He Thought She’d Never Leave—Until She Did - Chapter 7

An He’s complexion hadn’t been very good since she donated blood a few days ago. Mrs. Song specifically bought her health tonics, but they didn’t seem to help much. (t/n: Health tonics and ginseng soup are traditionally used in Chinese medicine to quickly restore vitality and replenish blood after illness or loss.)

Mrs. Song voiced her concern, “He He, are you all right?”

An He, thinking her mother-in-law was worried about her health, said softly, “Mom, I’m fine. I feel great.”

“But your face still looks pale,” Mrs. Song gently stroked An He’s cheek. “Have you still not recovered from the last blood donation?”

To help her recover quickly, Mrs. Song had been serving her tonics and ginseng soup these past few days, believing she had been thorough enough.

“It might be because of autumn,” An He said calmly. “You know that every time this season comes around, my body tends to be weaker than usual.”

She held Mrs. Song’s hand. “But it’s alright. I’ll work hard to take good care of myself.”

Mrs. Song adjusted the shawl draped over her shoulders—the black Qipao (t/n: A Qipao/Cheongsam is a traditional, often tight-fitting Chinese dress, suggesting Mrs. Song is dressed elegantly and formally.) outlining her well-proportioned figure—and patted An He’s hand. “Mom is just too worried about you.”

An He replied, “I know, thank you, Mom.”

The words of thanks were barely out of her mouth when An He, on her way to the restroom, overheard Mrs. Song talking to someone on the phone, vaguely mentioning her name.

“What? She needs another blood draw? Didn’t she just have one this month?”

The person on the other end said something, and Mrs. Song continued, “She’s too weak. Drawing blood this often is bad for her health. If something goes wrong, the one who suffers in the end will still be Ke Ke.”

Ke Ke?

An He’s heart violently skipped a beat.

Mrs. Song: “It can’t be this frequent. Just bear with it for a while.”

This time, An He could hear what the other person was saying. It was a man’s voice. “Ke Ke is suffering without a transfusion. How do you suggest she bears with it?”

“I don’t care. This is what your Song family owes Ke Ke. Surely, Mrs. Song, you haven’t forgotten the promise you made back then.”

“You promised that girl belongs to Ke Ke—”

The speakerphone was turned off, and the voice abruptly stopped. An He couldn’t hear anything else.

She stood there stunned, her clear, watery eyes slowly turning crimson. So… this was the truth behind her blood donation.

She didn’t remember when she left the old mansion. Instead of going back to Su Yuan, she went to her favorite amusement park.

It was the weekend, and the place was full of children and laughter. Immersed in the sound of merriment, she only felt herself growing more isolated. The world was so vast, and it truly seemed to have no place for her.

She found a quiet corner, squatted down, and stared blankly at the weeds on the ground.

The grass was resilient; even bent over, it still lived strong. She reached out to touch it but was pricked by a sharp thorn, and blood slowly began to seep out.

She thought again of Mrs. Song’s words. “Don’t worry, I will keep my promise. Nothing will happen to Ke Ke.”

Ke Ke would be fine, but what about her? Who in the Song family truly cared about her?

It seemed—no one.

An He stood up and walked on, completely distraught, not even noticing when someone bumped into her. The person stopped and asked, “Are you alright?”

She stared blankly at the person, only reacting after a long moment, stepping back. “I’m fine.”

She turned to walk forward again but tripped over a stone on the ground. None of the dramatic, cinematic moments happened. No Prince Charming suddenly appeared. No one came to save her just in the nick of time.

She fell to the ground, scraping her knee, from which a large amount of blood welled up. Did it hurt? It hurt a lot. She pushed herself up and walked laboriously forward.

The exit gate was still a hundred meters away, but with every step, her heart sank further. A cacophony of voices echoed in her mind.

“The Song family adopted you not because they wanted to give you a home, but because they needed your blood.”

“The moment you become useless, they will abandon you again.”

“An He, you’re so naive, you deserve to be taken advantage of.”

An He forcefully clutched her dress, as if she were grasping not the fabric, but her own life—a tangled, chaotic life with no one to cherish or love her.

An He called Tian Tian, asking to meet at their usual spot. Tian Tian quickly hung up and rushed over.

Seeing An He chugging down alcohol, Tian Tian snatched the glass from her hand. “Are you trying to drink yourself to death?”

“Give it back,” An He reached for it.

Tian Tian held it away. “What on earth happened?”

An He gave a self-mocking laugh. “Tell me, am I a failure?” Puzzled, Tian Tian sat down and asked, “A failure at what?”

“At being a person,” An He said, her smile uglier than a cry. “I’ve tried so hard, why does no one like me?”

“Did those people in the Song family say something to you?” Tian Tian frowned. “Did Song Yu bully you?”

An He only ever cared about the Song family; her current distress must have been their doing.

An He didn’t want to talk about it. “If you’re really my sister, don’t ask anything. Just drink with me.”

Tian Tian reminded her, “You have a stomach condition; you shouldn’t be drinking.”

“I want to drink,” An He insisted. “Let me have it. At least don’t stop me tonight.”

Tian Tian couldn’t bear to see her so upset and handed the glass back. “Okay, I’ll join you.”

The two drank glass after glass, and soon there were three empty bottles on the table. Both were thoroughly intoxicated, and their words lost all caution.

Tian Tian: “He He, don’t be sad. That bunch in the Song family are heartless. We won’t deal with them anymore.”

An He: “Right, we won’t deal with them!”

“Especially Song Yu!” Tian Tian slammed the table. “Go back and break up with him!”

“Fine, break up!” An He agreed. “Must break up!”

“Don’t let him off easy,” Tian Tian hiccupped. “He has to pay a price.”

“Yes, he has to pay a price.” An He poured herself another drink. “I want his house, his car, his money—I want everything.”

“Exactly!” Tian Tian thumped the table. “You have to demand money, lots and lots of money.”

“What if he refuses to give it?” An He asked.

“Refuse? If he dares to refuse, you expose him,” Tian Tian said. “Tell the media how he bullied you, how the Song family bullied you. In short, don’t let them have peace!”

An He: “Don’t let them have peace!”

A wave of heat enveloped An He’s chest, and her body felt light-headed. She tried to stand up but couldn’t control her limbs, collapsing back down after a few attempts.

She squinted and said, “Tian Tian, why are there two of you?”

Tian Tian looked over, giggling foolishly. “He He, there are two of you too!”

“I’m catching one.”

“I’m catching one too.”

“Tian Tian, you flew into my eye,” An He rubbed her eye.

Tian Tian laughed. “Nonsense, I didn’t!”

Song Yu had an engagement at the Sun Family Private Kitchen tonight, meeting with a bank manager to discuss a loan. Liu Chen was walking ahead of him, and he was behind.

Throughout the walk, he took out his phone several times to send An He WeChat messages, but he hadn’t received a single reply.

Just as he was becoming irritated, Liu Chen stopped. “Mr. Song.”

Song Yu looked up. “What is it?”

Liu Chen: “It’s Secretary An.”

(Liu Chen always referred to An He as Secretary An in public.)

Song Yu followed Liu Chen’s gaze and saw two women in the private room completely drunk, swaying,