Chapter 7 - Is husband not hungry?

Shen brought Lina up to their bedroom, still holding her in his arms. He didn't want her to walk even though she had protested to him carrying her up a flight of stairs. She was thinking what a henpecked husband he was, when she gasped at the sight of the room. The mansion was pristine, maintained by the fleet of highly efficient staff under the watchful eyes of Butler Min and Housekeeper Tan. But this room....it was a hideous mess.

"This is our bedroom....?" Lina asked quietly, stifling laughter.

There were clothes scattered everywhere, the closets were wide open, a few things broken on the floor. One couldn't even see the bed because there were so many small belongings and objects on it such as perfume bottles, seemingly important doc.u.ments, more clothes and...oh dear! Lina blushed as she saw some lacy panties hanging off the side too.

Were those hers?

They must be...right?

She then realised, as she looked up at Shen, who still hadn't put her down, was standing very still. His jaw was slack and she could see he was gritting his teeth, beyond agitated as he took in the sigh before him.

"Uh...Shen...why aren't you saying anything?" she asked softly, still amused.

As he snapped out of it, he stammered, embarrassed, "I'm sorry....we never let the servants in to clean, as a rule. You always said our room was our private place as should never be entered by anyone else. But this is my fault."

As she gently pushed him away and hopped out of his arms, tiptoeing around the place, she giggled. "So...you did this?"

She couldn't imagine this seemingly soft and composed man being so clumsy!

He looked away and then his eyes wandered to the floor. Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of sadness came over him.

"When I was notified of the attacks on you, I packed the stuff I thought you would need really quickly. I pulled everything out that I thought would make you comfortable."

When she saw how heartbroken he looked, she could only imagine that this mess wasn't just him rummaging around for his wife's stuff. This man had lost his senses and had had a major breakdown. Her eyes softened, as she walked towards him. He hadn't been back home, he hadn't come back to their room since she was attacked.

Suddenly, she threw her arms around his neck and let her tears flow. He was so much taller than her, she was on her toes and still had trouble reaching his neck. She couldn't remember him, or what happened, but she could sense his anguish. It was painted all over this room that had stood still in time, when he thought he would never hold the person he loved the most again. Lina felt like she was looking in from the outside, and all she saw was a sad, broken and lonely man panicking and hurt. The look in his eyes said it all -- he was reliving the trauma and she had selfishly forgotten.

"Darling...I'm here. I won't leave you again, I'm sorry." she whispered.

And as if a mountain of pain had been lifted off him, he saw the wife he had known in front of him, comforting him -- her familiar scent, the soft wispy hair, saying affectionate words she used to, standing on her toes trying her very best to reach him. Lina felt his stiff body relax as he covered her petite body in his big muscular embrace.

She didn't know where those words came from, but they seemed natural. She couldn't bear to see distress on his face. She must have loved him desperately, she thought t herself. It was her turn to be strong. So she childishly wiped her tears on his shirt and smiled at him as she wiggled out of his tight embrace. When he saw her smiling face, his grief softened as well.

"So I guess I'll be cleaning your little mess up, hubby?"

He looked panicked again. "No! No you're supposed to be resting. Lie down in one of the guest rooms...I'll get this place cleaned in no time."

As he turned to call for Butler Min and give everyone a dose of his devilish temper for not preparing their bedroom for the missus, he felt a tiny, soft hand tug at his. He turned back to see Lina's big eyes looking intently at him.

"What is it, angel?" he asked calmly.

"If this is our private place that I never wanted anyone to enter, it has to be me cleaning it up. I still don't want anyone to pry into the one area that's only meant for us. You can help me. That way we'll be done faster." she smiled at him, trying her best to convince him.

As much as he wanted to wrap her up in cotton wool and not allow her to lift a finger, she had always insisted treating their bedroom as only theirs, and made sure to keep it clean. She used to vacuum, change the bedsheets, even clean their whole luxurious bathroom on the weekends. It was her haven, and he wouldn't let anyone enter it as long as she wished.

As he called Butler Min to bring up brooms and the vacuum, with a bunch of other cleaning supplies, the older man was horrified to see the just awoken madam folding clothes and putting them away. But he left wordlessly when he saw the great devil glare at him to leave quickly.

Lina was clearing out the bed when she saw the lacy panties again. She cleared her throat loudly as she collected them and began folding. Shen, having seen what she was folding, looked at her with a little smirk.

"Hubby, why do you think I would have needed such pretty underwear while lying in a coma?" she decided to be cheeky with him, if he dared to give her that smirk.

"Shouldn't my wife always be dressed in her nicest things?" he replied with haughty expression.

Suddenly she turned red at the thought of him wiping down her body and changing her inner wear while she was unconscious. "You should have just had a maid do it, you know!" she retorted huffily.

Knowing what she was talking about he replied without a second thought, "Nobody but me touches my wife."

Then he said, knowingly, "I understand you need time to readjust and reacquaint yourself with my presence. Don't worry, I can sleep on the sofa until you want me to come back to the bed."

Lina nodded quietly. She didn't say anything because event though his aura was familiar, she had a building sense of unease as well. Something felt off, and maybe it had to do with her missing memories. Even though she knew her body loved his closeness, there was something at the back of her mind that told her to keep him at an arm's length.

After she changed the bedsheets and sat down for a rest, she sighed heavily. Her body was still not entirely healthy and the working had taken a toll. Shen had only allowed her to put the clothes away, and had cleaned the rest of the room himself, taking special care of the broken things so she wouldn't be hurt. She was impressed that this man, who had an army of servants to look after his every need, could actually do such a great job tidying up.

She smiled to herself, when she smelled something delicious. She turned around as she saw Shen entering the room with a big bowl of hot vegetable soup for her.

"It's late and you haven't eaten. This soup is light and nutritious for your recovery. Eat up" he smiled at her as he placed the tray down in front of her.

She just looked at it and saw one bowl. Her worried eyes glanced up at him.

"Is hubby not hungry?"