Chapter 556: A Piece of My Heart Went Missing

Chapter 556: A Piece of My Heart Went Missing

Zhe Jing's eyes showed a hint of helplessness.

He knew that as soon as Jin'er woke up, she would want to see Madam Fang.

"Don't worry, Madam Fang is fine, still sleeping. We are now in the west city residence, where the Bai family is temporarily staying."

Seeing that he had diverted her attention, Jin'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She had already recognized this place, so she knew that last night, Miss must have taken them away from the Shen family.

When she was unconscious, she vaguely heard some things and faintly knew that there had been yet another standoff with the Shen family.

"Is Qingluo okay?"

Zhe Jing, seeing that she only cared about others, reached out and pinched her face: "She's fine. You're still worrying about her. She was mistaken for you, who can cook, and was taken away by Madam Fang's people. She only got a few needle pricks on her hands. Otherwise, she would have been the one to suffer the whipping."

Hearing this, Jin'er was overjoyed: "That's good, it's a good thing she was taken away."

If Qingluo had suffered the same fate as me, it would have been terrible.

Zhe Jing was at a loss with his beloved, but who made him fall for such a silly girl.

"At a time like this, you're still thinking of others, Jin'er, think about yourself for once."

Think about myself?

Jin'er thought about her injuries and remembered the despicable guards from last night, and then recalled how she felt at that moment.

She was really afraid that she would die and never see Miss and Zhe Jing again...

There were so many things she wanted to say to them, so many things she wanted to do with them.

Gradually, that feeling from that moment surged back into her heart, and Jin'er couldn't help but grasp Zhe Jing's hand.

"I was really... so scared I’d never see you again..."

As her tears fell, Zhe Jing also seemed to suddenly return to the moment last night when he first saw her. It was as if he had been locked in an endless night, his whole body cold as if soaked in icy water. The sky wouldn't lighten, the water had no end, it felt like walking the endless road to the underworld. How he endured it, now thinking back, was unbearable.

He was also afraid.

Afraid that something would happen to her, afraid that the world would lose a girl named Jin'er, afraid that all the future he had imagined for them would vanish like a mirage.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Zhe Jing held Jin'er's hand in both of his, unable to resist lowering his head, his forehead touching their hands. "Jin'er, I will never let you face danger again."

Jin'er, with teary eyes, stared at the young man, and slowly, she also pressed her forehead against his: "Okay."

Her soft reply suddenly made Zhe Jing feel the warmth of her forehead, and he finally began to emerge from that endless cold night, his mind gradually calming.

Jin'er's heart stirred.

She felt as if a piece of her heart had been stolen, but she quickly shook her head.

How could a piece of her heart be stolen?

Soon, her little face wrinkled like a bun again. Although she didn't want Zhe Jing to worry now, and didn't want to bring up the matter of applying medicine again, she was really in pain all over.

Her attention shifted to the medicine box beside her, wishing she could slather pain-relieving medicine all over her body right then.

Zhe Jing quickly realized she was in pain. Just as he stood up to search for the medicine box, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Jin'er, are you awake?"

Su Youyue's voice came from outside.

But Zhe Jing's ears were sharper, immediately discerning that there were several others. He glanced at Jin'er, placed the medicine box by her bedside, and then quickly moved behind the curtain.

Jin'er responded, "Miss, I'm awake."

Su Youyue had just woken up and came straight to Jin'er, meeting Zhe Ying and Qingluo on the way, so they arrived together.

She asked first because she knew Zhe Jing should be here with Jin'er; it wasn’t to call Jin'er but to alert Zhe Jing.

But upon hearing that Jin'er was already awake, a look of joy lit up her face, and she rushed in.

"Miss!" Jin'er couldn't sit still upon seeing her, struggling to get up.

Su Youyue stopped her, "Jin'er, don't move."

As soon as she spoke, Jin'er obediently lay still, only her round eyes darting around.

Su Youyue approached, lifted the gauze on Jin'er's arm, and inspected the wound. Seeing it wasn't festering and assuming the other wounds were similar, she sighed in relief, "You're recovering well. As long as you don't get a fever in the next couple of days and rest properly, you'll be fine."

Jin'er nodded, her eyes glued to Su Youyue's face, as if afraid to miss even a moment.

Su Youyue saw the medicine by the bed, opened it, and recognized it as high-quality medicine that Zhe Jing had found. She scooped out some ointment, warming it in her palm, and then sent Zhe Ying out first, preparing to apply the medicine to Jin'er.

Unexpectedly, Jin'er hesitated, "Miss... could we wait a bit..."

Su Youyue immediately realized that Zhe Jing was still in the room. A smile flickered in her eyes, and she nodded, only applying the medicine to the wound on Jin'er's arm.

"We'll apply the rest after breakfast."

Qingluo came over, looking at Jin'er's wounds, her eyes filled with guilt, unable to speak.

Jin'er remembered Zhe Jing mentioning Qingluo's injured hand and looked at it.

Seeing the dense needle marks, Jin'er's heart ached, "Qingluo, how could they do this to you!"

Qingluo, seeing Jin'er in such a state yet still caring for her, burst into tears, "Jin'er, I'm fine. It should have been me who received the whipping from the Shen family's second young master... I told them you were the one who could cook, but they just wouldn't believe me..."

Jin'er, seeing her cry, quickly comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay. It's a blessing that one of us escaped. Otherwise, both of us would have ended up like me."

Qingluo shook her head, "If it weren't for my lady and Jin'er willing to help my Miss seek revenge and come to the Shen residence, we wouldn't have to endure such humiliation and suffering every day."

Thinking further, she felt despair.

If it weren't for my lady bringing Ah Ying, who's so skilled, and if it were just me and Miss in the Shen residence, what could we have done in the face of last night's events? What way out would we have had?

It would have been a death sentence.

Su Youyue suddenly grasped Qingluo's wrist, "Why are you blaming yourself for Shen Yuanfeng's mistakes?"

Qingluo was stunned, looking at her.

Su Youyue looked into her eyes, "Close relationships don’t need to keep score on everything. If we must blame someone for last night's events, blame Shen Yuanfeng, blame the Shen family. If you feel sorry for Jin'er, curse the Shen family a few times in front of her, let Jin'er vent her anger. That's better than blaming yourself and making her feel sorry for you."

In close relationships, if everything is so clearly accounted for, it can harm the harmony.

Emotions are inherently about feeling. If you're too rational, it's not really emotion anymore.

Hearing her words, Qingluo's eyes gradually widened.

Was she now also a close person to my lady and Jin'er...

Jin'er beside her nodded vigorously, "Yes, Shen Yuanfeng is insane, heartless, cruel, despicable, shameless—worse than a beast, a wolf in sheep's clothing, utterly devoid of conscience!"