This matter was urgent but couldn't be rushed; it required a slow approach.
Although their father-daughter reunion was recent, Gong Zhi Jing knew her father was a stubborn man.
The couple strolled leisurely through the backyard, enjoying the quiet ambiance. Soon, they encountered Zhu Li Yue.
She had clearly had a lot to drink, her cheeks flushed, eyes a little hazy, and her exposed skin had a captivating rosy hue.
Ling Yu Chen had avoided the alcohol as he was looking after the child, but most others were slightly tipsy.
"Cousin, weren't you going back to your room to sleep?"
Zhu Li Yue brushed a strand of hair from her face and chuckled softly, "I couldn't sleep, so I came out for some air to sober up."
"Then I'll keep you company..."
Having drunk quite a bit, Gong Zhi Jing felt a little uneasy.
With the rock gardens and flowing water in this backyard, what if she stumbled and fell into the water?
Zhu Li Yue waved her hand dismissively, "No need, no need, I'm not that drunk. You two just enjoy your walk, I'm leaving."
"Cousin..." Gong Zhi Jing was still worried.
However, Ling Yu Chen gently took her hand and shook his head.
After Zhu Li Yue had walked a bit further away, he said, "She has bodyguards following her, she'll be fine."
Because of Madam Ling's condition, the Ling family estate was guarded by bodyguards at almost every corner, with patrols and surveillance twenty-four hours a day, all to prevent any danger should she have an episode.
So, as long as Zhu Li Yue didn't leave the premises, she would be safe.
Gong Zhi Jing felt a little more at ease, thinking that with someone watching over her, she should be alright.
Thus, she and Ling Yu Chen returned to the front yard.
The living room was also not entirely peaceful.
Madam Ling, who had been quiet all morning, started to cause a scene again.
At over seventy years old, her movements were surprisingly nimble. She stood directly on a chair, reaching for something in a cabinet on the upper shelf.
When asked, she mumbled incoherently.
Zhu Yun Fei, Elder Master Ling, and the nanny all gathered around her, looking very concerned.
For someone her age, a fall could be serious.
Zhu Yun Fei urged, "Mom, please come down first, it's too dangerous."
Madam Ling stammered, "No... need... need... must get..."
"Get what? Please come down, and I'll get it for you," Zhu Yun Fei coaxed gently.
"Get... get..." Madam Ling stubbornly reached out, fumbling in the empty cabinet, clearly distressed.
"Man Xia, what exactly are you trying to do?" Elder Master Ling, anxious, tapped his cane on the floor, completely clueless as to what she wanted.
Madam Ling stamped her foot in frustration, causing the chair to wobble slightly. Zhu Yun Fei instinctively clutched her leg.
"Mom, Mom, don't move, please don't move!" she pleaded, close to tears.
Ling Jun Ye entered from outside and witnessed this scene.
His pupils contracted, his heart skipped a beat, and he rushed forward, scooping Madam Ling down.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
Constant disruptions, day after day, would wear anyone down.
Zhu Yun Fei's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.
If Madam Ling had fallen from the chair just now, how would she explain it to Ling Jun Ye?
Madam Ling pointed at the cabinet, mumbling, "Get... must get..."
"There's nothing inside, can we please not get it?" Elder Master Ling patiently coaxed.
"Want... I want..."
But the sick were exceptionally stubborn. They might forget everything else, but if one thing remained in their memory, it was their obsession.
Elder Master Ling gazed at the cabinet, lost in thought.
However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall anything in that cabinet that she was so fixated on.
Ling Jun Ye stepped onto the stool and peered into the cabinet. Indeed, there was nothing there.
He looked down and asked, "Mom, what do you want to get, and for whom?"
Madam Ling pointed at the cabinet, saying, "For Yu Chen, Yu Chen wants it, get... get..."
Zhu Yun Fei rubbed her temples with a headache, looking exhausted. "Mom, Yu Chen is grown up now, he doesn't need it."
No one knew her memory was stuck on that year. Ling Yu Chen was already over thirty, who would remember what was kept in that cabinet?
Madam Ling insisted on getting it, which was incredibly frustrating.
Zhu Yun Fei let out a sigh and patiently asked, "Mom, tell me, what do you want to get?"
Madam Ling still couldn't articulate it clearly. Everyone was losing patience with her.
Yet, they could only coax her like a child.
Fortunately, after all the fuss, she was exhausted. After being taken away by force, she gradually fell asleep.
By the time Gong Zhi Jing and Ling Yu Chen arrived, the living room had returned to its quiet state.
However, everyone's expressions were tinged with fatigue.
Gong Zhi Jing didn't think much of it, assuming they were just tired from hosting guests at the banquet.
After resting in the living room for a short while, she took the child back to the East Courtyard for a nap.
Backyard.
Zhu Li Yue sat by the lake, weeping. Tears trickled down, rippling the water's surface.
She leaned against a pillar, sobbing softly and muttering to herself.
"What did I do wrong? Why are you treating me like this..."
Alcohol never dulled sorrow; it only amplified pain, making it easier to release.
The intoxication gradually took hold, her breathing becoming uncontrollably erratic. Leaning by the lake, she drifted into a daze.
A bodyguard hidden in the shadows immediately stepped forward, ready to escort her to the nearest guest room.
Half-asleep and disoriented, Zhu Li Yue was taken away without resistance.
In her drowsy state, Zhu Li Yue suddenly awoke with a look of sheer terror.
"Let go of me! Let go! Don't lock me up! No, help!"
Caught off guard, the bodyguards immediately lost their grip on her.
Zhu Li Yue scrambled away, screaming for help as she ran. It was unclear what had triggered this panic.
Fearing for her safety, the bodyguards had no choice but to pursue. The faster they chased, the faster Zhu Li Yue ran.
In a flash, she had run through half of the back garden, creating quite a commotion.
Gong Ye was sleeping soundly, but he couldn't ignore the incessant cries for help from outside.
He suddenly opened his eyes, his vision instantly clearing. His head throbbed with a hangover, and the incessant noise made him frown.
Glancing out the window, he wondered why someone would be shouting for help in such a large estate. What had happened?
Annoyed, he put on his shoes and strode outside.
He saw a woman running wildly down the back corridor, followed by several bodyguards.
The bodyguards were clearly from the Ling family, so there seemed to be no immediate danger.
He squinted at the figure running, and upon closer inspection, realized it was someone from the Zhu family.
Looking at her attire, his expression darkened further.
What was with the drunken scene in the middle of the afternoon?
Zhu Li Yue was no longer lucid, her only thought was to run forward.
She hadn't drunk that much, but she hadn't expected the alcohol to hit her so hard, leaving her completely inebriated.
The bodyguards chasing her were mistakenly perceived as her ex-husband's men.
She had been married for five years, and their relationship had been good until a few months ago when she discovered her husband's infidelity.