Chapter 150: If You Want to Fight, Then Fight

"Did Xiao Shu kidnap you?"

Aunt Qin’s body swayed, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. "Are you okay, A-yao? I heard Xiao Shu talking on the phone, and it sounded vaguely like he was going to deal with someone. Wasn't it you?"

"It wasn't me." Jiang Yao was startled, and suddenly something burst open in her mind.

The one in trouble wasn't her; it was Jin Nana.

Jin Nana was her younger sister, after all, and from a distance, their figures were indeed somewhat similar.

Moreover, on that night, Jin Nana had also appeared at Spring Breeze Ten Miles.

Could it be that the other party was aiming for her, Jiang Yao?

With anxious fingers biting at her nails, Jiang Yao immediately dialed the police hotline. "Hello, I want to report a crime."

"You can't call the police!" Aunt Qin grabbed Jiang Yao, crying in a tone that was practically a plea, "A-yao, you can't call the police. If you call the police, Xiao Shu is finished."

"If I don't call the police, he'll truly be finished!" With unprecedented force, Jiang Yao shouted at Aunt Qin, "Do you know the kind of person he kidnapped? It's the young lady of the illustrious Jin family, the very Jin family that wields immense power! You had better pray he hasn't done anything yet, because even if the law spares him, the Jin family won't let him go!"

Aunt Qin was clearly shaken. Staring blankly at Jiang Yao, she finally loosened her grip, leaving only silent tears.

With cold sweat oozing from her tightly clenched fists, Jiang Yao spoke into the receiver, "I believe I have information to provide regarding the disappearance of Jin Nana, the eldest daughter of the Jin family. Please come to Hope Snack Bar. The address is..."

The police arrived swiftly, and their investigative efficiency was high.

No matter how clever Chen Shu was, he was still just a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy. Under modern investigative techniques and means, he was simply no match for the police.

Before long, Chen Shu and the two other peers who had helped him abduct Jin Nana were located by the police.

Amid the wailing sound of police sirens, Aunt Qin knelt on the spot, watching helplessly as her youngest son was taken away, her eyes so hollow as if she would never see the light again.

Jiang Yao stood quietly behind her, not knowing how to comfort her.

Aunt Qin had lost one son.

And now, she was about to lose another.

Right now, Aunt Qin probably despised seeing her, Jiang Yao, more than anyone else.

"Miss Jiang, thank you for providing the lead."

Jiang Yao steadied herself. "May I ask if Jin Nana has been found?"

"She has been found."

"How is she?" Jiang Yao asked eagerly.

The police officer’s gaze darkened slightly. "Rest assured, her life is not in danger, but..."

"But what?"

"She is quite seriously injured, both physically and psychologically. She has already been sent to Huaian Hospital."

Jiang Yao thanked the officer, hurriedly hailed a taxi, and sped straight to Huaian Hospital...

At Huaian Hospital, the lights of the operating room remained brightly lit.

A large crowd waited anxiously outside the doors of the operating room.

Panting, Jiang Yao rushed over just as the doors of the operating room swung open.

Jin Nana was wheeled out of the operating room. Her eyes were tightly closed, her face pale, and she was still unconscious. Where was there any trace of her usual cute and proud demeanor?

Mrs. Jin wiped away her tears, running alongside the group of doctors and nurses toward the ward, continuously calling out Jin Nana's name.

"Nana, open your eyes and look at Mom."

The doctor who performed the surgery on Jin Nana had been specially arranged by He Huaian, and he was exceptionally polite to members of the Jin family.

"Mrs. Jin, please rest assured, the surgery was very successful. As for the rest..." The doctor hesitated, leaving his words unfinished. "In short, I hope you can spend as much time as possible accompanying the patient. At a time like this, what she needs most is the companionship of her family."

Jiang Yao stood outside the ward, listening to the doctor's words and the weeping from inside.

She gently leaned her body against the cold wall, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Tears instantly and silently slipped down.

It turns out that true heartbreak is truly this quiet.

When she opened her eyes again, a familiar figure had appeared before her.

He Yingqing had appeared by her side at some point, silently handing her a tissue.

Jiang Yao took the tissue, but unconsciously crumpled it tightly in her palm. "You know what, He Yingqing? It's because of me again."

He Yingqing looked at the tear stains lingering on her small face, raised his hand to gently wipe them away, and then leaned against the wall beside her. "The one who truly harmed Nana is me."

"No, you don't understand," Jiang Yao said weakly. "Chen Shu was originally coming after me. The person lying in there should have been me; it was Nana who endured all of this in my place. You don't understand, I would rather have been the one lying in there than see her suffer such harm!"

"That night, I should have gone back to look for her," He Yingqing said quietly.

Jiang Yao smiled, a smile laced with heartbreak and derision toward fate. "You and I together caused this tragedy. We have wronged her; we are both sinners."

"A-yao, you can't blame yourself for this. You didn't know about it; you're a victim too."

"Is that so? Am I really not to blame? What if I had contacted the police the very moment I realized something was wrong with Chen Shu? What if I hadn't fallen ill and fainted? What if I had just stayed put at Spring Breeze Ten Miles...?"

"A-yao!" He Yingqing gripped her shoulders. "Calm down. That wasn't your fault."

"How can I calm down? I've hurt someone again, He Yingqing. Why am I always dragging others down? Furthermore, the person lying in there is my..."

The unconscious person inside was her own biological sister.

He Yingqing gently wrapped his arms around her, his large hand soothingly stroking her hair. "It's alright, A-yao, it's alright now. The mistakes we've made, we will make amends for them together."

"Alright? What do you mean it's alright?!" Mrs. Jin's voice rang out.

Jiang Yao raised her head and saw Mrs. Jin's grief-stricken and venomous face.

"How do you plan to make amends this time? Can you afford to fix this?" Gritting her teeth, Mrs. Jin suddenly raised her hand and slapped Jiang Yao hard across the face.

Jiang Yao took the full force of the slap without dodging.

Instead, He Yingqing stepped in front of her to shield her.

"He Yingqing, for the sake of your father, I won't hit you. Step aside."

He Yingqing showed no intention of retreating. "You can hit me, but don't hit her."

"Fine, what a fine He Yingqing! Nana truly misjudged you!"

Jiang Yao pushed He Yingqing aside. "Aunt Jin, if you want to hit me, go ahead."

"Hit you? Will hitting you make your conscience feel better?" Mrs. Jin's tears burst forth once more. "But who can make *my* heart feel better? Seeing Nana lying in there feels as though someone is carving the flesh from my bones!"

"Hit you? Will beating you make everything undone? Will Nana get better? Do you know that when she was found, she had already lost a leg, and her body was bruised, bloody, and lying in filth with her clothes torn? If she hadn't been found in time, she probably would have lost her life long ago."