Meng Yan took her down the elevator and out through the hospital's side entrance.
There were very few people passing through this area. A black commercial vehicle was parked by the roadside.
Shu Man looked around and suddenly stopped.
Meng Yan grabbed her wrist. "Let's go. Get in the car."
Shu Man shook her head, refusing to walk any further.
Yaoyao had said that she could only go out if accompanied by Aunt Xue, and that she couldn't wander around randomly.
Meng Yan urged, "Come on. I'll take you to the amusement park."
Shu Man resisted with her entire body, wanting to break free from her hand, but she didn't have enough strength to shake her off.
Meng Yan couldn't possibly let her leave and dragged her toward the car.
A person's strength could suddenly explode in fear. Shu Man exerted a burst of force. Meng Yan's hand loosened, and due to inertia, her body fell backward.
"Ahh—"
The scream rang out.
The back of Shu Man's head struck a concrete block perfectly, and she fell into a coma on the spot.
Meng Yan panicked, her entire body freezing.
This wasn't her intention. She only wanted to hide Shu Man temporarily. If Meng Shuyao couldn't find her, she would naturally rush back to the country in anxiety.
But now something had happened to Shu Man. She couldn't bear this responsibility.
-
When Aunt Xue rushed back to the hospital, the ward was empty. She quickly grabbed a passing nurse and asked, "Where is the patient from 901?"
The nurse informed her, "She went out to play, fell, and is currently in the emergency room on the third floor getting her wound checked."
Shock flashed through Aunt Xue's pupils. Extremely anxious, she asked, "Is it serious?"
The nurse shook her head. "Still being examined. I'm not very clear."
Aunt Xue scrambled downstairs in panic, running toward the emergency room.
She had only been gone for an hour. How could something like this happen?
Why would Xiao Man run out alone for no reason? She had obviously been very well-behaved during this period.
She prayed: please don't let anything be wrong, or her conscience would never be at peace, and she wouldn't be able to face Yaoyao.
Aunt Xue waited at the emergency room door for twenty minutes before it finally opened. A nurse pushed a hospital bed out.
She hurried forward. "Doctor, I'm the patient's family. How is her condition?"
"The patient received an impact to the head. The CT scan currently hasn't found any issues, but it's uncertain whether there are sequelae. Specifically, we have to wait for the patient to wake up before making further observations."
"Alright, thank you, Doctor."
Shu Man was sent back to the ward upstairs.
Aunt Xue stayed by the bedside, not daring to go anywhere.
The person hadn't woken up yet; she couldn't afford to let her guard down.
In the evening, a nurse came to check on the room.
Aunt Xue specifically asked, "Where can I view the hospital's surveillance? I want to know what exactly happened at noon."
"Security can pull up the footage, but I heard the surveillance on this floor has been broken since the morning and was only fixed this afternoon."
"Broken?"
"Mm." The nurse hesitated for a moment, feeling that she should still say something. "However, at noon, I think I saw Eldest Miss Meng in the corridor."
Aunt Xue was stunned. "Meng Yan?"
If it was Meng Yan who took Shu Man out, why would she do that? Was Shu Man's injury related to her?
The nurse was afraid of getting into trouble and didn't commit fully. "I'm not sure if I saw correctly."
The Meng family held ten percent of the shares in this hospital. Meng Yan was in charge of a children's medical charity foundation project and occasionally came to the hospital; quite a few medical staff recognized her.
Aunt Xue didn't know whether she should tell Meng Shuyao about this matter. After thinking it over, she decided to forget it for now and wait until Shu Man woke up.
-
Chicago. Seven in the evening.
Night fell, and the streetlights were dim.
Ever since the holiday began, the school had been sparsely populated, exceptionally quiet.
Meng Shuyao returned to her dormitory early after eating dinner outside.
She hadn't packed her luggage yet.
She pushed a dust-covered suitcase out from the corner, wiped it clean with a rag, and first packed away some clothes, bags, and shoes.
While organizing the closet, she noticed that expensive suit jacket still hanging in the corner.
Aside from that man, no one could wear a suit with such presence—restrained, composed, noble, yet so nonchalant.
The owner of the jacket had long forgotten about this piece of clothing.
It was too expensive; throwing it away would be a terrible waste.
Meng Shuyao thought that when she was short on money, she could perhaps find a second-hand luxury store to sell it.
Her phone on the desk rang.
She put down the clothes in her hands. Seeing it was Aunt Xue's call, she quickly answered, "Aunt Xue, what is it? Did something happen to my sister?"
Aunt Xue's voice was somewhat heavy. "I'm sorry, Yaoyao, for only telling you now. Xiao Man fell yesterday and hit the back of her head. She's unconscious."
Meng Shuyao's chest trembled. "How could this happen?"
Aunt Xue was filled with guilt. "This is my fault. That noon, I had an emergency at home. I saw Xiao Man taking a nap and left for an hour. Who knew that later Eldest Miss Meng came and took Xiao Man out? I don't know what happened, but Xiao Man got injured."
She had checked the surveillance at the elevator entrance and confirmed that Meng Yan had come and was the one who took Shu Man out.
Meng Shuyao's left hand pressed against the table, her knuckles turning white.
Meng Yan, what exactly does she want?
"I'm worried about Xiao Man right now..."
Before Aunt Xue could finish speaking, she was suddenly interrupted.
"Aunt Xue, who are you talking to on the phone?"
Meng Yan walked over to her.
Aunt Xue paused. "I..."
In the next moment, the phone was snatched away.
Meng Yan glanced at the screen and spoke slowly, "Meng Shuyao."
"Meng Yan, what did you do to my sister?"
"I didn't do anything. She fell by accident. Who can she blame?"
Meng Shuyao gripped her phone tightly. "You were the one who took her out."
"She wanted to go out and play. I was kind enough to take her downstairs for a walk. Who knew she couldn't even walk without falling?" Meng Yan pushed all responsibility away completely. "You should hurry back. Your sister is already like this. Are you still going to continue your internship over there?"
After speaking, she immediately hung up.
"My phone." Aunt Xue wanted to take it back.
Meng Yan didn't return it to her. "Aunt Xue, you need to figure out who your employer is. Your salary is paid by the Meng family. What do you mean by siding with Meng Shuyao like this?"
She even threatened, "I'm telling you, you're not allowed to contact Meng Shuyao during this period. Otherwise, you can forget about this job too."
The ringtone sounded again.
Meng Yan directly hung up and pressed power off.
Aunt Xue watched helplessly as her own phone was taken away.
On the other end, Meng Shuyao was burning with anxiety, but the call couldn't get through no matter what.
She knew that Meng Yan was using this method to force her to return to the country.
If she didn't go back, who knew what that madwoman Meng Yan would do to her sister.
What should she do? Return to the country and accept the engagement?
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
If she had to find someone to marry, Allen was indeed a better choice.
This was a path of retreat with no way back.
Once it involved her sister, she couldn't care about anything else.
Meng Shuyao opened her contacts, found Allen's number, and dialed.
The dial tone rang for more than ten seconds before the other side picked up.
"Mr. Allen, are the words you said last time still valid?"
The man laughed lightly. "Of course. I've been waiting for your reply, Miss Elara."
Meng Shuyao's voice was taut. "But I have conditions."
Allen said, "Let's talk in person. I'm at King Club."
Meng Shuyao: "Alright."