In the hospital, Lu Zelei, dejected, delivered bad news to Nangong Shanshan.
"The butler was taken away by the procuratorate."
"What! How could they take the butler away?"
Bad news piled up, one after another.
Nangong Shanshan felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Aside from her father, the butler was the person she trusted the most. Now that he had been taken away, she didn't know if he would reveal anything.
"Shanshan, did you hire someone to harm Tang Xiaomin? I don't care what people are saying outside. I only want to hear it from you. Tell me."
Nangong Shanshan denied it without a second thought.
"I didn't."
"This is clearly Tang Xiaomin trying to smear me, aiming to distract from her harming our child. You must not be fooled by her."
Nangong Shanshan, aggrieved, clutched Lu Zelei's hand.
"My father is gone, and now the butler has been taken away. You're the only one I have left. If you don't believe me, you should have let me jump off the building and die then."
The mention of Nangong Shanshan's suicide attempt still left Lu Zelei with lingering fear.
Just then, the hospital room door was pushed open, and several prosecutors in uniform walked in.
The moment Nangong Shanshan saw them, she clutched her head.
"Lu Zelei... I feel so dizzy, Lu..."
Nangong Shanshan's eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
"Shanshan, what's wrong!"
"Shanshan!"
...
"Doctor! The patient has fainted, doctor!"
Lu Zelei cried out in panic.
Soon, a group of medical personnel in white coats rushed into the room. They glanced at Nangong Shanshan's eyelids before immediately transferring her to the emergency room.
The prosecutors exchanged bewildered glances. They hadn't even had a chance to question her before this happened.
After more than an hour, the doctor emerged to speak.
"She is out of danger for now, but her body experienced trauma before, and now with the shock, it's highly possible to cause uterine bleeding. She must remain in the ICU for observation."
Lu Zelei's face was grave. He asked tentatively, "Doctor, is she in any life-threatening danger?"
"If she experiences severe uterine bleeding and it's not treated promptly, it can be life-threatening, which is why she needs to be in the ICU. Life is very fragile; it's best to be cautious."
A prosecutor nearby asked, "Can we go in to question her?"
The doctor shook his head.
"After losing her child, she was overcome with grief and had an emotional breakdown. It's best to wait until her condition stabilizes before questioning her, otherwise, any emotional turmoil could lead to complications."
The doctor's implication was clear: you can question her, but if you upset her and something happens, you'll be responsible.
Thus, the prosecutors had no choice but to leave empty-handed.
Lu Zelei hadn't anticipated Nangong Shanshan ending up like this. He had planned to rise to prominence through her, but now Nangong Shanshan's situation was deteriorating. He was certain this all had something to do with Tang Xiaomin. He decided this could not continue. But what could he do?
One day, Lu Zelei drove his car and staked out the university entrance.
In the afternoon, Tang Xiaomin, carrying a backpack and wearing her school uniform, walked and laughed with a few girls, exuding youthful energy. Yet, this seemingly harmless person was actually hot-tempered and ruthless.
Lu Zelei, wearing a mask, stopped Tang Xiaomin.
"Tang Xiaomin, let's talk."
Upon seeing Lu Zelei, Tang Xiaomin was initially surprised. Then, she remembered him barging into her home and smashing things. She had been fast asleep from sleeping pills and hadn't witnessed it herself. In her past life, Nangong Shanshan had bribed this man to smear her, ruining her reputation. Tang Xiaomin remembered both the old and new grudges.
"There are too many people here. Let's find somewhere less crowded."
Tang Xiaomin didn't give Lu Zelei a chance to refuse and walked ahead. She led him across a street and into a quiet alley where they were alone, a place people rarely frequented.
"Tang Xiaomin, let's talk here."
Where Lu Zelei couldn't see, Tang Xiaomin smiled faintly.
"I heard you smashed my living room. Should you give me an explanation for that?" Tang Xiaomin said coldly.
Lu Zelei's heart sank, and he immediately became agitated.
"Then how do you explain taking the life of my child?"
"Heh."
Tang Xiaomin couldn't help but scoff.
"Which eye of yours saw me harm your child?"
"Only you and Shanshan were in the photography studio at the time. If it wasn't you, did she harm the child herself?"
Tang Xiaomin desperately wanted to tell Lu Zelei that Nangong Shanshan had harmed her own child. But she knew he wouldn't believe her even if she said it. Tang Xiaomin didn't want to waste words on him. She casually threw her backpack on the ground. She cracked her knuckles, a cold smile curving her lips.
*Slap!*
A slap sent Lu Zelei sprawling to the ground. Before he could react, she kicked him hard. He had obviously come to settle scores with her, implying he intended to hit her. So why should she be polite?
...
Three minutes later, Tang Xiaomin brushed some dust off her sleeves. A meter away from her, Lu Zelei was curled up on the ground, his hands protectively shielding his face, terrified of it being ruined. His white shirt was covered in shoe prints. Severely beaten, he let out pained whimpers. If it weren't for how miserably he had treated Nangong Shanshan, Tang Xiaomin would have beaten him to death long ago.
After sending a video to Lu Zelei's WeChat, Tang Xiaomin picked up her backpack. As she left, she said to Lu Zelei, "I've sent the evidence to your phone. Watch it yourself."
Tang Xiaomin left. Lu Zelei remained curled on the ground for a long time before painfully struggling to get up.
"Tang Xiaomin, may you die a terrible death!"
Lu Zelei's entire body ached as if it would kill him. During Tang Xiaomin's assault, he had heard a cracking sound. If he guessed correctly, his ribs had been broken by Tang Xiaomin. At this moment, apart from his face, there wasn't a single part of him that wasn't injured.
He picked up his phone, which had fallen earlier, and dialed for an ambulance. Every movement sent a jolt of excruciating pain through him, as if his bones were breaking.
While waiting for help, Lu Zelei opened the video Tang Xiaomin had sent. Suddenly, his eyes widened. When he saw Nangong Shanshan in the video, looking terrified and hysterical, confessing that she had deliberately aborted the child, it felt as if lightning had struck his mind, leaving him completely blank. After the heartbreak came an overwhelming rage.
"Why!"