A second chance with my billionaire husband

Chapter 1917 - 465: Avoided Like the Plague, I’m Here

In the latter half of the night, as expected, Yun Ya developed a high fever again, murmuring incoherently. Xiao Nan knew that the Princess was in poor health, often running high fevers at night. She was very attentive while keeping watch at night. She was the first to notice the Princess’s fever and immediately shook Ah Hua awake to fetch Zhang Huasheng.

Ah Hua rubbed her sleepy eyes and stumbled off to knock on Zhang Huasheng’s door.

Zhang Huasheng was not surprised by this, calmly responding and telling Ah Hua to go back and keep an eye on things.

Seeing him so composed, Ah Hua couldn’t help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. If anything happened to the Princess, none of them would survive.

With this Divine Doctor here, the Princess could certainly turn a crisis into safety.

Zhang Huasheng first took Yun Ya’s pulse and knew without asking that she had caught a chill again. This child had always been in recovery, but with a weak foundation, worry, and stress, she didn’t realize how fragile her body had become. Zhang Huasheng felt a mix of anger and frustration since the maids surely wouldn’t dare slack off. It must be that Yun Ya was once again not taking care of herself.

Though angry, he felt more pity and helplessness.

He wrote a prescription for Ah Hua to decoct the medicine. Considering Yun Ya often fell ill, various rare Chinese herbs were always well-prepared.

After administering the medicine to Yun Ya, fortunately, though she was unconscious, the medicine had all been administered. During this time, she kept mumbling incoherently, and Zhang Huasheng leaned closer, hearing her muttering "Brother, brother," and couldn’t help but laugh. Even in feverish unconsciousness, she didn’t forget her brother...

Zhang Huasheng told Xiao Nan and Ah Hua to go rest. Having observed Zhang Huasheng over the past days, knowing him to be a very reliable Divine Doctor who treated the Princess well, they felt relieved and walked out one after the other, cautiously closing the room door.

The room quieted down, leaving only a bedside lamp casting a dim yellow light, adding a sense of tranquility to the spacious room.

On the large bed, the girl’s eyes were tightly closed, her cheeks pale, brows furrowed slightly, as if she was restless even in her dreams.

Zhang Huasheng looked at the girl’s sleeping face, letting out a sigh.

Sister... her features are exceedingly like yours. If you knew, you would surely feel sorry for her...

This child, how much she resembles you back then... Not only in appearance but also in temperament.

Memories buried deep in the mind unexpectedly surged to the fore, yet they felt like a needle piercing the heart, each recollection stirring a subtle sharp pain.

Zhang Huasheng shook his slightly groggy head and finally slumped at the bedside and fell asleep.

The gauzy curtain fluttered gently. The night was like wine, intoxicating.

A figure slowly appeared from the window. He seemed to have materialized out of thin air; if someone saw him, they would certainly think they had encountered a monster.

The man walked step by step; his footsteps making no sound on the floor, yet each step was as steady as a mountain.

He finally reached the bedside, lowering his gaze to the unconscious girl, his eyes briefly moving.

He crouched down, gently caressing her face with his hand, from her brows to her lips, his gaze unwavering as he watched her pale face, his eyes burning with fervor.

After a long time, a sigh gently dispersed into the night, sounding so forlorn.

With my current appearance, how should I face you? If you knew the truth, would you see me as a monster, avoiding me like the plague?

Whenever he thought of this, he felt nearly suffocated.

Yun Ya suddenly stirred uneasily in her sleep, reaching up abruptly to grab Yan Song’s hand, murmuring unconsciously, "Brother Yan..."

Yan Song’s heart softened in an instant with her utterance, curving his lips into a gentle smile, crouching down to rest his face against hers.

"I’m here."

–––

The Queen, upon hearing Yun Ya was ill again, frowned rarely, uncertain if she was truly worried about her daughter’s health or thinking of something else.

"Mobilize all medical resources. Her body must be healed." The Queen’s tone was always so aloof and devoid of joy or sadness.

Butler Ziyu bowed his head respectfully and replied, "The Divine Doctor who arrived is quite good. The Princess’s body has been well-nourished by him. It was just last night when the Princess caught a chill while bathing. The Divine Doctor said it was a congenital condition from the womb, dormant when she was young, compounded by worry and anxiety, provoking the ailment to surface drastically. But the Divine Doctor says he will heal the Princess; the Queen needn’t worry."

A fleeting trace of malice flickered in the Queen’s eyes, undetectable to others, and the room’s temperature seemingly dropped a few degrees. Butler Ziyu wondered what could have displeased the Queen?

"That’s good. Whatever is needed, make sure it’s provided. Don’t let my daughter suffer." This sentence relayed a hint of a mother’s love, yet for some reason, Butler Ziyu shivered involuntarily.

The Princess, being so frail and sickly, was pitiful enough, and with such a mother, Butler Ziyu felt even more compassion for her.

The Queen was an excellent ruler but was certainly not a benevolent mother.

The Queen didn’t want to discuss the matter further and changed the subject.

Yun Ya slept exceptionally long this time, not waking even until close to noon. She opened her eyes, gazing blankly at the ceiling. Last night...

Seeing her awake, Zhang Huasheng, who was watching by the bedside, asked with a smile, "How does your body feel?"

Yun Ya moved her eyes, seeing the red bloodshot in his eyes, reflecting the frost at his temples, adding a touch of weariness, knowing he must have stayed up all night watching over her, she felt a twinge of guilt.

"Master, it’s my frail body that’s caused you to suffer too."

"As long as you know, I’m almost half a foot in the grave already; I can’t keep up with you, so from now on, be careful and don’t neglect your body, or sooner or later, you’ll wear me to death too."

Xiao Nan sensibly brought in a bowl of medicine; Zhang Huasheng took it, testing the temperature, "Get up and drink your medicine."

Yun Ya obediently got up, about to take the bowl, but Zhang Huasheng scooped a spoonful and brought it to her lips, "You still have the strength?"

Yun Ya moved her fingers. Well, after a night of high fever, though it had broken, her body was limp and weak, unable to be lifted.

Yun Ya obediently drank the medicine, lying in bed looking out the window. The weather was a bit foggy today, looking like it might rain, worsening her mood.

"Master, with a body like mine, how many good years do I have left?" Yun Ya asked despondently.

"Nonsense, don’t speak such drivel. Are you trying to ruin your master’s reputation? Listen to me, your illness is from overthinking. Leave this wretched place; I’ll take you to a serene place to recuperate. You’ll surely live a long life, understand?"

Zhang Huasheng widened his eyes, his little mustache twitching, which was rather endearing.

"But entangled in this vortex, I can’t extricate myself. She won’t let me go, and without finding Miaomiao or avenging my wrongs, how could I leave with peace?"

In Yun Ya’s calm tone, there lay a hint of maturity far beyond her age.

Amidst such thorns, she was already beyond her own control.

Yun Ya felt utterly exhausted; how wonderful it would be to drift into a sleep, never to awaken again?

"You’re still young; why your bleak outlook? What vengeance? People have a lifetime; what hurdle can’t be crossed? You never take my words to heart, making me..." Pained with worry.

What deep-seated hatred did you have with your mother to demand a fight to the death? Zhang Huasheng, though he may loathe that woman and all she did to Yun Ya, doesn’t want Yun Ya enmeshed in hatred forever. Some people insist on punishing themselves with their scoundrel’s mistakes, trapped in a fortress, unable to escape for a lifetime.

He didn’t want Yun Ya to live her life in hatred. He remembers the first time he saw this girl, despite her ageless calm and tranquility, her eyes were as unfathomably pure as the blue seas and skies.

He hoped her gaze would remain forever pure and clear, not filled with hatred and gloom like now, or like the gray weather outside, disheartening to see.

Especially for the sake of my sister... He wished this child a lifetime of peace and joy.

"Master." Yun Ya lowered her gaze indifferently, appearing particularly quiet and well-behaved.

"My fate was set from the moment of my birth. If I could escape this vortex, I’d seize that chance, but I cannot leave."

The seeds of hatred, having been nurtured over the years, had already taken root in her heart, growing into towering trees, their roots entrenched in her marrow, tormenting her day and night, impossible to let go; only slaughter could quench them.

This path was destined to be lonely; she had no road back.