chapter 16
Qiu Rongrong was terrified that a whole crowd would rush into the villa and tell her, “We’re from the psychiatric hospital. We’re taking you in for treatment.”
Then they’d shut her in an iron cage.
Every day, they’d force her to swallow brightly colored pills.
So many that her memory would start to fail.
She could scream herself hoarse and no one would answer-cry to the heavens, beg the earth, nothing.
In the end, they’d drive her into becoming a real madwoman.
“The psychiatric evaluation report is right here.” Zhou Jingxing’s voice cut through her spiraling thoughts and yanked her back to reality.
“Even that isn’t necessarily accurate…” Qiu Rongrong didn’t understand-she truly didn’t. Why would the psychologist who had accompanied her through treatment the whole way try to frame her?
All this time, that psychologist had supported her in starting a new life, encouraged her to forget the shadows of the past.
She had told him her deepest fears.
And from a scientific perspective, he had taught her how to heal herself.
Qiu Rongrong had treated him like medicine.
And now he was turning around and stabbing her in the back.
Was there some unspeakable reason?
Or was it a misunderstanding.
Yes! There had to be a misunderstanding!
Betrayed by the psychologist she trusted, she had to believe he had his reasons-otherwise she wouldn’t be able to bear it.
The self-deception worked. Qiu Rongrong’s expression looked a little better.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.” Zhou Jingxing guided Qiu Rongrong back to the sofa. His warm hand gently massaged the bruised knee she’d knocked earlier. “I can be your guardian.”
He soothed her frantic emotions with a tenderness that held everything, smoothing down her panic.
Like a net catching her before she could fall.
Zhou Jingxing was the gentlest, most reliable person Qiu Rongrong had ever met.
He took better care of her than her parents did.
Qiu Rongrong’s parents loved her too, but their love was stricter.
They demanded that she be an upright, kind person-get good grades, be sensible, be hardworking.
And Qiu Rongrong really had done it.
Back in middle school, because her grades were so good, she’d skipped a grade and taken the high school entrance exam early.
Even after being kidnapped and abused, once she returned to society she continued treatment while keeping her student status, and still took the college entrance exam on schedule.
By conventional standards, Qiu Rongrong was practically the poster child for grit.
And because of that, she was always wound tight like a string.
But in front of Zhou Jingxing, she could finally let that string go slack.
“Brother, that’s not appropriate, is it?” Qiu Rongrong tried to decline. Zhou Jingxing was too young; the word “guardian” just didn’t fit him.
“I can.” He looked at her with deep affection. “A spouse is also suitable as a guardian.”
Qiu Rongrong’s face flushed.
Inside, she couldn’t help marveling-how could his eyes be so full of feeling? There was so much gentleness in them, she felt like she could drown.
She asked softly, “Brother, how old are you this year?”
Other than knowing Zhou Jingxing was Uncle Zhou’s son, Qiu Rongrong knew nothing else.
She wanted to know more about him.
He answered, “Twenty-four.”
Older than she’d imagined.
“I thought you were still in college.”
“I’m working.” He didn’t seem inclined to elaborate. “Don’t look down on me.”
“How could I?”
Zhou Jingxing had a way of making people feel steady.
After a few simple lines of conversation, the tight knot between Qiu Rongrong’s brows eased, and the heavy stone pressing on her chest finally shifted away.
“Brother, I want Uncle Zhou to be my guardian.” Qiu Rongrong squeezed his hand back. The more she said, the more embarrassed she became. “The two of us are only boyfriend and girlfriend-we only just started dating. We’re not spouses. It’s not appropriate.”
She liked physical closeness with people she cared about. When skin touched skin, it was like two pieces of chocolate melting into each other.
But Qiu Rongrong also had to be a little reserved.
She was afraid she’d scare him.
“Whatever you want.” Zhou Jingxing respected Qiu Rongrong’s wishes.
He appeared when she needed him.
He was willing to be her fallback.
And when she wanted to make her own decisions, he gave her enough space.
In Qiu Rongrong’s eyes, Zhou Jingxing was as close to the perfect boyfriend as it got.
The guardianship paperwork had to be completed within a week.
Qiu Rongrong called Uncle Zhou herself.
The phone rang for a long time before it connected. It was very noisy on his end, the signal was bad, and Uncle Zhou didn’t even let her finish.
“Hello… Yeah, I don’t have time right now. Whatever it is, wait till I’m back.”
Without giving her a chance to say more, he hung up.
Qiu Rongrong could only type out a long text message, explaining everything from start to finish, and send it to Uncle Zhou.
Uncle Zhou never replied.
Qiu Rongrong didn’t have Aunt Zhou’s number.
She went to ask Zhou Jingxing. He gave her a number, but the call wouldn’t go through.
She still had class in the afternoon, so Qiu Rongrong had to head back to school first.
Zhou Jingxing drove her.
She had just gotten out of the car and taken only a few steps when someone suddenly yanked her shoulder back, hard.
“Got you, you little bitch.”
A familiar, hateful voice sounded behind her. “You’ve been dodging me for days.”
Qiu Rongrong whipped around. Right in front of her was Xu Zhao’s vicious face, his lips curled in a grin, his eyes full of naked malice.
Her heart jerked. “This is school grounds.”
He blew a whistle at her.
“Hel-” Before she could call for help, Xu Zhao clamped a hand over her mouth.
Qiu Rongrong opened her mouth and bit down on his hand with all her strength. The taste of blood flooded her tongue.
“Bitch! You dare bite me!”
Xu Zhao hissed in pain, yanked her hair back, spat a curse, and slapped her hard across the face.
He didn’t hold back at all.
“That’s what you get for having people meddle! That’s what you get for hiding!”
“You’re the same kind of trash as Tan Song!”
“I could beat you to death and still afford the medical bills!”
A few strands of her hair were ripped out. Half of Qiu Rongrong’s face swelled up almost immediately.
He raised his hand again.
“Don’t hit me, don’t hit me, I give up.” Qiu Rongrong didn’t want a head-on clash.
She covered her face with one hand, aggrieved, letting out a couple of fake sobs.
With her other hand, she fumbled in her pocket for the dog-repellent spray.
But Xu Zhao had no intention of letting her off.
“You bit me till my finger’s bleeding, I’ll break one of yours to make it even!” Xu Zhao grabbed the hand she was using to shield her face, aiming for her pinky.
When he yanked her hand down, he realized she wasn’t crying at all.
Not a single tear.
Her tears had long since run dry.
Xu Zhao stared at her face, stunned that a girl could take a beating and not cry.
He blanked out for a second.
“Stay away from me!” Seizing the opening, Qiu Rongrong pulled out the spray, aimed at his face, and pressed down.
Xu Zhao let out a bloodcurdling scream. He clutched his eyes as tears, snot, and spit gushed out. His body hunched over, flailing like a fish on a chopping board, like a soaked rag that spurted water whenever you stepped on it.
Qiu Rongrong tore free of his grip and bolted madly toward the security office.
The campus guard had a newspaper over his face and was dozing.
She shouted at the top of her lungs.
It was class time, so there were hardly any people around.
As long as she could reach the guard room and call for help, Xu Zhao wouldn’t be able to do anything to her.
But fate didn’t cooperate.
The next second, a heavy blow landed on the back of Qiu Rongrong’s head. Everything went black as she collapsed.
…
In a daze, she felt the world spin, like she was sinking into icy water. Her consciousness blurred.
Voices drifted in and out by her ear.
“Put her ID card and student ID in place.”
“Find a good angle for her. Make sure her face and ID are both clear in the shot…”
“This time, let’s make her a big star.”