was surprised when he saw Yu Yi: “So you are Miss Yu?”
Yu Yi stood up and smiled faintly: “The Yu family has committed a crime, and I am now a commoner. I don’t dare to be called ‘Miss’. Please sit, Chief Guan.”
Guan Yue sat down and got straight to the point: “I’m here regarding Master Lei’s case.”
Yu Yi nodded: “What does Chief Guan want to ask? Please speak.”
Guan Yue said: “May I ask your two sisters to come out?”
“My sister is ill. If Chief Guan has something to ask, you can ask me,” Yu Yi did not want Yu Xin to recall the experiences at the Lei residence.
Guan Yue raised an eyebrow: “But you were not the maid at the Lei residence.”
“But my sister has told me everything. Chief Guan can ask me,” Yu Yi insisted.
