Fu Bing was imprisoned in his embrace.
The scorching hug became the cage that trapped her.
Every word Qin Jinhai said was like a nail hammered mercilessly into her body, deep into her soul.
Fu Bing’s violent struggle and biting were all in vain.
She tasted blood in her mouth, then loosened her teeth.
"You have to promise me you won’t suddenly disappear, and you won’t hurt yourself."
"Qin Jinhai, don’t you think your words are ridiculous? During those three years in prison, every minute and second, I was being hurt by others. Where were you then?" Fu Bing glared at him coldly. "You were thinking about how to torment me, how to make my life worse than death, how to drive me to collapse!"
"I’m a living person! Not your toy! I just fell in love with someone I shouldn’t have, so why must I end up ? If you don’t love me, just refuse me."
Fu Bing felt her whole world spinning.
Every part of her body ached.
Every curse she hurled ultimately struck her instead.
It didn’t make her feel any better at all.
Seeing the evident pain in Qin Jinhai’s eyes, she didn’t feel the slightest joy of revenge.
Not even a twisted sense of pleasure!
Suddenly, Fu Bing pushed him away forcefully and bent over by the wall, heaving violently.
Her head felt like it was about to explode.
The vomiting brought no relief.
Qin Jinhai quickly took her pulse, only slightly relieved after confirming she was okay.
Qin Jinhai withdrew his hand, picked her up, and gently laid her on the bed.
"I’ll ask Xiaomei to take care of you."
Fu Bing no longer had the strength to speak, lying weakly on the bed, watching Qin Jinhai leave.
Xiaomei arrived very soon. Seeing Fu Bing’s pale face, she was on the verge of tears.
"Sister, Bai Zhirui jumped from the building on her own; it has nothing to do with you. Why are you tormenting yourself with someone else’s mistake?"
Fu Bing shook her head weakly.
She didn’t have the strength to explain to Xiaomei.
She felt as though she had died again.
Three years ago, she had died once in prison.
Just now, she had once again experienced excruciating despair and suffocation.
Seeing her not speak, Xiaomei hugged her tightly.
Her slender yet warm embrace helped Fu Bing’s taut nerves to relax a bit.
Holding back her tears, Xiaomei said, "The captain gave us his room. You get some rest. I’ve asked the hotel to send over some porridge and yogurt; I’ll wake you up once it arrives."
Her sister especially liked drinking yogurt; she even loved frozen yogurt.
Xiaomei drew the curtains, leaving only a narrow gap letting a sliver of light through, so the room wouldn’t be completely dark.
Her hand gently patted her sister’s hand at a slow frequency, letting her sister feel that someone was by her side.
These were things Teacher Rong Shizhi and Aunt Ning had taught her, actions that only she could perform to truly bring her sister peace of mind.
Although her sister was loved by many, only a few were truly dear to her heart.
She could stay by Fu Bing’s side like a little sister, accompanying her through tears and laughter.
Rong Shizhi had told her she could learn business operations, but that wasn’t the most urgent task. Plenty of people were readily available for those roles.
What she most needed to learn was to be her sister’s pillar of support. Not by making decisions for her, but by creating a sanctuary where her sister, weary and needing respite, could find true peace.
At that moment, she hated herself for not making progress fast enough, unable to share her sister’s burdens.
Qin Jinhai locked himself in a hotel room separated from Fu Bing’s by only a wall.
Phone calls came in one after another, but he didn’t want to answer a single one.
He just wanted to be a bit closer to her.
The despair from three years ago wouldn’t happen again.
But, obviously, they couldn’t return to the past.
Even though he tried his utmost to prevent it, the harm she had suffered was an undeniable fact.
He couldn’t escape it!
A knock came from the room next to Qin Jinhai’s.
Qin Jinhai snapped back to reality and quickly opened the door.
The staff member paused. "General Han wants to see Miss Fu."
"No need. I’m aware of the whole situation regarding Bai Zhirui; I’ll go."
The staff member hesitated for a moment, then gestured for him to proceed.
Qin Jinhai entered General Han’s office. Besides General Han and a few familiar leaders, there was a middle-aged man with a face full of rage.
Bai Zifeng shouted angrily, "You’re still covering for Fu Bing! Even if my daughter dies, will you continue to protect her?"
A chill emanated from Qin Jinhai.
Old Master Jiang was silently alarmed.
This young man only lost his composure when it came to matters involving Fu Bing.
Isn’t Fu Bing safe and sound by his side now?
Why does he still look like he’s on a path of relentless vengeance, ready to strike down gods and buddhas alike?
Qin Jinhai swept a cold glance at Bai Zifeng and tossed a stack of documents at him.
"Read this, then pack your bags and get lost!"
Bai Zifeng picked up the papers with a dumbfounded look. As he saw the contents, he started to shake uncontrollably.
"This... this... you’re framing me..." His protest was weak.
Qin Jinhai said, "You can continue to argue. Make as big a fuss as you like; the bigger, the better. It would be best if the entire Bai Family is dragged into this. Better for everyone if you’re all completely finished."
General Han snatched the documents from Bai Zifeng’s hands, his face darkening as he read.
"You actually helped an outsider against your own countryman?! You traitor!"
Bai Zifeng panicked. "I had no choice! Hu Yao has dirt on me. He asked me to help frame the captain and Fu Bing. We were too scared to refuse."
"You call that being scared? Bai Zhirui intentionally threw the match, deliberately smeared Fu Bing afterward, and then jumped off a building when both Fu Bing and the captain were present!" General Han was so furious he wanted to deal with Bai Zifeng on the spot. This vile man had caused so much trouble, yet he still had the audacity to come demanding justice for his daughter.
General Han’s head throbbed with anger. But he had no time for headaches and quickly ordered, "Arrange an external press conference. Expose the Bai Family’s collusion with Hu Yao to the public and invalidate the match!"
Old Master Jiang hastily tried to stop him. "Doing this will only make other countries think we can’t afford to lose. The initial loss has already caused a huge uproar. Bai Zhirui jumped less than two hours after the match, and then you announce that the Bai Family colluded with Hu Yao. How will others see us? How will they see our country?"
"So we just swallow this bitter pill? Fu Bing is innocent! She did nothing wrong; she only wanted to do more for us, and now she has to face such slander?" General Han retorted, his anger flaring.
Qin Jinhai gave a subtle nod, and bodyguards escorted Bai Zifeng and his subordinate away.
Bai Zifeng knew what being taken away meant and shouted, "It was all Hu Yao’s doing! He was afraid of losing to the captain again this year, so he conspired with us to use dirty tricks. The Bai Family hasn’t produced anyone capable in ten years. Then Fu Bing appeared. Once she establishes herself, she’ll quickly usurp the Bai Family’s standing, and my family will be left with nothing! In a moment of desperation, I accepted Hu Yao’s overtures. This has nothing to do with my daughter or anyone else in the Bai Family!"
"Moreover, I know Hu Yao’s secrets. As long as you promise to spare my daughter and the Bai Family, I’ll tell you everything."