NOVEL WEB
Chapter 28
The nurse rolled up Li Xiaoya's sleeve to administer an IV drip. Upon seeing how thin the little girl's wrist was, she glared at Uncle Li. "How have you been raising this child?"
Boys were raised to be big and strong, while girls were kept thin and frail, with scars all over their hands...
Uncle Li stiffly forced a smile. "She was... she was raised at her grandmother's house before. The elderly there weren't attentive enough."
The nurse lowered her head without saying a word, but inwardly she looked down on him. It was clearly a case of favoring boys over girls... They probably even beat the child.
Just look at her, such a high fever, face as pale as a sheet, and they only brought her in now...
The nurse steadied herself, secured the tourniquet on the thin wrist, disinfected the area, and inserted the needle... As the needle pierced the skin, Li Xiaoya's small, frail body shuddered, and a low whimper escaped her lips.
The nurse inhaled sharply with sympathy before standing up and walking away.
Uncle Li watched her leave and cursed under his breath, "Nosy bitch, mind your own business."
Outside, the nurse discussed Li Xiaoya with her colleague.
Her colleague sighed, "Let it go, don't get involved. Sympathy is the last thing you need in this hospital because you can't sympathize with everyone. You might even end up with a complaint against you."
The young nurse nodded and turned to leave, only to bump into the sneaking Dou Dawei.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"I... I'm the little girl's uncle," Dou Dawei lied.
"Then why aren't you going inside?"
"I... Alright, I'll tell you the truth. I suspect that man is trouble."
The young nurse frowned, "I don't think he's a good father either."
"Father? He said he was her father? Impossible! That's not what he told me. This man is definitely suspicious!" Dou Dawei tried to control his excited tone, "I suspect... he might be a child trafficker."
The young nurse's expression changed instantly, her sense of justice flaring up.
*
Li Xiaoya slept fitfully for a long time. She dreamed of her mother, and of her father speaking gently to her before he left. But soon, in her dream, her father transformed into a demon with a gaping, bloody maw.
She jolted awake, about to sit up when Uncle Li roughly pushed her back down.
"What happened to me?" Li Xiaoya's voice came out hoarse and painful, as if her had been torn.
The woman quickly said, "I'll go buy a bottle of water."
Uncle Li thought to himself that as long as she wasn't dead, it was fine. He turned to his son and said, "Stay here and watch your sister. I need to get back to the company."
As soon as Uncle Li left, the young nurse came in, saying, "I'm going to put a fever patch on her."
The boy immediately made room for her.
The nurse bent down, and while applying the patch, she whispered in Li Xiaoya's ear, "Little one, was that man just now your father?"
The boy suddenly asked loudly, "What are you whispering to my sister?"
Cold sweat broke out on the nurse's back, but she managed to keep her composure and said, "I'm asking the little girl if she's feeling unwell anywhere else. Your family guardian is really irresponsible."
The boy fell silent after that.
Li Xiaoya, meanwhile, stared at the young nurse in surprise and disbelief.
How did she know?
Li Xiaoya tugged at the nurse's hand, her voice weak and pitiful, "Sister, I need to use the bathroom. Can you take me there?"
The nurse understood and said, "Come with me."
The boy wanted to stop them but realized he couldn't enter the women's restroom, so he had to let the nurse take Li Xiaoya away.
"He's not my father," were the first words out of Li Xiaoya's mouth once they were out.
The nurse was shocked to the core when she heard this.
It was true! It was actually true!
For the first time, a movie plot was unfolding right before her eyes!
"I'll call the police right away," the nurse said.
Li Xiaoya shook her head sadly, "I don't think that will work. He's my uncle, and my grandfather probably took his money..."
The nurse muttered, "But it might be dismissed as a family matter, and you'd end up back with your grandfather, who could sell you again..." frёewebηovel.cѳm
In just a few short exchanges, the young nurse was already seething with anger.
"What should we do? My God, what can we do?" The nurse paused, then continued, "Oh, right, there's a man named Dou Dawei who's looking for you. He told me you might have been kidnapped by a trafficker. Do you know him?"
Li Xiaoya shook her head in confusion, "Who's Dou Dawei?"
The nurse led the stumbling Li Xiaoya around a corner to another corridor.
Dou Dawei was anxiously waiting there.
Li Xiaoya recognized him at once, "It's you."
Dou Dawei was overjoyed, "You remember me? That man is bad, isn't he? Should I help you contact Young Master Qin?"
The young nurse wondered who this "Young Master Qin" was.
As a small-town nurse, she had never heard of any young masters.
Li Xiaoya nodded first, "He is bad." But soon her brow furrowed with worry, "But I don't know Qin Sui's number."
Her face, already sickly, looked even more pitiful with her furrowed brow.
Dou Dawei was stunned.
No contact information?
Well... it's normal, many children don't remember adults' phone numbers.
Li Xiaoya said softly, "But he's filming a show in Li Family Village. You could go there to find him."
"No, don't look for him," Li Xiaoya quickly changed her mind.
"Go to the County Hospital and find Sheng Yuxiao. He's hospitalized there," Li Xiaoya made her decision.
She wasn't close to Qin Sui.
But Sheng Yuxiao would come to save her, right? He would, wouldn't he? He definitely would.
Li Xiaoya took a shallow breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
"Sheng Yuxiao?" Dou Dawei repeated, dazed, "That name sounds familiar. Which three characters? Can you write it down?"
Li Xiaoya's expression fell, and she said quietly, "I don't know how."
"It's okay, don't worry, leave it to me," Dou Dawei was determined to see this through. He quickly hailed a taxi to the County Hospital.
The Second Hospital, where they were now, was eight kilometers away from the County Hospital.
As Dou Dawei was leaving, he brushed past Li Xiaoya's aunt.
The aunt didn't recognize Dou Dawei, so she paid him no mind.
"Why are you out here?" the aunt asked, looking confused when she saw Li Xiaoya.
"Bathroom," Li Xiaoya mumbled.
The aunt handed her the water.
The young nurse immediately intervened, "She can't drink cold water."
The aunt wanted to say it wasn't a big deal, but she held her tongue. If the girl's condition worsened, it would be their money being spent.
"Then I'll go home and get a cup. You stay with your brother and behave," she said.
Li Xiaoya nodded obediently.
The aunt felt reassured and left.
On the other side.
The Village Chief was feeling a bit restless when, coincidentally, his son drove back.
"Song, Dad has something to tell you," the Village Chief approached him.
Li Song's expression looked even worse than his father's. He opened his mouth and cursed, "I don't know which son of a bitch reported that I took bribes! I'm barely in any position of power! How much could I possibly take? Besides, who doesn't take bribes?"
The Village Chief's face changed upon hearing this: "How could this happen? Did your superiors believe it?"
Li Song's face twitched: "They've suspended me pending an investigation. What have I done to deserve their special investigation?"
The Village Chief muttered, "This isn't right, Song. Something's not right about this!"
"What?"
"Could someone be deliberately targeting you?"
"Someone's definitely out to get me, but I don't know who. I asked my colleagues who are close to me, but none of them said anything," Li Song calmed his anger and said, "I'll give Qingqing a call. She's clever and must have already built a good relationship with Sheng Jun by now."
The Village Chief was still worried: "This won't affect my position as Village Chief, will it?"
Li Song laughed bitterly: "It shouldn't. How could they prove anything against me so easily?"
The Village Chief nodded and stammered: "Song, there's another matter..." He then explained about Li Xiaoya being taken away and Qin Sui calling the police.
Upon hearing this, Li Song's phone dropped to the ground with a "thud": "Why didn't you consult us about such a big issue?"
"I-I thought this would be easy to handle. Grandpa Li is greedy for money, and-and it's their family matter, so I thought it wouldn't involve us..."
Li Song shook his head grimly: "You've oversimplified things. Li Xiaoya's distant Uncle Li won't be willing to take the fall alone. He has some connections in the city and is richer than us... Most importantly, we can't let the police pay attention to the village's big secret."
Hearing his son's analysis, the Village Chief finally felt panicked: "Then-then what do you suggest we do?"
Li Song knew that calling his father an idiot now wouldn't help.
Li Song said, "Li Xiaoya needs to die, and she needs to die by her uncle's hand. This way, no matter what her uncle says, he won't be able to clear himself."
The Village Chief was stunned: "K-kill someone?"
Li Song sneered and put his hand on his father's shoulder: "It's not like we haven't killed before."
At this moment, Li Xiaoya's Great-aunt had cried her eyes red, her hair and clothes disheveled. Her son and daughter-in-law were crying alongside her, shouting: "Mom, please just tell them! Do you want to get us all killed?"
The Great-aunt, completely broken down, slammed the table until her hands were swollen. She choked out a wail: "Fine! Fine! I'll tell you! It was Li Hongguang who took her away. He's Li Xiaoya's distant uncle! This really has nothing to do with me. It was all Grandpa Li's decision!"
Qin Sui turned quickly: "Go find this Li Hongguang fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.