White mist was everywhere. There was no direction. No up or down, left or right. It was just endless white mist.
She walked on without stopping, neither fast nor slow. Her footsteps were even and regular, almost mechanical in how uniform they were. Her body moved on its own accord, feeling nothing.
Her eyes were blank. So was her mind.
Who was she?
She had no idea.
Where was she going?
She didn't know.
So she walked nonstop because that was the only thing she was capable of. She didn't even notice whether she was still breathing or not.
Was she even alive? What was being alive?
"…aby..."
"...ba...by…"
Hm? She paused. What was that? The silence in this place of mist felt absolute. When she didn't hear anything more, she resumed walking.
"…baby girl...please…wake up…"
Suddenly, her unfeeling body started hurting. Cold permeated her bones, making her shake violently without control.
"…baby…Baby!"
Iris was jolted awake, gasping for breath. It felt like there was something punching hard from inside her chest repeatedly trying to escape. She shook all over, drenched in her own cold sweat.
"Are you awake? Baby, answer me! Please don't scare me like this."
Jin Liwei held his shaking girlfriend in his arms. She felt ice-cold to the touch. He could even hear the sound of her teeth chattering. Fear and worry gripped his heart as he checked her. When he saw her eyes finally open, he felt relieved.
"Baby, talk to me. Can you tell me what happened?"
Jin Liwei continued to talk to her even when she was unresponsive. He rubbed her back and arms, trying to warm her cold body up.
Finally, her body gradually calmed down. Jin Liwei's voice soothed her, and it felt like it was her only connection to the real world. It felt like she could fall back into that dream at any moment and never return.
This was the second time that she experienced this. What was going on? She began to feel afraid. What would happen if this became a regular occurrence? Would she still be able to wake up next time?
"Just a dream…it was just a dream…" she mumbled to herself, chanting it over and over, convincing herself that there was no need to feel afraid.
"Yes, baby. It was only a dream. Don't worry. You're okay."
She finally realized that she was in Jin Liwei's arms. "Liwei…darling…"
"I'm here, baby. I won't leave you."
She buried herself in his chest, wrapping her arms around him so tight, making sure that he was real. That he was there with her. That she wasn't dreaming anymore.
Her tight embrace hurt, but he didn't complain. He just rubbed her back gently, trying to relax her. "Are you feeling better now?"
"Good girl," he said, kissing the top of her head.
She stiffened and then pushed him away. The memory of her previous nightmare rushed in her mind. It was as if she could hear many voices shrieking "Good girl! Good girl!" at her again.
"Never call me 'good girl' ever again! Never! I don't want to hear those words again! Do you understand?! I hate 'good girl'!"
He was confused at her sudden outburst, but when she started gasping for breath again, he panicked. "Yes, yes. I'll never call you 'good girl' again. Baby, tell me what's happening. You're scaring me. Please…" He hugged her, trying to calm her down again.
Iris had no idea how much time passed, but Jin Liwei knew from the clock that it had been more than an hour since she woke up.
When she calmed down again, she felt exhausted. Jin Liwei already wiped the sweat from her body, so she knew that the wet feeling on her lower body wasn't sweat. She sighed.
"I need to go to the bathroom."
"Alright." He climbed off the bed and then carried her princess-style to the bathroom. He saw the big bloodstain on the bed sheets and on her pyjama pants but didn't comment. However, he wondered if it was normal for women on their period to bleed so much.
Inside the bathroom, he carefully set her down. She was still shaky, but pushed him out of the door. He didn't want to leave her, mentally debating whether to listen to her request or to insist on staying with her. In the end, he remembered his Second Brother's advice on the phone earlier. He shouldn't add to his girlfriend's stress. Reluctantly, he left her alone in the bathroom after delivering a clean set of clothing to her. He made sure to leave the door ajar so that he could come instantly if she needed him.
The bathroom door finally opened. Iris looked extremely pale. Huge drops of sweat dripped down her face. She was holding on to the door frame.
"Baby?"
"Liwei…I…"
She collapsed.
"Baby!" He caught her before she could hit the floor. "Xiulan, baby? Wake up! Baby, please. No no no. This is not happening."
He felt terrified. Why did she look so lifeless? He checked her pulse and her breathing. He was relieved that she was still alive, but her vitals seemed weak.
He carried her to the bed and called Dom on the phone. Dom's voice sounded sleepy when he answered. Jin Liwei had no time to explain, immediately instructing the assistant to quickly prepare a car to drive her boss to the hospital.
The entire household was awoken by Dom's wailing. Both he and Yi Mei found Jin Liwei carrying their unconscious Young Miss out of the bedroom to the living area.
Yi Mei completely lost it. She charged forward and hit Jin Liwei with her fists while crying. "You devil! What did you do to the Young Miss?! I knew it! You're no good! If something happens to the Young Miss, I'll kill you! I swear that even if I'm cursed by the heavens, I'll kill you!"
"We need to get Xiulan to the hospital. Quickly!" He didn't have the time or the energy to care about the housekeeper. All his mind was focused on his baby girl.
Everyone moved swiftly. Just moments later, they were on their way to the hospital.