CHAPTER 347: 332 BLOOD COLOR·YAO’ER

Lu Chi didn’t have much contact with her, just two or three times, and the impression he left was that he was a gentleman on the surface. In the disaster zone, he could disregard whether Guan Kunling was wronged for Li Qiong’er. When Jiang Jinghuai was out on a mission, Lu Chi even spoke some inexplicable words to her, each sentence full of hostility. She took this as a sign of Lu Chi’s discord with Jiang Jinghuai.

Moreover, Lu Chi was particularly fickle. He clearly had a wife, yet he constantly showed interest in Guan Kunling. She thought this was just him being unfaithful because his wife wasn’t around. Men, after all, are creatures governed by their instincts. But what made it worse was that he was fixated on Kunling. Kunling was skilled in Martial Arts; while she might suffer verbal abuse, she definitely wouldn’t lose out physically.

However, if this incident really had something to do with Lu Chi, then it was truly terrifying upon closer thought. She didn’t dare imagine, and she didn’t want to believe it. As a soldier, Lu Chi shouldn’t be someone without principles.

"That Ji Yao’er, she’s Li Qiong’er’s cousin. And Li Qiong’er is his wife. Anything related to Lu Chi is never a good thing," Guan Kunling said confidently. "I suspect Lu Chi."

So, just based on this suspicion, he’s implicated in the matter?

Tian Sangsang lowered her gaze and pondered. Suddenly, someone rushed out from the roadside, shouting, "Tian Sangsang!"

Guan Kunling, ever vigilant, reached out to block Tian Sangsang and warily scanned the approaching person.

Tian Sangsang looked at her in surprise, "You’re Ji Yao’er?!"

The missing Ji Yao’er had surprisingly appeared here!

"It’s me!" Ji Yao’er’s clothes hadn’t been changed, her hair was a bit messy, her face pale, and she looked extremely disheveled. She was no longer the radiant, smug Ji Yao’er of before.

Seeing her like this, and recalling her former demeanor, Tian Sangsang felt confused, but more than anything, a faint sorrow and melancholy. "Everyone’s searching for you. You should go back to the military district now."

Ji Yao’er seemed startled, vigorously shaking her head, her lips trembling as she said, "I’m not going back! Tian Sangsang, I’m so hungry. Can you treat me to a meal?" Her nearly pleading tone was accompanied by a tear rolling down.

Tian Sangsang frowned as she contemplated, ultimately sighing and saying, "Alright. You should eat first."

After confirming she posed no threat, Guan Kunling slowly lowered her hand.

At an open-air roadside eatery, Ji Yao’er ordered a bowl of braised noodles and devoured it quickly, as though she hadn’t eaten for days. After finishing, she touched her belly and suddenly burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face, as if mocking her pathetic state.

"Thank you." Ji Yao’er sighed, looking at her across the table. "Tian Sangsang, you’re truly kind. I wasn’t very nice to you in the past, but seeing me like this, not only did you not despise me, you were even willing to treat me to a meal. I originally thought you’d been the one to report me, but thinking about it now, since you were willing to vouch for Zhao Chun, how could you have reported me?"

Tian Sangsang actually wanted to say she wasn’t particularly kind, but it was primarily because Guan Kunling was around to protect her, allowing her to feel secure enough to treat Ji Yao’er to a meal.

"Could I borrow some money from you?" Ji Yao’er said with a face full of sorrow, starting to cry again. "Do you know? Someone wants to harm me. Someone is following me. I need to leave quickly! I can’t stay here any longer. I have to leave!"

Tian Sangsang ignored the latter part of her words and pulled some money out of her bag, asking, "Is this enough?" She carried just over fifty yuan with her.

"It’s enough! Thank you!" Ji Yao’er hurriedly took the money, stuffed it into her pants pocket, and said hastily, "If I get the chance, I’ll repay you!"

Such words were meaningless now. Tian Sangsang studied her, "Where are you going?"

"Another province."

"Why not look for Zhao Chun?"

"I don’t want to cause trouble for him."

"So you’re okay causing trouble for me?"

"I know you’re a good person."

"Ha." Tian Sangsang shook her head helplessly, "I don’t understand the good and bad you talk about, who’s trying to harm you, who’s following you—I don’t want to know. So I won’t ask. You should leave now."

Ji Yao’er wiped her tears, sobbed quietly, and said, "Thank you."

"Why don’t you ask me if the child is Zhao Chun’s? You vouched for him after all." As she was leaving, Ji Yao’er turned back, her face pale.

"I guess I believe him. It wouldn’t have been that night."

Ji Yao’er laughed bitterly.

At that moment, Guan Kunling leaned in close and whispered, "Sangsang, I’m going to check the alley across the street."

Tian Sangsang nodded, "Be careful, Kunling."

She crossed the road, while Ji Yao’er stood there crying.

"Take care." At that moment, Tian Sangsang had only this to say.

As she spoke, she remembered she needed to cross the road too, and walked alongside her.

Ji Yao’er faintly smiled bitterly, her lips moved as if wanting to say something.

Just then—

A piercing honk rang out. Before Tian Sangsang could react, someone forcefully pushed her aside, shouting, "Run!" It was Ji Yao’er’s voice.

Almost at the same instant as she fell to the ground, something warm and sticky splattered onto her body, face, everywhere.

"Ugh!" A heavy, nauseating stench of blood overwhelmed her senses, invading her nose and head. She ignored the blood covering her hands and screamed, "Yao’er!"

She turned to see Ji Yao’er, and what she saw shocked her.

A large truck that had stopped nearby suddenly reversed and sped forward, kicking up dust and chaos, but left a human corpse on the ground.

"Yao’er!" Tian Sangsang crawled toward her in alarm. Ji Yao’er’s body was crumpled on the ground, twitching slightly in a pool of blood. Beneath her was a spreading stain of blood, still pouring from her body.

How can one person have so much blood? It was horrifying, as if it would never stop. But that truck—that sound—the roaring engine reminded Tian Sangsang of her own ordeal. That day when she heard the boom and blood flowed from her forehead, dripping down her face and chin. From that moment, she lost her sight and was plunged into darkness.

She had crossed over; she had been reborn; yet it wasn’t all salvation.

She panicked, staring at Ji Yao’er but couldn’t dare touch her.

If she touched her, she might shatter.

But Ji Yao’er just looked at her, her gaze filled with pain. Tian Sangsang could only tremblingly hold her hand and shout forward, backward, left, and right, "Ambulance! Anyone! Call an ambulance!"

The response was a long silence, frightened pedestrians, and only some running to a phone booth to call for help.

"Yao’er, you’ll be okay, you’ll be okay, just hang in there!" She rambled incoherently, saying whatever came to mind. "The ambulance is coming soon!"

Ji Yao’er’s eyes moved slightly, tears of despair pooling in them as she whispered weakly, "Why? Why do they want to hurt me? It was my brother-in-law... My brother-in-law hurt me... What did I do wrong..."

Tian Sangsang listened quietly and comforted her, "Don’t talk now. I’ll get someone to help."

"Don’t go, Sangsang." Her voice grew faint, her eyes becoming hollow and distant. "I’m so scared. I’m dying. My poor child..."