Wang Jianguo was beaten by Wang Hao so badly he could barely stand:
"Wang Hao, I am your father. How could you lay a hand on me?"
Wang Hao was about to continue striking him when Liu Chunlan held him back:
"Son, you can't blame your father for this. It's all that bitch Lin Wanyi's fault. She did it on purpose. She absolutely did it on purpose.
"Didn't you see? She deliberately threw herself at your father. She was just waiting for him to kick her.
"We all fell for her trick.
"Think about it carefully. Hasn't she always wanted to get rid of this child? She's wanted a miscarriage for a long time, but just never had the chance.
"She took the child walking for hours in the dark during a snowstorm, and she took the child to cause trouble for your uncle.
"Son, don't you understand yet? In her heart, she never wanted this baby. If you wouldn't give her a chance to miscarry, she was going to throw herself into harm's way to make it happen.
"Well, now she finally got her wish. The baby is gone, and she's happy.
"And here you are losing your temper. Son, be smart about this, alright?"
Wang Hao refused to listen. His mind was entirely consumed by thoughts of his son.
The son he had obtained through despicable means.
The son he had yearned for all these years.
Without the child, Lin Wanyi's heart would drift even further away.
What should he do?
He chain-smoked in frustration.
What on earth was he supposed to do?
Wang Jianguo offered him an idea:
"Don't you have that thing on your phone? Haohao, that thing is even more reliable than a child.
"Don't worry, she won't run away. More accurately, she won't dare to run."
Liu Chunlan wasn't sure what exactly was on Wang Hao's phone.
She asked Wang Hao, "I wanted to ask you back at the house, what exactly is it?
"Why did Lin Wanyi act like a madwoman when she saw it?
"Haohao, tell Mom, what is it?"
How could Wang Hao say it? That kind of thing was just a tool he used to blackmail Lin Wanyi.
He wouldn't bring it out unless absolutely necessary.
Today, he had been forced into a corner by Lin Wanyi, leaving him with no other choice.
At the hospital, the first thing Lin Wanyi did upon waking up was ask Lin Jiajun:
"Where are those girls? Have their families been notified? Have the police been called?"
Lin Jiajun nodded. "Yes, we called the police, and all their families have been contacted.
"Sis, they want to see you. Are you up for it right now?"
Lin Wanyi propped herself up and washed her face.
The pregnancy wasn't far along, so the surgery was only a minor procedure.
Her body was physically fine, but her heart inevitably ached.
When she appeared before those six girls with a pale face, everyone burst into tears.
They all wanted to hug Lin Wanyi:
"Sister, sister, thank you for saving us.
"If it weren't for you, we might never have made it out. Our whole lives would have been ruined here."
Lin Wanyi cried with them.
They all had various scars and bruises on their bodies, and their eyes were filled with fear.
They recounted the inhuman treatment they had endured over the years, speaking with agonizing sorrow.
But they had to keep talking, to tell the police.
That was the evidence of those animals' crimes. They had to speak up.
This recounting took almost a whole day and night.
The girls' families arrived one after another.
They hugged and wept bitterly; they knelt down before Lin Wanyi, Liu Renzhi, and the others.
They offered money and local specialties, repeating their words of gratitude over and over again.
Lin Wanyi didn't accept a single penny. She told everyone:
"The one you should thank is Brother Liu. We relied entirely on him this time. If he hadn't hired so many bodyguards, we never would have been able to get you out."
Liu Renzhi was very happy, just as happy as the day he saved his own sister.
He told everyone, "Once you go back, forget about this place and start your new lives anew."
After all the girls added their contact information, they gradually left with their families. In the end, only Zhao Pei remained in the hospital room.
She had no family there.
Lin Wanyi felt a pang of sorrow.
She didn't know what Zhao Pei had been through. She didn't ask; as long as Zhao Pei didn't speak of it, she wouldn't pry.
She simply said, "What are your plans? Where do you want to go? We can help you buy a ticket."
Zhao Pei thought for a moment. "Wanyi, I called home, but I..."
Before she could finish her sentence, tears welled up in her eyes. Lin Wanyi quietly cried with her, waiting for her to gradually calm down.
She continued, "I used to have a home, a happy home.
"My parents only had me as their daughter. Others used to say that our Zhao family's lineage was broken, but my dad always said that a daughter is also his child and his roots.
"They raised me like a treasure, enrolled me in all sorts of extracurricular classes, and hired the best teachers for me.
"They did everything in their power to nurture me and sent me to a top-tier university.
"I always thought I would be this happy for the rest of my life, until I met Liu Dabing."
Zhao Pei gritted her teeth, the veins on her face bulging:
"I was just trying to be kind for a moment. I just thought that since someone was in trouble, I should help. I never expected to be kidnapped and brought here by him.
"It's been over a decade. I tried to escape or even kill myself countless times, but sadly, I never succeeded once.
"In order to survive, in order to go back and see my parents, I started pretending to be obedient, sensible, and docile.
"I cooked and washed clothes for his whole family like a normal wife, and even helped him take care of his grandson.
"I just kept thinking that one day I would escape, and I would personally see him thrown into prison.
"That day, he went to the city to cause trouble for you, and his son also took his wife to her maiden home.
"I thought my chance had come. I ran. I ran for my life in the freezing snow.
"But even though he wasn't there, the people in their village still told him, and the whole village chased after me.
"It was freezing cold, the roads were covered in ice, and more than a dozen men were chasing me from behind, along with several dogs.
"I despaired. I knew I couldn't get away, so I hardened my heart and jumped into the frozen river.
"I wanted the river to carry me back to my parents. I wanted the river to tell them that I was still here.
"It's so hateful. I hate it so much. Do you know, Wanyi?
"Even though I jumped into the river, they still caught me. They used dogs to drag me back to the shore.
"I..."
She closed her eyes, tears flowing like a flood:
"I thought I would never have the chance to go back again. Do you know, Wanyi?
"I lay in that drafty pigpen thinking about my parents. I didn't know how they would go on living without me.
"I prayed to take my last breath quickly. My body couldn't go back, but Liu Dabing couldn't control my soul.
"I waited to die, so that once I was dead, I could float right back to my parents and see them immediately.
"But before I died, you came. Wanyi, you came."
She closed her eyes once more.
She took a deep breath before continuing:
"My hope was reignited. I thought I would finally be able to see my parents alive again.
"I used all my strength to survive, but, but..."
She finally couldn't speak anymore, crying with heart-wrenching sobs.
Lin Wanyi didn't know what had happened to her family. She didn't dare to ask, so she could only continue crying alongside her.
After crying for an unknown amount of time, Zhao Pei lay exhausted on the bed:
"Wanyi, I don't love my parents that much anymore. I don't have a home anymore.
"I really have no home left!"
