Chapter 585 - 504: Stunned
Chapter 585: Chapter 504: Stunned
Wu Xiaowen was stunned by Lin Aizhen’s actions. Her own mother, who had insisted on dragging her here, had just walked away without a backward glance after she got hurt, not even asking her to come along!
She wanted to shout, but no sound came out. Wu Xiaowen’s heart ached as if it had been torn open. Using a chair for support, she slowly stood up, her body protesting with sharp pains. Her knees were the worst of it. The right one had hit a rock, sending a piercing pain through her. Blood was already seeping through her pant leg; there was no telling how deep the wound was. ’That detestable wretch, Xiao Man! If she had just shielded me for a moment, I wouldn’t have fallen so hard. She’ll get what’s coming to her! And Wu Qin, she’s just as hateful. All she did was stand there crying instead of helping me up. She let that vicious woman shove me to the ground over and over. I’d get up, only to be knocked down again, making my injuries worse. And I was forced to eat so much dirt... PTUI! PTUI! PTUI...’
Wu Xiaowen spat twice on the ground. Her mouth was dry and bitter, completely devoid of saliva. Hissing in pain, she roughly straightened her clothes and hair, grabbed her backpack from the long bench, and shuffled over to Wu Qin, who was still sprawled on the ground, weeping. Her back was too stiff to bend and her voice was gone, so she just kicked her. Wu Qin slowly looked up and cried out, "Mama, it hurts! I hurt so much! My neck, my butt... I can’t get up. Help me up. Let’s go to the police station! Let’s report them! We’ll make them go to jail! Waaaah..."
Wu Xiaowen watched the writhing Wu Qin with cold eyes. She took her wallet out of her backpack, pulled out a small stack of cash, and tossed it on the ground. Then, covering most of her face with a handkerchief, she walked away, hailed a taxi by the roadside, and went straight home.
’She was Wu Xiaowen, after all. A dignified and elegant lady. She had always presented a glamorous and impeccable image to the public. Showing up at a hospital or a police station looking like this? Absolutely not.’
Left behind by Wu Xiaowen, Wu Qin froze for a moment. She reached out and gathered the dozen or so large bills scattered in front of her, her heart filled with both hatred and panic. She was terrified that Wu Xiaowen would abandon her for good. Enduring the pain, she used all her strength to scramble to her feet and staggered toward the roadside, but Wu Xiaowen was already gone. Wu Qin collapsed to the ground, sobbing. Eventually, a few passing students gathered around her. After questioning her for some time, they took her to the hospital.
Xiao Man and Yang Liu’er also left in a taxi. Yang Liu’er was no longer in the mood to go to the department store; she planned to take Weiwei straight home. That vicious grab from Wu Qin had really hurt. It was a classic case of the hunter getting pecked by the goose. She dreaded to think what her chest looked like, certain it was a horrifying mess of black and purple bruises. Yang Liu’er fumed for the entire ride, not wanting to say much.
Weiwei cautiously held out a half-full bag of small strawberries. "Auntie, have some. You won’t hurt after you eat them."
This was a treasure he had purposefully saved to share with his grandpa, his dad, and his actual aunt.
Yang Liu’er shook her head and tucked the paper bag into her backpack for him. "You save them for later."
Weiwei scooted closer to Yang Liu’er and said guiltily, "I’m sorry, Auntie. I... I was scared. You said good kids don’t fight, but then you were fighting? I didn’t know what to do. I won’t be like that next time. I’ll definitely help you, Auntie! I’ll kick that bad woman to death!"
Yang Liu’er: "..."
’Was she just eating her own words? She’d told the boy not to fight, only to get into such a wild brawl right in front of him!’
Xiao Man patted Weiwei’s little head. "Your auntie was right to teach you not to fight, to get along with other kids, and to be a polite, well-behaved boy. But when you’re dealing with bad people, sometimes a fight is necessary. We were fighting bad people, so we’re still good kids when it’s over!"
Weiwei puffed out his little chest. "Starting tomorrow, I’m going to eat more so I can grow up tall and strong! When I see bad people, I’ll be the one to fight them! I’ll protect my aunties!"
"Weiwei is a brave little man!"
"Our Weiwei is such a good boy, the best!" Yang Liu’er gave Weiwei a kiss.
Xiao Man smiled at Yang Liu’er. "I should apologize, too. I never expected Wu Qin to be more than just an act—she’s a ruthless fighter. She was suddenly so fast, and those Chain Legs... it’s like she’s been professionally trained. You got hurt in the blink of an eye, and I couldn’t even step in to help."
Yang Liu’er shook her head and huffed. "How could this be your fault? I just let my guard down for a second to catch my breath, and she lashed out with her claws. There’s no way I would’ve let her get the upper hand otherwise. That woman is truly vicious. I know her type, so if you run into her again, do not let her get close! It’s a good thing you pulled me away at the end. Those hooves of hers looked seriously dangerous. My period isn’t even over yet; if she’d kicked my stomach, the pain would’ve killed me. I’d have had to kill her for real!"
"You too, though. Fighting so desperately when you’re in that condition."
"Sigh, what could I do? She’s my mortal enemy. The moment I see her, I get agitated. My eyes go red with anger, I feel this surge of power, and I just want to tear her apart on the spot!"
Xiao Man was at a loss for words. After a moment’s thought, she reached into her backpack, pulled out a fist-sized, oval, white porcelain bottle, and handed it to Yang Liu’er. "This is a new medicine developed by our Chinese Herbal Medicine Research Center. It’s good for many kinds of external injuries and works really well. It’s not on the market yet. You’ll probably have bruises, so you can rub some on."
Yang Liu’er and Lu Jianling had used a skin cream from Xiao Man that winter, so they knew her products were the real deal. Yang Liu’er accepted the bottle without a second thought, her face breaking into a wide grin. "Thanks! You’re a true sister!"
Weiwei also chimed in, saying to Xiao Man in his sweet, simple way, "Thank you, Aunt Xiao Man!"
Xiao Man poked his forehead. "It’s not for you. What are you thanking me for?"
Weiwei said seriously, "You gave it to Aunt Yang, and Aunt Yang is going to be my mommy. So of course I have to thank you."
"Oh? Did Aunt Yang agree to be your mommy?"
"Last time I went home, I told my dad, and my dad already asked Aunt Yang. She’ll say yes!"
Xiao Man glanced at Yang Liu’er, whose face had turned bright red. She lightly scolded Weiwei, "What nonsense are you spouting? I never said I’d agree!"
Weiwei threw himself at Yang Liu’er, hugging her waist and whimpering like a little animal. He shouted, "You have to say yes! If you’re not my mommy, you’ll be some other kid’s mommy, and I don’t want that! I want you! I only want you to be my mommy!"
Worried that Weiwei might accidentally bump her injured chest, Yang Liu’er quickly raised a hand to shield it. But she noticed he hadn’t jumped into her arms like he usually did. Instead, he was pressing his head firmly into her back... Warmth flooded Yang Liu’er’s eyes, and she sniffled hard. ’How could a child this thoughtful, this caring, not be her son?’
Xiao Man leaned against the car door, her chin in her hand, as she watched the mother-and-son pair bicker. ’Yang Liu’er will probably end up marrying Brother Lu,’ she thought. ’If for no other reason than the fact that anyone could see she couldn’t bear to leave Weiwei.’