Hearing Her Thoughts

Shen Wan had worried herself sick over her daughter's sudden illness. She hadn't slept a wink all night. Heartache, worry, sorrow, and guilt kept churning inside her.

Shen Baili, on the other hand, had endured pain that felt as though it were melting her bones. Soothed by her mother, her body and mind had fallen into a deep sleep.

She had a long dream, one about her past life and this one.

The dream showed her that she hadn't reincarnated after dying. She had undergone Transmigration into a Book, born into its world as a child whose mother would bring her along when she married into an elite family.

She and her mother were both villainesses in the book: selfish, greedy, vicious, and foolish. Once they entered the wealthy household, their attitudes changed drastically.

Resentment took hold of them, and they tried to seize the Xie Family's fortune. They conspired with outsiders against the family and made one foolish move after another. In the end, they crossed the Xie Family's line, were thrown out, and met miserable fates.

Shen Baili: ...

She had known she wasn't destined to be the protagonist, but she hadn't expected things to be this bad.

As if one miserable life hadn't been enough, this one was miserable too.

In her previous life, she had been born into a poor family that favored sons over daughters. Her mother had given birth to four girls and one boy. Two of her younger sisters had been given away; only she and the second daughter had stayed.

Her parents were farmers who worked in the fields every day and occasionally took odd jobs to supplement the household income. They had no time to look after the children, so that responsibility naturally fell to her.

For as long as she could remember, she had worked. As a little girl, she had carried her younger siblings on her back while preparing three meals a day at a stove taller than she was... Even after she started school, she had to make time after classes for chores and feeding the chickens and ducks.

She was exhausted, but she had hope. She did well in school and dreamed of leaving the mountains one day... Then, while running through the rain to take her high school entrance exam, she was hit by a car and killed. After that, she came to this world.

Shen Baili looked back on her short previous life and felt little in particular.

Both lives had been hard, but this one was different. She had family who loved her.

She felt lucky. She had a mother who was incredibly gentle and beautiful and loved her dearly. She had grown up surrounded by love, something she had never dared dream of in that family that valued boys above girls.

So where was her mother?!?

She hadn't been sent to yet another world, had she???

Shen Baili looked around in a panic. The movement tugged at the wound on her abdomen, and she spotted the woman slumped beside her hospital bed.

Her anxious heart immediately settled.

She moved her fingers, wanting to take her mother's hand and feel its warmth.

To hell with the original plot. Bai Li swore she would protect Mom, no matter what.

Shen Baili's movement woke Shen Wan from her light sleep. She instinctively looked toward the bed and met a pair of bright eyes.

"Mom," Shen Baili said softly.

"I'm here." Shen Wan stroked her head. "Our Suisui is amazing. You woke up so quickly."

"Does your tummy hurt? Does your head hurt?"

Shen Baili shook her head. "No."

"Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?" Shen Wan touched her forehead. It was no longer hot.

Shen Baili shook her head again. "No."

"Mom," she called.

"I'm right here. Do you want some water?" Shen Wan asked.

"You just had your appendix removed. You can't drink water on the first day after surgery."

"You scared me to death yesterday."

"Mom." Shen Baili kept her eyes fixed on her. "I missed... you."

"I love you." Shen Wan realized her daughter wanted a little affection and answered gently.

Shen Baili smiled faintly, a sweet dimple appearing by her mouth. It was enough to melt anyone's heart.

Shen Wan's heart ached. Suìsuì had always had fair skin, but after surgery she was as pale as paper, without a trace of color in her lips. She was clearly in enough pain to frown, yet she was trying to comfort her mother.

Shen Wan could barely hold back her emotions. While her daughter wasn't looking, she turned away and secretly wiped her tears.

"Suìsuì, you had an acute appendicitis attack last night, and your fever wouldn't go down. Luckily, we got you to the hospital in time."

Shen Baili stared at the red rims of her eyes. "Don't cry."

"I won't cry. I won't cry," Shen Wan said.

The attending doctor soon arrived. After a thorough examination, he got a general sense of how Shen Baili was doing after surgery. When he looked up, he saw that Shen Wan and her daughter both had red eyes and noses.

"The wound is healing well. Young people recover quickly..."

After reassuring them and carefully going over the postoperative instructions, the doctor asked a nurse to put Shen Baili on a saline drip. Then he thoughtfully left mother and daughter alone.

Shen Baili had little energy. Not long after waking, she fell asleep again.

When she woke an hour later, Butler Lin had sent someone with dinner. Shen Baili couldn't eat, so she could only watch Shen Wan finish her meal with longing eyes.

"Should I eat outside instead?" Shen Wan asked. It seemed cruel to make Suisui watch when she couldn't have any.

But for the sake of her health, they had to follow the doctor's orders.

Shen Baili shook her head. “No.”

"When I watch you eat, it feels like I've eaten too." She gave her mother a sweet smile and coaxed her, "Mom, eat here with me."

Shen Wan couldn't say no to her. “All right, if that's what you want.”

So one ate while the other watched, and time passed quietly. The spacious hospital room was filled with

warmth.

After dinner, Shen Wan and the caregiver helped Shen Baili out of bed to walk around. She needed to move about after surgery to help her pass gas.

The three walked down the corridor for a while. When Shen Baili ran out of strength, they returned to the room together.

Shen Baili had slept so long that she was now wide awake. She lay in bed watching television with her mother.

“We haven't watched TV together in ages. That show we were following, Who Is the Child’s Father?, has already finished airing!”

Woo-hoo! I can watch it all in one go! She was thrilled.

Shen Wan felt guilty. She thought about how she had neglected her daughter lately. No reason could excuse it.

“Suìsuì, I'm sorry I haven't spent enough time with you.”

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