QT: Against My Will (Volume 1)

2.77 - They Are Back - Mr. and Mrs. Jelly

During the meeting, one of the lead architects raised concerns over the building's avant-garde design, noting that the newly added pillars were not part of the original plan. "Excuse me, but I must say that Miss Wu's new pillars' placement compromises the initial design and could potentially hurt the building's overall aesthetic appeal."

Bing Shi stood up, her eyes scanning the room as she spoke. "I understand that the design is important for the aesthetic appeal, but the structures you've suggested could compromise the building's stability. It's not worth the risk."

She continued, "We need to prioritize the safety of the building and its occupants, and that means we may have to make some sacrifices in terms of the design." She began to explain how certain external factors such as harsher weather could potentially cause instability in the building.

Bing Shi glanced over at her interior designer, motioning for him to come forward and show his design, "That's why I brought along our architect. With the right interior design, those pillars could become a unique feature of the building. And they will provide added stability and support for the structure."

Zhu Cai finally found himself paying more attention to the meeting. Her voice alone seemed to command attention from everyone in the room. He found out that she worked under the most renowned structural engineers during her school days, which explained why she was held in such high regard despite her young age. For those that didn't quite understand the details of what she was saying, she would illustrate in less technical terms so everyone could imagine what she meant.

Zhu Cai couldn't help but find it amusing to see a woman so extravagantly dressed discussing such complicated technical details. It didn't seem to match her image at all, yet he had to admit one thing - she really knew her stuff.

As the others headed out for lunch, Bing Shi remained in the meeting room, her face set in concentration as she was on a phone call with the staff from her parent's company. Despite her busy schedule, she remained attentive and engaged, offering insightful suggestions and feedback. Her dedication to her work was clear to all in the room.

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On her way to her car, Bing Shi messaged Xuan Mu as she changed into a completely different persona.

(Bing Shi): Xuan Mu, you wouldn't believe it. I just had a meeting with Zhu Cai. We are working on a new apartment complex. ﾍ(･_|

(Xuan Mu):(ﾒ￣▽￣)︻┳═一 →Zhu Cai←

(Bing Shi): No worries, next time I'll send someone else in my stead, I was here only to defend my architect.ヾ(･|

(Xuan Mu): Good girl, don't allow him to be more interested in you. Have you had something to eat?

(Bing Shi): They prepared lunch for me in the next meeting. I need to go. *Hugs*

(Xuan Mu): Ok. *Hugs back.*

In the following meetings, Bing Shi replaced herself with someone else. Zhu Cai could replace himself with someone too, but didn't. He sighed in relief. 'Did she notice? It might be better this way.'

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Everything had seemed fine between them, until the cracks started to show. As she reached 27 and Xuan Mu 25, the tension between them grew, like a storm brewing on the horizon.

Bing Shi stirred from her slumber, jolted awake by the sound of Xuan Mu's cries. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and flicked on the bedside lamp, the scene before her was heart-wrenching. Xuan Mu was curled up in a ball, clutching himself as sobs wracked his body. His lips were bitten, and his hair damp with sweat.

"Xuan Mu, wake up," Bing Shi's voice was filled with concern as she shook his shoulder, "Wake up! It's just a bad dream! Wake up, please!" Her words fell like raindrops in a storm, as she tried to bring him back to reality.

Xuan Mu's red eyes darted around the room, searching for the imagined danger that plagued his dreams. He clung to Bing Shi, trembling with fear, his mind still trapped in the nightmare.

"Shh... It wasn't real," Bing Shi whispered, wrapping her arms around him in a comforting embrace. She could feel the rapid beating of his heart and the dampness of his sweat-drenched hair. She didn't push for details of his dream; she knew how vivid and terrifying they could be.

Bing Shi gently patted his back, hoping to soothe the fear that had overtaken him. But deep down, she knew that it wouldn't be easy. Xuan Mu seemed to remember every detail of his nightmares, and they continued to haunt him, even in his waking hours.

Xuan Mu's eyes darted around the room as if searching for a hidden enemy. His grip on Bing Shi tightened, and his body shook with fear. "Bing Shi, someone tortured you before my eyes, and I could do nothing," he said in a trembling voice.

The words shook her to her core, and she could feel the weight of his pain and anguish. She gently stroked his hair, "It's alright, Xuan Mu. It was just a dream. Nothing happened to me." She held him close, trying to soothe him and calm him down.

The nightmares were far worse than the ones he had experienced in his childhood. They used to be about her leaving him, but now they were harsher, more severe, and more terrifying.

The relentless onslaught of Xuan Mu's night terrors left its mark on both his mind and body. His already lean frame wasted away, leaving him gaunt and sallow with sunken eyes that seemed to reflect the horrors of his dreams. His once lustrous black locks now had strands of white interwoven through them, like the stark reminder of the trauma he was enduring.

Every night, the nightmares would take hold of him, leaving him wracked with stress that seemed to emanate from every pore. The feeling was so intense that it was as if he was drowning in a sea of anxiety, gasping for breath with no relief in sight. They tried every form of therapy, even hypnotherapy, hoping to break the cycle of terror that had him in its grasp.

But nothing seemed to work.

As time went on, the darkness of Xuan Mu's dreams seeped into his waking hours, leaving him unable to function properly. His mind was constantly in a state of unrest, and his inability to fall asleep became a source of anguish. Even the strongest sleeping pills failed to give him any respite, and in some cases, made his symptoms worse.