1 Found My Brother
As Xia Zhihuai entered the police station, his eyes immediately fell upon a little girl who resembled a small potato spirit - Tao Wanwan. He wore a black mask and hat, along with a black hoodie and light blue jeans. Approaching the child with his phone in hand, he reached out and pinched her little face, scrutinizing her from head to toe for a few seconds.
Caught off guard by the pinch, Wanwan looked at her older brother, who was entirely shrouded in darkness, and instinctively moved back a couple of steps.
“What are you hiding for, silly girl!” Xia Zhihuai playfully tapped her round forehead with his bent finger, eyeing his grey Oatman hoodie with disdain. “Where did you find these clothes in the trash? They’re so ugly.”
Wanwan was momentarily stunned, but then delicately tugged down his mask with her slender fingers, revealing the face she remembered. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
“Brother…” Wanwan reached out and embraced his neck, crying uncontrollably.
Taken aback, Xia Zhihuai hurriedly held her. “Stop crying, Tao Wanwan. If you keep crying, I don’t want you anymore.”
Wanwan held her breath, her eyes turning red, and immediately stopped crying, though she continued to hiccup.
Seeing her in such distress, Xia Zhihuai felt a pang of guilt. “All right, stop crying. I’ll take you out for a big meal later!”
With her face buried in his shoulder, Wanwan softly murmured, “Brother, it hurts.”
She had been in pain all along, her stomach ached, her head throbbed, and crying only intensified the agony. “Where does it hurt?” Xia Zhihuai held her in his arms, sitting on a chair, gazing at her rosy little face.
Xia Zhihuai took the tissue handed to him by Xu Wei and gently wiped away the tear-streaked face, resembling a kitten. “Tell me.”
“My belly hurts.”
Wanwan lifted her hoodie, revealing a prominent bruise on her fair and tender belly.
Xia Zhihuai’s eyes turned fiery red as he stared at the swollen half-footprint.
“Good heavens!” exclaimed his manager beside him, looking at the bruises between the little girl’s stomach and chest, teeth clenched in anger. “Who did this? She’s just a young girl!”
The police officers in the police station were also stunned.
From the moment she entered until now, little Wanwan hadn’t mentioned her pain to them at all.
This young girl, just a little over three years old, was so obedient that it made people’s hearts ache.
Wanwan looked at Xia Zhihuai’s distorted face, feeling a little scared, and pulled his hand to press it against the back of her head.
“My head hurts too.”
Xia Zhihuai gently ran his fingers through her soft and delicate hair, his gaze turning dark and gloomy, almost unable to contain the anger in his chest.
Wanwan’s eyes reddened as he pressed her, avoiding his fingers, and plaintively cried out, “Brother, it hurts.”
“Wanwan, who did this?”
Xia Zhihuai lowered his head, concealing the coldness in his eyes.
Wanwan’s round eyes were still filled with glistening tears. She sniffled and slowly said, “I was hungry this morning and wanted to drink milk, so I went to get a carton myself. Auntie saw it and took the milk away, giving it to my little cousin instead, and then she kicked me.”
“I hit my head because I wasn’t steady. Auntie didn’t give me any food this morning, so I secretly ran out, wanting to find you.”
“I don’t want to live with them.”
Wanwan said with a grievance, “They burned all of Mom and Dad’s photos, gave my room to someone else, and gave my new clothes and pretty shoes to the little sister…”
Xia Zhihuai gritted his teeth in anger, looking at her worn-out old clothes, finding them unbearable to look at.
“Don’t worry, Wanwan, in a few days, Brother will make them pay.”
Xia Zhihuai carried Wanwan to the police officer’s side. “Can we report to police now?”
The police officer immediately nodded, infuriated by the sight of the little girl’s suffering.
The poor girl was truly pitiable.
Regardless of the reasons, how could adults kick a child?!
And to target her chest and abdomen, if her internal organs were ruptured, she would be in danger!
Xia Zhihuai had originally planned to take care of Wanwan for a couple of days and then send her back.
Now, there was no way he would send her back! He would make sure those bastards from the Qi family paid the price!
How dare they bully a three-year-old child when the Tao family has no one to protect them? They must have been beasts in their previous lives!
...
Xia Zhihuai promptly had someone take photos to preserve evidence and prepared to rush to the hospital with the child for an examination.
Suddenly, Wanwan tugged at Xia Zhihuai’s sleeve. “Brother, can you wait a moment?”
Xia Zhihuai looked at her strangely, her face pale, her eyes timid.
Oh, how I yearn to tear apart those wretched dogs of the Qi family!
“What do you want?” Xia Zhihuai lowered his mask, his voice softened.
Wanwan crawled out from Xia Zhihuai’s embrace and walked over to the man, who had brought her to the police station earlier.
The man was dressed in a black police uniform, his features handsome and imposing. There was a faint scar on his forehead, indicating the passage of time.
Wanwan took out a lush, jade-colored leaf from her pocket and handed it to the man. “Uncle, this is for you.”
Ling Hang looked down at the little one, crouching down to receive the peach leaf. “Thank you. What is this for?”
“Uncle is a good person, and Wanwan really likes you.”
“Although Uncle may appear a bit stern, you are an excellent and formidable police officer, naturally restraining the wicked.”
“However, Uncle’s Five Elements belong to the Metal, and your destiny palace is afflicted, indicating recent ominous signs.”
“Carrying Wanwan’s leaf will bring you good fortune in the face of adversity.”
Ling Hang furrowed his brows slightly, smoothing out his lips. He had intended to tell her not to indulge in feudal superstitions.
But as he looked into the clear and innocent eyes of the little girl, he smiled and placed the peach leaf in his pocket. “I will keep it, thank you.”
Wanwan noticed the heavy black aura between his eyebrows, but she also knew she couldn’t say anything more.
People nowadays don’t believe in the mystical ways.
But as long as Uncle Ling was willing to carry it, he could at least avoid the deadly danger at this time.
…
Xia Zhihuai stood by, his eyes widened, his chin almost hitting the ground.
What has this little one been through?
Not only has she suffered abuse, but now she’s indulging in feudal superstitions at the police station.
Xia Zhihuai smiled apologetically at the police officer and immediately left the station with Wanwan.
No way was he going to end up trending on social media tomorrow in some bizarre manner.
Wanwan was probably exhausted, as she fell asleep on the way to the hospital.
She had walked all day by herself, barely filling her stomach with some snacks. Now that she was full, she nestled in Xia Zhihuai’s embrace, her eyelids slowly sticking together, unable to open no matter how hard she tried!
Xia Zhihuai wrapped Wanwan in his coat and glanced at the manager sitting in the front row.
“Please find out as soon as possible what happened to my younger brother’s family and what occurred with Wanwan during her time with the Qi family.”
The manager’s expression turned serious as he picked up his phone and immediately contacted a private detective to investigate.
…
During the examination at the hospital, Wanwan woke up once.
The doctor pressed on the back of her head, causing tears to well up in her eyes.
She held onto Xia Zhihuai’s arm, afraid to cry.
Her brother didn’t like it when she cried, and she was afraid of being abandoned again, with no one wanting her.
After the examination, Xia Zhihuai looked at the medical report in his hand, his eyes dark and gloomy.
Mild concussion, abdominal injury, malnutrition…
The further he read, the darker his complexion became.
He turned to look at Wanwan lying on the examination bed, wishing he could smash the faces of those dogs from the Qi family.
Damn it!
