Fifty-six. Compensation from Your Family

Tong Zhenzhen wiped away an accidentally fallen tear with the back of her hand, squeezed out a strained smile, and waved goodbye to little Qin Yiwen.

Thinking she was fine now, the little fellow happily blew her a flying kiss.

The second aunt sighed deeply, patted Tong Zhenzhen’s hand, stood up, and made room for Commander Jun.

Turning her back to the others, Wen Xin walked over to hug Qin Yiwen.

Tong Zhenzhen saw it clearly: the corners of Wen Xin's mouth curled into a smile as she silently mouthed two words—serves you right.

Before Tong Zhenzhen could react, Wen Xin picked up Qin Yiwen and walked away.

Wen Xin's hostility made the grieving Tong Zhenzhen suddenly realize that she was exposing her weaknesses among a crowd of malicious people. Tears would only become a weapon for others to mock her.

She could no longer afford to wallow in self-pity; she had to open her eyes and distinguish these people, telling who was human and who was a demon.

She tilted her head back, letting her tears flow back into her heart.

When she lowered her head again, her eyes were completely dry, leaving behind only frost.

Now, she saw clearly. Standing behind Old Madam Jun, Qin Xue could hardly conceal the mockery and triumph in her eyes.

Commander Jun was racking his brains over how to comfort the grieving Tong Zhenzhen so they could start a conversation. He was quite taken aback by how quickly she adjusted her emotions, and at the same time, a faint sense of fondness for her grew in his heart.

"Xiao Tong," Grandpa Jun paused slightly, his brows and eyes tinged with sorrow, "We are all heartbroken about the child's misfortune. But you are still young, and you will have children in the future. Once you recover your health, you will represent our branch of the family on the board of directors of the Zhengyang Group."

"Grandfather..." Before anyone else could object, Wen Xin cried out first.

"Wen Xin, this is Grandfather's decision!" Qin Xiangyang, who was standing in the shadows secretly watching Tong Zhenzhen, stopped his wife with a displeased look. When he learned about Tong Zhenzhen's miscarriage, he had been frantic with worry and deeply concerned.

In Qin Xiangyang's view, the Jun family owed Tong Zhenzhen, and no matter how they made amends, it was only right.

Wen Xin froze. She could not believe that Qin Xiangyang would sharply scold her in front of so many people. Her eyes reddened with grievance, she glared fiercely at the indifferent Tong Zhenzhen, picked up Qin Yiwen, and ran out of the hospital room.

Qin Xiangyang frowned deeply.

At this moment, the second aunt walked over and nudged Qin Xiangyang. Only then did he cast a guilt-ridden glance at Tong Zhenzhen before reluctantly leaving the room to go after Wen Xin.

The other person opposed to this was Old Madam Jun. She furrowed her brow, "Old man, Xiao Tong has barely been married into our family for long, how can you..."

Commander Jun raised his dark, sword-like brows, exuding an unquestionable authority that forced Old Madam Jun to shut her up. She felt a bit annoyed inside: why did such a good opportunity fall to Tong Zhenzhen, whom she looked down upon? Back then, she had put in a good word for Wen Xin many times, but Commander Jun had rejected them all.

The Zhengyang Group?! Tong Zhenzhen sneered inwardly. What, did the Jun family want to use this as compensation?

Unfortunately, she didn't care for it at all.

Tong Zhenzhen’s gaze was cold and detached as she said faintly, "Thank you for the high regard, but I'm afraid my talents are meager and I am unequal to the task."

Commander Jun had no intention of asking for her opinion; he simply said sternly to Jun Lengche, "Xiao Che, you must treat Xiao Tong well, or else watch out for my whip!"

Hearing this, Tong Zhenzhen was stunned. Why had Commander Jun's attitude toward her suddenly changed?

"Zhenzhen, you can do it." At this moment, her aunt and uncle walked in from outside, and it was her aunt who spoke indifferently.

Old Madam Jun looked at the aunt with a puzzled expression, likely wondering how her daughter's attitude toward Tong Zhenzhen had suddenly shifted.

"Didn't you also study management degrees abroad? Put your knowledge to good use," the aunt continued. "The eldest daughter-in-law of the Jun family cannot be a useless person who gives up easily."

The aunt's words had different effects on different listeners.

Old Madam Jun assumed the aunt was laying a trap for Tong Zhenzhen to fall into.

As for Tong Zhenzhen, she caught the aunt's hidden reminder. Yes, the Jun family had not only harmed her mother, but now they had harmed her as well—how could she let them off the hook? Joining the Zhengyang Group would allow her to bide her time and strike when the opportunity arose.

"Alright." Tong Zhenzhen stopped refusing and agreed on the spot.

"Mom, Dad, Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, let's leave too and let Xiao Tong get some more rest," the aunt said solicitously. "Let the young couple talk. After all, it's their child~"

Tong Zhenzhen caught the insinuation in her aunt's words, glanced at Jun Lengche, and a sudden wave of hatred surged in her heart. However, she suppressed herself, refusing to show any violent rage in front of the Jun family, and merely pretended to lean back against the head of the bed in sorrow.

"Zhenzhen, get some good rest~" The kind second aunt offered earnest instructions before leaving with the rest of the Jun family members.

The temperature in the room dropped to freezing point instantly.

Tong Zhenzhen stared out the window, ignoring Jun Lengche who had sat down by the bedside. She was afraid that the moment she opened her mouth, she would want to tear him to pieces with her teeth!

Jun Lengche sat quietly by the bed, following her gaze to look at the firm tree outside the window...

Meanwhile, Qin Xiangyang followed Wen Xin to the parking lot. Seeing Yang Yang walking over in a hurry, he called out loudly.

Yang Yang quickened his pace, "Xiangyang, are you here to see Tong Zhenzhen? Is she awake?"

Jun Chengzhi looked at Yang Yang thoughtfully, unusually devoid of his usual playful smile, and said solemnly, "She's fine, just a bit weak in spirit. Yangzi, how did you know she had an accident?"

Under his old friend's gaze, Yang Yang felt inexplicably guilty. He recounted the events of the past two days, omitting the moment when he had zoned out and wanted to touch Tong Zhenzhen's face.

"So that's how it was." Hearing this, Qin Xiangyang patted Yang Yang's back, "Still, this really doesn't look like his style. To actually throw punches just because he saw you having a meal with Zhenzhen—that's completely out of line!"

"Yeah, it was just a misunderstanding, I never expected it to blow up into such a huge issue. I feel terrible about it, so I came to check on her." Yang Yang furrowed his brow, his face full of guilt.

Qin Xiangyang thought for a moment and said, "You probably shouldn't go up. I just came out from there, and the atmosphere isn't very good."

Yang Yang nodded.

"Daddy~" Held in Wen Xin's arms, Qin Yiwen shouted loudly to Qin Xiangyang.

"I'm coming." Qin Xiangyang answered, then suddenly thought of something. Lowering his voice, he told Yang Yang, "Qin Xue has been trying every possible way to get back onto the criminal police force. Tonight, the old man is calling the eldest leader back home; they'll likely be discussing this matter."

"Has the operation started?" Yang Yang's expression darkened, alertness flashing in his eyes.

"Mhm." Jun Chengzhi nodded and gave his hand a brief squeeze. "Stay vigilant."

"Yang, what are you dawdling for?" Wen Xin's dissatisfied voice came over.

Hesitating for a moment, Qin Xiangyang bade farewell to Yang Yang and walked toward Wen Xin and their child.

After watching Qin Xiangyang's car drive away, Yang Yang stood in the parking lot and looked up.

From this spot, he could see the hospital room where Tong Zhenzhen was staying, but unfortunately, a tall sycamore tree right outside the window blocked his view.

Still, she would slowly recover.

Because, just like him, she wasn't someone who would casually lose the will to live.

Yang Yang watched for a moment and murmured internally, "Hold on, Tong Zhenzhen." Then, he turned and left. After all, he still had many things to do.

Old Madam Jun rode back in a separate car.

Once inside, Old Madam Jun complained, "Old man, you're way too nice to Tong Zhenzhen. What is so great about her anyway?"

Commander Jun gave a light hum, "Jianjun, what do you think?"

Sitting in the driver's seat, Division Commander Jun smiled heartily, "I think she's quite good."

And the second aunt sitting beside him also gave a slight nod.

Supporting Old Madam Jun, Qin Xue's hand trembled slightly, and her gaze darkened.

Old Madam Jun noticed this and felt a pang of heartache, assuming she still couldn't let go of Jun Lengche.

Changing the subject, Old Madam Jun said, "Fine. Anyway, I don't see it. Old man, I've invited Weimin over for dinner tonight. You'll need to put in a good word regarding Xiaoxue returning to the police force."

Commander Jun glanced at Qin Xue, feeling a sense of pity for her as well. Back then, he had made his grandson marry her out of respect for a fallen comrade-in-arms, but unfortunately, Xiaoxue lacked the fortune to hold onto her husband. He felt he should still help her sort out her career, so he nodded.

Qin Xue's eyes lit up, appearing joyful, but there were some inexplicable emotions hidden deep within them...

Back in the hospital room, silence reigned supreme.

Jun Lengche had no idea how long he had been staring at that tree with Tong Zhenzhen. He felt he needed to strike up a conversation.

"Lass, do you want to call your maternal grandfather?" Jun Lengche tried to break the deadlock.

Hearing this, Tong Zhenzhen turned her head and glared at him viciously, "Don't you dare?!"

Jun Lengche was stunned to find that her reaction was exactly as Long Tianyu had predicted. Realizing that his understanding of her fell short of Long Tianyu's, a sense of frustration washed over him.

Suddenly, Tong Zhenzhen started tugging at the buttons of his shirt.

What is going on?!

He watched as Tong Zhenzhen kept her dull, unblinking gaze locked on his clothes, pulling hard at his buttons. When she couldn't pull them open, she began biting them with her teeth.

"Are you out of your mind?" Jun Lengche grabbed her arms, pinning her down.

Just that slight movement caused her to start panting heavily, "Take off your shirt and your pants right now!"

Jun Lengche had no idea what she was trying to do.

"Take them off, now!" Her voice turned sharp and shrill as she screamed hysterically.

Seeing the venomous look in her eyes, Jun Lengche momentarily wondered if she had actually lost her mind.

Still, he replied, "Fine! I'll do it myself."

Jun Lengche quickly unbuttoned his shirt, while her gaze scraped across him like a knife, as if slicing his flesh.

The red tooth marks on his chest were exposed—bites left by her.

She snatched his shirt away and clutched it to her chest, "There is my child's blood all over this, give it back to me."

A tremor ran through Jun Lengche's heart. No, if this continued, she would surely go completely insane.

If she cried her heart out, at least she could vent, but keeping all this resentment and grief bottled up inside her would inevitably snap her nerves.

He couldn't let her keep looking at these things, triggering memories of the past and trapping her in her grief without a way out. Making a split-second decision, he snatched back the shirt she had been crumpling in her arms.

"Give it back to me!" In Tong Zhenzhen's eyes, Jun Lengche was nothing less than a demon who had come to rob her of her child.

She lunged forward, scratching and biting, acting completely unhinged.

With a sharp chop to the back of her neck, Jun Lengche knocked her unconscious.

Her sanity had been teetering between sobriety and madness, like a tightrope walker high in the air.

How on earth was he supposed to help her release all this agony?