Hear this life

The next morning, Wen Tingli received a call from Gao Xiaowen as soon as she got up.

"Why did you get up so early today?" Wen Tingli couldn't believe her ears.

Gao Xiaowen was yawning over there.

"It's because I knew you would be out if it was any later. There was something I wanted to tell you last night, but I didn't say it because I was afraid of causing Mr. Lu to misunderstand me - I saw Qiao Baoxin that day."

Gao Xiaowen was hesitant last night, and it turned out it was because of this.

"Hey, Wen Tingli, are you listening? Actually, Qiao Baoxin and I are not very familiar with each other, but we have always known each other. A few days ago, my brother and I went to the Meng Mansion to play, and I found out that Qiao Baoxin had been hiding at her cousin Meng Qiguang's place. She said that after the joint entrance examination, she originally applied for a university in Shanghai, but because she couldn't stand her parents' control, she temporarily changed her application to a university in Peking."

Gao Xiaowen took a sip of water and continued, "The Qiao family is in an uproar. Her father suspected that she had made bad friends outside and that was why she disobeyed him. He was furious and confined Qiao Baoxin to her home. He forced her to reapply to a university in Shanghai and arranged for her to go on blind dates with several well-matched local young men. Qiao Baoxin was not willing to do that. She recently met a young lawyer named Tong from Peking and they seem to be dating secretly."

"Does Mrs. Joe know about this?"

"Qiao Baoxin didn't tell anyone. I only found out she was in love when I accidentally saw her hiding that guy's photo in her room. Now she is fighting against her family under the banner of opposing premature engagement. Coincidentally, her cousin Meng Qiguang also stood on her side. Qiao Baoxin took the opportunity to hide in Meng Mansion. She said that anyone can control her parents, but she can't do anything about her cousin. As long as her parents don't agree to let her go to Peking to study, she won't go back to Qiao Mansion. By the way, she asked me about your situation. She heard that you haven't been doing well recently and she is worried about you."

"Who did she hear me say was bad?"

"I don't know where she got the news from. Qiao Baoxin has always been a simple person. Maybe she feels guilty about you because of her brother's affairs. Unless you live a happy life, she will always feel bad about you."

Wen Tingli thought to herself that Mrs. Qiao probably didn't allow anyone in the family to mention her name. Baoxin had always been very strictly controlled by her family. A rich girl who was almost isolated from society probably had no way to find out about the current situation of her old classmates.

"She seemed to have something urgent to talk to you about, but I was afraid you didn't want to see her, so I didn't tell her your new home's phone number.

Wen Tingli said calmly: "Please tell her for me. I miss her a lot, too."

"Then I'll call her right away."

Just after I finished washing up, Qiao Baoxin called.

"Tingli, how are you doing lately?" Qiao Baoxin asked in a worried tone.

"I'm fine." Wen Tingli smiled, "How have you been lately?"

"Can we meet? I went back to Xiu De to attend the graduation ceremony last month. Teacher Huang remounted some of our past awards. There are also a few group photos of us performing together in the past. I think you would like to keep them as a souvenir. Also, I have something I want to give you. I may have to go to Peking in a few days, so it will be difficult for us to meet in the future."

Wen Tingli was stunned, and all the past events flashed through her mind like a shadow. In fact, before Mrs. Qiao and the school board drove her away, everything in Xiu De Middle School was kind and lovely. Especially Teacher Huang and her classmates, who had spared no effort to help her through the difficulties.

Come to think of it, it has been a while since I last saw Teacher Huang and the others, so I agreed immediately. "Okay, how about we meet at a cafe near Xiu De this afternoon? We can also visit Teacher Huang while we're at it."

Qiao Baoxin was in a dilemma: "I can't go out recently. I'm hiding at my cousin's place now. If I go out, I will be caught by my father's people. How about - how about you come to the Meng Mansion?"

As if she had anticipated Wen Tingli's objection, she emphasized: "Don't worry, my cousin is not at home during the day, and I am the only one at home. Let's talk. I want to see with my own eyes whether you are doing well."

Hearing this, Wen Tingli was a little suspicious that Qiao Baoxin knew about her and Meng Qiguang, but she had known Qiao Baoxin for so long and had never seen Qiao Baoxin scheme against anyone. After thinking for a while, she took the initiative to dispel her doubts.

However, she did not agree to Qiao Baoxin's request.

"How about we go to Xiu De together when you are free? Or I can go to the train station to see you off on the day you go to Beiping. I just can't spare the time recently."

Qiao Baoxin's tone was full of regret: "You are busy, you are busy, please write down my room's phone number, and if you are free someday and I am free here, please call me."

Wen Tingli wrote down the number.

Just as I was about to go out, the phone rang again.

Even Mrs. Zhou was surprised: "It's so lively this morning, it can't be Mr. Lu."

She smiled and went to take it.

Wen Tingli once again recalled the kiss she had with Lu Shicheng in the cinema last night. Her face suddenly became hot and she quickly grabbed the microphone without waiting for Mrs. Zhou to get close to it.

"Hey..." She spoke softly.

There was a calm and gentle female voice on the other end of the phone.

"Sister Ping?!" Wen Tingli was a little disappointed. It was Li Chengying.

Seeing that Mrs. Zhou had gone to the kitchen, she lowered her voice and said, "I called you last night, but unfortunately I couldn't get through."

"I'm really sorry. I wanted to call you back later, but I didn't want to disturb your sleep. My people have found out something about the Deng Tianxing you mentioned. He is indeed investigating you secretly. He has hired people to find reporters to buy information on Simalu several times. We'll tell you the details when we meet. Let's meet as soon as possible in the next two days."

Wen Tingli was very grateful and quickly said, "Okay."

"Besides, I came to you today because I want to ask you to help me find someone."

"Sister Li, please stop talking like that. If you hadn't stepped forward last time, Lu Shicheng and I might not have been able to escape from the White Dragon Gang. If there's anything I can do to help, just tell me."

"One of our friends from Peking disappeared for no apparent reason. We have been looking for him all night. Before he disappeared, he seemed to have dated a female student of Xiu De. As you know, most girls don't want to make it public when it comes to dating, so we still haven't found out which female student he was with before he disappeared. I remember that you studied at Xiu De before. If you ask the girls, you will definitely know more than anyone else."

"I'll try it right away. Please tell me the information of this person."

"His last name is Tong, he is 24 years old, graduated from the Law Department of Yenching University, and just came to Shanghai from Peking in March this year."

After saying this, Li Chengying didn't hear Wen Tingli's reply for a long time.

"what happened?"

Wen Tingli came back to her senses: "Is the situation very urgent?"

"It's very urgent. He has some important information to hand over to us. We must contact him as soon as possible. I have sent people to inquire about the news everywhere, but the fastest way is to directly find the female student he dated and ask her. After all, this child is very likely the last person to see Lawyer Tong. Unfortunately, everything is like looking for a needle in a haystack now."

"I understand. Please wait for my reply tonight."

After hanging up the phone, Wen Tingli decisively called Qiao Baoxin.

***
As soon as she came out of the crew in the afternoon, Wen Tingli called a rickshaw and rushed to Meng Mansion.

She has to go back to the company tomorrow to audition for "Southern Beauty", and she will go out for dinner with Lu Shicheng in the evening. So she only has enough time in the afternoon to meet Qiao Baoxin.

She decided to make a quick decision.

Not long after they walked, the driver suddenly looked back in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Wen Tingli asked.

"I keep feeling like the car behind us is following us."

Wen Tingli pretended to look back casually, and indeed saw a rickshaw not far behind her, but when she turned back, the rickshaw turned to another road.

Wen Tingli and the driver breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

The location of Meng Mansion is a bit remote, and it took almost an hour to get there.

Wen Tingli held the pistol in her bag tightly throughout the whole journey. As soon as she arrived at the destination, she got out of the car holding a bag of things. It was her first time to visit Meng Qiguang's private residence. Through the black carved iron gate, she could see that there was an imposing, half-old red brick house inside. It was a British-style building with a very spacious front yard.

As soon as she rang the doorbell, the dogs in the garden started barking.

Not long after, a respectable old woman in a white jacket and black trousers came to open the door.

"Miss Wen, right? Please come in."

Wen Tingli did not enter immediately, but stood at the door with a smile on her face. "Excuse me, is Mr. Meng home?"

"Not at home. The master went out early in the morning."

Wen Tingli secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She was not so self-indulgent as to think that Meng Qiguang was still obsessed with her. However, when she thought about the fact that Meng Qiguang was a bachelor, it would be easy for her to cause misunderstandings if she came to visit him alone. It would be best if he was not at home.

After entering, Wen Tingli tried her best not to look around, but still accidentally caught a glimpse of the calligraphy and paintings and carpets in the foyer. Meng Qiguang had a pretty good aesthetic sense, and the layout of the room exuded a simple and elegant atmosphere.

"Is Baoxin still upstairs?" She stood at the stairs and looked up.

"Our cousin will be down soon."

"Please help me pass the message. I want to go upstairs directly to find her."

Thinking of the car that had followed her on the road, Wen Tingli asked again, "Can I borrow your phone number?"

Just after finishing the call with Li Chengying, Qiao Baoxin came downstairs.

"Tingli." She had grown taller and thinner, her face was a little pale, and she looked like she had a lot on her mind. As soon as she came downstairs, she held Wen Tingli's hand and said, "Come here, let's talk in the small living room over here."

Wen Tingli turned her back to the servants and quietly opened the thing in her arms to show Qiao Baoxin.

Qiao Baoxin was stunned for a moment, then she broke into a brilliant smile and without thinking, she pulled Wen Tingli upstairs.

Wen Tingli brought a set of costumes and headgear that were discarded from the crew, and the two of them got busy as soon as they entered the room.

"You haven't been out for a long time." Wen Tingli put the big black curly hair on Qiao Baoxin's head, "I think it's boring for us to hide in the house and talk all the time since we rarely see each other. Why don't we go out for a walk together to relax? Don't worry, if you go out on the street dressed like this, even your father's people won't recognize you."

Qiao Baoxin smiled and said, "Hey, don't tighten your head too much, it will be difficult for me to take it off when I get back."

Then, Wen Tingli found the powder paste used by the male actors in the crew and applied it to Qiao Baoxin's face. When they were studying at Xiu De in the past, they had performed in many dramas together and were quite experienced in how to change clothes. In just a short while, Qiao Baoxin turned into a middle-aged lady with a dark and yellow complexion.

The two smiled at each other in the mirror.

"How ugly!"

"How can you go out if you're not ugly?"

After a lot of fighting and cleaning up, Qiao Baoxin had regained her former liveliness. The two girls came out of the house hand in hand. Qiao Baoxin suddenly remembered something: "Look at me, my cousin will be worried when he comes back and sees that I am not at home. I have to call him first. Also, I haven't taken the things I want to give you yet. Wait for me in the hallway for a while."

Wen Tingli had to go downstairs first. The servant probably thought that letting guests stand in the hallway was not in line with the Meng family's hospitality style, so he invited Wen Tingli to sit in the small reception room on the right, and soon brought her a cup of scented tea.

Suddenly, there was a sound at the front door and someone entered the hall.

"Are there guests?" It was a young man's voice.

The servants responded quickly, "Yes, it's Miss Cousin's classmate. He's sitting in the small living room now. He was just served tea."

"Baoxin's classmate?" Meng Qiguang asked casually, "Where is she?"

As they were talking, Meng Qiguang had already passed the entrance hall. Perhaps he was a little curious about which classmate came to see Qiao Baoxin, so he casually glanced into the small living room as he passed by.

Seeing that it was Wen Tingli, he stopped suddenly.

Wen Tingli had no choice but to stand up and greet him: "Hello, Mr. Meng."

Meng Qiguang squinted his eyes and looked at Wen Tingli. After a moment, he said in a calm voice, "It turns out to be Miss Wen. I hope you are well."

"I hope you are well." Wen Tingli said calmly.

Meng Qiguang curled his lips, turned his head and said to the people around him: "Hospitalize Miss Wen well."

Having said this, he started to go upstairs. When he looked up, he was surprised to see a strange middle-aged lady in a blue cheongsam coming down the stairs.

"It's me, my cousin!" Qiao Baoxin couldn't help laughing and ran downstairs to Meng Qiguang, "Even you didn't recognize me?"

"What are you doing?" Meng Qiguang sneered, "You scared me just now."

"I want to go out for a walk with Wen Tingli." Qiao Baoxin said mischievously, "I can't go out without pretending like this."

Meng Qiguang thought that this idea must have come from Wen Tingli. He turned his head and glanced at Wen Tingli meaningfully for several times, but did not expose her. He only looked back at Qiao Baoxin: "Do you need a car? I'll let Xiao Gao take you there."

"No need, we're just walking around and will be back soon."

Meng Qiguang didn't say anything else. He asked someone to see them off and went upstairs by himself.

After coming out of Meng's house, Wen Tingli couldn't help but ask Qiao Baoxin.

"Will Mr. Meng tell your mother what happened today?"

"Don't worry, my cousin is a talkative person, otherwise I wouldn't hide in his house."

Wen Tingli nodded. Mrs. Qiao still hated her to this day. When she heard about this, she might make up something in front of Lu Shicheng. Lu Shicheng would definitely not bother to pay attention, but she didn't want to give anyone the opportunity to stir up trouble between her and Lu Shicheng.

It was because she didn't want to stay in the Meng Mansion for too long that she came up with the idea of ​​helping Qiao Baoxin change her clothes.

Meng Qiguang probably guessed her thoughts at once, otherwise he wouldn't have looked at her with that expression just now. This man is really scary smart.

He probably laughed at her for being so sentimental in his heart - it didn't matter.

The two planned to find a place to sit near the park, but were afraid of running into anyone they knew, so after some discussion they called a rickshaw and went to a nearby church primary school.

The church primary school had been closed for many years, and the environment was much more desolate than the previous one. Not only were there few pedestrians on the street, there was not even a single coffee shop. They finally found a snack bar on the corner. The shop was also dirty, but the environment was exactly what Qiao Baoxin wanted. They immediately went in and found a table to sit down.

Qiao Baoxin hadn't been able to go out freely for a while. After sitting down, he just stared at the street corner in a daze, while Wen Tingli was very vigilant and kept observing the surrounding situation. After a while, Qiao Baoxin tilted his head to look at Wen Tingli.

"Are you really doing well lately? You didn't lie to me, did you?" She held the back of Wen Tingli's hand.

Wen Tingli was curious: "Who did you hear say that I was not doing well?"

Qiao Bao felt embarrassed, but she still told the story as it happened.

"I heard about it at Luo Shuhong's house. You know Luo Shuhong has made movies before, and she knows a lot of people in the arts. Someone mentioned that Golden Pictures was planning to shoot a big drama, and someone mentioned you. He said your role would be replaced soon, and that it was not surprising for a newcomer like you. I think you must be unhappy after preparing for so long and suddenly you can't act."

"This is complete nonsense. How come I didn't know that I was replaced? Who said this?"

Most likely it was Deng Tianxing. Qiao Baoxin shook her head: "At the time, he was mixed in with a bunch of male guests, so I didn't see his face. I thought the smoke was too strong over there, so I just listened from a distance. Later, my cousin came over, and the man suddenly stopped talking, so I didn't go over to investigate."

Wen Tingli wanted to go back to the company immediately, but she had not finished her business for the day, so she had to hold back and hold Qiao Baoxin's hand: "Tell me about your recent situation. Why have you lost so much weight? Have you had a bad time with your family recently?"

Qiao Baoxin's tone suddenly became angry: "I can't stay in that house for even a day! It's not enough that my grandfather arranged my brother's marriage, and now he's arranging my marriage. I won't let them succeed! This time I have to go to Beiping!"

Wen Tingli's eyes were full of sympathy. She fully understood and approved of Qiao Baoxin's actions, but she didn't think things would go as smoothly as Qiao Baoxin herself thought. After all, her brother Qiao Xingchu hadn't been able to change the family, and Qiao Baoxin was still studying. How could she fight against her elders? An old-fashioned family like the Qiao family would never allow their children to have their own ideas.

But she still said seriously: "If you need my help, just tell me. Do you have any friends in Peking? Have you contacted the school? If you run away rashly like this, I'm worried that you will suffer. How about this, I can ask someone to find you some reliable friends in Peking."

Qiao Baoxin said with emotion: "Tingli, you are so kind. But you don't have to worry about these things. My friends at school have already contacted me. My joint entrance examination score is enough to enter the Women's Normal University. The admissions office there has seen my file and has agreed to admit me."

At this point, a suspicious blush suddenly flashed across Qiao Baoxin's cheeks.

"Friends? Do you have friends in Peking?"

And they have to be close friends, otherwise it would take a lot of time just to help run to the school and deliver the files.

Qiao Baoxin probably knew that she couldn't hide it from Wen Tingli, so she nodded shyly. "His last name is Tong, and he graduated from the Law Department of Yanjing University. He was the one who helped me contact the school this time."

Under Wen Tingli's questioning, Qiao Baoxin shyly talked about how she met Tong Zhaohui.

The first time she heard Tong Zhaohui's name was from teacher Huang at school. Once the school invited a professor from the law department of St. John's University to give a lecture. After the class, teacher Huang said with emotion that a poor neighbor of his had recently gotten into trouble with the law. It was obviously the other party who was unreasonable, but the neighbor could not afford to sue the other party. Seeing that all the meager savings in hand would be lost, everyone was very anxious. At this time, a young lawyer named Tong who lived nearby heard about this and took the initiative to help teacher Huang's neighbor win the lawsuit for free. Lawyer Tong had just graduated and didn't have much money, but he had a strong sense of justice. This was not the first time he had volunteered to help someone sue. Later, Qiao Baoxin went to teacher Huang's house to deliver something and happened to meet Tong Zhaohui in the alley. "We...we have known each other since then. When we first started dating, he had no idea about my family situation. One day, he was quite surprised to hear that my family had arranged a blind date for me against my will. I had no choice but to tell him about my pain and worries. He immediately helped me contact universities in Peking. He encouraged me to go out and broaden my horizons and advised me to study hard. He said that only if I could gain a foothold in society as soon as possible, I would not be controlled everywhere in the future."

Hearing this, Wen Tingli was sincerely happy for Qiao Baoxin, but she joked: "He is so brave, isn't he afraid that your family will sue him for kidnapping?"

"He's not afraid of anything. He's the most free-spirited and brave person I've ever met. He's ready to help me fight my family. He said if my family cuts off my financial resources, he'll help me pay for my tuition and living expenses. He's already started making money. Tingli, you don't know, no matter what he does, he has his own set of principles. His father teaches at a middle school in Peking, and so does his mother. Although his family is very poor, the family atmosphere is quite open-minded and free."

It can be seen that Qiao Baoxin likes Tong Zhaohui very much, and her eyes are full of tenderness.

"I listened to his conversation, and then listened to the conversations of those young masters my father arranged for me to meet. I really couldn't stand it for a moment. Some of them are so smart and knowledgeable, while others are obsessed with eating, drinking and having fun. How could I agree to marry those empty-headed playboys after meeting someone like Tong Zhaohui? Tingli, you..."

She lowered her voice: "Can you understand how I feel?"

"I understand, of course I understand. It seems that he has made all the arrangements for you in Peking. When do you plan to leave? Will Lawyer Tong go with you?"

A shadow suddenly passed over Qiao Baoxin's face.

"I can't contact him. It's like he suddenly disappeared these past two days. He used to call me two or three times a day, but he hasn't called me at all these past two days. Tingli, do you think something has happened to him?"

She twisted her hands together in worry, as if she would burst into tears in the next second. Wen Tingli calmed herself down and comforted her, "Don't worry, you know Sister Yaqiao, she also studied law. Since she went to Bao Yaren's law firm to find a job, she has to go out of town every now and then to do business, and we often can't contact her. Maybe Lawyer Tong is in the same situation. I think he will call you as soon as he finishes his business."

"But--"

"How about this, since you are stuck at home and can't move, I will go and ask around for you." Wen Tingli said sincerely, "Do you remember what Lawyer Tong said to you during his last phone call? Did he say where he was going? Or who he was with?"

Qiao Baoxin lowered his head and thought.

"He called me at 8:30 in the morning the day before yesterday. I heard a lot of noise from his end, so I asked him where he was. He said he was at Chenjia Vegetable Market in Nanshi, and had just eaten a bowl of scallion noodles on the roadside by himself. He even joked that the scallion noodles in Nanshi tasted much better than those in the city. I asked him what he was doing in Nanshi, and he said that a client lived there, and the two parties had arranged to meet in the morning."

"He was alone?"

"It should be one person. Anyway, I didn't hear him talking to anyone else. After saying all this, he said he had to go out and hung up the phone. Then - if it goes on like this, I can only ask my cousin to help find someone. But no matter how tight-lipped my cousin is, he is my mother's brother after all. Even my uncle doesn't dare to take the initiative to hide such a big thing as my relationship with Tong Zhaohui. If my mother finds out that I secretly found a boyfriend, she will definitely make a big fuss. Tingli, I really don't know what to do."

Wen Tingli silently memorized this information in her mind and comforted Qiao Baoxin, saying, "I'll secretly help you find out later. I've recently met some friends in the newspaper office. They have a wide range of contacts and are tight-lipped. With their help in secretly finding out information, I believe there will be clues soon. Don't worry, I will never let your family hear any news before I find Lawyer Tong."

Qiao Baoxin said with red eyes: "I originally wanted to talk to you about the past, but I didn't expect that you would be worried about me."

The two parted at the door of the cafe. Qiao Baoxin was afraid that his uncle would worry if he stayed out for too long, so he hurriedly got on a rickshaw and left first, while Wen Tingli stayed there to look for the telephone office.

This place was so deserted that I couldn't find the telephone exchange no matter how hard I looked. Finally, I found a public telephone in the Guangdong Commercial Bank across the street. It was an old brand that specialized in seafood and bird's nests. Business was not very good, and there were more employees inside than customers.

The telephone is located in the bathroom at the end of the corridor on the second floor of the store.

When they got upstairs, Wen Tingli held the microphone and looked around vigilantly. She was the only one in the huge corridor. After looking around for a while, she felt relieved. After the call was connected, she whispered to Li Chengying about the circumstances before Tong Zhaohui disappeared.

Li Chengying was overjoyed.

"The person disappeared in Nanshi?! No wonder! Thank you, Xiaowen, I finally have some clues."

Wen Tingli knew very well how outstanding Li Chengying's abilities were. When the White Dragon Gang kidnapped Zhu Zihe's mother, it was Li Chengying who found out the whereabouts of Mrs. Zhu in a very short time and successfully rescued her. After hearing what Li Chengying said, she believed that as long as Tong Zhaohui was still alive, his whereabouts would be known soon, but she was afraid -

"Please call me back as soon as you have any news. My classmate is extremely worried."

Li Chengying agreed: "Is the car that was following you still there? Our companion had an accident on the road and may arrive later. How about this, you find a crowded place to stay until our people arrive, and then you can act with us. This time, we must catch the person who is following you on the spot!"

Wen Tingli felt warm in her heart. After finishing the call, she was about to go downstairs. She looked up casually and found that she could see a corner of Suzhou River from the window of this business.

She remembered that the Lu family’s Lixin Bank was right on the Suzhou River.

It turned out that this place was so close to him... She leaned on the windowsill and looked out.

No, in fact it was still very far away, at least she couldn't see the Lu family's building at all.

What is Lu Shicheng doing now... She suddenly felt a little itchy in her heart, so she turned around and dialed the number of Lixin Bank.

"Mr. Lu left at noon. Are you Miss Wen?" The manager on the other end was very enthusiastic. "Do you want me to contact Mr. Kuang for you? Mr. Kuang must know where Mr. Lu is."

"Oh, no need." What's this? It's like you're keeping an eye on someone's whereabouts.

Besides, we had agreed to meet at the gate of Hujiang University at 6:30, why did you call me for no reason?

Wen Tingli walked out in a happy mood. Just as she reached the stairs to the second floor, she suddenly heard the sound of a door opening from the public washroom behind her. Then, a burst of hurried footsteps came towards her.

If it were in the past, Wen Tingli would definitely not be able to make a judgment and react in time, but on the one hand, she noticed someone following her twice today, so she was on guard in advance.

Secondly, I also learned some basic fighting moves when I was learning shooting from Li Chengying and Head Nurse Liu a while ago. I have accumulated some experience in how to deal with sudden attacks. When I realized something was wrong, I quickly dodged to the side.

The other party obviously did not expect Wen Tingli to have such beautiful skills. He was caught off guard and fell headfirst down the stairs.

Wen Tingli was secretly cheering in her heart, but she didn't expect that the man, taking advantage of his height, suddenly grabbed her arm and dragged her down the stairs.

Wen Tingli was so frightened that she had to use her hands to protect her head and face. She fell down several steps in a row. After finally stopping herself, she felt stars in front of her eyes and her whole body seemed to be falling apart.

Fortunately, he managed to protect his face in time. If he had fallen face down, his two front teeth would have been knocked out on the spot, or a big cut would have been made on his face, which would have disfigured him.

The man was a burly man, and although he fell down at the same time as Wen Tingli, he was not like Wen Tingli who did not move for a long time. Instead, he staggered to his feet.

Wen Tingli's eyes became fierce, she took out her pistol, aimed at the man's ankle, and was about to shoot him.

At this moment, the store employees all came out to ask, "What happened?"

Wen Tingli had no choice but to press the gun under her body again, saying hatefully: "He stole my things, help me catch him!"

The employees volunteered to chase after the thief, but soon returned in disappointment: "He's long gone, and the bicycle in front of the store is gone too. Little girl, what did you lose? The thief clearly planned this all along."

Wen Tingli recalled the scene just now. It was not Deng Tianxing. The man was wearing a baseball cap and a scarf on his face, but she still caught a glimpse of the other person's exposed outline. His skin was very dark and nothing else could be seen.

Two ladies helped Wen Tingli up with concern.

Wen Tingli wiped the sweat from her face and felt her hands were wet and sticky. She looked and saw that her palms and elbows were covered in blood. She guessed that she had grabbed the carved railing of the stairs in a hurry and got scratched by a sharp corner.

Wen Tingli endured the pain and took out the money from her bag and gave it to one of the ladies.

"Please help me go to the second floor and make a phone call. Just say my last name is Wen."

Everyone slowly dispersed, leaving only the enthusiastic lady to help Wen Tingli out. There were two rattan chairs at the door of the shop for customers to rest, and she helped Wen Tingli sit down on the chairs.

"How about I call the car rental company to get you a taxi?"

"No, my friend will be here soon. Just go ahead and do your work. I'll get a rickshaw to the hospital myself."

The lady waved her hands and said, "Little girl, you don't know. At this time, the managers of the foreign companies on the Bund are just getting off work. The rickshaw drivers have all rushed over there to pick up people. It's been a long time since we've waited for a rickshaw here—"

"Wen Tingli!" Someone was running towards Wen Tingli on the street. It was Qiao Baoxin. Both of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts before, and they didn't even notice that Qiao Baoxin had left her handbag in the snack bar. Fortunately, she quickly remembered it and found it as soon as she came back. Now she was about to hail a rickshaw back to Meng Mansion, when she suddenly found Wen Tingli sitting in front of a store on the street with blood all over her hands.

"What's going on?" Qiao Bao was shocked and anxious.

Wen Tingli said bitterly: "Someone plotted against me."

When the lady saw Wen Tingli’s friend coming, she felt relieved and went back to the store.

"It looks like you're seriously injured. I'll take you to the hospital right away."

"Why are you going to the hospital with me like this? Aren't you afraid that your mother will catch you after hearing the news? I've called a taxi, don't worry."

Qiao Baoxin's face was full of anxiety: "The car rental company's car won't come quickly at this time, why don't you go back to Meng Mansion with me first, and I'll ask my cousin to drive you to the hospital directly."

Wen Tingli shook her head: "I have just called another friend, and a car will be here soon. I'm fine. It looks serious, but it's just a superficial wound."

Qiao Baoxin stamped her feet and ran to the street alone to look for a car. She ran past several street corners and finally stopped a rickshaw on a main street. She quickly jumped into the car and told the driver to go back and pick up Wen Tingli.

Suddenly, I thought that the nearest hospital was on the other side of Suzhou River. It would take at least half an hour to get there by rickshaw. If this continued, Wen Tingli's treatment would be delayed. But if there was a car escort, it would only take ten minutes to get there. Besides, my cousin usually had acquaintances in large hospitals.

In a hurry, she ordered a rickshaw to go straight back to Meng Mansion.

Wen Tingli continued to wait for the bus there. She was probably dazed from the fall just now. Now that she had calmed down, she felt pain everywhere. There was a cut on her arm and it seemed that the bone of her shoulder was also badly bruised. She was just glad that she didn't break her face. Looking at the injuries on her body, even if her face was not disfigured, it would affect her audition tomorrow.

The other party really came for "Beauty of the South".

Thinking of this, she looked towards the street intersection anxiously. The person she had asked the lady to call earlier was none other than Lu Shicheng. When she encountered danger, the first person she thought of was him.

Although Lu Shicheng was not in the office at the moment, the manager said personally that he could help her find Kuang Zhilin. Now she just hoped that Kuang Zhilin would send a car to pick her up as soon as he received the call. With Kuang Zhilin's ability, he would definitely be able to arrange for her to go to the nearest hospital for examination.

She knew that the sooner any injury was treated, the less severe it would be. No matter what, she had to be in the best condition for tomorrow's audition.

Wen Tingli wiped the sweat from her cheeks and stared towards the street intersection without blinking.

***
As soon as Qiao Baoxin entered the door, she shouted anxiously, "Uncle!"

Meng Qiguang happened to be answering a phone call in the living room. Hearing this, he turned back nonchalantly: "What's wrong?"

Qiao Baoxin dragged Meng Qiguang out without giving him any time to speak: "Uncle, please come with me."

Meng Qiguang pulled his arm back, frowned and said, "Go away, didn't you see your uncle was on the phone? What are you doing?"

"Wen Tingli was attacked on the street." Qiao Bao was so anxious that he spoke incoherently, "Her wound was still bleeding when I left. Uncle, please drive her to the hospital as soon as possible."

Meng Qiguang's face darkened. He dropped the phone in his hand and picked up the coat on the sofa.

"Where is she?"

***
Wen Tingli waited on the rattan chair for a while, but no car came.

Maybe Kuang Zhilin was also busy, or even the manager had gone off work.

She couldn't wait any longer, so she had to go in and ask the clerk to call a taxi for her.

Wen Tingli barely stood up by holding onto the back of the chair, but her left shoulder felt like it was hit hard by someone, and it was excruciatingly painful. In addition, she stood up a little too hard, and she felt dizzy. She was panicking, thinking that if she fell down, she would not be able to participate in the audition tomorrow. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her, and someone ran up behind her and held her steady. She looked back in astonishment, and was immediately surprised and delighted.

It was actually Lu Shicheng.

"Why did you come here?"

Lu Shicheng's forehead was covered with sweat and his face looked extremely ugly. He hurriedly helped Wen Tingli sit down on the chair, and half-knelt down to carefully examine her injuries.

"Someone is plotting against me." Wen Tingli's eyes welled up with tears, and she said to him with great grievance, "I was just on the phone inside, and a man in a baseball cap pushed me down from the second floor. No, don't look for him yet, he ran away a long time ago."

Anger surged in Lu Shicheng's eyes, but he suppressed it with difficulty, carefully helped Wen Tingli up, lowered his brows and looked at her questioningly.

[Can you walk? ]

"You can walk." Wen Tingli had already seen Lu Shicheng's car parked on the side of the road. She hurriedly supported Lu Shicheng's arm and tried to take two steps forward, but she let out a hiss in pain.

Lu Shicheng picked her up without saying a word and walked forward.

Wen Tingli paused for a moment, but did not resist. She just put her head on Lu Shicheng's chest with a red face.

She heard Lu Shicheng's heart beating very fast and could see that he was really anxious.

But her heart was extremely peaceful and stable.

"Where did you come from? How did you get here so quickly? Was it Mr. Kuang who called you?" Feeling relieved, she started talking more.

On the road over there, Meng Qiguang braked the car and watched the scene without saying a word.

Qiao Baoxin was stunned. It was actually Lu Shicheng.

No wonder Wen Tingli refused to let her help call a taxi.

Yes, the Lu family’s Lixin Bank seems to be not far from here.

However, she was still a little surprised by how fast Lu Shicheng came. He must have dropped everything he was doing and rushed here as soon as he heard the news.

This is only possible when one cares deeply about someone. She was surprised and touched. When did they -

Judging from Wen Tingli's condition, she also trusted and liked Mr. Lu very much. As soon as he appeared, Wen Tingli stared at him intently, otherwise she should have noticed her uncle's car long ago.

Meng Qiguang took a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth with an expressionless face. Then, remembering that Qiao Baoxin was beside him, he took the cigarette out again, and in annoyance, he broke the pipe into two pieces and threw them out of the window.

"Okay, your good friend has an escort, uncle, can I go home now?"

Qiao Baoxin carefully observed Meng Qiguang's expression and smiled awkwardly: "I have to take a look before I can feel at ease. Uncle, you are so kind. Let's go home."

Meng Qiguang didn't respond. He drove back along the same route with a calm face, and suddenly slammed on the brakes.

I saw a car speeding across the road. As soon as the car stopped, two middle-aged ladies jumped out and tried to cross the road. But when they saw Lu Shicheng and Wen Tingli, they seemed to be relieved, returned to the car without saying a word, and drove away.

Meng Qiguang glanced in the direction where Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng left, his eyes thoughtful.

"Uncle, what are you looking at?"

Meng Qiguang smiled evilly: "Nothing, let's go."

***
Wen Tingli lay flat on the hospital bed, but her attention was all on Lu Shicheng outside the door.

The doctor was busy reporting her condition to Lu Shicheng.

Upon examination, it was found that she had a dislocated left shoulder and minor scratches on her arms and the front of her calves.

The shoulder has now been put back in place and the wound has been treated, but he still needs to stay in the hospital for one night for observation.

Wen Tingli looked back and saw her surroundings. The ward was filled with fruits, snacks and water. In addition, there was a special nurse who was responsible for taking care of her and was waiting by her bed.

This is what the room looked like when she returned from treatment.

She felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey. Lu Shicheng had always been so thoughtful in this regard that it left nothing to be desired.

However, what made her happy was not these, but that he came at such a timely moment today. On second thought, she was also the first one to show up when he was ambushed last time. This is what they call telepathy.

She turned her head and kept looking outside, wondering why Lu Shicheng hadn't come in yet. She had a lot to say to him.

Suddenly thinking of Qiao Baoxin, he hurriedly said to the nurse, "Please make a phone call for me and tell her that I'm at the Red Cross Hospital and that I'm fine. Please don't worry."

As for Sister Li, there was no need for her to report her safety specifically, as she had seen them when she was still in the car.

The nurse came back and said, "Miss Qiao said she already knew about it, and she asked you to take good care of your injuries."

(End of this chapter)