Crimson Instinct

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Ying Yue and Ying Lan were waiting for Rodey to wake up. His surgery was over and now it all depended on when he would be conscious again, though the doctor said that within 24 hours was the window they could expect.

Suddenly, they heard rapid footsteps and somebody grabbed Ying Yue's shoulder.

A hand raised to slap her but Ying Lan was quick and caught it in time.

"Elder sis!" She looked at her shocked. "What are you doing?"

Xue Xiying's eyes were bloodshot as she glared at them. "What I should have done way back! My daughter…my poor daughter Jingjing got kidnapped because of her! That man took her away for revenge even though she was innocent! I want to know where my daughter is! Where is she!?"

Ying Yue expressionlessly looked at her aunt. "She is admitted in some other ward for her treatment."

"T-treatment…? What happened to her? Is she hurt?"

She slowly nodded.

Xue Xiying stumbled for a moment. Then anger surged within her. "It's all your fault, Yue!" She loudly screamed.

"It is all because of you! You tried to kill your sister!"

The doctors and nurses looked at her in disdain. "Mam please. This is a hospital. Patients are resting so keep quiet."

She gritted her teeth.

"You tricked her to go to the interview and when she came back, you sent that man to kidnap her again!"

Ying Yue knew she was talking about Rodey.

"Sis! Are you in your mind? Don't forget that Jingjing insisted on going with Yue at the last moment. Yue didn't even ask her to come. She forcibly joined her!"

Xue Xiying sneered. "Then why is only my daughter hurt and not her?"

Ying Lan was stupefied. "Are you blind? Can't you see the injuries on my Yue? Even her back is hurt so badly," her lips trembled.

"Then who was that man? He kidnapped her for Yue. He-he hurt and beat her all because of her!"

"Aunt," Ying Yue said after a long time. She looked deadly calm, but for the first time, Xue Xiying got a little afraid.

She felt that something was changed in her. She wasn't the same Yue whom she could mindlessly insult anymore.

"You know why he did that, didn't you? You know that Jingjing abandoned me when we escaped. The men caught up to us because she chose to rest despite my protests. I told her we didn't have time to rest but she ignored me. They reached us. I helped her escape from their clutches but she shook my hand and ran away when I got trapped."

Xue Xiying stiffened.

The staff walking around them started murmuring and whispering, giving dirty looks at Xue Xiying.

Her gaze turned sharp and she remembered Rodey's words.

Stand up for yourself. Speak up for yourself.

"Didn't Jingjing always claim that she loves me? Is this her love? I helped her but she selfishly ran away. We both could have escaped but she didn't even look back at me. And like Mom said, don't forget that she chose to come with me."

Xue Xiying looked at her dumbfounded.

She talked back to her though she was always so meek before.

Jingjing had already told her what happened. But now Ying Yue just exposed it which she didn't believe she would.

"T-that...you are misunderstanding. Jingjing would never do that…" she clasped her hands in nervousness.

"She did and she did one other thing too. You say I tried to kill her but didn't she try to kill me when she pushed me in front of the car eleven years back?"

Ying Lan shot a glare at her. "Jingjing pushed Yue in front of the car at that time! My Yue almost died because of her. What will you say about that then?"

Xue Xiying froze.

"W-what nonsense!? All lies! Sis...do you really believe what that man accused? He is just one goon and a stranger-"

"Don't call him a stranger."

Ying Yue cut her off and warned her.

"And I know everything now. Jingjing pushed me so Uncle chose to pay for my expenses. That's why you had to sell your house to cover for it. But you found that better than Jingjing getting exposed and scolded. What she did was a crime. She could have been sent to a remand home for underage crime. She... pushed me and left me to die."

Xue Xiying panicked. 

This is bad. 

"But soon uncle passed away. You took advantage that we didn't know anything about Jingjing's truth and you came to live with us, saying that we owe you. And we fell for it. Uncle paid such a huge amount and even sold his house but that was only to hide her crime. But you made us feel as if we were the culprits who stole everything from you."

"N-No..you are wrong! Jinjing would never do it!" Her forehead got covered in sweat.

"I always thought it was my imagination…" Ying Yue quietly said, "But now I know I wasn't. I always felt that I was pushed from behind but I shrugged it off. When I once shared it with Jingjing, she quickly diverted the topic saying that I was hallucinating. She forcibly tried to convince me that I tripped but I know I didn't."

Xue Xiying felt an urgent need to run away. She saw Army and IB officers on the way.

If these officers come to know about this, then they would definitely take Jingjing away! She would put her in jail the moment she wakes up!

No, no. I need to take her out as soon as she is conscious again.

She stuttered. "You are lying. Y-you want to frame my daughter! What evidence do you have that my Jingjing pushed you or that she abandoned you? Did my Jingjing confess or somebody doing that?"

Ying Yue simply stared at her.

Xue Xiying felt more confident. "Hah! You don't have anything to say now, do you?"

In a fit of nervousness and panic, she raised her hand again. "How dare you accuse my daughter?"

But before she could even touch her, a strong hand firmly stopped her and squeezed her wrist until her bone broke.

"Ahhh!!" She yelped in pain.

Then she heard a deep voice sneer at her. "I guess the kick in your stomach wasn't enough the last time we met. You seem to have grown some useless wings. How about I cut them right now?"