Chapter 17: Meeting Zai Zai (Little One)

◎The little fist he swung stopped in mid-air.◎

“Ah!”

The scalding hot porridge splashed onto Zheng Huiwen’s hands and body, burning her so badly that she let out a miserable scream. The bowl in her hand also slipped, falling to the ground with a “bang” and shattering into pieces.

Seeing the back of her hand instantly turn red and her clothes stained with the sticky porridge, Zheng Huiwen was furious. She raised her hand, wanting to slap Pei Yuqi, but forcibly held back.

Lowering her voice, she pinched Pei Yuqi’s arm hatefully and spat out a harsh threat, “You won’t eat, huh? Then you can starve! Let’s see how stubborn you can be!”

“Aaaah!” Pei Yuqi covered his ears and continued to scream.

Zheng Huiwen, who was already in a fit of anger, looked at his idiotic appearance and cursed disdainfully, “All you know how to do is scream! Your mother was killed by you, and your father will be killed by you too! Just keep screaming! You jinx!”

Xue Huiyu, who had recorded this scene completely, was almost气背过去 (qì bèi guò qù – so angry she could barely breathe).

If it weren’t for the fact that this was her first time meeting Zai Zai with this face, and she was afraid that her violence would scare the child, she would have already rushed up and fought Zheng Huiwen! But just letting the damned Zheng Huiwen go was absolutely impossible for Xue Huiyu with her fiery temper.

Seeing Zheng Huiwen lower her head and walk out while wiping her clothes with a towel, Xue Huiyu forcibly suppressed the urge to rush over and beat her up on the spot. The moment Zheng Huiwen opened the door and walked out, Xue Huiyu pretended to be passing by unintentionally and bumped into her, even deliberately sticking out a foot…

Zheng Huiwen, who was walking hurriedly and only focused on wiping her dirty clothes, didn’t expect anyone to be in the doorway. Caught off guard, she tripped over the outstretched foot.

Completely unprepared, she lost her balance the moment she tripped, her steps faltering as she lunged forward.

Just as her eyes were seeing stars from the fall, the next second, her stomach was kicked hard.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!… I was just texting someone and didn’t see where I was going…” Xue Huiyu hurriedly retracted the foot she had deliberately kicked out, pretending to stagger and fall to the ground as well. In the process of falling, she also used her buttocks to push the just-risen Zheng Huiwen back down.

“Are you alright?” She looked at Zheng Huiwen, who was aching all over from the fall, with a face full of concern. Then, she clutched her chest and coughed violently. Zheng Huiwen was about to explode in anger, but suddenly remembered that this floor was the VIP ward, requiring a card to enter, and it was the highest level of VIP ward. The patients staying here were either extremely rich or powerful.

Seeing that the young woman who had tripped her was wearing a hospital gown, her face pale, coughing continuously as she spoke—it was obvious she was one of the VIP patients on this floor. Someone like that wasn’t someone she could afford to mess with. If she ended up injuring this patient, she’d be in deep trouble!

All the curses that had been on the tip of Zheng Huiwen’s tongue were immediately swallowed back down. She forced a smile on her face and said politely, “It’s fine, it’s fine… I was the one who ran into you so suddenly…”

She quickly got up from the ground, gave Xue Huiyu a slight bow, and hurriedly left the scene.

Her obsequious and mild-mannered act looked exactly like how she used to behave around Xue Huiyu in the past. If Xue Huiyu hadn’t just witnessed her ferocious, abusive behavior toward Yuqi, she might have really been fooled by this two-faced woman.

Disgusted, Xue Huiyu gently pushed open the door and peeked into Pei Yuqi’s room.

Pei Yuqi was still curled up on the bed in the same position. Worried, she tiptoed closer.

Even though a stranger had entered the room, Pei Yuqi didn’t react at all. He stayed curled up, hugging his knees, completely shut off from the outside world, as if he’d sealed himself in a cold, isolated shell.

Only when she got closer did Xue Huiyu realize that some of the spilled porridge had also splashed onto Yuqi’s face and clothes. The floor was a total mess—scattered food and broken pieces of the shattered bowl everywhere.

And Zheng Huiwen had just left without cleaning any of it or calling someone to help?!

What if Yuqi got out of bed and stepped on the broken glass?

Xue Huiyu was both furious and heartbroken.

This was clearly Zheng Huiwen’s way of punishing Yuqi for not obeying—showing him who’s in charge. A warning that if he dared go against her, he’d suffer the consequences.

She must’ve done this kind of thing before. Now that Yuqi was in a weakened state, she had grown even bolder… If he had drowned like in his original fate, Xue Huiyu didn’t dare imagine just how horrible his life would have been…

“Pei Yuqi…”

Xue Huiyu took a deep breath, walked to the bed, and gently waved, greeting him with warmth. But Yuqi didn’t respond. His eyes were dull, his face expressionless, as if completely lost in his own world.

Her heart ached at the sight. Just then, the sound of an approaching ambulance siren echoed from outside.

They were in a hospital, and ambulance sirens were common. But Pei Yuqi, who had been curled up quietly, reacted like a startled cat. Terrified, he kicked off the blanket in a panic!

His face filled with alarm, he clutched his ears tightly and shrieked, kicking at the covers. As the siren got louder, two sharp honks blared, and then—Yuqi suddenly jumped up and slammed his head hard against the wall.

This wasn’t a cushioned home wall—how could his little head take such an impact?

But it was as if he couldn’t feel the pain at all. He kept bashing his head against the wall, screaming, his hands still covering his ears. Xue Huiyu was horrified and immediately rushed forward, pulling him into her arms and covering his ears with her own hands.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, don’t hit the wall… You’ll get hurt…”

In the past couple of days, Pei Yuqi had been so quiet and well-behaved that she had nearly forgotten the first time they met—how he had lost control during an episode.

Yuqi was extremely sensitive to the sound of sirens!

Now, seeing his forehead red and swollen as he trembled in her arms, Xue Huiyu’s heart broke. Her voice quivered: “It’s okay now, it’s over. The sound is gone…”

But even though the siren had faded and the room was quiet again, Yuqi hadn’t calmed down. Curled up tightly, he anxiously gnawed on his fingers, his unfocused gaze distant. In her arms, he struggled, trying to hurl himself at the wall again.

When he couldn’t reach the wall, he started punching his own head with his little fists.

Xue Huiyu hadn’t realized how severe his self-harming behavior was. No wonder Zheng Huiwen resorted to injections the moment he had an episode…

Panicking, she quickly covered Yuqi’s reddened forehead with her hand. His small fist landed hard on the back of her hand instead.

“Ah…”

He didn’t hold back at all…

Xue Huiyu had underestimated his strength. The blow hit right on her bone, and the pain made her suck in a sharp breath.

She thought he would continue, but just as his fist was about to strike again—it stopped mid-air.

Seeing this, she quickly reached out and gently held his small fist in her hand, wrapping it securely in her palm.

His hand was freezing. Despite the summer heat, it was so cold it startled her. There was also a little bandage on the back of it, covering a needle mark from an IV.

She instinctively took both of his tiny hands into hers, warming them.

Yuqi, who had been frozen in place, struggled again—but this time Xue Huiyu seemed to sense something. She let out a deliberate cry of pain, and sure enough, Yuqi stilled again, his blurred eyes slowly focusing on the back of her hand.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she whispered, “It really hurts… Your head must hurt too, right? Please don’t hurt yourself anymore, okay?”

The warmth of her hands slowly seeped into his. Yuqi lowered his eyes and tried to pull his hands away again. His whole body radiated a cold rejection of strangers. Just as he was about to bite his nails again, she gently held his hands once more.

“No biting your nails,” she said softly, like she was negotiating—but her grip was firm and unwavering.

And this time, when she took his hands again, Yuqi didn’t resist.

She gently rubbed his reddened forehead and softly blew on it, then carefully asked, “Are you worried about Daddy?”

Whenever Yuqi was upset or anxious, he would bite his nails—and the moment those words left her lips, the little boy who had been staring down at the floor suddenly looked up at her, his eyes wide and locked onto hers

Just now, the unfocused and vacant eyes seemed to regain some life, no longer as dull and lifeless as before.

Seeing that Pei Yuqi had finally pulled himself out of the state he was in earlier, and seemed willing to listen to her seriously, Xue Huiyu, thinking that he was concerned about his father, spoke in her gentlest voice, slowing down as she explained: “Your dad is no longer in danger… so don’t worry, and don’t be afraid. He will wake up soon, don’t take what others say to heart.”

As Xue Huiyu spoke, she gently hugged Pei Yuqi, comforting him by patting his back.

“Also, don’t do anything that might hurt yourself…”

While comforting him, and taking the opportunity to hug her little one, Xue Huiyu suddenly saw that Pei Yuqi, who had been motionless in her arms, seemed to have reacted. Like a small, startled kitten, he made vague sounds, pushing her away forcefully.

Xue Huiyu was stunned and froze. She saw Pei Yuqi glaring at her defensively, his mouth pressed tightly shut, his body shivering as he curled into a little ball.

It was like he was resisting, like he was anxious, and his gaze had suddenly become sharp, like a wounded little animal.

This was a signal of dislike.

When Xue Huiyu first started talking to Pei Yuqi, he had also displayed this same defensive expression, as if warning others to keep their distance.

Suddenly feeling the emptiness in her arms, Xue Huiyu felt a mix of disappointment and embarrassment, retracting her hands.

When she wore a different expression, her little one didn’t recognize her anymore.

Now, to him, she was a stranger he was meeting for the first time!

If a stranger he was meeting for the first time could easily hug him, then her little one was too easy to abduct! Pushing her away was the right thing to do!

Xue Huiyu constantly comforted herself in her heart, then awkwardly tried to explain: “Sorry, I shouldn’t have hugged you suddenly… but don’t be scared, I’m not a bad person… I won’t hurt you… I’m… uh… how do I say this…”

At that moment, facing Pei Yuqi’s indifferent gaze, Xue Huiyu felt like her heart was an ant on a hot pan.

She anxiously rubbed her head, and with the warning voice in her mind, quickly shifted her tone, saying: “How about we play a little game? Guess who I am?”

“If you guess right, I’ll buy you the complete set of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales, get you the latest block toys, and buy you your favorite cartoon cookies and fruit gummies!”