Yang Qian wailed, heartbroken. Mianmian was the apple of her eye; if anything happened to her, Yang Qian felt she couldn't go on living.
"Mom, don't panic. I'm on my way there now. Mianmian is smart and well-behaved, she'll be fine. Don't scare yourself like this," Jiang Mi said.
Yang Qian wasn't in the best health. Jiang Mi worried that her mother’s distress might worsen her condition. Still, Jiang Mi's heart sank. Mianmian had always been a bright and spirited child, but she was also sensible. She would always tell her elders when she was going out, and she would return soon.
After so long, and without even a word to her grandmother, something must have happened.
As Jiang Mi hailed a taxi to the hospital, she tried to calm herself and piece together the situation. If Mianmian had disappeared while her godmother was just in the restroom, and Mianmian hadn't said she was going out, it was likely someone had taken her from the room.
This pointed to a premeditated abduction. There were two possibilities: first, Mianmian had been taken by human traffickers who had been targeting her. However, Mianmian wasn't a young child; she was sensible. The value of abducting her wouldn't be high, and it wouldn't be worth the risk of snatching her from a hospital room. Second, it was someone they knew. But Jiang Mi couldn't think of anyone who held a grudge against her.
A flash of realization struck her. Wait, she did have enemies – two women who wished her dead: Jiang Tian and Tang Xinran!
Could it be them?
If it was them, it would be disastrous!
They wouldn't know how to treat Mianmian. And if they knew about Mianmian, it wouldn't be long before Jiang Jingxiu found out about her existence.
The thought chilled Jiang Mi to the bone.
Mianmian looked at the two faces before her, her small brow furrowed tightly. Fear gnawed at her, but she kept it hidden. She was clever and had grown up fast, understanding that these two women were not good people.
However, she didn't know the full extent of the situation, so even as the women remained silent, she wouldn't speak.
"This is the bastard child of Jiang Mi, that slut! She's truly shameless! Having a child at such a young age, she's a born tramp!" Jiang Tian grabbed Mianmian's plump cheeks and squeezed them hard, as if she were pinching Jiang Mi herself.
Mianmian opened her mouth and bit down hard on Jiang Tian's wrist. She bit fiercely. Jiang Tian hadn't expected the little girl to retaliate, and when bitten, she tried to pull her hand away, but Mianmian wouldn't let go. She bit even harder. This bad woman dared to curse her mother! She would bite her to death!
"Ah! It hurts! Let go, let go!" Jiang Tian, spoiled and arrogant, wasn't about to suffer this indignity. She raised her other hand and fiercely struck Mianmian's head. Tang Xinran was startled and quickly came to her aid, forcefully pinching Mianmian's face. Instantly, Mianmian's cheeks started to bleed. She cried out in pain, never having endured such hardship before. Her face throbbed.
Once Jiang Tian freed her hand, and the two women stepped back, Mianmian's plump little cheeks were bloody and gruesome.
But Jiang Tian showed no mercy. She only knew she had been bitten by Jiang Mi's bastard child. She then slapped Mianmian's still bleeding face twice. Mianmian was dazed and cried even harder. Feeling unsatisfied, Jiang Tian kicked and shoved the small child. Mianmian felt as though she were about to be beaten to death, her cries incessant.