Sweetie, sleep with me tonight.

"Zhao Yuan?"

Was it the man I saw at the beach that night?

"Yes, he was Chi Kuo's best childhood friend. They used to be very close, playing together, going to and from school together, and inseparable every day."

It turned out to be the case.

Lin Qi suddenly asked, "Have you heard the news from ten years ago about the dismantling of a massive drug trafficking ring in Yuzhong Village?"

Jiang Youxi nodded: "I've looked into it online. I heard that the drug trafficking gang had more than 200 members, a huge number. It took the anti-drug police and the local police departments working together to investigate and infiltrate for more than two years before they finally caught them all."

At that time, the criminal gang's branches were all uprooted, exposing the abuse of power, corruption, and collusion among local officials, which implicated many people.

As a result, the officialdom in Yuzhong Village underwent a major reshuffle.

"That's right. Back then, Yuzhong Village was a small and backward village, but because it was by the sea, many gray industries emerged, such as drug trafficking and smuggling. Those drug dealers relied on smuggling drugs and bribing their superiors to rapidly grow their teams in the area. Zhao Yuan's father, Zhao Hai, was also among them."

Jiang Youxi asked in surprise, "His father also deals drugs?"

"That's right. His father was a drug addict who idled away his time and did nothing productive. Later, through some unknown channel, he got in touch with a local drug lord and cooperated with him to smuggle and traffic drugs under the guise of being a local from Yuzhong Village, making a fortune."

"The Zhao family's life gradually improved, but soon after, Zhao Hai had a conflict with the drug lord. Zhao Hai not only quit his job, but also confronted the drug lord many times, threatening him that if he didn't make him happy, he would turn himself in and expose all their drug trafficking to the police."

Jiang Youxi looked shocked: "He recklessly angered the drug lords. Aren't he afraid they'll turn around and harm his family?"

"They've made their move."

"What?"

Lin Qi picked up his water glass and took a sip, his expression grave: "Afterwards, the drug lord directly kidnapped his eldest son, Zhao Yuan."

Jiang Youxi was stunned.

She vaguely guessed what was going on, and for a moment she didn't have the courage to ask any further questions.

Recalling what happened back then, Lin Qi felt heavy-hearted: "The place where Zhao Yuan and Chi Kuo were kidnapped is the very dark alley where you were just now."

Jiang Youxi frowned: "Was Chi Kuo there too?"

"Yes, it was Chi Kuo who invited Zhao Yuan out that night, and it was he who led Zhao Yuan through that alley."

"So... that's why He Zhuo was afraid to go through that alley just now, and even fainted from fear?"

"That's right, Chi Kuo has been deeply mired in guilt and self-blame because of this incident."

Jiang Youxi was unable to calm down for a long time.

Remembering something, she asked, "Are Zhao Yuan's hands and feet... gone?"

Lin Qi asked in surprise, "You've seen him?"

"Yes, I saw him at the beach last night." Jiang Youxi vaguely guessed something. "His hands and feet... were cut off by those drug lords?"

Lin Qi nodded: "At that time, he and Chi Kuo were kidnapped by those drug lords and tortured for a whole week."

……

As evening fell, the setting sun cast a magnificent tapestry of colors, its rays filtering through the curtains and spilling onto the floor.

The room was dimly lit, and a music box sat on the bedside table, playing soft and pleasant music on repeat.

Dr. Li Yue said this is a lullaby that can help He Zhuo relax and fall asleep.

Jiang Youxi sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking the man's hands.

He lay on the bed, his face calm, his breathing even, the pain and struggle from before gone.

Looking at the man sleeping soundly, the words Officer Lin Qi had just said still lingered in Jiang Youxi's mind.

"Those people are insane, they don't even spare teenagers." Lin Qi's voice was heavy with sorrow. "For a week, they haven't had any food or water, and their bodies have been subjected to inhuman abuse. Chi Kuo was beaten all over and injected with drugs, suffering the pain of the drugs eroding his internal organs every day."

"Zhao Yuan's condition was even worse. Without any anesthesia, his hands and feet were chopped off, and blood was everywhere. When we arrived at the scene, the two children were emaciated, covered in blood, and almost dead."

"We immediately rushed them to the hospital for emergency treatment. Fortunately, the children had a strong will to live and they all pulled through in the end," Lin Qi sighed. "Although their physical injuries have healed, their mental state is still very serious, especially Chi Kuo."

"He witnessed his partner's hands and feet being chopped off, developed post-traumatic stress disorder, had nightmares every night, and the traumatic memories would uncontrollably replay in his mind. He was tormented like a soulless puppet, afraid to close his eyes to sleep, and could only sit alone in a corner, not speaking or eating. He would sit like that, with his eyes open, from day to night, and from night to day, day after day."

"In just a few days, he became so thin that he was unrecognizable, and could only survive on IV fluids." Lin Qi pursed her lips. "I'm worried that the child won't make it, and I don't dare take him back to Grandma Meng in this state, otherwise the old lady will not be able to bear the shock and will collapse."

"So I concealed Chi Kuo's illness and, with the leader's approval, took him home and had A Yue provide him with psychological counseling so that he could get out of the shadows as soon as possible."

Jiang Youxi's eyes welled up with tears, and her voice choked with emotion: "How painful that must have been..."

The physical injuries and the psychological trauma are both potentially fatal.

She couldn't imagine how much torment and pain He Zhuo had endured back then.

"It really hurts. Physical injuries heal quickly, but mental trauma can't be completely healed overnight." Lin Qi sighed. "Chi Kuo's condition was too serious at the time. A Yue and I tried our best to treat him, but at most we could only help him recover to the point where he could live a normal life. Before we could completely solve his problem of having nightmares every night, we received news that his biological father was coming to find him."

"He Jingyao learned of Chi Kuo's whereabouts based on that news report and personally came to pick him up." Lin Qi smiled helplessly. "It was also because of this that Chi Kuo's treatment plan was forced to be interrupted and did not proceed to the end."

A tear fell onto the back of his hand with a soft thud.

Jiang Youxi snapped out of her daze, lowered her head, silently wiped away her tears, and tried to regain her composure.

"Why are you crying?"

Jiang Youxi paused, then suddenly looked up.

The man had woken up at some point, and his sleepy black eyes, shining brightly in the dim light, were fixed on her.

He Zhuo moved closer to her, raised his hand to gently stroke her cheek, and pressed his fingertips away the tears from the corner of her eye. His voice was hoarse and soft in the quiet room.

"I'm okay, don't cry, okay?"