Chapter 99: Looking For Her
Zhou Tianzui stared at the press pass in her hand. The photo was from when You Ruxu first joined the TV station. She remembered when they were still in that ambiguous stage, she would go to the station to wait for You Ruxu to finish work, but she couldn’t go inside, only wait in the lobby. You Ruxu was a newcomer then, logically, not many people should know her, yet six out of ten conversations she overheard were about You Ruxu.
“Team 2 has a new reporter.”
“New reporter? You mean You Ruxu? She’s not exactly new, she’s already been on TV.”
Being on TV meant being in the news, and You Ruxu’s first news report had even trended online, causing quite a stir, although it wasn’t uncommon for Jindu TV to trend, so it wasn’t too surprising, but they were still paying special attention to You Ruxu.
“She’s so beautiful.”
“Several people from our team went to ask for her contact information, I heard.”
Zhou Tianzui shifted uncomfortably. In her limited experience with relationships, she hadn’t yet recognized this feeling as jealousy. Much later, remembering this incident, she would pin You Ruxu down on the bed, keeping her there all afternoon.
You Ruxu’s name, like this, became intertwined with her life, woven into every breath.
Including her identity as a reporter.
She was used to all the inconveniences it brought.
If she wasn’t a reporter, what would she be?
Zhou Tianzui turned, You Ruxu was asleep, her breathing even, her eyes slightly swollen. Zhou Tianzui gently applied a warm compress to her eyes, then looked at her hand, remembering how she had refused to show it to her last night, wanting to change into a larger nightgown, but Zhou Tianzui had noticed the marks.
“How did you get these?”
“I fell.”
“You fell and got bite marks?”
You Ruxu had mumbled, “I bit myself.”
Zhou Tianzui had asked, “Why bite your hand?”
You Ruxu had said, “I like it!”
A slightly annoyed and embarrassed tone, and Zhou Tianzui knew asking further would only lead to an argument. You Ruxu was different now, much more sharp-tongued. Zhou Tianzui had taken You Ruxu’s hand, traced the marks on the back of her hand with her fingertip, then leaned down and gently kissed them.
You Ruxu, in her sleep, frowned slightly, and Zhou Tianzui released her hand.
Zhou Tianzui hadn’t slept much that night. She had taken two days off, resting and recovering at home with Yu Qiao during the day, then staying with You Ruxu at the hospital at night. Yu Qiao’s reaction had been less extreme than she expected, just that she refused to mention You Ruxu at all, even an unintentional mention would be met with a sharp reprimand. Zhou Tianzui rarely saw this side of her mother as an adult, an almost instinctive reaction, but Yu Qiao hadn’t relapsed, which was a relief.
You Ruxu had refused any offers of company from her colleagues. Chen Xiang had wanted to come, but You Ruxu asked, “Have they caught the killer yet?”
Chen Xiang’s face fell: “Not yet.”
One blow after another, Xu Jinwan’s death, You Ruxu’s injury and hospitalization, the Fengyuan story had become a hot potato no one at the station dared touch. It was now in Shi Qi’s hands, everyone watching closely, the police issuing daily updates, “I heard they have a lead on the informant.”
But she didn’t know who it was.
You Ruxu said, “You know him.”
Chen Xiang’s jaw dropped: “I know him?”
You Ruxu nodded: “Yes, you’ve met him, the man who hit my car.”
Chen Xiang was shocked: “What?!”
She stood up abruptly, “Seriously?! Holy shit! It was that man?!”
You Ruxu hummed in affirmation, “The news hasn’t been released yet.”
Chen Xiang swallowed, “This is creepy, you think he deliberately hit your car? What was he trying to do?”
To force her to hand over the Fengyuan story to Xu Jinwan.
To use Xu Jinwan to create a bigger stir. But why did he kill her? You Ruxu didn’t know. The more Chen Xiang thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, rubbing her arms, “This is terrifying, have they found him yet?”
You Ruxu shook her head.
Chen Xiang said, “I hope they find him soon, he’s a ticking time bomb.”
Who knew when he would strike again? They had already identified him, and a cornered animal could do anything. The police protection around You Ruxu and Shi Qi was even tighter now. Chen Xiang said, “You should also be careful, and the people around you.”
You Ruxu thought of Zhou Tianzui.
She hummed in agreement.
After Chen Xiang left, You Ruxu called Zhou Tianzui. Zhou Tianzui was sitting on the sofa. Her phone lit up. Yu Qiao glanced over. She hesitated, then took the phone and went to her room.
“I’ll come over later.” She said after answering the call.
You Ruxu, holding her phone, “Don’t come if it’s too late, I’m fine.”
Zhou Tianzui frowned slightly: “What? Don’t want me to come over?”
You Ruxu said, “I’m a little worried.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Worried about what?”
You Ruxu said, “That the informant might retaliate.”
He couldn’t retaliate against her, she was under police protection, but he might target Zhou Tianzui, so she didn’t want Zhou Tianzui to come out at night. Zhou Tianzui said, “I’ll be careful.”
You Ruxu, unable to dissuade her, just told her to be careful.
Zhou Tianzui hung up. Turning around, she saw Yu Qiao standing at the door, her gaze sharp and piercing. Zhou Tianzui called out, “Mom.”
Yu Qiao turned and went to the living room, sitting down without even glancing at Zhou Tianzui.
Zhou Tianzui followed her and sat beside her, “Mom, I’m going to the hospital later.”
Yu Qiao sneered, “You still consider me your mother?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Mom, you know I don’t want to lie to you.”
“Don’t want to lie to me?” Yu Qiao scoffed, “You’ve been lying to me for years! You might as well have continued the charade, letting You Ruxu be my goddaughter, waiting for me to die so you two could move in, am I in your way now? Should I just disappear and make room for you two?!”
Zhou Tianzui’s face darkened: “Mom, you know I didn’t mean that.”
“I don’t know what you meant!” Yu Qiao said, “You know exactly what you meant!”
She stood up abruptly, her body swaying slightly. Zhou Tianzui reached out to support her, but Yu Qiao pushed her hand away, falling back onto the sofa. Her blood pressure had been fluctuating for the past two days, only medication bringing some relief. Zhou Tianzui brought her the medicine, but Yu Qiao swatted her hand away, the pills scattering onto the floor and the sofa, “Don’t you dare touch me! Aren’t you going to the hospital? Then go!”
Zhou Tianzui picked up the pills from the sofa and placed them on the coffee table, “Mom, can we talk?”
“Fine.” Yu Qiao said, “It’s either me or her, choose.”
Zhou Tianzui sighed, “Mom, even if I listened to you, got married, had children, would I be happy? Would I be truly happy?”
“I don’t know if you would be happy after getting married.” Yu Qiao said, “But I know you won’t be happy if people find out about this!”
Zhou Tianzui said, “I don’t care what others think.”
“I care!” Yu Qiao gritted her teeth, “Have you forgotten how they pointed fingers at us? Forgotten how they insulted us, how they looked at us? Xiao Tian, how could you be so foolish? I thought after everything we went through, you wouldn’t make the same mistakes again, how could you go down the same path?”
Zhou Tianzui mumbled, “Mom, we’re not making mistakes…”
“If people find out, it is a mistake.” Yu Qiao said, “What else would it be? Xiao Tian, can you tell everyone, can you tell the world, about you and You Ruxu?”
Zhou Tianzui was silent.
Yu Qiao sat beside her, her hand on her head, her breathing shallow. She looked up slightly. Zhou Tianzui offered her water and her medicine. Yu Qiao ignored her, took the medicine from the coffee table, and swallowed it dry, without any water.
She turned to leave. Zhou Tianzui tried to stop her, but Yu Qiao pulled away. They struggled briefly. Zhou Tianzui’s phone rang. Yu Qiao, without thinking, snatched the phone from Zhou Tianzui’s pocket and threw it against the coffee table.
A loud crash.
The phone fell silent.
The living room also fell silent.
Zhou Tianzui looked at the phone, then at Yu Qiao, and released her hand. Yu Qiao, her face grim, went to her room, slamming the door shut. Zhou Tianzui sat on the sofa, looking at her phone, the screen cracked, unresponsive. She took her car keys and wallet and left.
You Ruxu sat on the bed, looking out the window at the darkening sky. Zhou Tianzui wasn’t here yet. She usually arrived around this time. Although she had said she would be careful, You Ruxu was still worried, especially after what Chen Xiang had said this morning, it made her uneasy.
She was about to call Zhou Tianzui when her phone vibrated, it was Captain Zhou.
You Ruxu answered the call.
“You’re still at the hospital, right?” Captain Zhou’s tone was urgent. “Don’t go anywhere, stay inside.”
You Ruxu asked, “What’s wrong?”
Captain Zhou said, “The informant escaped, I’m worried he might come looking for you.”
You Ruxu’s heart sank.
After hanging up, she immediately called Zhou Tianzui, but the call wouldn’t go through. You Ruxu’s eyes reddened with anxiety, she called Yu Qiao, but her number was blocked, the call couldn’t connect.
Was Zhou Tianzui on her way?
Why wasn’t she answering her phone if she was on her way?
Did something happen?
The more she thought about it, the more she panicked, even more so than that night. You Ruxu reached for the wheelchair, but her hand couldn’t reach, her body leaning forward, half of her weight supported by one arm as she reached for the wheelchair with the other, almost falling off the bed. She pressed the call button, and a nurse quickly arrived. You Ruxu said, “I need to go out.”
The nurse was surprised, “Go, go out?”
“I have something to do.” You Ruxu said, “Could you please help me with the wheelchair?”
The nurse hesitated, then wheeled the wheelchair to the bedside, helping You Ruxu into it. Seeing her thin clothes, she offered, “Should I get you a jacket?”
You Ruxu said, “Thank you, but no need.”
She took a jacket from the rack and put it on, then wheeled herself to the door. A blast of cold air made her shiver. The two police officers stationed outside were surprised to see her, “Reporter You?”
“Could you take me somewhere?”
The two officers exchanged a look. You Ruxu, seeing their hesitation, started wheeling herself towards the exit. The officers quickly followed.
She got into the police car, sitting in the back, constantly calling Zhou Tianzui, but the calls wouldn’t connect. All sorts of scenarios flashed through her mind, her usual composure gone, her face pale and her body restless with anxiety. The officer sitting beside her asked, “Reporter You, is something the matter?”
“I—” You Ruxu looked at the officer, thinking of Zhou Tianzui, of their respective professions.
She said, “I can’t reach my friend, and Captain Zhou said the informant escaped.”
The officer immediately understood, the informant couldn’t retaliate against You Ruxu, so he might target her friend. His expression turned serious, “I’ll contact Captain Zhou.”
You Ruxu said, “I’ve already tried.”
The officer beside her said, “Reporter You, try not to worry too much.”
How could she not worry? Because of her profession, Zhou Tianzui’s phone was always on, and now, it was suddenly off, at such a critical moment, You Ruxu was frantic. They reached her apartment complex. She quickly wheeled herself into the elevator. The two officers followed.
Yu Qiao, hearing the doorbell, called out, “Who is it?”
You Ruxu was about to answer when Yu Qiao opened the door. Their eyes met, then Yu Qiao slammed the door shut. The two officers were stunned. You Ruxu called out, “Auntie, is Zhou Tianzui there?”
Yu Qiao ignored her.
You Ruxu asked anxiously, “Is she home? Isn’t she home?”
She hadn’t seen Zhou Tianzui’s car earlier, wasn’t she home? And she couldn’t reach her phone. You Ruxu’s mind reeled, she felt a little dizzy. She knocked on the door, “Auntie.”
Yu Qiao wanted to walk away, annoyed that You Ruxu had come looking for her, at her home, but she stopped, her face grim. She abruptly opened the door. You Ruxu looked up, her eyes red and watery, on the verge of tears.
Yu Qiao had known You Ruxu for over three years, introduced by Zhou Tianzui.
“Mom, this is my roommate, a reporter at the TV station, You Ruxu.”
She had introduced You Ruxu, “Her father works at the court, and her mother is a professor.”
They were from a different world, seemingly unattainable, You Ruxu on a pedestal, someone to be admired. She had also admired You Ruxu before, finding her untouchable, feeling a strange sense of pride whenever she saw her on TV, “This is our Xiao Tian’s friend, they live together, they’re roommates.”
That’s what she had always thought.
That they were just friends.
When did their friendship change into something shameful, something hidden, Yu Qiao didn’t know.
She looked at You Ruxu coldly.
In her memory, You Ruxu was always composed and professional, both on TV and in person, her makeup and hair impeccable, her clothes always perfectly fitted, ready to go on camera at any moment, not a single flaw.
But the You Ruxu in front of her now, her face pale and bare, making her red and slightly swollen eyes even more noticeable, her hair disheveled, wearing a hospital gown under her jacket, loose and untidy.
The contrast was stark.
Yu Qiao was momentarily speechless.
You Ruxu wheeled herself closer, looking up slightly, her trembling hands gripping the armrests of the wheelchair, she looked around the apartment, not seeing Zhou Tianzui, the unease intensifying.
Suddenly.
A voice came from behind.
“What are you doing here?”
A familiar voice.
You Ruxu turned and saw Zhou Tianzui standing at the door. Zhou Tianzui also saw her, and Yu Qiao, her face paling slightly.
Their eyes met.
You Ruxu tried to stand up, but her leg wouldn’t support her weight. She tried again, then fell back into the wheelchair. Yu Qiao, seeing her tense back, her trembling hands gripping the armrests, the effort and the helplessness, felt a lump in her throat.
This You Ruxu.
Made her heart ache.