Chapter 248 Lin Wan'er's "Sacrifice"
He stepped forward, leaned slightly down, and whispered in her ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear, slowly, word by word:
"Lin Wan'er, my future is uncertain as I return to the capital this time. Every step I take is like walking on thin ice."
"I will only take people who are 'valuable' to the country and to my future path."
After saying that, he straightened up, took a step back, and widened the distance between them again.
That indifferent attitude seemed to say that your current "saintly" image is not a plus to me, but rather an inescapable burden and trouble.
Lin Wan'er stood there dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning.
value……
In this man's eyes, she is now utterly worthless.
Her carefully crafted act of kindness, her painstakingly cultivated image, and her self-righteous sense of gratitude ultimately turned into a colossal joke.
She didn't know how she left the cowshed.
He was in a daze, like a puppet whose soul had been taken away.
That entire night, she lay on the cold earthen bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep a wink.
Qin Zheng's words echoed repeatedly in her mind like a curse.
value.
She had to prove her worth to him!
She had to create an opportunity, a tragic reason that would both allow her to extricate herself legitimately and demonstrate her immense "value."
She can no longer be a "saint" in name only.
She wanted to be a hero who would sacrifice herself for a noble ideal.
A single thought, like wildly spreading vines, instantly entwined her heart.
The next day, the sky was overcast.
Thick snow weighed down the rooftops, making the whole world seem desolate and oppressive.
The educated youth were urged by the team leader to clean up an abandoned adobe warehouse in preparation for storing firewood for the winter.
Lin Wan'er was among them.
She silently wielded the shovel, clearing away the snow from the warehouse entrance, one shovelful at a time. No one noticed that her movements were much slower than usual, but her eyes were subtly observing her surroundings.
That adobe warehouse has been unused for many years.
The walls were covered with cracks, and the roof beams were eroded beyond recognition by rain and snow.
Under the heavy weight of the thick snow, the entire building emitted a sickening groan, as if it were about to collapse.
Just then, several village children, some of whom were only a teenager, ran towards the warehouse, chasing and playing.
Completely unaware of the danger, they played hide-and-seek in the corner of the warehouse.
"Crack—"
A clear sound of wood breaking came from the roof of the warehouse.
All the educated youth who were working were startled and stopped what they were doing, looking up at the scene.
The main beam in the center of the warehouse roof had a huge crack in the middle, and countless bits of dirt and broken tiles were falling down.
"Oh no! The house is going to collapse!"
Someone shouted in terror.
"Run!"
There are still children under the wall!
The scene instantly descended into chaos, with screams and shouts echoing through the sky.
Everyone instinctively stepped back, staring in horror at the dilapidated mud-brick house.
In the midst of this critical moment of chaos.
Lin Wan'er saw it.
She saw her opportunity.
As everyone else retreated, a resolute, almost insane light flashed in her eyes.
She threw down the shovel in her hand and, without the slightest hesitation, charged like an arrow towards the children who were still standing there in the corner.
"Get out of the way!"
Amidst the heart-wrenching screams of the crowd, she used all her strength to shove away the little boy who was closest to her and also closest to danger.
"Boom—"
Almost simultaneously, the entire roof, along with the heavy beam, crashed down!
Lin Wan'er didn't even have time to dodge.
The heavy roof beams, mixed with countless bricks, tiles, and dirt, slammed heavily onto her thin back.
"puff--"
She suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, and her body, like a leaf blown away by a gale, was instantly buried under the ruins.
The world was plunged into darkness and agony at that moment.
In the last moment before her consciousness faded, she used the last of her strength to turn her head with difficulty.
Through the billowing smoke and dust, her gaze was fixed on the man who had just arrived at the scene after hearing the news, his face filled with shock.
It's Qin Zheng.
He's here.
He saw it.
Lin Wan'er's lips moved slightly, squeezing out a few faint, almost inaudible syllables from her throat.
"Save...the child..."
The scene was a complete mess, like a pot of boiling porridge.
Screams, cries, and the deafening roar of the collapsing mud walls mingled together, piercing the eardrums of everyone present.
Smoke and dust filled the air, making it difficult for people to open their eyes.
"Quick! Help them!"
"Lin Wan'er! Lin Wan'er is buried underneath!"
The first few male educated youths to react threw down their tools and rushed towards the ruins like madmen, digging through the bricks and soil with their bare hands.
Blood quickly seeped from their fingertips, but no one cared about the pain.
When Qin Zheng arrived, he was greeted by a scene of purgatory.
His steps faltered, as if he were nailed to the spot by an invisible force.
Those eyes, hidden behind thick glasses, were fixed on the ruins where chunks of earth were still sliding down.
She designed it.
This thought, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly darted into his mind.
What a coincidence!
It all happened so coincidentally.
It was such a coincidence that it was as if someone had a script and was precisely directing a tragic accident.
"Found it! It's here!"
One of the educated youths let out a cry of surprise mixed with fear.
The crowd quickly gathered around and hurriedly moved the top beam and bricks away.
Lin Wan'er's figure was finally revealed.
She huddled in the ruins, covered in mud and blood, one leg twisted at an extremely bizarre angle, the stark white bone even piercing through her thin trousers, exposed to the cold air.
The horrific scene caused several female educated youths present to vomit on the spot.
"Quick! Get her out of there!"
"Be careful! Don't touch her legs!"
People hurriedly lifted her out of the rubble and laid her flat on a relatively clean patch of snow.
Lin Wan'er's face was completely bloodless, her lips were purple from the excruciating pain, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
She had fainted from the pain.
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