Chapter 233: Chapter 226: What’s their relationship with them?
Their capture was indeed a veritable relief to society, an action met with the applause of the general public. However, what baffled them was how these girls managed to escape on their own and in such a manner.
They initially wanted to inquire more about the reasons behind their escape. But the specifics remained unclear, except for the undeniable fact that those bastards had been caught off guard in their sleep.
The case thus wrapped up and was brought to a resolution.
As for this significant human trafficking case, due to most of the girls’ parents not wanting their children to be affected by it, the case wasn’t intentionally publicized.
Therefore, while everyone else knew that a local human-trafficking ring had been busted by the police, no one knew exactly how many people were sold and who managed to return home.
And so, with the matter concluded, Tang Yuxin’s foot injury had largely healed, enabling her to walk. Her youth and physical robustness may have contributed to her quick recovery.
“Do you have all your stuff?” Tang Zhinian asked his daughter if she left anything behind.
“I do,” Tang Yuxin couldn’t identify anything she’d forgotten.
“What about books?” Tang Zhinian probed further.
“Ah, those I have forgotten”
Tang Yuxin opened a drawer and pulled out her books. These were her high school textbooks that Tang Zhinian had collected for her while he was away—they included texts for all three grades of high school.
Now that she had these textbooks, she could effectively review her studies without worry.
Packing her books into a bag, Tang Zhinian swiftly picked it up, ensuring that she needn’t bear any load—only her presence was required.
“Yuxin, Yuxin…” Xu Miaomiao, who was already discharged, had come to take Tang Yuxin home.
Tang Yuxin waved at Xu Miaomiao before following Tang Zhinian. While Tang Zhinian was processing the paperwork for discharge, Xu Miaomiao insisted on accompanying Tang Yuxin to the restroom.
The moment Tang Yuxin entered, she found something amiss.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Miaomiao asked Tang Yuxin, noticing her hesitation.
Tang Yuxin lifted her hand and touched her nose.
“There’s a smell of blood here.”
“A smell of blood?” Xu Miaomiao blinked. She couldn’t detect anything, and anyway, a hospital having a faint smell of blood was usual.
Tang Yuxin unlocked the restroom door, quickly shutting it again.
“You, go get the doctor. Don’t come back in.”
Tang Yuxin instructed Xu Miaomiao.
“I…” Xu Miaomiao blinked, pointing at her nose, “Why?”
“Go and get someone,” Tang Yuxin gently pushed Xu Miaomiao out. Standing stock-still, nobody knew that at that moment, her fingertips were icy cold.
“What happened?” A doctor promptly arrived on the scene.
Tang Yuxin gestured inside.
“Someone committed suicide.”
She then walked out, taking a deep breath of the air that still tainted with the odious smell of blood.
When the body was lifted out, Tang Yuxin covered Xu Miaomiao’s eyes. She herself watched the suicidal woman with a cold eye. No, a girl—a girl with a gaunt face, deathly pale complexion, and a pair of eyes that glared at her like a demon. Those eyes were hazy, lifeless, and seemingly filled with hatred.
Tang Yuxin unclenched her hand, as Xu Miaomiao averted her gaze towards the distant end of the hall, watching the group of doctors disappear out of sight.
Though she hadn’t seen anything, the mere word, suicide, frightened her.
“Let’s go,” Tang Yuxin chuckled, acting as though nothing had happened.
She’d seen too many such incidents and seen too much blood. Regardless of the reasons behind the suicide, it had absolutely nothing to do with her. She held no responsibility for the girl’s death, nor did she need to shoulder any burden as a result of it.
Though somewhat nervous, Xu Miaomiao knew Tang Yuxin was not in the mood for consoling words. She kept her mouth shut. She no longer dared to use the restroom, fearing a recurrence of the unfortunate incident.
While waiting for Tang Zhinian on the rest bench, they overheard a health worker talking about a girl who’d been kidnapped and abused, only to take her own life in the restroom.
The worker further murmured how among all the girls, she was the least fortunate. Even though the others were alright, she was the one to endure such a horrifying ordeal. Her life from then onwards was doomed.
Tang Yuxin lowered her head, lightly running her fingers over her fingernails.
“Yuxin…” Xu Miaomiao anxiously tugged at Tang Yuxin’s sleeve.
“Are you feeling guilty or upset?”
Tang Yuxin looked up at Xu Miaomiao as she asked.
Xu Miaomiao opened her mouth to speak but stammered.
“You may feel upset, but why would you feel guilty?” Tang Yuxin asked Xu Miaomiao once more. “Did we cause her to be treated like that?”
Xu Miaomiao shook her head—it had nothing to do with them.
“Did we abandon her when we left?”
Xu Miaomiao shook her head again—absolutely not, they had moved her along the whole way while escaping.
“Life is predetermined; there’s nothing we can change,” Tang Yuxin looked out the window at the clear blue sky. “Even without us involved, she would have faced the same fate. At least she is still alive now, not sold yet and not dead. We didn’t do wrong by anyone. And had it not been her that night, it would have been someone else—maybe you or maybe me.”
Xu Miaomiao shuddered and dared not think about it further.
“Forget about this incident, as if it never happened,” Tang Yuxin urged, running a curl around her little finger.
She wasn’t being callous, it was just the way it was. It was not necessary for her to take the blame for a mistake that was not hers. Why should she carry a lifelong burden for something that wasn’t her fault?
If she had to choose again, she’d make the same choices.
Given that, why should she put her life on the line to save another’s life? Sorry, but she, Tang Yuxin, was not that grand. She would still sing the same tune.
I don’t know you; why should I risk my life and others’ lives for you?
When they departed the hospital, it was Aunt Xu who picked them up in a small car. Xu Miaomiao was constantly nervous, while Tang Yuxin didn’t say anything to her. Some things just needed time to be realized.
Not today, then tomorrow, or the day after.
For those who overthink, words from others are futile.
The car arrived at a motel. The room they’d previously booked hadn’t been cancelled, so they could still stay there. They unpacked, planning to have a proper meal before returning to Qing’an.