Chapter 20 — My Daughter's Iron Box

His arm was wrapped in gauze, and his clothes were still damp with mud, yet his footsteps never faltered. Teacher Jiang stood at the threshold of the hospital room, her eyes swollen and red.

The doctor just brought her fever down.

She kept calling for her mother.

Shen Zhiqiang felt as though something had firmly lodged itself in his throat. He stood outside the door, suddenly paralyzed by a wave of hesitation that kept him from stepping inside. Over the years, he had always assumed that Shen Anan was simply accustomed to a life without a mother. She was used to the cramped little room, used to her faded schoolbag, used to being ignored day after day. It was only at this moment that he finally understood the brutal truth. It was not that she was used to it. It was simply that she had no one left to call upon. The doctor emerged from the sickroom, his expression etched with profound fatigue.

The high fever was a direct result of a severe infection.

Her gastric condition still requires close, continuous monitoring.

Her physical state is far too fragile, plagued by prolonged malnutrition, and her psychological condition has suffered a deeply traumatic shock.

Shen Zhiqiang asked in a hushed, trembling voice, Is she in danger, "Doctor?" The doctor looked straight at him.

"We managed to pull her back from the brink once."

"What happens next depends entirely on whether her fragile system can stabilize itself."

Shen Zhiqiang reached out to steady himself against the wall, his knuckles slowly turning white as he clenched his hand into a tight fist. The doctor spoke again, "She regained consciousness briefly a moment ago and asked whether the other children had all returned safely." Beside him, Teacher Jiang choked back a sob.

Both Xiao Man and Yuan Yuan are currently receiving medical treatment.

The rest of the children have also been properly settled and cared for.

Shen Zhiqiang nodded slowly.

Tell her that everyone is back.

The doctor let out a heavy sigh.

"You may go inside for a brief moment."

Just do not get too close, and do not force her to respond to you.

When Shen Zhiqiang pushed the door open, his movements were cautious to the extreme. The sickroom was illuminated by only a single, dim nightlight. Shen Anan lay upon the bed, a cooling patch affixed to her forehead, her complexion stark white in a way that pierced the heart. Her brow was furrowed tightly, her lips cracked and dry. Her sleep was deeply troubled, her small fingers clutching the edge of the blanket in a desperate grip. Standing at the foot of the bed, Shen Zhiqiang felt his eye sockets instantly burn with hot tears. In the past, whenever he stepped into her tiny bedroom, he had only ever seen it as cramped and confined, viewing her as an overly silent child. Now, seeing her broken form upon a hospital bed, he finally realized how many desperate cries for help he had completely missed. Shen Anan stirred slightly. She uttered a single, barely audible word, Mother. Shen Zhiqiang shuddered violently from head to toe. He took half a step forward before freezing in place. He possessed no right whatsoever to answer in place of her mother. Teacher Jiang sat down on the edge of the mattress, gently taking the child's small hand in hers.

"Anan, I am right here with you."

A single tear rolled silently from the corner of Shen Anan's closed eye. She was not fully awake, merely murmuring in a feverish haze, I want to go back to school. Teacher Jiang bowed her head, wiping away her falling tears.

"You will go back."

"I am waiting for you."

Standing nearby, Shen Zhiqiang felt a suffocating pain grip his chest. He suddenly recalled the ledger of debts the girl had left behind on the day she was forced to quit school. Thirty thousand, for the tuition of He Jiahao. Nine hundred and seventy-six, every single cent belonging to her. She harbored no resentment, raised no loud, disruptive arguments; she merely recorded every single item with absolute clarity. Because she had known long ago that in this household, there was no one else who would remember or care for her. At that moment, Officer Lu stepped quietly into the room, lowering his voice.

Tang Meiqin and Scarface have both been successfully subdued and detained.

Du Meiquan has also started confessing and has provided crucial information.

Shen Zhiqiang turned around sharply.

"What did they confess?"

Officer Lu glanced toward the hospital bed before gesturing for Shen Zhiqiang to follow him out into the quiet corridor.

Du Meiquan admitted to approaching Shen Anan and confirmed that she brought the child to the abandoned workshop.

Scarface confessed that their targets were always children who lacked proper supervision or whose families had abandoned looking for them.

Tang Meiqin was the one who provided details regarding your daughter's background, and she even accepted money for it.

The depths of Shen Zhiqiang's eyes grew chillingly cold.

"I want to see every single one of them put behind bars."

Officer Lu replied, "We will proceed strictly according to legal procedures based on the collected evidence."

"However, you must also prepare yourself mentally."

"There is a strong possibility that we will need Shen Anan to provide formal testimony later on."

Shen Zhiqiang remained silent for a long moment.

"Wait until she recovers her health."

"No one is to pressure her."

Officer Lu nodded.

That goes without saying; it is our primary principle.

Teacher Jiang walked out from the sickroom. Her eyes fell upon the bloodstain smeared across Shen Zhiqiang's arm.

"You should go and get that wound treated."

Shen Zhiqiang shook his head.

"I will keep watch right here."

Teacher Jiang's voice turned icy. "Now you suddenly know how to stand guard." Shen Zhiqiang offered no defense.

"I know it is far too late."

Teacher Jiang stared at him for a long, piercing moment.

"Mr. Shen, whether it is too late or not is no longer for you to decide."

"It is entirely up to Anan."

Shen Zhiqiang lowered his head.

"I understand."

Further down the corridor, a nurse pushed a wheelchair carrying Xiao Man past them. The little girl was still receiving an intravenous drip, her face utterly devoid of color. Catching sight of the hospital room door, she softly asked, "Is Sister Anan awake yet?" Teacher Jiang hurried over.

She is still sleeping.

Xiao Man's eyes welled up with shimmering tears.

She told us that once her father arrived, we would all be saved.

Hearing those words, Shen Zhiqiang felt as though a blade were slicing through his heart piece by piece. He had driven his own daughter to such profound despair that she had dropped out of school and fled from home. Yet, in front of the others, she had still preserved the final, lingering image of a father for him. That sliver of trust was by no means a reward bestowed upon him. It was the desperate lifeline she had forged for every single child trapped at the end of their road. After Xiao Man was wheeled away, Shen Zhiqiang leaned against the wall, remaining completely motionless for a long time. At that exact moment, his phone began to ring. It was He Jiahao. He reached out and pressed accept.