Jiang Rui looked at Chen Huan and asked, “What on earth happened to her?”
Chen Huan and Xin Qing gave each other a look, and Xin Qing patted Chen Huan’s hand. “Let me speak!” she said.
“In that year, when Liuliu was 12,” Xin Qing began her recalling and she continued, “she was interested in drugs. At that time, under the influence of Wan Yi, her drugs were very offensive and most of them would make people suffer.”
Chen Huan’s eyes glared suddenly with deep hatred, and then she said, “Once she secretly followed Wan Wu to carry out a mission, but she lost her way. Wandering around along the street, she met a woman, and the woman sat on the roadside to wait with Liuliu and did not leave her until Wan Yi found Liuliu after he did his task.
“But Liuliu was impressed by her kindness, so they exchanged contact information.” Chen Huan clenched her fists. “A month later, that woman contacted Liuliu and told her that her husband was kidnapped by the terrorists. She asked Liuliu if she could offer any help.”
Xin Qing handed her a tissue. “We didn’t know that Liuliu told the woman she could make great drugs. If we had known that, those things wouldn’t have happened later.”
“What kind of drugs did Liuliu make for that woman?” Jiang Rui already had an idea.
“Because that woman mentioned terrorists, Liuliu had no scruples and provided her with some drugs that disturb one’s brain and thus would change them into someone bloodthirsty and aggressive.” Xin Qing shook her head and continued, “But in the end, that woman took her to a school, and used the drugs on hundreds of children.”
Chen Huan said while crying, “Liuliu then saw those children attack each other with their desks and chairs, fist, and feet. They even bit each other. When we arrived there, the whole school was full of limbs piled up and covered in blood.”
“I know about that event.” Jiang Rui’s voice got cold and he continued, “When the army arrived, they found nothing. 365 people including the teachers and students were all missing. Thus the event was listed as top-secret and was left unsolved afterward.”
“We had cleared out the scene and burned everything to ashes during the whole night.” Chen Huan took the gla.s.s that Xin Qing handed her. “At that time, having lost consciousness, Liuliu was tied up on the ground naked, and her face was covered in blood. Beside her were some children whose bones had been exposed due to being bitten.”
Tears welled up in Xin Qing’s eyes. “She was only 12. When those terrorists were thrown into the fire, they all blamed it on Liuliu, saying it was caused all by her.”
“After returning, she didn’t want to talk. She stayed in her room every day, haunted by nightmares all night.” Chen Huan wiped her eyes and continued, “We all thought that this had to end, but when we were going to find someone to turn to, she suddenly opened her mouth to speak. Then she buried herself in the laboratory for two years.”
Jiang Rui’s heart ached. He wondered if all this could have been avoided if he had accompanied Liuliu like Xunxun did for Ah Sha.
“It was not until her 15 birthday that she had no more nightmares. We planned to throw her a birthday party and then send her abroad to relax. But the night before her birthday, she ran away from home leaving a note that asked us not to look for her.”
Jiang Rui suppressed his emotions and wished to hold that little woman in his arms. But he could not do so because he was disqualified; disqualified for Liuliu’s trust.
“She said that she had taken the drugs she made that can suppress her memory system in order to forget those things.” Chen Huan said after a thought, “Maybe the change that happened to her disposition was partly due to those drugs.”
If this was the case, Chen Chen’s real personality would come out due to lower resistance caused by the fever. The injury must be similar. Because of her bad physical condition, the unreasonable side of her character was exposed.
“Wait a moment,” Jiang Rui’s body stiffened and he said, “is she recalling all those things now?”
Chen Huan froze and said, “Once I went to see her in the middle of the night only to find her lying on the bed with her eyes open.”
“I’ve seen her like that, too.” Xin Qing frowned and said, “It was three in the morning, and she was still on the computer.”
Jiang Rui lifted the quilt and uttered, “I’m going to look for her.”
“Wait a minute, what do you mean?” Xin Qing did not react to his words while Chen Huan was shaking, and just pa.s.sed out when she wanted to say something.
Xin Qing was frightened and called Boss Wan immediately.
“You mean Liuliu hasn’t rested since she woke up?” Boss Wan covered Chen Huan with a quilt. She was shocked due to the over-excitement.
Jiang Rui seemed to blame himself and he said, “At the least, she hasn’t had any deep sleep because of being afraid of having nightmares, so she can’t close her eyes at all. She won’t fall asleep until she can’t withstand the sleepiness anymore.”
Boss Wan stared at him and asked, “Who is to blame for this?”
“Dad, our priority now is to solve Liuliu’s problem. If we let things continue like this, we will lose her,” Ah Sha touched Wan Qingsi and said.
Wan Qingsi looked at Jiang Rui grumpily and said, “You said that when you met Liuliu, she was not like this.”
“She was not as bold as she is now. She was slow, and dumb.”
“If not for her being dumb, how could she fall in love with you?” Wan Qingsi curled his lips and said, “Now we have one way to turn to, which is to make her take that drug again.”
Ah Sha found he looked somewhat weird, and asked suspiciously, “What else have you not said?”
Wan Qingsi glanced at her and replied, “I’m not sure.”
“Say it,” Jiang Rui said.
“The drug won’t deprive one of memory but only represses the people or things in one’s mind that you don’t want to think about. Because Liuliu still remembers us, every year she sends emails on our birthday.”
Chen Huan suddenly woke up and rose. She pushed aside Boss Wan, who was about to help her get up, and said while looking at Jiang Rui, “What if she forgets you?”
Jiang Rui froze and muttered, “Forgets me…”
“Right. Liuliu can’t control the powerful drugs at all. But I know she’s afraid of pain and the most unwanted memory for her is the scene when she got shot.” Chen Huan stared at Jiang Rui and said, “She has been in the laboratory for days, probably trying to make those drugs again.”
“She failed?” Boss Wan frowned.
Chen Huan shook her head and said, “She succeeded. I guess what I saw in the laboratory before was exactly that kind of drug. But I didn’t know what it was then.”
Then why didn’t she take it? Everybody soon understood only after thinking for a while.
“Liuliu knows its power clearly. She fears…” Chen Huan took a glance at Jiang Rui and said.
Jiang Rui thumped his forehead in great pain and said, “She’s afraid that she’ll forget me.”
“I said that she’s too silly to love you. Silly, indeed.” Wan Qingsi’s face darkened and he said, “Now we have no other way. It’s all up to you.”
Xin Qing pulled Jiang Rui and uttered, “There might be some other ways. We might look for the old village chief. He’s marvelous. He must have some way!”
“Mom, when Chen Chen was 13, the old village chief was lagging far behind her.” Ah Sha reminded her, “Have you forgotten that?”
Jiang Rui walked toward the door and said, “Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you by dusk.”
The room became silent. Then Boss Wan broke it suddenly by saying, “Go and steal the drug first and we’ll let Liuliu take it at dinner.”
“Xiao Rui hasn’t decided yet…” Xin Qing said anxiously.
“He will agree.” Boss Wan sighed and continued, “He was brought up by you, so you should know him well. He’ll agree to it.”
Ying Qingcang and Boss Wan looked at each other. The two of them were both men who dearly loved their women. If Jiang Rui truly loved Liuliu, he would agree to it…
When Chen Chen came for dinner, she found that both Xin Qing and Ah Sha were not there.
“Where are Aunt Qing and Ah Sha?” Wan Qingsi was putting food on his plate. He replied, “Your sister felt unwell. Your mom’s looking after her.”
“You should go and see them.” Chen Chen put a shrimp on his plate.
Tuan Zi came over and said with antic.i.p.ation, “Mom, Dad woke up.”
“Really, and the others?” It was time to wake up.
Chen Huan brought her a bowl of soup and said, “He ate when he woke up and now he’s in the room. Come on, drink this!”
“What is it?”
“It’s good for the blood. You’re still too weak. Hope you’ll get better soon!”
Chen Chen took the soup and drank it immediately. “It’s so sweet!”
“We know you love sweet things so I put honey in it.” Chen Huan patted her head and said, “Go play with Tuan Zi, and then go to bed early.”
Jiang Rui left the island overnight and Ying Qingcang saw him off.
“You’ll give up?”
Jiang Rui curled his lips and said, “How can I give up? You’ve overcome so many hardships to see my mom. Now she only forgets me but at least I remember her.”
“Yes.” Ying Qingcang patted his shoulder and asked, “What are you going to do?”
“Let’s check Liuliu first to see if she will really forget me.” Jiang Rui looked at the sea not far away and went on, “She might not forget me. Hehe…” He put on the ironic smile he used to present to others. “I’ll arrange everything by then. As long as the Wan family won’t prevent it, I have confidence that she will fall in love with me once more, just as she did before.”
Ying Qingcang pushed him aboard and said, “I’ll handle the Wan family.”
“Thank you, Dad!” Jiang Rui closed the cabin door and looked at the light from the building not far away where Chen Chen stayed. He said into the air, “I’ll leave first, Liuliu. I can’t take you looking at me so strangely anymore. When I know the result, I’ll return.”
“At that time… I will take you with me!”
The second morning, Chen Chen did not come for dinner. Seeing Chen Huan and Xin Qing so anxious, Tuan Zi could not help saying, “Mom used to be like this. She didn’t get up in the morning! If someone wakes her up, she will be upset.”
Chen Huan’s eyes lit up, and she and Xin Qing looked at each other then sat down to wait.
They finished breakfast with their minds wandering around, including Tuan Zi’s. She was still worrying about Jiang Rui leaving.
“Tuan Zi, come and follow Grandma. Grandma has something to tell you!” Ying Qingcang had suggested to Xin Qing that she should tell to Tuan Zi the truth. She was so brilliant that she might already know that something went wrong.
As soon as they left, Chen Chen rushed in in a panic.
“Mom, Mom, where’s Tuan Zi? Was she stolen by Jiang Rui?” Then seeing Ying Qingcang sitting there, she rushed at him and cried out, “Uncle Ying, save me!”