Xia Zhiwan lay quietly beside the man. Before long, his breathing became steady.
He had fallen asleep.
She was exhausted as well, so she curled up next to him and drifted off.
But no sooner had she fallen asleep than the pair from those past scenes surfaced in her mind once more.
“Brother… you’re so… good.”
“Brother, am I better… or is she better…?”
“Wan’er, I only have you. You’re the only one who can excite me.”
Shrill cries mixed with muffled groans.
The two of them displayed themselves without any restraint, while the woman on the floor felt utterly dead inside.
To keep her from dying, they had arranged for someone with medical knowledge to stay in the basement and monitor her condition at all times.
Each bout of torment stopped short of killing her, yet every one of them was soul-rending.
“What a heartless person. It hurts this much and you still won’t cry—no wonder no one loves you.”
“Oh no—there is one man who loves you. He’ll be coming to keep you company very soon.”
“The ocean, a cruise ship—how romantic. When you die, no one will ever know.”
“Ah—!”
Xia Zhiwan screamed and jolted awake again, her entire body drenched in cold sweat.
Heart pounding, she looked around. The bare room gradually calmed her.
This was Wanhan Court—hers and Li Xiaohan’s Wanhan Court.
Not a basement. And not the sea.
But when she looked to the bed beside her, the man was gone.
Hearing the scream upstairs, Aunt Wang hurried up and opened the door.
The moment she entered, she saw Xia Zhiwan sitting blankly on the bed.
“Miss Xia, what’s wrong?”
Seeing her covered in sweat, Aunt Wang quickly fetched a towel and handed it to her.
“You’re sweating so much—wipe yourself off quickly, or you’ll catch a chill.”
Xia Zhiwan came back to herself, took the towel, and thanked her politely.“Thank you, Aunt Wang. Where did Ahan go?”
“A… Ahan?”
The form of address startled Aunt Wang for a moment, but she quickly recovered.
“Miss Xia, do you mean sir?”
Xia Zhiwan nodded. “Yes. Where did he go?”
“Sir went to the company around noon. He probably won’t be back until evening.”
Though puzzled by Miss Xia suddenly calling sir “Ahan,” Aunt Wang still answered.
“He left at noon? Then he probably didn’t sleep for very long.”
Xia Zhiwan murmured to herself, thinking about how he had only fallen asleep at dawn before leaving at midday.
Aunt Wang sighed softly at her side.
“Ah… sir’s insomnia is a serious problem. It really takes a toll on his health.”
“Insomnia?” Xia Zhiwan froze and turned to look at her. “Ahan has insomnia?”
Seeing her reaction, Aunt Wang immediately stepped back half a pace, lowered her head slightly, and spoke nervously.
“I’m sorry, Miss Xia. I spoke out of turn.”
Seeing how anxious she looked, Xia Zhiwan quickly stood up and held her arm.
“Aunt Wang, I’m not blaming you. I’m just curious—why does he have insomnia?”
It was true that Xia Zhiwan had caused scenes and attempted suicide at Wanhan Court in the past.
But aside from being misled by those two people and failing to see Li Xiaohan clearly, she had always been quite sensible in dealing with others.
She had never been harsh to the servants, especially Aunt Wang.
She could tell how good Aunt Wang had been to her, and she naturally treated her with respect.
Yet seeing Aunt Wang still so tense made her feel even more puzzled.
“Aunt Wang, what exactly is going on? Why do you blame yourself? Why does Ahan have insomnia?”
“Miss Xia… sir doesn’t allow us to talk carelessly. He’s afraid it might disturb your mood…”
The more she listened, the more confused Xia Zhiwan became. Seeing Aunt Wang hesitate, her tone grew firmer.
“Aunt Wang, if you really don’t want to say it, I’ll ask Ahan myself.”
As she reached for her phone, Aunt Wang hurriedly spoke up.
“Sir has had insomnia for over half a year. At first, he just slept lightly. Later, he couldn’t sleep at all through the night.”
“Doctors from everywhere have seen him, but none of them could find the cause.”
“Sir told us not to say anything. Miss Xia, I didn’t mean to bring it up.”
Xia Zhiwan felt dazed after hearing this. She definitely hadn’t known about it in her previous life.
Back then, when she sometimes woke up in the middle of the night and saw the door open, she had even thought Li Xiaohan was some kind of pervert—
Staying up late just to secretly watch her.
So it wasn’t that at all. He had insomnia.
And if he’d had insomnia for over half a year, that meant it started after she came to Wanhan Court.
She was the cause of his sleeplessness.
She wasn’t someone who cried easily.
Even through pain and torment so unbearable, she had never shed a tear.
But when she thought of him, her eyes grew wet.
Seeing her expression, Aunt Wang panicked. “Miss Xia, you—”
“I’m fine,” Xia Zhiwan said, wiping the corners of her eyes and cutting off her concern.“Aunt Wang, has Ahan tried dietary remedies for his insomnia?”
“Yes. Milk, walnuts, honey—they’re all included in his daily meals in different ways.”
Xia Zhiwan nodded.
“Aunt Wang, I can’t go out right now. When you have time, please cook some millet and oat porridge for Ahan to drink before bed. It can help with sleep too.”
Aunt Wang looked at her in a daze. Since when did Miss Xia start caring about sir?
Still, she answered, “Yes, Miss Xia. I’ll prepare it right away.”
“Miss Xia, you haven’t eaten all day. Would you like me to bring you something to eat?”
Aunt Wang asked tentatively. To her surprise, Xia Zhiwan touched her stomach.
“I really am hungry. Then I’ll trouble you, Aunt Wang.”
“Oh, of course. Please wait a moment.”
Aunt Wang closed the door and went downstairs, feeling puzzled but even more pleased.
Miss Xia seemed very different after waking up this time.
Not only did she care about sir, she also wasn’t refusing food or throwing tantrums anymore.
Up on the second floor, Xia Zhiwan looked at the door after it closed again and felt a little dejected—but soon she understood.
She had brought this upon herself.
If she hadn’t gone so far in her previous life, insisting on suicide, how could she have been confined here?
The walls of the bedroom were her favorite shade of pink—renovated especially for her by Li Xiaohan.
But when she had first come into this room, she had found the color glaring.
She thought that someone who had broken up another couple didn’t deserve to use such a beautiful color.
So she had covered the entire room with photos of that man.
The large portraits completely blocked out the pink walls, and only then had she felt satisfied.
The night Li Xiaohan returned to the room and saw that scene, veins bulged on his forehead. He tore down all the photos and burned them in one go.
After that incident, she began her endless cycle of suicide attempts.
Thinking back now, how could such ugly photos ever belong in such a luxurious villa?
Back then, she had truly been blinded by foolish obsession.