He lured her deep into his trap, using both overt and covert methods to seduce her.

Song Zhi slightly raised her eyes, and her gaze met that of Zhao Man, who was walking in angrily.

Zhao Man walked in with a face full of anger.

Sitting to the side, Song Jiachen appeared somewhat panicked. He hurriedly stood up and called out in a slightly trembling voice, "Mom..."

Zhao Man ignored Song Jiachen's calls and went straight to the bedside.

Without saying a word, she raised her hand and slapped Song Zhi hard across the face.

This sudden attack caught Song Zhi completely off guard; she only felt a burning pain on her face.

However, Song Zhi simply covered her slapped cheek with her hand, lowered her head, and remained silent.

Because she knew very well that she had indeed implicated Song Jiachen in this matter, she felt guilty about Zhao Man's beating and had no way to refute it.

Seeing this, Song Jiachen, disregarding his own injuries, stepped forward without hesitation and quickly stood in front of Song Zhi.

He said anxiously, "Mom, what are you doing? This really has nothing to do with her!"

At this moment, Song Jiachen's face was also bruised and swollen, but he couldn't care less about his own pain and only wanted to protect Song Zhi behind him.

Hearing her son's words, Zhao Man's anger did not subside at all. On the contrary, when she saw her precious son's pitiful appearance, her eyes instantly turned red.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "You still say it's okay? Look at the state you've been in! Do you know how worried your mother was about you?!"

Zhao Man spoke through tears, her words filled with heartache and worry.

Faced with Zhao Man's tearful complaints, Song Jiachen was at a loss for words and could only stand there helplessly, staring blankly at his weeping mother.

The entire room was filled with a tense and oppressive atmosphere, making it feel suffocating.

From childhood to adulthood, he always knew that his mother's love for him was unconditional.

However, even so, this absolutely cannot be an excuse or reason for her to physically assault Song Zhi.

Song Jiachen couldn't help but speak up: "It was clearly that bad guy who tried to hurt my sister. My sister is the victim. Besides, as her younger brother, it's only right and proper for me to protect her."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Man's face instantly darkened, and she retorted angrily:

"Protect her? If she hadn't been so shameless and provoked those shady characters, how could they have come looking for her to harm her!"

After speaking, Zhao Man glared coldly at Song Zhi.

The next second, she turned to look at Song Jiachen and warned him sternly, "From today onwards, I order you not to have any further contact with Song Jiachen!"

After saying that, he grabbed Song Jiachen without further ado, preparing to forcibly take him away from this place.

Seeing this, Song Jiachen became extremely anxious and began to struggle and resist desperately, repeatedly shouting, "Mom, what are you doing? I don't want to leave, I want to stay here with my sister!"

No matter how hard he tried to break free, his mother's hand held him firmly like an iron clamp.

"Come home with me right now! I've already contacted the doctors, and they'll give you a thorough new checkup!"

Zhao Man's tone was firm and resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

While continuing to struggle, Song Jiachen loudly protested, "Mom, I'm really fine, it's just a little bit of a scratch!"

"What do you mean by 'superficial injury'? How dare you say this is just a minor superficial injury?"

Zhao Man was furious. While roaring, she slammed the medical report she was clutching tightly in her hand in front of Song Jiachen.

Song Jiachen stood there, his eyes darting around, a wave of panic washing over him, so much so that he couldn't utter a single word.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Mom, please stop talking. I'll listen to you and go with you, okay?"

He didn't want Song Zhi to worry because of his injury.

Because of what happened before, Song Zhi had been unconscious for a day and a night.

He dragged his injured leg and limped slowly out of the ward.

Even though he had left the room, his heart remained preoccupied with Song Zhi, who was lying in the hospital bed.

"Mom, if I leave, there will be no one to take care of my sister in the ward."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Man coldly replied, "What's there to worry about? From now on, stay away from her."

Upon hearing this, Song Jiachen's expression instantly changed, and he loudly questioned, "On what grounds?"

"She's not your biological sister, do I need to explain why?"

Song Jiachen's eyes widened, tears welled up in them, and her voice trembled with emotion.

"If it weren't for what you did before, how could our family have become like this? Everything would have been fine!"

Zhao Man never expected that her son, whom she had raised with such care and love, would say such disobedient words, and she stood there stunned for a moment.

Over the years, she has racked her brains and schemed and plotted, all for the sake of creating better conditions for her precious son and paving the way for his future.

Her eyes widened, her face filled with astonishment as she stared intently at Song Jiachen before her. Her lips trembled uncontrollably, and her voice trembled noticeably as well: "What...what did you just say?"

Song Jiachen's face was filled with a mixture of anger and disappointment. His eyes were wide open as he roared, "Why did you cheat on me with that other man? Didn't your father treat you well? Do you know how much damage your actions are causing to this family!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than a sharp "smack" rang out as Zhao Man raised her hand and slapped Song Jiachen hard across the face.

The slap was delivered so quickly and forcefully that Zhao Man herself was stunned afterward.

She looked at Song Jiachen's red cheek, feeling somewhat helpless, her eyes filled with panic and self-blame, and stammered, "Jiachen, Mom didn't mean it, Mom... I'm really sorry."

At this moment, Song Jiachen didn't want to hear anything more from her. He turned around abruptly, and due to his excitement, his steps were unsteady. He limped quickly toward the elevator.

Seeing this, Zhao Man hurriedly followed, calling out as she ran, "Jiachen, wait for Mom!"

Song Jiachen acted as if he hadn't heard, and walked into the elevator without turning his head.

Once in the car, Song Jiachen remained silent, and a suffocating silence filled the carriage.

Song Jiachen pursed his lips and remained silent, his gaze fixed on the car window. He felt a little worried thinking about Song Zhi being alone in the ward.

He silently took out his phone and sent a message to Xiao Wan, asking her to go to the hospital to help take care of Song Zhi.

When Song Jiachen received Xiao Wan's reply of "OK", his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally relaxed a little, and he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

The ward at that time.

The doctor just left after the examination.

Song Zhi lay on the bed, feeling somewhat bored.

Suddenly, a series of urgent and slightly panicked shouts came from outside the ward.

"So innocent..."