"Are you okay?"

Seeing Huang Fei come out, the three of them stepped forward. Xu Shuai and Li Longlong patted Long Aotian's shoulder and said, "Nice job, Lao Ao! Just like you said!"

"It's fine. I had to pay 1,000 yuan in medical compensation. What were you guys talking about?"

Huang Fei had never been to a police station before in his life, and pretending he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

Hearing Xu Shuai and Li Longlong’s words, he couldn’t help but ask.

Xu Shuai and Li Longlong explained what had happened.

After listening, Huang Fei suddenly slapped his thigh. "No wonder! No wonder! Right after you left, that guy’s attitude did a complete 180."

"Thanks, Lao Ao."

Long Aotian waved his hand. "I just tried my luck. You got lucky—he happened to fall for our bluff."

Huang Fei didn’t say anything else. He just bumped fists with Long Aotian.

Then, in a low voice, he asked, "What about Shen Mengjie? Is she alright?"

Hearing this, Long Aotian also looked at Xu Shuai and Li Longlong.

He had rushed over after receiving their call midway and didn’t know the full details of what had happened.

"Shen Mengjie was taken to the hospital."

"What?" Huang Fei froze for a moment. "Is she okay?"

When he had arrived earlier, he’d only seen Shen Mengjie being dragged away by that creepy older man. Had she been hurt during the struggle?

"Which hospital is she in? I’ll go see her."

"Don’t panic, let me ask." Xu Shuai immediately called Wang Lijuan.

"Alright, got it. We’ll be there soon." After hanging up, he nodded to Huang Fei. Li Longlong had already flagged down a taxi, and they headed straight for the hospital.

As soon as they got out of the car, they saw Wang Lijuan waiting at the entrance.

"What happened to Shen Mengjie?" Huang Fei asked anxiously.

"She’s fine," Wang Lijuan said softly.

Earlier, Shen Mengjie had suddenly complained of stomach pain. By the time they got to the hospital, she insisted she was fine before any tests could be done.

But no one was convinced—her face had been deathly pale and weak.

In the end, unable to refuse Wang Lijuan and Han Xiaojing’s insistence, Shen Mengjie agreed to stay for observation. If nothing was wrong, at least everyone could rest easy.

Hearing this, Huang Fei let out a heavy sigh of relief. Soon, they arrived at Shen Mengjie’s hospital room.

Inside, Shen Mengjie was already asleep.

Seeing the red mark from a slap on her face and the bruise at the corner of her lips, Huang Fei punched the wall in frustration. "How could a mother like that exist in this world?"

"Eighty thousand yuan—just eighty thousand—and she was willing to sell Shen Mengjie’s entire future. How could she be so heartless?"

Long Aotian didn’t respond. Looking at Shen Mengjie lying on the hospital bed, he recalled the scars he’d seen on her earlier.

The answer to how they got there was obvious.

"Let’s go grab something to eat. We’ll keep watch here," Long Aotian said, checking the time before turning to Han Xiaojing and Wang Lijuan.

"Mm." Han Xiaojing glanced at him.

After everything that had happened, they were all starving.

"I’ll take them to eat," Xu Shuai volunteered.

"What about Shen Mengjie’s mother?" Long Aotian asked instinctively.

This issue had to be resolved. If she kept causing scenes at the school, not only would it hurt Shen Mengjie’s reputation, but the school might even punish her. If she got expelled, half her life would be ruined.

"When Huang Fei fought that man, she slipped away in the chaos as soon as she saw blood. No one knows where she is now," Han Xiaojing explained.

She was timid by nature and hadn’t dared to step forward earlier, so she’d seen everything clearly.

"Lao Huang!" Li Longlong called out, then tilted his chin toward the hospital room.

Shen Mengjie, who had been lying down earlier, was now turned away from them. From the trembling of her shoulders, it seemed she was awake.

Huang Fei immediately rushed into the room.

Long Aotian didn’t even have time to stop him.

"Get out… get out!" Shen Mengjie covered her head with her hands, her voice nothing like the proud tone she usually carried.

Afraid of upsetting her further, Huang Fei quickly said, "Okay, I’ll leave. I’ll be right outside. If you need anything, just tell me—I’ll be here."

With that, he stepped back out.

"Don’t take it personally. She’s emotionally unstable right now. She’s always been so proud—give her some time alone," Long Aotian reassured him softly.

Some wounds are desperately hidden. But when those ugly scars are exposed, the confident, aloof persona she’d built crumbles instantly.

This pressure wasn’t just superficial—it came from deep within. Shen Mengjie was someone who cared so much about her pride.

"I know." Huang Fei leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Before long, Xu Shuai and the others returned.

Han Xiaojing carried a disposable food container with a bowl of lean meat porridge inside.

"You guys should go eat too. I brought something for Mengjie," Han Xiaojing said gently.

At that moment, Xu Shuai tugged at Long Aotian’s sleeve. Having known each other for so long, Long Aotian understood that Xu Shuai had something to tell him privately.

So he followed Xu Shuai to a corner of the hallway.

"What’s up?"

"There’s something… Lijuan and Han Xiaojing told me earlier. But—but I’m not sure how to bring it up to Huang Fei."

Seeing the hesitation on Xu Shuai’s face, Long Aotian grew curious. "What is it?"

"Last month, Lijuan and Han Xiaojing both noticed Shen Mengjie gagging a few times during meals."

Hearing this, Long Aotian’s eyebrows shot up, and he lowered his voice. "Gagging? You mean… what I think you mean?"

Xu Shuai knew exactly what Long Aotian was implying.

He nodded awkwardly. "That’s what I thought too, but we can’t be sure."

"According to Lijuan, ever since the incident with Zhang Mengmeng, Shen Mengjie hasn’t been going out much. She’s been spending most of her time with them. The only exception was during the holiday break… You get what I’m saying, right?"

It had already been over two months since the break.

Winter vacation wasn’t as long as summer break. From what Long Aotian knew, Shen Mengjie had stayed at his place for nearly half of it…

The bigger issue was that neither of them knew whether two months was enough time for morning sickness to show.

"Let’s not tell Huang Fei about this yet. At least not now—his emotions are all over the place too…"

Xu Shuai nodded in agreement. "That’s what I thought too. That’s why I wanted to talk to you first."

Long Aotian scratched his head. What kind of mess was this?

Even he had always been careful not to make mistakes. What had Shen Mengjie been thinking?

Or maybe… this was all just a misunderstanding?