"How is he? Did you call the police and an ambulance?" Yan Feifan asked first.
"He passed out, but he's still breathing. He's still bleeding a lot. I've already called the police and for an ambulance."
Yan Feifan quickly followed up, asking, "Was it severed at the root, or cut in the middle?"
"It was cut in the middle."
Yan Feifan immediately instructed, "Stop the bleeding first. Find a thin string and tie it tightly at the base so it stops bleeding."
If it had been severed at the root, the only option would be to apply pressure to stop the bleeding, using a clean towel to press firmly on the wound to reduce blood flow.
Since it was severed midway down, the bleeding could be stopped by tying it off at the base.
However, this was just an emergency method to stop bleeding and couldn't be used for too long.
After a minute or two, Mrs. Xia's voice came through the phone again.
"Mr. Yan, I've tied it. It's not bleeding much anymore."
"What should I do next?"
Yan Feifan instructed in a serious tone, "Use a plastic bag or plastic wrap to carefully seal the part you cut off."
"Then wrap it in a clean towel, put it in a larger plastic bag, and add as much ice as you can."
Two or three minutes later, Mrs. Xia's voice sounded again.
"Mr. Yan, I've done as you said. I've wrapped up that ugly thing of his."
"What now?"
Yan Feifan urged, "Next, just keep a close eye on his breathing and heartbeat, and wait patiently for the police and ambulance to arrive."
Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Mrs. Xia, what on earth happened?"
A soft sigh came from the phone, followed by Mrs. Xia's voice.
"Sigh, Mr. Yan, he's the ex-boyfriend I broke up with a while ago."
"I was packing up and found some of his stuff still at my place, so I told him to come get it."
"I didn't expect him to get lecherous and try to…"
"I threatened him with a knife, but his lust made him reckless…"
"In the struggle, I just swung it carelessly and didn't expect to cut that ugly thing of his right off…"
Hearing this, a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside Yan Feifan.
He had heard Mrs. Xia and her friend, Peng Jun—the one who'd had his thumb reattached—talking about this ex-boyfriend before.
At the time, Peng Jun had offered to teach that bastard a lesson for her.
But Mrs. Xia had declared domineeringly that no one who took advantage of her ever got away unscathed.
She would teach him a lesson herself and didn't need Peng Jun to worry about it.
Yan Feifan couldn't help but wonder, 'Could this be a trap set by Mrs. Xia, who used to run in some rough circles, specifically for that guy?'
In his experience, Mrs. Xia had always given Yan Feifan a pretty good impression. She was a righteous and compassionate person.
He reminded her, "Mrs. Xia, if the reattachment surgery for his injury doesn't go well and he's left with functional impairment, it will be classified as a serious injury."
"The prison sentence for a serious injury starts at three years."
Mrs. Xia's words immediately came through the phone.
"Mr. Yan, thanks for the reminder."
"I know a little about the law myself. Doesn't the law state that when facing a crime in progress, like robbery or sexual assault, the victim is allowed to use unlimited force in self-defense?"
"I have security cameras in my home, which can prove my actions were just a subconscious act of self-defense."
Hearing her logical and well-founded explanation, the strange feeling in Yan Feifan's heart grew even stronger.
Just then, Mrs. Xia's voice sounded in his ear again.
"Mr. Yan, you can reattach a finger, so you should be able to reattach this ugly thing, right?"
"How about you go through the trouble of reattaching it for him?"
Yan Feifan felt a stirring of eagerness, but he could only reply helplessly, "A surgery like this isn't something I can take on just because I want to."
"The hospital's trauma surgery department has experienced doctors on duty who can handle this kind of injury."
After that, Yan Feifan and Mrs. Xia chatted casually until a police officer knocked and entered…
Yan Feifan ended the call, and Yu Suye's voice sounded in his ear.
"Feifan, your expression just now was a little strange. Do you think there's more to this story?"
Yan Feifan couldn't help but touch his face and ask, "Was my expression really that weird?"
Yu Suye hummed in agreement, then chuckled. "Feifan, you don't actually think you can hide your inner thoughts like one of those cunning old foxes who's seen it all, do you?"
Yan Feifan also gave a small smile and shook his head. "Of course I can't compare to an old fox."
"It's just that this is definitely a criminal case."