Lan Lan stopped her, her hand grasping her arm, and explained, "He's fine, just a few superficial wounds. They stitched him up with anesthetic, and he'll be here when he wakes up."
Hearing this, Lin Mei finally relaxed, but then immediately became anxious again. "What about Aunt Xie and Uncle Xing? How are they? What happened after the police arrived? How long have I been asleep?" Her heart was filled with questions, which she voiced one by one.
Lan Lan and Feng Feng were also very patient, taking turns to explain to her. "Don't worry, everyone is fine. Aunt Xie wasn't injured, just startled. Zhao Rong has been taken away by the police. It's three o'clock in the afternoon, and you haven't slept for long."
"Are you sure you're not lying to me?" Everything was going too smoothly, which made Lin Mei feel a sense of unreality. She was dazed, her head started to ache again, her heart pounded, her chest felt tight, and her breathing became rapid. Her face turned visibly pale.
Feng Feng patted her back to calm her. "Is something uncomfortable? Should I call a doctor to examine you?"
Lin Mei couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, but she truly felt unwell all over. With every breath, she felt discomfort. The doctor performed numerous checks but couldn't find any pathological cause. They only said that she was likely suffering from shock and her body was exhibiting a stress response, which would calm down in a few days.
After the doctor finished, Xing Zheng arrived. Lan Lan and Feng Feng quietly left the room.
The moment Lin Mei saw Xing Zheng, her gaze fixed on him. His arm was wrapped in thick gauze, his face bore marks from the fight, the redness in his eyes had not completely faded, and his jacket was stained with blood. He sat by the bedside, and Lin Mei lunged forward, hugging him tightly.
"I'm very dirty," Xing Zheng said, stroking her hair. "Don't hug me like this, change your clothes first."
Despite his words, Lin Mei didn't let go. She leaned her head on his shoulder and choked out, "Why didn't you change your clothes?"
"I was afraid someone would miss me too much," he joked, his dry fingers wiping away her tears. "Don't cry, you're not dead yet."
"Is Aunt Xie okay?" Lin Mei asked.
Xing Zheng replied with an "Mm," not elaborating further. In truth, after arriving at the hospital, he hadn't yet visited Xie Qinjia's room; his mind was filled with Lin Mei.
Lin Mei was very tired. Seeing Xing Zheng, she felt much more at ease and eventually fell asleep leaning on his shoulder.
Xing Zheng had been talking to Lin Mei. Sensing her steady breathing, he smiled helplessly, helped her onto the bed, tucked her in, and covered her with the quilt. After staying by her bedside for a few minutes, Xing Zheng went out.
Lan Lan and Feng Feng were waiting outside. Xing Zheng told them, "Thank you for your trouble. Please take good care of her."
Without Xing Zheng needing to say more, Lan Lan and Feng Feng would do their best to care for Lin Mei. After their conversation, they watched Xing Zheng walk out of the inpatient building.
Zhao Rong had already been apprehended by the police. Xing Zheng and Xing Sha cooperated with the police in providing their statements. With the surveillance footage from the villa as evidence, the torment inflicted upon Lin Mei by Zhao Rong's subordinates and all the events of that day were accurately recorded. The police no longer needed to investigate and could proceed with filing charges against Zhao Rong.
Zhao Rong had been desperate, and after his failure, he became defiant. With irrefutable evidence, he had no room to deny anything. Xie Qinjia, having been startled, remained hospitalized for observation, with Xing Sha staying by her side constantly. However, the two of them had not had much communication, and neither had brought up the buried memories.
It wasn't until one day, when a psychiatrist came to examine Xie Qinjia, that Xing Sha finally opened up to her about the past. He confessed his intentions. "When you returned from Runcheng, your mental state was unstable. Seeing how much you were suffering, I chose hypnosis."
"I wanted you to be happier, but I overlooked one fact: secrets cannot be kept forever. When you had your surgery, the doctor already said there was a high possibility of regaining your memory. I was even relieved when you didn't remember after the surgery," Xing Sha said with self-deprecation. "Cleverness can backfire. I was too selfish. If I had thought it through earlier, Lin Mei wouldn't have ended up in this situation..."
"How is she now?" Xie Qinjia also became worried when Lin Mei was mentioned. Lin Mei was innocent and had been dragged into their affairs. Thinking of her near-death appearance, Xie Qinjia felt a pang of guilt.
"She's still in the hospital. Her external injuries aren't too serious, but the stress reaction is quite significant." Xing Sha had heard this from the doctor. When he visited Lin Mei, she hadn't mentioned anything about it.
Xie Qinjia fell silent. After a long while, she finally spoke, "I'm sorry."
She knew deep down that most of the conflict between Lin Mei and Xing Zheng was caused by her. The hardships in Xing Zheng's life also stemmed from her "lack of love." If she hadn't interfered repeatedly, he and Lin Mei should have settled down by now.
Xing Sha had indulged Xie Qinjia for many years. Hearing her apologize felt very unaccustomed. He remained silent, and Xie Qinjia continued, "You must have many questions for me, right?"
"Indeed," Xing Sha said, organizing his thoughts. He had too many doubts and could only ask them one by one. "What's going on between you and Zhao Rong?"
Xie Qinjia lowered her head, lost in thought.
Before she went missing, she hadn't had much interaction with Zhao Rong. Zhao Rong and Xing Sha were merely business partners, and the three of them were university classmates. Xie Qinjia and Zhao Rong could barely be called acquaintances. Xie Qinjia had no idea what Zhao Rong's feelings were for her.
Later, when she was on the verge of a mental breakdown due to Liu Qinye's torment, Zhao Rong approached her and told her that he had been secretly in love with her for many years. At that time, she argued with Liu Qinye day and night and had just given birth, showing clear symptoms of postpartum depression. In her desolate life, she suddenly encountered warmth and wanted to hold onto it, regardless of who it was.
Zhao Rong said he would take her away, and she readily agreed. To her at that time, returning to Xing Sha's side had become a luxury. Zhao Rong had told her that Xing Sha already had another woman, and when Xie Qinjia's hopes were dashed, she agreed to be with Zhao Rong.
Zhao Rong had put in considerable effort to take her away. However, just a few days before she decided to leave with Zhao Rong, Xing Sha found her. It was then that she learned Xing Sha didn't have another woman by his side, and Xing Sha had never stopped looking for her during her missing years.
Reunited after a long separation, their love overwhelmed them. Xie Qinjia unhesitatingly left with Xing Sha, casting Zhao Rong aside without a word of explanation or informing Xing Sha of the situation.
"I was afraid you would overthink things," Xie Qinjia covered her eyes, her expression pained. The path of life is always one mistake leading to another. Their mutual concealment led to one tragedy after another.
Starting from that car accident years ago, it was a chain of events...
She had once pointed at Xing Zheng with such righteous indignation, calling him the murderer of Xing Yan. Now, she realized the murderer was not someone else, but herself.
Her selfishness and concealment had ruined many people's lives.
"One more question," Xing Sha looked intently at Xie Qinjia. "Why do you hate Ah Zheng so much?"