Blood trickled between Song Qi Nian's fingers, seeping into her white shirt, but she stood there unseeing, her eyes locked on Song Jia Shu. The crimson stains spread slowly across the fabric.
"I..." Song Jia Shu's voice cracked. His eyes were fixed on his sister's bleeding hands, tears streaming down his face. "Sis, please, we need to get you to the hospital. Your hands—if something happens—if you can't—" He couldn't finish the sentence. The thought of his mute sister losing her ability to communicate through sign language was too terrifying to voice.
While Song Jia Shu agonized over her injuries, Song Qi Nian's thoughts were consumed by his future. Tears spilled down her cheeks as her damaged hands formed desperate signs: [You've thrown away your exam. What will become of you? What will happen to our family?]
Since Song Guanliang's imprisonment, Song Qi Nian had been the thread holding their fraying family together. She never yearned for anything extraordinary—just for Song Jia Shu to secure a place at a good university, for their family to piece itself back together once Song Guanliang returned. But each time hope flickered, reality extinguished it with crushing force.
Song Jia Shu wrapped his arms around her, his tears soaking into her shirt as he patted her back. "Sis, we'll figure it out. University isn't the only path forward. As long as we're together, we can overcome anything."
Song Qi Nian shoved him away, her tear-filled eyes hardening as they settled on Liu Xiaohan.
Despite her bleeding hands, she signed with cold precision: [Are you satisfied now?]
Liu Xiaohan crumpled to the floor, wracked with sobs she couldn't contain.
Song Qi Nian turned away from them both, moving like an empty vessel as she left the room. When Song Jia Shu moved to follow, Guan Ming Xu caught his arm. "Check on your mother. I'll take your sister to the hospital."
Song Jia Shu glanced back at Liu Xiaohan's hunched form, his face dark with suppressed rage, before giving a sharp nod.
At the hospital, the doctor's needle wove through Song Qi Nian's flesh, closing the deep wounds. Guan Ming Xu sat beside her, his chest tightening at the sight of her mangled hands. He wished desperately he could bear this pain in her place.
Song Qi Nian's face had drained of color, her delicate brows drawn together in pain. She sat there broken, staring through everything and nothing.
Guan Ming Xu's stomach turned as his mind wandered to what could have been. If Gao Dashang had brought an axe instead of a knife, she might have lost her hands completely. The thought of her living that way—unable to speak, unable to sign—made him sick.
The doctor insisted she stay hospitalized for treatment, given how severe the injuries were.
When Song Qi Nian shook her head no, Guan Ming Xu nearly fell to his knees. "Please," he begged, sweat beading on his forehead. "If you leave now, they might not heal right. You could have permanent damage. Just stay, please."
Song Qi Nian's expression softened at his obvious distress. She started to raise her hands to sign, but Guan Ming Xu caught them gently. "Don't move them yet—they just put in the stitches. Whatever you want to tell me, it can wait until you're healed."
Song Jia Shu arrived then. He'd taken Liu Xiaohan home first.
She'd wanted to come see Song Qi Nian, but he'd stopped her cold. "Would seeing you make her feel better right now?"
"But her hands—"
"Now you care about her hands?" Rage burned through Song Jia Shu. "Isn't it a little late for that? Sometimes I wonder if we're even really your children!"
Liu Xiaohan's sobs only fueled his anger. He kicked the table, sending it crashing over. "You keep saying everything you do is for my sister's good. But we both know the real reason you pushed her to marry Shen Chi Yan!"
He couldn't waste any more time arguing—he needed to check on Song Qi Nian. "If you have any conscience left, just stop. Stop causing problems. Just behave yourself—I'm going to the hospital!"
As he stormed out, Liu Xiaohan cried after him, "Jia Shu... I'm sorry... this is all my fault..."
His fists clenched tight. "Pray my sister's hands heal properly. If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive you. Never."
Liu Xiaohan hadn't imagined things would go this far. When the door slammed behind him, her legs gave out. She crumpled to the floor, sobbing harder than before.
Between Guan Ming Xu and Song Jia Shu's pleading, Song Qi Nian finally agreed to stay hospitalized.
In her room, she gazed out the window, silent and still. The despair on her pale face was unmistakable.
Guan Ming Xu and Song Jia Shu shared a look, their worry evident.
The silence hung heavy in the room until Guan Ming Xu spoke up. "It's getting late. Little Qiqi, are you hungry? Want something to eat?"
Song Qi Nian turned to look at them, shaking her head at Guan Ming Xu before her eyes settled on Song Jia Shu.
The moment she lifted her hand, both men stiffened.
"Sis, please don't—"
Guilt crashed over Song Jia Shu. If he'd opened that package right away, if he'd run faster... maybe his sister wouldn't be hurt. Now she couldn't speak, couldn't move her hands. She had no way to express herself.
Fighting through the pain, Song Qi Nian slowly signed: [Afternoon... exam…]
Guan Ming Xu jumped in to translate. "Little Qiqi wants you to take the English exam this afternoon."
Song Jia Shu clenched his jaw. "I've already missed one subject. It doesn't matter if—" One icy look from Song Qi Nian stopped him cold. "Alright, alright! I'll go. I promise I'll do my best."
Though still angry and devastated, Song Qi Nian had regained some clarity. Something wasn't adding up. Despite the searing pain, she forced her hands to move again. [Why... did you... go…]
Each movement of her hands made Guan Ming Xu's chest tighten. Seeing her push through the pain, sweat beading on her forehead just to communicate, broke his heart.
He reached out carefully to still her hands. "I think I know what you're asking. Nod if I'm right." He turned to Song Jia Shu. "Your sister wants to know why you were at the massage parlor during exam time."
Song Qi Nian nodded.
Both of them fixed their eyes on Song Jia Shu.
Meanwhile...
Since taking off from Jinghua City, Shen Chi Yan couldn't shake a nagging sense of unease. It left him on edge. When his host invited him to dinner after their business concluded, he declined. Instead, he booked the first flight back to Jinghua City.
Shen Chi Yan messaged Song Qi Nian as soon as his plane touched down.
Thirty minutes passed. No response.
Looking at the time, he figured Song Jia Shu must be taking his English exam now, with Song Qi Nian waiting outside the school gates for her precious brother.
What could go wrong at a school?
But maybe this feeling had something to do with Lin Qiu Tong?
"Gao Kunlun," he barked suddenly. "Take me to the hospital. Now!"
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