When we returned to the ward, Chenchen was already awake.

Xin Xin was asleep in the next hospital bed, while Qin Huai was sitting in a chair talking to Chen Chen.

The sound of Qiao Qiqi returning startled the two of them, and they both looked up at the same time.

"I went to the state-run restaurant and bought two boxes of food. Are you hungry? Eat first." After putting the food down, Qiao Qiqi went to check on Chenchen.

The little one's face was still a bit pale, but he seemed to be in good spirits. When he saw Qiao Qiqi return, his eyes were a little uneasy. "Sister..."

"Rest well first, the key is to recover from your injury." Qiao Qiqi touched his hair.

Chenchen was a smart child, and her eyes immediately reddened, but she still forced herself to nod and said, "Thank you, sister."

Qiao Qiqi had already asked the doctor in the morning, and Chenchen's injury only pierced her abdomen; there were no problems inside, and she could eat lunch.

To make eating easier, Qiao Qiqi and Qin Huai worked together to add two pillows behind his head.

Chenchen was very strong; she didn't utter a sound throughout the process, and her expression didn't even change.

Qiao Qiqi originally wanted to wake Xin Xin up to eat together, but Qin Huai said that she had cried for a while when Chenchen woke up and had only just fallen asleep. He suggested that she should let her sleep for a while, since she had hardly slept at all last night.

Qiao Qiqi thought so too, so she didn't call her.

After the three finished eating, Qiao Qiqi felt a little sleepy, so she lay down on the hospital bed next to her and fell asleep.

Soon Chenchen also fell asleep.

Qin Huai looked at the three sleeping faces, hesitated for a moment, and then left the ward.

Qiao Qiqi didn't know how long she slept, but she still woke up naturally.

She got up and stretched, only to find that Qin Huai wasn't in the room. Xin Xin was already awake, lying by Chen Chen's bedside, holding his hand, her eyes full of apprehension and unease.

Qiao Qiqi knew that what happened last night had been a big blow to her, so she went over and gently patted her shoulder.

Xin Xin turned her head to look at her, and Qiao Qiqi smiled and pinched her little face, a comforting smile appearing on her lips.

Xin Xin's eyes immediately reddened. She stood up, hugged Qiao Qiqi's waist, and buried her face in her stomach.

Then nothing happened.

But soon, Qiao Qiqi felt her clothes getting wet.

This is what Chenchen saw when she opened her eyes.

The little boy's eyes were filled with complex emotions. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke: "Sister, I'm sorry. I lied to you before."

Qiao Qiqi looked up and saw Chenchen looking at her and saying, "Xin Xin and I have relatives. Our home is in Beijing, but my parents did die in a car accident three years ago. However, their deaths were not accidental; they were murdered by my third uncle."

Qiao Qiqi raised an eyebrow.

It instantly reminded me of a TV drama where brothers turn against each other over inheritance...

Sure enough, Chenchen's next sentence was, "My third uncle not only killed my parents, but also wanted to kill me and Xin Xin because he was afraid that Xin Xin and I would compete with him for my grandparents' inheritance."

“Xin Xin overheard her third uncle’s conversation with the driver and ran to tell me. I originally wanted to take her to find my grandmother, but I didn’t expect that all the servants in the house had been bribed by my third uncle. However, he didn’t kill me and Xin Xin for money, but sold us to human traffickers.”

“Xin Xin and I were taken to the mountains by human traffickers. In the middle of the night, I took advantage of a moment when the guards were not on guard and ran away with Xin Xin.”

"Over the past year, we've traveled to many places and been arrested many times, but fortunately, Xin Xin and I escaped each time until we finally got here this time."

As Chenchen spoke, a deep sense of resentment flashed in her eyes. "My third uncle is very powerful in Beijing. Xin Xin and I reported it to the police twice, but those people were all bribed by my third uncle. They said they would take Xin Xin and me back, but in reality, they wanted to kill us..."

Qiao Qiqi opened her eyes slightly.

She suddenly remembered that she had asked Su Shang to go to the town's police station to look for Chenchen's family just a few days ago...

The four thugs then appeared on the riverbank.

Could it be...

Realizing that it was highly likely that the local police had also been bribed by Chenchen's third uncle, Qiao Qiqi's expression turned somewhat grim.

If that's the case, then Chenchen's injury was very likely caused by her...

"I thought that as long as Xin Xin and I hid in the village, we wouldn't be found, but I didn't expect them to find us anyway."

A hint of despair flashed across Chenchen's eyes, but it also carried a determination beyond his years. "Sister, Uncle San will not let me and Xin Xin go. Since they know we are in the village, they will definitely not let it go. It is no longer safe for Xin Xin and me to stay in your house. So, you and Brother Qin should leave us alone and go!"

Qiao Qiqi never expected Chenchen to say such a thing at the end.

Clearly, she is very likely the culprit who caused Chenchen to be lying here.

At this moment, Qiao Qiqi felt extremely guilty.

She didn't hide anything and directly told them about how she had asked the commune leader to contact the town's police station to help them find their relatives.

"I didn't know what had happened at the time; I was just thinking that it would be best if I could help you find your relatives."

Chenchen had actually anticipated this...

He didn't blame Qiao Qiqi, after all, Qiao Qiqi's original intention was for his and Xin Xin's good.

What's more, these past few days have been the happiest days he and Xin Xin have had since they started their escape.

Chenchen is already very grateful to Qiao Qiqi!

"Sister, I still want to thank you no matter what, but you and Brother Qin should leave, otherwise Xin Xin and I will cause you trouble." As if recalling unpleasant memories, a trace of pain flashed in Chenchen's eyes.

Qiao Qiqi remained silent for a moment.

She is not a meddlesome person, but a sophisticated egoist.

Her kindness to others is always conditional, namely, she only acts when she feels that others are kind to her, and the degree of kindness is differentiated by level.

She won't open her heart to someone just because they did something small to be kind to her.

Therefore, the fact that she helped Chenchen out of a predicament during their first meeting was actually the greatest act of kindness she could show.

But at the time, I felt sorry for Chenchen because I thought he looked a bit like my younger brother.

He took in the brother and sister afterward, only because Chenchen had helped him out of a predicament.

That's why she always thought that Chenchen could earn work points to support him and Xinxin, so that she wouldn't have to spend any of her own money on them.

Based on this plot development, Qiao Qiqi could actually just give up now.

Although Chenchen's troubles might have been caused by her, it was also because Chenchen had kept things from her, so Qiao Qiqi didn't feel guilty or remorseful.

Moreover, she also paid more than 100 yuan in medical expenses for Chenchen and Xinxin.

Even though the words were on the tip of her tongue, Qiao Qiqi felt like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat and couldn't bring herself to say anything about abandoning the situation.

Just as Qiao Qiqi was caught in a dilemma, the door to the ward was suddenly pushed open.

"Is there anyone else in your family you can trust?" Qin Huai walked in from outside the door.