DO NOT VOTE!!
•••
Chapter 211: Hu Jiaojiao Gets into Trouble
Translator: Exodus Tales
Editor: Exodus Tales
Once again, Cheng Yi helped Jian Yiling answer the question, "There's no need for Mr. Yunnao to be polite. Dr. F.S's treatment is fee-based. The price is public. We do deceive or swindle anyone. It is fair and sincere treatment. If Mr. Yunnao feels grateful, you can consider paying more when you settle your accounts."
There was no point in being too courteous. Since he had the opportunity, he might as well ask for some more money.
After all, it doesn't cost much to say thank you.
"Mhmm, definitely," Jian Yunnao immediately replied.
This had been a matter that Jian Yunnao had already discussed with his father and his brother.
If his operation was successful, they would definitely give a big thank you to Dr. F.S.
Cheng Yi added, "In addition, Mr. Yunnao, if your hand gets better, I hope that you can look at things calmly with an even-temper. Please do not harbor resentment and grudges. Furthermore, even if something bad happens, do not give up on hope. Please remember that there are people around you who care about you."
"I understand," Jian Yunnao replied again.
As of now, he had hope for the future. He wouldn't continue to bash his head against a brick wall. He wouldn't be full of hatred anymore.
A little while later, the medical examination was over. Jian Yiling left the room.
Jian Yunnao was left alone for quite some time. After a while, someone entered the room and removed his blindfold. They took him back to his ward.
Jian Yiling had confirmed the condition of Jian Yunnao's hand. She also went to check up on the condition of Qin Chuan's mother.
Following this, Jian Yiling spent the entire afternoon in the laboratory.
Other than the time that she spent talking to Cheng Yi about Qin Chuan's mother's condition, Jian Yiling spent the rest of her time trying to recreate the anti-scar cream that she had previously made.
For now, she needed to conduct clinical trials for the cream. After such trials, she could obtain clinical data to apply for approval. Then, she could apply for a patent.
###
On Saturday, Hu Jiaojiao went to attend tutoring. The location of the tutoring center was ten minutes' walk from her home.
It was already dark by the time Hu Jiaojiao left.
As soon as she left and turned into an alleyway, a bag fell from the sky. Then, it was secured over Hu Jiaojiao's head.
"Ah!!!" Hu Jiaojiao cried out. She started to shriek from the sudden turn of events.
It was pitch black in front of her. She couldn't see anything.
Then, she felt someone drag her deeper into the alleyway.
Hu Jiaojiao sensed that there were quite a few people around her. The actions of those people were rough and violent.
She didn't want to be touched by people she didn't know. Fear penetrated to her bones.
"Help! Help!" Hu Jiaojiao cried out. Her entire body trembled with fear.
Instinctively, Hu Jiaojiao began to scream. She struggled as if her life depended on it. She wanted to get away from these people.
However, her attempts did not cause the people around her to even bat an eye.
Although Hu Jiaojiao couldn't see anything, she could feel that someone was touching her arm. They were dragging her.
"Ah! Let me go!"
Hu Jiaojiao cried out again. She shuddered and wept.
She had mustered all the strength that she had.
However, she still couldn't get away from the people around her.
The people around her had touched her hands, her arms, and even her neck.
Hu Jiaojiao was engulfed in fear. She shrieked like a madwoman. Her voice was becoming hoarse from screaming.
For the first time in her life, she had felt such panic and despair.
In her attempts to get away, she had heard a man's voice. His voice made her nauseous.
"Stop struggling. Who let you be friends with someone like Jian Yiling? Serves you right."
His voice seemed to be ridiculing her. It seemed as though he was mocking her for making the wrong choice.
Hu Jiaojiao hadn't given up struggling. However, her struggles were negligible.
•••
Chapter 212: 'Hero' Luo Xiuen Saves Damsel in Distress
Translator: Exodus Tales
Editor: Exodus Tales
At that moment, Hu Jiaojiao was overwhelmed by fear, humiliation, and despair. Those feelings were swallowing her alive.
However, an abrupt voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"What are you guys doing? I'll bash your heads together!"
It was a woman's voice. Her voice was strong and powerful.
As soon as they heard her voice, the people around Hu Jiaojiao stopped what they were doing.
Then, the sound of fighting followed.
Hu Jiaojiao listened to the screams of the people who had captured her. There was the sound of objects hitting the wall of the alleyway.
One after another, the men howled out in pain.
Finally, the man who had been holding onto Hu Jiaojiao's hand had also been pulled away.
Immediately, Hu Jiaojiao removed the bag that had been placed on her head. She collapsed on the ground out of fear.
When Hu Jiaojiao looked in front of her, she saw several thugs lying on the ground. Their hands and feet had been tied up and they were all crying out in pain.
"Are you okay?"
After Hu Jiaojiao removed the bag that was on her head, Luo Xiuen realized that the girl that was getting harassed was one of Jian Yiling's classmates.
Luo Xiuen took off her trench coat and wrapped it around Hu Jiaojiao's trembling body.
Hu Jiaojiao who was on the other end of this kindness stared at Luo Xiuen in a daze. After a moment, she suddenly broke down and started crying.
Upon hearing her cries, Luo Xiuen became furious again. She turned her head around and walked towards the three thugs.
Once again, she delivered a series of kicks and punches.
"Sister, please spare my life... Please..."
"Sister, we didn't plan to do anything to her. We just wanted to scare her for a bit..."
"We know we did the wrong thing. We were just planning to teach her a lesson. Even if you didn't arrive, we would have soon stopped."
The thugs on the ground desperately begged for mercy. They kept explaining that their intention was only to scare Hu Jiaojiao. They hadn't planned to really do anything to her.
They were just ordinary thugs. The only thing that they could do was scare people. They didn't dare to do anything else.
Furthermore, they had accepted this task because they thought it would be quite simple.
It was just scaring a little girl.
After scaring her for a bit, Hu Jiaojiao would definitely stay away from Jian Yiling.
"Spare you? Are you kidding? You bastard! You weren't thinking about mercy when you were harassing someone! And now, you dare to ask for mercy?! Bah! Are you not ashamed of yourself? I'm so disgusted by you guys. In fact, I think I'm going to throw up the food I had from last year's New Year's Eve Dinner."
Luo Xiuen spat at the three of them before she stomped down on one of them again. She aimed for his vulnerable parts.
Just enough force to make sure that she doesn't kill them, however, enough to make them suffer.
She had to make sure that they would never forget the pain.
Furthermore, Luo Xiuen didn't discriminate amongst the three. She stomped down on the other two as well.
At that moment, the three of them rolled around on the ground in pain. Tears streamed down their face and they took sharp breaths of pain. The pain made them unable to scream.
Luo Xiuen still didn't think that the punishment was enough. However, when she heard Hu Jiaojiao's sobbing, she decided to comfort the little girl first.
Luo Xiuen wasn't very good at comforting people. However, she still tried her best, "Don't be afraid. Sister is here for you. They won't harass you again. I remember you. You're Yiling's classmate, right? Do you still remember me?"
Whilst sobbing, Hu Jiaojiao nodded her head.
She still remembered Luo Xiuen.
Luo Xiuen continued to attempt to comfort Hu Jiaojiao, "Don't worry. I'll handle this matter today. You don't need to be scared anymore. I'll make them regret their actions!"
•••
Chapter 213: A Small Friendship (1)
Translator: Exodus Tales
Editor: Exodus Tales
Hu Jiaojiao continued to sob whilst nodding her head.
She was utterly terrified.
Not long after, police sirens could be heard. After that, the police quickly arrived in the alleyway. Luo Xiuen had helped Hu Jiaojiao call the police.
Luo Xiuen carried Hu Jiaojiao in her arms and got into the police vehicle.
Luo Xiuen was around 1.7 meters tall. Her body was incredibly muscular as well. As a result, she had no trouble carrying Hu Jiaojiao.
Whilst carrying Hu Jiaojiao, Luo Xiuen unconsciously said, "Wow, you're really Yiling's desk-mate. You're both so light. It wouldn't be a problem for me to carry the two of you and run a marathon."
Of course, in terms of size, Jian Yiling was even smaller.
With her arms and legs, it was even difficult for Jian Yiling to climb into a car.
Then, Luo Xiuen took Hu Jiaojiao and went to the hospital. She wanted the hospital to check whether or not Hu Jiaojiao's injuries were serious.
As for the thugs, they had all gotten arrested.
As soon as Jian Yiling heard about the news from Luo Xiuen, she rushed to the hospital.
Hu Jiaojiao's body was covered with bruises. She had gotten them whilst she struggled to get away from the thugs.
Furthermore, her eyes were red from crying. Until now, her body was still shuddering.
Hu Jiaojiao wasn't a courageous girl in the first place. As a result, the incident had a profound impact on her.
When Jian Yiling arrived in the ward, there were two police officers in the room that were taking Hu Jiaojiao's statement.
Hu Jiaojiao sobbed as she recounted what had happened to her.
For her, that experience was incredibly painful and frightening.
Jian Yiling heard Hu Jiaojiao say that when she had gotten harassed, the thugs had said something along the lines of "Serves you right for being friends with Jian Yiling."
From this, Jian Yiling could deduce that the person who directed the thugs to attack Hu Jiaojiao tonight was after her. She was the one who got Hu Jiaojiao involved in all of this.
This was something that Hu Jiaojiao didn't need to go through or experience.
From Hu Jiaojiao's voice and cries, Jian Yiling could feel the despair and pain that she had gone through.
However, Jian Yiling didn't know how to comfort someone. She didn't have much experience doing such a thing.
However, at the same time, Jian Yiling felt as though she should say something.
"I'm sorry," Jian Yiling said slowly.
She felt that she was responsible for what had happened to Hu Jiaojiao.
Saying 'sorry' didn't do much in such a situation. However, that was the only thing that she could think of to say to Hu Jiaojiao right now.
As Hu Jiaojiao had recounted her experiences just then, her emotions were in a mess. Her entire body shook as she sobbed.
She didn't respond to Jian Yiling's apology.
When Jian Yiling saw Hu Jiaojiao crying in front of her, she felt that she shouldn't stay for any longer.
It was likely that as of this moment, Hu Jiaojiao didn't want to see her face.
Just as Jian Yiling turned around to leave, Hu Jiaojiao suddenly reached out and grabbed her.
As her hand had gotten grabbed, Jian Yiling turned around and looked at Hu Jiaojiao.
There was confusion and surprise in her eyes.
Although Hu Jiaojiao's voice still trembled, her hand firmly gripped Jian Yiling's hand. She refused to let go as she spoke:
"I... I was really scared. But I knew that it wasn't my fault. I also knew that it's not your fault either! I... I didn't want to cave in and listen to those bastards! Like why? Why should I listen and do what they want me to do? I won't do that! I want to be friends with you! I don't want to listen to their wishes!"
It was true that such an event was directed at Jian Yiling. They didn't want Jian Yiling to be friends with Hu Jiaojiao.
However, Hu Jiaojiao wasn't going to listen to them! She didn't want to follow their wishes.
Those people were at fault. Jian Yiling hadn't done anything wrong.
Although Hu Jiaojiao was incredibly scared, she still understood the entire situation.
Jian Yiling stared at Hu Jiaojiao's hand that was holding onto hers. She didn't know how to respond.
This was the first time that Jian Yiling had held hands with someone else.
Such a feeling... It was strange. Yet it was also wonderful.
•••
Chapter 214: A Small Friendship (2)
Translator: Exodus Tales
Editor: Exodus Tales
However, the thing that Jian Yiling knew was that she didn't dislike such contact.
"You don't need to apologize," Hu Jiaojiao continued. "You're not the one who is trying to harm me. Why are you apologizing? It doesn't make sense. I'm very scared... Very scared and angry! However, you didn't do anything wrong! Therefore, there's no reason for me to be angry at you!"
Hu Jiaojiao was quite emotional as she spoke. As she had just been crying, her voice still shook.
"Thank you." Jian Yiling said. As those two words came from Jian Yiling's mouth, they carried extra weight.
Hu Jiaojiao shook her head. Her eyes were red and puffy from her tears. "It's not your fault in the first place. You don't need to say sorry, nor do you need to say thank you!"
Luo Xiuen came in just in time to see the scene unfold before her eyes.
Jian Yiling was standing beside the edge of the bed. Her small stature and her chubby white cheeks made Luo Xiuen want to pinch her face.
Hu Jiaojiao who was lying on the bed looked slightly bigger than Jian Yiling. However, compared to Luo Xiuen, the two girls were tiny.
The two little girls were holding hands whilst speaking.
Luo Xiuen smiled as she walked in. There was a pile of stuff in her hands.
Luo Xiuen had gone out to do some shopping for Hu Jiaojiao. She had bought some items that were needed for everyday use and also a midnight snack.
As she knew Jian Yiling was going to come over as well, Luo Xiuen had also bought an extra share.
"Yiling, you should eat this as well. Intaking a reasonable amount of energy is good for your health. You won't put on weight."
Following which, Hu Jiaojiao and Jian Yiling both ate some snacks that Luo Xiuen bought.
After Hu Jiaojiao replenished some of her energy, her mood finally stabilized.
Then, Hu Jiaojiao stared at Luo Xiuen. There was gratefulness and admiration in her eyes. "You're... You're amazing..."
Last time, Luo Xiuen had thrashed the delinquents that had been bothering Jian Yiling. Back then, Hu Jiaojiao had already felt that Luo Xiuen was amazing.
However, that feeling today was even stronger.
"You don't need to be polite to me. It's not a big deal. Furthermore, you're Jian Yiling's friend. That means you're my friend as well. Let's exchange contact details in a bit. If you get into trouble next time, just call me!"
Luo Xiuen's words gave Hu Jiaojiao a sense of security.
Although Hu Jiaojiao felt slightly bad for encroaching on Luo Xiuen's kindness, she still agreed with the idea. It made her feel incredibly relieved.
And thus, the two of them exchanged contact details.
After spending some more time with Hu Jiaojiao, Luo Xiuen and Jian Yiling left the hospital.
On the way downstairs, Luo Xiuen said to Jian Yiling, "By the way Jian Yiling, I've questioned those thugs for you. They saw the offer on the dark web. However, they don't know the person who posted the information. It's not easy to verify and track down information on the dark web. However, I'll get someone from the institution to contact a computer expert for you. I'll make sure that we figure out who's behind this. I'm ready to bash their heads in."
It was quite difficult to find a computer expert who excelled in tracking down information on the dark web. As a result, Luo Xiuen had yet found relevant information regarding the person who posted the offer.
As they spoke, Jian Yiling's phone rang.
When Jian Yiling took out her phone, she saw that she didn't recognize the number.
Jian Yiling hesitated for a moment before she decided to answer the phone.
There was a young man's voice that came from the other side of the phone.
"Yiling, it's your brother Huo Yu."
Jian Yiling held the phone in silence for a moment: "..."
"No way, don't tell me you don't remember me."
"I remember."
Huo Yu was Jian Yuncheng's friend. As of right now, he was working in Jian Yuncheng's overseas gaming company."
In his high school days, Huo Yu had visited the Jian family several times. As a result, he had previously met the Jian Yiling from the original novel.
"Yiling, why don't you call me Brother Yu? If you do that, I'll let you know some news. Do you want to know?"
•••
Chapter 215: Brother and Sister are Both Heartless
Translator: Exodus Tales
Editor: Exodus Tales
Upon hearing Huo Yu's words, Jian Yiling decisively hung up the phone.
Not long after, her phone rang again. It was the same number again.
Once again, Jian Yiling answered.
"Yiling, why are you even more heartless than your brother? All I wanted was for you to call me brother. Is it that difficult?"
Huo Yu said grudgingly.
Jian Yuncheng and Jian Yiling were both heartless.
How much did he owe the two siblings from his past life?
As he didn't want his phone call to be hung up once again, Huo Yu hurriedly explained the reason behind his call:
"Yiling, I'm not messing around with you. This is serious. Just then, I saw a post on the dark web that was related to you. Someone was offering ten thousand dollars to bully your desk-mate! They wanted your desk-mate to learn her lesson. Furthermore, they wanted her to avoid you in the future. Also, just to clarify, these are the exact words in the offer! I haven't changed anything!"
"Of course, I've checked the IP address of the person who posted the offer. I've sent the information to your phone. Furthermore, I've also deleted that post."
When it came to these things, Huo Yu was a professional. He could handle such things in a matter of minutes.
Huo Yu's actions surprised Jian Yiling.
She knew that Huo Yu was a computer expert. However, she never would have thought that he would have been the one to take action on such a matter.
Jian Yiling paused for a moment before she said, "Thank you."
Just a while ago, Jian Yiling and Luo Xiuen had been discussing this matter. They wanted to find the person who had posted such an offer on the dark web. Huo Yu had sent her the exact information that she needed.
"No worries. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"That's good. If anything happens to you, your brother would kill me! For the sake of my life, please take care of yourself."
If he didn't deal with such matters in a timely fashion, it was possible that Jian Yiling would get into trouble. If that were to happen, Huo Yu felt that his death was not far away.
"Mhmm."
Jian Yiling promised. Then, she hung up the phone again.
Sure enough, Huo Yu had sent a text message to Jian Yiling.
The message contained an address. It also contained information about the family that lived there.
Luo Xiuen leaned over to read the message.
"Qiu Liyao? Who's that?"
"Chairman of Shenghua High School."
If the IP was Qiu Liyao's residential address, then it was simple to figure out who was behind such actions.
"What? Your school's chairman?" Luo Xiuen cried out. "Let's go. I'll go beat up that bastard!"
Luo Xiuen was furious. Whenever she got annoyed, she wanted to hit something.
Even if she couldn't bash them to death, she still didn't want to hold her anger back.
Jian Yiling held Luo Xiuen back, "Let me deal with it."
Jian Yiling's tone was firm and her expression appeared rather serious.
Hu Jiaojiao's incident was not a trivial matter. Although it did not have serious consequences, it still did not mean that it was something that could be easily dismissed.
Luo Xiuen looked at Jian Yiling for a moment before she replied, "Okay."
Although she was concerned about this matter, Luo Xiuen believed in Jian Yiling. She knew that Jian Yiling had the ability to handle things on her own.
They were colleagues. In their research institution, they had to trust their colleagues. It was impossible to cooperate if the trust didn't exist.
"However Yiling, you have to perform surgery tomorrow afternoon."
If Jian Yiling planned to deal with the matter right now, there was a chance that her surgical operation tomorrow would be delayed.
"I know," Jian Yiling replied.
However, she still had to deal with this matter first.
"Okay. Please watch the time."
Luo Xiuen replied. She respected Jian Yiling's decision.
After that, Luo Xiuen headed home.
Before Luo Xiuen left, she told Jian Yiling that if she needed her for anything, she should call her.
Then, Jian Yiling got into the car that had brought her to the hospital. She asked the chauffeur to bring her back home.
On the way home, Jian Yiling started to compile some information.