“You can’t save her, Xia Weige.”
Wen Rong’s voice was so certain. Xia Weige understood. It wasn’t about saving Grandma Zhang’s life; it was about saving her life itself.
Even if she had stayed last night, even if she had paid for the surgery, Grandma Zhang couldn’t escape the husband who insulted and abused her, or the son who stood by and watched with indifference.
Invisible chains were wrapped around her, one by one, tightly binding her. She couldn’t unlock them, couldn’t break free.
Perhaps she survived this time, but next time she might still die from her husband’s violence.
Xia Weige knew this kind of sorrow.
Or rather, most women understood this kind of sorrow.
It was just that Xia Weige and others were the fortunate ones.
And the deceased Grandma Zhang was an unfortunate person.
Xia Weige moved her chin, slipping away from Wen Rong’s fingers. She looked at Wen Rong, and her gaze gradually became resolute.
She opened her lips, her voice decisive and firm: “I can still do other things.”
At least to let her soul rest in peace, at least to make those people pay the price they deserved.
Wen Rong immediately understood what Xia Weige intended to do. Her expression subtly changed. Many words were caught in her throat, but in the end, she only managed to say one word, “Okay.”
Xia Weige didn’t actually need Wen Rong’s answer. She took out her phone and called Sister Li.
There were many people filming in the emergency room just now, and some might have captured the words spoken by Grandma Zhang’s husband. She asked Sister Li to buy the footage and find a media outlet to put it online.
Xia Weige had to be in the video, too, as only that would generate greater traffic.
Then, she would arrange for paid trolls to guide the narrative and reveal the man’s long-term severe violence against Grandma Zhang.
She instructed Sister Li, speaking every word in great detail. Wen Rong listened clearly by her side.
Xia Weige hung up the phone, her fingers tightly gripping the device, her knuckles tense and white.
She dared not look at Wen Rong.
Using her popularity for such a thing was an utterly immoral act. Her tone when speaking to Sister Li was cold and aggressive, like an executioner whose hands were stained with dirty filth.
Wen Rong certainly wouldn’t like such a person.
Xia Weige felt anxious. Wen Rong started the car and didn’t say another word, which made her feel even more uneasy.
After picking up Wang Ning and Aunt Wu, the group drove back to the elderly community. The scenery outside the car window kept changing, hazy and blurry, as if mirroring Xia Weige’s restless heart.
When the four returned to the community, the film crew had already arrived, and online public opinion had begun to ferment.
The video was posted by a marketing media outlet. Because Xia Weige appeared in it, the views quickly soared.
Soon, several related search terms emerged, dominating netizens’ attention with terrifying traffic.
The video completely presented the situation after Xia Weige and the others arrived at the hospital. The footage was somewhat shaky, but the sound was recorded verbatim.
【Isn’t this person a “murderer”?】
【How can someone be so heartless?】
【Why is Xia Weige there? Isn’t she filming a dating show?】
【Let’s not jump to conclusions without knowing the full situation.】
【’Centrist,’ but the person is already dead.】
【Her husband deserves to die too!】
【Is this really not the production team stirring up controversy?】
【Can they really use a person’s death to stir up controversy?】
Thanks to Sister Li’s promotion, the video’s views had reached an explosive level. Originally, because Xia Weige was implicated and the dating show’s popularity was already high, some people watching the live stream had seen Grandma Zhang.
What Xia Weige hadn’t expected was that this incident was like a giant stone thrown into a calm, dead pool, the ripples continuously expanding and refusing to subside.
It seemed that women had finally reached a certain breaking point; anger and grief made it impossible for them to remain silent any longer.
Xia Weige had originally planned for Sister Li to expose Grandma Zhang’s long-term abuse, but someone else had already come forward to speak out before them.
Grandma Zhang was a countrywoman. The countryside of City X was not remote, but the area was extremely exclusive, and few people went there for travel.
Grandma Zhang was forced into an arranged marriage as soon as she reached the legal age. Her husband had some money in the village, but a bad temper. When they first married, he still tried to save face, but gradually, he started to be violent towards Grandma Zhang.
In the first few instances, some villagers who saw it would intervene. It was said that others even helped call the police, but Grandma Zhang feared her husband and also feared the gossip of the neighbors. When the police came, she did not press charges.
Besides, the man promised it wouldn’t happen again.
But such promises were merely a means of deception.
Grandma Zhang also thought about divorce, but she became pregnant shortly after. For the sake of the child, she endured it and carried on.
The days slowly passed in endurance. She gave birth to seven children, but none of them were close to her.
Children around would call her a crazy old woman. Sometimes, when she saw others holding sticks, she would unconsciously squat down and scream wildly.
She didn’t like her sons. The look in their eyes was exactly the same as their father’s.
She only had two daughters among her seven children, the second and third oldest. She always wanted to love them, to protect them. The reason she stayed at home and refused to divorce was also to look after them.
But when they grew up, both of them moved to places very far from home.
Grandma Zhang gradually seemed to have become accustomed to having injuries on her body. Her silence made the villagers even more hesitant to approach her.
Everyone was numb to her being beaten, numb to the sounds of crying and begging that always came from her house.
Only once or twice, when she was beaten so badly that she bled profusely and ran out, collapsing on the roadside, some people took pity on her and helped her, advising her to call the police and divorce.
She finally did as they suggested, but she didn’t know why the final result was that she was brought home and subjected to further beatings.
Life went on like this. Decades passed, until one day her second daughter called her to say she was getting a divorce.
She desperately tried to persuade her daughter not to be foolish, to live a good life; how could she divorce?
The second daughter said that her partner had hit her, and she absolutely had to leave. She couldn’t live the way her mother had.
Grandma Zhang’s emotions collapsed after hearing this. The scars on her body that she had endured for so long now felt intolerably painful. She ran out, ran out of the village, and wandered for almost a month.
But she had no ID, no money, and couldn’t take a ride out of the city, so she kept wandering in the city.
The person who broke the news was Grandma Zhang’s second daughter. She confessed her regret for saying those words and exposed everything her father had done to her mother from beginning to end.
Some people angrily condemned the man, while others called Grandma Zhang’s daughter hypocritical.
Why hadn’t she come forward to expose him all those years ago, or at least take Grandma Zhang away, allowing her to leave that nightmare home?
This incident also stirred up public outrage, demanding that the local authorities investigate the domestic violence case and convict the abuser.
At this level, it was no longer something Sister Li could intervene in. The elderly community and the production team were also affected, so they simply ended the filming there ahead of schedule.
…
Xia Weige silently followed the subsequent developments of the incident, but life still had to go on, and the show still needed to be filmed.
The production team finally let netizens vote, and three people were chosen to have the right to select their first date: Xia Weige, Zhuo Jingcheng, and Wen Rong.
The time for the first date was set for a week later. During this period, the three had to decide on the date location and create a gift to give to the person they intended to invite on a date.
If the person accepted the gift, it was considered consent to the invitation.
However, Xia Weige caught a minor illness due to the exhaustion of this period, probably caused by poor immunity. After taking medication, she slept for an entire day. When she woke up, the outside world was already dark.
She got out of bed. Her knuckles and wrists were aching, as they always did when she had a cold or illness. When her assistant was around, they would help her, but now she could only bear it herself.
Having not eaten all day, although Xia Weige had no appetite, her body had started to protest. She had no choice but to get out of bed and go to the kitchen to find something to eat.
Her head was still dizzy, and even the short walk to the kitchen took a lot of effort.
Feeling weak all over and dizzy, the pain in her hands became somewhat unbearable.
She bit her lip. The matter with Grandma Zhang had never left her mind. Even at this late hour, she still regretted her decision to leave the hospital that day.
Xia Weige sighed. The filming was still ongoing, and she forced herself not to think about it.
She supported herself to look for food in the fridge. The only ready-to-eat items were a few pieces of cake and some fruit. Xia Weige was planning to just make do, when a sound suddenly came from behind her.
“Just waking up so late?”
“Are you hungry?” The speaker’s voice was very soft. It was a tone Xia Weige was familiar with. The person walked over as she spoke, and a clean, gentle aura gradually approached Xia Weige, slowly enveloping her.
Xia Weige straightened up and smiled apologetically.
Wen Rong naturally pressed the fridge door shut, nudging Xia Weige back half a step, and softly said, “I’ll do it.”
Xia Weige’s hands were hurting, and she didn’t want to make anything anyway, so she was happy for Wen Rong to take over.
However, “Sister, why aren’t you asleep yet?”
Wen Rong didn’t answer that question. She looked at her for a moment before saying gently, “Go sit at the dining table and wait.”
After speaking, she turned to take ingredients from the fridge. Unexpectedly, Xia Weige didn’t obediently go to the dining table. Instead, she stepped forward and moved closer to her.
“Sister, my hands hurt.” Xia Weige’s tone was soft, with a hint of spoiled petulance in her voice.
She pressed tightly against Wen Rong’s back, wrapping her arms around Wen Rong’s waist, her palms resting on Wen Rong’s abdomen.
Perhaps it was because she was sick, felt extremely wronged, and her courage was so great.
The weight on her back and the palms on her abdomen seemed to carry heat, making Wen Rong feel scorched.
Wen Rong closed her eyes, stiffening, and didn’t move.
It wasn’t until Xia Weige rubbed her face against her back and the arms around her waist tightened even more that Wen Rong slightly frowned and pulled her away.
But the mischief-maker, pulled away, still refused to leave. She held up her hands in front of Wen Rong, indicating her pain.
Wen Rong held her breath. The person in front of her was just like she had been back then—when she was in pain, she would seek comfort from her with a look of grievance, holding up her hands in front of her, like a little house cat mewling for reassurance.
Wen Rong lightly pursed her lips, freed one hand, and gently smoothed Xia Weige’s slightly messy hair.
Her finger lightly brushed Xia Weige’s ear, causing a shiver.
She looked at Xia Weige. Her eyes, under the warm yellow light, appeared even gentler, as if reflecting a liquid tenderness.
Her thin lips parted and closed, speaking softly, causing Xia Weige to stare at her blankly and involuntarily.
Wanting to hear the words she spoke clearly.
“We have already broken up. Seven years ago.”
Xia Weige heard it clearly.