Chapter 61: Otherwise
You Ruxu cleaned the apartment after returning home, washing clothes and mopping the floor, busying herself so she wouldn’t think about Zhou Tianzui’s suggestion to go to her place. You Ruxu shook her head, put on the new coffee-colored flannel sheets, placed the little gray teddy bear on the bed – it matched perfectly – and lay down contentedly, turning over.
The person who usually lay beside her felt almost present, asking, “Sleep together?”
You Ruxu pursed her lips.
She reached out, her hand passing through the phantom image. You Ruxu rubbed her temples. After a while, she started to feel sleepy. Chen Xiang’s message arrived just as she was drifting off.
[Teacher You, are you covering the Yao Zhao case?]
You Ruxu: [Huh?]
Chen Xiang: [That’s what the people on Team 3 said, they’re following the case, and they said you went to the school at noon.]
You Ruxu: [Yes.]
Chen Xiang: [Did you inform the boss?]
You Ruxu sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and called Shi Qi, who chuckled, “Can’t you just rest properly?”
Still working even on vacation, it was really unfair that the station hadn’t given her an award.
You Ruxu said, “I’m fine now, I can come to the station tomorrow.”
“I heard from Chen Xiang.” Shi Qi said, “But that domestic violence case isn’t easy to handle, are you sure you want to take it?”
You Ruxu didn’t hesitate, “Yes.”
Shi Qi said, “Alright, I understand.”
You Ruxu hung up, lay back down, and thought of Yao Zhao, of that man. She couldn’t remember his face anymore, just that he loved drinking, throwing chairs, and hitting people. Once, she hadn’t been able to dodge in time, and he hit her on the back of the head, leaving a large bump. Her mother couldn’t afford to take her to the hospital, so she took her to a barefoot doctor in the village, who just applied some disinfectant. She heard the doctor say, “Why are you still with him? He’ll beat you to death one day.”
The doctor advised her mother: “Get a divorce.”
“He won’t agree!” Her mother was anxious. She had heard the word “divorce” before. Her mother often said it to the man, and every time, it would lead to a fight, the man yelling insults, “You slut, who are you cheating with?”
“Want a divorce? Sure, over my dead body! Come on, kill me! Kill me! If you kill me, your daughter will never escape! Everyone will know she’s the daughter of a murderer, she’ll be sold off like trash!”
She watched her mother argue hysterically with the man, how the neighbors, who initially tried to help, eventually turned away, how her mother was beaten and left lying on the floor. She ran outside, wanting to get help, but was paralyzed by fear.
She couldn’t forget her mother’s expression at that time.
So similar to Yao Zhao’s.
You Ruxu turned over, closing her eyes. It felt as if someone was hitting her on the back of the head, a sharp pain. She touched the back of her head, it was covered in blood. She heard a familiar voice: “A Ran.”
“Don’t be afraid, A Ran, it won’t hurt for long.”
She fell into an abyss, only the familiar voice beside her, and the blood gushing from the back of her head, the metallic smell quickly overwhelming her. She wanted to scream, but a hand clamped down on her mouth, silencing her.
The sudden ringing of her phone.
You Ruxu woke up from the nightmare, her forehead covered in sweat. She took a deep breath. It had been years since she had such nightmares. She used to have them every night when she was first adopted and was afraid to sleep. Later, Wu Xiulian stayed with her, and gradually, the nightmares faded.
The phone was still ringing. You Ruxu picked it up and looked at the sky; it was dark.
How long had she been asleep?
It felt like only a moment.
You Ruxu answered the call. A scream came from the other end, “Reporter! Reporter, help me…”
“You little bitch, who did you call?!”
The call abruptly ended. You Ruxu reacted instantly, jumped out of bed, changed her clothes, and rushed out. Zhou Tianzui called her on the way. She connected via Bluetooth and heard Zhou Tianzui’s gentle voice: “You’re awake?”
You Ruxu said, “Yes.”
She coughed, her voice hoarse, and said, “I’m going to Yao Zhao’s house now.”
Zhou Tianzui was surprised: “What?”
You Ruxu said, “She’s been beaten again, I’m going to see what happened.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Want me to come over?”
You Ruxu started to say “no,” then thinking Yao Zhao might not want to go to the hospital, she said, “Okay, I’ll send you the address.”
Zhou Tianzui agreed, grabbed her jacket, and was about to leave when Yu Qiao asked, “What happened?”
She said, “A patient nearby needs emergency treatment.”
Yu Qiao didn’t delay her, “Then hurry, drive safe!”
Zhou Tianzui nodded and left.
You Ruxu quickly arrived at Yao Zhao’s house. It wasn’t far from the school, nor was it far from her apartment, about a ten-minute drive. When she arrived, Yao Zhao was crying. Two young women, who looked like recent university graduates, were standing beside her. They were the neighbors who had called the police before. Hearing the commotion tonight, they knew the man must have hit Yao Zhao again, so they knocked on the door. Yao Zhao opened the door, saw them, and burst into tears, unable to speak. The two women took her outside. The man wanted to drag Yao Zhao back, but they stopped him.
Yao Zhao, using one of the women’s phones, called You Ruxu.
You Ruxu rushed over. There was a bruise on Yao Zhao’s cheek, and a cut near her eye, a broken blood vessel, a thin trickle of blood, she didn’t know what he had hit her with.
The man said, “Yao Zhao, tell me clearly, when did I hit you? I came home and went to sleep, then I woke up and heard you whining, I asked what was wrong, and you ran off! Just like your slut of a mother, always running away!”
You Ruxu walked over to the man and showed her press badge, “Hello, I’m a reporter from Jindu TV’s midday news team. Are you certain about what you just said?”
The man, seeing You Ruxu, was momentarily stunned. This woman was incredibly beautiful. Others looked at him. The man puffed up his chest, “Of course I’m certain!”
You Ruxu said, “So you calling her mother a slut, that’s also accurate, and you’re willing to provide evidence?”
“I!” The man was speechless, just glaring at You Ruxu.
Yao Zhao called out timidly, “Reporter.”
You Ruxu stood in front of her and asked, “Can I take a look inside?”
The man blocked the door: “Why should I let you into my house?”
The two women chimed in, “Didn’t you say you didn’t hit Yao Zhao?”
“Exactly, if you didn’t hit her, then letting the reporter in will prove your innocence, what are you afraid of?”
The man said, “When was I ever afraid?” He looked at Yao Zhao. “You little brat, tell them, when did I ever hit you?”
You Ruxu also looked at Yao Zhao.
Yao Zhao said, “Half an hour ago, I came home from school, you told me to make dinner, I was a little slow…”
“You’re full of shit!” The man raised his hand, about to hit her, when You Ruxu grabbed his wrist, stopping him. He glared at Yao Zhao furiously, “Just like that bitch of a mother of yours! An ungrateful wretch!”
You Ruxu’s grip on his wrist prevented him from hitting Yao Zhao, but Yao Zhao still instinctively flinched, her fear evident as her face paled and her body tensed.
You Ruxu asked, “Have you called the police?”
The two women said, “Not yet, Yao Zhao said she would contact you.”
You Ruxu nodded, looking at the man, who yanked his hand away, still ranting. Zhou Tianzui arrived just then, seeing the commotion. She walked over to You Ruxu. You Ruxu said, “You’re here.”
Zhou Tianzui nodded.
She looked at Yao Zhao.
You Ruxu said, “Don’t be afraid, she’s a doctor.”
Yao Zhao visibly trembled. Zhou Tianzui looked at her, not saying anything, but gently touching the cut near her eye, “What did he hit you with?”
“A pen holder.” Yao Zhao’s voice was barely a whisper. Zhou Tianzui looked inside, past the man, at the messy apartment. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what had just happened. The man was still insisting, “I didn’t hit her!”
Perhaps because there were so many people watching, his tone softened slightly, “Reporter, I really didn’t hit her, she did it to herself…”
One of the neighbors couldn’t stand it anymore, “You really are, incorrigible!”
Yao Zhao hid behind You Ruxu, not daring to make a sound. More and more people gathered, many criticizing the man, who finally cursed and slammed the door shut. Yao Zhao flinched.
You Ruxu said, “Let’s go.”
She took Yao Zhao to the elevator, and as they went downstairs, she messaged Captain Zhou and said to Yao Zhao, “I’ll take you to the hospital first.”
“I’m fine.” Yao Zhao fidgeted with her fingers, “I’ll just buy a band-aid.”
You Ruxu said, “That won’t do.”
She looked at Zhou Tianzui, “Should I take her to my place? Until Captain Zhou arrives?”
Zhou Tianzui, looking at Yao Zhao, said, “I’ll go with you.”
You Ruxu said, “Okay, I can clean her wound.”
She looked at Yao Zhao: “Let’s go to my place first, is that okay?”
Yao Zhao, looking at You Ruxu, then at Zhou Tianzui, nodded: “Okay.”
You Ruxu drove. Zhou Tianzui and Yao Zhao sat in the back. They weren’t sitting too close, nor too far apart. Yao Zhao’s face remained pale, her body tense. Zhou Tianzui asked, “Relax, when did he start hitting you?”
“After New Year’s.” Yao Zhao said, “During the holidays.”
Zhou Tianzui nodded.
She didn’t say anything more.
The car was quiet, only the faint sound of music. They soon arrived. You Ruxu took Yao Zhao upstairs. Zhou Tianzui took out her medical kit and cleaned and bandaged Yao Zhao’s wound, her movements gentle. Yao Zhao whispered, “Thank you, doctor.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Your eye is injured, you should rest.”
Yao Zhao, still feeling very awkward and reserved, was only sitting on the edge of the sofa. Hearing Zhou Tianzui tell her to rest, she hesitated, then nodded, “Okay.”
You Ruxu poured a glass of water and placed it on the coffee table. Yao Zhao looked around the apartment, a small but cozy two-bedroom, completely different from her own home. She lowered her head. You Ruxu said, “Have some water.”
Yao Zhao said, “Okay, thank you.”
You Ruxu pursed her lips, her gaze towards Yao Zhao a mix of pity and something else.
Zhou Tianzui glanced at You Ruxu, then took the medical kit and went into the bedroom. You Ruxu followed her and asked, “Are you going back now?”
“I’ll wait and see.” Zhou Tianzui looked at You Ruxu, remembering her earlier expression, and called out, “A Ran.”
You Ruxu looked up, their eyes meeting.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Do you want to hand this case over to a colleague?”
You Ruxu said, “No.” Her tone was firm. “I’m covering this case.”
Zhou Tianzui, hearing this, didn’t try to persuade her further, her grip on the medical kit tightening.
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