Chapter 105: Tacit Approval
You Ruxu’s hand tightened around the phone, her heart skipping a beat hearing that name from someone else. She was silent for two seconds. Chen Xiang, on the other end, called out, “Teacher You?”
She came back to her senses: “What’s wrong?”
“We received a complaint, saying our report was inaccurate. The boss just had a huge argument with the station director. Dr. Zhou’s father, was his name Zhou Qiming?” Chen Xiang said, “They also said, Zhou Qiming…”
She couldn’t bring herself to repeat the rest.
You Ruxu said, “Does anyone else know about this?”
“Many people at the station know now.” Chen Xiang said, “Zhou Qiming used to work at our station too.”
You Ruxu pursed her lips.
She hung up and went online, seeing a few malicious comments appearing beneath the posts praising Zhou Tianzui.
[Zhou Tianzui? The one whose father was a rapist?]
[????? What rapist?]
[Is this real?!]
[Search for ‘Reporter Zhou Qiming,’ that’s her father.]
The news fermented overnight, Zhou Tianzui now pushed into the spotlight, from being praised for her bravery to having her past exposed, even “revelations” from former elementary and high school classmates, adding a layer of “credibility” to the story.
You Ruxu’s hands turned cold.
Zhou Tianzui, seeing her engrossed in her phone, chuckled, “Your phone’s that interesting?”
Looking closely.
You Ruxu’s face was pale.
Zhou Tianzui asked, “What’s wrong?”
You Ruxu said, “Nothing.”
Zhou Tianzui didn’t believe her, reaching for the phone. You Ruxu instinctively tried to grab it, forgetting about her injured leg, her body lurching forward, almost falling. Zhou Tianzui tried to help her up, but her own wound prevented her from moving quickly, and she fell back onto the bed. You Ruxu awkwardly knelt on one knee by the bed. Yu Qiao, entering the ward just then, froze, seeing the scene.
She frowned, “What’s going on here?”
She reached out to help You Ruxu up. You Ruxu flinched at her touch, as if needles were piercing her skin, a sharp, invisible pain.
Her hand trembled.
The phone slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor.
Yu Qiao bent down to pick it up. You Ruxu’s heart skipped a beat watching her. The phone screen went dark. Yu Qiao picked up the phone and handed it to You Ruxu, who said, “Thank you, Auntie.”
Yu Qiao didn’t reply.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Mom, are you tired? Sit down and rest for a bit.”
Yu Qiao said, “You should rest, I’ll call you when your IV drip is finished.”
Zhou Tianzui couldn’t sleep. She looked at You Ruxu, as if wanting to say something. Yu Qiao, seeing this, scoffed and sat on the other bed. The atmosphere in the ward was tense. Zhou Tianzui reached for her phone. Yu Qiao said, “Why are you looking at your phone while lying in bed? Do you want to go blind?”
She took the phone and placed it on the bedside table.
You Ruxu said, “Auntie, I’ll be going then.”
Yu Qiao said, “I’ll walk you out.”
You Ruxu said, “I’m fine, you stay with her.”
Yu Qiao didn’t insist. You Ruxu wheeled herself out of the ward. The cold air in the corridor made her shiver, her hands trembling as she wheeled herself towards the elevator, her grip weakening. Waiting for the elevator, she checked her phone again, several news stories about Zhou Qiming, Zhou Tianzui’s father, on the homepage.
She pressed the screen and called Wu Xiulian.
Wu Xiulian was preparing dinner. Hearing her phone ring, she glanced at the screen and answered cheerfully, “Xu Xu? What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
You Ruxu’s voice was low, “Aunt, can you come to the hospital?”
Wu Xiulian’s heart sank. She put down what she was doing and said, “Okay.”
After hanging up, she saw several new messages on her phone. Unlocking the screen, she saw the messages, her expression darkening.
In just two hours, news about Zhou Qiming had spread everywhere. Although they tried to suppress it, the information was still spreading rapidly, like bamboo shoots after the rain, any crack or opening allowing it to proliferate.
Wu Xiulian sat on the edge of You Ruxu’s bed, “Xu Xu, I know what you’re thinking, but think about it, Dr. Zhou’s mother just started to accept your relationship, if you tell her now, won’t it hurt her even more?”
You Ruxu pursed her lips.
Wu Xiulian continued, “This whole thing started because Dr. Zhou did a good deed and was then targeted by someone manipulating public opinion. People will understand eventually.”
She asked You Ruxu, “Does Dr. Zhou know about this?”
You Ruxu opened her mouth, then closed it without speaking.
She said, “Not yet.”
At least, not before she left.
The new ward wasn’t as lively as before, but there were still flowers and fruit baskets. Nurses would often knock on the door with a smile, “Dr. Zhou, more flowers for you.”
It had been two hours since the last knock.
Although Zhou Tianzui didn’t care about those things, didn’t think it was necessary to send her flowers and fruit, the nurses’ sudden silence made her suspicious. Yu Qiao didn’t allow her to look at her phone, telling her to rest, even confiscating her phone when she tried to reach for it. Thinking of You Ruxu’s pale face before she left, Zhou Tianzui felt increasingly uneasy.
She said, “Mom, I’m thirsty.”
Yu Qiao poured her a glass of warm water.
Zhou Tianzui paused, “I want some fruit.”
Yu Qiao asked, “Which one?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “An apple.”
Yu Qiao took an apple and was about to peel it when Zhou Tianzui said, “I want to eat it with the skin on.”
Yu Qiao glared at her.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Just wash it, it’s fine.”
Yu Qiao went to the bathroom.
Hearing the running water, Zhou Tianzui reached for the drawer, pulled it open, took out her phone, glancing towards the bathroom, suddenly feeling like a child sneaking a peek at her phone, afraid of being caught.
It was ridiculous.
Zhou Tianzui smiled slightly, holding her phone, not even turning it on, but the news notifications displayed on the lock screen made her frown. She struggled to sit up, a sharp pain shooting through her wound, making her drop the phone onto the pillow.
Yu Qiao, returning from the bathroom, noticed the redness around Zhou Tianzui’s eyes.
She asked, “What’s wrong with your eyes?”
Zhou Tianzui touched her eyes, “They hurt a little, are they red?”
“Hurt?” Yu Qiao said, “Anything else? Should we call the doctor?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Mom, I am a doctor.”
Yu Qiao said, “You can’t cure everything.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “It’s nothing, sit down.”
Yu Qiao sat on the chair beside the bed. Zhou Tianzui patted the edge of the bed, “Sit here.”
Her gaze unwavering.
Yu Qiao, uncomfortable under her scrutiny, sat on the edge of the bed and handed her the apple, “If you’re about to talk about you and You Ruxu again, don’t bother.”
“Okay, then I won’t.” Zhou Tianzui was surprisingly obedient. Yu Qiao looked at her, surprised. Ever since her confession, she had been trying to convince Yu Qiao, her every word implying she couldn’t live without You Ruxu, and now she was suddenly so compliant.
Yu Qiao couldn’t help but ask, “What did you want to talk about?”
“Mom, do you remember why I wanted to be a doctor?” Zhou Tianzui asked. Yu Qiao had never asked her before. Zhou Tianzui had always been driven, her goal clear since she was young, her determination unwavering, she had said she wanted to be a doctor, countless times.
Yu Qiao said, “Because of your father?”
Zhou Tianzui shook her head, “I remember after we moved, you were always sick, you would always try to endure it, only going to the hospital when you couldn’t anymore. Back then, I thought, if only I were a doctor, I would know immediately if you were unwell.”
Yu Qiao’s eyes teared up.
She looked at Zhou Tianzui.
Still stubbornly holding onto her last line of defense: “Don’t think I’ll agree to you and You Ruxu just because you said that.”
But her resolve was weakening, her resistance crumbling, about to collapse without even a push. Zhou Tianzui said, “What sweet words did I even say? Don’t you always say I’m talking nonsense?”
Yu Qiao was speechless.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Mom, I’m tired, after all these years, I know you’re also tired, let’s forget about the past, let’s be happy, okay?”
Yu Qiao looked down at Zhou Tianzui’s hand holding hers and didn’t speak.
Zhou Tianzui continued, “After I recover, I want to, take you on a trip, with her.”
Yu Qiao paused slightly, “A trip?”
“Yes, I haven’t taken you anywhere all these years. I want to take you on a trip after I recover. I heard seafood is cheap in the south, don’t you like seafood? We can go together, she and I can drive, and you can just enjoy the scenery.”
Yu Qiao pictured the scene Zhou Tianzui described, it didn’t seem so bad.
She didn’t speak.
Several friends had invited her on trips these past few years, but she had always been worried about Zhou Tianzui, and she was old now, what was the point of traveling, wasting money, she wanted to save the money for Zhou Tianzui’s wedding.
Now it seemed, there wouldn’t be a wedding.
She was silent.
Zhou Tianzui pressed on, “We can even go abroad.”
Yu Qiao looked down, muttering, “Abroad?”
“Yes.” Zhou Tianzui said, “Travel abroad, broaden our horizons.”
“I don’t want to go abroad, I don’t know anyone there.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “It doesn’t matter if we don’t know anyone, we’ll handle the communication, you can just eat, sleep, and play, okay, Mom?”
Yu Qiao, under her gaze.
Remembered hearing someone say before coming to the hospital, “A doctor was murdered.”
“Stabbed multiple times.”
“Last name Zhou, from the obstetrics department.”
She had panicked, her hands and feet numb, her mind blank, unable to even stand, her only thought, what if it was Zhou Tianzui.
She couldn’t bear the thought, every second was agony.
She had rushed to the hospital, heard that Zhou Tianzui was in surgery, then that she was okay, the weight finally lifting from her heart. Now, listening to her casual chatter, she felt a profound sense of relief.
Relieved that Zhou Tianzui was alive.
Relieved that she was okay.
Thank God.
Her stubborn resistance crumbled in the face of near-death. So, seeing You Ruxu again, it wasn’t as difficult to accept as before. Yu Qiao’s voice softened, “Xiao Tian, you know what I’m most afraid of, I don’t want you to go through that again.”
“You don’t have to worry, Mom.” Zhou Tianzui said, “I told her, if you don’t agree, we won’t go public.”
Yu Qiao looked at her, “You Ruxu, she agreed to this?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “She did.”
Yu Qiao nodded and heard Zhou Tianzui continue, “Then I’ll book the tickets after I recover, we’ll go on a trip abroad, okay?”
Yu Qiao wanted to laugh, “Easy for you to say, what about your work?”
Zhou Tianzui said casually, “I’m planning to resign.”
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