Zeng Hui, her strength meager, had her tools snatched away by Shang Jin Cheng within two attempts. He then shoved her roughly against the wall.
Her entire being ached with fury as she glared at Shang Jin Cheng.
"You're all her lapdogs! You'd throw away your lives to protect her. What's so great about her? It's laughable! This world is truly absurd!"
"No matter what, I won't let you off, Jiang Jing Tian. Even if I die today, I'll take you with me. I don't need your pity, I don't need your forgiveness. I'll fight you to the death!"
With that, she lunged towards Tian Tian.
Tian Tian's ropes had yet to be untied, restricting her movement. Fearing she would be harmed, Shang Jin Cheng hastily threw aside the seized knife and moved to protect her.
As Zeng Hui lunged in front of Tian Tian, she saw Shang Jin Cheng's face again.
Her molars ground together in anger. She eyed his chest, then yanked the knife from him.
While the pain from moments ago was bearable, this was a matter of life and death.
Blood gushed out like a waterfall, splashing all over Zeng Hui.
Shang Jin Cheng felt a wave of dizziness. He clutched his wound and slumped sideways, his senses reeling.
Seizing the opportunity, Zeng Hui raised the knife again. Amidst Tian Tian's piercing cries, she ruthlessly plunged the blade into Shang Jin Cheng.
The dissipating consciousness of Shang Jin Cheng was yanked back by the searing pain.
He lifted his leg and, with his last ounce of strength, kicked Zeng Hui in the stomach, sending her staggering back a couple of steps.
Then, he stumbled back and, with a weak voice, looked at Tian Tian.
"This woman has gone mad. I can't reason with her. Quickly untie yourself and run."
He struggled to pull the knife from his own body and, swaying precariously, began to cut Tian Tian's ropes.
Tears blurred Tian Tian's vision, but they couldn't stop her from seeing Shang Jin Cheng's wounded body clearly.
Her heart ached unbearably, filled with hatred.
She hated her own helplessness, her naive kindness, and her attraction to the wrong person, Chen Dong Yang.
If anything were to happen to Shang Jin Cheng today, she wouldn't want to live either.
"Stop it, hurry and cover your wound. You can't afford to lose any more blood."
"Forget about me, Shang Jin Cheng, you run first."
Shang Jin Cheng refused to leave. Gritting his teeth, he cut with all his might. Finally, just before Zeng Hui lunged again, he severed the ropes.
Zeng Hui picked up the other knife that had fallen to the ground, baring her teeth as she lunged towards them again.
Tian Tian, with lightning-fast reflexes, pulled free from the ropes. Ignoring the numbness in her limbs, she rushed forward, kicked Zeng Hui over, grabbed her hair, and smashed her head hard against the ground.
Once, twice, three times... until she lost consciousness.
Her head buzzed, her body felt weak. She remembered Zeng Hui had tucked her phone into her pocket. Frantically searching Zeng Hui's person, she found the phone and, in her haste, dialed the emergency number.
At the hospital, Chen Dong Yang was the first to arrive, followed shortly by the two Zhan brothers and Shang Jin Cheng's father.
Tian Tian, covered in dirt, sat listlessly in the empty hall, her eyes vacant.
Chen Dong Yang pulled her into his embrace. No matter how he called out or tried to comfort her, she remained silent.
Only when she heard Ge Er and Shang Jin Cheng's mother's voices from the crowd did she slowly lift her eyelids.
Ge Er had evidently rushed from work, still in her professional attire and high heels.
As if she couldn't believe what had happened, she asked with a sliver of hope, "Tian Tian, what's wrong? What happened?"
"I must have misheard, right? It's impossible. Shang Jin Cheng is so afraid of pain, how could he..."
"They must be lying to me. You're all playing a trick on me, aren't you?"
"Where is Shang Jin Cheng? Hurry and call him out! This joke isn't funny. If you don't come out soon, I'll be angry!"
Tian Tian finally showed a flicker of life. She stared at Ge Er for a few seconds, then, trembling all over, suddenly dropped to her knees and began slapping herself violently.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry Uncle Shang, Aunt Shang! I'm not human, I'm a pig! An irredeemable, massive, stupid pig! Ge Er, hit me, scold me! I'm too ashamed to face you all, I've let you down! Just kill me!"
The faces of everyone present grew even more somber.
Chen Dong Yang's heart was like a knife's edge. He dropped to his knees with a thud, tightly grasping Tian Tian's hands.
"Stop hitting yourself! This is all my fault!"
"Ge Er, Auntie, I'm so sorry, this is all my doing. If you want to hit or scold, do it to me. I won't fight back. I'm truly sorry, please don't blame Tian Tian..."
Ge Er's last shred of hope shattered. Her vision darkened, and she began to fall. Fortunately, someone supported her from the side.
She stood upright, closed her eyes for a few seconds to compose herself, then pushed away the hands beside her and grabbed Chen Dong Yang by the collar.
"That's right! It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, how would he have met that wicked woman?"
"Where is she? Drag her here! I want to strangle her, to deal with her myself! I'm not as kind as Tian Tian, bring her to me!"
At this point, though everyone was deeply saddened by Shang Jin Cheng's death, mutual blame wouldn't solve anything. Moreover, this was a hospital, and they were all respected individuals. Making such a scene was unseemly.
Jiang Jing Yu went to stop Ge Er, "Alright, calm down. Shouting and blaming won't solve anything. Let them get up first."
"That woman can't escape. Tian Tian is also a victim, and she's already full of guilt. You don't want to push her to her death, do you? Stop talking."
Ge Er's rage, which had reached its peak, was suddenly suppressed by the words, "You don't want to push her to her death, do you?"
She was filled with grief and restraint. Her gaze towards Chen Dong Yang and Tian Tian held blame, hatred, sympathy, and helplessness.
Her body trembled with pain, her features contorted. She was more heartbroken than the grieving parents of the deceased.
The others dared not speak, silently observing her, fearing she might faint from sheer distress.
Finally, after making a great effort to calm her emotions, she bent down and helped Tian Tian and Chen Dong Yang to their feet.
"That's right, you are also victims. Scolding you is useless. We can only blame fate for playing tricks on us."
"I'm pregnant..."
A collective gasp arose from the crowd: "Ah?"
She had regained her composure, looking at everyone with a gentle expression and placing a hand on her abdomen.
"It's already six weeks. We only found out last night. We had planned to announce it together today as double happiness, but unexpectedly..."
"Let me say it again, it's all fate. I blame no one. Tian Tian, Dong Yang, there's no need for you to blame yourselves."
"He has just gone to heaven to wait for me and the baby. We will be reunited one day, so there's no need to be sad if you think about it carefully."
"Alright, disperse now, go do what you need to do. Let our family have a moment alone. I'll be back after handling these matters."
"Tian Tian, don't argue with Dong Yang, don't quarrel. Precisely because your happiness was hard-won, you must cherish it, otherwise his death would have been in vain."
"Everyone, go. Chen Dong Yang, stay with her and don't let her overthink. I won't overthink either."
"For the baby's sake, I'll be fine. No one needs to worry about me."