The rain had started as a light drizzle about twenty minutes ago.
A lone figure could be seen struggling down the road, pushing herself forward in a wheelchair with arms that trembled with each movement. Her progress was painfully slow as if each push required effort that seemed beyond her capacity.
If anyone had been nearby to see her, they would have immediately recognized the miserable state she was in. Her skin was unnaturally pale. She had a distant, unfocused look on her face, as if she wasn't really seeing where she was going.
The rain had soaked through her clothes completely. Her hair hung in wet strands around her face. And from her forehead, a trail of red mixed with rainwater dripped down, coating one side of her face.
But she seemed not to notice anything.
Sun Lili had been right. Shen Yelan really was an exceptional actress. It was almost a waste of talent that she wasn't pursuing a career in film. Unfortunately, Sun Lili couldn't appreciate the performance right now. She'd been sent back to the Shen estate to maintain her cover and keep monitoring the family for a while longer.
Suddenly, Shen Yelan heard the distant sound of a speeding car until it stopped right before her. The driver's door flew open.
Mo Jingrui stepped out into the rain, not bothering with an umbrella. He stared at Shen Yelan with an expression that was difficult to read. His entire body seemed to be trembling. Whether from rage or from the shock of seeing her in this condition, he wasn't sure.
Shen Yelan looked up at him.
"You-" she wanted to say something, but her voice seemed to get stuck in her throat.
Mo Jingrui's expression softened. When he spoke, his voice was so gentle it was almost a whisper, barely audible over the rain.
"Let's get you home."
He didn't wait for her to respond and lifted her out of the wheelchair and into his arms. Shen Yelan didn't react as if she'd lost all ability to reason or resist.
Mo Jingrui carried her quickly to the passenger side of the car and carefully settled her into the seat. Then he went around to the driver's side, got in, and immediately cranked up the heat. He grabbed the spare towel that was always kept in his car for no reason.
Slowly, he began wiping her face while being extra careful with the injury on her face. The wound had long stopped bleeding, it was just the old blood mixed with water that made it look more horrying then it was. But even knowing that, he did not like the glaring sight of blood on her.
The Shen Family...he will definitely remember this.
After a minute of trying, he realized this small towel was of no use. It was better to drive home safe and get her change into a clean pair of clothes.
He immediately started the car and drove away. Behind them, on the rain-soaked street, an empty wheelchair was abandoned.
Mo Jingrui wanted to speed straight to his penthouse, but he was afraid that he would scare Shen Yelan. He was being extra careful throughout the whole ride and kept sending worried glances towards Shen Yelan. She'd closed her eyes and her head was resting against the window. He couldn't tell if she was conscious or if she'd passed out.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel.
When he finally arrived at the underground parking of the building, he didn't even bother parking the car correctly. He went around to the passenger side and lifted her back into his arms. She stirred slightly but didn't open her eyes.
He walked quickly to the private elevator that went directly to his penthouse. Earlier, on his way to Shen Yelan, he had already called the doctor, who was already waiting inside.
The moment he saw Mo Jingrui holding a girl in his arms, eyes widened the moment he saw Mo Jingrui carrying a woman in his arms. In all the years he'd been the Mo family's personal physician, he'd never seen such a sight. Mo Jingrui was famously disinterested in women, to the point where it had become the subject of family jokes and the concern of his grandmother.
But then he saw the condition the girl was in and immediately urged him to lay her down on the bed. Thankfully, he had brought a female nurse with him. She first helped change Shen Yelan's clothes before the doctor cleaned up her wound, and then gave a thorough examination.
Sometimes later, he followed Mo Jingrui outside the room.
"How is she?" Mo Jingrue asked.
"The wound on her forehead is superficial, and with proper care, it won't leave any scar. I am more concerned about her physical health. I need further examination before I can say anything, before I can give you a complete diagnosis, but from my preliminary examination, she looks extremely weak. She's also running a low-grade fever, likely from exposure to the rain and stress."
He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Additionally, she appears to have experienced significant psychological trauma. If not addressed on time, this kind of stress can take physical toll on the body."
Mo Jingrui's jaw clenched. "What do we need to do?"
"Let her rest first. I've given her a mild sedative to help her sleep through the night. Tomorrow, I'd like to bring her to the hospital for a full examination. Only after we have the results can we make any further decision."
After the doctor and nurse left, Mo Jingrui sat in his living room for a long moment, doing nothing. Some time later, walked back to the bedroom and quietly opened the door.
Shen Yelan was lying in his bed, changed into one of his t-shirts since there were no women's clothes available. Her hair had been partially dried and lay spread across the pillow. Her face was clean now, the wound on her forehead properly dressed with a small bandage.
She looked impossibly small in his large bed.
Mo Jingrui pulled a chair closer to the bedside and sat down.
Thousands of thoughts churned in his mind, each more dangerous than the other.
How long had it been since he had first began searching for her? Before that, it was his father since he was too young. But he knew that ever since she had gone missing, no one in his family stopped searching for her.
Finally, he had found her. But he was not expecting their interaction to be like this.
The Shen family
His gaze darkened with the mere thought of them.
They would pay for every moment of suffering they'd caused her. He would make absolutely certain of that.