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Shen Wan gazed tenderly at her daughter's adorable sleeping face. A faint smile touched her lips, and the day's exhaustion melted away. "Kicked off your blanket again."

There was helpless affection in her voice, not so much a scolding as an admission that she could never stay cross with her daughter.

She gently covered her daughter's stomach. Her fingertips brushed against burning skin, and her heart lurched. She reached out to feel her daughter's forehead.

It was scorching, and sweat coated her hand.

Shen Wan turned up the bedside lamp. An unnatural flush covered her daughter's little face.

"Suìsuì? Suìsuì?" She tried to wake her daughter while taking a thermometer from the nightstand.

39.5°C.

A high fever.

Shen Wan did not panic. She called her daughter by her nickname as she worked to cool her down, moving with practiced efficiency.

Perhaps hearing her mother's voice, Shen Baili opened her eyes hazily. Her throat was dry, and she struggled to speak.

"Mom."

"It hurts. It hurts so much."

Her voice was faint and slurred, but Shen Wan made out every word.

Those few words drained the color from Shen Wan's face. Her voice tightened.

"Where does it hurt? Is it your head?"

Shen Baili did not answer. She only kept murmuring that it hurt, fine beads of sweat covering her forehead.

"Don't be scared, Suìsuì. Mom's taking you to the doctor."

"I'm here. Don't be afraid."

Shen Wan's heart ached for her. She called an ambulance at once and gave them the details and address.

While waiting for the ambulance, she kept comforting her daughter and gathered everything they would need at the hospital.

Mother and daughter had depended on each other for years, supporting each other through everything. Emergencies made them anxious, but they did not fall apart. Their first instinct was to look after each other, then find a solution.

Once she had finished, she received calls from Butler Lin and the ambulance crew. After both sides confirmed the details, the ambulance was cleared to enter.

A few minutes later, Butler Lin and the family doctor arrived in Shen Baili's room.

"Madam, how is Miss Baili? It'll take the ambulance about ten minutes to get here from the entrance to the villa complex."

"If you'd like, Doctor Li can examine Miss Baili. He's an excellent doctor."

Shen Wan quickly stepped aside. "Sorry for the trouble, Doctor Li."

"Suìsuì's fever won't go down, and she keeps saying it hurts..."

Doctor Li opened his medical bag, asking questions as he examined her. Shen Baili answered occasionally.

"It's very likely acute appendicitis, which has caused the high fever. She needs to get to the hospital immediately. How long until the ambulance arrives?" Doctor Li asked Butler Lin.

"Within five minutes." Butler Lin checked the time.

Shen Wan gripped Shen Baili's hand, her heart twisting. She wished she could take the pain herself.

"Miss Baili's condition is urgent, and the main building's elevator is being repaired. We're short on time. Let's get her downstairs first," Doctor Li suggested.

"All right."

Shen Wan made the decision at once and lifted Shen Baili onto her back. She gritted her teeth, her slender frame finding strength she had not known it possessed.

Shen Baili stirred uncomfortably.

"Don't be afraid, Suìsuì. Mom's taking you to the hospital."

Doctor Li saw how much Shen Wan was struggling. When he had suggested moving Shen Baili, he had intended to carry her himself, but Shen Wan had acted before he could offer.

The Xie Family's new madam certainly loves her daughter, Doctor Li thought. "Madam, why don't you let me..." He had not finished offering to carry her.

A tall figure appeared and lifted Shen Baili from Shen Wan's back. Xie Zhiyu's voice was steady and firm. "Aunt Shen, I'll carry her."

"Take your things and come downstairs with us."

The weight vanished from Shen Wan's back. She turned to find her stepson there and froze for a moment. He nodded to her, then easily scooped Shen Baili into his arms and headed for the door.

They went downstairs together. The ambulance had already arrived.

All four of them boarded, leaving Butler Lin behind.

Shen Baili drifted in and out of consciousness. Whenever she woke, she mostly cried out in pain.

Shen Wan held her hand tightly and comforted her again and again. "Hang in there, sweetheart."

"Just a little longer. We'll be at the hospital soon."

"It won't hurt anymore after that."

Shen Wan gently wiped the tears from the corners of Shen Baili's eyes and tucked the black hair clinging to her cheeks behind her ears. She stroked the back of her daughter's hand, soothing her without pause.

Doctor Li briefed the other medical staff on Shen Baili's condition and checked on her from time to time.

Xie Zhiyu sat quietly in a corner of the ambulance. His gaze rested on Shen Wan and her daughter. Something flickered in his eyes before he looked away.

At the hospital, Shen Baili was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and quickly taken into surgery.

Shen Wan and Xie Zhiyu waited outside the operating room. "Thank you for earlier, Zhiyu," she said, full of gratitude.

Xie Zhiyu leaned back against the bench. A month of demanding business trips had worn down even someone as energetic as him. "It was the right thing to do," he replied politely.

He had not opposed his father's remarriage, and he had no intention of making things difficult for them.

Now that they were part of the Xie Family, he would protect them, as long as they knew their place.

Xie Zhiyu lowered his gaze and noticed Shen Wan's hands clasped tightly together, still trembling. He paused, then said, "The doctor and nurses operating on Shen Baili are all very skilled. She'll be all right."

Shen Wan looked toward the operating room, as though she could see her daughter through the door. "Yes. She'll be safe and healthy."

"Suìsuì has always been strong."

"Is Suìsuì her nickname?" Xie Zhiyu asked.

Shen Wan nodded slightly. "Yes. It's Baili's nickname."

"Suìsuì, from 'Peace for Suìsuì.'"

The next day, Shen Baili opened her eyes to a field of blinding white. The sharp smell of disinfectant hung faintly in the air. She had no strength in her body, and her mind was foggy. Had she transmigrated again?