Chapter 32 Chapter 32 "I'm not going back tonight"...
Guan Mi spent the entire night talking to Guan Tang, telling her over and over again that she was not a coward, that she had been brave, had resisted, and was also very smart.
The real cowards are the bullies who only bully the weak and the adults who choose to ignore and condone them.
Guan Mi feels that this world is sometimes really too bad. Victims not only have to endure the unscrupulous harm of bullies, but also have to digest the invisible pain alone, and are even forced to prove to others over and over again that they are really hurt.
Guan Tang listened quietly, tears silently soaking the pillow.
She thought that she must have accumulated a lot of luck in her previous life, which is why she had such a sister in this life.
She really wanted to do something for Guan Mi and repay this protection with all she had.
But after searching her body, she found only a body burdened by illness and a reality where even leaving the house was difficult. What else could she do for her sister? It seemed she had nothing to offer.
This thought made her heart ache. She couldn't help but turn over and hug Guan Mi tightly, as if he was the only and most reliable piece of driftwood she could grab before drowning.
Guan Mi immediately stopped what he had been saying, and all his consolations turned into a silent hug back.
She hugged the little person in her arms tightly, and gently patted her thin back with her palms.
It is deep at night and there is silence outside the window. Only the warmth at this moment is real and tangible.
The next day, before dawn, the two sisters got up quietly, washed, and went out together.
They walked around the park several times in the cool morning mist until the sky was slightly white, then bought a hot breakfast and went home.
Guan Da and Qiao Qiuying had also woken up and were sitting in the living room watching the morning news, waiting for the video consultation at seven o'clock.
Seeing the two sisters enter together, Qiao Qiuying's face immediately lit up with a smile. It was as if she was back in Guan Mi's high school days, every morning. She always loved going outside to memorize vocabulary words, and little Guan Tang, regardless of whether it was cold or hot, would always go out in her slippers. From early autumn to midsummer, she quietly accompanied her sister throughout her high school years.
At exactly seven o'clock, Guan Mi's computer was connected to the encrypted consultation room on time.
Three video windows were lit on the screen. One of the older people was Dr. Noah Bet, another was Director Xie from the private hospital in Beijing, and the remaining one was another expert in the doctor's laboratory.
After introducing each other and briefly greeting each other, another video window popped up quietly, and a familiar face appeared in it.
Shen Yanfeng seemed to be in good spirits, but he was slightly tired. Did he not sleep well last night?
He was wearing a well-tailored black shirt with one button casually undone at the collar, and his hair looked carefully styled.
Guan Da also noticed the young man who suddenly joined. He heard him greet the doctors in fluent English, then turned to the camera and said "Good morning" gently in Chinese.
Guan Da and Qiao Qiuying exchanged a glance and asked Guan Mi in a low voice, "Who is this?"
Guan Tang, who had been looking down nervously, looked up at the sound, his eyes instantly fixed on the handsome face on the screen, and blurted out: "Isn't this Sister Xin..."
Before he could finish his words, Guan Mi gently covered his mouth.
"Mom and Dad," Guan Mi calmed down and took over the conversation naturally, "This is the friend who helped us find a way."
Qiao Qiuying suddenly understood, her face filled with gratitude, and she quickly nodded to Shen Yanfeng on the other side of the screen.
Shen Yanfeng smiled and nodded humbly at them.
Guan Mi was puzzled for a moment. Didn't Shen Yanfeng say he had come to meet Qiao Qiuying before? Why did Qiao Qiuying react as if she didn't know him?
The consultation went very smoothly.
Guan Mi communicated with them in English throughout the whole process. Shen Yanfeng occasionally interjected a word or two, but most of the time he remained silent and listened.
An hour later, the three parties clarified the treatment plan. Although Guan's parents could not fully understand it, they felt much more at ease when they saw Guan Mi's calm appearance.
Next up is selling the house.
When Guan Mi put away his computer, he heard Qiao Qiuying say:
"Your dad's friend just replied, saying he'd taken a liking to the neighborhood across from us two weeks ago. It has a great view of the river, and I heard it's going to be completely renovated in two years, so it's only natural for him to choose that side."
Guan Tang lowered his eyelashes and said in a low voice, "Then can we not sell our house?"
Qiao Qiuying took the water from Guan Da and shook her head with a smile: "Silly child, how can I get the money to treat your illness if I don't sell the house?"
Guan Mi looked at Guan Tang thoughtfully.
"Don't worry, I've already contacted the agent and asked him to come to my house for dinner tonight so we can discuss the details." Guan Da suddenly remembered something and changed the subject, "Xiao Mi, is Mr. Shen in Jiangcheng? Why don't you invite him over too? I'll cook a few more dishes tonight."
A trace of unnaturalness flashed across Guan Mi's face, and he quickly said, "He should be busy."
Qiao Qiuying said, "Then we'll do it later. Anyway, our whole family should thank them."
Guan Mi handed the computer to Guan Tang, "Xiao Tang, go back to your room and get some sleep. I'm going out for a while."
Guan Tang nodded obediently.
"Where are you going?" Qiao Qiuying asked.
Guan Tang immediately raised his eyes to look at Guan Mi, who said calmly, "I remembered that a classmate in high school was also a real estate agent. I'll go and ask her to meet me."
"Come back for lunch?"
"No."
After arriving at the hospital and getting the examination report, Guan Mi went to find Director Xu, who had been treating Guan Tang for the past few years.
Director Xu carefully read all the reports and smiled with satisfaction: "Guan Tang's indicators are very stable this time, with no abnormalities. As for Belimumab, since you have the channels to obtain it, I will certainly support it. This drug will greatly benefit her long-term disease control."
Before leaving, Guan Mi asked Director Xu for all of Guan Tang's medical records over the years, all of which had to be submitted for injury assessment.
Guan Mi walked out of the clinic carrying a heavy bag of medical records. As soon as he reached the lobby, he inadvertently met the eyes of Wen Li's mother who was pushing an empty wheelchair.
She subconsciously paused and quickly glanced around Wen's mother, but there was no sign of that person.
"Guan Mi?" Wen's mother had already walked over naturally. "Bring your sister for a follow-up check?"
"Come and get the report." Guan Mi answered briefly.
"How's it going?"
"fine."
Mother Wen looked at her carefully, "You've lost a lot of weight since the last time we met, and your complexion is worse."
Guan Mi's lips curled up into a forced arc, "I've been busy with work lately."
"You..." Wen's mother seemed to want to say something, but her expression was hesitant.
"Aunt Wen, I have something urgent to do, so I'll leave first." Guan Mi quickly interrupted her unfinished words, saying politely and distantly, "Goodbye."
She didn't stop, carrying the heavy bag and walking out of the hospital gate with steady steps.
The midday sun was a bit dazzling. Guan Mi squinted her eyes. In the blurred vision, she saw the familiar figure standing by the car waiting.
Shen Yanfeng took a few steps forward, bent down and took the bag of medical records from her hand, his eyes passing over her slightly pale face.
"What did the doctor say?" he asked.
"It's okay for now," Guan Mi breathed a sigh of relief, the tension in his shoulders and neck relaxing slightly, "All indicators are normal."
Chen Yanfeng looked at her obviously worried face and glanced at the hospital behind her calmly, "The police have contacted the Forensic Identification Center. After lunch, go pick up Guan Tang and we'll go together."
Guan Mi looked up at him, "Okay. Let's go."
Chen Yanfeng raised his eyebrows, and the corners of his lips curved into a smile: "So anxious? Afraid of being seen?"
"...No, it's just a little hot in the sun." She avoided his gaze.
At this moment, a clear female voice came from the side.
"Guan Mi?"
Guan Mi turned his head and saw the thin Ni Yun, Yi Ziting's girlfriend.
She stood there alone, wearing a thin beige windbreaker, her hair cut short to the ears, her face slightly pale, and holding a stack of papers in her hand.
From Ni Yun's perspective, the man and Guan Mi were in an intimate position. He leaned towards her, and Guan Mi's hair almost touched his chest.
The man exuded a casual yet unignorable aura that made her take a second look.
She suppressed her curiosity and walked over. "It's been a long time since I saw you."
Guan Mi smiled faintly: "I don't come back often."
Ni Yun turned her gaze to Chen Yanfeng, "Who is this?"
Shen Yanfeng lowered his eyes and looked at Guan Mi, as if waiting for her answer.
"Friend." Guan Mi quickly took over the conversation, "Why did you come to the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm pregnant," Ni Yun gently stroked her flat belly with her hand, a happy smile on her face, "I came for a prenatal checkup today. Zi Ting came with me. He went to park the car."
Guan Mi was surprised for a moment, then smiled sincerely and said, "Congratulations."
"Before the birth, he and I should get our marriage certificate." Ni Yun said, then looked at Chen Yanfeng. She had wanted to mention Wen Li to Guan Mi, but she could tell that the atmosphere between Guan Mi and this man wasn't just about friendship.
She guessed Guan Mi didn't want to run into Yi Ziting, so she took the initiative to say goodbye: "Then I'll go in first. If you are free in the future, come back to attend the baby's full moon banquet."
Guan Mi nodded and said softly, "Ni Yun, take care of yourself."
Ni Yun smiled and left.
Guan Mi watched her walk into the hospital before turning around and getting into the car.
As I was fastening my seatbelt, the man next to me asked, "Is that your friend?"
"Well... not really," Guan Mi thought for a moment and said frankly, "She's the girlfriend of Wen Li's friend."
Hearing this, Shen Yanfeng's expression did not change much, "What do you want to eat?"
"You decide." Guan Mi said, "I'll treat you."
Shen Yanfeng started the car and looked ahead: "What did you usually eat when you were here?"
"Beef offal noodles." Guan Mi answered without hesitation.
When she was in her third year of high school, she saved two dollars every day just so she could have a bowl of hot beef offal noodles after class on Saturday night.
The shop is located near a high school. The owner is very nice, the beef offal portions are generous, and he even gives high school students a free refill of their noodles.
After she finished speaking, she looked at Chen Yanfeng and said hesitantly, "You probably don't eat these things, right? Let me think about whether there are any good restaurants..."
"This one." Shen Yanfeng interrupted her, turned the steering wheel and drove into the traffic.
Go to a restaurant? Who knows if she'll think of her date with someone else? He'd rather eat at a street stall with her than have her think of someone else.
The beef offal shop is still open, and its customers are students from nearby schools, so there are not many people in the shop.
Shen Yanfeng only ordered a bowl of clear soup noodles.
He thinks the beef offal here is not clean.
Guan Mi ignored him and ordered a bowl of beef offal noodles, and also added a serving of beef offal with radish.
Sitting on the table, Guan Mi picked up a piece of stewed radish and put it into her mouth. After eating it, she gave a thumbs up to the man who was looking at her opposite with satisfaction.
She then concentrated on eating her noodles until the bowl was almost empty. She then stopped and pushed the bowl of beef offal: "Really not going to try a bite?"
Chen Yanfeng: "Give it to me."
Guan Mi turned around to get new chopsticks.
He added, "Use your chopsticks."
Okay. She picked up a piece of beef intestine and gave it to him. "This is the best."
Shen Yanfeng reluctantly opened his mouth and ate. After that, she took a piece and he ate a piece.
It was a very relaxing lunch for Guan Mi.
After finishing the meal, it was still early. Guan Mi saw that he looked tired and asked, "Do you want to take a rest? You look like you haven't slept all night."
Shen Yanfeng said “hmm”: “Let’s go to the car.”
Back in the car, Guan Mi had just taken off her coat and folded it on her legs. She took out her phone to send a WeChat message to Guan Tang when Chen Yanfeng suddenly took off her coat, turned sideways and rested his head on her thigh, with his face against her soft abdomen.
The space in the carriage was limited, so he could only curl up his long legs in frustration.
She looked down at his chiseled profile: "Is it easy to sleep like this?"
"Hmm." Chen Yanfeng closed his eyes, rubbing his nose against the material of her clothes, his palm naturally reaching into the hem of her clothes, his voice low and hoarse: "You smell so good."
Guan Mi felt a little itchy because of him, and suddenly remembered the missing underwear, so he simply asked: "Did my underwear fall into your car that day?"
Shen Yanfeng opened his eyes and replied calmly, "Throw it away."
"Oh." Guan Mi was skeptical.
After all, this man had a criminal record; he had stolen her condoms.
Guan Tang was waiting for Guan Mi in the shade with an umbrella. When a black car drove towards her, she was still confused when she saw Guan Mi get out from the passenger seat.
"sister?"
Guan Mi quickly said to her: "The person in the car is my boss, you can't talk nonsense."
Boss? That's Mr. Shen... That's the handsome man who calls himself her "brother-in-law."
Guan Tang's eyes flashed with gossip, and he nodded with a smile, "Don't worry."
The two sisters sat in the back seat together.
As soon as Guan Tang came up, he greeted: "Hello, Mr. Shen."
Shen Yanfeng turned around and smiled gently: "Hello."
Half an hour later, the car drove smoothly into the parking lot of the Forensic Identification Center.
The process went much smoother than Guan Mi had imagined.
Shen Yanfeng had arranged everything in advance, with a dedicated receptionist to guide them, saving them from the tedious process. They went straight to the forensic doctor in charge of the appraisal.
Guan Mi submitted all of Guan Tang's medical records, the latest examination report, and the audio recording of the bullying process.
The forensic pathologist was a serious-looking woman in her forties. She carefully reviewed the case files and focused on asking Guan Tang about the number of times he was forced to sunbathe, the time periods, the duration of his exposure, and his physical sensations afterward.
Guan Tang's body trembled slightly. Every question was like uncovering an unhealed scar, which was extremely painful for her, so she instinctively wanted to avoid it. But when she raised her head, she met Guan Mi's encouraging gaze.
She took a deep breath, and finally spoke out those unbearable details, word by word, with difficulty but in full.
The entire inquiry and registration process lasted about an hour and a half.
Finally, the forensic doctor told them that the formal "Forensic Appraisal Opinion" would not be issued until tomorrow morning.
This was much faster than Guan Mi had imagined.
After Guan Tang went out to drink water, Guan Mi glanced at Shen Yanfeng, and Shen Yanfeng nodded.
She asked the medical examiner, "Does this constitute a criminal case?"
The medical examiner closed the notebook. "Based solely on the physical injury assessment criteria, there aren't any serious consequences beyond minor injuries. However, your sister is highly stressed and has a strong avoidance reaction. She also displayed obvious somatization symptoms during her description. We will accurately record this psychological assessment in the report. While we can't send her to jail, we can certainly file a lawsuit for compensation and an apology."
Guan Mi bit his lower lip unwillingly, "Okay, thank you."
Shen Yanfeng held her cold hand and said, "Let's go and send Guan Tang home first."
On the way back, Guan Tang remained silent, his head resting lightly on Guan Mi's shoulder, his empty eyes fixed on the back of the chair in front of him, as if all the strength had been drained from him.
Guan Mi slept with Guan Tang at home and woke up when it was dark.
She picked up her charging phone, opened it, and saw that Shen Yanfeng had sent several WeChat messages.
[Are you awake?]
[Will you come out to see me tonight?]
[I'm in your neighborhood, I'll come down as soon as I wake up.]
Knock knock—
"Xiao Mi, Xiao Tang, are you awake? It's time for dinner." It was Qiao Qiuying's voice.
"Come out when you wake up." Guan Mi responded and then woke up Guan Tang.
Guan Tang rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up. He saw Guan Mi had already put on her coat and was standing in front of the mirror, quickly tying her hair. "Sister, are you going out?"
"Well, I still have some things to take care of." Guan Mi turned around and adjusted his collar. "I may be back very late tonight. You go to bed first and don't have to wait for me."
Guan Tang blinked, his sleepiness faded a little, and he guessed softly: "Is he going to see Mr. Shen?"
"Um."
Guan Tang lifted the quilt, came to Guan Mi, raised his head and asked seriously: "Is he really not the new brother-in-law?"
Guan Mi lowered his eyes: "No."
She added, "That's impossible."
When Qiao Qiuying heard that Guan Mi was going out, she hurriedly asked what was going on.
Guan Mi gave the reason he had prepared long ago: "A few high school classmates organized a party. We haven't seen each other for a long time, so we went to sit down and chat."
It was rare for Qiao Qiuying to see Guan Mi out playing, so she smiled and said, "Go ahead, go ahead. It's time to get together with friends more often and have fun. Don't rush back."
Shen Yanfeng's car was parked downstairs. Guan Mi got on the passenger seat and asked while fastening his seat belt, "Where are we going?"
"Dinner." He said simply.
She lowered her head and entered an address into the car navigation. "Let's go here. I heard that this place has good Shanghainese food."
Anticipating the meeting tonight, she had already arranged a private room.
Shen Yanfeng glanced at her sideways, "Have you been there?"
"I haven't been there. I asked someone before going to bed this afternoon."
"Who did you ask?" He asked casually, holding the steering wheel.
Guan Mi turned his head, met his gaze, smiled faintly and said, "My high school classmate, a girl."
It was just after eight o'clock when we finished eating.
Neon lights flashed outside the car window. Guan Mi opened his phone as usual to check Chen Yanfeng's schedule. There was a summit in Beijing the day after tomorrow and Chen Yanfeng had to attend, so he had to go back tomorrow.
"Driving back?" she said in her work-related tone. "Or should I buy a high-speed rail ticket now? Or a plane ticket would be fine."
"drive."
"Okay." She turned off her phone and watched the traffic outside in silence.
Shen Yanfeng glanced at her and said, "I will go to school with you tomorrow."
"good."
After a while, he spoke again: "Are you worried that they won't be punished?"
Guan Mi forced out a somewhat weak laugh: "Apology, compensation, public criticism... that's probably it."
These frivolous treatments were simply unable to dispel the depression in her heart. She had thought about how much relief it would be if Xu Hongting and the others could also experience the humiliation and despair that Guan Tang had suffered.
A glint of cruelty flashed across Shen Yanfeng's eyes. He would let those who relied on their family background to bully the weak truly experience the feeling of falling from the clouds and having nothing.
"They will get their comeuppance."
Guan Mi looked at him and said nothing.
After this series of events, Shen Yanfeng's presence really made her feel at ease and secure.
The car slowly stopped at the traffic light.
Chen Yanfeng suddenly reached out, his warm palm covering the back of her slightly cold hand, his fingertips caressing the skin subtly.
"Where to next?" he asked in a low voice.
Guan Mi met his gaze, and after a moment of silence, he spoke softly, "I'm not going home tonight."
Shen Yanfeng's Adam's apple rolled, and he held her hand even tighter, with a dark current in his eyes.
"Okay." He turned the steering wheel and drove in another direction.
When they were still one kilometer away from the hotel, Guan Mi saw a convenience store ahead and asked Chen Yanfeng to stop the car.
Shen Yanfeng pulled over and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Wait for me here for a while," Guan Mi unbuckled his seat belt, pushed the door open, and then turned around and said, "I'm going to buy condoms."
She walked very fast, as if she was afraid that if she slowed down a little, she would change her mind.
Her mind was full of what might happen soon, and she didn't notice that the convenience store was right near Wen Li's home.
Shen Yanfeng got out of the car and leaned against the side of the car. He took out a cigarette box from his pocket, lowered his head, took out a cigarette and lit it.
The dim streetlights outlined his sharp jawline, and the smoke blurred his handsome eyebrows. He stared at Guan Mi's hurried back, his lips slightly curved.
Guan Mi walked into the convenience store and went straight to the shelf next to the cash register.
She bent her waist slightly and subconsciously reached for the style she often bought, but paused at the moment of touching it, and some overly clear memories suddenly emerged.
Under the cashier's gaze, her ears felt slightly hot. She quickly withdrew her hand and looked at the largest box next to her.
"Mom, um, I'm in the store. What are you buying?"
A cold voice filled Guan Mi's ears as the door opened. Her hand suddenly froze in mid-air, and out of the corner of her eye she saw a familiar figure walking from the door to the last row of shelves.
The sound continued, still clear even through several rows of shelves.
"I'm not going upstairs anymore. I have to hurry back over there. You can come downstairs and get it yourself later."
Wen Li took two bottles of vinegar for home use and was about to turn around to go to the cashier when he saw a slender figure flash by in his peripheral vision.
Then the door was pushed open and closed.
His head was still a little dizzy and he didn't realize anything was wrong.
"Give me three packs of cigarettes," he said to the cashier.
"Okay, okay." The cashier withdrew his puzzled look.
Wen Li was quite familiar with this cashier and asked casually, "What's wrong?"
The cashier laughed and said, "That customer was picking out—" He pointed at condoms. "As soon as you came in, she suddenly didn't want them anymore and ran away in a panic. Maybe she was embarrassed."
Wen Li didn't care. He paid the money and took the things out.
Until he saw a familiar hairpin on the ground at the door.
He bent down to pick it up, looked down, and then suddenly looked up straight ahead.
There was no one there except for a black car that had just driven away.
In the car.
Guan Mi put his hands in his pockets and stared at the windshield motionlessly.
"Seat belt." Shen Yanfeng didn't look at her, his voice was as cold as ice.
She came to her senses and quickly pulled the seat belt and fastened it.
"After school is over tomorrow, you take Guan Tang and come back to Beijing with me."
Guan Mi frowned slightly: "Why?"
"Why do you think that is?" Chen Yanfeng sneered, and finally turned his head to look at her, with frost in his eyes, "Do you still want to stay here, and next time you meet Wen Li, you will be so panicked as before that you even forget what you are going to do?"
Guan Mi tried to calm himself down: "Just now it was because I was not ready to meet him."
"Aren't you just afraid that he'll see you buying condoms?"
"Chen Yanfeng!"
Chen Yanfeng's eyes were sinister. "If you don't want to, I will personally visit your parents tomorrow."
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