While Sheng Yunshu was on the verge of hemorrhagic shock, Shi Yun, who had been watching from the sidelines, gripped the armrests of her wheelchair tightly, her face deathly pale.
The smell of blood in the air and the woman’s convulsing body triggered countless flashes of memory in her mind. Unable to bear it any longer, she closed her eyes and finally spoke.
“Someone, come quickly!”
Her voice was hoarse, as if it had been struggling in her throat for a long time.
The bodyguards stationed outside the door reacted immediately and rushed in. Seeing the scene before them, the leading woman did not hesitate for a second. She drew her gun and fired.
Sheng Yanzhou let go of her hold and rolled across the floor to avoid the bullets.
The bodyguards did not engage her. They rushed to Sheng Yunshu’s side. A quick glance was enough to tell them that Sheng Yunshu had too many wounds, but the most lethal was the severance of the femoral artery in her left leg.
The lead woman quickly pulled out a rapid-coagulation hemostatic needle and injected it into the wound, while the others treated the wounds on her armpits and wrists in the same way, simultaneously resetting her jaw.
Sheng Yunshu had already passed out. When the woman picked her up, blood was still dripping from her fingertips.
Just as they were leaving, Sheng Yanzhou called out to the woman in the back.
“Were you just trying to shoot me dead?” Sheng Yanzhou flexed her wrist. “Are you not clear on who is the master of the Sheng family?”
The woman paused, turned around, and looked at her with a calm expression. “We only take orders from the head of the family. We will report exactly what happened here, and I suggest you prepare yourself.”
After saying this, the woman caught up with her companions to escort Sheng Yunshu to the hospital for emergency care.
Once she was left alone, Sheng Yanzhou walked over to Shi Yun. She wanted to touch her face, but her hands were covered in the blood she had picked up while Sheng Yunshu was struggling. She hesitated and pulled her hand back.
“What are you crying for? If she dies, would you not get your wish?” Sheng Yanzhou said softly, a smile appearing in her eyes. “Are you reluctant to let her go?”
Shi Yun turned her face away. The intense smell of blood made her feel nauseous. “Her life is worth more than yours.”
Shi Yun shot her a look of utter disdain.
“A worthless life, dead is dead. Do not drag innocent people down with you.”
Sheng Yanzhou let out a laugh. After wiping the blood off her own body, she bent down and pinched Shi Yun’s cheeks, the metallic taste of blood bleeding onto their lips.
“Can a piece of trash like me not still make you feel good?”
As her nose brushed against Shi Yun’s cheek, she looked into those eyes filled with hatred. Sheng Yanzhou’s expression grew twisted, but her touch became increasingly gentle.
“When you are so ecstatic every night, why do you not kill me? Or is it that you cannot bear to give up the feeling I give you, Miss Shi?”
The familiar form of address was like a needle, piercing precisely into Shi Yun’s deepest pain.
She opened her mouth and bit down on Sheng Yanzhou, quickly tasting a mouthful of blood. But Sheng Yanzhou did not push her away. Instead, she pressed her against the wheelchair, continuing the kiss, a kiss layered with pain and hatred.
While Sheng Yunshu was being rushed to the hospital, Sheng Jiuyuan, who was fishing with Ji Jingsheng, received the news. She immediately ordered people to watch Sheng Yanzhou and ensure she did not leave the old estate.
Sheng Jiazhen was abroad. When she learned that Sheng Yunshu was out of danger, she let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to rush back, Sheng Jiuyuan told her not to intervene.
“Qingshan will handle it. This is a matter between sisters. If we intervene, Qingshan will only grow more distant from her.”
Sheng Jiazhen remained uneasy. “But Yanzhou went too far this time. I am afraid Qingshan will…”
“When has she ever not gone too far?” Sheng Jiuyuan was also suffering from a headache. “Yunshu is out of danger; Qingshan will not kill her. Letting Qingshan teach her a lesson is fine; it will serve as a warning.”
Sheng Jiazhen sighed. “I understand, Mother. With all the chaos lately, I sometimes wonder if it was a mistake to bring her back in the first place.”
The original intention had been to have her assist Sheng Qingshan, but she had only added so much trouble for her.
Sheng Jiazhen could understand her hatred for Sheng Yunshu, but she could not understand why Sheng Yanzhou would want to push a terminally ill person, who had no long to live, into an early grave.
There was silence on the other end of the line for a long time before Sheng Jiuyuan’s voice sounded again. “She wants to verify one thing.”
“What?”
“Who Qingshan cares about more.”
Sheng Jiazhen was stunned, unable to speak for a long time.
Sheng Jiuyuan sighed. “She has no affection for any of us. Even if you are her mother, she hasn’t said a few words to you since returning. Because we didn’t invest much energy into Yunshu, she neither hates us nor cares about us. But Qingshan is different.”
“She feels that the affection Yunshu snatched away was the affection that should have belonged to Qingshan. That is why she ignored Qingshan’s warnings and attacked Yunshu time and time again. She has already been punished for the previous times, but she was not satisfied. This is the last time. From now on, regardless of the reason, she will never lay a hand on Yunshu again.”
Not long after, Sheng Qingshan would make the answer clear to her.
At 3:00 AM, Sheng Qingshan returned from the Federal capital.
She went to the hospital to check on Sheng Yunshu’s condition immediately. Upon confirming that she was out of danger and merely unconscious due to blood loss, Sheng Qingshan went straight back to the old estate.
Sheng Jiuyuan knew she had gone to Sheng Yanzhou’s residence and had the family doctor prepare emergency equipment outside the door.
From entering to exiting, it took less than half an hour. Sheng Qingshan’s uniform was stained with fresh blood, and her hair was slightly disheveled. She wiped the blood from her hands, discarded the handkerchief, and left the estate with long, firm strides.
Not long after she left, a subordinate reported the details to Sheng Jiuyuan.
“The Third Miss’s wrists were broken, and there was bleeding from the carotid artery, but before the doctor entered, the head of the family had already performed emergency aid, so there will be no lasting harm. Before leaving, the head of the family ordered that the Third Miss is not allowed to use any scar-fading medication; she must wait until the Second Miss’s wounds have completely healed.”
As Sheng Jiuyuan had expected, she nodded and said, “There is no Third Miss in the Sheng family. Tell them to change how they address things from now on.”
“Yes.”
Hospital ward.
Sheng Qingshan threw her blood-stained coat into the outer room. She turned on the lights and carefully examined the wounds on Sheng Yunshu’s body.
The armpits and groin areas were the most severely wounded. Sheng Yanzhou had struck with intent to kill; the arteries had been completely severed. If the bodyguards had not used the rapid-coagulation hemostatic needles in time, Sheng Yunshu would not have lasted long enough to reach the hospital.
Sheng Qingshan’s fingertips grazed the edges of the stitched wounds with extreme gentleness, as if she were afraid of causing her pain.
Perhaps due to the massive blood loss, Sheng Yunshu’s entire body, not just her face, was an unnatural shade of white. This made the finger marks on her neck appear even more prominent.
Even though medicine had already been applied, her bodily functions were too weak, and the bruises had not improved at all.
Sheng Qingshan stroked the strangle marks on her neck, her lips pressed tightly together, bloodshot eyes brimming with intensity.
Perhaps because the scent of blood lingering on her was too strong, Sheng Yunshu, who should have been unconscious, frowned, her expression growing restless. The next moment, she snapped her eyes open!
Those eyes were filled with terror, her pupils trembling violently. She wanted to take large gulps of air, but every deep breath pulled at the wounds on her neck, bringing tears to her eyes from the pain.
“Yunshu,” Sheng Qingshan covered her mouth to calm her down, “breathe slowly through your nose. Do not move around; your wounds have not healed, you cannot get too worked up.”
Following her rhythm, Sheng Yunshu regulated her breathing.
The moment Sheng Qingshan moved her hand away, Sheng Yunshu pouted, and tears welled up instantly.
“Sister…”
She wanted to hug Sheng Qingshan, but as soon as she lifted her arm, pain shot through her armpit.
Sheng Qingshan bent down and pulled her into her arms, carefully avoiding the wounds. She said nothing, only holding her and rubbing her head.
Being held by her, Sheng Yunshu’s fear, grievances, and terror poured out like a burst dam.
She buried her face in Sheng Qingshan’s neck, trembling and sobbing, but because of the wounds, she dared not exert any strength, letting out whimpers like a wounded young beast.
“Sister, I hurt so much. She, she strangled me, cough, cough. It hurts. Make her leave! Make her leave!” Sheng Yunshu bit Sheng Qingshan’s shoulder between sobs, her voice blurred. “I am scared. I do not want to die. I do not want to. It hurts so much. Sister, I hurt so much. Sister…”
Sheng Qingshan wiped the tears from her face without a word, pressed her cheek against her wet skin, and patted her back to help her regulate her breath.
Hearing her cries of pain, Sheng Qingshan squeezed the back of her neck, cradled her face to kiss her forehead, and finally let her bury her face in her neck, rubbing the back of her head continuously to soothe her.
Sheng Yunshu cried until her voice grew faint, leaving only the sound of intermittent, sobbing hiccups.
Because of the wound in her groin, Sheng Qingshan could only hold her a few centimeters off the bed. It was an exhausting posture, but Sheng Qingshan never let her go.
She knew that the moment she let go, Sheng Yunshu would be afraid.
Sheng Yunshu did not cry for long. Having lost so much blood, she was too weak and soon drifted back into a coma.
After about half an hour, Sheng Qingshan finally let go, stretched her numb arms, and dressed her.
Sheng Yunshu had been so focused on venting her emotions that she hadn’t noticed she had been held in Sheng Qingshan’s arms in a state of near-nudity.
That night, Sheng Qingshan sat by the bedside, watching over her without sleeping for a single moment.
When Sheng Yunshu woke up again, it was already the afternoon of the following day.
She opened her eyes to find the room empty. A profound sense of emptiness and the grievance of being abandoned made her eyes turn red again.
Where was Sheng Qingshan? She clearly remembered seeing her last night. Why leave her alone in the hospital? Did she not know she needed her? Why couldn’t she keep her company? Was work really that important?
The more she thought, the sadder she became. She began to cry silently, wanting to wipe away her tears, but every move of her arm brought pain; the pain only made her cry harder.
Not long after, the door was pushed open. Sheng Yunshu stopped crying and looked at the person entering through tear-blurred eyes.
“Why are you crying again?” Sheng Qingshan pulled out a tissue to wipe away her tears. “Are you in pain, or are you hungry?”
Sheng Yunshu stared at her with bloodshot eyes, her voice laced with tears. “Where, where did you go? Why didn’t you stay with me? Just leave, I do not want you. I hate you…”
Sheng Qingshan paused, then continued, cleaning the tear tracks from her face bit by bit.
“I went to buy this for you.” Sheng Qingshan pulled a paper bag from behind her. Inside was a plush doll, small enough to be held in her arms.
The white rabbit’s ears were drooping, and its expression was blank, bearing a certain resemblance to Sheng Yunshu after a good cry.
Looking at the rabbit, Sheng Yunshu’s mouth drooped, and she cried even harder.
“I do not want a rabbit. I want you. You left without even telling me. When I woke up, there was no one here. I thought you did not want me anymore. It is all your fault…”
She cried until she was gasping for air, unable to finish her sentences, and the face Sheng Qingshan had just cleaned was a mess once more.
Placing the rabbit beside her head, Sheng Qingshan leaned down over the edge of the bed, her forehead resting against Sheng Yunshu’s.
“I would never not want you. I thought you would sleep until the evening. I am sorry for letting you wake up alone.”
Perhaps to express her apologies, Sheng Qingshan used her finger to scrape the tears from her face and planted a light kiss on her forehead.
The soft sensation on her brow stunned Sheng Yunshu. She forgot to cry, staring at Sheng Qingshan with wide, moist eyes.
That expression truly looked just like the rabbit doll.
“Y-you, you kissed me?” Sheng Yunshu’s speech stumbled, and her ears turned red. “You, you just kissed me like that?”
Was she dreaming? Would Sheng Qingshan actually kiss her?
Sheng Qingshan had someone bring some food over and adjusted her bed to a higher position. Hearing her words, the woman showed no particular reaction.
“What is the matter? Is it not allowed? When you were little, did you not like me kissing you?”
Seeing her so calm and collected, Sheng Yunshu’s heart rate gradually stabilized. She turned her head away, refusing to look at her.
“Sheng Qingshan, I hate you.”
You cannot give me what I want, yet you keep seducing me. You are absolutely terrible.