Chapter 73: Because Such People Are Not Worth It

“But in the end, once things calm down, to be honest, it all depends on Tang Yu and her family’s attitude. Even if Tang Yu refuses to settle privately, that girl named Meng won’t get a real sentence. First, even if it’s proven that she hired someone to do it, she wasn’t the one who actually did it. Second, she’s a minor. Third, Tang Yu’s injuries are only minor. No matter how hard we push, at most she’ll be detained and educated by the police for a dozen days before being released.” Qin Mingyu’s words were harsh, but they were the truth.

No matter how furious they felt, under the current laws, Meng Shirui would never face a punishment that felt just.

Streetlights outside cast shifting shadows through the car window, flickering across the man’s face.

The boy sat half-enshrouded in darkness, his profile blurred and indistinct. Qin Mingyu assumed he’d finally fallen asleep after the exhausting day, but the moment a call came through, he opened his eyes at once and answered.

“What’s happened to Xiaoyu?”

The call was from the caregiver. He immediately sat up straighter and asked, while signaling for Qin Mingyu to drive faster.

Qin Mingyu accelerated as he heard Bian Yang reply, “I’ll be right back. Thank you for your trouble.”

After hanging up, Qin Mingyu asked, “Is Tang Yu awake?”

“Not yet.” His brow remained furrowed; she was sleeping restlessly.

The caregiver said that ever since he’d left, she’d been trapped in nightmares, restlessly muttering a single name with a desperate sense of insecurity.

The caregiver had heard her call his name and so dialed his number.

Qin Mingyu exhaled, cursing that wretch in a low voice, “Even if she’s a minor, I’ll find a way to get her a record. The law protecting minors is supposed to protect victims—why should she walk away unscathed? I’ll make sure her name is nailed to the pillar of shame!”

Bian Yang’s voice was chillingly low, “If you do evil and aren’t punished, you never realize you’ve done wrong. Leaving her with a record is only the first step. I want her to taste what it’s like to be utterly powerless.”

By the time they returned to the hospital, it was already eight o’clock.

Bian Yang got out of the car and hurried straight to Tang Yu’s ward.

Three bottles of IV fluid hung at the bedside. She lay there in blue-and-white striped hospital pajamas, her forehead slick with sweat that wouldn’t dry—a sheen like shards of floating ice, ready to sink beneath the surface at the slightest touch.

Bian Yang took the towel from the caregiver and gently wiped her face and neck.

“No…don’t…”

She seemed caught in an inescapable nightmare. Sweat beaded on her nose, her whole body tense, her wounds on the verge of reopening.

In her dream, she saw Meng Shirui, demonic, pick up a knife and stab it into Bian Yang’s body.

Bian Yang collapsed in a pool of blood.

No matter how she screamed his name, she could not draw any response.

“Bian Yang!”

She jerked awake, gasping for breath.

Bian Yang quickly came to her side, taking her hand. “Xiaoyu, it’s all right. Take your time. Don’t worry, you’re safe now.”

He repeated these words over and over, his voice rough with emotion, until Tang Yu’s empty gaze gradually found its focus.

She stared at Bian Yang before her—whole, unharmed—for a long moment. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Bian Yang…”

The words rasped out, sanded raw by terror.

“I’m here,” he said.

“Can I…hold you for a moment?” Tang Yu’s voice caught.

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, soaking into the pillow. She was simply too afraid—afraid that this, too, was only a dream.

Bian Yang bent to embrace her. She reached out, wrapping her arms around his neck first, burying her face in his chest. Her burning tears seemed to sear right through him.

He dared not hold her too tightly, fearing he might touch her wounds. His hands gently supported her upper body, all the while making sure the IV line wasn’t backing up.

Her back was soaked with sweat, the hospital gown stuck damply to her skin—she must have been unbearably uncomfortable.

“It’s over now, Tang Xiaoyu. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

He spoke each word with slow, deliberate care.

Tang Yu unconsciously tightened her grip around his neck, trembling slightly in his arms.

“Don’t cry.” His heart ached as if being torn open.

He raised his hand and stroked her back, slow and gentle, as if she were a fragile treasure made of glass.

She nestled against his chest, frail as a kitten, her voice hoarse, “I’m not crying.”

Bian Yang pressed his forehead to the hollow of her neck, his breath growing heavy. “You can choose not to cry, but if you’re sad, angry, or afraid, you must tell me. If anything hurts, you have to tell me.”

Tang Yu’s nose stung unbearably. Her slender fingers clutched his shirt. “Am I…too weak?”

“Tang Xiaoyu, you are not weak. There are a hundred places in you that are brave. Even if you showed weakness just once, that too is courage. Just having you here before me, safe and sound, is more than I could ever hope for.”

Bian Yang drew a deep, shuddering breath and forced down the bitterness in his chest. “Don’t worry. I won’t let Meng Shirui get away with this.”

Tang Yu’s body stiffened. She lifted her head from his chest. “So it really was her.”

She gave a bitter, self-mocking smile. “No matter what I do, I still can’t escape.”

“She will pay the price she deserves,” Bian Yang’s gaze was dark as night.

Even if he had to use unorthodox means, he would make Meng Shirui regret ever crossing the line.

Tang Yu pressed her parched lips together and shook her head. “The law can’t touch her—she’s still a minor.”

She’d called the police before, but nothing had ever come of it; it was always written off as a quarrel between classmates.

Plus, with the Meng family’s connections, Meng Shirui could continue to strut about as if nothing had happened.

Bian Yang cupped her cheek, his thumb lightly stroking her face, his eyes dim, “I’ll find a way.”

A shadow flickered across his gaze. Tang Yu sat up straight in his arms, immediately sensing his changing mood. She gripped his shirt tighter and said at once, “Bian Yang, don’t do anything foolish. Someone like her isn’t worth it!”

“Wait a little longer, give me one more chance…” Tang Yu lowered her head, biting her lip hard. “A chance to defeat her fair and square. Just give me a little more time…”

“Give her more time to hurt you?” Bian Yang’s tone was as cold as his expression. “I won’t give her that chance.”

“Bian Yang…”

She was about to speak when a knock sounded at the door.

The nurse opened it, saw who it was, and turned to Bian Yang for instructions.

Bian Yang adjusted the bed, adding another pillow behind Tang Yu, then draped a jacket over her thin shoulders. Despite everything, she still looked so frail.

When he turned and saw the Meng couple, his expression instantly darkened. “Get out!”

“Wait.” Tang Yu, enduring the pain in her abdomen, pushed herself upright with one hand on the bed.

Bian Yang looked down at her. Tang Yu gripped his shirt, giving a small shake. “Let them in.”

The Mengs had met Tang Yu before.

She’d called the police before, but had never been injured this badly. Afterwards, her parents had accepted money, and everything had been swept under the rug.

Meng’s mother glanced around the private room, inwardly sneering. Country bumpkins, she thought. They must expect us to pay for everything, so they pick the most expensive options.