Meanwhile in the inner room of Shen Yiyi's courtyard.
Shen Yiyi stood in the center of her room — or had been standing, was now moving, around the room breaking anything she could get her hands on.
That parentless orphan, she thought her nails digging into her palm again It has to be her. It has to be.
The cousin she knew — the one she had grown up knowing, the one whose attention she had always been able to easily gain— and now he dared to wipe his hand after she touched him and additionally, he dared to avoid her. Her lip twitched she grabbed the ceramic vase with flowers by the window and threw it down.
"How dare he? "
"He used to worship the ground I walked on", she thought." And now—"
The copper mirror that had been in her hand a while ago, hit the floor with a sound that was satisfying for only few seconds then it wasn't because it was copper it couldn't break easily. Looking down she happened to glance at it and immediately found her own reflection.
"How could he change so much." Touching her face she mumbled "How could he just — it's impossible. It's that girl. It has to be that girl feeding him all sorts of trash and turning him against me. He still cares for me he still cares yes; it has to be her There's no other explanation. There's no other—"
The teapot and the cups followed the mirror hitting the wall right by the entrance of the inner room. The pieces that resulted scattered across the floor
At the entrance of the room no one knows when Li Mei had arrived and was now standing at it. At the moment she gritted her teeth was trying her best to hold in the sound that was about to escape her from when the hot water from the broken teapot grazed her now sorely reddened wound she had gotten from her fall before.
She hissed feeling it swell, her teeth gnawing at each other in pain but choosing to swallow it taking a step back. She knew her young miss well enough to know that right now wasn't time to react or else it would only make her situation worse.
Her young miss was still talking — still pacing, still moving through the room — and didn't appear to have noticed her arrival. Li Mei stood at the entrance and watched trying to calculate what she could do but any form of solution would make the situation worse
"She could not stop her, nor could she leave her. She had to wait .... but what if the young miss hurt herself "she helplessly thought " No....no.....no, she had to wait until the madam came before but... no she had to stop her somehow"
Unable to think of any other way, she moved forward navigating through all the broken debris in the room, reaching close enough to her young miss she knelt.
But maybe because she hadn't paid much attention to where she knelt.
She felt one of them immediately — sharp, mercilessly edging right into her knees her hands shook, her muscles tensed but she didn't move. Didn't look down. Kept her eyes on her young miss and her hands folded in front of her no matter how they shook and her voice as steady as she could make it.
"Young Miss." she said quietly "Please, you'll hurt yourself."
"Please for my sake for our years together, please stop" Li Mei thought not daring to say out loud
She knew the rules. Had known them since the day she became personal maid to Shen Yiyi — if the young miss received so much as a scratch on her watch there would be consequences. The second madam had been very clear about this. Very thorough.
So, she stayed right where she was on the glass floor begging bowing and trying to get through to her young miss so she can stop as she hoped she would
Shen Yiyi's eyes turned glancing at the figure that was still bowing a few steps from where she stood. Her gaze lasted for a few seconds then as if the energy had been drained from her legs gave out, her eyes darkened
Li Mei who had paying attention to her young miss this whole time moved quickly she stood fast her hands moving forward to catch her young miss mid fall. but maybe when she did their momentum was too fast making her directly fall to her knees her hands tightly wrapped around her young miss's body guarding her miss's unconscious body from the impact
Hitting the ground she took her sharp breath. A hiss she could no longer fully suppress this time. She knelt in the wreckage of the room her hands holding her miss, feeling relieved the adrenaline washing away.
Li Mei felt herself grow weaker and weaker with each passing moment after all she had already lost a lot of blood. Her mind grew heavy as the dizziness hit her before she knew it, she had to hold on right now she didn't have the strength to move her young miss, and neither could she let her go her blurred eyes reflecting the wrecked state of the room.
She felt her eyes grow heavier her hands grow weak No she couldn't allow this, so she bit her inner cheek hard to keep herself awake until the madam arrived. the taste of rust spread and the sting in her mouth kept her awake.
Chen Mi and Old lady Shen who had been seated in the jubilee hall, the courtyard where the old lady stayed heard the news and rushed over quickly. Entering the door that's the scene they first saw.
Li Mei, their daughter/granddaughter's personal maid help the unconscious Shen Yiyi in her hands as she knelt on the floor amid the ruins of several decorative objects. From the looks of the injuries on her arm, her forehead and knees, it didn't look good, but she still awake holding Shen Yiyi steady
Chen Mi looked at her. Li Mei hearing the sound of footsteps turned to her side seeing the newcomers she attempted to bow but — the motion was too fast, her recovery unsteady but she gritted her teeth and held on.
Chen Mi seeing this waved her hand, her own personal maids rushing forward to get Shen Yiyi from Li Mei's arms. This was obviously a direct dismissal she tried bowing again but almost fell forward one of Chen Mi's maids caught her helping her stand up.
She waved off the help then walked toward the inner room door — steady, measured though a bit wobbly. She used the walls moving forward and exited the inner room.
Outside her little sister was waiting and another maid a friend she had made to help her keep her sister safe. They saw her coming out they moved trying to help her, but she waved them off her sister was helpless watching her move with the help of the wall.
Reaching the outer room of the courtyard, Li Mei felt a wave of dizziness arrive and before she could stop herself her body collapse her eyes darkening. Two pairs of hands caught her immediately before she could protest and her vision darkened no longer to tell what was happening around her.
"Sister.... sister" Her little sister's voice, close, urgent and panicked. She turned to the other maid surnamed Ru "We need to hurry to the Physician Li " with a nod they held her and rushed out.
Inside the inner room Chen Mi looked at her daughter who was now laying on her bed she looked peaceful.
She said nothing. Old lady Shen sat close by quietly watching as the room was cleaned in silence waiting for Chen Mi's personal physician to arrive.