Chapter 22: Nini

“She’s so feisty; what did you see in her?”

Tang Xiaohe wanted to kill Lin Xiang. She was definitely going to tell Lin Jing on him; this kid must have a death wish!

Ji Yanli simply said, “I enjoy it.”

Everyone has their own preferences, and besides, Tang Xiaohe was indeed a beautiful and charming girl. Lin Xiang was wise enough not to ask any more questions.

After her wound was treated, Tang Xiaohe and Ji Yanli went together to visit Zhang Wan in the hospital ward.

In the room, Zhang Wan was lying in the hospital bed. The already oversized hospital gown looked even baggier on her. Tang Xiaohe felt a pang of guilt; she hadn’t even noticed how much weight Zhang Wan had lost recently.

Zhang Wan had been given painkillers and was in decent spirits. When she saw them enter, her eyes fell on Tang Xiaohe’s bandaged wrist. “Xiaohe, are you alright?” she asked with concern.

“I’m fine, it’s just that Yanli was being overly cautious and insisted I get it wrapped up. It looks worse than it is, but it’s not serious!” Tang Xiaohe downplayed it, not wanting Zhang Wan to feel too guilty.

“Nini, tell Auntie Xiaohe thank you.”

Zhang Wan gently tugged on Nini’s sleeve, encouraging her to thank Tang Xiaohe.

Nini’s large, dark eyes held a hint of shyness, her long eyelashes fluttering. She said softly, “Thank you, Auntie Xiaohe.”

Tang Xiaohe’s heart melted. She magically pulled a chocolate from her pocket, pinched Nini’s chubby little cheek, and handed it to her. “Here, you can have this!”

Nini took the chocolate, visibly relaxing. She thanked Tang Xiaohe again and ran back to her mother, but instead of eating it, she offered it to her mom. “Mommy is hurt. Mommy can have it.”
Zhang Wan stroked Nini’s head, her eyes welling up with tears. “Mommy doesn’t hurt at all, Nini. You eat it.”

But Nini held the chocolate out stubbornly, refusing to pull her hand back.

Tang Xiaohe knelt down and looked into Nini’s eyes. “Mommy took some medicine, so she can’t eat chocolate right now, or the medicine won’t work! Nini wants Mommy to get better soon, right? When Mommy is all better, how about we all go and get her some more yummy chocolate together?”

Nini nodded obediently.

Zhang Wan watched as Tang Xiaohe coaxed Nini, then shifted her gaze to Ji Yanli, who was intently watching Tang Xiaohe. “Nini, be a good girl and go read your picture book over there on the chair, okay?”

Nini, holding her picture book, pattered over to the chair.

“Thank you, Xiaohe, truly. And thank you, Officer Ji!” Zhang Wan turned her head, her voice choked with emotion, not wanting Nini to see her tears.

Tang Xiaohe sat on the edge of the bed and gently hugged her, as if hugging a fragile doll.
Zhang Wan composed herself, calming down and changing the subject. “You two are together now, aren’t you?”

Tang Xiaohe shyly hummed in affirmation.

A knowing look crossed Zhang Wan’s face. She remembered something and a small smile appeared on her lips. “I knew it from the time you asked me to secretly take a picture of Officer Ji.”

Ji Yanli looked at Tang Xiaohe, raising an eyebrow. Secretly taking a picture? What was that all about?

A wave of heat rushed to Tang Xiaohe’s face. She blushed instantly. “Oh, no, it wasn’t a secret picture! It was a completely above-board picture! It was from that legal outreach event!”

“She’s so feisty; what did you see in her?”

Ji Yanli thought back. Oh, he remembered now. At that event, he had looked for Tang Xiaohe for a long time but couldn’t find her. He had scanned the venue several times and even used going to the restroom as an excuse to run to the classroom building multiple times, but she was nowhere to be seen. He finally had to casually ask the principal and found out that Tang Xiaohe had called in sick. At the time, he was worried about her, but it turned out the girl was avoiding him. He hadn’t seen her for days. The next time he saw her, she was with Lin Xiang, pushing a suitcase for him, looking perfectly healthy.

Ji Yanli’s gaze turned resentful. Tang Xiaohe didn’t know what was suddenly wrong with him, so she could only confess honestly. “Didn’t I accidentally hand you a file filled with your name? I’m a little thin-skinned, a little thin-skinned, so I just briefly hid from you. Please be understanding!”

Zhang Wan looked at Tang Xiaohe and Ji Yanli, smiling gently, but also with a hint of sadness.

“I wish people would never change,” she said wistfully.

Knowing she was thinking of sad things, Tang Xiaohe didn’t know how to comfort her, so she just asked, “Sister Zhang Wan, what are you going to do now?”

“Nini’s father and I were once very much in love. Later, he failed at a construction project and started gambling, hoping to make a fortune overnight. He squandered all our money, and we grew further and further apart until it became what it is today.” Zhang Wan sighed softly. “This family is falling apart. I don’t hate him, but I won’t forgive him either.”

As a couple, Zhang Wan didn’t regret the marriage. If it weren’t for this marriage, she wouldn’t have her precious Nini. But she did regret not getting a divorce sooner. She should have left Tian Yanjun when he insisted on investing in that project against her advice, when she first found out he was gambling, and the first time he laid a hand on her.

But she was too concerned with what others would think. She was afraid of being labeled a failure in marriage and afraid of not being able to give her child a complete family, so she endured it all.

However, this only led to Nini being hurt even more. The endless arguing and the beatings that happened right in front of the child turned Nini from a lively, cheerful girl into a quiet and insecure one.

Now, she had made up her mind. For anyone or anything that had soured and could no longer provide emotional or financial value or any other positive influence, she needed to cut her losses in time. This was true for marriage, and it was true for a spouse.

Tang Xiaohe wholeheartedly supported her decision. She was genuinely worried that Zhang Wan would compromise again for Nini’s sake. It seemed like having a child only tied the mother down.

“Tell me if there’s anything I can help you with,” Tang Xiaohe said. She genuinely considered Zhang Wan a friend and felt heartfelt pity for her, wanting to help.

Zhang Wan looked at Nini, who was quietly reading her picture book by the window, and hesitated. “Xiaohe, could I ask you to do me a favor and take care of Nini for a few days?”

Zhang Wan’s parents were gone. Given the current situation, she didn’t feel comfortable leaving Nini with her grandparents. What if Tian Yanjun fought for custody after the divorce and hid the child? But now that she was hospitalized, there was simply no one at home to take care of Nini.

Tang Xiaohe agreed without a second thought. “You focus on getting better. I’ll take care of Nini for you.”

After agreeing, a problem dawned on her: she couldn’t cook! All she could do was cut fruit and make instant noodles. When she lived alone, she mostly ate out or ordered takeout. A child was in a crucial period of growth and needed proper nutrition. She couldn’t possibly feed a child takeout all the time, could she?
Tang Xiaohe looked to Ji Yanli for help.