The moment he spoke, the air seemed to grow colder.
"Sir," the soldier said in a low voice, stepping closer. "Is there... a problem with her?"
"This wound isn’t fresh. It’s darkened, and the blood has mostly clotted. I’d say she was cut at least half an hour ago."
Mr. Shen’s tone was calm, but his gaze grew increasingly grim.
"She’s only reporting it now, and she specifically sought me out? Who is she putting on a show for?"
He pressed forward a step.
"The edges of the wound are dry. The degree of scabbing matches the temperature and humidity. Blood wouldn’t dry this fast in this weather. She was wounded elsewhere and intentionally waited until now to show up."
"Girl, are you trying to stir up trouble, or are you here specifically for me?"
Song Yao’s back tensed, and a cold sweat trickled down her spine.
’Good heavens, this ready-made dad of mine thinks way too fast! There’s no fooling him!’
Seeing her bite her lip and say nothing, the soldier immediately understood.
"Take her down!"
The person who had been supporting her just a moment ago twisted her arm in the blink of an eye and viciously slammed her to the ground.
"Take her to the interrogation room and find out if she’s a spy planted by the enemy—"
Before he could finish, the girl on the ground suddenly hitched.
Then, she started to cry.
This outburst of crying stunned even Mr. Shen.
Song Yao cried harder and harder, tears and snot streaming down her face.
The eyes of the surrounding crowd focused on her, making her feel even more helpless and exposed.
"Didn’t that girl say she was attacked by thugs? Why are the soldiers pinning her to the ground instead?"
"Hey, what kind of way is this to handle things? Are they bullying a little girl?"
"Don’t talk nonsense. Would a soldier really do that? There must be a reason."
Mr. Shen: ...
The soldier in charge also felt awkward, a cold sweat breaking out on his temples.
He secretly glanced at Mr. Shen’s expression, then quickly looked away.
’But seriously, she gets spooked way too easily!’
Mr. Shen, holding back his frustration, took a deep breath.
He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, his composure had returned.
"Let her up. Stop holding her down. Take her back for questioning."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldier snapped to attention, saluted, and turned to make the arrangements.
Song Yao was pulled up again, her arm still aching terribly.
To avoid giving anyone reason to talk, the soldier quickly approached her, his tone exceptionally gentle.
"Miss, don’t be nervous. We’re not bad people. Let’s get you in the car first, we’ll put some medicine on that for you. If something really has happened, our unit will definitely see this through."
Sniffling, Song Yao looked up, glanced timidly at Mr. Shen, and asked in a small voice, "Will that stone-faced uncle... help me too?"
The soldier’s heart clenched.
’This girl is way too blunt!’
He froze, his heart skipping a beat, and instinctively looked toward Mr. Shen.
When he turned to look, he was stunned.
Mr. Shen was staring intently at her face, his gaze somewhat vacant.
Noticing his subordinate’s gaze, Mr. Shen snapped back to reality and tossed out a command in a low voice.
"Put her in my car."
With that, he turned and walked away.
The soldier was baffled.
He hesitated for two seconds, but ultimately followed the order and urged the others to move.
Song Yao had finally established a direct line to Mr. Shen.
Although she didn’t know what it meant, she knew her gamble had partially paid off.
But once she was actually in the car, her heart began to pound with anxiety.
This move was actually quite risky.
’All my ready-made dad has to do is a little digging, and he’ll immediately see through my fabricated story.’
She bit her lower lip, her fingertips digging into her palm.
’She quickly replayed her words in her mind, searching for any loopholes.’
’But it was too late to turn back now...’
She lifted her head, looking at the straight-backed figure in the front seat, and swallowed hard.
Just as the car started moving, Mr. Shen suddenly spoke.
"That was a bit of a scene back there. Sorry about that."
Song Yao cradled her injured arm and shook her head without a word.
After a long silence, she finally squeezed out in a low voice,
"Actually... you weren’t wrong. This wound... I didn’t get it at the station."
Mr. Shen’s brow twitched.
’A coincidence?’
’The thought had barely surfaced before he instinctively suppressed it.’
’Especially in a place like the border, where it’s hard to tell friend from foe and information is a mix of truth and lies.’
’He had to remain calm and not let his emotions sway him.’
"Then tell me, what really happened?"
The words had barely left his mouth when the girl’s tears started streaming down again.
Tears slid down her cheeks and dripped onto her collar.
Mr. Shen’s scalp prickled instantly.
That familiar sense of discomfort washed over him.
He had never been good at handling crying fits.
Especially when it was a young girl.
He feared this kind of situation more than anything else in his life.
He had been sitting ramrod straight, but now he couldn’t help but scoot a little to the side.
Even though he knew she wouldn’t pounce on him, he still instinctively adopted a defensive posture.
Hitching and sobbing, Song Yao began to speak in broken fragments.
"I... I wanted to secretly hop a train to run away."
Mr. Shen’s ears perked up. There was something to this.
Hopping a train was no small matter, especially on this line.
People who dared to do such a thing were either desperate with no way out, or had someone to rely on.
He quickly ran through the options in his head.
Judging by her appearance, she didn’t seem like someone who had been homeless for a long time.
More likely, she was the type who had fled suddenly, completely unprepared.
"Two days ago, I found out... my parents aren’t my real parents. My adoptive mother tried to force me into a marriage with an old bachelor for some bride price money! I refused and ran away that night. On the road, I ran into two men who said my birth father had sent them to find me. They saw the golden bracelet I was wearing... and then... then they kidnapped me..."
Hearing this, Mr. Shen’s mind suddenly buzzed.
’Not their biological child... a golden bracelet...’
He remembered very clearly, when his child went missing all those years ago, she had been wearing an heirloom golden bracelet on her wrist.
’And then there was the girl’s appearance...’
Mr. Shen’s hand clenched into a fist.
He dug his fingers hard into his own thigh, using the pain to keep himself clear-headed.
’Don’t be rash. Don’t let emotions take over.’
But the fact that he’d been searching for his biological daughter all these years was no secret at all!
At this thought, he forcefully suppressed the churning feeling inside him and steadied his breathing.
After doing so three times, his heart rate finally slowed a little.
Just then, he heard Song Yao cry out between sobs.
"I never expected it... they really wanted to kill me! My own father... actually sent people to kill me!"
After saying this, she broke into a violent coughing fit.
As soon as she said this, a loud buzzing filled Mr. Shen’s head!
It felt as if all the blood had rushed to his head in an instant.
He whipped his head around, staring at the girl beside him who was crying so hard she could barely breathe.
"Nonsense!"
He was even startled by his own roar.
Startled by his shout, Song Yao’s throat hitched, and she let out a short hiccup.
’Even though Mr. Shen was telling himself not to easily trust someone who had appeared out of nowhere!’
’It could very well be a trap set by hostile elements, a scheme specifically designed to exploit his desire to find his daughter and lure him in.’
But!
Looking at Song Yao’s face, there was indeed a slight resemblance in her features to his younger self.
And her tear-filled eyes were brimming with grievance and fear.
"You said you have a golden bracelet... can you let me take a look at it?"
Song Yao didn’t move. Instead, she shrank back, her back pressing tightly against the car door.
After a long moment, she finally spoke, her words halting.
"They... they saw the bracelet... and then... then they tried to kill me..."
Her reaction made Mr. Shen’s chest tighten uncomfortably.
Those men not only attacked her, they were after the token the child was carrying.
This matter was far from simple.