Huo Jiayuan jolted awake, her thoughts returning to their senses, and she gasped for breath.
She glanced back at the room, then looked into the distance. This place was far from where Meng Yan lived; they were practically in the south and north of the city, respectively. Xiao Rong must have chosen this location with the intention of separating her from Meng Yan...
Huo Jiayuan felt as if a heavy stone was lodged in her heart, and she couldn't quite describe the feeling. A little while later, Granny Cai returned with the herbs, and the kitchen was filled with their fragrant aroma. After the medicine was brewed, Huo Jiayuan took a bowl and gently knocked on Xiao Rong's door.
Xiao Rong was changing the gauze when he saw Huo Jiayuan come in. His hand trembled, and the wound tore open, and the newly changed gauze became stained with blood again.
"Don't move!" Huo Jiayuan hurriedly put down the medicine bowl. "I'll help you."
Xiao Rong wanted to refuse, but she firmly held his hand down.
Her eyes were red, and she looked like she wanted to cry.
"I'm sorry..." After a long pause, she murmured these three words.
Xiao Rong quickly comforted her, "Miss, what are you saying!"
"It's all because of me." Tears streamed down her face. "If I hadn't been so stubborn and insisted on coming to Biandu, you wouldn't have ended up like this..."
"It's my fault," Xiao Rong said in a low voice. "This time it was my fault for not arranging things properly, which gave those two an opportunity and almost got you into trouble."
"Who are those two people?"
“The gangs here.” Xiao Rong looked at her. “Miss, I’m not blaming you… we should have left a long time ago. You see, you’ve been targeted by the underworld here. They probably know your identity, which is why they want to harm you and then use you to threaten your grandfather, Lu Lishan…”
Huo Jiayuan bit her lip, not daring to look up at him.
Xiao Rong smiled almost imperceptibly and continued, "If it weren't for Meng Yan... Miss, wouldn't you have left here with me long ago?"
"This has nothing to do with Meng Yan!" Huo Jiayuan blurted out. "It's all my fault that you've been harmed, it has nothing to do with him!"
"You're still protecting him."
Xiao Rong sighed.
She could hear the grief and indignation in his tone. He didn't blame her, but he was extremely disappointed in her.
But Meng Yan's fate was still unknown, and that was what worried her the most...
“Xiao Rong, I will take good care of you,” Huo Jiayuan said softly, “but… don’t mention Meng Yan again. Give me your phone, I’ll call Mom and Dad and ask them to send someone to pick us up.”
Xiao Rong's expression changed, and a chilling glint appeared in his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"Miss," Xiao Rong said after a moment of silence, "it's best not to tell them about what happened here."
"Why?"
"Do you want them to worry? I always only tell my husband and wife good news, never bad news."
Huo Jiayuan was stunned for a moment.
From a young age, she remembered that her family's love and tolerance for her were boundless. She could come home for help whenever she encountered any difficulties, and there was no issue of her only sharing good news.
But now Xiao Rong said to her, "Miss, you've grown up now. You have to think about them. You can't be so immature anymore!"
"Although we've encountered a small problem right now, it's something that can be resolved, so let's not worry our husbands and wives any longer!"
"But……"
"Do you really want your parents to worry about you and lose sleep?"
Huo Jiayuan remained silent, quietly watching him.
To be honest, she felt that Xiao Rong was becoming increasingly strange. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but he seemed to be a completely different person from the Xiao Rong in Yangcheng.
Xiao Rong, who had been with her since childhood, always put her first.
Although Xiao Rong now considers her needs in everything he does, every word he says sounds like he's lecturing or belittling her.
Perhaps the environment a person is in can change their personality.
Huo Jiayuan took a deep breath.
She was somewhat displeased, but her heart softened when she saw the injuries on Xiao Rong's body.
"You should focus on recovering first," she said softly. "I won't make the phone call yet; I don't want them to worry."
"Yes, that's more like it." Xiao Rong chuckled. "Thinking like this makes you a sensible and obedient daughter to your husband and wife."
Huo Jiayuan forced a smile and handed him the bowl of medicine. She inadvertently sniffed it; the medicine seemed to smell a little strange.
But I can't quite put my finger on what's strange about it.
Perhaps herbs have different flavors depending on where they grow?
Xiao Rong took the medicine, drank it all in one gulp, and then gently told her to go back to her room and rest more.
Huo Jiayuan didn't go back to her room, but went downstairs to the yard for some fresh air.
She hadn't left her apartment for many days. This was a semi-gated community, home to many people from other parts of the country and even foreigners, as well as numerous small vendors. Because it wasn't far from the city center, the area was much safer than the street where Meng Yan lived, and it had a much stronger sense of everyday life.
As evening approached, the night market stalls gradually came out.
Huo Jiayuan didn't dare go far, only wandering around the area and glancing at the bustling night market from afar. To avoid any unforeseen trouble, she only looked for a short while before preparing to head back, but at that moment a little girl bumped right into her.
The little girl held a rose in her hand, and the pale pink wrapping paper made her heart skip a beat!
"Sister, would you like to buy flowers?"
Huo Jiayuan's mind went completely blank for a moment!
When the little girl handed her the flowers, her heart skipped a beat.
The little girl blinked her big eyes and smiled at her.
"Sister, you are as beautiful as a flower!"
Huo Jiayuan's hands trembled slightly. She took the rose and subconsciously squeezed it, and sure enough, she found another thickly folded strip of paper inside.
"He is recovering very well." — The first sentence on the note.
Second sentence: Be careful of the people around you.
Huo Jiayuan opened her eyes wide and suddenly grabbed the little girl's shoulder.
"Who...who is it?"
However, the little girl just looked at her without saying a word.
"Who is it?!"
The little girl smiled slightly: "Sister, if you don't like it, just throw the flower away!"
Huo Jiayuan watched her turn and run away, her heart pounding.
She was restless for days. Just like the last note, she didn't dare keep it on her. She memorized every word on it, then tore it up and threw it in the trash.
He's recovering very well...
She breathed a long sigh of relief.
But be careful of the people around you?
Huo Jiayuan sat by the window, gazing into the distance, the darkness in his eyes growing even more intense.
"Get out of here! Go play somewhere else!"
Suddenly, Granny Cai's voice came.
The other two bodyguards also shouted a few times towards the window. After seeing Huo Jiayuan, one of them explained, "Recently, there's been a group of little boys running around here with guns in their hands. It's really annoying!"
"A gun?" Huo Jiayuan exclaimed in surprise.
"Don't be afraid, miss, it's not a real gun," the bodyguard chuckled. "It's just one of those water guns and air guns that kids love to play with. The water gun is fine, but the air gun is a bit of a problem. Those toy bullets are quite powerful; they can shatter glass!"
“These little boys are always causing trouble in this area. I was afraid they would disturb Rong-ge’s rest, so I asked Grandma Cai to shout at them a couple of times to drive them away!”
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