Chapter 500

Chapter 500

Reluctance

The doctor said she was fine, but there would definitely be aftereffects from the concussion. Jiang Xiaomeng needed more rest to avoid dizziness.

After hearing this, Lin Nannan knew what needed to be done.

On their way back, Lin Nannan noticed that Lu Hang had been silent since arriving at the hospital and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Lu Hang stopped in his tracks, frowned, and said, "I can’t put my finger on it, but something feels off!"

"Not right?" Lin Nannan was surprised. "What’s bothering you? The doctor or Jiang Xiaomeng?"

Their purpose for coming was to see Jiang Xiaomeng. Aside from her, it could only be the doctor they had just met.

"Jiang Xiaomeng," Lu Hang replied after a moment. "I don’t know if I’m overthinking it, but when you mentioned arranging for someone to take care of her earlier, I felt like she wasn’t willing!"

Lin Nannan thought back and said, "I didn’t notice that. It’s fine. When we go over later, we’ll see. If she refuses, we can just give her some money and let her make her own arrangements."

"Okay!" Lu Hang didn’t object but made a mental note of it.

Sure enough, when Lin Nannan told Jiang Xiaomeng what the doctor had said and offered to hire someone to care for her, she refused, sounding a little agitated, saying she wasn’t used to having strangers in her home.

No matter how much Lin Nannan insisted, Jiang Xiaomeng refused. Lin Nannan had no choice but to give in.

"Then you should be careful and let your neighbors know, so someone can check on you if you get dizzy," Lin Nannan said thoughtfully.

Jiang Xiaomeng nodded and said, "I understand. Don’t worry, Nan Nan. I can take care of myself."

Since she said so, Lin Nannan didn’t press further.

"By the way, since you can take care of yourself but not your brother, let’s go tell your big brother so he doesn’t worry."

Jiang Xiaomeng’s expression tightened for a moment before she replied, "No need to go through the trouble. I’ll go tell him later. He might still be getting an IV or a bandage change right now!"

"It’s no trouble. It’s just a few words. Besides, he’s been here for so long—how’s his recovery going? Is he ready to be discharged?" Lin Nannan asked.

"Not yet. The doctor said it’ll take a few more days," Jiang Xiaomeng answered uncomfortably.

Lu Hang suddenly spoke up from the side, "What kind of injury is it? Why is it so serious?"

Jiang Xiaomeng forced a smile and said, "I’m not really sure... He was just beaten up, I guess."

"Internal injuries, maybe?" Lin Nannan thought of an appropriate term and said it seriously.

Lu Hang let out a light chuckle but didn’t contradict her.

"Let’s go. You just finished eating—let’s take a walk to help with digestion!" Lin Nannan’s enthusiasm was infectious, and Jiang Xiaomeng eventually followed along.

As they approached, they spotted a man in black clothes hurriedly walking away through the door…

"Who was that?" Lin Nannan murmured.

Jiang Xiaomeng’s hands tightened slightly, and she instinctively explained, "Probably just a visitor from the next bed."

"Really?" Lin Nannan had only asked casually and didn’t pay much attention to her response.

As the three of them entered the room, the ward felt a little cramped. Lu Hang stepped aside and stood there, quietly observing the surroundings…

"Why are you here?" Jiang Xiaopeng greeted the three of them with a smile as they entered.

"I'm about to be discharged from the hospital, and Nan Nan-jie is worried I won't be able to take care of you, so she's arranged for the auntie to continue looking after you," Jiang Xiaomeng explained with a playful wink and a smile.

Jiang Xiaopeng replied uncomfortably, "That's not right. My issues are none of your concern. You've already done enough by arranging care for my sister and me. Once my sister is discharged, there's no need to worry about me anymore."

"Your sister still can't move around much, so she needs to recuperate properly. Just cooperate and let the auntie take care of you, so at least your sister won’t have to worry about preparing meals for you. She can rest properly at home," Lin Nannan said generously.

No matter how much the siblings resisted, they eventually agreed to Lin Nannan's arrangement.

Since they weren’t very familiar with each other, after chatting for a while and when they ran out of things to talk about, Lin Nannan and Lu Hang left first.

She said that when Jiang Xiaomeng is discharged the day after tomorrow, they would come to help.

Naturally, the Jiang siblings were reluctant, but Lin Nannan insisted, leaving them with no choice but to accept.

After Lin Nannan and Lu Hang left, the siblings looked at each other, feeling quite overwhelmed by everything.

"Brother, what should we do?" Jiang Xiaomeng said anxiously. "Lu Hang is here—he must be picking up Lin Nannan. If they really leave, we’ll miss our only chance. We won’t get another chance."

"She won’t give us the medicine!" Jiang Xiaopeng gritted his teeth. "The only way now is to take Lin Nannan with us!"

"How do we do that?" Jiang Xiaomeng wasn’t optimistic, thinking it would be easier to get the medicine than to take Lin Nannan with them.

"Someone will contact us. When the time comes, we’ll leave by water and prepare medicine that will incapacitate them. I’m sure they’ll be interested!" Jiang Xiaopeng said thoughtfully, his expression serious.

Jiang Xiaomeng worriedly replied, "But what if they betray us? Wouldn’t that put us in danger?"

Jiang Xiaopeng looked at her, frowning deeply. "If you’re scared, you should leave now. Otherwise, we have to be prepared to face any risk."

There’s risk in everything—running away won’t solve anything.

Jiang Xiaomeng was reluctant because she didn’t want to leave this place.

It’s tough living here, but she knew many people. If not for the fear of her identity being exposed, she’d have been happy to stay here forever on the inheritance left by her parents.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t. She had to leave eventually; she just didn’t know what the future holds.

"Brother, I’m not afraid of dying, but we’re not at that point yet. If you collaborate with others, we might manage to take Lin Nannan, but then we’ll face even greater risks. We’ll be used as pawns. Do you think that’s a worthwhile trade?" she anxiously voiced her concerns, which took Jiang Xiaopeng by surprise.

"Xiaomeng, we have no other options!" he said through gritted teeth.

Knowing she didn’t want to be separated from her brother, she asked reluctantly, "So what do you plan to do?"

"We need another plan to keep Lin Nannan!"

"What’s the point of keeping Lin Nannan? Lu Hang is here, and they’re deeply attached, always together. Keeping Lin Nannan means keeping Lu Hang too. We can’t even handle Lin Nannan alone, and now Lu Hang is here too. Do you think that’s realistic?" Jiang Xiaomeng asked in a hushed, frustrated tone.

Jiang Xiaopeng clenched his teeth. "No matter what, we have to stall until I’m out of the hospital!"

Jiang Xiaomeng stared at him intently, knowing he still refused to give up.

"You need to understand—delaying Lin Nannan means keeping Lu Hang around as well. Are you sure that’s feasible?" she asked gravely.

Jiang Xiaopeng said fiercely, "Then it depends on whether Lu Hang cares more about his wife or his child."

Jiang Xiaomeng’s eyes widened in shock. "The child is with the Lin family—there’s no chance they’ll allow the child out."

"Who says? We still have people. We should gamble everything—it’s not impossible to snatch the child from the lion’s den!" he said resolutely. "We won’t know unless we try, after all, we’re out of options."