Shen Moran placed the last book on the empty ground before her. She frowned as she watched Sun Heng, who was busy working opposite her. She could not understand what this woman was thinking. Sun Heng insisted on sticking close to her, occasionally making pointless small talk that made Shen Moran feel very uncomfortable.
She looked around for something else to do, intending to take Su Nian and leave early. There was nothing to stay for here.
Her phone had been buzzing constantly. Shen Moran took it out to check and saw that it was another partner from the law firm, beating around the bush about today’s events.
Shen Moran did not want to lie. Just as she hesitated about how to explain it to her boss, she heard Sun Heng calling her.
“What are you doing?” Sun Heng sauntered over, stood beside Shen Moran, and tilted her head to look at her phone. She spotted the name of the sender and asked, “Are you still replying to your boss while you are out having fun? You are too hardworking.”
Shen Moran nodded. “Work matters must be handled properly. In our profession, one has to be on standby twenty-four hours a day.”
Sun Heng hummed and said, “It is very hard for employees. I was managed quite strictly when I worked for others, but things got better after I became a boss myself.”
“Not everyone can be a boss.” Shen Moran replied to her boss with a few simple sentences before tucking her phone into her pocket. She looked around and realized Su Nian was nowhere to be seen, so she frowned and asked, “Where is Niannian?”
Sun Heng was also taken aback. She scanned the plaza but could not find her, and not only was Su Nian gone, but Sang Nian was missing too.
“Do not worry.” Sun Heng said to Shen Moran, “They probably just ran off to play somewhere. Sang Nian might have taken her to another part of the grounds.”
Shen Moran frowned. “We should still look for them. I have to go back later to handle some matters, so I need to leave early.”
Although Sun Heng felt a pang of disappointment, she knew feelings could not be forced. She could always arrange another outing, and she had plenty of patience; there was no need to rush.
“Alright.” Sun Heng smiled. “I will go look for them. Once we find them, we can say goodbye to the headmaster and head home.”
Shen Moran stood up. “I will go with you.”
The orphanage was small, consisting of only a few buildings. Sun Heng asked the security guard at the gate, then came back and told Shen Moran, “The guard says he did not see Sang Nian and Su Nian leave, so they must still be inside.”
Shen Moran grew anxious, frowning as she asked, “Then where could they be? We checked the dormitory and other areas, and they do not have their phones with them.”
Seeing Shen Moran’s face darken, Sun Heng leaned closer and said, “Shall I go to the broadcasting room and call for them?”
They were already standing very close to each other, but as Sun Heng leaned in, they moved even closer. Shen Moran could smell a clean, chilly fragrance on Sun Heng, like cold air during a cold wave, carrying wind, frost, and snow, yet it was inexplicably pleasant.
Sun Heng felt a momentary daze and asked in a low voice, “What kind of perfume are you wearing?”
Before Sun Heng could finish, Shen Moran’s eyes lit up. She hurried forward, glaring at two little figures standing on top of the small bungalow, and clenched her fists in anger.
So, they had climbed onto the roof!
“Su Nian!”
Shen Moran shouted the girl’s name with full force. Su Nian, who had been laughing with Sang Nian, was startled to hear her sister call her name. She turned her head, saw Shen Moran walking toward them with a menacing aura, and felt her mind go blank.
“Sister?”
Su Nian did not know what she had done wrong, but seeing Shen Moran arrive in a few steps and glare at her from the ground, she felt terrified. Shen Moran shouted sternly, “Are you becoming so bold that you are climbing onto roofs now? Who told you to go up there? Come down this instant!”
Shen Moran was ferocious. Her angry reprimand scared not only Su Nian but Sang Nian as well. Sang Nian had grown up in the orphanage with a sense of inferiority, and being so young, she had never been scolded like this. She took a step back in fear. The roof was usually empty, but it was cluttered with debris; Sang Nian tripped over a brick as she stepped back, lost her balance, and felt the ground vanish beneath her feet.
Before she could react, her vision began to blur. She realized she was about to fall from the roof.
In the split second of the fall, time seemed to slow down. Sang Nian saw Su Nian’s wide eyes and heard a scream from somewhere, but she could not react, letting her body plummet from the heights.
Shen Moran had only meant to frighten Su Nian, but she had not realized Su Nian would be unaffected while Sang Nian would be so scared. She watched as Sang Nian tripped over a brick and fell from the second-floor platform. Shen Moran rushed forward without a second thought to catch her, only to find someone else was a step faster.
Sun Heng pushed Shen Moran aside, spread her arms, and caught Sang Nian in her embrace.
With a heavy thud, Sun Heng was pulled to the ground by gravity, hitting the floor with a muffled sound as they both landed together.
“Sister Sun Heng!”
Su Nian screamed from the roof. Shen Moran regained her composure and ran over. Sang Nian seemed dazed in Sun Heng’s arms and appeared uninjured, but Sun Heng looked slightly off.
Shen Moran noticed Sun Heng’s arm hanging limply at her side, looking visibly deformed beneath her thin white shirt. Her heart sank, and she rushed over.
Sang Nian sat on the ground beside them, her hair messy and her mind still scrambled. She looked at Sun Heng holding her own arm, not quite understanding what had happened, and blinked. “Sister Heng, what is wrong?”
Sun Heng was in so much pain her face turned pale, but she still managed to smile as she looked up. “You eat very well lately, you must have gained quite a bit of weight, right?”
Otherwise, how could she have broken her arm just like that?
Sang Nian tilted her head, confused. Shen Moran arrived and pulled her up. Sun Heng noticed the rough way Shen Moran handled the child and frowned. “Be gentle.”
Shen Moran glared at her. She was injured, yet she was still acting as if nothing happened?
Other than dirty clothes, messy hair, and a dazed state, Sang Nian had no external injuries. Shen Moran pushed her into the arms of Su Nian, who had run down from the roof, and knelt beside Sun Heng to call an ambulance.
“Instead of waiting for them, I think we should just drive there; we might get there faster.” Sun Heng suggested with a pale face.
Shen Moran scolded her, “Shut up.”
Sun Heng blinked and obediently closed her mouth.
My wife is so fierce. But I love it.
Sang Nian finally realized the danger and felt lingering fear. Su Nian hugged Sang Nian and began to cry. Because Shen Moran would not let her hug Sun Heng, Su Nian could only hug Sang Nian and wipe away her tears. The teachers from the orphanage ran over and crowded around Sun Heng with concern, which only made Shen Moran’s mood worsen.
When the ambulance finally arrived, she curtly sent everyone away and told Su Nian, “Stay here, do not go anywhere.”
Su Nian sniffled and hid behind Sang Nian in grievance.
The ambulance wailed as it took them away. Sun Heng lay in the ambulance while the nurse examined her. She looked at Shen Moran, who was sitting beside her with a look of concern, and smiled. “There, I am in the ambulance now, why are you still looking so sour?”
Shen Moran ignored her and asked the nurse, “How is she?”
“Her forearm is fractured. We need to go to the hospital for an X-ray to determine the full extent of the injury.” The nurse knew Sun Heng was injured while saving someone and comforted her, “It is alright, do not be afraid. You will be fine once we reach the hospital.”
Sun Heng appreciated the nurse’s comfort, but her peripheral vision remained fixed on Shen Moran, who was scowling at her phone while typing a message. She felt a tinge of jealousy.
Who is she texting? Shouldn’t she be paying more attention to me?
Sun Heng wondered whether she should feign weakness and take the opportunity to lean on Shen Moran’s shoulder to take advantage of the situation.
Before she could decide whether to let out a cry of pain, the nurse asked curiously, “Are you two a couple?”
Shen Moran froze, her finger hovering over the screen. She looked up at the nurse sitting opposite her, stunned.
Sun Heng paused as well. She turned to look at Shen Moran and hurriedly explained, “Ah, no. We are friends.”
The nurse replied “Oh” and said to Sun Heng, “If you need surgery, we will need to have your family come over to sign the papers.”
“Surgery?” Shen Moran asked. “Is it that serious? Does she really need surgery?”
“Based on the preliminary examination, it is likely a fracture.” The nurse said to Shen Moran, “If the injury is severe, she will definitely need surgery to have a steel plate inserted; otherwise, it will not heal well. In any case, we must notify her family, and someone will need to take care of her.”
Shen Moran nodded in understanding and turned to Sun Heng. “Do you need me to contact anyone? I can make the call for you.”
Sun Heng, lying in the middle, closed her eyes for a few seconds before saying, “I have no family. If I really need surgery later, I can sign the papers myself.”
Shen Moran looked at her, then asked the nurse, “Is that allowed?”
“It is acceptable if the patient is fully conscious.” The nurse said, “We will know for sure once we get to the hospital.”
After reaching the hospital, Shen Moran ran around gathering medicine and X-rays. Finally, the doctor looked at the CT scan and told them, “Forearm radius fracture. No steel pins needed, but she must wear a cast for three months. During the recovery period, she must not lift heavy objects, and it is best to keep it dry.”
The doctor then looked up and asked Sun Heng, “Does anyone at home take care of you? You will be unable to manage daily tasks for some time. You cannot be without someone by your side.”