Chapter 82: The Child
Before You Ruxu could cover Zhou Tianzui’s mouth, she finally became more serious. Zhou Tianzui was driving, You Ruxu in the passenger seat, replying to Editor Qiao’s message about the feedback on the news report.
After they published the story, Yao Zhao’s stepfather cried foul, also seeking media attention, claiming that Yao Zhao not only falsely accused him but was now retaliating, that she was a bad child by nature, urging the public not to be deceived. You Ruxu, watching the video of him crying and pleading, her expression remained calm.
At a red light, Zhou Tianzui turned to her, “What are you looking at?”
You Ruxu said, “The news about Yao Zhao.”
She looked down at her phone: “Her stepfather went to the media.”
“Not surprising.” Zhou Tianzui said, “It would be more surprising if he didn’t. The more guilty someone is, the louder they yell.”
You Ruxu nodded, agreeing with Zhou Tianzui, who continued, “This news will be trending for the next two weeks, Yao Zhao should be prepared.”
You Ruxu looked at her: “Did you say something to her?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “I just told her about the worst-case scenario.”
You Ruxu smiled faintly, pursing her lips. She had said she wouldn’t interfere, yet she still gave Yao Zhao a hair tie, still drove her to and from school, even prepared her for the potential backlash.
This person.
You Ruxu glanced at Zhou Tianzui’s hand on the steering wheel, her slender wrist, the red string bracelet a stark contrast against her fair skin. She reached out and touched Zhou Tianzui’s wrist.
Zhou Tianzui asked, “What are you doing?”
You Ruxu: “Nothing.”
Zhou Tianzui looked down at her wrist, “Then why are you touching me?”
You Ruxu, mimicking her tone from earlier, said, “Just playing.”
Zhou Tianzui chuckled, wanting to pinch You Ruxu’s cheek. The light turned green, and the car started moving. As they neared Zeng Jing’s apartment, You Ruxu and Zhou Tianzui went to the mall, buying some baby clothes and toys. After paying, You Ruxu saw Zhou Tianzui standing in front of a doll display and asked, “Do you like it?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “I’m not three years old.”
You Ruxu said, “You don’t have to be three years old to like something.”
Her tone was serious, as if she was about to buy it for Zhou Tianzui. Zhou Tianzui wanted to laugh. She said, “My mom bought me one for my birthday when I was young.”
Back then, dolls weren’t as expensive, and there weren’t as many varieties, about half an arm’s length, with curly blonde hair and big eyes. She had loved it, carrying it everywhere, but it got lost when they moved, and she never bought another one.
Zhou Tianzui said, “A Ran, buy me one.”
A new doll, a fresh start.
You Ruxu looked at her, her eyes slightly red, then blinked and said, “Okay.”
They chose one. You Ruxu went to pay. Zhou Tianzui waited at the entrance. The children’s clothing store was across from a coffee shop. Zhou Tianzui saw a familiar figure sitting by the window, she looked closely, it was Xu Jinwan, the morning news anchor, whose news reports and video clips had been everywhere lately, often appearing when she searched for Fengyuan online.
Did Xu Jinwan live here?
Zhou Tianzui didn’t really care. She heard You Ruxu’s voice behind her, “I’m done.”
She turned around, “Let’s go.”
They returned to the parking garage and got into the car. You Ruxu took out the doll and showed it to Zhou Tianzui, who asked, “Did you have any when you were young?”
“No.” You Ruxu said, “My mom didn’t like them.”
Her tone was casual. Zhou Tianzui paused, then suddenly asked, “Did you like them?”
You Ruxu smiled faintly.
The road to Zeng Jing’s apartment was bumpy, under construction due to the fireworks factory explosion. The car swayed as they drove. You Ruxu tried to put the doll back in the bag, but the car hit a bump, and the doll fell, its arm hitting the edge of the passenger seat and breaking off.
You Ruxu picked up the doll and the broken arm, hearing Zhou Tianzui say, “Such poor quality?”
You Ruxu said, “It should be fixable.”
The joint was movable. She reattached the arm with a click. Zhou Tianzui watched her, her profile serious and focused. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, a strange sense of unease settling over her.
She shared her feeling with You Ruxu when they got out of the car.
You Ruxu said, “Are you being superstitious?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “It’s a gut feeling.”
You Ruxu said, “Same thing.”
Zhou Tianzui retorted, “It’s not the same.”
They were still bickering when they reached the building. You Ruxu asked, “Where’s your gift?”
One of them had bought clothes, the other a toy. You Ruxu had handed the toy bag to Zhou Tianzui before getting out of the car. Zhou Tianzui said, “It’s on the driver’s seat.”
You Ruxu pursed her lips.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Wait for me here.”
You Ruxu stood by the window, watching as the elevator descended. The car was parked outside the complex, they didn’t have access to the parking garage. Zhou Tianzui, holding the car keys, walked to the car, and just as she opened the door, saw a red car drive past, its windows down, even in this weather. She looked at it curiously. The car was moving slowly, the driver looking around, as if lost.
She had seen Xu Jinwan twice today.
What a coincidence.
Zhou Tianzui watched as the car drove towards a construction site nearby, a half-finished residential complex, a dark and imposing structure, its silhouette even darker under the streetlights, like a giant shadow swallowing everything in its path. She saw Xu Jinwan drive into the shadows.
What was she doing there so late at night?
Chasing a news story?
But wasn’t she investigating Fengyuan?
If she hadn’t seen her drive in herself, Zhou Tianzui would have suspected something. Back at Zeng Jing’s apartment, the door was open. You Ruxu stood at the entrance and, hearing the elevator arrive, said, “I’m here.”
Zeng Jing quickly greeted her, “Come in, come in, have a seat.”
You Ruxu and Zhou Tianzui entered. It was a two-bedroom apartment. The baby was sleeping on the sofa, surrounded by pillows, no one else home. Zeng Jing said, “Dr. Zhou, have a seat.”
“Reporter You, come in, it’s cold outside, isn’t it?”
The heater was on, so it wasn’t cold inside. Zeng Jing brought them some warm water. You Ruxu took it with both hands, “Thank you.”
“I should be thanking you.” Zeng Jing looked healthier than before, having gained some weight, her eyes bright and alert, a stark contrast to her appearance at the hospital. She said, “When the incident first happened, I never thought I would be able to get through it.”
Whether she was weak or selfish, she had been too afraid to even leave the ward, constantly crying, even contemplating taking her own life, along with her baby.
Thankfully, You Ruxu was there.
Thankfully.
Her husband’s name was cleared, they received compensation, and their child was healthy. Zeng Jing was truly grateful to You Ruxu, who said, “I was just doing my job.”
Zeng Jing said, “That’s why good reporters are so important, your ‘job,’ it can change a family’s life.”
You Ruxu paused slightly. Zhou Tianzui asked, “No one else home?”
Zeng Jing said, “My mother-in-law is at the hospital with my husband. We originally planned to have a celebratory dinner a few days ago, but I thought you probably wouldn’t like a noisy environment, so I invited you over separately.”
You Ruxu knew about this, Zeng Jing had mentioned it to her before. With all the busyness, You Ruxu had forgotten to tell Zhou Tianzui.
Zhou Tianzui nodded, put down the gifts. Zeng Jing said, “You shouldn’t have spent any more money…”
“It’s for the little one.” Zhou Tianzui walked over to the sofa and looked down at the chubby baby, a milky scent clinging to its skin, dressed in light blue pajamas, its tiny hands clenched tightly, sleeping soundly in the warm room. You Ruxu stood beside her and gently touched the baby’s hand. The baby’s hand opened and grasped her finger. You Ruxu, slightly surprised, looked at Zhou Tianzui.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Why are you looking at me?” Seeing Zeng Jing go to the kitchen, she whispered, “Do you want me to have your baby?”
You Ruxu choked, surprised, afraid of waking the baby, she covered her mouth and walked away before coughing. Zeng Jing brought out the last dish, saw You Ruxu coughing, and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Do you have a cold?”
“No.” You Ruxu took her water glass, “Just choked, I’ll have some water.”
Zeng Jing looked at her.
You Ruxu’s face was flushed.
A vibrant flush, so different from her usual cool and composed demeanor on TV, more approachable. Zeng Jing said, “Dr. Zhou, dinner’s ready.”
Zhou Tianzui walked over to the table and asked Zeng Jing, “Is that new residential complex next door new?”
Zeng Jing said, “Which one? The one on the right?” She looked out the window, “No, it’s been half-finished since last year, the developer ran off, and they said the government took over, but there hasn’t been any progress since. What’s wrong, Dr. Zhou?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Nothing.”
You Ruxu looked at her, her eyes still slightly watery from coughing earlier. Zhou Tianzui said, “I just saw your colleague go in.”
“Colleague?” You Ruxu said, “Who?”
“Xu Jinwan.” Zhou Tianzui said, “Isn’t she investigating Fengyuan?”
You Ruxu nodded, “Maybe she’s working on another story.” After all, each news team usually worked on several stories simultaneously. But what kind of story could be related to this area? You Ruxu couldn’t think of anything. Looking at the dark and imposing structure through the window, she frowned slightly.
After dinner, Zeng Jing offered them fruit and a chance to rest, but Zhou Tianzui said, “It’s getting late, don’t trouble yourself, you’ll be busy when the baby wakes up.”
Zeng Jing smiled, “I’m fine, then drive safe on your way back.”
Zhou Tianzui and You Ruxu said goodbye at the elevator. Zeng Jing, turning back to look at her sleeping baby, her eyes filled with love. You Ruxu and Zhou Tianzui got into the car, exchanging a knowing glance. You Ruxu said, “Just a quick look.”
Zhou Tianzui understood what she meant and drove towards the abandoned building. They saw a red car parked nearby. You Ruxu looked at the time, it had been there for quite a while, since before dinner. She was about to call Xu Jinwan when Zhou Tianzui placed her hand over You Ruxu’s phone. You Ruxu looked up and saw a woman emerge from the building, get into the red car, and drive away.
You Ruxu rolled down the window and looked at the abandoned building, shrouded in darkness, not a single light.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Let’s go home.”
You Ruxu nodded. Zhou Tianzui removed her hand. You Ruxu exited the call screen and saw several new messages on WeChat, from her team’s group chat.
[I just heard from Team 1 that they have a huge story tomorrow!]
[What story?]
[I don’t know, they’re keeping it a secret.]
You Ruxu looked down. Zhou Tianzui asked, “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.” You Ruxu said, “They’re talking about a big news story tomorrow in the group chat.”
Zhou Tianzui, gripping the steering wheel, asked, “Big news? What kind of big news?”
You Ruxu said, “I don’t know.”
“If you don’t know, then don’t think about it.” Zhou Tianzui said, “Don’t we have our own big news?”
You Ruxu looked at her: “We do?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Yes, me having your baby, isn’t that big news?”
You Ruxu paused, then her face flushed crimson.
You Ruxu: I don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to cover her mouth!
Zhou Tianzui: Would you really?
You Ruxu: …
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