Li Man silently accompanied An Xin until her crying gradually subsided.
"Can you tell Auntie what happened the night before yesterday?" Li Man asked softly.
An Xin's eyes and nose were red from crying. She sobbed for a while before saying, "Auntie, can you promise me... not to tell my mom, okay?"
"Okay, Auntie promises you!" Li Man felt a pang of sadness in her heart, but she still agreed to An Xin's request.
"You can't lie to me," An Xin said between sobs.
"Why don't you want your mom to know? She would be really worried about you if she knew," Li Man said gently.
"I'm afraid she'll be heartbroken. She finally found happiness, and if she knew Uncle Wang is like this, she would definitely be very sad." An Xin's tears flowed again, rolling down her cheeks and finally disappearing into her hair.
Li Man's heart ached. What a sensible child. How could Wang Jun Feng be like this...
"If your mom knew what kind of person he is, she wouldn't be with him either, An Xin. You have to trust your mom. She loves Wang Jun Feng, but she loves you more."
"Wu... I know, but..." An Xin couldn't help but cry out. She didn't know what to do. If her mom wasn't pregnant, if she didn't have Uncle Wang's child, it would be better...
"Tell Auntie what happened the night before yesterday, okay? Auntie will protect you." Li Man gently wiped away An Xin's tears and said softly.
An Xin's tears kept falling, and Li Man sat on the chair, quietly helping her wipe away the tears. After a while, An Xin finally said, "Uncle Wang peeked at me while I was bathing... I found out, and he wanted to... wu... I struggled hard and ran out... and then I was hit by a car..."
From An Xin's fragmented narrative, Li Man roughly understood what had happened.
After listening, Li Man was so angry that blood rushed to her head. She wished she could chop Wang Jun Feng into pieces with a knife. He was truly worse than a beast. Didn't he know that violating a minor is a crime?
Li Man took several deep breaths to suppress her anger, but she wouldn't let him off so easily.
After speaking out, An Xin felt much better. These past two days, she had been on the verge of depression.
"An Xin, did Wang Jun Feng do anything to you..."
Li Man looked at An Xin. Although the sentence wasn't finished, An Xin knew what Li Man wanted to ask and quickly said, "No, after I struggled free from him, I ran away."
Li Man secretly breathed a sigh of relief. That's good!
"An Xin, don't worry, Auntie will definitely avenge you." Li Man patted An Xin's hand back with compassion.
"Auntie," An Xin said nervously, "please don't tell my mom, okay?"
Li Man's eyes were filled with tenderness as she gently comforted, "An Xin, don't be afraid. No matter what happens, you can't hide it from your mother. Your mother is the person who loves you the most in this world. Although she will be sad when she finds out, if you don't tell her anything, she will be even more heartbroken. We can't conceal what has happened. Concealing it would be giving the bad person free rein. They won't be punished, and they will continue to harm you. So, we have to bravely speak up, so that the bad person can receive the punishment they deserve. That way, they won't be able to harm us anymore."
An Xin stared at Li Man, her words giving her great courage.
"But... my mother is pregnant. She's carrying Uncle Wang's child..." An Xin said anxiously.
"An Xin, don't worry. Your mother is not as fragile as you think. She's strong, and no matter what happens, we can't hide it from her. Hiding it from her would be the greatest harm to her, understand?"
An Xin nodded, still a bit confused, and said, "Aunt Li Man, thank you."