Chapter 91

Chapter 91

The woman on the hospital bed looked to be in her fifties, her long silver-white hair tied back behind her head.

She was nothing but skin and bones-shockingly thin.

The oversized hospital gown draped over her, and the bones of her shoulders jutted out beneath the fabric.

Her skin was very white, a sickly pallor without the faintest hint of color.

Her eyes were large, with deep double lids and thick lashes.

They were beautiful eyes, but the look in them was blank-like there was a thin veil over them, hazy and fogged.

One glance was enough to tell she wasn’t normal.

Even though her mind had gone, her body still held on to the bearing of a well-bred young lady.

Under that thin, haggard face, traces of gentle, graceful prettiness could still be seen.

Hua Qinwan held an exquisite old western doll in her arms.

Her head dipped slightly as she rocked it softly and hummed under her breath: “Sleep, sleep, my darling baby. Mommy’s hands are rocking you, rocking you… drift off, drift off to sleep.”

Someone had entered the room, yet she acted as if she hadn’t noticed, keeping the same motion-rocking and rocking.

Su Hua had seen Hua Qinwan’s photograph from when she was twenty, so she’d already formed an image in her mind.

Now, facing this thin, worn-out older woman, Su Hua needed a long moment before she could accept it.

Hua Qinwan and Qin Shu should have been about the same age.

Qin Shu looked like she was in her thirties, still alluring, compared to her twenty-year-old photo only a little more mature and full of charm.

Hua Qinwan, meanwhile, looked like a woman truly in her fifties.

The fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and the silver in her hair made her look utterly exhausted.

She was so different from the graceful, elegant woman in the photograph-smiling sweetly, bright and alive.

Su Hua couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of regret.

Mental illness had forced a peerless beauty to the point of being unrecognizable.

Even though Hua Qinwan had changed so much on the outside, her voice was still as gentle as ever.

As if she never tired, she continued humming Schubert’s lullaby softly: “The night is quiet, so beautiful and warm. Sleep, sleep, my darling baby. Mommy’s arms will always keep you safe…”

She sang beautifully, the melody calm and tender, her words clear.

Listening to her lullaby, Su Hua didn’t know why, but an indescribable pain slowly rose in her chest.

It felt tight and heavy, sour and swollen-so uncomfortable.

She had the sudden impulse to cry.

Chu Mochen walked up to Hua Qinwan and lightly patted her shoulder. “Mom, Beixian and his wife came to see you.”

Hua Qinwan jerked her head up as if she’d been startled.

When she saw Gu Beixian and Su Hua, she hurriedly hid the doll behind her back and screamed, “Don’t steal my child! Go! Get out-all of you, get out!”

When Gu Beixian and Su Hua didn’t move,

she grabbed the pillow from the bed and threw it at them, trying to drive them away.

In an instant, the gentleness from earlier disappeared.

She turned frantic and fierce, every inch of her bristling with protectiveness.

Like an old eagle guarding its young-terror in her eyes, yet her body spread into a clawing, threatening stance.

Afraid Hua Qinwan might lash out and hurt someone,

Gu Beixian immediately pulled Su Hua behind him, shielding her.

Standing behind him, Su Hua leaned her head out to look at Hua Qinwan.

So this is motherly love, she thought.

Even when she’d gone mad, even when she’d forgotten everything-she still hadn’t forgotten the lullaby to coax a child to sleep, and she still hadn’t forgotten the instinct to protect her child.

Su Hua suddenly ached for Hua Qinwan.

How much must she have loved that daughter who died young,

to be so shattered by it that she lost her mind?

Hua Qinwan grew more and more out of control, shouting, “Go! Leave! Now!”

When Gu Beixian and Su Hua still didn’t leave,

she struggled to leap off the bed to hit them, hysterical-as if possessed.

Chu Mochen quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and held her tight.

Worried Hua Qinwan might hurt Su Hua, Gu Beixian took her hand and led her out.

The doctor who’d been waiting outside rushed in and gave Hua Qinwan an injection of sedative.

Once the medicine took effect, she slowly fell asleep.

Even asleep, she clung to the old doll in her arms, refusing to loosen her grip.

After Hua Qinwan was settled,

Chu Mochen came out with an apologetic look on his face. “I’m truly sorry. You came out of kindness to see my mother, and she ended up like this.”

Gu Beixian glanced at Su Hua. “I thought Su Hua resembled Aunt Qinwan. I thought seeing her might help her condition… I didn’t expect it to backfire.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Mochen tilted his head to look at Su Hua, studying her carefully for a few seconds.

“Your wife does look a bit like my mother when she was young,” he said. “Especially her temperament-it has a classical air to it.”

Gu Beixian remained outwardly calm, but the look in his eyes changed. He reached out and rested his hand on Su Hua’s shoulder, subtly nudging her behind him to block Chu Mochen’s view.

Su Hua hadn’t expected Gu Beixian to be on guard even against Chu Mochen. She smiled helplessly. Fearing that Chu Mochen might feel awkward, she replied, “I’ve been studying the restoration of ancient calligraphy and paintings with my grandfather since I was a child. I’ve spent a lot of time copying old masterpieces, so over time, I suppose I’ve been influenced by that classical style.”

Chu Mochen nodded slightly. “My mother was the same. When she was young, she was a true woman of letters, proficient in the four arts-zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting. It’s a pity.”

Whenever anyone mentioned Hua Qinwan, it always ended with those three words: “It’s a pity.”

For such a talented beauty to be in her current state of madness was indeed a tragedy.

As Gu Beixian and Su Hua prepared to leave, Chu Mochen escorted them out. The group reached the exit, and as they rounded a corner, they ran straight into an old acquaintance.

It was Hua Qirou, dressed in flamboyant, flowery attire. She was holding a bouquet of fresh flowers, and her expression froze when she saw Gu Beixian and Su Hua. She shot a subtle, sideways glance at Su Hua.

When she turned back to Gu Beixian, her face broke into a warm, almost fawning smile. “Beixian, are you here to visit my sister too?”

Gu Beixian gave a flat, expressionless grunt of affirmation.

Chu Mochen, however, spoke with a dark expression. “You should go back. My mother doesn’t want to see you.”

Hua Qirou adjusted the silk shawl on her shoulders and spoke in a complaining tone. “You child, what a way to talk. She’s my biological sister. Coming to keep her company more often might actually help her recover.”

Chu Mochen gave a cold, mocking smile. “It would help her recovery more if you didn’t come at all.”

Hua Qirou’s lips twitched as she said aggrievedly, “There was a misunderstanding about what happened back then…”

Chu Mochen raised a hand to cut her off. “There’s no need to talk about the past. My mother just fell asleep, and she doesn’t want to be disturbed.”

“Fine, then. I’ll come see her another day,” Hua Qirou said reluctantly.

The group continued forward. Hua Qirou deliberately edged closer to Gu Beixian. When she was about half a meter away, she spoke up.

“Beixian, Suosuo told me everything about what happened in Haicheng. She didn’t know the situation beforehand; she was just following Aoting’s instructions to deliver a document to you. There was no need to hit her over such a small thing, was there? After all, the two of you grew up together.”

Gu Beixian let out a cold laugh at her words. It seemed Chu Suosuo had been selective with her story, telling only what favored her and omitting the rest.

His face turned cold. “She took my call without permission. Did she not deserve it?”

Hua Qirou was stunned for a moment before she tried to argue. “That can’t be right. Why would she take your call without permission?”

Seeing her stubborn refusal to admit the truth, Su Hua spoke up. “Miss Chu also implied to me that she and Gu Beixian were sharing a room in Haicheng, intentionally trying to cause a misunderstanding.”

A flash of malice crossed Hua Qirou’s eyes, but she maintained her fake facade. “No, absolutely not. Our Suosuo isn’t that kind of person. Don’t be fooled by her clever appearance; she’s actually quite simple-minded.”

Su Hua couldn’t help but laugh. Chu Suosuo, simple-minded? Did this woman have some sort of misunderstanding regarding the word “simple”?

Without wasting words, Su Hua pulled out her phone and played the recording from that night.

Chu Suosuo’s cloying voice came clearly from the speaker: “Are you really that stupid, or just pretending? When a man and a woman share a room, what else could they be doing besides that?”

Everyone’s footsteps stopped in unison.

Hua Qirou’s face turned visibly unsightly.

Su Hua gave a faint smile. “Mrs. Chu, your ‘simple’ daughter went to my husband’s room in the middle of the night. While he was showering, she secretly answered his phone and intentionally distorted the facts, telling me that she was sharing a room with my husband.”

Faced with ironclad evidence, Hua Qirou was speechless. She struggled for a long time without managing to utter a single word, her face looking as dark as soot.