Chapter 93: Tang Ling’s Retribution

After Wang Guocheng left, Fan Xiaoyou was often startled awake in the middle of the night by dreams.

On yet another night, she woke from sleep calling Wang Guocheng’s name, and when she touched the corner of her eye, she found tears still wet there; even the cloth on her pillow had been soaked through.

Though Wang Guocheng called and texted at the same hour every day after leaving, it still could not ease her longing for him.

Another sleepless night passed. Fan Xiaoyou sat up, brewed herself a cup of coffee, and took out her laptop. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she wrote the outline for her new novel.

The large words on the screen, “A Love-Struck Comic Marriage,” were the title of her new book, and every line of it was steeped in her love for Wang Guocheng.

The music playing on the laptop was Xie Yuxin’s “The Third Day”: “On the third day after you appeared, I changed the route I drove, no longer wanting to meet you face-to-face, our paths crossing in an instant. On the third day after you discovered me, you were already wearing the necklace I gave you. Could it be you still want the past to repeat itself, only changing the time? Love brought us together, love made us fall in love...”

As she listened, tears poured down Fan Xiaoyou’s face. When crying left her exhausted, she simply collapsed onto the desk. “Wah... wah...”

Seeing Fan Xiaoyou sitting alone before the computer and crying again, Feng Youru could only shake her head and sigh softly.

“Love really is a curse. Whoever takes it most seriously loses first...”

Feng Youru stepped forward and draped her coat over Fan Xiaoyou’s shoulders. “Xiaoyou, stop crying. If you keep this up, your tears are going to flood the whole temple.

“Honestly, when he was around, you were always bickering with him. Now that he’s gone, you’re sitting here crying. I really don’t know what to make of you!”

Fan Xiaoyou felt utterly helpless. She hugged Feng Youru tightly. “Youru, I... I think I’ve really fallen for him. I never felt like this when I loved Tim.

“It’s as if he is my water and I am the fish in it. Without him, I can’t breathe...”

Feng Youru rubbed at the goose bumps on her arms. “I say, Great Writer, can’t you be a little less sentimental at this hour? You’ve given me chills all over.”

Fan Xiaoyou was amused by Feng Youru’s exaggerated reaction. “You really are something. When did I say anything that sappy just now? All you do is laugh at me!”

Seeing that Fan Xiaoyou’s mood had improved somewhat, Feng Youru remembered the news she had heard after work that day.

“Xiaoyou, have you seen the news? That classmate of yours, the one called Tang Ling, was locked by Scar Wang in a dark room for depraved abuse, and when the police found her, she was already on the brink of death. She’s still in the hospital now. Do you want to go see her?”

Feng Youru knew about the history between Tang Ling and Fan Xiaoyou, which was why she wanted to tell her and let her decide for herself.

Fan Xiaoyou still remembered the last time she had seen Tang Ling: that day they had shared a ride while walking in the pedestrian street, and after that, they never met again.

She thought back to how close she and Tang Ling had been as children, like sisters.

After lying awake all night and weighing it over and over, Fan Xiaoyou finally decided, on humanitarian grounds, to go and see Tang Ling. After all, in the eyes of the world, they were still classmates.

Early the next morning, Fan Xiaoyou went first to the hospital where Tang Ling was staying. After quite a bit of asking around, she finally found the ward.

When she saw an officer in uniform standing by the door, Fan Xiaoyou hurried forward. “Officer, hello. I’m Tang Ling’s classmate. My name is Fan Xiaoyou. May I ask how my classmate is doing now?”

He Lu looked at her solemnly. “Hello. My name is He Lu. You can call me Officer He. Her condition is not very good. Ever since we rescued her, she has been lucid at times and deranged at others. Sometimes she even says incomprehensible things.

“Alas, what a sin. Such a pity for this girl. The wounds to her mind are far worse than those to her body...

“When we rescued her, the doctor examined her and said her lower body had been severely torn, her mind was also somewhat disordered, and the injuries on her body were beyond counting. Alas... she’s been ruined as a person!”

Fan Xiaoyou had never imagined Tang Ling would fall victim to such a perverse monster. With worry written all over her face, she asked, “Was the scar-faced man who imprisoned her caught?”

He Lu, the officer before her, answered with regret. “Miss Fan, if we had already caught that sex fiend, we wouldn’t be standing guard here to protect Miss Tang’s safety.

“Scar Wang fled on the very day it happened. We’ve already issued a citywide manhunt. The moment he shows his face, we’ll arrest him and bring him to justice.”

Standing at the door, Fan Xiaoyou found herself at a loss. She wanted to go in and see Tang Ling, yet feared Tang Ling might not want to see her.

In the end, after much hesitation, she still pushed the door open. She was carrying apples Tang Ling loved best, and she had also bought her favorite banana milk.

“May I come in?” When no one answered, Fan Xiaoyou glanced around and went in by herself.

Unexpectedly, Tang Ling appeared behind her without warning and screamed at her, “You filthy woman, I’m going to strangle you...”

Fan Xiaoyou had never imagined Tang Ling would react to her so violently. The moment she stepped inside, Tang Ling lunged from behind the door and clamped her hands around her throat.

The sudden attack truly terrified Fan Xiaoyou. She struggled desperately to pry Tang Ling’s hands away, but instead her own neck was gripped more and more tightly.

Summoning every last ounce of strength, Fan Xiaoyou kicked at the stool by the bed. At last, the crash as it toppled drew He Lu, who was standing guard at the door, rushing into the room.

He Lu burst in just as Tang Ling was strangling Fan Xiaoyou with both hands. He quickly glanced back at the nurse and said, “Sedate her first. Make her calm down.”

Within moments, four or five caregivers came in. They joined forces to restrain Tang Ling, who was in a frenzy, and at long last the nurse managed to inject her with a sedative.

With her hair disheveled and her eyes burning with venom, Tang Ling glared at Fan Xiaoyou and kept shouting, “You filthy woman! You filthy woman!”

Faced with Tang Ling’s abuse, Fan Xiaoyou turned to He Lu beside her in confusion. “Officer, what’s wrong with my classmate? Why does she call everyone a filthy woman?”

He Lu looked at Tang Ling and shook his head. “She’s been traumatized. Whether it’s a mental illness or not, we still need further confirmation.

“But unfortunately, up to now, we’ve notified her family, and yet none of them have come.

“If she does show signs of mental illness, only her family can send her to a psychiatric hospital for treatment and help prevent further tragedy.”

When Fan Xiaoyou learned from He Lu that Tang Ling’s family had never appeared since the incident, she could not help feeling sorry for her. She had never imagined Tang Ling would suffer such a fate.

It truly proved the saying: what goes around comes around.