MNL Chapter 36
by VolareSince that man mentioned a bank card, he was most likely at Yu Qianfang’s house. Fortunately, Yu Qianfang’s house was very close to the supermarket; they ran there in less than two minutes.
Yu Qianfang went to bed early, and usually, the lights would be off at this time, but now the door was ajar. Xu Jing’s breathing was heavy, and even the hand he reached out with was trembling slightly.
Shen Yan, however, was very decisive. He quickly pushed the door open, pressing down Xu Jing’s hand, but he didn’t expect to see such a scene inside.
Under the bright incandescent light, the floor was a mess. Tables and chairs were broken and scattered to the side. Clothes were cut into pieces and strewn across the corners. Even the flowers that had been carefully cared for were now trampled into mud on the ground. Xu Jing’s eyes turned red, and he rushed straight to the second floor, where faint sobs could be heard.
Shen Yan surveyed the surroundings, his eyes as cold as ice.
Xu Jing kicked open the bedroom door. He thought the scene downstairs was already enough to make him lose his mind, but when he saw Yu Qianfang, who treated him like her own son, cowering and crying in the corner, her clothes torn and disheveled, at that moment, the last bit of his composure vanished.
The man, still rummaging through drawers for the bank card, reeked of alcohol and had a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He slowly got up when he heard the door being kicked open.
“Who the hell are you? You—”
The voice stopped abruptly. The man was knocked to the ground by a sudden punch. The drunk was disoriented, and the blow caused his blood to surge. After a few muffled groans, he became like a crazed lion, grabbing a fruit knife from the table and trying to stab Xu Jing in the stomach.
“Xiao Jing! Xiao Jing!” Yu Qianfang staggered to her feet, but her legs were weak, and she fell to the ground again.
Xu Jing reacted quickly, dodging the knife and grabbing the man’s hands. Then, he punched the man directly in the nose. Blood streamed down the man’s face. Whether it was the alcohol or the smell of blood, he didn’t seem to feel the pain and quickly got up again, a fierce look in his eyes. He lunged at Xu Jing.
The man weighed at least 180 pounds. Due to the size difference, Xu Jing was forced to retreat and was pushed against the wall. The man’s face was flushed red, and the close proximity of his alcohol breath made Xu Jing dizzy and nauseous. Taking advantage of this, Xu Jing took a punch to the right cheek. His elbow shifted, turning off the light, and the entire room was quickly enveloped in darkness.
“Don’t hit him!” Yu Qianfang screamed as she crawled forward. “I’ll give you the bank card! I’ll give it to you!”
Terror swept over him like a tidal wave. Xu Jing’s head buzzed, and unable to see anything, he could only endure blow after blow. It wasn’t the pain, but the shadows from the depths of his heart that made it almost impossible for Xu Jing to breathe.
When the man heard about the bank card, he finally stopped hitting. As he turned around, he was kicked flying. Then, a rain of fists fell upon him, with a force several times greater than what he had just endured.
All those years of boxing training weren’t for nothing. Shen Yan knew exactly where a person’s pain threshold was the weakest. The man’s screams echoed throughout the room like a pig being slaughtered. In his blurred vision, Xu Jing vaguely saw Shen Yan’s sinister face, but it felt so unfamiliar, as if he had never truly known the person in front of him.
“Shen Yan, stop hitting him.” Xu Jing said with difficulty, enduring the pain, “He’ll die if you keep hitting him.”
Hearing Xu Jing’s voice, Shen Yan stopped his hand in mid-air. He turned on the light and stared down at the man, who was lying on the ground, barely alive, without expression.
Xu Jing’s eyelashes were stuck with blood, making it extremely difficult to see. But faintly, he felt Shen Yan getting closer and closer, and then a cold hand touched his palm.
“I’m sorry.”
Xu Jing’s body stiffened.
It was Shen Yan, right?
He wasn’t mistaken, but why that expression? So cold, yet the feeling he gave off was so sad, like guilt, more like unwillingness. And what did his actions just now mean? What was he apologizing for…?
Thinking about these things seemed to drain all his strength. Xu Jing softly called out, “Aunt Fang,” and then lost consciousness amidst the sounds of police sirens.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but before he even opened his eyes, the person in bed already smelled a strong disinfectant smell. But as soon as he opened his eyes, he was greeted by Qin Xin’s face, filled with resentment and heartache.
Xu Jing decisively closed his eyes again.
Qin Xin: “…”
After a long while, another female voice came.
“Xiao Jing, how are you feeling?”
The voice was hoarse but very familiar. Xu Jing sat up instantly, looking at Yu Qianfang, wearing a hospital gown, her face haggard, standing in front of him. He didn’t know what to say for a long time.
Yu Qianfang looked worried. “What’s wrong?”
Xu Jing lowered his eyes slightly and softly called out, “Aunt Fang.”
“I’m sorry.”
Yu Qianfang was stunned and turned her gaze to Qin Xin, who just touched her hair and said nothing.
“Xiao Jing, Aunt Fang was able to walk out of that room alive this time thanks to you and your friend. I haven’t even had time to thank you yet, why are you apologizing to me instead?”
Xu Jing didn’t speak, maintaining his original posture without moving.
Qin Xin silently stepped forward and patted Xu Jing on the shoulder, her tone extremely gentle. “It’s okay, look, isn’t Qianfang standing in front of you now? The doctor said she’ll be fine with a little rest.”
After all, he came from her own womb, blood was thicker than water, only she knew what Xu Jing was really thinking right now.
After a long while, Xu Jing looked at Yu Qianfang and slowly opened his mouth, “That man, what’s going on?”
Yu Qianfang’s face turned pale.
People can never hide their fear, which showed how much of a shadow the other party had left on Yu Qianfang.
“I—”
Seeing Yu Qianfang stutter, Xu Jing directly interrupted, “Aunt Fang, tell me the truth.”
Yu Qianfang avoided Xu Jing’s deep gaze. There were some things she couldn’t say no matter what. Qin Xin didn’t know when she brought a stool, and handed a cup of warm water to her, saying softly, “Sit down, tell us in detail, only if you tell us can we help you.”
After Yu Qianfang sat down, she slowly took the water cup, her bloodless lips made her originally beautiful face look a dozen years older.
After a long while, a tired voice sounded again, “I registered to get married with him two weeks ago.”
As soon as she said that, even Qin Xin was taken aback, “What?!”
Xu Jing frowned, his face extremely ugly.
“It’s because I didn’t know people well, and I was too impatient. I was fooled by a few sweet words after only knowing him for a few months.” As Yu Qianfang spoke, she began to choke up. Tears kept swirling in her eyes, but because of her last bit of self-esteem, they did not fall.
“He was introduced to me by a friend. He’s five years older than me, divorced, and the child was given to the woman. At first, he seemed gentle and considerate, honest and kind, and he was very obedient to me. But since I registered with him, everything has changed. He started smoking, drinking, cursing, and throwing things, as if…he had become a different person.”
Qin Xin didn’t listen any further, but cut to the chase, “Did he hit you because he found out you have a lot of savings?”
Yu Qianfang paused and nodded.
“So you still don’t know why?”
The ward was terrifyingly quiet. The woman sitting there just stared blankly at the water cup in her hand. Time seemed to draw a long line in the silence, straining everyone’s heartstrings.
After a long while, Yu Qianfang suddenly smiled bitterly, her voice almost inaudible, “I know.”
Regarding the matter of marriage, she couldn’t resist it more when she was young. She didn’t know when she began to yearn for three meals a day and four seasons. Perhaps it was on a sunny afternoon when she looked back and saw a little boy sitting quietly in her shop doing his homework. The boy’s appearance was pleasing and close to her, and she liked it very much. As the boy grew up, every time they met, he still never forgot to call her Aunt Fang. Or perhaps the two-hundred-square-meter room was too empty and quiet, and the day-to-day loneliness made her unbearable.
So all the consequences now were her own fault, and she couldn’t blame others.
Qin Xin sat next to the hospital bed and gently touched the back of Yu Qianfang’s cold hand. “It’s okay, Qianfang, it will all pass. The police are already dealing with this matter. They will never let go of this kind of scum.”
“That’s…” Qin Xin said halfway and suddenly turned to look at Xu Jing, “I heard from the doctor that the man was beaten pretty badly, several bones were broken. When did you secretly learn to fight behind my back?”
Xu Jing didn’t answer, frankly admitting his attitude, and then asked, “Where’s Shen Yan?”
“He went back to school. Hey, don’t mention it, Xiao Yan is really a good person. When I arrived, I saw him communicating with the police, and then he helped with registration and payment, running around, and stayed with me to guard you and Qianfang until this morning.” Qin Xin sighed and said, “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”
If Qin Xin knew that the person who beat that man half to death was Shen Yan, whom she was praising right now, she would be shocked. But Xu Jing would rather be misunderstood than tell the truth.
At this time, a policewoman suddenly walked in and said to Yu Qianfang, “Ms. Yu, we have something to ask you.”
Yu Qianfang nodded. Qin Xin turned down a corner of the quilt and accompanied her, feeling uneasy.
Xu Jing had never suffered like this in his life. His delicate and flawless face was covered with gauze of all sizes. Apart from the slightly exposed eyebrows and eyes that could barely be seen as a handsome guy, even Yan Zhe wouldn’t recognize that the disheveled person was his always proud Jing-ge.
The person in bed looked up at the clock on the wall. It was exactly 4:30 in the afternoon, the time when the seventh class at Linhe No.1 High School ended. Xu Jing turned his gaze to the window again, feeling inexplicably annoyed.
After watching for a while, Xu Jing felt a little thirsty and wanted to grab the water cup on the table, but he didn’t know which part of his waist he pulled, and the pain almost made him curse.
At this moment, he only heard a creak, the door was pushed open, and a person who should have been in the classroom at Linhe No.1 High School, actually appeared in the hospital room in the city center with a thermos box in his hand.
After looking at each other for a long time, a voice came from the door: “The doctor hasn’t notified you to do rehabilitation exercises yet.”
The person in bed: “…”
I just want a drink of water, damn it.