章 8: 008 My sister is a princess!
Xia Yourong's meticulously crafted smile instantly froze.
Moments later, she twisted her eyebrows pitifully, "Is my sister still mad at me because of what happened yesterday? It was just that I saw mom faint and panicked; it wasn't intentional... Just like today, as soon as I heard the good news, I came right away to congratulate my sister~"
No matter how eloquently she spoke, Xia Ye didn't even glance at her and even yawned a few times.
With the older sister's overjoyed and gloating expression, there must be some trickery involved, or perhaps her fiancé is fat, with an IQ of 29, and a face full of big moles.
Regardless of his looks, her elder relative had no interest whatsoever.
It's good she came; it was the perfect opportunity to clarify things.
**
By noon, Xu He had completed the hospital discharge procedures.
Not a single person in the entire hospital noticed that Xia Ye had sneaked out to the bar last night.
But it wasn't their fault; who would have thought that such a frail, pitiful little girl, just saved from the brink of death, would climb out of a window late at night to go to a bar?
Moreover... her room was on the third floor!!
Before leaving, the medical director looked over Xia Ye's medical record, then called Xu He and Xia Yourong into his office specifically to advise them, "Being confined in a closed space, not interacting with the outside world, can impact the psyche, especially since she was kidnapped at three years old. After she's discharged, she might exhibit symptoms like withdrawal, refusal to communicate, resistance to physical touch..."
"Sister, your skin is so nice~"
The director had barely pronounced half a syllable of "condition" when he glimpsed Xia Ye in the corridor outside the window, "flirting" with a nurse.
Not only was she interacting effortlessly with others, but she also touched the nurse's face with a calm and easy physical contact.
The director's lips twitched slightly, "Well... even though she appears fine outwardly, it's all the more reason to be vigilant. In any case, if she exhibits some abnormal behaviors, you must be patient, coax her gently, and help her gradually adjust to her new life. Treat her as you would any normal person, do not stereotype, and definitely don't agitate her, to avoid worsening the situation..."
Xia Yourong shivered, thinking to herself, isn't this just another way of saying she's mentally ill?
She really didn't want to live under the same roof as such a person!
Though it was a small-town hospital, the doctors were all very diligent and gave many instructions, which Xu He appreciated deeply.
She decided then and there to donate several large medical devices to the hospital once they returned.
**
The ride home was not as anxious as the ride to the hospital had been.
Prioritizing safety, Wang Dahai drove for over six hours before they finally returned to Capital City.
Once they entered Capital City, the scenic mountains and rivers seen through the car windows were replaced by tall buildings.
As evening fell, lights in countless homes lit up.
In the glowing lights of thousands of homes, the human world felt warm and alive.
Xia Ye looked out the window.
Compared to her last visit to the human world, it seemed to have become much more prosperous.
And that was only in the span of a few decades.
Upon entering the city, Wang Dahai received a call from the boss, Xia Yuzheng.
Xia Yuzheng had booked a private room at Godear to welcome them.
Godear was one of the top high-end Western restaurants in Capital City, with an elegant environment, and naturally, the average cost per person was frighteningly expensive.
When Xia Ye and her group arrived, Xia Yuzheng was just downstairs smoking.
The man, past his fifties, had streaks of white at his temples, yet he still carried an air of grace, and his sharp eyes held a steadiness that came with the years.
He had never touched cigarettes or alcohol before, but he picked up these habits after Xia Ye went missing.
Usually, it was manageable, but whenever work got busy, he smoked fiercely.
"Husband, you're smoking again!"
Upon hearing his wife's voice, Xia Yuzheng instinctively stubbed out his cigarette and turned around. The moment he did, he immediately noticed Xia Ye.
His fingers, snuffing out the cigarette butt, paused.
Looking at his daughter, whose face he had once known so well but now seemed slightly foreign after 14 years, myriad emotions welled up in his heart.
In just a few seconds, his eyes misted over.
He stepped toward Xia Ye, about to lift his hand, but then he noticed the bandages peeking from the sleeves and legs of his daughter's clothes.
His heart clenched tightly.
Xia Yourong forced a smile, "Dad, if you feel bad, mom will feel bad too. Besides, my sister just came back, don't scare her."
Xia Yuzheng then reined in his emotions, pausing briefly, "Let's go inside first, we can talk and eat."
As they walked inside, Xia Ye detoured to the restroom.
Xu He glanced around, "How about him?"
Their eldest son, Xia Tiao, and youngest son, Xia Xian, were abroad and would take days to return, but their second son, Xia Xing, who was competing in Hai City, had mentioned in the group chat that he could return today.
Xia Yuzheng responded, "Ah, he just called me, saying he'll be here soon."
Meanwhile, at Xia Ye's end.
Walking out of the restroom and washing her hands in the public area, she overheard a few waiters whispering outside.
"Did you hear? The Xia family's daughter, who was lost for 14 years, has come back! Apparently, she was abducted by human traffickers to a village, ah, that's just too tragic!"
"The two young girls who just came in, which one was abducted by traffickers?"
"Can't you tell? Obviously, it's the one in the yellow jacket! She's so thin, clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition!"
"Really? I think the one in the yellow jacket looks prettier and more elegant, almost like a princess..."
Before he could finish, a very pleasant and magnetic male voice suddenly broke in from behind.
"Take out 'almost', my sister, is a princess!"
The waitresses paused for a few seconds, but as they recognized the man, they burst into an irrepressible scream of excitement and awe!
——*——*——
ps: Number one sister adorer: Beloved esports megastar goes online!
-- 贈り物
が届きました 
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット