"mom……"

Chen Yulian's face was deathly pale as she stared in horror at Old Mrs. Qiao, who had appeared at the door at some unknown time.

Old Mrs. Qiao stared at them with icy eyes, making the two of them feel cold all over. Just when they thought she was going to make trouble, they saw her turn around and walk away.

"Mom, let me explain..."

Chen Yulian instinctively wanted to get out of bed and chase after him to explain, but was pulled back by Chen Xiu'e beside her.

"Sister, what should we do!" Chen Yulian looked at her in a panic.

Chen Xiue was actually panicked too.

The Qiao family had a large and powerful presence, and the way Qiao Changdong and Old Lady Qiao had looked at her just now made her feel like she was about to be devoured alive.

But she still patted Chen Yulian's hand to comfort her, saying, "Don't worry, you're carrying a baby in your belly, that's your biggest protection!"

"Anyway, if you deny it no matter what, they won't dare to do anything to you."

"Yes, yes, you're pregnant with a son. This is a son, not a worthless girl like Qiao Qiao. They wouldn't dare do anything to you."

After Chen Xiue finished speaking, she felt more and more that what she said was right, and she kept repeating these words to herself.

It's unclear whether this is meant to comfort Chen Yulian or herself.

Chen Yulian remained silent, staring anxiously at the door of the ward, feeling as if something was slipping out of her control, filling her with dread.

When Grandma Qiao arrived at Qiao Qiao's place, the operating room door was still closed, but she could see inside through the glass opening in the door.

Qiao Qiao remained unconscious, as if she were having a nightmare, and kept muttering something.

Qiao Xiaoyun lowered her body to listen to what she was saying.

All I could hear was her indistinct, incessant, and repetitive murmurs.

"Daddy, Daddy, I miss you, Daddy..."

"Daddy, no, no Qiaoqiao, Qiaoqiao will be very good."

"Qiaoqiao really didn't push Auntie, Qiaoqiao didn't, please believe Qiaoqiao..."

"Qiaoqiao will never be willful again. Daddy, please don't come. Qiaoqiao will be sensible. Daddy, please don't come. Daddy, please don't come..."

The little girl had her eyes closed, her face was deathly pale, and she spoke while tears streamed down her face.

Seeing Qiao Qiao like this, not only Qiao Changdong outside, but even Qiao Xiaoyun felt her heart breaking.

She was especially furious when she saw her bruised and purple belly.

She couldn't believe that such a terrible thing could happen to the little girl they cherished like the apple of their eye.

She couldn't think about it; it made her heart ache terribly.

How could Chen Yulian dare to do that!

How dare you?!

She lowered her head and carefully placed a kiss on the little girl's forehead gauze, which was still tinged with blood.

He gently coaxed her in her ear, "Sweetie, Qiaoqiao, we all believe in Qiaoqiao. Daddy won't abandon Qiaoqiao. We all love you. Don't cry, don't cry."

Whether it was this gentleness and coaxing that worked, the little girl, trapped in a nightmare, was slowly soothed and calmed down.

There were still tear stains at the corners of her eyes.

The medical staff watching felt very sorry for him.

The little girl's condition has stabilized.

The operating room door opened.

Qiao Changdong rushed in from outside, but dared not touch the little person on the operating table, and could only squat and kneel by the bed.

He held her other little hand, which wasn't on an IV drip, gently kissing, coaxing, and soothing her.

Tears fell onto her little hands, warm and burning: "My sweet baby, Daddy's darling, don't cry, Daddy's hurting, sweetie..."

Qiao Changdong was in so much pain that his internal organs felt twisted up, and he wished he could drag Chen Yulian over and beat her up.

The others watching nearby couldn't help but feel a lump in their throats.

Grandma Qiao had four sons and one daughter. Except for Qiao Changqing, who has not yet given birth, Qiao Changdong's other three older brothers and sisters all had sons.

Every single one of them truly dotes on and spoils the youngest girl in the Qiao family.

Especially Grandma Qiao, Qiao Qiao was only three months old when she was first brought home.

Qiao Changdong, a grown man who had never been married, was not good at taking care of her; she was the one who fed him little by little with goat milk.

She has put in so much effort to raise her to be such a beautiful, fair-skinned little girl.

Now, right under their noses, Chen Yulian has hurt him like this.

Even lying in a hospital bed, I still have to worry about being misunderstood and abandoned. It's heartbreaking.

After Qiao Qiao was wheeled out of the operating room, Dr. Luo watched as Qiao Changdong carefully placed the little girl back onto the hospital bed, and then called everyone else to the door.

"The initial diagnosis suggests that in addition to a mild concussion caused by the forehead injury, there may also be some internal organ damage."

"Our equipment here is limited, so you'll probably need to go to the city hospital for a more detailed examination."

"But there's no need to rush. We can observe her here for the night and ask her again tomorrow morning when she's more awake."

After examining the family, Dr. Luo called them to the ward door and looked at them, who were in pain.

After saying that, she sighed again and continued, "Aunt Qiao, this is originally your family's private matter, I shouldn't have interfered."

"But Qiaoqiao is still so young. No matter what, you shouldn't have hit a child so hard. She could have died if you weren't careful. It's really...sigh..."

Dr. Luo couldn't say what was coming next directly, so he could only turn to look at Qiao Xiaoyun again.

He earnestly instructed, "Xiaoyun, you'll have to work a little harder tonight. Stay here and keep watch. Be careful and keep a close eye on things."

"I won't go back either. I'll just stay in the duty room tonight. Call me if you need anything."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!