ISWMQ – Chapter 132

At first, Rong Guang thought Chu Feiliang was joking.

It wasn’t until she felt the undeniable, even faintly scorching heat on her neck that Rong Guang instantly sobered up.

The moment their foreheads touched, Rong Guang could even see Chu Feiliang’s restless lips puckering, trying hard to kiss her.

For a moment, Rong Guang didn’t know whether to be angry or amused.

After a period of chaotic scrambling, another bed was finally added to the hospital room.

“Excessive worry, too much on her mind, and too much pressure. This led to a systemic outbreak, with fever being the surface symptom.” The doctor pushed up the glasses on his face, his eyes constantly stealing glances at Chu Feiliang and Rong Guang. He continued, “Let her rest for a few more days. As much as possible, keep the patient in a cheerful mood, and she’ll recover faster.”

Rong Guang saw the doctor out, feeling filled with guilt the moment she turned back.

Chu Feiliang was already dozing off.

Most cold and fever medications contain sedatives and hypnotics. For the body, sleep is sometimes the best treatment.

Rong Guang touched Chu Feiliang’s forehead, kissed the corner of her lips, and said, “Sister, you should sleep. I’ll stay here with you.”

Chu Feiliang mustered her strength to squeeze Rong Guang’s hand and said softly, “You come up here with me.”

Rong Guang hesitated.

This extra cot was a prop temporarily pulled from Zhang Nanchuan’s car. Neither Zhang Nanchuan nor Pei Lingxi was willing to go back alone, and even all the prominent elders from both families had come.

A huge crowd of people was squeezed into the narrow hospital corridor. It was a good thing they were in the innermost room; otherwise, the doctors and nurses would have come to shoo them away.

However, the enthusiasm that the silent yet excited crowd showed for Chacha that afternoon was also beyond Rong Guang’s expectations.

Zhang Nanchuan’s parents had unfortunately passed away because of Chacha, but Chacha’s maternal grandparents were still alive.

They were a very elderly couple, but upon hearing that their granddaughter had been found, they preferred to huddle on a small chair, occasionally peeking through the window, rather than go rest in the hotel just across the street.

Rong Guang was somewhat moved.

She even saw the various large and small packages the two elders tirelessly carried, all filled with old but very clean toys, the kind that were children’s favorites more than a decade ago.

There were some things Rong Guang couldn’t name but vaguely knew were expensive. At night, the two elders would repeatedly hold and play with them in their palms, constantly looking at photos and videos while wiping away tears.

Chacha deserved a family like this.

Her thoughts drifted a little.

Rong Guang let out a breath and, after some thought, didn’t refuse. She was absolutely certain that if she didn’t get into bed, Chu Feiliang would stay awake.

The two of them embraced tightly. Chu Feiliang let out a long breath and pulled Rong Guang entirely into her arms.

This hugging posture was surprisingly comforting and gave a strong sense of belonging.

Rong Guang snuggled against Chu Feiliang’s body, which was a bit too warm from the fever. Noticing Chu Feiliang’s head nuzzling all over her, she moved her legs uncomfortably and whispered, “Sister, stop fooling around. Hurry up and sleep. The… elders are still watching outside.”

Chu Feiliang kept kissing Rong Guang, her head gradually burying itself in the quilt. She pulled at Rong Guang’s collar and placed a kiss on her chest.

Rong Guang’s chest heaved up and down, and she instinctively arched her body.

Chu Feiliang let out a low laugh and said indistinctly, “Do you know what I’ll do to you in the future?”

Rong Guang opened her mouth silently and nodded lightly.

Chu Feiliang’s hand moved to Rong Guang’s waist, stroking her lower back continuously, and finally, she fell comfortably asleep.

Rong Guang indulged her in everything.

Early in the morning.

Zhang Nanchuan watched Chu Feiliang fighting with a patient for food and said, dumbfounded, “Can’t you have some shame—”

Chu Feiliang, holding a fried dough stick in her left hand and soup in her right, scoffed at his words and glanced at the next bed. A circle of people, old and young, men and women, surrounded Chacha’s bed.

“I’ll lose if you can squeeze your way in!” Chu Feiliang huffed.

The food Chacha ate was all patient meals prescribed by the doctor; she wasn’t eating the things bought from outside.

Chacha’s food was to supplement all the nutrients her body was lacking.

When Rong Guang first heard that Chacha was weak, she was nervous and disappointed for a long time, thinking she hadn’t taken good care of Chacha.

But the doctor said Chacha’s constitution was very good, and her weakness was due to this severe injury. If not for Chacha’s good foundation, with such a serious injury, it was possible she would have ended up in the ICU.

Upon receiving this instruction, Chacha’s newfound family members couldn’t sit still.

Chacha’s maternal grandfather and grandmother were already in their seventies, yet their legs were strong and they walked with a brisk pace. After hearing from the doctor that they could make some soup for Chacha, they made a different kind every day. In just a few days, Chacha’s chin, which had become prominent from her injury, returned to its original round shape.

Rong Guang was absolutely delighted.

These past few days, every time Rong Guang saw Chacha, she would cry out and want to go give her a couple of kisses.

Chu Feiliang gritted her teeth and tore off another piece of the fried dough stick.

When she kissed Chacha, she was focused and gentle.

When she kissed her, it was perfunctory and half-hearted.

This was something Chu Feiliang absolutely could not tolerate.

“Hurry up, when does filming start?” Chu Feiliang glared at Zhang Nanchuan.

Zhang Nanchuan’s wishes were clearly the opposite of Chu Feiliang’s. He glared back, looked at the hospital bed over there, and said, “None of your business. What’s the rush? I’m the director and I’m not in a hurry, so why are you?”

Chu Feiliang expressionlessly tore off another bite of the fried dough stick.

This old bastard.

But regardless, Chacha had successfully passed the most dangerous one-week post-operative infection period and was recovering exceptionally well.

Neither Chacha’s grandmother nor her biological mother minded the filth or the hard work. They ran around all day, giving Chacha nursing care at fixed times and wiping her body. Since Chacha couldn’t touch water, the two women discussed it and decided to wipe her down bit by bit with warm water. It was a project that took several hours a day, but both of them were very happy doing it, happier than anyone to see Chacha’s clean little face.

Rong Guang felt a bit emotional.

“Has everything been investigated?” Rong Guang looked at Zhang Nanchuan.

Several of them were in a private room at a restaurant opposite the hospital.

There was more than one thing to discuss today.

Chu Siyue glanced at Zhang Nanchuan and spoke first, “Jiang Lianming isn’t clean. After Li Mingming’s family found out about this, they all agreed to testify in court. But a molestation charge alone won’t keep him locked up for long, not to mention he’s now severely injured and has had an amputation. With one delay after another, it’s not impossible for him to be acquitted.”

Rong Guang’s face darkened as she nodded.

In her past life, she had long suspected that Chacha’s death was related to Jiang Lianming. She had even collected a lot of evidence against him, but in the end, she could never truly bring him to justice. She even fell into his trap herself, ultimately perishing with him.

“But if it’s for embezzlement…” Chu Siyue curved her lips into a smile, “that’s enough to sentence him to life imprisonment, to let him die of old age in prison.”

Rong Guang was stunned. She lifted her head, then nodded repeatedly.

Jiang Lianming was already fifty-four this year.

Even if he was imprisoned for twenty years—he was now disabled, only slightly better than a human stump.

Whether he could even survive was another question, since he was still in the ICU and hadn’t come out. Every minute, every second was a critical period.

Rong Guang didn’t want Jiang Lianming to die so easily.

She wanted him to live.

To live and bear all the punishment he deserved, to live and face society’s judgment, to live and feel just how cruel life could be to him.

Only then could Rong Guang’s hatred be appeased.

“I will never let this bastard off.” Zhang Nanchuan gritted his teeth in hatred and said in a low voice, “Even criminals have a bottom line. Jiang Lianming has a record of molesting young girls. Once he’s inside, he won’t have an easy time.”

Chu Siyue’s lips tightened, then she nodded, tacitly agreeing with Zhang Nanchuan’s words.

Chu Feiliang poured Rong Guang a cup of tea and looked at Zhang Nanchuan. “What about Chacha? What really happened?”

Zhang Nanchuan let out a long breath and said, “Chacha’s parents were those two human traffickers from back then.”

Rong Guang was stunned.

Even though she had already heard some things from Chacha, now that she truly knew the truth, she still found it a bit unbelievable.

After Chacha’s parents abducted her, they didn’t expect that due to excessive fright and an old injury, she would develop a high fever that damaged her brain.

At that time, Chacha was dazed and foolish, like someone with an intellectual disability, so the trafficker couple felt she couldn’t be sold. They threw her into the deep mountains, intending to let her fend for herself.

But it could be considered karmic retribution.

Chacha was found by the traffickers’ father, who raised her by himself.

Later, during their capture, the traffickers got into a car accident, and both of them died on the spot.

But back then, Chacha’s grandfather knew nothing about those things, and Chacha herself remembered nothing. After many fruitless efforts, and with Chacha having reached school age, they just continued on like that.

After hearing the story, Rong Guang let out a long sigh and said, “I only remember that Chacha’s grandfather was a good person…”

He was a very kind old man.

She even remembered that after the trafficker couple died, Chacha’s grandfather only kept enough money for Chacha’s schooling and donated all the rest, saying he wanted to ‘repay their debts’.

This incident had shocked the entire village and city at the time, but because of the trafficker parents, Chacha’s grandfather couldn’t accept any commendation, not even a certificate.

Such a good father, yet due to years of neglect, his own children went down a radical path.

No one could have predicted it.

Even now, when the old folks in the village mention it, their faces are still full of sighs.

“It’s a good thing Chacha wasn’t raised badly,” Chu Feiliang said, squeezing Rong Guang’s hand.

Rong Guang said very seriously, “Because Chacha was raised by the whole village. All the elders in the village were worried something would happen to her. Whenever anyone went to see Chacha, they never said anything bad to her, which is why Chacha could stay so good.”

Zhang Nanchuan nodded and said silently, “In a while… in a while, I’ll take Chacha, our whole family, and we’ll personally make a trip to your hometown. We must express our gratitude.”

Rong Guang did not refuse.

Chacha would have to go home eventually. She was very attached to her hometown, especially the old house she shared with her grandfather.

For Chacha, that was, after all, the place where she had lived for more than ten years, the place that held all her childhood memories.