"Not long after I returned to the educated youth settlement from Heilongjiang Province, I met Su Yu. At that time, food was scarce, and I would go up the mountain every day to dig potatoes to fill my stomach. I took care of him for a week, and he explained his identity to me. I chose to forgive him."

He left for about a month, and I realized my period hadn't come, so I took leave to go to town for a checkup. That's when I found out I was pregnant. I didn't expect that someone in the educated youth settlement who didn't get along with me would see this and spread the word. The villagers thought I was immoral and avoided me like the plague! They forced me to live in a drafty cowshed, but I didn't care.

When I was three months pregnant, my father’s favorite student suddenly came to find me. He knew about my situation and wanted to take me away to take care of me in place of my parents. I was so tired at the time, and his appearance was like a piece of duckweed that I grabbed onto while I was adrift at sea. In order to give my child a better environment, I chose to leave with him.

He found a way to get me out of the "sent-down youth" status, and the villagers assumed he was the father of the child. Later, we returned to Beijing, and he rented a house for me and took meticulous care of me. Until I was six months pregnant, he came to my place drunk, started to touch me inappropriately, and spilled all the truth!

It turns out that, knowing about my parents' illness, he not only chose to stand by and watch, but also bribed the team leader in the area where my parents were sent to work, increasing their daily workload so that they would die sooner. His purpose in doing this was to get me!

The passing of my parents shattered my psychological defenses. I was left all alone in this world. At that time, he took advantage of his status as my father's student to get close to me. I only trusted and became closer to him. I was so stupid!

He had liked me for a long time. Before the incident at my family's home, he often visited me under the guise of studying. When I was a sophomore in college, he confessed his feelings to me, but I rejected him. He held a grudge and felt that I didn't like him, and he even hated my parents. So when the incident happened, he secretly chose to kick me when I was down!

I was furious when I found out about these things, but I was heavily pregnant at the time and I was powerless to fight back, so I knocked him unconscious and ran away! He was doing quite well in Beijing. After I escaped, he sent people to arrest me. Over the years, I almost got caught and taken back several times. Fortunately, he never imagined that I would be living in such a dangerous and remote place at the foot of the mountain with my child.

If he takes me back, not only will I become his plaything, but I don't know what will happen to Nianyu! I'm so scared. I'd rather die than show my face again, lest I implicate my daughter!

Zhong Jinghe was in tears, becoming more and more agitated as she spoke, finally finding an outlet for the fear and grievances she had harbored for so many years.

As Su Yu's younger sister, Su Yan naturally felt guilty towards Zhong Jing and her mother.

She never expected that Zhong Jinghe wouldn't hate Su Yu under such difficult circumstances.

"Who is that person?" she asked in a low voice.

“Jingmao,” Zhong Jinghe said, “Don’t tell Su Yu that Jingmao is a businessman, but he has a lot of connections in Beijing. Moreover, he is petty and vindictive. Just because I didn’t stay with him, he treated his mentor like this. It shows how vicious he is!”

Su Yan wiped away her tears with a tissue and said calmly, "You don't need to worry. My brother has the ability to protect you and Nianyu. I think a businessman wouldn't dare to lay a hand on a political commissar's family member, would he? That's illegal."

Zhong Jinghe stopped crying and looked up at Su Yan blankly. "W-what did you say? Who is Su Yu?"

Su Yan laughed and said, "My brother's position is political commissar. Do you think Jing Mao would still dare to lay a hand on you if he knew about this?"

“But he has connections. His business has been thriving all these years. He must have someone backing him up. I don’t want to cause trouble for Su Yu.”

“That’s nonsense. My brother should protect you. No matter what, we will not let you and Nianyu go back to the way things were before.” Su Yan comforted her, “Sister Jinghe, don’t worry. The most important thing for you now is to get better and take care of your health. Don’t worry about anything else. I will take care of myself.”

Zhong Jinghe calmed down a lot, and when she heard Su Yan's words, she couldn't help but say, "You're only 18 years old, but you're as mature as an adult. It makes me a little embarrassed."

Su Yan smiled and said, "We're all family, what's there to be embarrassed about? You rest for a bit, I'm going out to make a phone call."

She has always been protective of her own, and she wanted to see just how capable this Jingmao was.

Zhong Jinghe responded, admitting that she was indeed a little tired.

Su Yan took the phone and left the ward. She closed the door and looked up, startled.

"Holy crap! Bro, when did you get back?"

Su Yu was still standing by the door in that uniform, his expression somewhat cold, and he said in a somber tone, "I heard her when she talked about what she had experienced over the years."

Su Yan pulled him a little away before asking, "So what do you plan to do?"

Before he could speak, she added, "Never mind, let me inquire about this Jingmao first."

As she spoke, she dialed Tao Jin's number.

"Ayan? Why are you calling at this hour? It's too early to wish someone a Happy New Year," Tao Jin teased.

The environment around him was a bit noisy, with different people talking and laughing.

Su Yan asked him directly, "Brother Tao, do you know Tao Jin?"

"Wait a minute."

Tao Jin seemed to have moved to a quieter spot, and after a few seconds, her voice came through, "Did he offend you?"

"Offended? How could you describe it like that?"

“Your tone doesn’t sound very pleasant.” Tao Jin pondered for a moment, then continued, “I’m not familiar with him, we’re just people in the same circle. He Jinnian has more contact with him. If you want to know more about him, then ask He Jinnian.”

"Okay, I'll call and ask now."

"Tao Yue hasn't come back yet. Is she with you?" Tao Jin asked.

“She’s with her mother. Something happened at my home. You can call her and ask her to tell you.”

Tao Jin sensed the urgency in her tone, so she didn't ask too many questions. "Then you can contact me anytime if you need my help."

"good."

After hanging up, she immediately called He Jinnian.

He Jinnian answered the phone after a while.

"Is that your second sister? Your dividend was deposited into your account yesterday, I forgot to tell you."

"Brother He, I'd like to ask you about Jing Mao. Brother Tao said you're quite familiar with him."

He Jinnian hissed and quickly clarified, "Don't listen to his nonsense. I'm not familiar with Jingmao. We only have business dealings. Otherwise, who would want to hang out with him? He's no good. Second sister, why are you asking about him? Did you offend him?"

"He offended me!" Su Yan urged, "Tell me quickly, what's wrong with him?"