Xu Nian’an had looked all around before finally finding Gao Jianshe in the room. Just yesterday, he had been caught and beaten up by his own father, and was still lying in bed. Hearing Xu Nian’an’s voice, he thought he had come to visit him, and said weakly, "I’m here."
"That day, were you also on the hill behind? Did you see my sister fall into the lake? Why didn’t you save her?"
Xu Nian’an hurled a series of questions at Gao Jianshe.
Gao Jianshe, lying in bed, was stunned by Xu Nian’an’s questions.
"Which day?" Gao Jianshe looked bewilderedly at Xu Nian’an.
"The day you and Zhong Juan were on the hill behind," Xu Nian’an reminded him, "the second day after the college entrance examination!"
"Oh, that day..." Gao Jianshe felt a bit guilty mentioning that day; hearing a noise, he and Zhong Juan didn’t dare stay a moment longer and immediately left. But along the way, he thought the sound seemed like something falling into water.
Gao Jianshe had been uneasy for a long time, worried about what would happen if someone drowned.
But, having barely made it down the hill and then going back would have made them easily noticeable, Gao Jianshe had been feeling anxious. Later, when he heard that Xu Nian’an had carried the drowned Nianhua back home, Gao Jianshe finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The guilt in Gao Jianshe’s heart was visible to Xu Nian’an, and Xu Nian’an was furious. His blood boiled within him; without thinking, he grabbed Gao Jianshe and harshly punched him in the face.
"Do you know, if I had been a minute later that day, my sister would be dead!"
Thinking back to that day, Xu Nian’an felt a chill deep inside, especially at the thought of Nian’an not breathing, which made his heart fill with unstoppable cold.
Thank goodness, thank goodness heaven blessed us and my little sister came back to life.
"But she was saved, wasn’t she?" Gao Jianshe, seeing stars from the hit, yelled at Xu Nian’an.
"But you still shouldn’t have just stood by!"
Xu Nian’an didn’t care about Gao Jianshe’s shouts; he just wanted to vent his anger.
When Nianhua arrived a moment too late, the sound of Gao Jianshe’s screams was endless. Already having been beaten up by his father a moment ago, and now being pounded by Xu Nian’an, his face was swollen like a pig’s head, especially Gao Jianshe’s miserable screaming, which made Nianhua’s heart skip a beat.
As Xu Nian’an was about to strike down again, Nianhua hurriedly rushed forward, grabbing his arm and saying, "Big brother, stop hitting him, or you might kill him!"
"Little sister, don’t interfere. Do you know he stood by and almost got you killed?" Every time Xu Nian’an closed his eyes, he saw the scene from that day; little sister was soaked, her face pale as paper, not breathing at all.
"Big brother, I’m okay now, aren’t I? This incident is in the past, and you’ve already hit him. Let’s just let it go," Nianhua didn’t want this incident to lead to her big brother facing legal consequences.
"I really didn’t know Nianhua had fallen into the lake," Gao Jianshe groaned in pain, pleading, "Xu big brother, Nian’an brother, I swear, I didn’t know she had fallen into the lake, otherwise, how could I not have saved her."
Gao Jianshe’s face was swollen like a pig’s head, and his pitiful, begging figure was almost laughable.
Nianhua pursed her lips, stepped forward, and took Xu Nian’an’s hand, saying, "Big brother, I’m fine."
Nianhua looked at him with deep black eyes, holding his hand tightly, trying to tell him that she really was okay.