"What?" Sister Hua looked at Ling Chuxia with surprise. "Miss Chuxia, your body has not fully recovered yet, and the doctor ordered you to stay for a while longer."
Ling Chuxia shook her head slightly. "No need, my body is fine now. I can be discharged."
Worry filled Sister Hua’s eyes, and her face showed disapproval. "How can that be? You, right now..."
But before Sister Hua could finish her sentence, Ling Chuxia interrupted her. "I know my own body."
Ling Chuxia glanced at Sister Hua and lowered her voice a bit, with a hint of pleading. "It’s just... Sister Hua, I hope you can do me a favor."
This frightened Sister Hua, who hurriedly responded with fear and trepidation. "Miss Chuxia, whatever you want me to do, just say it. There’s no need to talk about whether I can help or not."
She was just a servant, after all. Even if Ling Chuxia had divorced the young master, she was still a miss of the Shi Family. There was no need for her to be so polite with someone like her.
Ling Chuxia lowered her eyes and lowered her voice even more. "Please keep the news of my discharge secret from Shi Che for now."
Sister Hua froze. Not only did Miss Chuxia want to be discharged early, but she also didn’t want the young master to know? What in the world was going on?
Could it be that she had seen Madam, and Madam had said something to her?
Thinking it over, Sister Hua felt it was likely. Madam was already angry over the child’s issue. If Ling Chuxia went to visit her, Madam would certainly take her anger out on her. Perhaps she had told her to leave... which is why she was so eager to be discharged?
If this was Madam’s wish... she definitely could not stop it. Sister Hua looked up, her gaze landing on Ling Chuxia’s pale face, sighed silently, and slowly nodded her head. "All right, Miss Chuxia."
Ling Chuxia wasn’t able to sleep at all that night, tossing and turning restlessly. As the sky started to brighten, she finally drifted into a shallow sleep, but the moment she closed her eyes, Shi Che’s face appeared before her.
His handsome face was expressionless, his eyes cold and cruel. His thin lips parted, and he said to her word by word, "Ling Chuxia, get lost, get far away from me. I never want to see you again."
Then, she felt an invisible pair of hands pulling her, dragging her away bit by bit. No matter how she struggled or protested, it was no use. And Shi Che just stood there, watching her being pulled away, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
Ling Chuxia woke with a start, her eyes snapping open, and she sat up abruptly in bed.
She opened her eyes, blurry with sleep, and scanned her surroundings. She was still in the hospital room; she hadn’t been dragged away, hadn’t...
She wiped her forehead involuntarily, finding it covered in sweat. She took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart.
Turning her face to the side, the sky outside was still somewhat grey. The clouds rolled across it, with just a sliver of pale yellow light. The sun had not yet risen.
Ling Chuxia slowly lay back down but couldn’t fall asleep again no matter what.
The dream had been too real, so real that... it felt like it actually happened. No, perhaps soon, it would no longer be a dream but become reality.
She had experienced Shi Che’s ruthlessness before.
She had to leave, before Shi Che sent her out of the country, to escape this place, his world.
He had already taken her child away; she wouldn’t let him take her freedom, too. She would choose her own path from now on.