“Dad.” Shen Zhi Qiu stood up and strode over to Rong Hong’s side.
Her gaze was firm, and her voice carried an undeniable conviction. "I didn't push her down," Shen Zhi Qiu said solemnly to Rong Hong, raising her head as she stood at the bottom of the steps, as if proving her innocence to her father.
"Did she fall down by herself?" Rong Hong's voice was somewhat displeased. He looked at Shen Zhi Qiu, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. "Zhi Qiu, Dad knows you're a good child, but if you do something wrong, you should admit it. Once Yan Yan has rested, apologize to her. Yan Yan is a very kind-hearted child, and she definitely won't hold it against you."
A wave of grievance and helplessness welled up in Shen Zhi Qiu's heart. Her voice trembled slightly. "Dad, I told you, I didn't push her down. She fell down on her own." She looked up, unable to hold back her tears, and grabbed Rong Hong's arm.
Upon hearing this, Rong Hong immediately pointed an angry finger at Shen Zhi Qiu and demanded, "Where did you learn these bad qualities, child?"
Shen Zhi Qiu curled her fingers and repeated, "Dad, I'll say it again, it wasn't me, it has nothing to do with me."
Rong Hong looked at Shen Zhi Qiu, his heart filled with helplessness and conflict. He remained silent for a while before finally speaking, "Zhi Qiu, you and Yan Yan are good friends. You should apologize to her and let her know that you didn't mean it."
“Impossible. I will not admit to something I didn’t do.” Shen Zhi Qiu looked stubbornly at Rong Hong.
"I'm not talking to you now, I'm rushing to the hospital to see Yan Yan." Rong Hong looked at Shen Zhi Qiu with some displeasure at her repeated refusals. "You should stay home and reflect on yourself, see if you did something wrong!"
Having said that, she angrily shook off Shen Zhi Qiu's hand and prepared to leave.
Caught off guard, Shen Zhi Qiu was suddenly pushed hard and fell to the ground, her knees slamming hard against the stair steps.
"Ah!" Shen Zhi Qiu cried out in surprise. Rong Hong was startled and quickly bent down to help her up, repeatedly saying, "Dad didn't mean it, Zhi Qiu, are you alright? Are you alright?"
Lu Jia was standing by the sofa in the living room, wanting to give the father and daughter some space, but when she saw Shen Zhi Qiu being pushed to the ground, she immediately rushed over.
Lu Jia suppressed her anger and pushed Rong Hong's hand away. Rong Mo then pulled Shen Zhi Qiu into his arms and helped her up.
"Zhiqiu, Dad really didn't mean it." Rong Hong's face was full of worry. He was anxious and wanted to take a step forward, but Lu Jia had already stood in front of him, protecting Shen Zhiqiu behind him.
Shen Zhi Qiu remained silent the entire time. Her head was lowered, her eyes red-rimmed, and she clenched her hands tightly to hold back her tears. Her knees were still throbbing, but she didn't care. What mattered to her was Rong Hong's attitude.
She never imagined that her father, who had always doted on her, would treat her like this for Yan Yan's sake.
Thinking of this, her nose tingled, and she forcefully tilted her head back to hold back her tears.
Rong Hong said with some annoyance, "Zhi Qiu, Dad really didn't mean it. Does your knee still hurt...?"
"Dad, you go to the hospital first, I'm fine." Shen Zhi Qiu smiled wryly, took a step back, and made way for him.
"Dad, we'll go later." Rong Hong looked at Shen Zhi Qiu with a pained expression, feeling immense regret for his actions.
He slapped his head hard and said painfully, "It's all Dad's fault. I don't know what's wrong with me lately. I feel like I'm always a bit confused. Aunt Sun even said that I seem to be daydreaming a lot. Sometimes I feel like I'm not even myself!"
Rong Mo and Shen Zhi Qiu exchanged a glance, and Shen Zhi Qiu then spoke up, "Dad, why don't you move back home? Yan Yan is injured and may not be able to come and take care of you for a while. We're not comfortable with you living alone."
"No need," Rong Hong refused outright, but the moment the words left his mouth, he frowned in confusion. Some strange images flashed through his mind, but they disappeared in an instant, and he couldn't seem to make out what they were.
Shen Zhi Qiu sighed, "Then we'll be leaving now, Dad. If you want to move back, just let us know and we'll come pick you up."
"Okay." Rong Hong nodded, and seeing that Shen Zhi Qiu was walking with a limp, he regretted it terribly.
"Let Dad take you," Rong Hong said cautiously.
"No need, Dad, you should go to the hospital. You won't feel at ease otherwise. We can just go back." Rong Mo shook his head, coldly rejecting Rong Hong's suggestion.
Rong Hong looked at him and sighed silently.
Sitting in the car, Lu Jia patiently fastened Shen Zhi Qiu's seatbelt, looking at her with heartache.
Rong Mo sat in the back row, also deeply worried.
"Lu Jia, I'm fine." Shen Zhi Qiu noticed Lu Jia's worry and gently took his hand as she spoke.
"Zhi Qiu, Dad definitely didn't do it on purpose," Rong Mo sighed and comforted her.
“I know,” Shen Zhi Qiu’s voice was muffled, “but I’m really worried about him protecting Yan Yan like this.”
"Hmm, Dad seems to have really changed." Rong Mo frowned. "I'll tell Aunt Sun later that if anything happens, she must tell me immediately."
Grandma Sun didn't know what happened either!
When Sun Ma came out with a bowl of bird's nest soup, she only saw Rong Hong sitting on the sofa with a forlorn expression.
"Chairman Rong, what's wrong?" Aunt Sun walked up to him anxiously, then looked around. "Where are Miss and the others?"
“Aunt Sun, you’ve been a member of the Rong family for decades. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately, but I feel like something’s not quite right.” Rong Hong trusted Aunt Sun completely and really wanted to talk to her.
"Chairman Rong, to be honest, I also feel that something's not quite right about you since you came back this time." Aunt Sun sighed and placed the bird's nest on the table. But seeing that Rong Hong was already in a bad mood, she didn't dare say anything more. After all, she had no evidence and couldn't make assumptions.
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At the hospital.
Yan Yan was wheeled back to her ward.
As she walked down the corridor, she noticed that all the wards on this floor were empty. However, she suddenly saw several familiar faces standing at the door of a ward at the far end, which puzzled her.
In the middle of the night, Yan Yan was awakened by a series of cries.
She frowned in displeasure, covered her ears with the blanket, and tried to block out the noise.
However, the continuous crying and screaming really bothered her.
She endured the pain, slowly sat up, put on her slippers, and prepared to go out and see what was happening.
As soon as I reached the door, I heard hurried footsteps.
She shrank back behind the door and peered through the crack, watching Wei Qiao walk quickly past her door with a cold face. She immediately pressed her ear to the door to listen to the sounds outside.
A few seconds later, the crying stopped.
Just as she was about to quietly return to bed, she heard someone knocking on her door.
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