Chapter 182
Xiao Jinmeng choked back tears: "But, but I saw it, and it made my heart feel so sick..."
She truly wished she could gouge out her eyeballs, soak them in disinfectant water, wash them, and then put them back in.
Seeing Xiao Jinmeng's distressed expression, Shi Shuning clenched his fists tightly, a surge of anger welling up inside him. Last night, he had wanted to give Liu Lian another beating. If the police hadn't been watching closely, he truly would have skinned that man alive.
Song Jiaxi continued to comfort her: "Meng Meng, this is actually not that big of a deal. He's just one person, who happens to have some differences and variations from us women."
"And you didn't go there intentionally to see it. You're the victim, he's the bad guy. You couldn't control the bad guy's behavior, so don't put this on yourself."
"My precious baby was so brave to fight back and subdue the bad guy. You were amazing! Your eyes are sparkling and clean, not dirty at all, so don't dwell on this anymore, okay?"
Shi Shuning also chimed in: "Yes, Meng Meng, it's those bad guys who are dirty. Their hearts are filthy, so don't carry this burden."
Xiao Jinmeng sniffled and looked at Shi Shuning, weakly asking, "Shu Ning ge, are you really not bothered by it?"
Although nothing had really happened, she was still afraid that Shu Ning ge would feel uncomfortable because she had seen another man's body.
Shi Shuning didn't expect her to ask that, and shook his head, "No, I am bothered."
Xiao Jinmeng looked dejected, and Xiao Yongze and the others were about to roll up their sleeves and beat someone up, when Shi Shuning added:
"I'm bothered that you were hurt, that I couldn't deal with the bad guys who hurt you myself, and that I failed to protect you again."
Xiao Yongze, who was about to roll up his sleeves behind him, couldn't help but roll his eyes. Couldn't he just say it all at once?
Shi Shuning didn't realize that in those short few seconds, he had changed his fate of being carried out of the ward. He still gazed at Xiao Jinmeng with deep affection.
"Meng Meng, grow up quickly so I can take you home as my wife right away."
Xiao Jinmeng's face instantly flushed again as she stammered, "What nonsense! Dad and Mom are watching!"
Shi Shuning touched his nose and turned to look at Xiao Yongze and Song Jiaxi, who were straightening their sleeves. He scratched his head and said, "Uncle, Auntie, I'm serious. I want to marry Meng Meng as soon as she reaches the legal age."
Xiao Yongze stared at him silently, his gaze making Shi Shuning feel uneasy.
Xiao Jinmeng panicked and immediately broke the silence: "I'm so hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
Ye Wanwan and Ye Jinchen walked in from outside, carrying insulated lunch boxes. They had just heard Xiao Jinmeng's words, and Ye Wanwan immediately ran over, her eyes reddening.
"Meng Meng, you're awake! Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Xiao Jinmeng smiled and shook her head. "Wan Wan, I'm fine now, just a little sore."
Ye Wanwan wiped away her tears and lifted the insulated lunch box. "I knew you'd be hungry when you woke up, so I went back with Dad and Brother to prepare some food for everyone."
As she said this, she glanced at Ye Jinchen and Ye Junli. Ye Jinchen was holding two large insulated lunch boxes, knowing that Xiao Yongze, Song Jiaxi, and the others wouldn't want to leave the hospital to eat.
It was fortunate they were in a VIP ward with tables and chairs, so it wouldn't feel cramped.
They set up a small dining table for Xiao Jinmeng and arranged the food on it. Shi Shuning wanted to feed her, but Xiao Jinmeng rejected him.
"Shu Ning ge, I can eat by myself. You and Dad, Mom, and the others should eat too, and then rest for a bit."
Seeing everyone's haggard appearance, Xiao Jinmeng felt a twinge of guilt for worrying her family again.
"Oh, where's my brother?"
Xiao Jinmeng then realized her brother wasn't there. Given his clingy nature, he would have certainly stayed by her side.
"He was called away by his manager to deal with the concert situation from last night. He had just left when you woke up," Song Jiaxi explained.
Xiao Jinmeng nodded. "Mom, remember to tell my brother that I'm fine, so he doesn't worry."
Xiao Yuanning didn't want to go back to the company to handle these matters at all, but as a man, he couldn't ignore the sudden incident at his own concert.
And he had no choice but to deal with it. As the organizer of the concert, a bomb had appeared on-site, so he had to take responsibility.
"I'll issue a public announcement later, offering a full refund to the audience, and I'll cover any other losses myself."
The manager was exasperated. Sure, he had money, but he couldn't just throw it away like this.
At that moment, a public relations staff member exclaimed.
"The police have issued a statement!"
On Weibo, the Hai City police had released an update on the progress of the investigation into the bomb and kidnapping incident at yesterday's concert.
The gist of it was that after investigating, Jian Hongmei and Liu Lian had posed as cleaners during the stage setup at the stadium to plant a bomb, intending to cause chaos during the concert and kidnap the son (Xiao Yuanning) or daughter (Xiao Jinmeng) of the person in charge of Country X's international affairs.
Later, they abandoned the plan to detonate the bomb and instead kidnapped Xiao Jinmeng when she went to the restroom.
Jian Hongmei and Liu Lian had been arrested by the police, and Xiao Jinmeng had suffered minor injuries and was undergoing treatment at the hospital.
The case was still under further investigation, and the public was urged not to believe or spread rumors.
After the concert was forced to end abruptly yesterday, it immediately became a hot topic, with all sorts of speculation.
Some said Xiao Yuanning had done something wrong and was taken away by the police; others said a serial killer had appeared; some even claimed the concert wasn't properly registered and was outright canceled...
Upon seeing this statement, netizens immediately transformed into gossip enthusiasts, eagerly discussing the incident.
"No wonder the concert was suddenly terminated last night. It turns out there was a bomb! They didn't reveal the reason right away to avoid panic during the evacuation and disorder."
"How terrifying! They actually wanted to kidnap our brother and his sister. Thank goodness they're both okay!"
"Planting a bomb is so despicable! If it had detonated, the casualties would have been horrific!"
"My sister said her seat had a blinking red light underneath, but she thought it was just some mood lighting, so she didn't pay any attention. Now looking back..."
"Your sister was so lucky! If it had detonated, she'd probably have been turned to ash..."
The agent said, "Now that the fans know the reason, let's see their reaction first before deciding how to deal with the concert issue!"
Xiao Yuanning was fiddling with his phone, and after a while, the public relations staff exclaimed, "Yuanning! Are you crazy!"