RMM -Chapter 264 Dead Silence

As Su Ruo had expected, after that day, Zhou Yunzhen disappeared for a long time again.

She probably didn’t even show up for work.

Su Ruo walked through the garden, holding Xi Zi in her arms, her thoughts wandering.

“Xi Zi, can you still sit in the car now? Let’s go see Daddy, alright? If we don’t, he’s going to be snatched away by that terrible woman.”

She kissed Xi Zi’s soft, fair cheek as she teased him.

Honestly, if Xi Zi could ride in the car earlier, she would have already taken him to visit Xi Yuechen.

Zhou Yunzhen had undoubtedly become a catalyst, causing Su Ruo’s longing for Xi Yuechen to swell rapidly—something she could no longer ignore.

She also wondered how Zhou Yunzhen was doing now. After all this time, the wounds should be mostly healed, right?

Knowing Zhou Yunzhen’s temperament, she would never return to the hospital or home. Once she decided to swallow her pride, she wouldn’t go home, because then the incident couldn’t be kept secret.

She was probably staying in a hotel. She would only appear in public once her injuries could be concealed.

Su Ruo found it amusing—Zhou Yunzhen’s life now must be pretty miserable. Someone so perfectionistic and self-righteous couldn’t bear to see herself disfigured and would never let anyone see her in a pathetic state.

As for the humiliation from last time, that was unavoidable, but now, it was definitely impossible.

“It’s a pity… seeing her disfigured would have been quite entertaining.”

Su Ruo let out a soft laugh, seemingly nonchalant. Yet, the thought sparked an idea, and her eyes lit up. Holding Xi Zi, she walked into the living room and upstairs.

Zhou Yunzhen had remained silent for so long. As her “good friend,” how could she not check in on her? After everything that happened, Su Ruo felt she had both the moral and emotional obligation to comfort her.

“Mom, can you hold Xi Zi for a moment? He’s almost asleep. You can take him to his room while I handle something first.”

As soon as Su Ruo reached the stairs, she saw Shen Liang approaching, so she handed over Xi Zi, smiling brightly.

“What’s the rush? Even leaving your son behind… nothing happened, right?”

Seeing Su Ruo in such a hurry, Shen Liang assumed there was an urgent matter. But her cheerful smile reassured her—it couldn’t be anything serious. So she asked casually.

“Nothing, Mom. I just suddenly remembered something I needed to tell Duan Wei. Don’t worry,” Su Ruo said innocently, her beautiful face blooming into a smile.

“Go ahead then. You’re always so mysterious; I never know what you’re up to,” Shen Liang said with a helpless smile, then carried Xi Zi to the nursery.

Su Ruo stuck her tongue out at Shen Liang’s back. Mysterious? No, she was just doing nothing.

Once inside the room, she carefully closed the door. Zhou Yunzhen’s situation couldn’t leak to anyone in the house—this was only for her to know.

As expected, Zhou Yunzhen was indeed hiding away in a hotel, living a completely isolated life. No exaggeration—she was truly “hiding.”

The moment she entered the hotel room that day, Zhou Yunzhen immediately stripped off her clothes. They were filthy and worn, and she couldn’t bear them for even a second.

After stripping down completely, she entered the bathroom and stayed there for nearly three hours, scrubbing herself over and over. Every inch of her body was meticulously cleaned. The scalding hot water and the force of her scrubbing quickly reddened her delicate skin—but it still wasn’t enough. Even with her entire body burning, she couldn’t stop.

Dirty!

This word consumed Zhou Yunzhen’s mind, and her scrubbing grew more intense.

No matter how many times she washed, she still felt sticky, with the strong stench of eggs lingering in her nose.

After countless washes, the hot water no longer registered on her numb skin. Her expression remained blank as she continued her routine.

While washing her hair, she saw clumps of hair falling out. Looking at the strands in her hand, her eyes grew sharp—these had been pulled out by the two women.

So many… how many more had they taken?

Truthfully, Zhou Yunzhen was harsh on herself. She cared deeply about her appearance yet punished herself mercilessly, scrubbing her body so hard she risked reopening wounds that were just beginning to heal.

The two women had been cruel as well, leaving long, deep scratches on her body. Staring at her neck full of scars in the mirror, she panicked.

Hastily donning a bathrobe, she called the hotel to send disinfectant and some medicine immediately—these wounds had to be treated.

After repeatedly disinfecting and carefully bandaging all her injuries, she finally exhaled. Whatever came next, today was finally over.

Still, glancing at the bathrobe she wore, she frowned. She didn’t even know if the hotel’s hygiene was sufficient. Was the robe new? Was it disinfected?

Thinking this way, she felt uncomfortable all over. The more she thought, the worse she felt about the robe.

Quickly, she called a brand store she frequently shopped at and asked them to deliver a set of clothes immediately.

Luckily, the staff recognized her as a regular customer; otherwise, how could they verify such a request over the phone?

Being a loyal customer, the store already knew her preferences and size. Whenever new arrivals came in, they would call her to take a look. The coordination was seamless.

Soon, several new outfits were packed and delivered to her.

Zhou Yunzhen had no mood to pick through them. She accepted whatever was sent without even looking and carried the bags inside.

Once in the room, she immediately removed the bathrobe and put on one of the new clothes.

By the time she finished, night had already fallen. She had no appetite, pulled the curtains, and went to sleep fully clothed.

She didn’t worry about Zhou Tingzhang waiting for her. After all, he was used to her working late nights and not returning home. She would get through tonight first.

The next day, after changing her bandages, she packed her things and left the hotel.

Wearing sunglasses and a turtleneck sweater, there was no visible trace of her injuries. She still looked radiant. Compared to yesterday, she looked like a completely different person, leaving the receptionist at the front desk staring in astonishment.

Zhou Yunzhen first took a taxi near Wang Xuan’s café—her car was still parked there and needed to be retrieved.

Passing by the scene of the previous day’s incident, she tightly closed her eyes. Her hands were pale and cold, trembling slightly.

He Wen had been right—this day had become a lifelong nightmare for Zhou Yunzhen. Every time she recalled it, she clenched her teeth in hatred, yet the more she hated, the harder it was to forget. The memory remained vivid.

Driving her car, she leisurely found a decent hotel. Upstairs, she removed her sunglasses and sweater, revealing bloodshot eyes and several bandaged areas on her neck.

She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time, then withdrew her gaze and turned away.

In this state, she couldn’t return to the hospital, couldn’t go home—so she stayed in the hotel. No hospital visits. She would never let anyone see her so pathetic and invite gossip.

She first called Zhou Tingzhang, saying there was an emergency at the hospital requiring them to travel overnight. As a fellow doctor, she was already out of town and might stay away for several days. He needn’t worry about her.

Like most parents, as long as their child’s work required it, they would fully support them, hoping their child could achieve something.

Hearing it was a business trip, Zhou Tingzhang didn’t even ask where and just told her to work well and not worry about home. He never doubted her honesty.

In his heart, Zhou Yunzhen was still his obedient, capable, and clever daughter—he trusted whatever she said.

But the hospital was a different story.

Her supervisor had already been slightly dissatisfied with her recently. Her work seemed lazy and distracted—hardly fitting for a doctor.

Now, before seeing her “reformation,” the supervisor heard she was requesting leave—and for a long time. Naturally, he was annoyed and spoke sharply.

He wasn’t denying her leave, but he lectured her on how young people shouldn’t be complacent, warning that short-sightedness could ruin a promising career.

Zhou Yunzhen smiled and agreed repeatedly. She had no choice but to ignore his displeasure—what else could she do?

The supervisor was a nationally renowned expert. For ordinary people, even a single word of guidance was almost impossible to obtain. As a favored junior, she had to work hard and never disappoint him. If she wanted to make a mark in her field, having his support would make things much easier.

So no matter how rude his words, she politely accepted and complied.

After finally dealing with the supervisor, she exhaled heavily, leaning on the sofa with empty eyes staring ahead. Her blank expression made her appear both exhausted and lost.

She spent the entire afternoon like this. Only then did she gather some strength, slowly got up, went to the bathroom, and carefully disinfected and re-bandaged her wounds.

The following days were the same—silent, confined to her room, only using the hotel phone when necessary, then sinking back into dead silence.

Day after day of lifeless monotony, Zhou Yunzhen didn’t know how long this would last. But for now, she wasn’t ready to step back into the world.