Chapter 167: Her Happiness
The physician quickly placed his medical chest beside the bed and knelt down to examine Wang Gege.
Xie Rong remained standing beside him, his expression tense as he watched every movement.
"Young Master, please step aside for a moment. This old servant needs to examine Young Madam’s wound properly."
Xie Rong hesitated before finally taking a step back.
The physician carefully removed the blood-soaked cloth from Wang Gege’s neck, revealing the shallow but ugly cut left by the broken porcelain.
His brows furrowed, "The wound is not as deep as it first appeared."
Xie Rong’s shoulders loosened slightly.
"But it has bled quite a lot," the physician continued. "She also appears to have lost consciousness from the pain and shock. This old servant will clean the wound and stop the bleeding first."
"Will she be all right?"
The question came almost immediately.
The physician glanced at him, "If the bleeding can be stopped and the wound does not become infected, Young Madam should recover."
Xie Rong’s expression remained tense. "Should?"
"This old servant cannot make promises before seeing how she responds over the next few days."
He carefully cleaned the wound before applying medicine and wrapping a fresh bandage around her neck. "The cut is fortunate not to have reached anything vital."
Only then did Xie Rong finally release the breath he had been holding. "How long until she wakes?"
The physician paused. "That is difficult to say."
Xie Rong’s expression tightened again.
"She may wake within a few hours, or she may remain unconscious longer because of the blood loss and shock. For now, she needs complete rest."
"How long?" Xie Rong insisted, clearly unwilling to accept such an uncertain answer.
The physician looked at Wang Gege’s pale face. Even he could not be certain how long she would remain unconscious, but the desperation in Xie Rong’s voice was impossible to miss. "Perhaps a day or two."
Xie Rong’s fingers slowly curled. "A day or two..."
"Young Master," the physician added, "do not let her move too much after she wakes. The wound is near her neck, and reopening it could cause the bleeding to start again."
Xie Rong nodded slowly. "I understand."
The physician began packing his medical supplies. "Keep the room quiet and change the dressing as instructed. This old servant will return tomorrow to examine her again."
Xie Rong glanced at Wang Gege.
She remained completely still, her face unusually pale against the pillow.
For a moment, his gaze softened.
Then he quietly said, "She will stay here. I will take care of her."
The physician nodded and closed his medical chest.
"This old servant will take his leave first. If Young Madam wakes, send someone to inform this old servant immediately."
"Qing’er will handle it," Xie Rong replied.
The physician bowed before leaving the chamber.
Once the door closed behind him, the room became quiet again.
Xie Rong stood beside the bed, staring at Wang Gege’s pale face.
Only moments ago, she had still been arguing with him, glaring at him, telling him not to call her Furen, and threatening to walk away from him.
Now, she lay completely still.
He slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, his movements unusually careful, afraid that even the slightest disturbance might interrupt whatever rest she needed.
Although deep in his heart, he wanted her to wake up immediately, if only so he could be certain that she was truly all right.
Xie Rong slowly reached for her hand.
Her fingers remained limp against the bedsheet, but they were warm.
He gently enclosed her hand within his own, his thumb unconsciously brushing over her knuckles.
For a long while, he simply sat there.
He did not know how much time had passed before the chamber gradually grew darker, but he never let go of her hand.
And when morning came, he was still there.
The next day passed in much the same way.
The physician came to examine Wang Gege’s wound, changed the dressing, and confirmed that the bleeding had stopped completely. She remained unconscious, but her breathing was steady, and there were no signs that her condition had worsened.
Still, Xie Rong refused to leave her side.
By the second afternoon, Qing’er finally entered the chamber carrying a tray of food. She placed it carefully on the nearby table before looking toward him.
"Young Master..."
Xie Rong did not respond immediately. His gaze remained fixed on Wang Gege.
Qing’er hesitated before asking softly, "Young Master, do you need this servant to bring you something to eat?"
Only then did Xie Rong seem to realize that someone had spoken to him.
"I’m not hungry."
Qing’er’s brows were knitted together. "Young Master, you have barely eaten since Young Madam was injured."
Xie Rong’s gaze lowered toward Wang Gege’s still face. "She hasn’t woken yet."
"Yes, but..." Qing’er sighed quietly, "If Young Madam wakes up and discovers that you have made yourself ill while taking care of her, she will probably be angry with you."
For a brief moment, his lips curved faintly.
"I would be happy if she did..." His gaze returned to Wang Gege. "It would mean she still cares, wouldn’t it?"
Qing’er looked at him quietly, unsure whether she should feel relieved or worried by that answer.
"Young Master..."
"Hmm?"
"Pardon this servant..." Her voice became hesitant as she glanced toward Wang Gege. "But Young Madam will be all right, right?"
Xie Rong’s expression slowly softened. "The physician said her wound is not life-threatening."
Qing’er nodded, but the worry in her eyes remained. "Then why hasn’t she woken yet?"
Xie Rong fell silent. He looked down at Wang Gege’s pale face, his fingers gently tightening around hers.
"I don’t know."
It was the first time he had admitted those words aloud.
His voice became quieter.
"But she is breathing normally, and the physician said her condition is stable." He paused before adding, "So I believe she will wake up soon."
Qing’er nodded, pressing her lips together as she hesitated over whether she should continue speaking or leave it at that.
"Qing’er..."
Xie Rong suddenly called her.
"Yes, Young Master..."
"Do you think she is happy since she came here?"
Qing’er blinked, clearly surprised by the question.
"Young Madam?"
"Hmm."
Xie Rong lowered his gaze toward Wang Gege, his fingers still gently holding hers.
"Do you think she is happy living in this residence?"
Qing’er remained silent for a moment.
She had never expected the Young Master to ask such a question.
"Why does the Young Master suddenly ask this servant that?"
"Because..."
Xie Rong’s voice trailed off.
He looked at Wang Gege’s sleeping face for a long moment.
"She keeps saying she doesn’t want anything to do with me." His lips curved into a faint, bitter smile. "Perhaps she really doesn’t."
Qing’er looked at him sympathetically. "But Young Madam has changed a lot since she arrived."
Xie Rong’s gaze shifted toward her. "Changed?"
"Yes." Qing’er nodded. "Before, Young Madam seemed to be someone who kept everything to herself. But after coming here..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "She laughs more. She talks more. She even gets angry more easily."
Xie Rong listened quietly.
Qing’er smiled faintly. "Sometimes this servant thinks Young Madam is happier here than she realizes."
Xie Rong’s fingers slowly tightened around Wang Gege’s hand.
Perhaps that was because the original Shen Taotao had already left this world, and the person who came afterward was Wang Gege.
She had always been the happy-go-lucky one, the kind of person who could find something amusing even in the most ordinary situations.
But after their relationship had turned into that of strangers, he had never seen her smile like that again.
Even when they met again years later at the company, she had already become someone who kept her distance from him, her smile polite and her expression calm, as though everything they had once shared had never existed.
And now... Xie Rong lowered his gaze toward her sleeping face.
She smiled here.
She laughed here.
She got angry, complained, and even argued with him without holding herself back. Perhaps this world had given her something she had lost a long time ago.
A place where she could finally be herself again.
His heart tightened at the thought.
"Then..." His voice was almost a whisper. "Perhaps she really is happier here."
Qing’er looked at him quietly.
Xie Rong gently brushed his thumb over Wang Gege’s fingers.
Maybe this husband..." He stopped himself, remembering every angry word she had said to him before the incident happened. "Maybe I shouldn’t be the reason she loses that happiness again."
His gaze remained on her sleeping face for a long while.
Perhaps he had spent too much time thinking about how to make her forgive him, when he should have been thinking about what she actually wanted.
If she wanted distance, he would give it.
If she wanted to hate him, he would endure it.
As long as she could remain happy... That would be enough.