Chapter 16: The Uproar
Zhou Tianzui rarely spoke so much. He Wei knew something about Zhou Tianzui’s temperament: few words, busy, and precisely because of this, everyone was afraid of her.
But today, she had said a lot.
Zhou Tianzui said, “I could have concealed it, not reported it. The agreement between you and Lin Luo was your own affair. I could even have benefited from it, securing the deputy director position thanks to you. And then what? Then watch you stand there helpless the next time a pregnant woman hemorrhages, watch as you personally push a patient to death’s door?”
He Wei’s face was pale.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Do you know what your win-win situation is? It’s me becoming an executioner, me acquiescing, me turning a blind eye, and then watching you experiment on patients?”
He Wei said, “I didn’t…”
She looked up at Zhou Tianzui: “I’ve already learned, I know how to perform emergency procedures…”
“He Wei,” Zhou Tianzui said, “why are you so dense?”
He Wei’s eyes were red. She looked at Zhou Tianzui, clenched her hands, and said, “I, I just…”
“You just stole a small bit of credit, just waiting for the applause and accolades that would be offered to you, just wanting to collaborate with your beloved Teacher You on an interview.” Zhou Tianzui said, “He Wei, of course you can do these things, and no one would be the wiser. Even if someone knew, what could they do to you? You can make mistakes, you have that privilege, but your patients don’t. If you only see being a doctor as a glamorous profession, then I advise you to take off that white coat sooner rather than later.”
Zhou Tianzui’s voice was cold: “Don’t harm yourself and others.”
He Wei bit her lip.
Zhou Tianzui brushed past her and walked out. The door opened, and she saw You Ruxu sitting to the side. Their eyes met. You Ruxu gripped the edge of her notebook, the cardboard digging into her fingertips. She came back to her senses and heard Zhou Tianzui ask, “Why are you here?”
You Ruxu said, “I was going to ask Zeng Jing a few questions.”
She asked Zhou Tianzui, “Working overtime?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “No.”
She walked towards the changing room. You Ruxu walked beside her. Fu Shushu and Lin Luo approached them. Lin Luo looked hesitant, glanced at Zhou Tianzui, then lowered her head and walked away with Fu Shushu.
Zhou Tianzui paused for a moment, lowered her gaze, and entered the changing room.
You Ruxu waited for her outside.
Actually, she used to wait for Zhou Tianzui to finish work often. Back then, when they had just met, Zhou Tianzui would use her after-work hours to show her around the hospital, explaining how to handle doctor-patient relationships, talking about difficult medical cases. It was the beginning of spring, winter had just passed, and everything was coming back to life.
She remembered it clearly. Every time she came, she would see Zhou Tianzui in her white coat, either guiding new interns with a serious expression, discussing medical conditions with colleagues, or greeting her with a faint smile.
She would stand at the doorway and hear her colleagues call out, “Dr. Zhou, Reporter You is here.”
Zhou Tianzui would walk towards her and say, “Half an hour more, can you wait for me?”
She would nod and sit among the doctors.
Everyone thought she was gathering material for medical publicity, but actually, she was just watching Zhou Tianzui.
The doorknob clicked open. Zhou Tianzui walked out and said to You Ruxu, “Do you want me to accompany you to see Zeng Jing?”
“No need.” You Ruxu said, “Let’s go.”
Zhou Tianzui walked beside her, through the busy emergency room corridor. An emergency bed was being pushed through the crowd.
“Make way!” The nurse’s voice boomed, “Please make way!”
People around them scrambled to move aside. You Ruxu felt an arm around her waist, pulling her towards the wall. Turning around, it was Zhou Tianzui.
When they first met, she had encountered similar situations while filming in the emergency room. Zhou Tianzui would pull her to the side, wait for the emergency cart to pass, and then ask her, “Are you okay?”
Now, she simply said, “Be careful.”
You Ruxu said, “Mm.”
She lowered her head and smiled.
After leaving the hospital, Zhou Tianzui took out her car keys. You Ruxu said, “Let’s go eat.”
She looked outside the hospital: “I want some beef soup.”
Zhou Tianzui glanced at her, then put away her car keys and followed her.
The area around the hospital had the most fruit stands and snack bars. You Ruxu and Zhou Tianzui had eaten at almost every shop. Sometimes, when they were busy, she would accompany Zhou Tianzui for some fried rice. When they weren’t busy, they would have some soup, eating slowly.
They hadn’t been to this beef soup place for a long time. Since returning to her reporting position, You Ruxu rarely came to the hospital, let alone eat here. There weren’t many people inside, as it wasn’t mealtime. Only a few people sat together, their faces etched with worry. Such expressions were common in hospitals. You Ruxu and Zhou Tianzui sat at a table in the back, ordering two bowls of beef soup and baked sesame seed cakes. You Ruxu liked to break the cakes into small pieces and soak them in the soup. Sometimes, when she was busy answering calls, Zhou Tianzui would have already broken them for her by the time she returned.
As soon as the sesame cakes arrived, Zhou Tianzui habitually picked one up. You Ruxu looked at her, stirring her beef soup, and said, “Do you remember Zeng Jing’s due date?”
Zhou Tianzui looked up at her and said, “The 20th. What about it?”
You Ruxu thought of the circle Chen Mo had drawn around the 20th and thought, as expected.
But she hadn’t figured out the reason yet, so she simply explained, “The fireworks factory incident.”
Zhou Tianzui broke the thin cake into small pieces and put them in You Ruxu’s beef soup, the sesame seeds sticking to her fingertips. After she finished, You Ruxu took a napkin.
Zhou Tianzui paused.
In the past, when You Ruxu was busy at the station, she would eat and answer calls simultaneously, having no hands free to break the cakes, so she had to do it. Every time she finished, You Ruxu would hand her a napkin. If the call was over, You Ruxu would even help her wipe her fingers clean.
Zhou Tianzui didn’t move, offering her fingers. You Ruxu naturally helped her wipe them clean.
She lowered her head, her hair neatly tied up in a bun, every strand in place. Zhou Tianzui curled her fingers and said, “Done.”
You Ruxu put down the napkin and said, “I suspect there’s something fishy about the fireworks explosion.”
Zhou Tianzui lowered her head to drink the soup. After being out in the cold, a sip of hot soup warmed her whole body. She asked, “What’s fishy? Wasn’t it Zhang Xiaojie?”
You Ruxu shook her head: “I don’t know.”
It really wasn’t clear yet. Of course, she wouldn’t simply believe the one-sided story online and convict Zhang Xiaojie, but she didn’t rule out the possibility either. Before the police reached a conclusion, she could only make bold assumptions and carefully verify them.
Zhou Tianzui looked at her and said, “Why don’t you ask Captain Zhou?”
Before You Ruxu could speak, Zhou Tianzui continued, “Don’t you enjoy discussing cases with her?”
“What am I…” Before You Ruxu could finish, her phone screen lit up, displaying the name “Captain Zhou.” She pursed her lips, glanced at Zhou Tianzui, and answered the call.
Zhou Tianzui’s expression was calm. She switched her bowl of beef soup, which didn’t have any broken cakes in it, with You Ruxu’s and took a sip. You Ruxu liked to add vinegar, even to her beef soup, half a spoonful. Zhou Tianzui tasted it; it was all sour. She frowned, wanting to switch back, but then decided it wasn’t necessary and simply stirred it listlessly.
The sesame cakes disintegrated into a paste, floating on the surface. You Ruxu saw this as soon as she finished her call. She drank from Zhou Tianzui’s bowl; it was bland and tasteless.
They finished their bowls of soup without much appetite. Zhou Tianzui went to pay the bill. You Ruxu called Chen Xiang and asked her to prepare the equipment for an interview at the police station tomorrow. Chen Xiang was surprised: “Interviewing who?”
“Mr. Zhao.” You Ruxu said, “The police have agreed, Mr. Zhao is willing to be interviewed.”
Chen Xiang said, “Okay, I understand.” Before You Ruxu could hang up, she said, “Teacher You, the boss wants you to come to the station early tomorrow. We have to do that interview we collaborated with CCTV on tomorrow.”
You Ruxu said, “I understand.”
Chen Xiang added, “Should we postpone the interview with the hospital intern? Will it be snatched by other stations if we wait any longer?”
You Ruxu, remembering the conversation she overheard at the hospital, figured there was also a power struggle on Zhou Tianzui’s side. She said, “We’ll decide later. Postpone the hospital interview.”
Chen Xiang agreed. You Ruxu continued, “Also, check for me whether Chen Mo, Zeng Jing, and Zhang Xiaojie knew each other before.”
Afraid Chen Xiang hadn’t heard clearly, she added, “Before they joined the factory.”
Chen Xiang was surprised but didn’t ask, simply saying, “Okay, I understand.”
After hanging up, Zhou Tianzui walked over. You Ruxu got up and walked to the hospital with her. The parking garage was on the basement level. They didn’t take the elevator but walked down the stairs. The basement level parking lot was for staff only, and it was deserted, with only a few cars. A red sports car was parked next to Zhou Tianzui’s car. You Ruxu remembered that He Wei drove that car.
Thinking of He Wei, she couldn’t help but recall Zhou Tianzui’s words at the hospital.
The missing infant case she was investigating had been solved. She had been attacked, stabbed several times while walking home at night. Fortunately, people often walked that route, and she was found in time, saving her life. The station didn’t dare let her continue as a reporter, using the excuse of her failing a psychological evaluation to reject all her requests. She became an editor for two years.
At that time, she and Zhou Tianzui were in a sort of ambiguous phase. Because of their work, they maintained a sometimes close, sometimes distant relationship. Neither had crossed the line, as if knowing what kind of new situation they would face once they did.
Later, when she was hospitalized, she had more contact with Zhou Tianzui. After she was discharged, it was her birthday, so she asked Zhou Tianzui out, to a couple’s restaurant. Later, she and Zhou Tianzui went home together.
What happened three years ago seemed both distant and vivid.
She still remembered the clothes Zhou Tianzui wore that day, holding the teddy bear, her beautiful eyes looking at her as she said, “Happy birthday.”
The night breeze dispersed Zhou Tianzui’s cool tone. She took the teddy bear and held it tightly.
“Shall we go?” The cool voice broke through her thoughts. You Ruxu came back to her senses and looked at Zhou Tianzui. She said, “You drive.” She got into the car, sat in the passenger seat, and pressed her temples. Zhou Tianzui sat beside her. The car was dark, the lights off. Just as You Ruxu leaned back against the seat, her phone rang. It was Shi Qi. Before she could answer, a voice laced with thorns came from beside her. Zhou Tianzui said, “Teacher You is really popular today…”
You Ruxu turned, her hand on the edge of the seat, leaned over, and kissed Zhou Tianzui on the cheek.
The car fell silent, only the incessant ringing of You Ruxu’s phone breaking the quiet.
Just like Zhou Tianzui’s heartbeat.
You Ruxu: Got you.
Zhou Tianzui: …
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