On Friday afternoon, Hu Lei left the library around lunchtime to prepare for the dreaded appointment. Under normal circumstances, she would be enjoying a light lunch in the library before continuing with her work. This had been her routine for the past few days.
Unfortunately, she could not concentrate on writing with the sword of a hospital visit hanging over her head. She felt a little sense of dread at this upcoming consultation. She just could not put her fears out of her mind, no matter how much she tried.
The worst part was that she could not postpone the consultation. Zhong Feng was taking her to the doctor in person. She tried to calm herself and convince herself that seeing a doctor was a good thing. After all, she did want to know if there was something wrong with her body. She felt fine physically, but she knew that her mental state was not good.
The nightmares had not stopped, and she felt as if there was a dark fog clouding her mind. It was almost as if she was stuck in a deep and black void. Even when she was awake and looking at the sun, it seemed like there was something dark and alive eating at her mind.
If there was a health issue causing her this discomfort, she wanted it to be resolved immediately. Deep in her heart, she hoped that there was something wrong with her body. Because the alternative… if it was a mental illness, her hope of recovery was not good. She was a realist, and she understood that most mental conditions could only be managed.
She felt that darkness swirl faster in her mind as she went up the stairs. It was almost blinding, making her lose her focus. She bit her plumb lower lip with her teeth, and the pain broke her out of her well of distress. Her mind became clearer.
She needed to stand firm and fight. Otherwise, Zhong Feng's efforts expended in rescuing her would be in vain. Her lips lifted into a little smile. She had something real to fight for, so she could not be brought down easily.
When she entered her bedroom, she found her 'assistant' looking through her nightstand drawers. Her eyebrows tightened and the darkness in her eyes became deep once again. However, she immediately, concealed it and looked at Ting Wan with a lifted brow.
"What are you doing here?" She asked calmly.
Ting Wan felt surprised at the appearance of the short woman in the room. She had not heard her steps or sensed her presence. It should be noted that the only reason she had been confident enough to snoop was because she was sure that she would hear Hu Lei coming from a mile away. But it seemed she had just appeared like a ghost.
But Ting Wan was not foolish enough to admit her guilt.
"I thought that I should organise Miss Hu's room a little since I was not needed downstairs." She responded calmly.
Hu Lei smiled at the confident response which was spoken without any strange shifts in tone or inflection. She respected people who could be in the wrong and deny, deny, deny without skipping a beat. It was such a pity that this woman had some nefarious motives towards her. Perhaps, they could have been friends in another world.
However, this type of unscrupulous person who could speak lies so boldly was only good if they were on your side. And Ting Wan was definitely not on her side. It was not only her suspicious behaviour that bothered Hu Lei. There was the concealed look of dislike and even faint disgust in her eyes.
And the negative feelings had become even more obvious over the past days.
Hu Lei was naturally curious about the reason for this dislike. She was not willing to let this person go before learning about the cause of the instant hostility. After all, they had never met in the past as far as Hu Lei could remember.
If she replaced the woman before she knew, she would not feel at peace. It was better to know the enemy, no matter how insignificant.
She kept things interesting by being around the house. Every time Ting Wan brought her snacks in the library and asked her if she needed anything else, her calm mask cracked just a little more. It seemed like her face would crack in pain. This type of thing amused Hu Lei.
"Oh, Ting Wan is very hard working. But that is not your job. You can just relax as long as I don't ask for anything." She smiled with twinkling in her eyes.
Ting Wan gritted her teeth at the generous display worthy of an empress. This shameless woman actually thought that she was the mistress of the house. She acted like she was the mother of the nation, ordering her like she had real authority. Was she worthy of the number one man in Supreme City? The future mistress of the Zhong family could never be her.
"I will keep this in mind, Miss Hu." She still responded with an official nod.
Before she could take her leave, another person came into the bedroom.
"What are you doing here?" A cold voice spoke.
Ting Wan became tense at the unexpected arrival of the Zhong Feng. Wasn't he supposed to be at work? She felt fear as she suddenly realised that her decision to snoop had been ill-advised. She started panicking, but her face remained. She knew that she would probably be kicked out of the house, and the plan would fall apart.
"Ah Feng, you are back. Ting Wan was apparently keeping my things organised. I did not know I had become such a slob." Hu Lei said mournfully.
Zhong Feng became angrier at the words even though he could see that his little lady was only being dramatic for her own purposes. He took out his phone and pressed a few buttons. Ting Wan felt like she could not breathe. Would she really be chased out? She felt her hatred for Hu Lei increase.
"Boss, what is the problem?" Housekeeper Li stood outside the door and inquired respectfully.
He then noticed the other woman in the room. His back was suddenly covered by a cold layer of sweat. He could see the problem. What was Ting Wan doing in this bedroom? She had to have a death wish. It seemed that he would need to replace this person before she spelled doom for the entire household.
"I will take care of it right away. Ting Wan, come with me." He spoke sternly.
Housekeeper Li was not a simple man. He could be intimidating though he always acted like a friendly neighbourhood guy. Originally, he was in the military, but he had to retire due to hand injuries which affected his firearm handling capabilities.
Ting Wan felt pressure from the anger on his face and understood that her future was not looking good. However, even as she understood this face, she did not look repentant as she left the room. She even threw one last hostile look at Hu Lei.