Sitting in a wheelchair, Su Jialan exuded a sharp aura. "The Xiao family has nurtured you for so many years, yet you've disappointed us so much!"
Jiang Li opened her mouth. "I..."
"Do you know that A Yan is on the verge of death? He's in a coma in the intensive care unit and could pass away at any moment!"
Tears streaming down her face, Su Jialan lashed out. "You're going to kill him, aren't you?"
Jiang Li caught her breath.
Although she had already suspected that Xiao Yan's condition wouldn't be optimistic, when the truth was laid bare in front of her, she still felt a jolt.
Intensive care unit.
On the verge of death.
In a coma.
She understood these words clearly, but they sounded so strange to her ears.
"The knife stabbed two centimeters into his heart, Jiang Li. Two centimeters!"
As Su Jialan said this, tears welled up in her eyes. "The Xiao family only has one son. If anything happens to him, how can a disabled mother like me go on living?"
Jiang Li stared coldly at Su Jialan, her face expressionless.
Given Su Jialan's usual hypocritical nature, it was hard to tell if she was genuinely heartbroken or just putting on a show for Jiang Li.
"I'm sorry for this accident, but Mrs. Su," Jiang Li paused for a second and looked directly at her. "I'm also a victim. You should blame the perpetrator, not me."
Her tone was so calm that Su Jialan was momentarily stunned.
Jiang Li was no longer the submissive girl she used to be. Instead, she spoke with dignity and calmness. "Moreover, I've never pestered him."
Jiang Li was even calmer than she expected. "If you're really worried about him, you should be waiting outside the intensive care unit right now instead of scolding me here."
"I don't owe him anything, let alone the Xiao family."
"I've paid back everything I owed."
As soon as she finished speaking, the ward fell into silence.
Su Jialan stopped sobbing and just lowered her head to wipe away her tears with a handkerchief.
As if she had finally regained her composure, Su Jialan looked up again. Her spirit was no longer as high as before. She sniffled and forced a smile. "Jiang Li, Auntie was just too emotional just now. Don't take it to heart."
After saying that, Su Jialan turned her wheelchair and poured a glass of warm water for Jiang Li. Her eyes were full of kindness. "Jiang Li, you're a good girl."
"I can tell that A Yan really likes you."
She placed the glass of water on the bedside table and said earnestly, "You've known each other for four or five years. If you two really love each other, I won't be a villain and stop you."
Her tone softened, and she looked at Jiang Li with a kind gaze. "I've thought before that if you became my daughter - in - law, it might be the best choice."
"You're considerate, understanding, and good at taking care of people. Except for your poor family background, you're very suitable to marry A Yan."
Jiang Li looked up and met Su Jialan's eyes.
Over the years, she had heard such words countless times.
Even if Su Jialan wasn't tired of saying them, Jiang Li was almost tired of hearing them.
These old and boring things could be repeated from the beginning of the year to the end without getting tired.
"Moreover," Su Jialan paused for a moment and then asked with a smile, "I saw in the media that you have bipolar disorder and have had suicidal tendencies?"
Jiang Li didn't even pause. Her voice was flat. "Yes. So what?"
"Jiang Li, I don't mean to curse you." Su Jialan smiled faintly. "Suppose - I'm just saying suppose, if you have another episode and have suicidal tendencies, what should A Yan do? Accompany you to die?"
Jiang Li was speechless for a moment.
"You young people always think too simply." Su Jialan sighed, looking worried. "Since you have such an illness, I'll never allow you to marry into our family."
"Jiang Li, you think I look down on your background and think it's your weakness. But precisely because of the unequal backgrounds between you and A Yan, it might bring a disaster to him on an uncertain day in the future."
"In your marriage, the disadvantaged one is actually A Yan."
Su Jialan sighed. "Because of the huge gap between you two, if something unexpected happens, the outside world will only say that after you married into a wealthy family, you suffered unfair treatment, which led to the recurrence of your illness and finally you committed suicide in hatred."
"Do you really have the heart to let him bear everyone's scolding and say that he was the one who ended your life?"
"At that time, do you want me, as a mother, to watch him sink into depression and fall into the abyss of being spurned by everyone?"
Before leaving, Su Jialan gently cared about her, telling her to rest well in the hospital these days and wishing her a speedy recovery.
The water that Su Jialan poured for her had completely cooled down. She picked up the glass with her unburned left hand and drank it all in one gulp.
The cold water slid down her throat into her stomach, chilling her to the core.
Before Su Jialan mentioned it, she had never thought about this, or rather, she never thought that her illness would affect her relationship with Xiao Yan.
This sounded an alarm for her.
She remembered the time when she lost control of her emotions and ran onto the busy highway. It was Xiao Yan who carried her off the road and took her to a safe place.
She also remembered that during a filming, when she saw the villain who was about to attack her, she was so deeply involved in the negative emotions that she chose to jump into the river. It was Xiao Yan who quickly found the search - and - rescue team to fish her out.
Even this time, when Shang Zewen was choking her and she gave up struggling in despair, it was Xiao Yan who appeared, hugged her tightly, and whispered, "I'm here."
He had saved her from danger more than once.
But what about next time?
No one can guarantee what will happen in the future.
She closed her eyes, and all she could see was the dark sewer and the warm liquid that kept flowing from her hands...
There was nothing seriously wrong with Jiang Li's leg, just a severe sprain. The doctor advised her to walk more in the hospital corridor to help her recover faster.
After dinner, Jiang Li supported herself on the railing of the corridor and slowly shuffled forward.
Staying in the ward all the time made her feel depressed, so going out for a walk could help her relax.
In front of a ward, there came a young man's growl, full of annoyance. "I've said it. I don't need you guys to take care of me. I'm fine!"
"Master Jing Xi, you've just been in a car accident..."
When Jiang Li passed by the door of the ward, she found it extremely noisy inside. Frowning, she turned around and was about to go back the way she came.
But unexpectedly, the door in front of her suddenly opened the next second.