Volume 1, Chapter 6: Bailing Out Li Shuhe

Li Shuhe arrived at the police station in a patrol car. She had barely settled into her seat in the observation room before someone pushed the door open and told her she was free to leave.

"Has the source of the fire been identified?" Li Shuhe asked urgently, looking at the young officer who had notified her.

The young officer merely glanced at her while holding a pen and paper, his tone unfriendly. "I don't know. You can go now."

Li Shuhe was full of confusion. Who could have bailed her out? She took a deep breath. It couldn't be that Duan Xiaoqiu had slandered her, only for Duan Xiadong to bail her out afterward, could it?

Li Shuhe soon had her answer. As she walked out of the station gates, she saw familiar faces. A black car was parked at the entrance; the window rolled down to reveal Duan Xiadong, sitting upright in the back seat, his expression cold and indifferent as he looked at her. Further ahead, Duan Xiaoqiu was baring her teeth at Li Shuhe in a display of defiance.

Li Shuhe: "..."

For the past few days, Duan Xiadong had been disheartened, no longer holding onto the hope that Li Shuhe was still alive. He had gone to her aunt's house, but it was empty. It wasn't until a police officer asked Duan Xiaoqiu to cooperate with a statement that he learned Li Shuhe was alive and had been sent to the hospital first. Before the heavy stone in his heart could settle, he saw that Li Shuhe had been arrested as an arsonist. Relying on the connections his father had cultivated over the years, he paid to have her released.

Seeing Li Shuhe in a wheelchair now, Duan Xiadong felt a sense of relief; he was glad he hadn't rushed back into the sea of fire at the time. He had always known that Li Shuhe was lucky—these disasters were nothing more than minor setbacks for her.

The driver took the wheelchair from the young officer and pushed Li Shuhe over. She waited for Duan Xiadong to explain, but he only stared at her, showing no intention of speaking. Li Shuhe looked up, meeting his gaze, and asked resignedly, "Did you pay to bail me out?"

Duan Xiadong’s breath hitched. He had intended to say something comforting, but looking at her bare, unadorned face, he felt momentarily dazed, reminded of their days back in school. His attitude shifted instantly; his face darkened as he rested his fingers on the car window frame. "What? Are you disappointed? Who were you hoping for? Fang Shenzhai?"

Li Shuhe suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She really wondered if this man’s head was filled with nothing but water.

"I knew it was Brother Xiadong. *Sob*, Brother Xiadong is so good to me." Anger aside, the performance had to go on.

"As long as you know that. Only I treat you this well. If you continue to be temperamental and ungrateful, I won't help you again."

"But I didn't commit arson at all. Did you help me find out who slandered me?" Li Shuhe asked with an air of innocence.

Duan Xiadong frowned deeply. "I’ve already paid to get you out. As long as you’re fine, that’s all that matters. You don't need to worry about the rest."

Li Shuhe looked at Duan Xiaoqiu, who was leaning against the car window inside, glaring at her with resentment. It was clear Duan Xiadong intended to sweep the matter under the rug. Li Shuhe silently filed this away; she could not allow herself to be saddled with this false accusation. However, she could not oppose Duan Xiadong directly either, lest she arouse his suspicion.

"Okay." Li Shuhe bowed her head to hide her true emotions, opened the other door, and, leaning on the driver's hand, climbed inside.

"Brother, why did you bail her out?" No sooner had she sat down than Duan Xiaoqiu, sitting in the passenger seat, shouted angrily at Duan Xiadong.

"She is your sister-in-law." Duan Xiadong did not explain, merely casting a sharp look at Duan Xiaoqiu. "Xiaoqiu, that’s enough."

Duan Xiaoqiu wanted to say more, but under Duan Xiadong’s warning gaze, she shut her mouth reluctantly. *Does my brother know I slandered Li Shuhe?* she wondered. *Even if he does, it doesn't matter. He’ll surely side with me, not an outsider like her.*

Li Shuhe closed her eyes and leaned against the window. "Brother Xiadong, take me home."

After Duan Xiadong instructed the driver to head to the hospital, Li Shuhe spoke faintly from against the window. "No, you're still hurt."

Hearing this, Li Shuhe nearly laughed out loud. *Now he cares about my injuries?* Suppressing the urge to mock him, she recited her rehearsed lines: "It’s alright. As long as you and Xiaoqiu are fine, I don't care about myself. There’s no need to trouble yourselves to take me to the hospital."

Duan Xiadong was silent for a few seconds. "You're still angry." He looked at the bandage on her head and then at the cast on her foot. "Does it hurt?"

When he had first seen her, he had a belly full of things he wanted to pour out; he had imagined that the first thing he would do upon seeing her was to hold her tightly. But for some reason, looking at her clean, plain face, the words died on his lips.

Li Shuhe’s heart skipped a beat. *Is my emotional display still too intense?*

"Thank you for your concern, Brother Xiadong. I’m not angry. Just seeing you come to see me makes me happy, so it doesn't hurt anymore." Li Shuhe immediately beamed, her eyes filled with nothing but Duan Xiadong.

The flawless performance pleased him greatly, and the flicker of guilt he had felt vanished. *Li Shuhe loves me so much; she certainly won't mind these things. I've already spent so much money on her; she knows my worth.*

"As long as you behave and don't fight with Xiaoqiu, I can satisfy any of your needs."

"I am already very satisfied. I won't fight with Xiaoqiu." This time, Li Shuhe was smarter; she didn't even complain in her heart, preventing her true feelings from being too strong.

Duan Xiadong pinched her cheek with satisfaction. Seeing her bright, compliant expression, he felt completely at ease.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Duan Xiadong pushed her himself. Duan Xiaoqiu followed behind, looking wilted. Her own foot had been crushed too, but she hadn't been as dramatic as Li Shuhe, demanding a wheelchair—one would think she was dying.

"Brother, my foot hurts too. I want to see a doctor."

Duan Xiadong glanced at Duan Xiaoqiu’s foot, which looked perfectly fine, and just as he was about to speak, Li Shuhe cut in first.

"Is Xiaoqiu's foot alright? It’s all my fault. If I had moved faster, Xiaoqiu wouldn't have been hit. Brother Xiadong, please don't blame her. I was hit too, and I know how painful it is. Please, take her to see a doctor."

Hearing this, Duan Xiadong’s breathing grew heavy. Unbidden, the image of him leaving Li Shuhe behind in the fire flashed through his mind. For a moment, he didn't know how to face her. The scolding he had prepared for Duan Xiaoqiu shifted in tone, turning into something else.

"Then wait for me here. I'll take her to get registered first."

"Okay, don't worry about me. I can manage on my own."

This last sentence was the truth. Waiting for him was out of the question; she had just spotted Aunt Li, and she needed to find her.

Struggling to roll the wheels, Li Shuhe called out happily, "Auntie!"

"Oh, my Shuhe, it's good you're back. I knew you'd be fine. Are you hungry? You haven't eaten." Aunt Li walked up to the back of the wheelchair, pushing her along. "The food has gone cold; I'll go buy you some more."

"Is anything hurting? Did they give you a hard time? Did you come back alone? They didn't even send you back? These police are too much—I don't know what the country is paying them for!"

Listening to her aunt, a warm current flowed through Li Shuhe's heart.