Chapter 38.1

Qin Qingman felt a bit helpless as Huang Wanqing tightly gripped her arm. Huang Wanqing was slightly shorter than her, and although her height didn’t block all of the other person’s view, she probably was scared out of her wits, staying close behind Qin Qingman and not leaving her side.

Qin Qingman had guessed who Huang Wanqing might be, but she didn’t expect the other person to trust her this much.

She had originally thought their meeting might lead to some sort of “conflict.” but from the current situation, the possibility of that happening seemed very small.

“Comrade Huang, you’re safe now, very safe.” Qin Qingman said.

She couldn’t directly tell Huang Wanqing to let go, so she could only gently hint.

“Oh, oh, I’m safe, I’m safe…” Huang Wanqing answered Qin Qingman, but her hand didn’t let go; in fact, it seemed to tighten its grip.

Qin Qingman furrowed her brows slightly.

“You’re hurting Qingman.” Wei Ling’s attention was on Qin Qingman. Seeing her frown, he immediately reminded Huang Wanqing.

His gaze toward Huang Wanqing was cold, and his tone was equally cold.

Huang Wanqing, hearing Wei Ling’s stern words, was so frightened that she immediately let go, but as soon as she did, she clung to Qin Qingman’s arm again. This time it wasn’t a grip, but an embrace.

Wei Ling and Qin Qingman both thought: …Have they just been stuck with her?

“C-Comrade, can you take me to the XXX division’s headquarters?” Huang Wanqing sniffled and looked up at Qin Qingman with big, red eyes. In that moment, she resembled a frightened little rabbit.

Qin Qingman didn’t know how to respond.

“Comrade, didn’t you say your husband is from the XXX division? You must be familiar with the XXX division, so could you take me there?” Huang Wanqing held onto Qin Qingman’s arm tightly, looking pitiful.

Qin Qingman’s heart softened seeing Huang Wanqing like this.

This girl obviously had a soft temperament, and if she really just left her alone in a strange place, who knew what might happen.

Thinking this way, Qin Qingman looked at Wei Ling.

If Huang Wanqing really was Wei Ling’s distant relative from the capital, anything related to her would involve both of them. It would be better to settle it sooner rather than later.

Wei Ling shared the same thoughts as Qin Qingman.

The couple exchanged a glance and decided to personally take Huang Wanqing back to the division headquarters. However, before heading there, they would need to stop by the county police station to report the entire ordeal involving Zhou Baogen’s harassment of Huang Wanqing. This would also serve as valuable testimony to the criminal facts regarding Zhou Baogen’s actions.

This was very important for the sentencing of Zhou Baogen.

As Qin Qingman and Huang Wanqing spoke, the crowd gathered at the train station was dispersed by Zheng Xuesong and the police officers, and the traffic situation began to return to order.

“Comrade Huang, please come with us to the county police station to make a statement.” Zheng Xuesong said, as he brought Huang Wanqing’s suitcase over from a distance.

“Okay…” Huang Wanqing responded, though her eyes were fixed on Qin Qingman, her gaze filled with a clear, pleading look.

Seeing Huang Wanqing, who was younger than Qin Qingman but incredibly dependent on her, Zheng Xuesong couldn’t help but turn his gaze to Qin Qingman’s face. “Comrade, if you’re free, could you please accompany this Comrade to the police station?”

He had already spoken to the witnesses and knew that Qin Qingman had saved Huang Wanqing.

Qin Qingman had already intended to take responsibility for Huang Wanqing, and now that Zheng Xuesong had made the request, there were no concerns left. She nodded and replied, “Sure, I’ll go with her.”

“Thank you for your help, Comrade.” Zheng Xuesong said, and then signaled for the other officers to escort Zhou Baogen and his mother toward the police station.

As for the grandson of Mrs. Zhang, he was being held in Ma Xiuying’s arms. However, the child wasn’t familiar with Ma Xiuying and struggled continuously in her embrace, even reaching out to hit her.

In response to the child’s tantrums, Ma Xiuying’s gaze toward him became extremely intense.

There was a mixture of disgust, revulsion, and a deep sadness in her eyes.

A child born from violence was unwanted, and a living testament to that violence. Therefore, Ma Xiuying’s feelings toward this child were very complicated, torn between two emotions: the instinct of a mother and the seed of hatred.

During the child’s tantrums, there was a moment when she thought about throwing him harshly to the ground.

“Let go of me, let go of me, bad guy, let go of me, I want Grandma, Grandma…” The child screamed at the top of his lungs, and when he couldn’t break free from Ma Xiuying’s arms, he bit down hard on her neck. Within seconds, blood began to flow down Ma Xiuying’s neck.

The child’s crazed actions brought Ma Xiuying back to reality.

Looking at the child, Ma Xiuying suddenly smiled, then lifted the child high into the air.

“Don’t!” Qin Qingman suddenly shouted in alarm when she inadvertently saw the scene.

Li Anyi, a police officer who was closest to Ma Xiuying, immediately noticed her strange behavior upon hearing Qin Qingman’s voice and quickly reached out to take the child from her arms.

However, because of Ma Xiuying’s madness, the child was terrified.

He stopped crying and screaming, staring at Ma Xiuying in a daze.

“Hahahahahaha…” A heart-wrenching laugh escaped from Ma Xiuying’s mouth. At that moment, she no longer knew whether she was normal or not. Laughing uncontrollably, Ma Xiuying suddenly crouched down and began crying bitterly.

She didn’t know what her life would be like going forward.

Zhou Baogen had been captured, her revenge had been taken, and she was free, but she couldn’t find a reason to continue living.

Everyone could see Ma Xiuying’s madness. The onlookers, who knew her fate, suddenly felt a lump in their throats, as if their chests were being crushed by hundreds of pounds of weight. Every breath they took was incredibly difficult.

“Comrade, you’re safe now. Don’t think too much about it, just live your life.” Zheng Xuesong said, unsure how to comfort Ma Xiuying. While tending to the bite wound on his neck, he spoke gently.

Watching her, even this big man almost felt tears welling up in his eyes.

Ma Xiuying cried loudly, curling herself up in her own world. Four years of trauma couldn’t be healed by a simple “just live your life.” Sometimes, a mental collapse is what destroys everything.

Qin Qingman understood that what Ma Xiuying needed the most right now was psychological guidance.

She had never studied psychology, and she knew that a gradual, soft approach wouldn’t work with Ma Xiuying. At this point, if she wanted to encourage Ma Xiuying to keep living, she would have to use harsh words.

Very harsh words.

“Don’t you want to see Zhou Baogen executed? Don’t you want to see him shot on the spot—to watch him die before your eyes?” Qin Qingman stared directly into Ma Xiuying’s eyes and calmly spoke these words.

The crying Ma Xiuying immediately fell silent, her eyes fixed on Qin Qingman.

She did want that. She wanted to see Zhou Baogen shot dead, to witness his death with her own eyes.

“Live. Only by living will you see his end. Don’t worry, the country will not allow scum like him to live. The crimes Zhou Baogen committed are enough for him to be sentenced to death.” Qin Qingman was able to say these words to Ma Xiuying because she knew well that, at this time, China’s criminal law was very severe.

Rape and imprisonment are punishable by death.

“Okay, I will live!” Ma Xiuying, looking into Qin Qingman’s eyes, slowly calmed down.

She did not see contempt in Qin Qingman’s gaze, nor pity, but only respect.

Respect for life.

What she needed at this moment was not sympathy, nor pity, but respect—for her to be recognized as a complete person with dignity.

Qin Qingman felt a sigh of relief in her heart when she saw the spark of life reignite within Ma Xiuying.

—o—o—o—