This was the lunchbox Mo Shiyun had prepared for Jian Yunnao. He had little appetite and only ate a bit, leaving more than half of the food untouched.
In a fit of rage, he acted too quickly, and the other three people in the room didn't have time to stop him.
The plastic lunchbox hit Jian Yiling squarely on the head, and the food tumbled down from her head to her feet.
"Yiling!" Wen Nuan exclaimed, rushing over in alarm.
If this had been the previous Jian Yiling, she would have screamed and complained at such an incident. But now, she simply bore it in silence, not uttering a word.
"I'm fine," Jian Yiling said, wiping the mess off her face with the back of her hand.
There were no complaints, no blame, no feelings of injustice—just quiet endurance.
"What's wrong? Do you feel wronged just from this? Am I not allowed to throw something at you?" Jian Yunnao's sarcastic voice rang out. Seeing his mother's concern only added to his unease.
Wen Nuan's hand froze.
Caught between the two injured children, she momentarily didn't know what to do.
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy and tense.
"I'm going to the restroom," Jian Yiling said, breaking the silence.
She turned and left the room, sparing her parents any further embarrassment.
Wen Nuan watched Jian Yiling's disheveled figure disappear, her heart filled with sorrow. But she knew she had to steel herself.
After doing a quick cleanup in the restroom, she returned to the doorway of the hospital room.
Wen Nuan was waiting for her, and when she saw Jian Yiling return, her heart ached, torn between sympathy and regret. She didn't know what to say to Jian Yiling.
"I'll wait for you outside," Jian Yiling said.
Wen Nuan looked down at her, hesitating for a moment before replying, "Alright, Mom will go in first. You wait outside for me; don't wander too far."
Wen Nuan went back into the room, and the family began to change the subject to lighten the mood, gradually easing the tension in the air.
Though Jian Yunnao still wore an expression of despair, he was less resistant to his parents' concern this time.
Jian Yiling stood outside, peeking through the gap in the door at the harmonious scene within the family.
She understood that if she entered now, she would shatter this moment of peace.
After an hour, Wen Nuan decided to have her husband take their daughter home while she stayed behind to care for Jian Yunnao.
With his hand injured, he needed someone to keep him company.
Jian Shuxing didn't argue and led Jian Yuncheng and Jian Yiling back to the Jian family home.
In the car, Jian Yuncheng sat in the passenger seat, while Jian Shuxing and Jian Yiling occupied the back.
"I'll help you request a week off from school. During this time, you need to reflect well," Jian Yuncheng said from the front seat, his tone clearly hostile toward Jian Yiling.
Seeing Jian Yuncheng's tough attitude toward his sister, Jian Shuxing spoke up, "Yuncheng, it's not great for Yiling to take a week off from school; she just started her first year of high school."
"More important than studying, she first needs to learn how to be a person! Dad, don't forget what you and Mom just promised me," Jian Yuncheng reminded him.
Jian Shuxing had just agreed in front of Jian Yunnao to be stricter with their daughter after they returned home. He hadn't expected to instinctively defend her even before they arrived.
Jian Shuxing felt helpless; after treating their daughter like a treasure for fifteen years, he was struggling to change his mindset so abruptly.
But thinking of his injured son in the hospital forced Jian Shuxing to harden his face again.
"Yiling, you need to understand how serious this is. Your actions have consequences, and you need to take responsibility for them," he said, trying to maintain a stern tone.
Jian Yiling sat quietly, her heart heavy as she listened.
In her previous life, she had never had to face the consequences of her actions; her life had been filled with work and research, not family and feelings.
Now, she found herself at a crossroads, needing to learn how to navigate the complex emotions within her family.
"Okay," she finally replied, her voice small but resolute.
As they drove, the weight of the situation hung in the air, each family member grappling with their emotions, unsure of how to move forward.
For Jian Yiling, the journey ahead was uncertain, filled with challenges and the need for personal growth. But with every passing moment, she felt a flicker of determination to rise to the occasion, to face the consequences and become the person she needed to be—both for herself and her family.