Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 187 Kindness Can Also Be a Knife
Ai... Liang? Why are you here?
Ai Liang placed the fruit basket on the bedside table and faced Jin Ping'an: "You seem surprised to see me?"

"Uh, a little."

Jin Pingan nodded.

After all, in Jin Ping'an's impression, Ai Liang was a person who didn't like to meddle in other people's business, so it was quite unexpected that he would come to visit him.

"Um...did you come to visit me?"

Jin Pingan glanced at the fruit basket and asked somewhat nervously.

The two hadn't known each other for very long; in fact, they had only been kidnapped together and eaten together.

To be honest, if Jin Ping'an hadn't had a few drinks that night and impulsively asked him for help, it would have been a real shame.

We're probably just classmates.

Jin Ping'an, already exhausted both physically and mentally from Hu Yingshao's torment, had no interest in chatting with his classmates.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

"I guess so," Ai Liang replied.

You're making it sound so reluctant, just how much do you really not want to come see me?
Jin Pingan couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Unable to find a topic to talk about, Jin Ping'an, like a straight man chatting with a goddess, kept throwing out one question after another: "How did you find this place?"

Is it so hard to just call and ask?

"You're...you're right, hahaha..." Jin Ping'an laughed awkwardly.

Then the ward fell silent again.

Faced with Ai Liang's aloofness, Jin Ping'an looked around, and finally, his gaze settled on the fruit basket.

"Hey, you came, but why did you bring a fruit basket? I haven't even had a chance to thank you for finding me a messenger..."

Ai Liang gave him a cold look; this guy was still as self-satisfied as ever.

"The fruit basket wasn't prepared for you, why are you thanking me? Your esophagus is torn, how can you eat fruit?"

Ai Liang always speaks her mind when facing Jin Ping'an.

Even if you try to be polite to this naive guy, he won't understand and will just believe it, so there's no need to waste your breath.

Didn't you just say you were coming to visit me?

Jin Ping'an's small eyes were filled with doubt, and he almost wore his embarrassment on his face.

If the sofa weren't of decent quality, he could have dug a three-bedroom apartment out of it with his toes in ten minutes.

Looking at this guy in front of me, who couldn't find a topic to talk about and was so embarrassed that he was picking at the sofa with his toes.

Ai Liang decided to cut to the chase and stated her purpose directly: "I'm here to deliver documents for the messenger. The fruit basket was paid for by him for me to buy for Zhou Yinlian."

Upon hearing the messenger's call, Jin Ping'an immediately put aside his embarrassment and his expression turned serious.

However, he had another question: "Who is Zhou Yinlian?"

"The one lying on the bed is him."

Ai Liang took a folded A4 sheet of paper from her pocket and placed it on the bedside table: "This is her detailed identity information."

Jin Ping'an immediately rushed over and unfolded the A4 paper.

As Ai Liang said, the card had Zhou Yinlian's citizen card information and personal photo printed on it. Although the printed image was a bit blurry, it was still generally recognizable as the unconscious girl in bed.

"Thank you! Please pass on the message to the messenger. You've been a great help. Of all the victims, she's the only one whose identity hasn't been confirmed yet. I'll call Lao Tian right away and have him notify her family!"

Jin Ping'an excitedly took out his phone, as if to contact Tian Hao, but Ai Liang stopped him before he could dial.

"Read the contents of the paper before you say that."

Ai Liang pursed her lips, signaling him to continue reading.

Although Jin Ping'an was anxious, it was only due to momentary excitement.

After all, the visit to the victim's family had already ended several days ago.

Even if he calls Tian Hao now, they might not have enough people available to receive Zhou Yinlian's parents.

They just gave the hospital address and told the victim's family to go to the ward on their own, but the police didn't care or send anyone to accompany them. If this gets out, it will be sensationalized by some tabloids.

They say things like government agencies are cold-hearted and indifferent to the victims.

I wonder when these self-media outlets that profit from human suffering will finally die out.

Suppressing his excitement, Jin Ping'an continued reading from where he left off.

But when he saw the next line of text, his heart was struck a heavy blow.

'Zhou Yinlian wasn't kidnapped by the fake Wang Sheng. Instead, her parents, burdened by gambling debts, mistakenly identified the fake Wang Sheng as a debt collector and sold Zhou Yinlian to him to pay off their debts.'

Jin Ping'an's hand on the note began to tremble, as if he didn't want to read what was next. He crumpled the A4 paper into a ball.

What?! What does this mean...?

"Perhaps the fake Wang Sheng had a similar experience before becoming a homeless person, and he resonated with it psychologically, which is why he expressed his willingness to buy Zhou Yinlian."

The two men pretended not to understand, using the excuse that the child was theirs, they had raised her, and she had an obligation to repay her parents to numb themselves. They sold Zhou Yinlian for 80,000 yuan, euphemistically calling it dowry.

Ai Liang knew that Jin Ping'an might not be able to continue reading after the first part, so he slowly began to retell the story.

Zhou Yinlian, unaware that she had been sold by her parents, went to Jiuhua City with her distant cousin. This was Zhou Yinlian's first time visiting Jiuhua City, despite being a native of Qianhua City.

The fake Wang Sheng seemed to be acting out of pity, or perhaps to make up for his past self through her, so he took her to all sorts of attractions until night fell…

"do not talk!"

Ai Liang stopped repeating the contents of the paper and said to Jin Ping'an, "Even if you don't see or hear it, what happened to her won't change. What's the point of deceiving yourself like this?"
If you're so afraid of being hurt or sad that you're unwilling to even understand the cause and effect of a situation, how can you expect to uphold justice for others?

"...Give me some time to accept this."

Jin Ping'an crumpled the paper and slumped onto the sofa in dejection.

Seeing this, Ai Liang didn't continue speaking. Instead, she picked up the crystal orchid from the flower basket, put it in a vase, and then moved the vase to the other side of the bedside table where it was not in the light.

After a while, Jin Ping'an, having mentally prepared himself, unfolded the paper again and continued reading following what Ai Liang had said.

When Zhou Yinlian asked to go home, the fake Wang Sheng gave her a vague refusal. It wasn't until she was taken to a warehouse in the outer city that she finally realized something was wrong.

Zhou Yinlian struggled to see her parents, only to learn from the fake Wang Sheng that she had already been sold.

Upon seeing this, Jin Ping'an involuntarily clenched his fists, but what followed was not as despairing as he had imagined.

What happened next was both fortunate and unfortunate. Zhou Yinlian had already given up struggling, at least the fake Wang Sheng had given her some good memories. However, Zhou Yinlian learned from him that she was just a commodity.

Fear of the future prompted Zhou Yinlian to try to sneak away, but she was discovered by the fake Wang Sheng. During her escape, she tripped and fell, hitting her left eye on a large screw scattered on the garage floor.

Since the goods were damaged, the fake Wang Sheng had no choice but to send Zhou Yinlian to the bald man for treatment ahead of schedule, even though the man originally intended to get rid of Zhou Yinlian directly.

But for some reason, the bald man changed his mind. Instead of immediately taking action, he performed surgery on her, only preparing to dissolve her two days ago.

"This is the general outline of what happened, as told to you by the fake Wang Sheng. You can decide how to handle it yourselves."

After reading the contents of the paper, Jin Ping'an felt a sense of relief.

He was thankful that he hadn't seen that outrageous content and didn't need to be angry about it.

However, is it really something to be thankful for to be sold by your own parents?
Was he relieved that Zhou Yinlian hadn't suffered inhuman abuse, or relieved that it wouldn't affect his mood?
The answer has already been given.

Jin Ping'an's heart was overwhelmed by guilt.

"Have you finished watching?" Ai Liang asked.

"Mmm," Jin Pingan hummed in response.

Ai Liang looked at Zhou Yinlian on the hospital bed and asked, "Now that you have read the contents of the paper, I want to ask you a question."

"what is the problem?"

Ai Liang turned her head and looked at Jin Ping'an on the sofa, her expression very serious: "If Zhou Yinlian wakes up and wants to commit suicide, what will you do?"

"Of course we have to stop her!"

Jin Ping'an answered without hesitation.

"And then?" Ai Liang continued to press.

"Then...then first take her to see a psychologist, and then..."

Jin Ping'an stopped talking midway through his speech because he realized he didn't know what to do after rescuing the person.

Seeing that he couldn't answer, Ai Liang turned her attention back to Zhou Yinlian.

"A fourteen-year-old girl who was sold by her parents has neither the ability to work nor any skills, and orphanages will not accept a child of such an age. How can she survive in this society?"

"But we can't just stand by and watch her commit suicide!"

Jin Ping'an retorted.

He unconsciously placed Ai Liang's views in opposition to his own.

Regardless of whether one's own views are correct or not, as long as one refutes the opposite viewpoints, one is right. This is human nature, and it is not something Jin Ping'an deliberately does.

"Then, let me ask you another question: I can't bear to watch Zhou Yinlian commit suicide."

Is it just for your own peace of mind, or are you genuinely concerned for her life?

Ai Liang's words directly exposed the masks people use to disguise themselves, laying bare their naked humanity in the sunlight.

Jin Ping'an's heart felt as if it had been squeezed, and it paused for two seconds.

The lingering guilt in my heart resonated with this.

"Helping others brings a sense of self-satisfaction, which is a human instinct. You don't need to feel hypocritical about it."

I believe that a large part of your actions are for her benefit, rather than you being a hypocrite simply satisfying your own sense of justice.

Ai Liang didn't look at Jin Ping'an's expression at this moment, because she could guess it even without looking.

"However, what you think is for the good of others may not be right for the person involved."

Don't impose your good intentions on others casually, unless you find a clear path that will lead them to happiness.

Otherwise, for the person involved, warm goodwill may sometimes only turn into deeper despair.

After hearing this, An Si'en's face involuntarily appeared in Jin Ping'an's mind.

Ansien's mother saved money by living frugally, hoping to ease her financial burden and help her live a good life. She even recorded a video to encourage her.

However, Ansien's mother was unaware of everything Ansien had gone through; she simply wanted to use maternal love to soothe the pain her passing had caused her daughter.

Therefore, after watching the video, the contrast between her mother's beautiful expectations and the despairing reality caused Ansien to fall into an even deeper abyss.

She didn't choose to try to live, but instead embraced death with a smile.

This is a real-life example that happened not long ago.

Sometimes, kindness can be as painful as a knife.

Zhou Yinlian's situation was even worse than An Si'en's.

She was left with a physical disability, and her parents sold her off, suffering a double blow to her physical and mental health.

Does she really still have the will to live?

Even if they find Zhou Yinlian's parents and use legal procedures to forcibly give her to those two scumbags, her future will still be bleak.

Having tasted the sweetness of selling their daughter the first time, it's not impossible that Zhou Yinlian would be sold by them a second time.

Even if they are pressured into not selling, they certainly won't give this daughter a friendly look.

The two, who already had a penchant for beating and scolding their children, will undoubtedly become even worse in the future.

So, after Zhou Yinlian's last shred of hope for her parents was shattered, what choice will she make?

Jin Ping'an was horrified to discover that the hypothesis Ai Liang had mentioned was very likely to be about the not-too-distant future.

"Then what should I do..."

Jin Ping'an, whose own beliefs had been refuted to the point of being worthless, subconsciously turned to Ai Liang for help.

However, before he could finish speaking, Ai Liang stood up from his chair: "The above content was relayed to me by the messenger. If there's nothing else, I'll be going back now."

"Did the messenger tell you to say all of this?"

Jin Ping'an originally thought that Ai Liang's words were inspired by what she had read on the paper, but it turned out to be completely different.

He looked at Ai Liang with expectant eyes: "So... what are your thoughts on Zhou Yinlian's future?"

A poker face indicates maturity, intelligence, and assertiveness.

This was Jin Ping'an's first impression of Ai Liang.

This student is mature beyond his years. He can solve problems that he can't solve himself, just like when he introduced the messenger to him.

"My opinion?"

Ai Liang squinted and said, "My opinion is, what does this have to do with me?"

Unexpected answer.

Jin Ping'an's expression became blank, and his mouth opened and closed unconsciously like a goldfish.

"But didn't you help me before? If you hadn't brought the messenger, the case might not have made much progress by now," Jin Ping'an said anxiously.

Ai Liang coldly replied, "I was also implicated in the kidnapping case, but does Zhou Yinlian's future have anything to do with me?"

Yes, it really doesn't matter much. You have no right to force others to solve your problems.

Jin Ping'an was stunned for a moment, then said with a bitter expression, "Ai Liang... is your heart made of iron?"

In response, Ai Liang, who had already reached the door, replied with a single sentence: "You're making a fuss over nothing."

Ai Liang gently closed the door, cutting off their line of sight.

'Jin Ping'an, I didn't come here to solve your problems. I want an answer from you. I want to see... what you'll do next.'

Ai Liang took one last look at the ward and left.

(End of this chapter)