She looked at Wei Chengan, wanting to ask why he hadn't made a sound when he arrived, as he had scared the living daylights out of her. But she only parted her lips; before any more words could come out, her mind plunged into darkness.
She had pushed herself to the limit, but seeing Wei Chengan caused the fear in her heart to dissipate instantly. Her grip on the wooden club loosened, and her body slowly began to slide to the ground.
Wei Chengan stepped forward and caught Chi Yin by the waist.
The person in his arms was utterly exhausted and unconscious. Wei Chengan stared at her, stunned, for a long moment before he seemed to make up his mind and scooped her up into his arms.
When she woke up again, Chi Yin discovered she was at the Police Station.
In the hallway, Chi Zhenggang sat with a dark expression, saying nothing.
Zhou Lanhua was slumped in a chair, her face buried in her hands, filled with regret and self-reproach. "Good heavens, what kind of sins have I committed to have birthed this beast..."
In the interrogation room opposite, Chi Qiang was frantically trying to clear Chi Yan’s name. "Comrade Police! You’ve arrested the wrong person! It’s true that Chi Yan asked He Liu to intercept Chi Yin last night, but it was only to beat her up and take the things she was carrying! If you don't believe me, go ask He Liu! Chi Yan is so timid she wouldn't even dare to crush an ant—how could she possibly order someone to rape Chi Yin? Isn't that just nonsense?"
"Chi Yin is right here, you should interrogate her properly! She’s just blowing things out of proportion to frame us! She’s the vicious one; ever since Chi Yan came to our house, she’s been picking on her at every turn. If it weren't for me, her older brother, protecting her, Chi Yan would have been killed by her long ago!"
Chi Qiang lunged forward like a rabid dog, and two officers couldn't hold him back.
Watching the frenzied, violent Chi Qiang, Chi Yin froze for a second.
So, Uncle had reported this?
But even if He Liu hadn't snuck back to violate her, was Chi Yan truly an innocent victim?
Chi Yan had ordered thugs to ambush her and teach her a lesson—what was so pathetic about that?
Of course, no matter what schemes Chi Yan employed, in Chi Qiang's eyes, she was always the one forced into a corner.
Only she, Chi Yin, was the vicious, calculating one.
Chi Yin raised her head, her gaze as cold as a winter gale as she stared at her own flesh and blood.
The tiny scrap of sibling affection Chi Qiang had left her by chasing off He Liu last night vanished completely in that moment.
Calling her a troublemaker, calling her vicious.
Fine.
She felt that if she didn't fully live up to the labels of "vicious" and "calculating," she would be doing a disservice to all this filth they’d dumped on her.
She walked to the doorway of the interrogation room and looked at Chi Qiang with a sneer. "Since you’re so tough, don’t wait until Chi Yan gets out of prison to come after me. Why don't you..."
Chi Qiang was nothing but a brute with more brawn than brains; wouldn't her words provoke him into leaping three feet high? He might just try to brute-force his way past the police.
Assaulting an officer in the line of duty: the punishment was four years in prison on the light end, and seven on the heavy.
However, before Chi Yin could finish her sentence, she saw someone emerge from the room next door. She reflexively turned her head and locked eyes with Wei Chengan.
Wei Chengan stood up, walked over to Chi Yin, grabbed her, and pulled her outside.
Wei Chengan was six-foot-three with narrow hips, broad shoulders, and long legs. He took long, decisive strides, and Chi Yin had to trot to keep up.
Once they reached the new rental, Wei Chengan released her and said, "I’ve already paid the rent. I need to work in the county for a while, and the commute is inconvenient, so I’ll be sharing this place with you. That way, you'll have less pressure."
Chi Yin was dazed. He’d saved her from the hoodlums and paid the rent—could it be that her uncle had been following her since she left the village last night?
Beside the well in the courtyard, Chi Yin scooped up water with a gourd dipper and used the corner of her shirt to dab the cool water onto her swollen skin.
Sensing someone approaching, Chi Yin looked up and saw her uncle standing right there.
Before she could react, Wei Chengan grabbed her wrist again and dragged her firmly into the house.
Chi Yin stumbled along until Wei Chengan pulled her into the room and pressed her down onto a wooden chair.
Wei Chengan produced a soda bottle from somewhere. Seeing the pale yellow liquid inside, Chi Yin guessed it must be medicated wine left behind by the landlord.
Medical facilities in the late eighties were not exactly abundant; it wasn't unusual for ordinary families to keep some medicated wine for bruises and injuries.
Realizing Wei Chengan intended to apply the medicine for her, Chi Yin said with some embarrassment, "Uncle, I can do it myself. You should go attend to your business."
Wei Chengan acted as if he hadn't heard. He unscrewed the cap, poured the wine into his palm, and rubbed his hands together vigorously.
For a brother-in-law to apply medicine to his sister-in-law—what kind of appearance did that give? Chi Yin quickly stood up, but just as she rose, Wei Chengan grabbed her arm and pressed her back into the chair.
Chi Yin’s face burned hot, and she hurriedly turned her head away. "Uncle, I can do it myself. It’s not like the injury is on my back or my head where I can't reach—"
The word "reach" died on her lips as Wei Chengan cupped her chin.
Good heavens!
Were soldiers all like doctors, completely indifferent to the boundaries between men and women?
When it came to saving someone or helping out, they didn't care about gender roles?
The moment the medicated wine touched her swollen, painful skin, a spicy, stinging sensation flared, and Chi Yin winced, her delicate brows knitting together.
Seeing this, Wei Chengan slowed his movements slightly. "Bear with it; it will be over soon."
Whether it was the sting of the wine or the force of Wei Chengan's hands, Chi Yin couldn't stop twitching. She looked up at him for help and said, "It’s okay, it’s okay, I can do it myself."
She waited two seconds, expecting him to let go so she could rub it herself, but instead, his tall frame loomed over her, and he blew a cooling breath directly onto the spot where he was rubbing the medicine.
Chi Yin: ...
She had forgotten the pain, but her face turned as red as a boiled shrimp.
The heart in her chest hammered against her ribs, pounding as if it were about to leap out.
Chi Yin swore she had no inappropriate thoughts about her uncle. Her racing heart and flushed face were purely a normal physiological stress response.
Yet Wei Chengan didn't just blow once; he blew several times before looking at her and asking, "Does it still hurt?"
Chi Yin’s body was rigid. It took her several seconds to choke out, "No, it doesn't hurt anymore."
Wei Chengan lowered his gaze to her palm-sized face. Her forehead was clear as jade, her dark brows curved like crescent moons, her lashes were long and thick, and her eyes were as clear as mountain lakes.
As he rubbed the spot, his fingers brushed against her lips, and a numbing, electric sensation spread through her entire body.
Wei Chengan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke in a raspy, gravelly voice, "Li Jiang is a comrade I’ve been through life and death with. If you have any trouble in the future, you can go to him."
"Okay, thank you, Uncle." Chi Yin felt horribly awkward, but her gratitude was sincere and from the heart.
"Li Jiang told me last night that you went to the police yesterday to report domestic violence. Where did he hit you?"
Chi Yin’s first reaction was to cover it up, but then she thought: Uncle is a soldier. Soldiers are all straight-laced men who don't play mind games. She decided to tell him the truth. "Your brother and I had a conflict. He tried to hit me, but he didn't land a blow. I went to the police mainly to get a receipt in case I needed it for an emergency."
Wei Chengan hesitated for a moment before probing, "The reason you want a divorce—does it have anything to do with my brother saving Chi Yan at the Minsheng Textile Factory?"