Chapter 213 Anemia
Fang Xiaoju tried to remain calm, but her eyes darted around.
Her voice was weak, her lips trembled slightly, and she couldn't even convince herself.
His fingers were unconsciously twisted together, his knuckles turned white, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Qiao Wanyin gave a soft hum, slowly took out a box of face cream from her bag, and gently tossed it in her palm.
It was an ordinary white tin box of face cream, simply packaged, yet it was one of the most common daily necessities these days.
She rolled the box back and forth between her fingertips, her movements slow and rhythmic, as if playing with her prey in the final moments of amusement.
She sneered, "This thing is clearly in stock in stores. But you lied to my mother and said you could only buy it on the black market."
His tone was calm, yet every word was like a needle, piercing the heart with pain.
She looked up and stared directly at him, her gaze sharp as a knife. "You think I don't know? The department store just received this new batch of goods yesterday, and I even saw you standing in front of the counter asking about the price."
"What, you want to label me as 'speculator' so you can find something to criticize me for?"
She took a half-step forward, her voice lower but clearer.
"If I get caught reselling scarce goods, it's a serious crime of 'disrupting market order,' which would probably keep me in a re-education camp for a month, right? They're really 'thinking of' me."
Fang Xiaoju's face turned pale instantly, not expecting that she had been seen through long ago.
Her breath hitched, her chest heaved violently, and she felt as if all her strength had been drained away.
It wasn't a coincidence or bad luck; she had been part of their scheme from the very beginning!
She gritted her teeth and said, "Qiao Wanyin, don't think you can be so smug forever! Sooner or later, someone will deal with all those weird skills of yours!"
The voice rose, tinged with a hint of hysterical resentment.
She tried to mask her inner panic with her imposing manner, but her voice still trembled slightly at the end.
"oh?"
Qiao Wanyin narrowed her eyes and approached step by step, "What skills do you think I have?"
Every step was extremely slow, yet it felt like stepping on one's heartbeat, suffocating one.
She looked down at the other person, her eyes devoid of any smile, only cold scrutiny remained.
Fang Xiaoju was forced to retreat, her foot slipped, and she sat down directly on the ground.
Mud splashed up, wetting her trouser legs, but she didn't care; she just wanted to get away from that woman.
Her back was pressed against the cold brick wall, with nowhere left to retreat.
She looked up and met Qiao Wanyin's condescending gaze, a look as cold as well water in winter.
There was no anger, no excitement, only a bone-chilling cold, as if watching something about to disappear.
“I advise you—” Qiao Wanyin said in a low voice, “If you dare to have any more thoughts about my child, I don’t mind making you disappear suddenly.”
Each word was spoken clearly and slowly, like a vow carved in stone.
"No one will check, no one will ask. Your name will just be a simple stroke on the roster."
Fang Xiaoju shuddered, and before she could recover, a commotion suddenly broke out in the distance.
The sound of leather boots hitting the ground grew closer, mixed with whistles and shouts.
Someone shouted, "Run! The police are coming!"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Wanyin immediately reached out and shoved Fang Xiaoju hard...
The movements were swift and decisive, without any hesitation.
Fang Xiaoju lost her balance and fell to the ground.
Her palms stung as they rubbed against the rough stone slab, but she couldn't cry out in pain; her mind was a complete mess.
Before she could react, Qiao Wanyin stuffed a bulging cloth bag into her arms.
The bag was heavy, seemingly containing quite a few things, and faintly emitted a pleasant fragrance—it contained the box of face cream and several other daily necessities.
Qiao Wanyin pinched her arm hard, her nails digging deep into her skin, and a sharp pain immediately shot through her arm.
Her eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up as if they were about to spill over at any moment.
Her voice began to tremble uncontrollably, like a lonely leaf fluttering in the wind, as she cried out in a sob, "Comrade, quick! Grab her! Don't let her get away!"
The shout was urgent and pitiful, hoarse and desperate, filled with grievance and panic. Even the old man who was strolling across the street was startled and stopped in his tracks, leaning on his cane and looking in this direction.
Several students passing by stopped and turned around, staring in astonishment at the woman with a large pregnant belly and tears streaming down her face.
Qiao Wanyin sobbed as she wiped away her tears with her sleeve, taking small, hurried steps, as if afraid of hurting the baby in her womb.
She clutched her slightly protruding belly tightly with one hand and held onto the wall with the other, stumbling as she ran toward the uniformed police officers.
She walked with extreme caution, her body slightly leaning forward, her expression pained and vulnerable, perfectly embodying a pregnant woman who had suffered countless grievances and had nowhere else to turn.
"Sister, please don't get agitated, tell me slowly."
Seeing her like this, the captain of the disciplinary team softened his heart and his tone became gentler.
He stepped forward and offered his hand to support her, as if afraid she might actually fall.
“This is a place where we reason things out. Explain yourself clearly, and we will definitely stand up for you.”
Qiao Wanyin took a deep breath, her voice thick with nasal congestion, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
She raised her trembling finger and pointed at Fang Xiaoju, who was standing a few steps away with a livid face. Her voice was broken and intermittent, as if each word required all her strength: "I... I am weak and have insufficient blood and qi. The doctor repeatedly told me to supplement with some brown sugar, otherwise it would affect the development of the fetus... but the supply and marketing cooperative has been out of stock for three whole months, and I haven't been able to buy even a single ounce."
She paused, biting her lip to suppress a sob, and continued, "I had no other choice but to ask around, and I heard that some people here were selling some privately. I thought I could pay a high price if I could just buy some. Who knew... I'd run into someone like this! He took my money, but then refused to give me anything and tried to run away without paying!"
As she spoke, her hands trembled as she pulled a crumpled, torn medical report from her pocket and handed it to the team leader, tears streaming down her face again: "Look at this, this is really a certificate from the hospital. I'm really severely anemic... If this continues, the baby... the baby won't survive..."
Fang Xiaoju was furious, trembling with rage. She pointed at Qiao Wanyin, stammering, "Qiao Wanyin, you're talking nonsense! You clearly took that candy and left without paying! How dare you play the victim here? Do you think everyone's a fool?!"
"Comrade!"
Qiao Wanyin suddenly raised her voice, her sharp tone completely drowning out Fang Xiaoju's explanation.
Her tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls, and she convulsed violently, as if overwhelmed by immense grief.
She reached out her hand pleadingly, her voice shrill: "I don't want the candy anymore, okay? I won't cause trouble, I won't hold a grudge, just give me my money back, okay? That's half a year's worth of my salary!"
Before she could finish speaking, her body suddenly swayed, her legs gave way, and she staggered to the side, cold sweat pouring down her forehead. She looked extremely weak, as if she would faint at any moment.
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