Chapter 121: As If He Were Merely an Outsider

"What happened?" Lin Shuo, who was waiting outside the detention center, stepped out of the car the moment he saw her hollow, dejected expression. She turned her face away, intending to get into the car, but Lin Shuo caught her. He pulled her hand away from her cheek, revealing a bright red slap mark that made her pale face look even more ghastly. A dull ache stirred in his heart.

"Who hit you?" he asked, suppressing his rage. "Was it that Pan character?"

"No," she said, avoiding his searching gaze and turning her back to the detention center gates.

"That wretch knows no shame!" Furious, he started to stride toward the entrance, but Xiaoxiao quickly grabbed him. "Two families have already been destroyed. That should be enough."

"Xiaoxiao!" He hated how her mercy always seemed to hang like a blade over the neck of justice.

He expected her to be hurt and aggrieved, but she caught him completely off guard. A trace of mockery flickered at the corners of her mouth. "If all evils could be easily forgiven, then everyone would act without restraint. Compared to the pain of the flesh, I would rather his conscience be haunted for the rest of his life."

The handprint on her face had yet to fade. He touched it lightly, and she seemed not to feel any pain. As of today, including this slap, the score was finally settled.

After returning from the detention center, she stayed confined within the Jasmine Dynasty residence. During the day, a maid would come to tidy up and cook for her; in the evenings, Lin Shuo would return, and they would watch movies or talk in the basement media room. It was only several days later that she learned Pan Jinshi had dropped his appeal.

Lin Shuo recounted the turn of events, noting that he was somewhat surprised. He had hoped to use the appeal process to further break Pan Jinshi’s arrogance, never expecting him to throw in the towel so early—it was pathetic. Xiaoxiao listened calmly; she was already satisfied with the outcome.

"I want to go to the hospital," she said, her state of mind perfectly serene.

"Alright, I'll take you."

Thanks to Lin Shuo’s connections, they were able to visit her father at this hour. She sat by the bedside, massaging her father’s limbs. The doctor had said that those in a coma lacked movement and required family members to help stimulate their circulation, or their muscles would quickly atrophy.

"Dad, you haven't been very good lately. The doctor said your vitals are fluctuating too much. Are you unhappy from sleeping for so long?" She gripped her father’s hand tightly, sniffling as her nose stung. "Dad, that man has finally met his retribution. Won't you wake up?"

The data on the monitor flickered. Whether it was her own desperate hope or not, she felt a distinct tremor in her father’s fingers.

"Dad!" she cried out, tears spilling uncontrollably from her eyes. She had waited for over a thousand days and nights, pulling her father back from the brink of death time and again, all for this very moment.

Hearing her cry, Lin Shuo rushed in, fearing a sudden deterioration in her father's condition. "Is your father...?"

"Shh!" She stared intently at her father’s palm, too overcome with emotion to speak, hoping only to see them move again. Yet, even as she strained her eyes, it turned out to be a false alarm. Still, even so, she felt a glimmer of joy.

On the way back, Lin Shuo was lost in thought, while Xiaoxiao felt a sense of immense relief.

"Let's move your father to a better hospital," Lin Shuo suggested. "Why don't I handle the arrangements?"

She knew her father’s condition better than anyone; he could not be separated from his ventilator for even a moment. Putting aside the shortage of beds at top-tier hospitals, even if Lin Shuo could arrange it quickly, it would be nothing short of torture for her father. Even if the money could cover it, his body could not withstand the ordeal.

"Let's wait and see. My father’s condition is unstable right now; I can't take that risk," she said after a brief pause. "Besides, I still need to ask my mother what she thinks."

Lin Shuo said nothing more. For now, it felt as though he were merely an outsider.