Chapter 92: Go Inside
The first time You Ruxu experienced death was when her mother passed away, lying there in front of her, lifeless. She was too young then, her understanding of death unclear, not knowing why everyone said her mother was dead, what “dead” even meant. But based on her limited knowledge, she understood that her mother had left her, left her forever, never to open her eyes again. She didn’t cry, just stood there numbly, at the very front of the crowd, until someone recognized her.
“Don’t let the child see this.”
“This is the child, right? This is her mother.”
“So pitiful, losing her mother at such a young age.”
“Strange child, why isn’t she crying?”
Crying?
Why wasn’t she crying?
She didn’t want to cry, just stood there, watching, until the police arrived, the body taken away, the crowd dispersing. She was led away by a police officer, taken from place to place, seeing her mother’s face beneath the white sheet, bruised and broken, unreal.
That night.
She was sent home.
The small, rented apartment felt vast and empty. She got dressed and ran downstairs, sitting in the familiar flowerbed, sitting there for a long time. As night fell, a passerby asked, “Little girl, why aren’t you home yet?”
She looked up. There were no streetlights, the surroundings dark, only the faint glow from the distant road, making it difficult to see the person’s face.
She said, “I’m waiting for someone.”
The person asked curiously, “Waiting for who?”
She said, “I’m waiting for my mom to come home from work.”
The person paused, as if wanting to say something, then was pulled away by their companion.
She sat there, all night.
The next day, she was found by a neighbor, who took her home, gave her something to eat, then suddenly, many reporters and police officers came, asking her questions. Her tears seemed to have dried up. She didn’t cry, just answered their questions, then she was sent home.
She climbed into bed and slept.
When she woke up, she called out, “Mommy, I’m hungry, I want to eat.”
Only the emptiness of the apartment answered her small voice. She called out again, “Mommy, I’m hungry.”
No one heard her.
She lay back down, hugging the blanket, her small body curled up, her hands clutching the corners tightly. She buried her face in the pillow, her tears finally flowing, a silent sob.
Her eyes ached.
Her vision blurred.
You Ruxu wiped her eyes, her hand coming away bloody. She looked up and saw the construction site manager lying a meter away, his condition unknown. A car screeched to a halt. The black sedans that had been following them also stopped. People rushed out, shouting, “She jumped! She jumped!”
The black sedan paused for a few seconds, then sped away. A police car, sirens blaring, approached quickly. You Ruxu breathed a sigh of relief, sitting up, a sharp pain in her leg. Another car screeched to a halt beside her, its engine still running, the heat rising from the hood.
She looked up.
Zhou Tianzui’s face was grim as she looked at her.
You Ruxu’s throat was dry.
Zhou Tianzui got out of the car and looked down. You Ruxu’s clothes were torn, bloodstains everywhere, her hair a tangled mess, matted with blood against her face, yet her eyes were still clear and bright, a drop of blood trickling down her chin as she looked up at Zhou Tianzui.
A thousand angry words, a thousand questions, but seeing You Ruxu like this, Zhou Tianzui couldn’t say anything.
She looked away.
Her eyes burning, bloodshot.
Captain Zhou quickly arrived with her team, an ambulance already called. She hurried to You Ruxu’s side, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
You Ruxu said, “I’m alright.”
Besides the pain in her left leg and arm, it was mostly scrapes and bruises. Captain Zhou wanted to say something, looked at Zhou Tianzui, then paused, not speaking.
The ambulance soon arrived. You Ruxu called out, “Zhou Tianzui.”
Zhou Tianzui, her face still grim, got into the ambulance with You Ruxu, examining her injuries. There weren’t many bruises, but the cut on her arm was deep, bleeding profusely. Zhou Tianzui and another medic quickly stopped the bleeding, her expression tense.
You Ruxu suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand.
Her hand was bloody.
Zhou Tianzui’s wrist was stained red.
She looked up at You Ruxu, their eyes meeting. You Ruxu whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Zhou Tianzui looked down, her voice cold, “Don’t mention it, Teacher You.”
You Ruxu’s heart ached, hearing her words, a sharp, stinging pain, then a numbness spreading through her. Her chest tightened, a sudden, intense pain making her frown.
She hadn’t cried when she jumped out of the car.
She hadn’t cried despite the excruciating pain in her leg.
But hearing Zhou Tianzui’s cold tone, she couldn’t help the tears welling up in her eyes, her vision blurring, her eyes reddening. She lowered her head. Zhou Tianzui was still tending to her wound, another medic examining her leg.
She wasn’t sure if her leg was broken or just fractured, but it hurt, she couldn’t move it. They just stabilized it for now. She would need a thorough examination at the hospital. The small space inside the ambulance was a flurry of activity. The nurse, handing over gauze, said, “Reporter You, you’re amazing, so brave.”
Zhou Tianzui’s hand paused as she was applying antiseptic.
You Ruxu’s face was pale, “It was nothing.”
“Nothing? You’re practically a legend!” The nurse’s voice was filled with admiration, “You’re so cool—”
She stopped mid-sentence, remembering You Ruxu and the other doctor. But she could already imagine how this story would be told back at the hospital. Zhou Tianzui finished disinfecting and bandaging the cut on You Ruxu’s arm. There was also a cut on her forehead. After disinfecting it, she applied a bandage. As she leaned closer, You Ruxu looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, a heartbreaking sight.
But Zhou Tianzui didn’t meet her gaze, just applied the bandage with an impassive expression, then moved back slightly, “You can take over now.”
The nurse readily agreed, eager to help.
You Ruxu sat on the bed, absently answering the nurse’s questions, her gaze occasionally drifting towards Zhou Tianzui, who was looking down, her face tense and silent.
She suddenly missed the sharp-tongued, prickly Zhou Tianzui.
At least back then, she was willing to talk to her.
They soon arrived at the hospital. You Ruxu was taken for further examination. Her injuries were minor. The construction site manager, also brought in, had multiple fractures in his arm and leg. Because it was winter, and he was wearing thick clothes, his bruises weren’t as severe. And it was a sudden stop at a relatively low speed. If the car had been going any faster, he wouldn’t be sitting here in one piece.
Captain Zhou took the driver and the other man, the one with the knife, back to the police station for questioning. You Ruxu’s left leg was fractured, and the cut on her arm was deep, needing stitches, despite the initial bandaging. The doctor, preparing the anesthetic, seeing her silence as she stared at the wound, said reassuringly, “Reporter You, don’t worry about the scar, it can be repaired.”
You Ruxu returned to her senses and nodded.
After the stitches, she was wheeled out in a wheelchair. She couldn’t move her left leg and would need to be hospitalized. As the nurse wheeled her to the nurse’s station, the head nurse said Zhou Tianzui had already handled the admission procedures. You Ruxu sat quietly and heard the nurse say, “Dr. Zhou is quite thoughtful.”
You Ruxu looked up and said, “Yes, she is.”
“I thought everyone in the inpatient department was afraid of her.” The nurse was young, in her twenties, with dimples when she smiled. You Ruxu asked, “Are you afraid of her?”
The nurse said, “Yes, they say she’s very strict, but I think she’s quite nice.”
You Ruxu nodded.
The nurse was talkative, perhaps because she liked You Ruxu, she kept glancing at her face as she spoke. You Ruxu wasn’t wearing any makeup, her skin pale, bloodless. Realizing she was chattering non-stop while You Ruxu had just gone through so much, she felt a little embarrassed, “Then Reporter You, you should rest, press the call button if you need anything, there’s someone outside as well.”
Two police officers were stationed outside the door. You Ruxu nodded, smiling at her, “Okay, thank you.”
Her smile had an ethereal quality, like the wind you couldn’t catch, the clouds you couldn’t touch. The nurse felt she was different from the person on TV, even though she was right here, in person, she seemed unreal.
Was it because she was too beautiful?
Not really, she had seen many beautiful people, even celebrities.
But You Ruxu’s natural aura was truly unique, and thankfully, her smiling eyes gave her a touch of warmth, making her seem more real. The nurse left the ward. You Ruxu wheeled herself to the window, the sky outside a dark gray, but the hospital was always brightly lit, white-coated figures bustling around.
Where was Zhou Tianzui?
You Ruxu looked down at her phone. The WeChat chat with Zhou Tianzui was still on her last message, I know.
She knew her phone would be confiscated before they reached the abandoned building, so she had brought a second phone, hidden in her boot, only taking it out at the hospital. The phone was still warm from being in her boot, yet she felt cold.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t mention it, Teacher You.”
You Ruxu closed her eyes, her eyes burning.
Someone was standing outside the door.
Zhou Tianzui returned to the obstetrics and gynecology department. Fu Shushu, seeing her, was surprised, “Why are you back?”
She said, “Just picking up something.”
Fu Shushu gave a small “oh.”
Their relationship had eased considerably since Fu Shushu’s promotion to deputy director. Before, there had been much rivalry between them, overt and covert, but after the promotion, she felt a strange sense of guilt, as if she had been given the position because of Zhou Tianzui, a lingering unease. Especially since Zhou Tianzui’s attitude towards her hadn’t changed at all.
It made her feel strangely awkward.
Clearly, she was the only one feeling awkward. And now, Zhou Tianzui even asked her to cover her shift. Everyone thought they couldn’t stand each other. Zhou Tianzui, once again defying expectations, made Fu Shushu feel a strange sense of camaraderie, as if they were working seamlessly together, a silent understanding between them.
In reality, Zhou Tianzui probably didn’t care about any of that.
Zhou Tianzui sat in her office for a while, the nurse on duty curiously asking, “Dr. Zhou, aren’t you going home tonight?”
She returned to her senses and stood up, “I’m going back.”
She had intended to go home, but in the elevator, her hand instinctively pressed the button for You Ruxu’s floor. She walked to the second to last ward on the right. Two police officers were standing outside, one of them on the phone. Zhou Tianzui walked over, and the officer recognized her, “Dr. Zhou?”
Zhou Tianzui also recognized him, he was always with Captain Zhou.
She nodded.
The officer asked, “Are you going in?”
Zhou Tianzui looked at the doorknob, paused for two seconds, then said, “I won’t go in.”
You Ruxu, inside the ward, having just wheeled herself to the door, heard his words, and her hand, reaching for the doorknob, froze, slowly retracting. She curled her fingers, lowering her hand, her lips pressed together, her heart aching, her face paling, but not a sound escaped her.
You Ruxu: Zhou Tianzui.
Zhou Tianzui: No signal, can’t hear you.
You Ruxu: …
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