The events of her past life had always been an inescapable shadow hanging over Fu Zhen. No matter how hard she tried to recall, it was always Chen Tingfeng's cold face that haunted her dreams. He was so different from the man she knew in this life.
After so many dreams, she had vaguely discerned the pattern. They usually came when her mind was in turmoil and her heart was in disarray. It was as if these dreams were trying to show her a glimmer of hope in the darkness.
Today, her emotions had been in such a state of upheaval that she knew she was bound to have a dream that night. To her surprise, she didn't resist it. In fact, when Biyu brought the calming medicine, she shook her head and poured it away.
The road ahead seemed so uncertain, and her heart was filled with confusion. Perhaps only in her dreams could she catch a glimpse of the light.
Biyu carried the medicine out and looked worriedly at the darkened room. "Miss has been so busy today, and she didn't take the medicine. I'm afraid she might have a nightmare tonight."
Cuihuan sighed softly. "Well, this calming medicine can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. Miss is suffering in her heart. Why make her suffer more with this bitter medicine? She's had nightmares so many times. It's always the same thing. We'll just take good care of her tonight."
The room was deathly quiet. Fu Zhen let herself sink into the depths of her consciousness.
It was still the small courtyard where she had been confined, and the door was tightly shut. But tonight, she didn't see her own figure. Instead, the scene shifted to the middle of the courtyard.
The rain was pouring down so heavily that it seemed as if the world was being turned upside down.
The maids and servants were already lazy. With the torrential rain, they all hid in their rooms, either playing cards or drinking. Their mouths were greasy from the food.
The courtyard gate opened silently.
A thunderbolt split the sky, briefly illuminating the cold - faced man outside.
Yuanbao's heart was pounding. He lowered his head and was about to kneel on the ground regardless of the downpour. "It's the servant's fault for poor management. Please punish me, Young Master!"
The rain soaked the hem of the standing man's clothes. Even though it was a stuffy June day, his face was as cold as the depths of winter.
"Go and drag those people out," Chen Tingfeng said calmly.
Yuanbao's heart skipped a beat. Instead of relaxing, he sensed something amiss. He immediately got up from the ground, didn't even bother to take an umbrella, and rushed into the rain. In a short while, he dragged the panicked people into the courtyard.
One of the old servants opened her mouth to scream, but Yuanbao slapped her hard. His expression was fierce. "If anyone dares to make a sound, I'll cut off their tongue!"
Everyone fell silent, like ducks with their throats squeezed.
Chen Tingfeng slowly walked up to them and stared silently at an old servant on the ground.
This old servant was fat and strong. When Yuanbao went in to catch her, she was still gnawing on a chicken leg.
At this moment, the master's silence was far more terrifying than scolding.
Fu Zhen watched as Chen Tingfeng remained silent for a long time, seemingly unmoved. This was the most common sight in her past life. He was like a god without sorrow or joy. No matter how others struggled, they couldn't get a shred of his pity.
But for some reason, when she looked at him now, she felt a suppressed anger. Beneath his cold face, there was a surging current of emotion.
He was angry.
Fu Zhen suddenly realized.
The sky seemed to have a hole in it, and the raindrops hit people painfully. But no one in the courtyard dared to make a sound. They were all trembling like quails in the rain.
After an unknown amount of time, Chen Tingfeng moved.
He took out the dagger from his waist and casually threw it on the ground. The "clank" sound hit everyone's hearts, making it hard to breathe.
"Those on duty tonight, cut off their tongues and sell them. For the rest, you decide," he said in the same calm tone, but now the killing intent was hard to hide.
These people couldn't be spared tonight.
Yuanbao nodded. Seeing that the people were about to scream in terror, he quickly grabbed the dagger on the ground and cut off an old servant's tongue. The scarlet soft flesh fell silently to the ground, just like the person's fate, destined to fall into the mud.
Some of the timid ones couldn't stand such a terrifying scene. Their eyes rolled back, and they lost consciousness completely.
Chen Tingfeng stared at Yuanbao's actions until the last tongue fell to the ground. Then he slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at the closed door.
The room was quiet. He didn't know what "Fu Zhen" was doing inside.
Suddenly, a man ran in quickly. He looked anxious and whispered something to Chen Tingfeng. Fu Zhen only saw Chen Tingfeng's expression turn cold. "I know. I'll come right away."
Yuanbao told people to tie up the maids and servants on the ground and drag them out. Then he knelt on the ground, holding the dagger with both hands and indicating for Chen Tingfeng to take it back.
Chen Tingfeng glanced at the dagger. "It's yours."
"Send some new people tonight. If something like this happens again, you don't have to follow me anymore."
Yuanbao's expression turned solemn. He quickly replied, "Yes."
The heavy rain washed away the blood on the ground. Chen Tingfeng and his men left in a hurry, coming and going silently without leaving a trace.
As Fu Zhen watched, she didn't know where the sand came from, but it made her eyes red.
What was this?
Didn't he hate her? Didn't he even want to see her? What was he doing now?
Suddenly, another thunderbolt struck. The lightning, like a silver dragon, pierced the distant sky and briefly illuminated the house.
"Fu Zhen" was lying quietly on the ground, motionless.
In an instant, the scene distorted sharply, like a crumpled piece of paper.
Fu Zhen felt as if the world was spinning. The thunder roared, and the earth trembled.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of the rain gradually stopped, and the dawn broke. She covered her dizzy head and slowly opened her eyes. Suddenly, a meow came from her ear, and her vision went completely black.
In the bed, her eyes were moving rapidly under her thin eyelids. Suddenly, she opened her eyes.
The heavy rain was no longer in front of her, and the deafening thunder had faded away. There was a dim lamp outside. Through the bed curtain, the flickering light was faintly visible.
As soon as she moved, she felt that her whole body was covered in cold sweat, as if she had been fished out of water.
"Cuihuan... Biyu!" she called out hoarsely.
The door creaked open. A figure rushed in. She lifted the bed curtain and said anxiously, "Miss, did you have another nightmare? Cuihuan has sent someone to call the doctor. Please bear with it for a while."
Biyu's words came out in a rush, revealing her familiarity. It made Fu Zhen a little speechless.
She smiled weakly. "I scared you again."
Biyu's eyes turned red. "If Miss knows how scary this is, you should listen to me and take the medicine properly in the future!"
Fu Zhen reached out and wiped the red corner of her eye. She comforted her, "Okay, I'll listen to you, Biyu."