Chapter 23: Seriously Injured

Chapter 23: Seriously Injured

"Xie Yean..."

Chi Xingcun's beautiful voice was laced with sobs.

After the initial shock came guilt and sorrow.

His face was a mess of panic, his hands trembling as they reached for Xie Yean's face to check on him: "How did you get hurt like this?"

Tears he couldn't hold back welled up in his eyes.

Xie Yean kept staring at his face, his eyes unfocused.

He reached out with his slender, blood-stained fingers and touched Chi Xingcun's face, his voice hoarse and low:

"Is this for real?"

Chi Xingcun asked, "What do you mean?"

He grabbed Xie Yean's arm, trying to help him stand.

Xie Yean finally snapped out of it. His heart pounding, he grabbed Chi Xingcun's wrist back, not daring to look him in the eye: "Why are you here?"

Chi Xingcun didn't answer, just repeated urgently, his round eyes glistening with tears: "Come on, let's get you to a doctor."

Xie Yean stayed quiet. After being urged a few more times, he finally pushed himself up using the wall.

"No need." His voice had gone flat again, like dead water.

Chi Xingcun froze, then repeated: "Let's go see a doctor."

"No need." He picked up his phone off the ground and turned to leave, limping with every step.

Chi Xingcun stared at his back for a moment, then, in disbelief, ran after him and grabbed him: "You're this hurt, why won't you see a doctor?!"

Xie Yean looked at Chi Xingcun's pale, tense face. He hadn't wanted to answer, but he said anyway: "It'll heal on its own in a while."

Thinking about the life Xie Yean had in the story, and seeing the person in front of him beaten beyond recognition, soaked in blood, his nerves snapped. He lost it and shouted: "How is it gonna heal on its own like this?! You'll get yourself killed!"

Xie Yean's heart jolted, his fingers trembling uncontrollably at his side. He couldn't stand to look at Chi Xingcun's tear-streaked face, so he turned away, his voice still eerily calm for a kid his age.

"I don't have any money."

He finally said it out loud.

The feelings he'd carried for the boy he grew up with were ripped open by his own flat tone.

No money. Beneath everyone. Dirty.

He'd always felt so worthless and full of self-hatred.

He'd always tried to hide it, but people could tell even when he was a kid, and now he had no choice but to admit it out loud.

"You..." Chi Xingcun froze, then it hit him—Xie Yean's money had been stolen again.

A wave of fury and hatred surged through him.

He still held onto Xie Yean: "I'll front you the money, it's fine. I can't just pretend I didn't see this. I won't be able to sleep at night. Just think of it as doing me a favor, alright?"

In the end, Xie Yean got into the car with Chi Xingcun.

While waiting for the ride, Chi Xingcun called Qin Liyi.

"Qin Liyi, I'm heading to your family's hospital now. Can you set it up so I don't have to wait?"

Chi Xingcun had specifically looked it up—one of the closest hospitals just happened to be the private one owned by Qin Liyi's family.

If he went to a regular hospital, he'd have to wait in line, see a doctor, run a bunch of tests, and pick up meds himself.

Plus, he didn't know his way around hospitals, so it would take forever.

Qin Liyi's voice immediately turned serious, full of worry: "Okay, send me your location. I'll get it set up now. I'm coming to pick you up."

"No need, the car's almost here."

"Are you hurt? Sick? Why do you need to go to the hospital?"

"It's not me... I'll explain later."

When the car arrived, the driver got a shock at the sight of Xie Yean.

"Kid, how'd you get banged up like this? Get into a fight?"

"Where are your parents? Why are you two out here all alone?"

"Don't go picking fights on your own. You gotta tell your parents about this—only they can protect you..."

"..."

The driver kept talking, but Xie Yean's head was spinning and his ears were ringing. He couldn't make out a single word.

Chi Xingcun spoke up: "Driver, please stop. We don't want to distract you."

The driver stopped talking after that, only occasionally glancing worriedly at the two kids through the rearview mirror.

Xie Yean closed his eyes, leaning against the seat back, while Chi Xingcun sat beside him, watching him the whole time—watching Xie Yean's face, watching his trembling eyelids.

He had to work hard to hold back his tears.

The car pulled up to the hospital entrance, and at the same time, Qin Liyi got out of another car.

A few attending doctors and nurses were already waiting at the entrance.

Qin Liyi rushed over, grabbing Chi Xingcun and checking him over anxiously: "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

Chi Xingcun had clearly been crying—his eyes were red, and it broke Qin Liyi's heart.

"It's not me." He quickly pushed the car door open and let the doctors lift Xie Yean onto the gurney.

Qin Liyi's eyes swept over Xie Yean, his brows knitting together: "What happened? How'd he get like this?"

Chi Xingcun didn't have time to deal with him, running inside after the doctors and nurses.

The doctors and nurses crowded into one room to examine Xie Yean, while Chi Xingcun stood outside the door staring for a long time before finally sitting down nearby.

Qin Liyi steadied him: "It's okay, don't worry."

Why was the young master so worried about this guy?

Chi Xingcun raised his tear-streaked face: "Xie Zitao and Lin Fang beat him."

"Xie Zitao? Lin Fang? Who are they?"

"His parents."

"..." Qin Liyi pressed his lips together tightly. So, it was domestic violence.

He pulled Chi Xingcun into his arms, gently patting the back of his head, and whispered in comfort:

"Don't be scared, they can't hurt you. He'll recover soon."

Chi Xingcun leaned against Qin Liyi's shoulder, feeling a sharp ache in his heart.

He wasn't crying out of fear anymore—he could feel Xie Yean's pain.

They had the same parents.

Xie Yean could make them money, so they beat him to break him, treating him like a walking ATM. But Chi Xingcun couldn't make them money, so after beating him, they sold him off for a big payout.

It was the same kind of pain.

After a long while, the doctor came out with a grim expression and glanced behind them:

"Where are his parents? This young man's injuries are severe—some from fists and feet, some from blunt objects. This doesn't look like the force of a teenager—it looks like an adult man did this."

"Moreover, we've found many old injuries on him, all from beatings that never got proper treatment. Even if there are no scars on the outside, there's internal bruising and swelling. Without timely treatment, the aftereffects will be severe as he gets older."

"I think we need to get his parents in here to understand what's going on—this also affects the kid's mental health."

Qin Liyi glanced at the young master, whose expression had gone from tense to full of hatred, and said to the doctor: "Heal him. Don't worry about anything else."

The doctor nodded and didn't press further: "We've given him painkillers for now. He probably won't wake up until tomorrow afternoon."

Chi Xingcun looked worriedly into the room, but since the doctors needed to apply medication, he didn't go in.

Qin Liyi led Chi Xingcun to a private rest area.

He pressed Chi Xingcun onto the bed: "Are you sleepy? If you're tired, sleep. If not, I need to ask you how tonight's events unfolded. Why were you out so late? Do your aunt and uncle know you're here? Why did you meet him? Did you run into danger?"

"......"