Only now, having gambled with her own life in this way, she truly regretted it. Using her life to gain these things wasn’t what she wanted; she could think of a dozen ways to deter the Qin family from their intentions, but certainly not with such a foolish method.
"Realize what you’ve done wrong?" Jian Zhiqing didn’t blame her; seeing her distressed look, he knew the girl had admitted her mistake.
Admitting mistakes means you’re not entirely foolish.
"Yes, I know my mistake, and I won’t do it again," Qin Xiangnuan thought she never wanted to obstruct others with her life again; nothing is more important than life. Being alive is everything, and once dead, there’s nothing left.
"By the way, Brother Qin, why are you here?" Qin Xiangnuan breathed out the turbid air from her lungs; why wasn’t he in the Capital City and had come here instead?
"I came to see you," Jian Zhiqing gently tapped her forehead, "you’re in this state; I had to come, otherwise, I might not have gotten to see your last moments."
Qin Xiangnuan could only chuckle wryly.
Deep down, it’s concern, but why does it have to be so harsh?
She couldn’t turn over or move recklessly; her head was terribly painful.
Soon after, the doctor arrived. Seeing that she had awakened, he took her temperature and checked her condition. Fortunately, the doctor had good news; he said a few more days in the hospital, and if everything was fine, she could be discharged.
"Doctor, is there nothing wrong with her head?" Jian Zhiqing asked uneasily, "With such a big hole, there won’t be any damage, will it not make her stupid?"
Qin Xiangnuan really wanted to cover her face with a blanket; how could this be so embarrassing.
"Rest assured," The doctor took out a notebook and noted something, "The young lady is young and recovers quickly. Although there’s a big hole on her head, it’s just a superficial wound, so she’ll still be a pretty and clever girl."
With that, Jian Zhiqing finally felt truly relieved. Although the doctor repeatedly mentioned it was a superficial injury, he was still worried when she was unconscious. Now that she was awake and seemed fine aside from some pain, they were all genuinely relieved.
"What are you going to do?" Jian Zhiqing wrapped his arms around his shoulders, his lowered eyelashes hiding the sharpness in his eyes.
"What do you mean?" Qin Xiangnuan was somewhat confused.
"Qin Guohua," Jian Zhiqing uttered these three words with a soft tone, but to Qin Xiangnuan’s ears, they sounded cold and void of warmth, like icy fragments. If Qin Guohua were present, he might literally be pierced by that tone.
"Him?" Qin Xiangnuan placed her hand on her chest, squeezing it; the occasional sharp pain in her head reminded her of the origin of her injury.
"I’ve already reported to the police," Jian Zhiqing stood up and walked to the window, pulling open the curtains. The weather outside was still cold, but one could already see a tender new greenness on the ground, hinting that warm spring wasn’t far away.
He tugged at his lips, surely the police station had already contacted him; probably, they’d just declare it an accident. Striking his biological daughter wouldn’t lead to a severe charge, but it might teach him a lesson, to know some things shouldn’t be thrown recklessly, careful of the rocks crushing one’s own feet.
"Good that you reported it," Qin Xiangnuan turned her face away, stretching her hand out and looking at her clean, delicate fingertips. Yes, reporting this was good; this police report she could not make. Neither could her brother nor Granny, but since Jian Zhiqing filed it, no one had the right to say anything. That person has always been vain and cowardly.
This time, he must learn the lesson he’d never forget, making him lose face in the village. Wanting to covet his former mother-in-law’s house only to end up injuring his daughter’s head, not incriminating him through the police, still, the village’s idle gossip, and those aunts, would drown him with their spit, more humiliating than being taken into custody.
This time, Qin Guohua had totally ruined his reputation. Using the status of ’father’ to threaten his daughter won’t be so easy anymore; even Granny Lu and Qin Xiangyang wouldn’t be polite towards the Qin family now.
She closed her eyes again, the air filled with the smell of disinfectant, a scent she disliked immensely; she wanted to go home.
"It’s alright now," a hand gently stroked her forehead.
"Good girl, you can be discharged soon, just endure a few more days."
Qin Xiangnuan felt a slight sourness at the tip of her nose, forced back the mistiness welling up in her eyes.
"Don’t worry, Brother Jian is here," Jian Zhiqing adjusted Qin Xiangnuan’s blanket but didn’t leave, staying by her side until she woke up.
A few days later, Qin Xiangnuan could finally be discharged, although her forehead was bald in one spot and still wrapped in gauze, looking somewhat like a mangy dog.
So ugly, disgustedly, she flipped over the mirror, not daring to touch her head.
She could imagine, once healed, if she would be missing that patch of hair forever, forever going around like a mangy dog.
"What’s wrong?" Jian Zhiqing asked her as he...