Zhan Bei Jue stood by the window and smoked another cigarette, only entering the ward after he was sure his emotions were completely stable.
On the hospital bed, Min'er lay straight, her eyes open and staring at the ceiling, like a piece of wood.
Her soft hair fanned out on the white pillow, so quiet and frail.
It was a pity that the scars on her face had not yet faded, still serving as a constant reminder of what she had recently endured.
Zhan Bei Jue had lived for so long and considered himself to have seen many situations.
When Jiang Nan Fang suddenly divorced him, ran away, and secretly gave birth to a child behind his back...
He hadn't felt this much distress through countless events that made him lose control, because he knew those matters were fundamentally different from this one.
He was acutely aware of what such an experience meant for a young girl who had never known hardship.
Min'er was so young, he feared her mental health might be ruined from this point on.
She didn't have to go through this.
If it weren't for him.
Although her past life had been difficult, she had been pure and would eventually meet a boy who loved her in the future.
They would date openly.
But now... he didn't know how much effort it would take to mend her.
He didn't know what she was thinking.
Zhan Bei Jue had been sitting for a long time, but Min'er hadn't turned to look at him.
Zhan Bei Jue had to initiate the conversation.
"What are you looking at? Are you thirsty? Do you want some water?"
Min'er didn't speak, her gaze vacant.
Zhan Bei Jue took her hand and held it, only to find that her hand was also severely injured.
Her fingernails were cracked, and the gaps were filled with dark purple bloodstains.
There were also bite marks on the back of her hand.
His eyelids twitched; he dared not look further and placed her hand back under the covers.
"Min'er, if you have something on your mind, tell me. I'm here. I'll listen to whatever you say. Don't keep it to yourself."
Silent tears slid down her cheeks again.
Min'er paused for a long time, then slowly turned her head.
"I miss my mom. I want to go see my mom."
Without holding her up, he couldn't have known the severity of her injuries.
Zhan Bei Jue regretted again that he had been too lenient today.
He was a normal person and couldn't possibly imagine the extent of depravity of those scumbags.
Min'er was gravely injured, and the doctor hadn't put her in hospital pants.
Her legs were covered in bruises and purple marks.
The tearing was severe; moving at all made her whole body tremble.
Zhan Bei Jue lifted the covers to embrace her, but upon seeing this, he helplessly pulled the covers back down.
"Shall I bring her over? Or, if you don't like it here, we can go home. I'll have her come to your home to see you."
"No, I want to get up. You help me up. She'll be scared if she sees me like this."
"Be good, Min'er. The doctor said you can't walk yet..."
Min'er suddenly lost control of her emotions, pounding her head hard with her hand and shouting in a sharp voice.
"Don't tell me that! Don't tell me that! I don't want to hear it!"
"I know I'm broken. I'm like a broken toy doll with its strings cut, disgusting and tattered like trash! I know what I look like, don't remind me!"
Zhan Bei Jue knew she would despise herself, but hearing her describe herself with such exaggerated words still felt like needles piercing his heart.
He suddenly felt timid, afraid of upsetting her.
He squatted down and patiently coaxed her.
"Okay, okay, I was wrong. Whatever you say goes, I won't stop you. I'll go get your clothes, wait a moment."
Jiang Nan Fang had already sent clothes.
Perhaps to conceal her bruised legs, they were loose-fitting casual pants and a loose hoodie.
Zhan Bei Jue went outside the ward and asked Min'er to dress herself.
A long time passed, so long that Zhan Bei Jue had finished two cigarettes, and there was still no movement from inside the ward.
Min'er's mental state was poor, and Zhan Bei Jue feared something might happen to her. He gently knocked on the ward door.
"Min'er, are you ready? Do you need me to call someone to help you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a soft click, and the door was pulled open from the inside.
Min'er's face was ashen, not like a human's, covered in sweat, her body trembling.
With each step, she shuffled towards him as if walking on knife edges, in pain.
"I'm done."
Zhan Bei Jue couldn't bear to see her tormenting herself like this.
"Shall I carry you? Okay?"
"I have legs. I can walk myself."
"You know I don't mean it that way, Min'er. When I was severely injured and couldn't move freely, didn't I do whatever you said?"
"Be good, let me carry you downstairs. When we get to Auntie, I promise I won't let her see anything, alright?"
Min'er looked up, gazed at him steadily for a few seconds, and finally nodded.
Zhan Bei Jue picked her up. She lay weakly on his chest.
Suddenly, she smiled.
"I thought you'd forgotten about the time we spent in the basement."
A powerful sense of guilt and regret, along with memories, surged over him.
Zhan Bei Jue didn't know how to answer her question.
He only felt like an ungrateful scumbag.
To ensure their trip was private, Zhan Bei Jue drove them himself, and they quietly went to the nursing home.
As they entered the ward, Min'er's mother was squatting on the floor, planting a flower.
The weather was good, and the sunlight fell on her, illuminating her slender back. She looked quite tranquil and natural.
Min'er reached out and patted her face, trying to add some color, and then rubbed her lips.
"Do I look okay?"
"You look great. You've always been beautiful."
Min'er then ran her fingers through her hair and gently knocked on the door.
"Mom."
They sat down and began to chat about trivial matters.
Her mother seemed to be in good spirits, but in reality, she was already starting to forget many things.
The doctor said she showed signs of dementia.
She chattered to Min'er about her flowers, the little birds outside the window, and the food at the nursing home.
In short, she was quite happy here.
It was as if she had forgotten all the unhappy things from the past.
More than an hour later, Min'er left the ward, content.
Getting into the car, her mental state seemed to have recovered a little.
"Seeing my mom living happier than before puts my mind at ease."
Zhan Bei Jue was delighted that she could say something like this.
"Everything is getting better. Everything will get better. We must have faith in life."
Min'er could tell that Zhan Bei Jue was being cautious, walking on thin ice, and carefully managing her emotions.
It was so rare.
Zhan Bei Jue, who was so influential in Nancheng, almost revered by everyone.
Even in his most difficult times, Zhan Bei Jue had never been so cautious.
Today, he was treating her this way.
Min'er didn't know whether to feel honored or ironic.
"Are you in a hurry?"
After fastening her seatbelt, she suddenly asked Zhan Bei Jue this question.
It surprised him pleasantly.
It seemed her mother's improved condition had given Min'er significant emotional comfort.
She seemed to have recovered considerably.
"No, I'm not. Today, I'm your personal bodyguard and driver. Wherever you go, I'll go. Did you want to do something?"