After the Sickly Child Differentiates into A - Chapter 34

The man’s mind was filled with the image of his enraged boss. Without a second thought, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel, twisted his body, and stretched out with all his might to snatch the knife from Chen Qing’s hand. With one hand clamped around her wrist, he forced the blade away, then chopped down on her arm, disarming her and tossing the knife onto the passenger seat. As Chen Qing stumbled forward during the struggle, he seized the opportunity, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her close. His arm hooked around her neck, tightening with brutal force.

Chen Qing fought back desperately, but she was no match for the man’s strength. Choking for air, her eyes rolled back, and she quickly lost consciousness. Only then did the man release her, shoving her aside as he gripped the steering wheel with both hands. A glance out the window revealed they were already on the bridge, seconds away from crashing into the guardrail!

The black car had shifted to his right, pressing tightly against his vehicle, attempting to force him to a stop by the railing.

Damn this crazy woman!

“Hey! Kid! Are you still alive?”

Blood streamed continuously from her eyes, soaking the seat beneath her. Her pale, sickly face grew even more ashen. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, unable to speak.

It hurts so much. I can’t see anything.

Hearing that cough, the man felt a flicker of relief. He swerved the steering wheel, ramming into the black car beside him. Exploiting the other driver’s concern for the child in the car, he forced Wen Jingzhi to retreat repeatedly until they were safely away from the guardrail.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the driver’s side window of the black car sliding open. The cold, stern profile of the driver came into view. Startled, the man immediately drew his homemade tranquilizer gun, rolled down his window, and aimed it at Wen Jingzhi.

The next moment, with a sharp “Woof!” Xiao Xi, who had been clinging firmly to the front window, squeezed halfway into the driver’s seat. Cursing under his breath, “It’s a trap!” the man used his shoulder to block Xiao Xi’s claws while steadying his aim at Wen Jingzhi and firing a shot.

Wen Jingzhi didn’t even flinch. Leaning back against her seat, she let the tranquilizer dart whisk past the tip of her nose and fly out through the passenger window.

“Damn it!” With reflexes and skills like that, why was she wasting her time as a celebrity in the entertainment industry?

Effortlessly dodging another dart, Wen Jingzhi suddenly locked eyes with the man. Her gaze fixed on the bloodstain near his ear, her pupils contracted sharply, and a suppressed madness surged in her eyes. She shouted sharply, “Lin Li!”

Amid the howling wind, Lin Li, her consciousness fading, faintly heard the familiar call, but she no longer had the strength to respond.

It hurts. I’m so tired.

Am I going to die?

“Lin Li!” Wen Jingzhi’s pupils trembled as she glanced at the guardrails on either side of the cross-river bridge and closed in on the SUV again. “Lin Li!”

Still, there was no response.

Her eyes turned cold and sharp as daggers, piercing the man. “What did you do to her?”

The man remained silent, firing another shot before tossing the tranquilizer gun aside and gripping the steering wheel. With his left hand, he seized Xiao Xi by the jaw, yanked hard, and flung the dog toward Wen Jingzhi’s car.

With a pained yelp, Xiao Xi flew through the passenger window and slammed against the driver’s side door of the black car. Wen Jingzhi frowned, tightening her grip on the steering wheel with her right hand while her left shot out to catch Xiao Xi’s front leg, pulling the dog inside and dropping it onto the passenger seat.

Xiao Xi?

Was that Xiao Xi’s cry just now?

Is he okay? Is he hurt?

What about my sister? Is she safe?

On the verge of passing out from blood loss, Lin Li suddenly regained a sliver of awareness. Her thin, blood-soaked fingers twitched, but she couldn’t lift them.

My eyes hurt so much.

Will I never see again?

Am I going to die here?

The man glanced at the river beneath the bridge, checked the time, and cursed under his breath.

There was no time left!

The Wen family must have already alerted the police, and the research institute had likely discovered the situation as well. If he delayed any longer, he wouldn’t be able to escape!

Damn it! It was all because of that useless fool who couldn’t accomplish anything and only made things worse!

The mission had completely failed. That idiot couldn’t die just yet, he needed someone to bear the boss’s wrath.

There was no way to take the child with him now. She would likely die on the way.

She could die, but she absolutely could not die by his hand!

With that thought, the man immediately closed the car window, turned the steering wheel to the left, and deliberately moved closer to the guardrail. He pulled out a palm-sized black box from his pocket, opened it with one hand, and took out a silver syringe. Gripping the steering wheel with one hand, he turned around, released his grip, and used his right foot to steady the wheel. Leaning over, he grabbed Lin Li’s bloodied hand, pulling it toward him. He inserted the needle into her vein and injected the entire contents of the syringe.

She’d better not die, he couldn’t bear the boss’s “madness.”

The man opened the driver’s side window and tossed the syringe into the river. He dragged the unconscious Chen Qing from under the seat and threw him into the passenger seat. Sitting back, he gripped the steering wheel with both hands and slammed on the accelerator, charging straight toward the guardrail.

Wen Jingzhi had been closely watching the SUV’s movements. She immediately accelerated as well. Whether the SUV had slowed down or not, she finally managed to overtake it. With a sharp drift, she swung her car sideways, blocking the SUV’s path.

But the SUV showed no signs of slowing down, as if it intended to ram her car into the river along with it. Wen Jingzhi watched the approaching vehicle, her expression cold but her actions reckless she stepped on the accelerator, stopping just inches from the guardrail. The SUV crashed directly into her car’s rear, pushing it toward the guardrail.

The violent impact shook the car. Wen Jingzhi gripped the steering wheel tightly to steady herself. Just then, the sound of brakes and a car door opening echoed. Wen Jingzhi immediately flung her door open, not even sparing a glance at the mangled rear of her car. Barefoot, she stepped over the scattered metal shards and broken glass, charging toward the man in black.

“Woof!”

Xiao Xi was faster than her.

The anesthesia in its system had almost completely worn off. It lunged fiercely at the man, aiming for his neck. The man swung a punch, knocking Xiao Xi aside, then delivered a powerful kick to its soft abdomen. Xiao Xi let out a pained howl and was thrown four meters away, unable to get up for a long time.

Wen Jingzhi’s expression turned even colder. She threw a punch straight at the man’s face, but he sidestepped, hoisted the unconscious Chen Qing over his shoulder, and leaped over the guardrail without giving her a moment to react.

“Splash!”

The sound of him hitting the water echoed, but Wen Jingzhi didn’t even glance in that direction. She turned and rushed to the SUV, its front end completely mangled. Grabbing the rear door, she pulled hard, it was locked.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she raised her elbow and struck the window, shattering it in two blows. Reaching inside, she unlocked the door and pulled it open.

Her anxious eyes scanned the interior, and her gaze suddenly froze on a scene drenched in blood.

The small, frail figure was covered in blood from head to toe. The long, deep gashes over her eyes were soaked in blood but still clearly visible. Her face, once pale, was now a stark, blinding red.

She lay in a pool of blood, without even the sound of breathing.

In that instant, it felt as if a heavy hammer had struck her mind. Her vision blurred, and darkness clouded her sight. Wen Jingzhi climbed into the back seat, kneeling on one knee beside the seat, and reached out to check Lin Li’s pulse.

When she raised her hand, she realized she was trembling.

She hadn’t trembled when she pressed the accelerator to collide with the other car, nor had her hands shaken when she swerved to withstand the impact. But now, with just the simple act of pressing her fingertips against the pulse at her neck, she couldn’t suppress the tremors.

That faint trembling seemed to shatter her composure. She took a deep breath and pressed her fingertips against the bloodstained side of her neck.

Nothing.

No pulse.

Her light-colored pupils contracted violently, trembling wildly, mirroring her crumbling rationality.

“Lin Li.” Wen Jingzhi kept her fingers pressed against the carotid artery, her expression blank as she called out, “Lin Li.”

No response. Still no pulse beneath her fingertips.

“Xiao You.” The childhood nickname slipped from her lips again, carrying a barely perceptible quiver.

“Cough!!!” The person, whose breathing and pulse had been nearly undetectable, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

A pulse appeared beneath her fingertips.

But Wen Jingzhi seemed to lose her spirit, staring blankly at the rising and falling chest as a wave of weakness washed over her.

For the first time in her life, she felt utterly powerless, her legs going soft.

All the strength drained from her body.

Wen Jingzhi closed her eyes, her chest heaving a few times as she regained some strength. She reached out and gently lifted Lin Li, carrying her out of the car.

The blood on Lin Li’s body instantly stained the dress beneath her coat.

The scent of snow.

Yes, it’s Sister.

In the vast darkness, a snowflake intruded, pulling her consciousness back from the depths of the ocean.

But she still couldn’t see anything.

Her body ached terribly, as if it were about to shatter.

Am I going to die?

But I, I don’t want to die.

“Sister.”

The faint, almost inaudible call made Wen Jingzhi stop in her tracks. She looked down at the bloodied figure in her arms, whose eyes trembled as if they might shatter at any moment.

“I’m here.”

“Don’t fall asleep, Xiao You. Listen to your sister.”

“O-okay. I won’t sleep.” Listen to Sister.

But it hurts so much, Sister.

“Wh-what if I…”

“There are no what-ifs.” As if guessing what she was about to say, Wen Jingzhi cut her off coldly. “You’ll be fine.”

Wen Jingzhi carried her over to Xiao Xi and, seeing blood at the corner of its mouth but noticing it had shakily stood up, let out a sigh of relief. She whispered to the person in her arms, “Xiao Xi is here too.”

“Woof.” A weak sound.

Her sinking consciousness was pulled back once again. Lin Li wanted to smile but lacked the strength.

“Sister…”

“I’m here.”

“If, Sister is sad will you hide under the covers and cry in secret?”

The question instantly dragged Wen Jingzhi back to Lin Li’s birthday the reason she had visited the film set was because she had forced the answer out of Wen Xihe.

The vibrant, joyful smile of the child playing in the snow was still fresh in her memory, but now that same child lay in her arms, barely breathing, as if she might “disappear” at any moment.

“Will you?”

Her breathing grew faint again.

Why ask such a question?

Was she worried she would be sad?

Wen Jingzhi squeezed her eyes shut tightly and, as Lin Li’s breathing weakened once more, spoke.

“Yes.”

“I will.”

So?

Don’t fall asleep. Don’t make me sad.

Suddenly, a pair of high beams swept across the bridgehead, and the sound of sirens grew closer, piercing the boundless night.

Police cars and ambulances, their red lights flashing, sped toward the two of them.

Amidst the interwoven glow of white and red, a tall woman held a thin, blood-soaked figure. The hem of her dress beneath the coat was tattered and stained with blood. Barefoot, she stood with her back to the horrifying scene of devastation, flanked by a grayish-silver “guardian” dog. In her solitude, there was a faint, desperate madness.

“Cough!”

The wail of sirens grew closer, pulling Lin Li back to consciousness. A surge of strength returned to her, and she lifted her slender, bloodstained fingers, gently pressing them against Wen Jingzhi’s neck.

“Thank you, sis.”

I really like you, sis.

As much as I liked Grandma.

Her cold fingertips traced the delicate curve of the neck, leaving a long, crimson streak along its side.

Then fell limp.

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