Chapter 378: Awakening
Chapter 378: Chapter 378: Awakening
Bai Suihe felt sudden throbs of piercing pain in her head. Afraid of dropping the baby in her arms, she quickly placed her on the bed. As soon as she let go, the agony became so overwhelming that she clutched her head and wailed.
Gu Kaiyuan couldn’t care less about anything else. He rushed over and held Bai Suihe tightly. "Suihe, what’s wrong?"
Seeing her face turn deathly pale and her head and face covered in sweat within moments, he held her and shouted toward the door, "Nanny Pang! Nanny Pang, come quick!"
In the courtyard, Nanny Pang, who was teaching a young maid how to identify herbs, heard the panic in Gu Kaiyuan’s voice. She quickly put down her things and rushed toward the main room. Seeing her mistress lying unconscious in Gu Kaiyuan’s arms, Nanny Pang’s expression shifted drastically. Without standing on ceremony, she hurried over, grabbed Bai Suihe’s wrist, and immediately began checking her pulse.
Gu Kaiyuan didn’t dare interrupt. Bai Suihe’s face was twisted in pain, and her free hand kept striking her own head. Afraid she would hurt herself, Gu Kaiyuan quickly grabbed her hand and held it firmly.
"Why did she suddenly become like this?" Nanny Pang asked anxiously, her voice edged with sharpness. Since only Gu Kaiyuan and her mistress were in the room earlier, she couldn’t be blamed for letting her mind wander to darker conclusions.
"We were just chatting, and she suddenly got a headache. The next thing I knew, she was like this," Gu Kaiyuan explained.
"She must have suffered a massive shock," Nanny Pang said. "Lay her down on the bed first. I’ll administer acupuncture."
Gu Kaiyuan quickly complied, comforting her from the side. "Suihe, don’t panic. Just relax..."
Gu Xingyang had been terrified, but she finally snapped out of it. She quickly called out to Bai Suihe in her mind. "Mother, relax. Your memories might be returning..."
Gu Xingyang realized that the trigger for her mother’s memories was here. It seemed the tragedy that later befell the Bai Family had struck her so hard that she had sealed those memories away to escape reality.
After Nanny Pang administered the acupuncture needles, Bai Suihe finally quieted down, though she fell into a deep sleep.
"Nanny, how is she?" Gu Kaiyuan asked, riddled with worry as Bai Suihe remained unconscious.
"She’s asleep for now. Let her get some good rest. Let’s go outside to talk."
Seeing two senior maids arrive, Nanny Pang instructed them to keep watch and notify her immediately if there was any movement. Gu Kaiyuan carried Gu Xingyang and went to the next room with Nanny Pang. Instead of interrogating him, the older woman simply stared at him intently.
Gu Kaiyuan truly didn’t know how to explain. His mind was a tangled mess. Right now, he was asking Gu Xingyang in his mind, "What exactly is wrong with your mother? Why the sudden headache? Does it have something to do with the Bai Family?"
"Mother’s memories might have returned this time..." Gu Xingyang replied telepathically.
Gu Kaiyuan thought that if recovering her memories meant enduring such suffering, he would rather Bai Suihe stay the way she was before. At least then, she would be safe and sound.
"Mr. Gu, you still haven’t told me what exactly happened," Nanny Pang said. Her choice of address made her stance clear. Even though they had officially changed how they addressed him, they were ultimately her mistress’s servants. That allegiance could never be changed; they would always protect Bai Suihe. Only the two of them had been in the room earlier, so he shouldn’t even think about brushing her off with some flimsy excuse.
"I really don’t know," Gu Kaiyuan said. He truly had no idea how to explain it. Both he and Bai Suihe were people who had been reborn into a second life, and this was not something he could reveal to outsiders. Clutching Gu Xingyang tightly, he wondered how he was supposed to answer.
Nanny Pang questioned him for a long time but couldn’t get a straight answer. The man who usually seemed quite shrewd was now completely clueless. Just as she was debating whether to use more forceful methods, a commotion came from next door. Moments later, Zisu ran out. "Nanny, Madam is awake!"
Nanny Pang glared at Gu Kaiyuan before hurrying toward the other room. Gu Kaiyuan quickly followed, still holding Gu Xingyang tightly in his arms.
Bai Suihe had woken up and was staring blankly at the ceiling. She remembered everything now. She was the Bai Suihe of this world. After being murdered during her exile, her soul had continuously lingered around the Gu Family. She had watched Gu Kaiyuan make every possible effort to avenge her and their daughter.
Her mother had aged years in an instant. Aside from managing the Bai Family, Mrs. Bai had exhausted every means to drag the Gu Family down, wanting them to be buried alongside them. Several times, Bai Suihe had wanted to tell them that she didn’t need vengeance; she only wanted them to live well.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t hear her. Gu Kaiyuan was murdered. The Bai Family was purged. Unable to endure the humiliation, Mrs. Bai had smashed her head against the prison wall and died. All the male members of the Bai Family were beheaded. Her two blood brothers, as well as her innocent nephew and niece, all met their doom one by one. All of this had been orchestrated by the Third Prince and Gu Antong, with the Gu Family acting as accomplices.
She had watched them divvy up the entirety of the Bai Family’s wealth while mocking the clan for being ignorant of the times. Bai Suihe was consumed by hatred. She cursed the heavens for their injustice. Their large family had always accumulated good karma and performed charitable deeds. No matter what disaster struck, as long as the Bai Family was there, they gave generously. Yet, in the end, there wasn’t even anyone left to collect their corpses.
Perhaps it was her immense resentment, or perhaps she had cursed too foully, but it had actually attracted a bolt of lightning that struck her soul and shattered it completely. She thought that was the absolute end, never expecting to be reborn into another world. However, upon being born in that world, she had completely forgotten her past life. If Gu Xingyang hadn’t brought her back to this world, she would have continued mistakenly believing that her memories of this world were merely the plot of a book.
"Miss, are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Nanny Pang checked her pulse again. It seemed her mistress had suffered a massive shock, which was exactly what Nanny Pang wanted to figure out.
"I’m fine," Bai Suihe snapped back to reality and waved her hand. "I just had a sudden sharp pain in my head, but I’ve recovered after resting."
Gu Kaiyuan squeezed his way to the front, still holding the child. "Does your head still hurt? Should we have Nanny Pang give you a few more needles?" Upon closer inspection, Bai Suihe’s complexion had improved significantly, and some color had returned to her face.
"I’m fine. All of you can leave now. I’d like to rest a bit more," Bai Suihe said. Right now, she just wanted some peace and quiet.
Nanny Pang waved the two maids out and led them away. Although she hadn’t found anything wrong during her examination, she still wasn’t at ease. She planned to go back and flip through her medical books; after all, there were many intractable diseases that even they were helpless against.
Gu Kaiyuan held the baby with a tense expression. Gu Xingyang widened her eyes and looked at Bai Suihe. "Mother, did you remember everything?"
"I remember," Bai Suihe nodded slightly. "Thank you, baby."
Gu Xingyang’s voice was a bit shy. "Mother, it was the least I could do. Do you blame me for bringing you away from that prosperous world to this place?"
Bai Suihe reached out and stroked her pale, tender cheek. "Silly child. In my past life, I was the one who failed you by failing to keep you safe enough to be born. I am more than grateful to have this chance to make it up to you."
"I don’t need your gratitude, Mother," Gu Xingyang said cheerfully, finally feeling the heavy weight lift off her heart. "Given the circumstances back then, I simply had no other choice but to bring you here."