Meanwhile, Xiao Qitian, who was on a business trip abroad, rushed back to China and headed straight to the hospital.
It was only when he saw Xiao Cheng and Xiao Meiyan, both injured but safe in the VIP ward, that his worried heart finally settled.
"Wuwuwu... Dad, you're finally here, wuwu..."
Xiao Meiyan, whose legs were injured, leaned against the bed. Seeing Xiao Qitian arrive, tears gushed out as if a dam had broken, and she cried heartbrokenly.
The Xiao family already doted on Xiao Meiyan, considering her their pearl. Seeing her in the hospital with injured legs, Xiao Qitian felt an intense pang of heartache.
He walked over, put down his briefcase, lifted the quilt, and examined her legs. "How is it? What did the doctor say?"
"Wuwu, it'll take a hundred days for bone and sinew to heal, wuwu... it hurts so much."
Tears streamed down Xiao Meiyan's pale and haggard face, making her look pitifully vulnerable.
Xiao Qitian patted her shoulder. "It's good that you're alright. Your leg will heal with time. Hmph, in the end, the Qing family has gone too far!"
With that, Xiao Qitian's brows furrowed, and he cast a sideways glance at Xiao Cheng on the other bed before rising and walking over.
From the moment Xiao Qitian entered the ward, Xiao Cheng had been looking down at his phone, playing with it with an air of arrogant indifference.
In reality, however, he was straining his ears to listen to the conversation between Xiao Qitian and Xiao Meiyan.
As his child, Xiao Qitian's eyes only ever fell upon his other children in the Xiao family; there was never a place for him.
The thought flashed through his mind, and the next moment, a sharp slap landed on his face, burning his skin as his head was turned to the side.
Yesterday, after being beaten severely by Qing Muyie's men, Xiao Cheng was covered in injuries, his face bruised and swollen with obvious marks.
Yet, not only did Xiao Qitian not show concern, he didn't even ask what happened before delivering a slap.
Pointing at his face, he berated, "What's wrong with you? You useless good-for-nothing! Can't even take care of your sister. What good are you? Huh?"
"Dad, what are you doing? This has nothing to do with my brother."
Xiao Qitian's slap was too sudden. Even Xiao Meiyan in the adjacent bed felt Xiao Cheng was innocent and pitied him even more.
"Hmph, he's your brother. If he can't take care of you, it's his problem!" Xiao Qitian's chest heaved with anger, his fury burning.
Hearing this, Xiao Cheng let out a sneer. Even though his cheek hurt, he didn't raise his hand to rub it. Instead, he pushed his tongue against his cheek, a self-deprecating smile radiating from him, looking particularly jarring.
This was his father!
What a father.
"Dad, this has nothing to do with my brother. It's all Meng Jingwei, that bitch!"
Originally, Xiao Meiyan and Meng Jingwei had a good relationship. However, after witnessing Meng Jingwei's ruthlessness in the abandoned warehouse yesterday, she grew to loathe Meng Jingwei, even hating her to the bone.
"It's all her, all that bitch. She shot both me and my brother. Wuwu... Dad, this really has nothing to do with my brother."
Xiao Meiyan explained while crying.
"Nothing to do with it? It's not the first day your brother has been infatuated with Meng Jingwei. Look what he's gotten in return! Isn't that Meng Jingwei just a lapdog of Qing Muyie? Damn it, she dares to touch my daughter, she really doesn't take me, Xiao Qitian, seriously!"
Xiao Qitian was furious, slamming the table, lost in his rage.
Xiao Cheng, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke, "Shouldn't you ask what your dear daughter did?"
Although he felt for Xiao Meiyan, things had to be distinguished by right and wrong.
In this matter, Xiao Meiyan was in the wrong.
"I don't care about right or wrong! Anyone who dares to touch my Xiao Qitian's daughter deserves to die!" Xiao Qitian became increasingly angry, pointing at Xiao Cheng, "Stay away from that bitch from now on. I will kill her, that vixen!"
At this moment, Xiao Cheng clearly felt Xiao Qitian's hatred for Meng Jingwei, even carrying a murderous aura.
He did not intervene.
Perhaps it was disappointment in Meng Jingwei, or perhaps it was disappointment in Xiao Qitian.
In any case, he chose silence.
...
In Lancheng, the surface appeared calm, but beneath it, turmoil was brewing.
Although Meng Jingwei could move freely and avoid reporters, she had a vague feeling that something was about to happen.
Her greatest worry was that someone would target her adoptive parents in the countryside.
She had said she wanted to stay away from Qing Muyie and not get entangled in the power struggles of wealthy families.
But now, although she seemed to have no connection with the Qing family, her ties were still tangled and difficult to sever.
She was worried about her own safety.
And in places Meng Jingwei did not know, there were still people who cared about her.
For example...
Upon learning that Li Yun'er had been forced to miscarry, Li Fu'an and his wife flew into a rage, scolding the Qing family in front of Li Yun'er.
"Qing Muyie is too much of a scoundrel. Even if he knew the child in your womb wasn't his, he shouldn't have laid a hand on you. Besides, besides, you're a girl, you can't get pregnant, what will you do in the future!"
Li Fu'an, furious, paced back and forth in the hospital room with his hands on his hips, his face filled with worry.
Zhao Ruolan, sitting in the companion chair, looked on with deep concern, patiently comforting the pale Li Yun'er, "Don't worry too much. Once your body recovers, Mommy will take you abroad, and I'm sure there will be a solution."
"Yes, Yun'er, don't be too sad. Being too sad is bad for your health."
"You're still young, take good care of your body, and you can definitely get pregnant again. Without him, Qing Muyie, Mommy will introduce you to a better family later."
Li Fu'an and his wife comforted Li Yun'er with one sentence after another.
However, every word they spoke was like a dagger, piercing deeply into Li Yun'er's heart, making it bleed.
She finally couldn't bear it and said, "You guys go back, I want to be alone for a while."
The couple was momentarily speechless. After a long silence, they asked a servant from home to look after Li Yun'er and then returned home.
On the way home, Li Fu'an was driving, and Zhao Ruolan sat in the passenger seat.
"The disturbance this time was too big. I'm afraid Jingwei will attract a lot of trouble."
Li Fu'an sighed, his fingers tapping restlessly on the steering wheel, betraying his anxious heart.
"Yun'er had such a major incident. If we don't do something, people will suspect us. We should contact some people. We'll go through the motions where necessary. The act must be complete, otherwise, we'll only leave ourselves vulnerable."
Zhao Ruolan in the passenger seat raised her hand to rub her temples. "For the past year, we've been trying our best to cover for Jingwei. I'm afraid she hates us to death."
"Hate or not hate, this is our mission!"
Li Fu'an reached out and held Zhao Ruolan's hand. "It's made my Lan'er suffer with me. I'm afraid we won't be able to enjoy a good life. Next, the Qing family will put pressure on us, and life will be difficult..."
Hearing Li Fu'an's words, Zhao Ruolan managed a bitter smile. As she smiled, tears welled up in her eyes, and she fell into silence.