Who broke the glass 6 Song Xiao suddenly grabbed Pei Qing...

Seeing Pei Qingyu keep his head lowered and his hand pressed to his chest, he gritted his teeth and continued, "Hug... you hugged me, so what? I was even will-"

Pei Qingyu coughed until his head swam and his ears rang. He could hear Xun Yin explaining something at length. Not wanting to worry him, he forced back his cough, raised his head, and smiled. "Cough, cough... I'm fine. It just went down the wrong way."

Xun Yin blankly swallowed the words about to leave his mouth. He watched Pei Qingyu pat his shoulder and say, "A-Xun really does have a sharp tongue and a soft heart. Next time... I'll be more careful."

"No..." Xun Yin struggled to say more, but his ringing phone interrupted him again.

"Captain, Song Xiao is awake. She's ready to be questioned."

Chapter 17: Who broke the glass 6 Song Xiao suddenly grabbed Pei Qing...

As they entered, both Pei Qingyu and Xun Yin involuntarily paused.

Song Xiao's face was covered in bandages.

-She had been disfigured.

At the crime scene yesterday, she had been covered in blood and grime, her hair disheveled. No one had noticed that her face was so severely injured. Pei Qingyu frowned. Song Xiao sat on the hospital bed with a vacant gaze, seemingly unresponsive to everything around her.

Pei Qingyu lowered his eyes, turned, and sat in a chair nearby. Taking the cue, Xun Yin flashed his police ID. "Hello, we're police officers. We'd like to ask you about what happened yesterday. Are you able to answer some questions now?"

Song Xiao's gaze flickered, but she did not immediately answer. Her body began to tremble slightly, and only after a long while did she slowly nod.

"Do you remember exactly what happened?"

"...About a year ago, my sister got a boyfriend." Song Xiao spoke, her voice hoarse, perhaps from inhaling a large amount of mercury vapor. It sounded nothing like the voice of a woman in her twenties. "They met online. After chatting for just a month, he'd completely won her over with his lies. They got together after meeting offline."

"But it wasn't long before that man showed his true colors." Song Xiao began trembling again, though it seemed to be from hatred rather than fear. "It's a very clichéd story-he was a drunk and an abuser. Whenever he got drunk, he'd hit and curse at her over the slightest thing. But once he sobered up, he'd beg desperately for her forgiveness. My sister was softhearted. She always... couldn't get away."

"Did your parents know about this?" Seeing that Song Xiao was somewhat emotionally unstable, Xun Yin waited a moment before asking gently.

Song Xiao lowered her eyes and shook her head. Her whole body was wrapped in gauze, and she had to pause after every few sentences, like a broken puppet mechanically carrying out its final function. "My sister... was adopted. After they had me, our parents didn't pay much attention to her. Once she got into high school, they stopped looking after her altogether. She even worked to earn her own tuition."

"That made her timid and insecure, but she really was kind," Song Xiao murmured. "But that kind of kindness was so stupid..."

Pei Qingyu, who had been sitting silently beside them with his eyes lowered, suddenly looked up at Song Xiao. Yet she seemed to have fallen into some nightmare and abruptly began to sob. Blood slowly seeped through the bandages on her face, and her entire body shook like a leaf.

"What happened, Song Xiao?" Pei Qingyu quickly stepped forward, checking her pupils as he swiftly pressed the call button. "You're not there anymore. Take your time. Breathe deeply and let it out. Tell us slowly."

Song Xiao suddenly grabbed Pei Qingyu's wrist. Her fingers tightened, immediately leaving several red marks on his wrist. Xun Yin frowned and stepped forward, but Pei Qingyu shook his head and continued soothing Song Xiao in a soft voice.

After an unknown amount of time, Song Xiao suddenly raised her eyes and struggled to speak. "He was the one who did this to us..."

After their last argument, her sister had not seen her boyfriend, Zhang Zhao, for over a month.

Curled up in bed at home, Song Xiao idly read a novel while her thoughts wandered aimlessly. She glanced at the clock. Her sister had promised to be home at eleven that night, but the hour hand had already reached twelve, and there was still not a sound at the front door. Song Xiao grabbed her phone from beside her. Just as she was considering calling her sister, the name "Song Sheng" suddenly popped up on the screen.

"Sis?" Song Xiao answered cheerfully. "When are you coming home? I've already..."

"Xiao Xiao, are you and Mom and Dad all home?" To Song Xiao's surprise, her usually gentle sister cut her off and asked urgently.

"Yes. What's wrong?" A rustling sound came from the entrance. Thinking her sister was using the phone to keep her occupied again before suddenly appearing to surprise her, Song Xiao chuckled inwardly and quietly headed toward the door.

But on the other end, Song Sheng gave a sob, her voice weak and anxious. "Zhang Zhao came to ask me to get back together today. He begged for a long time, but I still refused... Humiliated, he flew into a rage and decided you and Mom and Dad were keeping us apart, so... he knocked me unconscious, took my keys, and headed home."

"Xiao Xiao, lock the door right now. No matter what you hear, don't come out. I'm on my way home. You..." The lock gave a sharp click. Song Xiao blankly lowered her phone, her sister's voice already indistinct over the line. She stared straight ahead without moving. The lock turned, and then the door slowly opened.

"Hello, Xiao Xiao." The man at the door wore a suit and held something in one hand. He gave a slight, gentlemanly bow. "Long time no see."

Song Xiao instinctively stepped back, then turned and ran, her face pale. She wanted to run into her parents' room and lock the door, but the instant she turned, pain struck the back of her neck.

"Don't run..." Zhang Zhao covered Song Xiao's mouth and dragged her toward her parents' room. "You can all wait here with me for Sheng Sheng."

When Song Xiao next woke, it was the sound of arguing that roused her. She cautiously opened her eyes a crack. Song Sheng stood disheveled in the doorway, while Zhang Zhao faced her from inside the living room. Song Xiao looked around. She was tied up in the bathroom beside the living room, with her unconscious parents leaning against her.

"...They didn't stop me. I'm the one who doesn't want to be with you anymore." Song Sheng held on to the doorframe, her toes pointing outward. Her whole body trembled, but she gritted her teeth and stood her ground. "Zhang Zhao, please just leave us alone."