Chapter 232: Chapter 232 She Always Wants to Push Her into Hell Chapter 232: Chapter 232 She Always Wants to Push Her into Hell An Xiaotong slowly stopped her crying, cried for a while, and felt much better.
Then she realized she was being held in Du Tianâs arms.
Her face instantly flushed red.
In a panic, she pushed Du Tian away.
Having just finished his call, Du Tian saw An Xiaotongâs expression and let go of her as well.
Yet, the scent and soft touch seemed to linger on his chest.
He clenched his hand into a fist, raised it to his lips, and coughed lightly a few times in embarrassment.
And An Xiaotong lowered her head.
After a long while, Du Tian finally spoke, âThe traffickers have been caught, and there were three other girls with you who were almost trafficked as wellâŠâ
An Xiaotong suddenly looked up.
She stared blankly at Du Tian.
The shyness in her eyes slowly faded, and her complexion became somewhat pale.
Her pitch-black eyes churned with intricate and hard-to-discern thoughts.
It was cold, it was hatred, and perhaps also heartache and confusion.
Something in Du Tianâs heart clenched.
He had never seen An Xiaotong with such an expression before, as if in the blink of an eye, she had shed her gentleness and innocence, her entire being filled with malevolent energy.
He moved closer again, his hands slowly yet firmly placed on An Xiaotongâs shoulders, and he spoke gently, âXiaotong, donât be afraid. Itâs all over now and it will never happen again.â
âIt will never happen again?â An Xiaotong murmured, repeating, then after a long while, she said, âThe first time I was sold, someone placed an order for me, someone spent tens of thousands to have me sold deep into the mountains, the second time they used your name to trick me onto the van, still aiming to sell me far away, Brother Du Tian, who exactly have I offended?â
Du Tian was shocked.
He had no idea there was such a backstory to An Xiaotongâs first sale.
He clenched his teeth, âTell me exactly what happened the first time?â
He had only recently returned to the country and had met An Xiaotong a few times, yet no one had told him that what had happened to An Xiaotong was actually due to someone placing an order.
An Xiaotong explained everything that had almost led to her being sold the first time to Du Tian in detail.
Du Tian clenched his fists in anger.
He pondered for a moment, then told An Xiaotong, âThe people involved this second time must be connected with those from the first time. Now that they are in the custody of the Public Security, I believe the truth will soon come to light.â
An Xiaotong lowered her head.
Du Tian remembered something else and asked seriously, âWho knew about you going to Central Building to meet Gu Qiaoqiao?â
An Xiaotong slowly raised her head, a surge of hatred flashing in her eyes, dismissing some surfaced facts she still hadnât accepted Gu Qiaoqiaoâs warning.
She had considered her as close as a real sister, but she always tried to push her into hell.
An Xiaotong spoke, word by word, âOnly An Xiaolan knew.â
Du Tianâs expression turned stern.
His hand tensed slightly, An Xiaolan, the girl who had confessed her feelings to him but whom he had rejected.
The adopted daughter of the An Family?
An Xiaotong spoke coldly, âYou know my nature. I donât have enemies who hate me to death, I havenât obstructed anyoneâs path outside, only An Xiaolan has always been jealous of me. If something happens to me, An Xiaolan would be the only young lady of the An Family. My brother likes her, my mom cherishes her, this An FamilyâŠâ
She did not finish her words.
Du Tian looked at An Xiaotongâs gloomy face with a heart full of pain; these consecutive dramatic changes had turned the gentle and naive girl sharp and suspicious.
It was a good thing, yet also heartbreaking.
âIf it really is her, what awaits her is the sanction of the law, Xiaotong, you are a fortunate girl, so you always turn misfortune into blessing,â Du Tian said solemnly.
Just as An Xiaotong was about to speak, the door of the hospital room was pushed open.
A group of people entered.
Grandma An, Mr. An and Mrs. An, An Xiaotongâs elder brother, An Chen, and a somewhat haggard-looking An Xiaolan.
These people had received the news last night.
While Chairman An was on a business trip out of town, Grandma An and the others had rushed over yesterday, and with Grandma Anâs blood pressure soaring due to her agitated state, after taking medicine and getting injections, Du Tian had asked them to go back.
It was now just past five in the morning.
Grandma An had come again with others.
Seeing her granddaughter awake, Grandma An stepped forward and hugged her, crying out loud.
And An Xiaotong, touched by her heart matters, started crying as well.
Mrs. An stood there awkwardly, surprisingly not stepping forward to offer comfort.
Her expression also looked quite complex.
Du Tian gave Mrs. An a cool glance and cast a sharp, intimidating gaze towards An Xiaolan at the door.
An Xiaolan, who was watching him, was so frightened by his gaze that she shuddered and hurriedly looked away in panic.
Du Tian let out a cold laugh.
Indeed, there was something fishy.
Finally, Mrs. An stepped forward, pulled Grandma An aside, and looking at her daughter on the bed, she began to scold, âYou are not young anymore, canât you give us a little peace of mind? Time and again, donât you ever learn? Should you even get into a strangerâs car? Learn from your sister. Canât you think a bit more when something happens? Must you always stir things up at home to your satisfaction?â
The room fell suddenly silent.
Du Tian furrowed his brows.
Chairman An stared displeasedly at Mrs. An, âWhat kind of way is that to talk? The child has been frightened like this, and instead of comforting her, you start blaming her. Is this how a mother acts?â
An Xiaotong pushed Grandma An away, as hearing such words from Mrs. An used to upset her for days.
And she had reflected on her behavior countless times, wondering what she might have done wrong to upset her mother.
She realized now it wasnât that she had done anything wrong, it was that no matter what she did, her mother was never pleased.
She was extremely distressed.
Her eyes welled with tears, and she clutched her hands tightly; aside from sorrow, she felt an overwhelming sense of disillusionment.
This was not her own mother; this was An Xiaolanâs.
She was just An Xiaolanâs biological mother.
Thinking this, An Xiaotong chuckled self-deprecatingly, gently pushed Grandma An away, and wiped the tears from her face.
Then looking straight at Chairman An, she said slowly and clearly, âDad, since we are in the hospital today, Iâd like to have a blood test done. I think you made a mistake. An Xiaolan is actually my motherâs biological daughter, and I am the one who was adopted.â
Chairman An glared angrily at Mrs. An.
This woman had issues; for some reason, she just did not like Xiaotong.
Grandma An, also angry, glared at An Xiaotong, âWhat nonsense are you talking about? You are my biological granddaughter. I watched as you were born!â
âGrandma, was I really born to her?â
âOf course you were.â
âBut in this world, what kind of mother treats her daughter like this? Iâm only twenty-one years old, and I almost got sold into the remote mountains. Wouldnât a normal mother, just like you, Grandma, hold me and cry, ask me whether I suffered or was hit, instead of starting with a scoldingâŠâ
As she spoke, An Xiaotong began to choke up.
Mrs. Anâs expression darkened. Just as she was about to speak, An Xiaolan hurriedly grabbed her arm, signaling her not to get angry.