She staggered back into the bedroom and collapsed onto the cream silk rug, letting her tears fall freely as the blood dripped onto the pristine threads.
A few minutes later, a young maid passing by with clean linens knocked softly on the door.
"Madam? Shall I change the sheets now…?"
Hearing no response, she pushed the door open slightly and gasped, her eyes widening in horror at the sight before her.
"Madam! Madam.... someone help! Call the doctor!" she screamed, dropping the linen basket as she rushed to Shen Li's side.
Within minutes, another maid ran to alert the in-house physician, who lived in the guest quarters near the west wing. He arrived hurriedly with his medical kit, his slippers half-on as he knelt beside her trembling body.
"Madam Shen, stay with me... please hold and pressure here...." he ordered the maid, quickly cleaning and bandaging the superficial cuts, "Fetch some warm water and blankets now."
"Y-Yes, Doctor Wang!"
Shen Li sobbed weakly, her eyes fluttering open just enough to see the maids' terrified faces and the doctor's tight frown.
"Doctor… please… don't tell him… please don't…" she whispered pitifully, clutching his wrist with trembling fingers.
Doctor Wang sighed, pity flashing in his tired eyes, "Madam, Master Li must know about this, this is not just a scratch. Please… don't do this again."
She turned her face away, tears falling anew, though her chest burned with silent triumph.
Let him hear about it. Let him come.
She reached for her phone with shaking hands and dialled her mother's number, which was immediately answered.
"Mom… please… come over… I… I don't want to live anymore… please… please come…"
Her mother's panicked voice exploded through the speaker, "Li'er?! Li'er, what's wrong?! We are coming right now, don't move! Don't move!"
She ended the call and lay back weakly, the throbbing ache in her arm intensifying with every heartbeat. Her chest heaved with sobs, though her mind whispered darkly,
*If sympathy is what it takes… I will bleed for it.*
PRIVATE STUDY
Li Feng sat behind his heavy mahogany desk, the mid-morning sunlight streaming in through the tall windows, casting sharp shadows across the room.
The glow of his laptop screen illuminated his impassive face as he joined a secure virtual conference meeting with four regional directors, each appearing in their own tidy office frames.
"President Li, we have consolidated the pending acquisition reports for District Twelve," Director Wei was saying nervously, glancing at his notes, "However, the Huang Consortium has raised their bid for Lot C by nearly eight percent overnight."
Li Feng's gaze remained cold and unmoved, "Raise our bid by fifteen percent. I want their interest terminated today."
"Understood, sir."
As the directors continued their rapid updates, Secretary Yu stood silently by the door, occasionally shifting his tablet for Li Feng's signature approvals.
But even as his eyes tracked across the contract documents on his screen, Li Feng's mind remained only half-present.
Somewhere upstairs, he knew Shen Li was likely sobbing into her pillows, plotting her next charade. He felt no urgency to check on her, but he was feeling exhausted with her antics.
His phone vibrated once on the table with a silent notification from the mansion staff group chat:
"Doctor Wang has finished tending to Madam's injuries. No stitches required. Only superficial cuts. She has requested to see her parents."
Li Feng's lips curled faintly with disdain. Of course, he knew she would act immediately.
"President Li," Director Liu's cautious voice pulled him back to the meeting, "Would you like us to arrange a press release regarding the completion of the Jiading transfer today?"