She Adopted Me After My Biological Mother Passed Away - Chapter 26.1

Looking at the shards scattered across the floor and Shi Shuxue’s injuries, Chi Liting turned pale. His chest heaved violently as he turned to the servant who had been on the first floor. “How did the chandelier just fall down?”

The servant had been inside but hadn’t noticed what was happening in the living room. Chi Jin lowered her eyes and said softly, “This chandelier is quite old. Perhaps it fell into disrepair over the years.”

“Disrepair? This chandelier had a full inspection just last month. How is that possible?”

Chi Jin lightly supported the still-sobbing Chi Haojing and glanced at the butler and servants present, her tone steady. “Uncle, even the most rigorous process can’t account for a moment of negligence by the person executing it, or… some other accidental factor.”

Her deliberate ambiguity regarding “accidental factors” caused the tension in the air to spike.

“Sis…Sister Jin, that sister just pulled me.” Chi Haojing hadn’t recovered from the shock, his voice trembling as he pointed a short, chubby finger at Shi Shuxue. “If she hadn’t saved me, my head would have been crushed.”

He spoke of his head being crushed, but the chandelier weighed hundreds of kilograms if it had actually scored a direct hit, the person underneath would have inevitably been turned into a pile of mincemeat.

“She saved you?” Chi Jin was astonished, looking over at Shi Shuxue.

It would take some time for the doctor to arrive. Chi Yeyu was carefully performing emergency treatment on some of Shi Shuxue’s wounds, cutting away her clothes. This little girl looked so frail, yet she had actually managed to pull her younger brother.

Chi Yeyu’s movements were gentle, but her eyes were dark and showed no sign of pride. She said coldly, “Then your family owes her a huge favor.”

Shi Shuxue’s head spun from the pain. Her vision was blurred, and she felt as if a train were roaring past her ears. She wished she could just black out.

Chi Yeyu was heartbroken. If Shi Shuxue had only suffered a minor injury, she would have long ago pulled her into her arms to hug her and blow on the wound. But the amount of blood was terrifying; unless she could blow a breath of immortal qi, she wasn’t much use.

“Look at you, injured like this. Do you want me to print you a ‘Chivalrous Hero’ banner?”

Shi Shuxue fluttered her eyelids and squeezed out enough strength to reply, “Where would you hang it?”

“Right in our entryway, so guests see it as soon as they walk in,” Chi Yeyu coaxed her, inwardly blaming the Chi family’s lights, blaming Chi Haojing for playing under the chandelier, and wondering why the doctor was taking so long.

If she had known this would happen today, she never would have brought Shi Shuxue back here to suffer.

Before long, the doctor finally arrived and rushed in to treat the wounds. When the alcohol-soaked cotton ball touched the torn flesh, Shi Shuxue’s body tensed uncontrollably, and fine beads of sweat formed on the tip of her nose.

“Bear with it. The shards went quite deep; they must be cleaned out.” The doctor’s movements were swift. Shi Shuxue’s lips had turned white, whether from biting them or from blood loss. Chi Yeyu had been holding her uninjured hand seeing her biting her lip, she made her squeeze her hand instead, as if trying to share the pain through their joined palms.

The crystal fragments embedded deep in the flesh were removed one by one with tweezers and dropped into a tray. Chi Yeyu stared intently at the wounds, feeling as if a piece of her own heart were being carved out. Shi Shuxue pursed her lips and suddenly said, “Chi Yeyu, your family’s lamps are really poor quality.”

Her voice wasn’t loud only the doctor and Chi Yeyu could hear her. Chi Yeyu nodded immediately, following her lead: “Yes, the quality is terrible. I’ll change them for better ones tomorrow. We don’t need these flashy, useless things.”

She used her fingers to brush away the hair stuck to Shi Shuxue’s temple, only to hear the girl complain in a small voice, “That kid… is really heavy.”

“Yes, exactly. Fat as a little lead weight. I’ll send him to fat camp tomorrow,” Chi Yeyu agreed without hesitation.

Listening to their almost childish conversation, the doctor was equally shocked by the girl’s identity. When had Chi Yeyu ever been this considerate and gentle?

Chi Jin stood a bit further away. Chi Liting and Chi Xin were discussing something, and she couldn’t get a word in. She watched Chi Yeyu’s nervous display looking as if she wished she could take the pain herself and her gaze grew more thoughtful.

The long ordeal finally ended. The doctor bandaged Shi Shuxue’s wounds and gave her a tetanus shot. As Shi Shuxue’s tensed body finally relaxed, Chi Yeyu draped her own clean coat over her. Seeing her grow weary, Chi Yeyu stood up, her eyes swirling with lingering fear and icy rage.

Her gaze swept over the mess of crystal wreckage on the floor. She walked over to Chi Haojing and asked, “Why did you run under the chandelier?”

Chi Yeyu usually faced everything with a smile, but now that the smile was gone, she exuded a sense of pressure. Chi Haojing looked like a startled bird, answering timidly, “I…I saw a toy on the floor, so I went to pick it up.”

Chi Liting frowned. “A toy? Why was there a toy on the floor?”

Chi Yeyu thought of the Persian cat Chi Xin kept. “A cat toy?”

Chi Haojing nodded affirmatively.

Chi Xin lived on the third floor, and her cat was usually kept there. She couldn’t understand why a cat toy would end up on the first floor, landing right in the middle of the rug. Realizing there was a cause behind this, she asked, “Did anyone pass through the living room just then?”

Chi Haojing stammered, unable to give a clear answer. A calm voice drifted over from the sofa: “She did.”

Shi Shuxue slowly moved away from the sofa. Her head wasn’t quite clear and her body swayed slightly as she walked up to the group. She pointed at the young servant: “She was carrying things upstairs. The cat toy probably fell then.”

The servant explained that she had been unpacking deliveries in the afternoon, there were so many miscellaneous items that a small object might have dropped on the floor without her noticing.

Chi Yeyu knit her brows and asked several detailed questions. Although the servant was trembling with fear, her answers were consistent. However, the questions grew increasingly pointed, she didn’t just ask about the work schedule, but also when the servant had started working there and who had introduced her.

Chi Jin felt she was missing the point and that the questioning was meaningless. She interrupted, “What’s the use of asking all this? Do you honestly think someone was sent here to cause trouble? She was just careless and dropped a toy, yet you’re turning it into a conspiracy with a mastermind. Is it possible this was just an accident? If you want to hold someone accountable, you should ask the workers who do the regular maintenance.”

Chi Yeyu was deep in thought and, annoyed by the interruption, sneered, “The one who almost died was your family’s ‘precious heir.’ You sure are optimistic.”

“Chi Jin has a point. Well… let’s leave it at that for today. I’ll have someone look into it later,” Chi Liting said. “Yeyu, Shuxue is injured. Both of you stay the night here.”

Chi Yeyu was dissatisfied that Chi Liting had given up on digging deeper. Her expression was solemn as she looked at Shi Shuxue to ask for her opinion.

Shi Shuxue’s face was expressionless, her lips set in a straight line, but her eyes seemed to flicker with a longing to go home. Thus, Chi Yeyu turned around and said, “No need, Dad. We’re driving back!”

Chi Jin called out to them. Her sharp eyes beneath her short hair were focused, but this time they were directed mostly at the pale girl beside Chi Yeyu. “We should head out too. Haojing is naturally timid; he’ll probably need quite a while to recover from today’s shock. Shuxue, we won’t forget your kindness in saving my brother. If you need anything, feel free to ask. I will definitely bring Haojing to visit another day to express our gratitude.”

Shi Shuxue didn’t feel much gratitude in her words. She simply nodded. Chi Yeyu waved her hand. “Remember to order a banner.”

The day before New Year’s Day, Shi Shuxue said she didn’t want to go home. In reality, she didn’t want the elderly at home to see her wrapped in bandages and worry. According to custom, Chi Yeyu was supposed to return to the Chi family home, but seeing that Shi Shuxue was going to stay alone, she said she would stay and keep her company.

Shi Shuxue was displeased. Lying on her side on the edge of the bed, she scolded her, “How old are you? Don’t you understand the concept of weighing pros and cons?”

Chi Yeyu shouted, “You’re injured like this and you still want me to weigh pros and cons? If I leave, who’s going to take care of you?”

“It’s not like I’ve reached the point where I can’t take care of myself.” Shi Shuxue hated being looked down upon most. She swung her legs off the bed, slipped on her slippers, and walked toward the bathroom.

Chi Yeyu was worried and followed behind her. “What are you doing? Let me do it for you. You just lie down.”

“Are you going to use the toilet for me too?” Shi Shuxue asked with a stiff face.

Chi Yeyu couldn’t use the toilet for her, but she could watch to make sure she didn’t fall. She pulled the door open and squeezed in anyway, asking, “Do you need me to help you take off.”

“Chi Yeyu, only half of my body is injured! I don’t need your help taking off my pants!!” Shi Shuxue’s brow throbbed, her earlobes flushing red with shame.

Chi Yeyu was kicked and shoved out, the door slamming shut with a bang. Chi Yeyu wondered why Shi Shuxue was getting meaner and meaner to her, had her rebellious phase finally arrived? She almost missed the child who used to act obedient and timid around her.

Still, it was nice for Shi Shuxue to be like this, it felt real. Just like when she was a kid, she was easily riled up, and Chi Yeyu loved teasing her.