"Thump, thump, thump—"
The knocking was clear and rhythmic, three times in a measured and unhurried manner.
Uncle Da was startled. He glanced at Chi Heng, who had already opened his eyes on the hospital bed, and then at the direction of the door.
"Young Master..."
He was worried that the group would return, and he was also afraid that the police would come to question him.
Chi Heng didn't seem surprised by this, but simply gestured for him to open the door.
Although Uncle Da had doubts, he didn't say anything.
After calming himself down, he opened the door.
However, when he saw the person's face clearly, Uncle Da was completely stunned.
He opened his mouth, and it took him a long time to find his voice.
"Miss Jiang... what brings you here?"
Uncle Da never dreamed that Jiang Si would come at this time.
Chi Heng has changed a lot over the years; his temperament and physique have long since faded from his youthful appearance. Yet, Jiang Si still recognized Uncle Da at a glance.
"Uncle Da, it's been a long time."
As Jiang Si greeted him, her gaze bypassed Uncle Da and landed directly on Chi Heng.
He was leaning against the pillows, half-sitting on the hospital bed.
His upper body was wrapped in bandages.
His face was almost bloodless.
Jiang Si's expression was complicated. "Uncle Da, can I talk to him alone?"
Upon hearing this, Uncle Da subconsciously turned around and glanced at his young master.
Chi Heng looked towards the doorway and nodded slightly.
"Okay, okay, you guys chat, I'll go keep watch outside."
As Uncle Da stepped aside to let Jiang Si in, he carefully closed the door gently.
He then stood guard at the corner of the corridor.
In an instant, only the two people remained in the ward.
Jiang Si moved a chair and sat down in front of the hospital bed. Her gaze was calm, but her words were as straightforward as ever.
"Chi Heng, you deliberately exposed yourself, didn't you?"
He first approached her and her third uncle in a way that was full of loopholes, thus arousing her suspicion.
Then, he used this almost self-harming method to put himself in her sight.
"Yes." Meeting her surprised gaze, Chi Heng readily admitted.
The admission was made readily and decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
"Why?" Jiang Si asked, voicing the biggest question in her heart.
She had consulted a doctor before coming.
Most of the injuries on his body were old ailments.
This kind of injury is not fatal, but it is extremely torturous, enough to make one wish they were dead.
She couldn't understand how Chi Heng, as the only son of the Qin family, could have suffered so much inhuman abuse over the years.
And what exactly was his purpose in doing this?
Jiang Si was deeply puzzled by this.
Upon hearing this, Chi Heng's lips curled into a slight smile, which resembled both a bitter smile and a sense of relief.
"Because only by attracting your attention and making you realize that my 'deliberate' actions are not right will you investigate my past..."
"Only then will I have the opportunity to avoid those eyes and ears and truly... have a few words with you alone..."
These few words reveal a great deal of information.
Jiang Si understood instantly.
His seemingly flawed attempts to get close to people might just be a performance within a performance he was forced to put on.
The goal was to create a reasonable opportunity that wouldn't implicate her.
There was just one thing Jiang Si couldn't understand: "Why didn't you say these things this afternoon at the courtyard house?"
Chi Heng was silent for a moment, then turned to look at her, "If I had told you back then, would you have believed me?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Si fell silent.
Chi Heng's concerns were not without reason.
To her, Chi Heng was just a neighborly older brother she hadn't seen for many years, someone whose memory of him was even quite vague.
If he had said all that right away, she would probably have become even more wary.
Thinking about all this, Jiang Si's mood became somewhat heavy.
“This has nothing to do with you,” Chi Heng said. “From the moment I arrived, whether you told me or not, you were going to get this beating.”
And it is essential; otherwise, they will not let their guard down.
Although she already had the answer in her heart, Jiang Si still asked, "Who sent those people?"
As expected.
Chi Heng uttered three words: "My mother."
After hearing this, Jiang Si had an expression that said, "I knew it."
To be honest, she didn't have a very deep impression of Chi's mother anymore.
The only fragmented memory I have is that she never seemed very happy whenever I visited the Qin family.
Mother Chi was very particular about rules and regulations; if her words or actions were slightly inappropriate, she would be reprimanded.
Jiang Si was pampered since childhood and had never heard a harsh word spoken to her before. How could she bear such grievances?
Perhaps it was because she was too unruly that Chi's mother didn't like her very much.
Although Jiang Si was young at the time, she could still sense whether the other person liked her or not.
So she rarely went to the Qin family after that.
However, on the other hand, she was, after all, an outsider, so it was normal that Chi's mother didn't like her.
But Chi Heng is her only child.
Even tigers, though fierce, do not eat their cubs.
How could she bear to do such a thing to her own child?
Perhaps the confusion on her face was too obvious, so Chi Heng offered an explanation.
“My mother…she was very controlling and had high expectations of me.”
"But that's not a reason for her to take action."
Jiang Si is now a mother of two, and she is outraged by this practice of abusing her own children.
She really couldn't understand!
"I know, but I have no other choice."
Chi Heng said, "After my father passed away, she took control of my grandparents, and I had no choice."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Si looked over in astonishment.
She understood what he said, but she didn't understand what Chi Heng was trying to express at all.
After a long pause, Jiang Si uttered the crucial question, "Is she really your biological mother?"
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