Chapter 154: Chapter 154
TangShi’s tears let loose. Knowing YuZhi was coming and she was okay, the baby was okay, and everyone she cared about was here, or coming. It’s like a dam opened up and she began to tremble as drips ran down her cheeks and soaked the pillows under her head. Her body jerking with the sniffs and gasps as she cried it out. Relief, shock, gratitude, for waking up safe. Her nightmare ordeal hadn’t been a dream and so much pent-up mess was now flowing out with need for a release.
“TangShi? TangShi? Where is she? Where’s my girlfriend? I’m YuZhi Leng, I talked to you on the phone.” A husky strained male voice came echoing her way from the corridor. The sense of urgency and familiarity making her turn her head at his panicked tone and she could almost taste his hysteria in trying to find her.
“YuZhi? I’m here.” She called out to him, straining an already raw throat as the suited figure of her handsome man came sliding in the open doorway with fumbling steps. Rushing and looking ruffled and distraught. His tie was loose, his jacket open, hair disheveled and his normally pulled together façade was rumpled and wrinkled as was his shirt. He looked like hell.
“Oh my god. I’m here, baby. I’m here. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He flew to her side, cupping her hand in his and bent down smothering her face as he tried a hug in an awkward position and somehow squashed her nose against his chest and yet still managed to get his arms under her and squeeze her. YuZhi’s emotions on full display as he sniffed back the worried tears he had been keeping at bay. His body trembling with both adrenaline and fear at not knowing how hurt she was or what had happened until he got here.
Feeling like he was going crazy driving here to get to her after the cops called him and said they found them. YuZhi broke down, covering her fragile tiny body with his and pushed his face against her cheek as he cried too. Never in his life had he been so scared or overwhelmed and he couldn’t contain his relief at finding her alive. He had almost knocked the policeman over downstairs as they tried to give an update in his haste to find her.
YuZhi and ZhengLi had found Linlin’s car abandoned by the café they must have eaten at not long after leaving MinXo Corp. The boot open, a flat tire, and TangShi’s cell phone lying beside it with a cracked screen. No one had seen anything and the complete disappearance of the women had pushed them to file a police report in urgency, afraid something had been done to them both. They managed to track Linlin’s cellphone just as a call came in that the women had been found and hightailed it here like maniacs.
“I’m okay. My head hurts, but I’m fine. I’m really okay. Just cuts and bruises.” TangShi pushed his face back so she could look at him, tracing her fingers across his sharp jawline and wiping his wet cheeks with her thumb. Adoration overwhelming her and the wounds between them of the last weeks seeping away like dust on the wind.
He furrowed his brow at her, scrunching up his face as he scanned hers and traced out the grazes and bruises on his skin, hating the bastard Rong Cai with a passion for hurting her. Seething inside but he kept himself together to be strong for her. She looked so vulnerable and pale that he thought his chest might explode with the agony of seeing her so fragile.
“Tang….. They told me Rong Cai is in critical condition. He might not make it. He drove headfirst into a truck. The driver of the arctic walked away with minor injuries but Rong is messed up. Really messed up.”
“He might die?” TangShi blinked at his statement, not sure how to feel except numb and somehow heavy, taking a minute to really process it. Her mind laying out the very real truth that the man’s life might ebb away because of the choices he made today and yet no guilt or heartache came to her. That ingrained automatic self-blame, failed to initiate. For once, her own self-preservation meant more.
“They cut him out of his car and sent him to another hospital for immediate surgery. If he lives, he’ll be detained and held in prison until this goes to trial.”
“Am I evil for hoping he doesn’t make it? Am I a bad person?” TangShi uttered the words robotically, her stomach bubbling up as she tried to repress her anger and hatred for him but she couldn’t hold it down. A venomous desire to have him wiped out of her mind for all eternity taking over. “I don’t want him overshadowing my life anymore. I don’t want to live in fear that he might get out.”
“No. Because I hope he dies too. For everything he’s done, he should rot in hell. And I don’t even feel bad for saying it. If I have my way, he’ll never see the light of day again.” YuZhi straightened up, composing himself and wiping his face as a colder expression moved in. An anger for that sadist fuck and what he’d done to his beautiful girl. “The police are downstairs and will need to take statements. If he lives, we’ll put him away for a long time. Don’t you worry. He can’t get out of it this time. I won’t ever let him get near you again.” YuZhi meant it. After this she’d be lucky to get ten seconds of alone time a day without guards, drivers, and YuZhi protecting her. He would never leave her unshielded as long as he lived.
“There’s something you should know…. while he had us there……” TangShi scrunched up her face, trying to control the emotions of what to her was an insanely happy confession and YuZhi frowned. Scared of what she was about to say. Not sure he could hold himself together if she told him Rong had done something unspeakable to her while he held her prisoner. “He said he never touched me that night. Nothing sexual.”
“What?” he blinked in surprise, not expecting that at all.
“He was obsessed with keeping me pure because he thought he would marry me. He actually thought I was a virgin and got so angry over it. The baby is yours. We never had sex.” TangShi let it all out in whoosh of relief, a heavy burden lifting from her heart and soul and she reached out and touched YuZhi’s startled face. Soothed by his sudden young boy expression of wide eyes and poised lips as words died on them.
“He didn’t? It’s mine?” he answered her in a breathy exhale after a moments pause. Relief flooding him, his eyes misting over again and his insides unclenching the terror of thinking she had something awful to say. Lifting her hand to his face and pressing her palm to his cheek in sheer happiness.
“It’s ours. I’m sure of it. He was crazy, but he went mad when he thought you had gotten me pregnant. He wanted to get rid of it. He knew it couldn’t be his. He told me so.”
“I know I said it didn’t matter, and it wouldn’t have but ……” YuZhi broke down for the second time, crumbling against her as he scooped her up and hugged her tight, raw emotion pouring out and half squeezing her to death. Crying softly with her face cradled against his and thanking the powers above for giving him this one thing. Something he had told himself he would accept in time and get over, and now his heart was fit to bursting because it was his baby after all. This made everything okay.
“YuZhi, I want to see Linlin now. She saved us. I would still be there if she hadn’t helped me. She’s hurt because of me. I have to see her. The baby and I are fine because of her.”
“Tang, just rest a little longer and relax. Linlin is with ZhengLi and being cared for. You’ve been through a lot and Linlin is fine. She’s really okay. She’s on a saline bag and resting too.”
“Then take me to her and I’ll rest beside her. Please, YuZhi. I have to see her. I won’t relax until I do.”