Reborn to Redeem: Their Abusive Love-Chapter 88: Young Xu Si

The long hospital corridor was exceptionally empty. So empty it made her heart clench again and again.

"She’s awake. Her physical condition isn’t critical, though her stomach and intestines were damaged by multiple lavages," Anshi’s voice was formal and calm. "She’s a bit disoriented. Miss, would you like to go see her?"

"Of course."

There was no way Xu Si wouldn’t go to see Wen Jiaojiao; she had rushed back so urgently precisely to support her.

Wen Jiaojiao’s ward wasn’t particularly spacious, but it was very comfortable. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Xu Si pushed open the door.

The woman was nowhere to be seen.

Her heart began to sink, bit by bit.

She had only taken a few steps inside when a girl’s soft, husky voice, thick with nasality, arose from a corner. "Asi, BOO HOO HOO!"

Xu Si spun around abruptly.

Wen Jiaojiao sat in the corner, curled into a ball, covering her face and crying.

Xu Si held her breath and walked over to Wen Jiaojiao, replying in an exceptionally gentle voice, "I’m here."

Wen Jiaojiao’s tears began to stream down. "You’re here."

Xu Si nodded slightly, gently grasping Wen Jiaojiao’s pale, feeble hand. "I’m here. Don’t be sad."

That simple phrase, "don’t be sad," instantly transported Wen Jiaojiao back to their childhood.

They were children from the same social stratum, so they naturally attended the best kindergarten on Hong Kong Island.

Her mother was preoccupied with her career, and her father was busy trying to shed the label of a dependent son-in-law, so Wen Jiaojiao was often left unsupervised.

Back then, she was a chubby girl, frequently bullied by her nanny and her classmates.

Classmates would snatch her fresh milk and sweet pastries, not leaving her a single sip or bite. They would watch her drool with hunger, her clothes soiled and covered in dust, then laugh at her for being dirty before stealing the toys her grandfather had bought her.

If she resisted, they would push her into the stinking restrooms, her clothes getting stained with urine.

Such behavior, at most, warranted a few words of reprimand from the teacher. No one worried about the consequences.

Only Xu Si possessed a sense of justice. On her very first day of kindergarten, she made a bold entrance, sending the boys who bullied her flying with a kick.

Wen Jiaojiao could never forget the Xiaoxu of that day.

Backlit by the light, hands on her hips, Xiaoxu wore a sunflower hat from a spring outing and chewed on fruit candy. Her small frame pulsed with immense energy as she drove off five or six other children. Even though her forehead was swollen from a bump, a reckless smile still played on her lips. She was truly like her name, Si—unbridled, blazing hot, vibrant, and full of life.

When Wen Jiaojiao cried, Xu Si would laugh, a terribly mischievous laugh.

After her fit of laughter, Xu Si would still remember to pop a fruit candy into Wen Jiaojiao’s wailing mouth, revealing a row of pearly white teeth as she said, "Don’t be sad."

Since then, the hero in Wen Jiaojiao’s heart had never changed; it had always been Xu Si.

Her miserable kindergarten days were salvaged by a sweet and sour tangerine candy, its taste chasing away the bitterness.

「Now.」

Seeing Xu Si arrive, still smiling at her, Wen Jiaojiao truly didn’t feel so heartbroken anymore. She stopped her tears and was silent for a moment before clenching her jaw and saying, "I’m filled with such hatred, Asi. I truly hate my brother! How can people be so evil? They not only poisoned me, but he also told me he killed our grandfather! All because Grandfather wanted me to inherit the family assets. They think that just because they’re sons, they automatically deserve the inheritance!"

Wen Jiaojiao had never been afraid of the struggles among powerful families. She was just heartbroken.

The autumn nights were growing cooler. The fall colors on Hong Kong Island were more vivid than in the Underground City, and the leaves on the trees outside the window were starting to turn yellow.

Xu Si simply sat down beside her in the corner. "What do you want to do?" she asked.

Wen Jiaojiao said, "I want to chop them up."

Xu Si’s hand, which held a tissue, paused. She then gently wiped the tear stains from beneath Wen Jiaojiao’s eyes. "Mm," she said, her voice sincere, "I want to as well."

That’s what childhood friendship is like: there’s always someone who supports you unconditionally. Just as Wen Jiaojiao would unconditionally support Xu Si in whatever she chose to do.

Wen Jiaojiao managed a smile through her tears. "You really are..."