Chapter 71 Please Adopt This Child (2/2)

”What? How can this be? Why won't she make it?” Xin Qing was stunned by what she had heard. How could a person who was perfectly fine and healthy suddenly not be able to pull through?

”When she woke up, she begged us to save her child. This is a signed consent by her. She has also agreed to donate her organs. Our hospital will make arrangements for the funeral. You should make full use of the time you have left to say your goodbyes.”

Xin Qing leaned against Ying Qingcang for support as she walked into the surgical theater. Xin Qing was trembling all over. When she saw Lin Xiaoyu on the surgical table, she tried calling Lin Xiaoyu's name. ”Xiao... yu.”

Lin Xiaoyu opened her eyes and saw Xin Qing. She wanted to smile at Xin Qing, though she was so weak that she could only move her lips slightly.

”Xin... Qing. I... I got what I deserve. But the child... is innocent. I... no longer had a reason to keep living. Please... please. Seeing that we were once classmates, please... adopt this child.”

Crying, Xin Qing shook her head. ”You're the child's mother. You have to be brave. Otherwise, the child would become an orphan.”

”Lis... Listen to me. Don't tell the child that she has a mother like me. From now on, she will be your... your child.”

With the last bit of strength she had left, Lin Xiaoyu stroked the face of the baby beside her before closing her eyes.

Xin Qing and Zhang Mi burst into tears and threw themselves on Lin Xiaoyu's body. She was their good friend when they were young. Even though that friendship had been destroyed by Lin Xiaoyu's actions, they still could not bear the sight of her dying before their very eyes.

The hospital would take care of everything after that. Ying Qingcang ordered Ah Che to notify Lin Xiaoyu's next of kin just in case he could give them full custody of the child. After all, this child was unrelated to him and Xin Qing.

When Ah Che returned, he told them that Lin Xiaoyu's mother had remarried after Chinese New Year. Now, she refused to acknowledge Lin Xiaoyu as her daughter.

After hearing Ah Che's report, Xin Qing decided to bring the child back with her. She would not let the child stay in the hospital as an orphan no matter what.

Ying Qingcang could not think of any other solutions, so he agreed. Neither of them had any experience with kids, which was why they did not have a clue what to do with the baby. Good thing Aunt Tian was there. Since Aunt Tian had experience with babies, Ying Qingcang decided to leave the baby in her care.

Xin Qing tried to call Xin Pengfei the following day, though none of her calls got through. What she did not know was that at the time, Xin Pengfei was bedridden.

With a grouchy look on her face, Zhao Jiali looked at the man lying on the bed. ”You knew how things are at home, yet you still went out drinking. Great. Now I've got another extra burden to carry. Where do I even find the money to send you to a hospital?”

If Xin Pengfei were awake, those words would have angered him to death. Their family still owned two estates. Plus, they had a monthly minimum income of ten thousand. How could they not have the money to go to a hospital?

The thing was, he could no longer hear those words. A while back, he had fallen down the from the top of the staircase during one of his drunken fits. The fall had given him a stroke. At the time, Zhao Jiali had gone to Xin Yudie to ask medical fee. Too bad Xin Yudie had steeled her heart against them and had outright refused to care for them.

”Good thing we are rid of Lin Xiaoyu and the girl in her stomach.” Zhao Jiali nagged. ”What do you say we do now? Haoyu's still sick. Now that you're ill, I'm the only one left in this family.”

In his haze, Xin Pengfei could not make out what Zhao Jiali was saying to him. His mind was filled with images of Ying Qingcang taking everything away from him. He remembered the deal Ying Qingcang had offered him, that all of Xin family's money would be returned to him as long as he turned himself in. At that memory, Xin Pengfei screamed like a madman, as if Ying Qingcang and Xin Qing were standing right before him right now.

”What did you say? I didn't quite hear you.” Zhao Jiali said after noticing his screams.

”I'll never turn myself in. Don't think you can threaten me with that. If I go to jail, the money would be pointless even if you return it to me...”

Zhao Jiali's eyes widened instantly. Soon, her eyes shone with an evil glint as a scheme formed in her head.

That night, Ying Qingcang returned home with some news for Xin Qing.

”What? Zhao Jiali had sent Xin Pengfei to prison?” Xin Qing was still holding the baby as she stared at Ying Qingcang in disbelief.

Ying Qingcang frowned and order Aunt Tian to take the baby. ”Don't hold her every day. It'll be too exhausting for you.”

”I've only been holding her for a while. Aunt Tian took care of her most of the time.” Xin Qing had grown to like the baby over the past few days. Every day, Xin Qing would help Aunt Tian with the feeding and the changing of diapers. She had even given the baby a moniker. Ah Sha, which meant ”hope” in Sanskrit. Xin Qing hoped that Ah Sha would grow up happily.

Ying Qingcang pulled Xin Qing into his arms. ”Somehow, Zhao Jiali knew about what you said before.”

”As long as Xin Pengfei turn himself in, the money would be returned to him.” Xin Qing paused in thought. ”That's why she went to the cops?”

Lu Boyan hummed in agreement. ”She even owned a copy of your mother's real autopsy report. She also had a voice recording of Xin Pengfei telling her about his plans to kill your mother.”

Xin Qing sighed. ”So she had made preparations long ago. Otherwise, she wouldn't have recorded the conversation.”

”Xin Pengfei had it coming. Zhao Jiali was worried that his sentence would be too light, so she gave the police evidence of Xin Enterprises' false accounts in the past and also records of Xin Pengfei's money laundering activities.” Ying Qingcang said. ”He'd spend the rest of his days in jail.”

Xin Qing felt a little shaken up. ”Did you give her the money?”

”She came to see me during the day. I've already wired her the money.” Ying Qingcang laughed darkly. ”She'll end up much worse by taking the money. Let's just wait and see.”

Xin Qing nodded. On that she absolutely agreed. If it were up to Xin Qing, she would have given Zhao Jiali the money too. Someone like Zhao Jiali would end up spending any amount she was provided. Plus, she still had another good-for-nothing son. Now that she had abandoned her husband, only time would tell if she would abandon her own son too.

When Ah Sha turned one month old, Ying Qingcang and Xin Qing went through the adoption process. From here on out, Ah Sha was a child of the Ying family. Xin Qing had let Ying Qingcang decide on the child's legal name. After giving it some thought, Ying Qingcang decided to name her Ying Xin.

At the same time, Ying Qingcang had noticed just how much Xin Qing liked kids, which had him wondering if they should start having a child of their own. Then he remembered that Xin Qing had not even graduated, so he had to put the thought on hold for now. There was, however, something that he had to do right this instant.