Scarred Hearts — A Girls' Love Tale - Chapter 27

The artist smiled but said nothing. She carefully put her things away, then stood up straight and looked directly at Yan Shuangfei.

Her left pinky finger was exposed to the air, fresh bl00d dripping from the fingertip, falling drop by drop. Without the protection of skin, the little finger trembled slightly. Amid the blurry red bl00d, the exposed flesh curled up, shrinking together.

Yan Shuangfei lowered her head, biting her lip until it bled, but it didn’t ease her pain at all. Bl00d seeped from the corner of her mouth, and the metallic taste of rust filled her mouth, making her want to vomit. She fought hard to hold back coughing, but a few coughs still escaped, causing her chest to heave, stretching open the deep, long wound.

“Hold on a little longer.” The artist frowned as she saw Yan Shuangfei’s uncontrollable coughing, which made the chest wound open wider. The flesh on both sides curled out but squeezed back together with her body’s movement. “Get through tonight first. Tomorrow, I’ll help you stitch it up.” She wiped away the excess bl00d as she spoke.

“Aren’t you going to keep asking me questions?” Yan Shuangfei caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye—the artist was washing her hands, clearly signaling the end of the interrogation.

“Questions won’t help.” The artist dried her hands and said, “I’ve interrogated so many people. Whether they want to talk or not, can’t you tell?”

Yan Shuangfei let out a strange, light laugh. “I once spoke with a butcher. I thought his torture methods were unbeatable. But now I realize, his methods are too crude and too many. They’re not elegant, not as thoughtful as yours.”

“Flattering.” The artist gave Yan Shuangfei a deep look and slowly closed the door, leaving only darkness behind.

It was New Year’s Eve.

“No rush. She’ll be found soon.” Ying Sha looked at Luo Qinghan’s restless figure and comforted her kindly.

“It’s already been a whole day!” Luo Qinghan stressed each word sharply.

According to Yan Shaoqiu’s memories, Ying Sha and the others had pulled surveillance footage of Yan Shuangfei wandering the streets that day. At first, they found nothing, but after watching several videos in a row, they finally spotted the artist’s shadow a few hundred meters ahead near an intersection. Then they went to check the site where Yan Shuangfei had been hurt and inspected tire marks. The whole Luo and Yan families searched together, narrowing the search area.

Ying Sha said, “As long as she holds on, she won’t die. As long as she’s valuable, the artist won’t kill her.”

“To my knowledge, the artist has a habit. When someone refuses to say a word, she always leaves them alive—to play with them until she loses interest. The longest time she kept someone was a mercenary for almost a year.”

The woman beside Ying Sha suddenly spoke up. For the entire day, Luo Qinghan hadn’t heard her voice and almost thought she was mute or deaf.

Her voice was clear and crisp, with no hint of dragging.

“Hm?” Luo Qinghan looked up, slightly surprised at the woman. Ying Sha quickly explained, “She used to be the artist’s partner. The artist, the judge, and the doctor. The three of them were once collaborators who took jobs together.”

From Ying Sha’s previous words, it was clear she hated the artist deeply. It seemed there was a complicated story involving this woman.

Luo Qinghan got up and poured two glasses of water, handing them to the two women. The doctor reached out to take one, her long fingers with clearly defined joints, nails neatly trimmed and clean. She nodded slightly in thanks, took a small sip, then gently placed the cup back on the table.

Ying Sha, however, gulped down her entire glass in one go. She set it down and stared at the screen, holding a pen, occasionally jotting notes on paper.

Seeing the two accompany her for so long, Luo Qinghan felt useless and could only wait for her team to find Yan Shuangfei’s approximate location before taking action.

During the break, Luo Qinghan watched Ying Sha lazily twirling her pen and casually said, “Are you left-handed? I see you do everything with your left hand.”

Ying Sha suddenly stopped twirling the pen, her face stiffening. The doctor on the sofa straightened up but said nothing, only gently brushed Ying Sha’s hair.

The atmosphere became awkward. Luo Qinghan felt she might have asked the wrong question.

After a long silence, Ying Sha lifted her pale face and smiled bitterly at Luo Qinghan. “As you can see, I can only work with my right hand.” She raised her right hand to pick up the cup, but it trembled uncontrollably and almost slipped. The doctor quickly held her hand, giving her the strength to lift the cup.

“My right hand is disabled.” She stated the fact calmly, without sadness or joy.

“How did it happen…” Luo Qinghan immediately regretted asking—it was like reopening a wound! Even though she had given Yan Shuangfei a hard time before.

“An accident…” Ying Sha waved her hand casually, trying to brush off the question, but the doctor interrupted, “There’s no need to hide it from your friend.” She looked seriously at Luo Qinghan. “Her right hand was broken by me. I used a hammer to slowly crush the bones in her hand.”

“It’s okay. It’s all in the past.” Ying Sha said lightly, not caring about her disability. “It just gave Yan Shuangfei a lucky break. My sword was always letting her win!”

They must have been through many twists and turns. Luo Qinghan thought with feeling. Ying Sha yawned, her eyes misty, so Luo Qinghan said, “You two should rest first. Nothing will come out of it right now. I’ll keep watch here.”

“All right.” Ying Sha stood up tiredly. The doctor gently wrapped her arms around Ying Sha, letting her lean on her as they walked upstairs.

“I’m sure?” The artist held a surgical knife seriously and asked.

“I’m sure.” Yan Shuangfei, sweating heavily and fainting several times but awakened by pain, said, “Cut it off.”

Her little finger dangled in the air, shrunken and misshapen, with exposed flesh already blackening and rotting. “If I don’t cut it, I’ll probably die from infection.”

“Cutting it off will still get infected.” The artist teased, but her hands didn’t hesitate. The sharp blade bit into Yan Shuangfei’s pinky and paused at the bone before cutting straight through.

“Hoo…” Yan Shuangfei let out the breath she’d been holding, her chest heaving violently. The sweat poured down, making her hair stick to her face.

“There’s news!” Luo Qinghan got a phone call and rushed out anxiously, quickly ordering the others upstairs, then took the lead to the car with a team to hurry over.

The car seemed like it wanted to fly. Other vehicles on the road gave way. Fortunately, it was New Year’s Day, and most people stayed home, so the road wasn’t too crowded; otherwise, there could have been an accident.

“Boss Luo.” The driver looked troubled. “This road is impossible for the car. Or rather, it’s barely even a road—too narrow for even a person to squeeze through.”

Luo Qinghan threw open the door. Relying on her relatively small figure, she pressed against the wall and walked forward. “Tell them to follow. If they can’t get through, tear this apart for me!” The car had explosives. When pushed, Luo Qinghan could do anything.

She was alone, unaware of the danger. Her only thought was Yan Shuangfei’s safety. She had to see her! She had to know she was alive! She was okay!

Family grudges and past hatred were all thrown aside. She wanted to hold on to her happiness, and the person who gave it to her was right there. That alone was enough to make her lose all reason.

The fallen pinky hit the ground with an unspeakable sound. Yan Shuangfei lowered her head, a faint, almost unnoticed smile crossing her face. The judge walked in, routinely changing the dressing on Yan Shuangfei’s wounds.

As long as she was in the artist’s hands, her injuries wouldn’t heal. The dressing was only to slow the worsening, so the artist could keep playing for a few more days.

When the judge approached, Yan Shuangfei suddenly pulled out her left hand. She had planned this for a long time, trapped by her bindings and powerless, so she resorted to self-harm to strike back. She grabbed the judge’s neck, her sudden strength catching him off guard. She wrapped the iron chain binding her left hand around the judge’s neck and tightened it with all her remaining strength. But her hand was too weak, and she had to let go after a short time.

The judge gasped but didn’t recover in time. Yan Shuangfei loosened her restraints but was hit hard on the temple by the judge’s fist. Luckily, he didn’t have a gun, which she was secretly thankful for.

She rolled on the ground, protecting her head. Still, she couldn’t avoid the judge grabbing a stick and smashing it heavily on her head. A strong dizziness hit her. She swayed to stay upright, telling herself not to faint. But another hard blow made her vision blacken. She knelt, dry heaving, yet with her last bit of willpower, she dodged the next strike.