Female-dominated society: My husband is clingy and I can't shake him off

Chapter 38 Disliking Oneself

Su Yanli was afraid of falling, so she quickly patted Li Mo'er to help her down.

Li Mo'er put Su Yanli down and then packed her basket, preparing to go up the back mountain to gather herbs.

She naturally didn't notice that Su Yanli had been put down and was leaning against the wall for a while to catch her breath.

After Li Mo'er left, Su Yanli was worried about the baby in her womb. She wanted to go to Doctor Wang right away to get some medicine to help with the pregnancy, but her legs were a little weak, so she could only rest for a while before going.

He was only pretending to be normal by putting on a brave face.

He leaned against the wall, walked step by step to the bedside, and slowly lay down.

Exhaustion instantly overwhelmed him. He only wanted to lie down and rest for a while, but he fell asleep without realizing it.

Li Mo'er carried a basket on her back and followed the path from yesterday up the mountain, carefully listening to her surroundings for any unusual signs as she walked.

Although Li Lin told her there were no snakes on the back mountain, what if there were? Those things can dart around anywhere.

Along the way, she dug up almost everything that looked like a medicinal herb and put it in her basket.

Having learned from her previous experience, she carefully shook off the sand from the roots before putting them in.

……

Shen Zicen slowly opened his swollen eyes and looked at the familiar rooftop. He was momentarily dazed.

As if struck by a sudden thought, he abruptly pulled back the covers and discovered that he was wearing perfectly intact pajamas.

She first breathed a sigh of relief, then screamed.

"My clothes! Who did this? Who did this?!"

Shen Zicen shouted hoarsely.

Completely oblivious to Shen Ziche by the bedside, she was lost in her own emotions.

When Shen Ziche saw him like this, he quickly grabbed his hand and lowered his head so that A-Cen wouldn't see his tear-filled eyes.

"Ah Cen, it's me. My brother switched them."

As soon as Shen Zicen's hand was touched, he recoiled sharply, his eyes revealing disgust and fear.

Shen Ziche trembled as he withdrew his hand, closed his eyes, and tried to stop the tears from flowing.

He saw that Ah Cen's tears were already streaming down his cheeks, and he wanted to reach out to wipe them away, but remembering what Ah Cen had just done, he withdrew his hand halfway through.

Upon hearing her brother's voice, Shen Zicen quickly grabbed his hand.

"Brother, it's Wang Xian! Kill her for me! Kill her!"

Shen Zicen's eyes were lifeless; he mechanically repeated the actions, his hands tightening their grip more and more.

Shen Ziche's hands were already scratched and bleeding, but he remained motionless and let his younger brother vent his anger. He knew that his younger brother was in much more pain inside.

"No! No! I want to kill her with my own hands!"

Shen Zichen struggled to his feet, wanting to rush out with hatred, before Shen Ziche finally pressed his shoulders down.

"Ah Cen, Wang Xian is dead."

Shen Ziche tried his best to tell him this calmly, but his voice was still trembling.

"Dead? Dead?"

Shen Zicen murmured, as if he had lost his vitality in that instant, or as if he had just woken up.

He stared at Shen Ziche's face, his gaze gradually focusing, his eyes becoming clear.

He hugged Shen Ziche and burst into tears, "Brother, brother, waaaaah..."

Shen Ziche stroked his back, choking back tears, "It's okay to cry it out."

"Brother, uh, she used her hands that were tied around me, hiccup, waaaaah, tore my clothes, and touched me with her hands... hiccup, waaaah..."

Shen Zicen cried uncontrollably, accusing the man of his crimes to her brother.

Shen Ziche had no idea what A-Cen had been through. The more he listened, the more heartbroken he felt. His heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by a hand, unable to beat.

He was filled with self-reproach. If he hadn't let A-Cen walk alone yesterday, would this have happened? If he had let Shen Shi follow behind him, would this have been different...?

He held Shen Zicen tightly, wiping away his tears repeatedly, but he couldn't wipe them away completely.

"Woooooooo..."

Shen Zicen's sobbing gradually subsided, probably because she was exhausted from crying.

Shen Ziche gently wiped the tears from his face with a handkerchief; his eyes were already swollen and red, the size of walnuts.

Shen Zicen lay quietly on the bed, not saying a word, just staring at the ceiling.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Brother, I want to take a shower."

Hearing Shen Zicen make the request, Shen Ziche finally felt relieved. He was really worried that A-Cen would remain in a daze, as if she had lost the will to live.

Shen Ziche quickly had the bathtub brought in. He wanted to help A-Cen, but was chased out.

Shen Zicen sat in the bathtub, staring at the bruises all over his body, scrubbing himself in frustration, muttering to himself.

"It's dirty, it needs to be washed clean."

He can still remember the nauseating feeling, especially in his chest.

"Ugh, ugh!"

He clung to the edge of the bathtub, dry heaving.

When he felt a little better, he started scrubbing himself again and again. His skin was already overwhelmed and blood was seeping out, but he still wouldn't let himself off the hook.

He only snapped out of his daze when he heard Shen Ziche's voice outside the door, put on his clothes, and went back to bed.

When Shen Ziche came in, he saw Shen Zicen lying quietly on the bed, tightly covered by the blanket, as if he had never gotten up.

He took out the ointment and gently coaxed him. Although his injuries were just bruises and not serious, applying the ointment would help them heal faster.

"Brother will apply the medicine for you."

Just as he was about to reach out, Shen Zicen quickly stepped back inside.

"Brother, I can do it myself."

He didn't want his brother to see his filthy body; he himself despised himself.

Shen Ziche thought that A-Cen's injury wasn't serious, and he could apply the ointment himself. Letting him move around a bit would be better than him staying cooped up in bed all the time.

Shen Zicen kicked Shen Ziche out again. He picked up the ointment on the bed, gripped it tightly, and then put it aside.

Is there anything that can be repaired in his body?

He didn't want to look at anything right now, so he just stayed put and quietly waited for his brother to come in.

"Ah Cen, are you done? Is your brother coming in?"

Hearing no sound from inside, Shen Ziche pushed the door open and came in himself.

Looking at Shen Zicen lying motionless, if the ointment hadn't been moved to a different spot, he would have suspected that Zicen hadn't applied it at all.

Shen Ziche sat by his bedside, not going anywhere.

"Brother, don't worry about me, go ahead and do your work."

Shen Zicen's voice was hoarse, tinged with a faint sadness.

"It's alright, I've told them to handle those things themselves. I'll stay here with you."

After a long silence, Shen Zicen calmly said, "Brother, I'm sorry, it's my fault, I can't get married with you."

Shen Ziche didn't expect that A-Cen would still be thinking about him and that he was the one who was wrong.

"What are you saying! If you don't marry me, I won't marry you either. We promised to be together."

Even the slightest thought of relaxation from Shen Zicen makes Shen Ziche anxious.

"Li Mo'er is a good person, you two will definitely be happy together."

“Ah Cen, no matter what, I’ll be with you. If you’re going to marry, then…”

Shen Ziche tried to comfort him, but Shen Zicen closed his eyes and stopped talking, so he gradually fell silent as well.