Bai Ruogu sat on a hospital bench, her hands tucked into her hair, looking utterly defeated.
"No way..." After a long while, he suddenly raised his eyes, "Uncle Huo, Aunt Jiang, you haven't spent any time with Sophia, you don't know her! She wouldn't lie to me!"
"You stubborn child, why are you so obstinate!" Huo Zhixing scolded sternly.
Bai Jingyuan grabbed him, his eyes filled with despair.
"Forget it, Third Brother..." His voice was weak, "I don't want to argue with him while Wanyin is being treated... I, I'll pretend I never had this son!"
"dad!"
"Get out." Bai Jingyuan said calmly, but beneath his calm gaze lay a heart as cold as ashes.
Bai Ruogu hesitated for a moment, then turned to leave. Before leaving, he turned back and whispered, "Dad, don't worry, I will definitely bring my sister back safely. Mom will be alright too, and our family... will be like before!"
Bai Jingyuan didn't even glance at him, and gently shook his head.
Not long after, the lights in the emergency room went out, and Bai Jingyuan rushed over, shouting Yao Wanyin's name.
The doctor came out, took off his sweat-soaked mask, and forced a smile, saying, "Mr. Bai, your wife is out of immediate danger."
"What?" Jiang Can exclaimed in surprise, "Not for now? That means... there will be more in the future?"
"Please be patient, everyone," the doctor explained. "Your wife's condition is quite complicated. She's about to be transferred to the intensive care unit, so you won't be able to see her for now. This week is crucial, but I predict she should be able to pull through."
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts finally calming down a little.
"However, there's something strange about Madam this time," the doctor continued. "As long as she's not stimulated, her physical condition is fine. However, judging from the resuscitation just now, she mainly fell ill because the stimulation caused her arrhythmia and high blood pressure."
“That Sophia is too suspicious.” Jiang Can frowned. “Jingyuan, you can’t let Ruogu be with her! I think Wanyin’s accident was most likely her doing! And Zhijin’s disappearance is also related to her!”
Bai Jingyuan looked exhausted. He sat down gently in the chair, turned his back to them, and waved his hand.
His mind is now entirely on Yao Wanyin.
Since Bai Ruogu has so confidently promised to bring the brocade back, let him be...
Bai Jingyuan stood guard in front of the special care ward. Even though he couldn't go in to be with her, he would sit at the door, hoping that Yao Wanyin could sense his presence and be strong for his sake.
Before he knew it, his eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face.
"What is the point of having children?" he murmured, his voice choked with emotion. "I really want to go back to the past, Wanyin... back to the night I first met you. I remember, the starry sky was so beautiful that night..."
*
Lin Zhaojiang arrived at Master Qiao's house as promised. Master Qiao lived in the suburbs. His courtyard house was grand and elegant, with red lanterns hanging under the gray-black tiled eaves, and the carvings on the screen wall exuding a sense of grandeur.
As soon as Lin Zhaojiang arrived, he was politely invited inside by Master Qiao's men and served fine tea.
Fifth Master Qiao had not yet appeared, but his voice came from outside the door.
"Haha, little brother! I know why you've come!"
Lin Zhaojiang put down his teacup, stood up, nodded, and smiled.
Fifth Master Qiao was still dressed in a Tang suit, his posture upright, and a few silver hairs at his temples added a touch of charm with a sense of vicissitude.
"Don't worry." He gestured for Lin Zhaojiang to sit down, smiled at him, and said, "The fish has taken the bait. It won't be long before you get your revenge! Heh... what effect are you trying to achieve?"
Lin Zhaojiang pursed his lips, his expression slightly cold.
"Make him bankrupt."
"To be buried with the entire Bai family?"
Lin Zhaojiang paused for a moment, then shook his head.
"To be honest, given my past personality, I would have done that, but now..."
"Now you can't bear it?" Fifth Master Qiao laughed. "From what I know of Lin Zhaojiang, he's not the kind of person who's so soft-hearted!"
Lin Zhaojiang also laughed.
But when he smiled, someone's clear eyes and clean face flashed through his mind.
Song Wan asked him to come this time.
Song Wan was very anxious when she learned that Bai Zhijin was missing. Even though she couldn't be husband and wife with Bai Ruogu, she and Bai Zhijin had gotten along very well before.
As a friend, she was genuinely worried about Bai Zhijin's whereabouts.
Lin Zhaojiang himself also wanted to come here, firstly for Song Wan, and secondly because he wanted to find out how the blame for kidnapping Bai Zhijin had fallen on his head out of nowhere.
He and Bai Zhijin had hardly ever met; they were practically strangers!
"Fifth Master Qiao, I'm not being sentimental," Lin Zhaojiang said calmly. "It's just that I feel there's a lot more beauty in the world, and there's no need to get entangled with a fly. Letting that kid get some punishment is enough. Besides, I have no grudges against the rest of the Bai family, so there's no need to exterminate them."
"Hmm..." Fifth Master Qiao took a sip of tea. "5 billion is a considerable hole, and Bai Ruogu even borrowed it from a bank, using his entire fortune as collateral. Once this comes to light, he'll be in for a long time to suffer."
"Fifth Master Qiao, there's actually another matter I've come to discuss today."
Lin Zhaojiang stood up and bowed respectfully, but Fifth Master Qiao waved his hand and smiled at him.
Without saying anything, he simply gestured for Lin Zhaojiang to enter, leading him through the long covered corridor to a beautifully decorated room.
There were guards at the entrance, who slowly made way for the two of them.
"Fifth Master Qiao?" Lin Zhaojiang frowned slightly.
"I know what you want to ask." Fifth Master Qiao smiled and pointed inside. "See for yourself."
Lin Zhaojiang approached with some skepticism and saw Bai Zhijin sleeping soundly inside the room through the glass.
He was taken aback and turned to look at Master Qiao.
"This is Bai Zhijin, the daughter of the Bai family." Fifth Master Qiao made no attempt to hide it. "She has indeed been with me these past two days."
"What... what's going on?" Lin Zhaojiang was puzzled, but looking at Bai Zhijin's appearance, she didn't seem to have suffered any grievances in the past two days.
Her little face was rosy, and there were paintbrushes and a drawing board beside her. She was probably tired from drawing, so she leaned against the pillow and fell asleep.
“I met this girl the day before yesterday,” Fifth Master Qiao said in a deep voice. “It was raining heavily that night, and this girl fainted near my casino. After I brought her back, I found that she was injured and had bruises on the corner of her mouth, as if she had been beaten.”
"What?"
“When she woke up, she told me that she had been attacked. That day, she was going to visit her mother at the nursing home without any bodyguards with her. But at the nursing home, a cloth bag was put over her head, someone hit her, and then she didn’t know anything else.”
Lin Zhaojiang's eyes darkened, and in the instant he met Qiao Wuye's gaze, both of them knew the answer.
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