Chapter 232: Chapter 232 She Always Wants to Push Her into Hell Chapter 232: Chapter 232 She Always Wants to Push Her into Hell An Xiaotong slowly stopped her crying, cried for a while, and felt much better.
Then she realized she was being held in Du Tian’s arms.
Her face instantly flushed red.
In a panic, she pushed Du Tian away.
Having just finished his call, Du Tian saw An Xiaotong’s expression and let go of her as well.
Yet, the scent and soft touch seemed to linger on his chest.
He clenched his hand into a fist, raised it to his lips, and coughed lightly a few times in embarrassment.
And An Xiaotong lowered her head.
After a long while, Du Tian finally spoke, “The traffickers have been caught, and there were three other girls with you who were almost trafficked as well…”
An Xiaotong suddenly looked up.
She stared blankly at Du Tian.
The shyness in her eyes slowly faded, and her complexion became somewhat pale.
Her pitch-black eyes churned with intricate and hard-to-discern thoughts.
It was cold, it was hatred, and perhaps also heartache and confusion.
Something in Du Tian’s heart clenched.
He had never seen An Xiaotong with such an expression before, as if in the blink of an eye, she had shed her gentleness and innocence, her entire being filled with malevolent energy.
He moved closer again, his hands slowly yet firmly placed on An Xiaotong’s shoulders, and he spoke gently, “Xiaotong, don’t be afraid. It’s all over now and it will never happen again.”
“It will never happen again?” An Xiaotong murmured, repeating, then after a long while, she said, “The first time I was sold, someone placed an order for me, someone spent tens of thousands to have me sold deep into the mountains, the second time they used your name to trick me onto the van, still aiming to sell me far away, Brother Du Tian, who exactly have I offended?”
He had no idea there was such a backstory to An Xiaotong’s first sale.
He clenched his teeth, “Tell me exactly what happened the first time?”
He had only recently returned to the country and had met An Xiaotong a few times, yet no one had told him that what had happened to An Xiaotong was actually due to someone placing an order.
An Xiaotong explained everything that had almost led to her being sold the first time to Du Tian in detail.
Du Tian clenched his fists in anger.
He pondered for a moment, then told An Xiaotong, “The people involved this second time must be connected with those from the first time. Now that they are in the custody of the Public Security, I believe the truth will soon come to light.”
An Xiaotong lowered her head.
Du Tian remembered something else and asked seriously, “Who knew about you going to Central Building to meet Gu Qiaoqiao?”
An Xiaotong slowly raised her head, a surge of hatred flashing in her eyes, dismissing some surfaced facts she still hadn’t accepted Gu Qiaoqiao’s warning.
She had considered her as close as a real sister, but she always tried to push her into hell.
An Xiaotong spoke, word by word, “Only An Xiaolan knew.”
Du Tian’s expression turned stern.
His hand tensed slightly, An Xiaolan, the girl who had confessed her feelings to him but whom he had rejected.
The adopted daughter of the An Family?
An Xiaotong spoke coldly, “You know my nature. I don’t have enemies who hate me to death, I haven’t obstructed anyone’s path outside, only An Xiaolan has always been jealous of me. If something happens to me, An Xiaolan would be the only young lady of the An Family. My brother likes her, my mom cherishes her, this An Family…”
She did not finish her words.
Du Tian looked at An Xiaotong’s gloomy face with a heart full of pain; these consecutive dramatic changes had turned the gentle and naive girl sharp and suspicious.
It was a good thing, yet also heartbreaking.
“If it really is her, what awaits her is the sanction of the law, Xiaotong, you are a fortunate girl, so you always turn misfortune into blessing,” Du Tian said solemnly.
Just as An Xiaotong was about to speak, the door of the hospital room was pushed open.
A group of people entered.
Grandma An, Mr. An and Mrs. An, An Xiaotong’s elder brother, An Chen, and a somewhat haggard-looking An Xiaolan.
These people had received the news last night.
While Chairman An was on a business trip out of town, Grandma An and the others had rushed over yesterday, and with Grandma An’s blood pressure soaring due to her agitated state, after taking medicine and getting injections, Du Tian had asked them to go back.
It was now just past five in the morning.
Grandma An had come again with others.
Seeing her granddaughter awake, Grandma An stepped forward and hugged her, crying out loud.
And An Xiaotong, touched by her heart matters, started crying as well.
Mrs. An stood there awkwardly, surprisingly not stepping forward to offer comfort.
Her expression also looked quite complex.
Du Tian gave Mrs. An a cool glance and cast a sharp, intimidating gaze towards An Xiaolan at the door.
An Xiaolan, who was watching him, was so frightened by his gaze that she shuddered and hurriedly looked away in panic.
Du Tian let out a cold laugh.
Indeed, there was something fishy.
Finally, Mrs. An stepped forward, pulled Grandma An aside, and looking at her daughter on the bed, she began to scold, “You are not young anymore, can’t you give us a little peace of mind? Time and again, don’t you ever learn? Should you even get into a stranger’s car? Learn from your sister. Can’t you think a bit more when something happens? Must you always stir things up at home to your satisfaction?”
The room fell suddenly silent.
Du Tian furrowed his brows.
Chairman An stared displeasedly at Mrs. An, “What kind of way is that to talk? The child has been frightened , and instead of comforting her, you start blaming her. Is this how a mother acts?”
An Xiaotong pushed Grandma An away, as hearing such words from Mrs. An used to upset her for days.
And she had reflected on her behavior countless times, wondering what she might have done wrong to upset her mother.
She realized now it wasn’t that she had done anything wrong, it was that no matter what she did, her mother was never pleased.
She was extremely distressed.
Her eyes welled with tears, and she clutched her hands tightly; aside from sorrow, she felt an overwhelming sense of disillusionment.
This was not her own mother; this was An Xiaolan’s.
She was just An Xiaolan’s biological mother.
Thinking this, An Xiaotong chuckled self-deprecatingly, gently pushed Grandma An away, and wiped the tears from her face.
Then looking straight at Chairman An, she said slowly and clearly, “Dad, since we are in the hospital today, I’d like to have a blood test done. I think you made a mistake. An Xiaolan is actually my mother’s biological daughter, and I am the one who was adopted.”
Chairman An glared angrily at Mrs. An.
This woman had issues; for some reason, she just did not like Xiaotong.
Grandma An, also angry, glared at An Xiaotong, “What nonsense are you talking about? You are my biological granddaughter. I watched as you were born!”
“Grandma, was I really born to her?”
“Of course you were.”
“But in this world, what kind of mother treats her daughter ? I’m only twenty-one years old, and I almost got sold into the remote mountains. Wouldn’t a normal mother, just like you, Grandma, hold me and cry, ask me whether I suffered or was hit, instead of starting with a scolding…”
As she spoke, An Xiaotong began to choke up.
Mrs. An’s expression darkened. Just as she was about to speak, An Xiaolan hurriedly grabbed her arm, signaling her not to get angry.