When Jin Liwei left the room, he consulted the doctor to understand more about her condition. The doctors confirmed that she had amnesia, a result of her three-month coma. They advised him that proper rest might help her regain her memories and stressed the importance of avoiding any undue stress on her.
Navigating the hospital corridors, Jin Liwei found himself outside the private VIP room where Xie Ming was recuperating. He paused, staring at the closed door, and murmured, "So she truly lost her memories. But she feels different from the Xie Ming I once knew."
Lost in thought, he reminisced about their interaction, especially the way she had gazed into his eyes. It wasn't filled with the usual disdain but seemed more confused, yet determined. It wasn't the Xie Ming he used to know before.
The woman on the hospital bed was not the same fiery and impulsive person he remembered. Now, there was a calm assertiveness about her. She spoke with clarity without raising her voice, leaving Jin Liwei taken aback by her newfound elegance. "Could amnesia really change someone's personality?" he wondered.
'Perhaps life with this new Xie Ming might not be that bad?' The thought briefly crossed Jin Liwei's mind, but he quickly dismissed it with a shake of his head.
"No, I must be going crazy," Jin Liwei murmured to himself, reminding him to not get into her trap. "Am I really seeing her in a new light? Have I lost my senses?"
While Jin Liwei seemed deep in conversation with himself, firming his resolve against Xie Ming's manipulations, Gu Shan, trailing a few steps behind, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in intrigue. Observing his usually composed boss engaged in a self-dialogue was an odd situation. 'What on earth could have unsettled him to this extent?' Gu Shan wondered, intrigued. 'It's so unlike him to be this outwardly troubled about something.'
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After three days, Xie Ming was released from the hospital. The doctors conducted numerous examinations and tests to ensure her well-being. Oddly, aside from weakness and memory loss, they found no abnormalities in her condition.
While in the hospital, Xie Ming effectively utilized her time to familiarize herself with this world. She asked Yu Mei to share stories about herself, the world, and its workings. Although there was an overwhelming amount to learn, she diligently grasped the fundamental workings of this world.
Every aspect of this world was astonishingly distinct. The idea that everyone had access to bathrooms was particularly hard for her to grasp. In her world, such amenities were a luxury reserved solely for nobility and royalty.
During her discussions with Yu Mei, Xie Ming learned more about her relationship with Jin Liwei. She had married Liwei in fulfillment of her grandfather's dying wish. Neither of them had been in love; Jin Liwei had only agreed to the union because his grandfather had set a condition: he would hand over the company's reins only after Jin Liwei married her.
Under his grandfather's insistence, he had consented to the marriage even though he didn't love her. Despite sharing a home, they lived like strangers, even sleeping in separate rooms.
When Xie Ming inquired about her family, especially her parents, Yu Mei seemed hesitant at first. However, she eventually revealed the nature of Xie Ming's relationship with her father, Xie Rong.
The bond between Xie Ming and Xie Rong grew cold and strained after he audaciously brought his mistress, Rouxi, into their family home following the tragic death of Xie Ming's mother. To add salt to the wound, he introduced Xinyi, the daughter he secretly fathered with Rouxi. Shockingly, the age difference between Xie Ming and Xie Xinyi was a mere few months.
Xie Ming was rendered speechless, grappling with the heart-wrenching revelations about the original Xie Ming's past. The weight of such betrayal was palpable; she could hardly fathom the depth of pain and angst the real Xie Ming must have endured upon discovering her father's deceit towards her mother.
Moreover, following Xie Ming's mother's death, she discovered that her father had deceived her mother, transferring the entire inheritance to himself. It dawned on her that he had possibly wed her mother solely for the financial benefits and estate.
Xie Rong, though her biological father, felt more distant than a mere stranger. His daughter was in a coma for three months, yet he couldn't even be bothered to visit her in the hospital.
Yu Mei shared that at the tender age of 15, Xie Ming had ventured abroad and spent seven years in that distant land. Upon her return, she was confronted with the heart-wrenching sight of her grandfather, the only true family she had left, teetering on the brink of death. This realization flooded her with overwhelming guilt and sorrow.
While she had been abroad, grappling with the betrayal of her father and attempting to distance herself from her painful past, she had inadvertently neglected the very person who had always stood by her side.
To Xie Ming, her maternal grandfather is the only family she was left with, who genuinely loved her. It was he who arranged her marriage to Jin Liwei, the grandson of his close friend. Before departing from this world, he sought to safeguard his granddaughter's future against its harsh realities. He was deeply concerned that, left alone, she might find herself isolated, with no one to protect her.
After uncovering all this, Zhao Ming's heart ached for Xie Ming. Facing such profound betrayal and disdain from one's own family would have been utterly devastating. In a way, Zhao Ming felt she was in a better position. At least she had a father who cherished her deeply, while Xie Ming was dealt the heartbreak of betrayal from her very own father. In Zhao Ming's eyes, the betrayal from a parent felt even more cutting than that of a spouse.
After hearing Yu Mei's words, Zhao Ming had a heartfelt realization: Maybe Xie Ming wasn't as bad as people made her out to be. She was just a young girl who had been through a lot, losing her mother at a really young age, and then having to deal with her father's cheating and the sudden addition of another daughter her age into the family.
In that light, Zhao Ming started to see Xie Ming more as someone who had faced tough circumstances rather than the villain people painted her as.
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When Xie Ming was discharged from the hospital alongside Yu Mei, her gaze fell upon an unusual, oversized machine constructed of metal, prompting a bewildered stare.
Yu Mei handed the luggage over to the waiting driver and approached Xie Ming, who stood at the hospital entrance in a dazed state. She gently tapped Xie Ming's shoulder and spoke in a hurried tone, "Madam, we should leave now. The master has sent a car for us. We should hurry; it looks like rain is on the way." She rubbed her hands together for warmth as the weather had turned chilly, and a thick canopy of dark clouds had obscured the once-bright sunlight.
Xie Ming cast her gaze towards the car and inquired while pointing at it, "What exactly is this thing?"
Yu Mei found herself momentarily speechless upon hearing Xie Ming's question. She hadn't anticipated that someone with amnesia might also forget the most basic aspects of the world around them. However, having become accustomed to explaining everything, from the workings of a simple wall clock to the use of a mobile phone or even a toilet, this question felt rather mundane in comparison.
She smiled gently and began to explain to Xie Ming in simple terms, "Miss, this is a car. It's like a big metal box with wheels that can take us places much faster than walking. You sit inside, and it moves you to your destination. It's a very convenient way to travel."
Yu Mei was accustomed to providing thorough explanations, often anticipating questions even for the smallest details. At times, she felt like a kindergarten teacher, guiding Xie Ming through the learning process, starting from the very basics.
Xie Ming looked at Yu Mei in bewilderment. She had assumed she had grasped everything about this world, so why hadn't anyone warned her about the existence of this mysterious-looking carriage?
Despite her lack of understanding, Xie Ming chose to trust Yu Mei's guidance and got into the car.
After Xie Ming settled into the car's backseat, she marveled at the opulent interior. The vehicle was spacious, with lavish design details that left her in awe.
However, her sense of wonder quickly turned to alarm when the car began moving. She clutched Yu Mei's hand tightly, panic in her voice as she exclaimed, "It's moving! Ahh! This…this thing is going very fast. I feel dizzy!" Her fear was palpable as she gripped the seat in front of her.
The driver, who was actually driving at a snail's pace, was taken aback by her dramatic reaction. Yu Mei tried to comfort her, gently patting her hand and offering reassurances.
After a while, Xie Ming began to regain her composure and looked out the window, taking in the city's beauty. "Wow," she murmured to herself, "This place has so many strange carriages moving on the road without horses, and the architecture is so different."
She couldn't help but reflect on her own unique position as the Empress who had journeyed from the past to the 21st century. She was perhaps the only person to witness firsthand the evolution of the world over time. The changes were drastic—everything had become faster, more crowded, and decidedly different. The roads were filled with unfamiliar sights and sounds.
Xie Ming was particularly struck by the cultural shift she observed. Women in this era appeared more independent, able to work and wear clothing that was both revealing and unconventional without fear of judgment. The societal norms surrounding marriage and education have also transformed significantly.
It left her astonished and somewhat puzzled.
She couldn't help but wonder how her life might have been different if she had been born in this century. "Would my life have been different if I had originally come into this world?" she pondered, contemplating the extreme societal changes she was now witnessing.