Chapter 18: I Want to Sleep
At the hospital, Chen Jiamu sat quietly in his wheelchair, not daring to say a word.
“Jiamu, you said a woman was looking for Xiao Qi?”
Hearing about a woman, Song Jin immediately thought of Zhang Yongmei, Li Qi’s biological mother…
“Yes, I happened to pass by and saw the woman harassing him.”
Song Jin asked a question, and Chen Jiamu answered briefly, not daring to say anything else.
“Good boy, you’ve been through a lot.”
Suppressing her anger, Song Jin patted Chen Jiamu’s head, then looked deeply at Li Qi, who was lying unconscious in the ward.
She didn’t need to think; that woman must have come back to find Li Qi. The woman was terrifyingly cruel, even abusing her own son.
Now that he was back with her, she still wouldn’t let him go!
The angrier she became, the deeper Song Jin breathed. She grabbed her bag and headed downstairs.
Chen Cheng stood aside, frowning. As soon as Song Jin left, Chen Cheng immediately asked Chen Jiamu, “So, what happened?”
“Why did Li Qi end up in the hospital?”
Chen Jiamu swallowed, gesturing for Chen Cheng to lean closer. Chen Cheng didn’t understand but leaned down to his face.
“That woman probably came to ask Li Qi for money; she said horrible things.”
“Li Qi seems to be very afraid of her; he chased her away with a stick today.”
“So that’s how it is…”
Chen Cheng had already guessed, but it was even worse than she imagined…
Chen Cheng’s gaze towards Li Qi now held a trace of imperceptible pity.
To have experienced all that at such a young age…no wonder he had psychological problems. It’s incredible that he’s even still alive…
Meanwhile, Song Jin stormed into the company with a cold face, heading straight for the president’s office.
Li Ru’s secretary’s face paled upon seeing Song Jin; noting the woman’s messy lipstick, she could guess what they had been doing.
“You… how did you get here?”
Li Ru stammered, trying to stand up, but Song Jin didn’t want to hear his excuses. She threw her bag at him, “How did you handle Zhang Yongmei?”
“Didn’t you say you gave her money! Why is she still causing trouble?!”
This was the second time Li Ru had seen Song Jin like this, and he dared not move, only frowning in his chair. “She came to find you?”
“She went to find Xiao Qi! Do you think so?!”
“Didn’t you say you’d taken care of it? Didn’t you say she wouldn’t appear again?!”
“Li Ru! It’s only been three years! Three years, and she can’t control herself?!” Song Jin rarely got this angry. But when she thought of the first time she saw Li Qi, she wanted to kill Zhang Yongmei.
Even though Li Qi wasn’t her biological son, and he was the result of her husband’s infidelity…
But the mistakes of adults shouldn’t be taken out on a child. If he could choose, Li Qi probably wouldn’t want to be born to Zhang Yongmei…
To be abused after birth, living a life worse than a dog’s.
A five-year-old child rummaging through trash cans taller than himself, just to find scraps of food.
Everyone else was held in their parents’ hands, but he, in a dirty, narrow alley, knelt on the ground and suffered humiliation…
That’s why, when Li Qi was brought to her, he had no desire to live.
He tried to overdose, attempted to drown himself…
The most frequent thing Li Qi said to her was, “Let me go, I don’t want to live anymore.”
Li Qi’s depression was severe, and his anorexia had made him terribly thin.
It took her three years to barely stabilize Li Qi’s mental state, to make him seem normal.
In those three years, she had come to see Li Qi as her own son. Now that she was finally seeing signs of improvement, she couldn’t, and wouldn’t, allow Zhang Yongmei to ruin him again…
Li Qi was no longer Li Xixi; he was Li Qi! An independent individual; he was himself.
“Ajing, calm down. I dealt with Zhang Yongmei back then, and she promised she wouldn’t show up again.”
“Let’s find out what happened first, then we can discuss how to deal with it, okay?”
Li Ru frantically tried to calm Song Jin. He couldn’t understand why Zhang Yongmei had suddenly reappeared!
“I want to know the results tonight.”
Taking a deep breath, Song Jin tried to calm herself. Looking up, she had regained her usual composure.
But her trembling voice betrayed her inner turmoil. At the same time, she saw through certain things; her gaze towards Li Ru was devoid of emotion.
Men are always dogs who can’t change their spots.
She wouldn’t put up with it anymore…
“Okay, I’ll send someone to investigate immediately.”
Hearing what she wanted, Song Jin didn’t want to say another word to him. She grabbed her bag, her face cold, and left.
To outsiders, they were a model couple, the husband successful, the wife virtuous and gentle.
But only Song Jin knew the truth. Li Ru was a womanizer, with countless mistresses.
Because she couldn’t have children…
After Song Jin left, the secretary dared to enter the office. Li Ru had lost his interest and waved her away.
Song Jin left the company and rushed to the hospital. At the hospital, Chen Jiamu sat beside Li Qi’s bed, lost in thought.
Li Qi woke up once, didn’t speak, just stared at him, then closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
Chen Jiamu was disturbed by his empty, lifeless eyes, a sense of despair hanging between them.
Chen Jiamu didn’t understand; he didn’t know what Li Qi had gone through, but he felt Li Qi’s inner despair…
What was he despairing about?
That woman?
Suddenly, a question that had bothered him for a long time was answered. Li Qi didn’t have autism…
But severe depression…
He wasn’t familiar with the term “depression,” only having seen it briefly while scrolling through videos. He wasn’t curious about it, so he didn’t understand the illness.
But he knew it could be fatal, killing people in silent despair…
If Li Qi was gone…
Just thinking about it made Chen Jiamu’s heart ache; he didn’t want Li Qi to die.
The impulsiveness and fantasy of an eighteen-year-old boy struck. Chen Jiamu suddenly grabbed Li Qi’s hand, his tone serious, “Li Qi, don’t do anything.”
“When you’re better, let’s go on a trip during summer vacation!”
“I heard the coastal areas have many beautiful sights; we can visit them and relax!”
“The north is also good; I heard the mountains there are famous; I can take you mountain climbing.”
Chen Jiamu went on and on, his eyes fixed on Li Qi’s closed eyes.
Hoping to see anticipation in them.
Li Qi opened his eyes, a faint glance, but there was a ripple of emotion in them…
“You’re noisy.”
“I want to sleep.”
Li Qi swallowed, and when he looked up again, his expression was indifferent…