บท 78: 78
Pei Yujang couldn't shake the ominous feeling that something was wrong. And she was right. After the nurse left, Pei Yujang realized that no one had come to visit her. Even Pei Jinhai hadn't messaged her, making Pei Yujang wonder if she had somehow traveled to another timeline.
However, her body was still the same, so she could only conclude that both Pei Jinhai and Yu Zhiwan were upset with her.
As this possibility dawned on her, Pei Yujang's mind cleared, and she realized the severity of the situation. Yu Zhiwan being mad at her was one thing, but for Pei Jinhai, who doted on her so much, to be giving her the cold shoulder? That was a different matter altogether.
But she didn't think she had been hurt that badly this time.
Pei Yujang wasn't reckless; she was aware of her surroundings. She had already sensed movement behind her and stayed on guard. However, she couldn't completely split her focus, so she ended up getting stabbed.
When the person lunged at her with the knife, Pei Yujang had already dodged, letting the blade strike her arm instead of her waist. A wound on her arm was a far cry from one on her waist.
For Pei Yujang, this injury was relatively minor, especially considering it had saved so many lives. Otherwise, those people might have been taken to a dark factory, where their fate would have been uncertain.
Pei Yujang felt she had made a fair trade.
Of course, she understood that to those who hadn't experienced the situation firsthand, the mission seemed terrifying.
As soon as the first gunshot rang out in the darkness, some of the more timid people fainted on the spot. Pei Yujang didn't have time to save them. Some were knocked unconscious by tasers, while others were shot dead, resulting in casualties. But there was nothing she could do about that.
She had to focus on saving as many people as she could while drawing the attackers' attention away from the rest. Without her, the survivors might have been only a fraction of what they were.
Determined, Pei Yujang mustered the courage to message Yu Zhiwan. Fortunately, she didn't get the dreaded red exclamation mark indicating her message had been blocked, so Yu Zhiwan wasn't that angry.
Pei Yujang asked, "Are you at work right now?" adding a cute bear emoji at the end.
Since it was work hours at Yue Rong, Pei Yujang assumed Yu Zhiwan might visit her after work. But by lunchtime, Yu Zhiwan still hadn't replied.
Yue Rong's work hours were strict, and overtime required approval at the clock-in machine on the first floor. Yu Zhiwan wasn't the type to work overtime unnecessarily, so she must have been ignoring Pei Yujang.
After a while, Pei Yujang thought of Zhao Manlin. They had added each other as contacts before, but frustratingly, Zhao Manlin also didn't reply.
Pei Yujang mentally cursed Zhao Manlin.
Yu Zhiwan didn't have many friends—besides Zhao Manlin, there was only Ji Boss, and Pei Yujang hadn't added Ji Boss as a contact because she didn't like the Alpha's interest in Yu Zhiwan.
Bored out of her mind, Pei Yujang even messaged Jiang Wenxiu, sending her an emoji. Jiang Wenxiu replied with a question mark almost instantly.
Pei Yujang: "You have your phone in class?"
Jiang Wenxiu called her immediately.
"It's lunchtime! School lunch breaks are an hour and a half. What's wrong with checking my phone after eating?" Jiang Wenxiu explained before adding, "Hey, have you noticed no one's talking to you?"
Pei Yujang could tell Jiang Wenxiu knew something, so she quickly denied it, claiming Yu Zhiwan had chatted with her that morning and would visit her that afternoon.
Jiang Wenxiu burst into laughter. "Oh, come on, stop pretending. This morning, Zhiwan-jie told me not to talk to you!"
Jiang Wenxiu had grown less afraid of Pei Yujang, and when she wasn't being difficult, she was just a typical teenager.
"Pei Auntie also told me not to message you. But I'm soft-hearted, so I'll give you a heads-up. Pei Auntie and Zhiwan-jie are both really mad and said they wouldn't talk to you for a few days, so you'd be alone for a while."
Jiang Wenxiu struggled to hold back her laughter. "But don't worry, you'll get your chance soon. After you recover, you'll need to come to school, and then you'll see what's going on."
Pei Yujang was confused. Why would Jiang Wenxiu want her to come to school?
"But you're still trending! It hasn't dropped off yet. When you come to school, I wonder if people will ask for your autograph. You're a celebrity now, big sis."
Jiang Wenxiu emphasized "celebrity" with a hint of envy and pride. At her age, it wasn't uncommon to admire heroes.
In any case, the authorities in Yicheng had acknowledged the recent disappearances, even though the police hadn't made much progress. Still, they had publicized the issue.
Now that Pei Yujang had helped solve the case, saving people from abduction, she had become a well-known figure in Yicheng, even gaining national recognition.
Overnight, Pei Yujang's following increased by tens of thousands, and it continued to grow, surpassing one million followers—more than some celebrities.
She had already gained a following from her live streams and her daring rescue of Chen Lulu atop the tower. That night, her popularity skyrocketed, overtaking the announcement of two third-tier celebrities' marriage.
Pei Yujang checked the trending topics and saw she was still hanging on at the bottom of the list. Some praised her, while others shared edited screenshots of her live stream, promoting her on social media, which made her chuckle.
But what comforted her was that people were also discussing the recent rise in human trafficking cases and the need to raise awareness about scams, especially for women, advising against excessive sympathy for strangers.
Some bloggers questioned whether these criminals were after more than just scams, wondering why they targeted specific individuals and what their ultimate goal was.
Pei Yujang wanted to go online and like the post, but it had already been taken down when she tried.
Sometimes, the authorities were very effective at silencing discussions. If not for that, Pei Yujang wouldn't have risked going live during the operation.
Yu Zhiwan was a woman of her word. She said she wouldn't visit, and she didn't—neither did Pei Jinhai, who didn't even message her.
Alone, Pei Yujang handled her discharge, called a driver to pick her up, and returned home. Seeing the familiar, well-decorated villa, she felt a wave of nostalgia and greeted the gardener enthusiastically.
But something felt off when she entered the living room.
Pei Jinhai's villa was a duplex with three floors. The first floor was the common area, the second housed the study, gym, and bedrooms for her and Fan Zhaozhao, as well as Jiang Wenxiu's room. Pei Yujang had a separate room on the third floor.
The family wasn't big on pets, but Pei Yujang noticed a small silver-gray kitten with some tabby markings lying on the newly laid carpet on the stairs, staring at her with wide eyes.
"Meow~"
The kitten wasn't shy, trying to climb down to her but struggling due to an injured leg. Pei Yujang noticed the kitten didn't look like a purebred pet. Was someone fostering it?
Hearing the noise, Jiang Wenxiu rushed out of her room on the second floor, wearing headphones. She hurried to the kitten, calling out, "Beibei, don't move!"
"Is this your cat?" Pei Yujang asked.
Jiang Wenxiu scooped up the kitten, cradling it in her arms and soothing it. The kitten meowed affectionately at Jiang Wenxiu.
"My classmate found it. She can't keep it, so I'm watching it for a few days while she finds it a home."
No one in the house was allergic to cats, but Jiang Wenxiu didn't plan to keep it since she was busy with school and the others were at work.
Pei Yujang wasn't interested in adopting a cat either, but she was curious. "Where does it stay?"
Before Jiang Wenxiu could answer, Pei Jinhai, who had been in the house on a rare day off, responded, "The third floor."
Yu Zhiwan also emerged, carrying a cup of tea. She was now in her recovery phase, where she needed to walk and exercise her legs. Pei Yujang recalled the doctor's advice about this being the right time for Yu Zhiwan to start moving around more, doing simple exercises like walking up and down the stairs.
But seeing Yu Zhiwan chatting and laughing with Pei Jinhai, Pei Yujang felt something was off.
Yu Zhiwan wasn't very social and usually only spoke to Pei Jinhai about work. It was rare to see them together so casually.
Pei Yujang knew Pei Jinhai saw Yu Zhiwan as her daughter-in-law, but Yu Zhiwan was usually distant with most people, not very eager to socialize.
Now, watching them get along so well, having just come from the mini bar that Pei Jinhai had installed in the house, Pei Yujang felt a twinge of unease.
Pei Jinhai asked, "What should we have for dinner tonight? Red wine and steak or Thai food? I'm craving curry shrimp. We had it at that restaurant before, and it was pretty good."
Yu Zhiwan thought for a moment. "Let's have Thai food then. It's been a while since I had it. I'm also craving volcano ribs."
Listening to their conversation, Pei Yujang felt a sense of exclusion creeping in.
Perhaps it was because Pei Jinhai had been so kind to her since she arrived, showering her with the warmth of motherly love she had never experienced before. This made Pei Yujang feel a deep connection with her, even considering her as a mother figure.
Feeling a rare pang of sadness, Pei Yujang suddenly gasped in pain.
Pei Jinhai immediately became concerned. "What's wrong?"
Despite her resolve to remain distant, Pei Jinhai couldn't hide her worry. Seeing her daughter in pain, she quickly approached.
Pei Yujang shook her head, assuring her it wasn't serious. "It's my arm—it hurts. Maybe it's a side effect."
"But wasn't your arm healed? How could there still be side effects? I thought it was just a minor injury…"
Pei Jinhai frowned, her worry evident. She walked over, concern etched on her face. Pei Yujang felt bad for causing her so much worry and signaled to Yu Zhiwan for help. But Yu Zhiwan averted her gaze, clearly unwilling to get involved.
Pei Yujang waved her arm, saying it felt better now and that the pain had been momentary.
Pei Jinhai sighed in relief but still looked at her with a mix of frustration and fear. "You really need to be more careful. Don't be reckless next time."
Her mother's gentle concern warmed Pei Yujang's heart, but she remained firm in her beliefs. "I wasn't reckless. I wouldn't let myself get seriously hurt. But I saved all those people, and that's worth it, right?" Pei Yujang looked at her seriously, adding, "It was worth it."
She had always been stubborn in this regard, balancing the scales her way. Even if those around her worried and got angry, it was only temporary—they wouldn't stay mad at her. Pei Yujang didn't think she had done anything wrong.
Seeing the resolve in her daughter's eyes, Pei Jinhai didn't argue. She gripped Pei Yujang's hand firmly, her gaze equally resolute. Her voice was calm, carrying the warmth and understanding of a mother, and after a moment, she gently patted Pei Yujang's head.
"I know it was worth it, and you did the right thing."
Pei Jinhai rarely showed such affectionate gestures, and Pei Yujang had once thought it was because she was older and Pei Jinhai was shy. But over time, she realized Pei Jinhai was uncertain about her own feelings, which made her hesitant.
"But no matter how many people there are, even if there are thousands, none of them are more important than you. Do you understand? You can decide how you want to act in the future, but that's how I feel as your mother."
Pei Jinhai's gentle touch comforted Pei Yujang. Pei Jinhai was shorter than her daughter and had to make Pei Yujang bend down to embrace her. She stood on tiptoe, pressing her forehead against Pei Yujang's, her voice soft and reassuring.
"But no matter what you do, I will always support you. That's my duty as a citizen."
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