Chapter 115: The Moon
Yu Qiao delivered this slap with full force. The mark on Zhou Tianzui’s face was instantly visible. She turned her head away, silent. Yu Qiao said, “You can care about her mother? Then why don’t you care about your own mother?”
Zhou Tianzui turned slightly and said, “We can’t just think about ourselves.”
“Xiao Tian?” Yu Qiao’s voice was sharp, a mixture of disbelief and anger, “Have you gone crazy?”
Zhou Tianzui looked at Yu Qiao. Ever since confessing her feelings for You Ruxu, she had been thinking about when and how to tell Yu Qiao, afraid that You Ruxu, unable to bear the guilt, would confess first.
And she herself also felt the same.
Every time she saw Yu Qiao, the guilt intensified, threatening to drown her. Now, having finally confessed, she felt a sense of relief, “Mom, I’m not crazy, I know she wronged us, but that was a long time ago, she was just a child back then, you can’t blame her for everything.”
Yu Qiao took a step back, “Then who should I blame?”
Her years of hatred, could they be dismissed so easily by Zhou Tianzui’s words, you can’t blame her for everything?
Zhou Tianzui said, “If you really want to blame someone, blame those who blindly condemned us without knowing the truth.”
“If it wasn’t for Shi Ran, would they have condemned us?” Yu Qiao said, “If it wasn’t for her accusation, would your father have been labeled a rapist? If it wasn’t for her, would we have had to live in hiding, in the shadows?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “She made a mistake, but she hasn’t had an easy life either.”
“A hard life?” Yu Qiao scoffed, “Her father works at the court, her mother is a university professor, she changed her identity and became someone important, how is that a hard life?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Then do you know why she became a reporter? Out of guilt, she wants to atone, she’s been trying all these years…”
“Trying what?” Yu Qiao interrupted her. “To get into your bed?”
“Is that also a form of atonement?”
“She turned you into a homosexual, she made you the target of ridicule and judgment, and that’s atonement?”
Zhou Tianzui tried to sit up, a sharp pain shooting through her wound, her forehead covered in sweat. She said to Yu Qiao, “She didn’t ‘turn’ me into anything, I already was.”
“Already was?!” Yu Qiao said, “If it wasn’t for her, would you have liked women?”
Zhou Tianzui was speechless.
Yu Qiao’s face was grim, “It wasn’t enough for her to ruin our family once, she has to do it again, it wasn’t enough for her to destroy your father’s life, now she wants to destroy yours!”
Zhou Tianzui tried to reach for Yu Qiao, “Mom, please calm down!”
“I am calm!” Yu Qiao said, “I’ve never been calmer.” Her voice was cold and distant, “From now on, you have nothing to do with You Ruxu, you are you, she is she, I’m transferring you to another hospital.”
She turned and walked away, ignoring Zhou Tianzui’s calls. Zhou Tianzui tried to get up, but the pain was too much, she collapsed back onto the bed, angrily knocking over the thermos on the bedside table. Yu Qiao, hearing the crash, paused at the door, then continued walking.
Zhou Tianzui’s eyes were red with anger.
She called You Ruxu.
You Ruxu’s phone was off.
She had been interviewing for over two hours. Chen Xiang had repeatedly suggested she take a break, but You Ruxu insisted, “I’m fine.”
Chen Xiang looked at her, so many thoughts and emotions swirling within her, yet unable to express them. She had always seen You Ruxu as someone blessed, someone who had everything, never imagining her past could be so dark.
Perhaps because she had worked with You Ruxu for so long, a lingering affection, that even knowing the truth, she couldn’t bring herself to judge or condemn her.
You Ruxu sat up straight, “Just two more questions, and we’re done, right?”
Chen Xiang said, “Yes.”
You Ruxu said, “Do you have any questions for me?”
Chen Xiang said, “I don’t know, Teacher You, there’s so much I want to say, but I don’t know where to begin.” Her perception of You Ruxu shattered, she was still in a daze, “You know, I never truly understood our profession before.”
But the incident with You Ruxu, with Zhou Qiming, made her realize what it meant to be a reporter.
The weight of their responsibility.
If there had been fewer sensationalized reports, fewer biased media outlets back then, perhaps Dr. Zhou and her mother wouldn’t have suffered so much. Was it right to place all the blame on You Ruxu?
She thought, even if it wasn’t You Ruxu, even if it were someone else, they shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of it all.
But You Ruxu, she was undeniably wrong.
Whether intentional or unintentional, through her misinformation, she had ruined someone’s life.
At this moment, Chen Xiang truly understood the burden she carried.
You Ruxu said, “Let’s continue.”
Chen Xiang nodded and sat opposite her.
The interview ended at noon. Chen Xiang wanted to treat You Ruxu to lunch, but You Ruxu declined, “Could you take me to the hospital?”
Chen Xiang said, “Sure.”
She asked, “Are you going to see Dr. Zhou?”
You Ruxu nodded, “Yes.”
Chen Xiang said, “Did she, say anything?”
You Ruxu said, “No.”
Chen Xiang said, “She’s so kind.”
Anyone else, they wouldn’t be so understanding. You Ruxu’s eyes reddened slightly, she turned to look out the window, the scenery blurring as they drove. They soon arrived at the hospital. Chen Xiang wanted to help her inside, but You Ruxu said, “You go back, you still have work to do.”
Chen Xiang said, “Okay then, I’ll be going now, call me if you need anything.”
You Ruxu nodded faintly.
After Chen Xiang left, You Ruxu went inside and took the elevator, reaching the VIP ward. The head nurse came out, “Good afternoon, Reporter You.”
You Ruxu nodded and smiled at her, “How is Dr. Zhou doing today?”
“Dr. Zhou?” The head nurse said, “She was just transferred, her mother requested it.”
You Ruxu froze, “Transferred?”
The head nurse said, “Yes, she’s quite famous now, her mother didn’t want her to be disturbed, so she requested a transfer.”
You Ruxu gripped the armrests of her wheelchair, “Transferred where?”
The head nurse said, “To the City Hospital.”
You Ruxu said, “Thank you.”
The head nurse smiled, “You’re welcome.”
You Ruxu returned to the now empty and quiet ward. Zhou Tianzui was gone, her bed also taken away. Only You Ruxu’s bed remained, all traces of Zhou Tianzui erased, the air thin and cold. She sat in her wheelchair, looking at the empty space.
That was where Zhou Tianzui’s bed was last night.
Where they lay together.
Where they held each other as they slept.
Where she held Zhou Tianzui.
It had been so warm. She missed Zhou Tianzui.
Missed her terribly.
You Ruxu took out her phone, wanting to call Zhou Tianzui, seeing Yu Qiao’s name in her contacts, it felt like a needle pricking her finger, she couldn’t bring herself to press the call button. Her hand trembling, the screen went dark. She wheeled herself to the bed, the cold sheets, the cold emptiness of the room.
She leaned against the bed, the coldness seeping into her bones, like a patient struggling to breathe, only finding relief in Zhou Tianzui’s presence.
You Ruxu, unable to resist any longer, called Zhou Tianzui.
The ringing echoed, her heart pounding with each ring.
Zhou Tianzui, hearing her phone ring, reached for it, but Yu Qiao snatched it first. Zhou Tianzui looked at her mother.
Yu Qiao said, “You haven’t listened to a single word I said.”
She handed the phone to Zhou Tianzui, “Answer it.”
Zhou Tianzui’s phone vibrated in her hand. She looked at Yu Qiao.
Yu Qiao said, “Many reporters contacted me recently, wanting to interview me. What do you think will happen if I tell them that You Ruxu is Shi Ran?”
Zhou Tianzui gripped the phone tightly: “Mom, you know we don’t care.”
“It’s you two who don’t care,” Yu Qiao said, “What about You Ruxu’s adoptive parents? Do they not care? Can they handle it? How much are they willing to endure for her? What if they can’t, will they disown her?”
Zhou Tianzui thought of You Shu, of Wu Xiulian, of You Ruxu wanting a home, a warm and loving home, so desperately that she was willing to play the role of a deceased child.
If she was abandoned again.
She closed her eyes and said, “They won’t disown her.”
“Even better.” Yu Qiao said, “Let them suffer what we suffered, Xiao Tian, didn’t you tell me to let go of the past? Then go tell them to let go, see if they can, after something like this.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “It’s different now, she didn’t know back then…”
Yu Qiao said, “Whether she knew or not, she’s still guilty, she committed a crime. Do you want her to continue being a criminal, to carry this guilt for the rest of her life? You two might not care, but if something happens to her adoptive parents because of her, can she live with herself? Can you?”
The phone stopped vibrating.
Zhou Tianzui looked at Yu Qiao.
Yu Qiao said, “Cut all ties with her, from now on, you are you, she is she. Your father’s name has been cleared, I can let go of the past, but from now on, you have nothing to do with her.”
Zhou Tianzui felt exhausted, her face ashen.
The screen of her phone, dark and unresponsive, reflected her pale features. Her voice was filled with anguish, “What if I can’t?”
Yu Qiao said, “Then I’ll do the interview.”
Zhou Tianzui’s fingers twitched, dropping the phone onto the blanket. Her eyes were red and burning, tears threatening to spill. Yu Qiao continued, “I also heard that, her father has been released from prison, he’s been looking for her…”
“Mom.”
Yu Qiao said, “I don’t mind…”
“Don’t.”
Yu Qiao said, “Telling him who Shi Ran is.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Stop it!”
She looked at Yu Qiao, then thinking of You Ruxu, how she always became tense and withdrawn whenever she talked about her childhood, about her mother being abused by her father, about that man, she couldn’t control her own emotions.
She was still so afraid.
Her phone rang again.
The vibration against the blanket. Zhou Tianzui looked down at the flashing name on the screen, her finger hovering over the answer button. Yu Qiao watched her, her gaze cold and silent. Zhou Tianzui slowly curled her fingers, her hand closing around the phone, not answering.
She turned to look out the window, her pale face gradually regaining its composure, the insistent ringing echoing in the quiet room, Zhou Tianzui closed her eyes and turned off the phone.
How could she bear to watch the moon she held so precious fall and be tarnished by the world?
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