35

Pei Yujang's injuries were actually quite serious.

The attackers had been vicious, and while they hadn't tried to kill her, their fists and kicks had left her battered. Pei Yujang, despite her strength, was only one person against many. By the time she was rescued, her body was covered in bruises, and her arm had several deep cuts that bled profusely, some of them even exposing the flesh underneath.

When Pei Jinhui heard that Pei Yujang had been involved in a fight, she was frantic. She abandoned an ongoing meeting and rushed to the hospital. Seeing Pei Yujang lying unconscious on the bed, she nearly collapsed with shock.

Pei Yujang was lucky not to have broken any bones or sustained life-threatening injuries, but she still required over twenty stitches across her body. Her arm was particularly bad, with the wounds threatening to leave scars if not properly treated.

Yu Zhiwan couldn't see Pei Yujang's condition but had to rely on others' descriptions to gauge the severity of her injuries.

Even with those descriptions being somewhat downplayed, she could still imagine the peril Pei Yujang had faced.

Yet here was Pei Yujang, acting as if she couldn't feel the pain at all, still able to joke and chat lightly with her. Such a strong will was rare among ordinary people. When Yu Zhiwan had received Pei Yujang's call and heard the sounds of struggle on the other end, she had immediately traced the IP address and rushed over. But locating her took time.

When Yu Zhiwan finally arrived, she was hit by the strong scent of blood in the air.

Rain was lightly washing away the blood, and the cold raindrops falling on the wounds must have felt like needles piercing the skin, or like ants biting, causing a burning pain.

Yu Zhiwan had experienced this kind of pain before.

So, as she listened to the sounds of the intense fight, while being helpless at the alley's entrance, she felt a rare emotion: regret.

Back then, Yu Zhiwan had known it would be difficult to escape her captors' control, even if she predicted their plans. She had willingly walked into a trap, which eventually cost her the use of her legs. Despite the excruciating pain, she didn't regret her decision. That moment had provided an opportunity to break free from them, allowing her to gather resources and establish her own power, all while pretending to be defeated under their watchful eyes.

But now, for the first time, she felt a fleeting moment of regret.

She wished she could see Pei Yujang's injuries, but her blind eyes couldn't give her the ability to see as others could.

At that moment, Yu Zhiwan hadn't called the police but had brought a small team to the scene. To avoid being a burden, she had hidden herself instead of stepping forward to help directly.

When she first met Pei Yujang, she thought she was foolish—someone who would jump in to help without considering the consequences. She didn't like people like that and had privately mocked Pei Yujang for her naivety.

In times of peace, people with powerful backers or those who shouted for justice online were common. But when chaos truly reared its head, these same people would be the first to hide, afraid of being caught up in the turmoil.

But Pei Yujang was the most foolish of them all.

"Rest well," Yu Zhiwan said, "staring" at Pei Yujang for a moment, as if she wanted to say something more but ultimately held back. After a pause, she added, "I'll come see you tonight. You just woke up, so don't eat anything too greasy. I'll bring you some scallion chicken porridge."

Scallion chicken porridge was one of Pei Yujang's favorite foods. The scallions were finely chopped, and the chicken was boiled until it was tender and melted in the mouth. The base of the porridge was a light chicken broth, rich in flavor yet easy on the stomach.

Pei Yujang immediately responded, "Okay, okay, put in lots of scallions. I like them."

Yu Zhiwan closed the door and left quietly.

As she made her way through the hospital corridors, the sharp scent of disinfectant stung her senses, and she thought deeply.

There had been two groups of people who attacked Pei Yujang. The first was the common street thugs who preyed on the weak, typical local bullies in Yicheng. If Pei Yujang had been an ordinary, fragile girl, she might have been seriously hurt. But with her strength, taking down those hooligans would have been easy.

Those thugs were likely hired by Zhao Longshuang. Although Pei Yujang hadn't explained Zhao Longshuang's role in detail, Yu Zhiwan knew about her.

Zhao Longshuang was ruthless, often using others to do her dirty work and was skilled at pitting people against each other.

This wasn't the first time Zhao Longshuang had caused trouble in Yicheng. Years ago, two young heirs had both taken a liking to the same beautiful Omega. The Omega couldn't choose between them, as both were wealthy and influential, which was common in those circles. Zhao Longshuang, seeing an opportunity, manipulated the situation to her advantage, inciting jealousy and competition between the two heirs.

Zhao Longshuang wasn't a pimp, but she acted like one. She invested a little money into the Omega, teaching her to raise her value and play hard to get. This led the two young men to lavish the Omega with money, with Zhao Longshuang profiting significantly.

Eventually, tensions escalated, and the two Alphas, driven by jealousy, got into a physical altercation. One of the Alphas, under the influence of a drug Zhao Longshuang had provided, stabbed the other, who was then hospitalized. Fortunately, the victim survived after emergency treatment, but the incident caused a huge scandal in Yicheng at the time. Both families, embarrassed by the situation, suppressed the news, preventing it from escalating further.

Zhao Longshuang, meanwhile, walked away clean, with both young men still under the Omega's spell. Even after the hospitalization, they continued to fight, unaware that Zhao Longshuang had orchestrated the whole thing.

Zhao Longshuang had connections in Yicheng, but she knew better than to push the Pei family too far. Pei Jinhui was fiercely protective of her daughter and would go to great lengths to defend her.

As for the second group of people who attacked Pei Yujang, they were connected to Yu Zhiwan.

They were testing her.

After leaving the underground lab, Yu Zhiwan hadn't been able to live a normal life. A few years ago, during a car accident orchestrated by them, she had lost the use of her legs. This event had given her the breathing room she needed.

Fully aware of what lay ahead, Yu Zhiwan hadn't despaired at the news that her legs would likely never recover. Instead, she had accepted it calmly and began gathering her parents' contacts to build a network.

Once she had gathered enough power to mount a defense, her enemies took notice and increased their surveillance on her.

Yu Zhiwan had initially used Liu Huanran as a shield because, as a typical Alpha, he wasn't much of a threat to her enemies. They wouldn't bother with him. Now that they had split up, Liu Huanran was out of the picture entirely.

But Pei Yujang's capabilities were different from Liu Huanran's. Her enemies wouldn't allow anyone with significant abilities to remain by Yu Zhiwan's side, at least not in plain sight.

Yu Zhiwan maneuvered her wheelchair effortlessly, navigating through the hospital garden until she reached an old, dilapidated building. The building had a few rooms still used for storing discarded items and smelled damp and moldy—an unpleasant odor for an Omega with a heightened sense of smell.

Yu Zhiwan pulled a mask from her pocket and put it on. When she reached the door, someone opened it for her. Inside, a doctor in a white coat was swatting away insects from the dirty shelves. Seeing Yu Zhiwan, he immediately asked,

"Have you made up your mind yet?"

The Omega's long eyelashes lowered as she remained silent, prompting the doctor to sigh and squat down, bringing himself to her eye level.

"Miss Yu, what are you hesitating about? You're not related to this person. You saw it yourself—she survived an attack by those people. She's no ordinary person. I've heard she has a reputation for being wild and reckless, but with her skills, who's to say the Pei family hasn't secretly trained her? She might have connections with those people above!"

The doctor's voice turned cold as he added, "Even if she's just an ordinary person, those people went easy on her this time because they didn't want to cause a death. Isn't it obvious what you need to do? Sacrificing one person could save many more. Surely, you understand that?"

Yu Zhiwan's fingers trembled slightly, betraying her inner turmoil and hesitation.

This recent attack had been a test by her enemies, probing Pei Yujang's abilities. Yu Zhiwan hadn't called the police but had taken her people there to confront them directly. It was her first time openly retaliating, a move meant to teach them a lesson.

The chemicals they used were extremely painful and could even be fatal after a few days. Yu Zhiwan had wanted to test their reaction and seek revenge for Pei Yujang, which was why she had brought her people to the scene.

If she had handed them over to the police, the consequences would have been minor—most would have been released within a month. But that wasn't enough for Yu Zhiwan. She wasn't satisfied with just that.

As for the one who had hurt Pei Yujang the most, Yu Zhiwan had her people break his hand and sever his leg tendons before leaving him to fend for himself in the wilderness.

Yicheng's law enforcement wasn't strict enough to patrol the wilds daily, and her enemies certainly wouldn't report it. This was Yu Zhiwan's first direct counterattack, a sharp bite back. For now, it seemed like this round of back-and-forth had come to a temporary close.

But the real danger to Pei Yujang wasn't from those people—it was from herself.

Yu Zhiwan's heart raced.

The doctor in the white coat was her subordinate, though in reality, their relationship was more of a partnership. Yu Zhiwan never put on airs with these people, always using a tone of negotiation rather than command.

The doctor wasn't overly pushy but voiced his dissatisfaction as he asked,

"All you need is a decoy, someone to make them lower their guard. If you give up Pei Yujang and use her to lure them out, she'd probably help you willingly. We could expose them, and even if we don't destroy their base in one move, we could at least strike a significant blow. What makes Pei Yujang so different from Liu Huanran that you feel the need to protect her?"

Yu Zhiwan outwardly: Sacrificing others is wrong, here's a bunch of moral reasons why.

Yu Zhiwan inwardly: I'm smitten, you can forget it.