Chapter 9: Controversy
When You Ruxu arrived at the explosion site, rows of yellow warning lines were in place. Shi Qi was standing in the crowd, countless reporters from various newspapers jostling to get closer. Many freelance media personnel were there too, some live streaming, also stuck at the edge, all wanting to capture some exclusive news. Some were even climbing on others’ shoulders. You Ruxu walked over. Shi Qi said, “We can’t get anything here. We’ll go to the hospital later.”
Her tone was hurried. Chen Xiang was also beside her, along with a few other colleagues from the midday news team. At this moment, there was no rivalry. In the presence of other TV stations, they were one team.
You Ruxu asked, “What’s the situation?”
“I heard they produced a batch of fireworks that didn’t meet standards and were starting to investigate. This morning, the warehouse manager wanted to destroy them in advance, but unexpectedly, it triggered an explosion.” Chen Xiang said, “It was just as people were starting work. The employees didn’t even know what was happening when it exploded.”
Preliminary estimates indicated at least forty or fifty injured employees, possibly more.
This fireworks factory was the largest in Jindu, so there were many employees. Fortunately, it was morning, and many employees hadn’t arrived yet, otherwise, there would have been more casualties.
You Ruxu watched as people were carried out, medical staff rushing in and out. The sirens of fire trucks and ambulances blared incessantly. She asked, “Can we go inside?”
“It’s still burning.” Chen Xiang shook her head, “Probably can’t go in.”
You Ruxu nodded and heard a heart-wrenching cry from nearby: “Xiao Chen! Xiao Chen! My son!” The crying was heartbreaking. Chen Xiang said, “That’s a victim’s family member. Their house is right next to it, closest to the explosion site. He died on the spot.”
Camera flashes went off, focusing on the middle-aged woman and man. The woman was sobbing uncontrollably. The man was silent, as if he had lost his soul, not even trying to comfort the woman. The woman knelt on the ground, crying her heart out. A reporter went up: “Excuse me, are you Chen Mo’s parents?”
“Excuse me, did Chen Mo die on the spot?”
“Hello…”
It was like rubbing salt in the wound. Hearing these questions, the woman’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted, being carried onto a nearby vehicle. The man quickly followed. The scene was chaotic, filled with all sorts of noises, the arriving family members, reporters from various TV stations and newspapers. You Ruxu smelled the burning, her ears assaulted by the escalating noise. Shi Qi said, “Team 3 stay here, let’s go to the hospital.”
Team 3 was the evening news team. The morning news was Team 1, and they were Team 2.
You Ruxu looked at the rising black smoke. Shi Qi called out, “Xiao Xu?”
She came back to her senses: “Coming.”
You Ruxu quickly caught up with Shi Qi and rushed to the hospital. The hospital’s emergency room was full of patients, every department extremely busy. Those with minor injuries were bandaged first, while those with severe injuries were immediately taken into surgery. Zhou Tianzui was also pulled into the emergency room to help, along with He Wei and Lin Luo. He Wei had never seen such a scene. It was like a TV drama, the injured being brought in batch after batch. Some family members of the victims had also suffered breakdowns and were sent to the hospital. The emergency room was packed with people, and it was difficult for her to even turn around. Lin Luo, who came in with her, pulled her aside: “He Wei, let’s help too.”
“How can you help?” He Wei said, “Do you even know what’s going on?”
Lin Luo held back.
She didn’t dare argue with He Wei and could only help guide patients to the different departments. Two people rushed in through the main entrance: “Doctor! Doctor, come quickly! This pregnant woman is hemorrhaging!”
The voice was urgent, but in this environment, it was completely drowned out. Seeing this scene, He Wei thought of Zhou Tianzui and quickly pulled someone nearby: “Where’s Dr. Zhou?”
“In the operating room!” The nurse quickly replied. He Wei asked again, “Where’s Dr. Fu?”
“They’re all in the operating room!”
Hearing about the hemorrhage, the nurse panicked: “I’ll go get Dr. Zhou!”
He Wei said, “I’ll go!”
As she spoke, she saw Lin Luo following the pregnant woman into an empty emergency room.
Beads of sweat formed on Zhou Tianzui’s forehead. She hadn’t had a moment’s rest since arriving at the hospital, performing surgeries one after another. This fireworks factory had been around for many years, and people from the surrounding area worked there. Many were newly married and pregnant. Not only the obstetrics and gynecology department, but also the surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics departments had to gather to discuss surgical plans. As soon as one surgery ended, another one immediately followed.
She didn’t stop for a moment, not even having time to check the time, her hands constantly moving. Her assistant wiped the sweat from her forehead.
This was the chaotic scene You Ruxu saw when she arrived at the hospital.
She heard Shi Qi ask, “Where’s Zhang Xiaojie?”
The nurse was too busy to look up: “Excuse me, please make way, make way.”
Shi Qi asked again, “Hello, where’s Zhang Xiaojie?”
“Zhang Xiaojie? Are you a family member?” The nurse was constantly on the move, typing on the computer. Shi Qi said, “Yes.”
The nurse said, “Zhang Xiaojie is still in surgery.”
“In Emergency Room 3.”
Hearing this, the reporters behind Shi Qi immediately rushed forward. Shi Qi hadn’t brought a camera and had taken off her press badge before arriving. She put it back on now and said, “When Zhang Xiaojie comes out, whether he’s conscious or not, take pictures first. If he’s conscious, we’ll try to get a first-hand report.”
You Ruxu stood behind her and said, “I know.”
Emergency carts were constantly being pushed back and forth beside her. The spacious emergency room felt cramped, filled with the smell of blood and the strong scent of disinfectant. You Ruxu’s expression was serious as she followed Shi Qi to the door of Emergency Room 3. The doctors went in and out several times. She heard someone nearby on the phone: “What? His wife is also at the hospital? About to give birth?”
He didn’t seem like a reporter, more like a freelance media person.
“What’s her name?”
Hearing the conversation, You Ruxu turned her head and exchanged a glance with Shi Qi. Shi Qi said, “Follow him.”
She lowered her head and quickly followed the man to the nurse’s station. The man avoided the crowd and went to the bathroom. You Ruxu couldn’t help but ask the nurse, “Hello, has a pregnant woman been admitted recently? About to give birth.”
The nurse didn’t look up: “Several. Who are you looking for?”
You Ruxu looked at the message on her phone: “Zeng Jing.”
“Let me check.” The nurse checked the computer records and said, “No.”
You Ruxu frowned.
The nurse asked another nurse, “Is there a Zeng Jing in the records?”
“Zeng Jing?” The nurse handed over the record sheet, “Look for yourself, I need to find Dr. Zhao.”
The record sheet wouldn’t normally be shown to outsiders, but today’s situation was special. There were too many people injured in the explosion, and family members were making a fuss because they couldn’t find their loved ones. So, the record sheet of those admitted today was placed on the counter, allowing family members to find which ward or emergency room their relatives were in and where to pay the fees. You Ruxu looked down, checking twice, but didn’t see Zeng Jing’s name. Her brows furrowed.
You Ruxu asked, “Are the names of everyone admitted here listed here?”
“All the current records are here.” As the nurse finished speaking, her phone rang. She held the phone between her ear and shoulder, typing, her hands and mind constantly working. You Ruxu checked one last time, and only after confirming there was no Zeng Jing’s name did she walk back.
Shi Qi was surprised to see her return: “Did you find her?”
“No.” You Ruxu said, “The hospital has no record of her.”
“Could she have been sent to another hospital?” Shi Qi said, “I’ll ask them to check again.”
There were a few more reporters at the door of Emergency Room 3, all watching inside. Two of them paced back and forth. You Ruxu looked down at her messages, hearing the familiar cries and shouts: “You damned murderer! Zhang Xiaojie, you should be dead! Why wasn’t it you who died! Why!”
It was Chen Mo’s mother.
You Ruxu saw the camera flashes directed at her, the focus immediately shifting to her. Shi Qi also stood beside her. Chen Mo’s mother had been brought in unconscious. When she woke up, she asked for Zhang Xiaojie and was told he was still in surgery. Overwhelmed with anger, she immediately came to bang on the door.
“Excuse me, please keep your voice down.” The nurse tried to stop her. The woman’s tears flowed uncontrollably: “Keep my voice down? Will Zhang Xiaojie hear me if I keep my voice down? Zhang Xiaojie, can you hear me? You should be dead! You should be dead! Why are you alive! Why are you alive! My son is dead, he just graduated from university, he’d only been working for two years, he wasn’t even married yet…”
The woman sobbed uncontrollably, her grief moving everyone present. Anyone encountering such a thing would find it impossible to remain calm. A son just graduated from university, at the prime of his life, no parent could bear such a sudden loss.
Thinking of how he had been perfectly fine, saying goodbye to his family before going to work, and now, only a few hours later, they could only see his cold body, everyone present was silent. The woman’s voice wasn’t shrill, but the emotions she expressed were deeply moving.
The nurse still wanted to stop her, but another nurse pulled her aside and said, “Let Dr. Zhao handle it.”
Today was too busy, too chaotic, everyone was overwhelmed. Zhang Xiaojie was still in surgery, and several other family members of the victims had arrived, cursing at Zhang Xiaojie. You Ruxu said, “I’m going out for a bit.”
Shi Qi nodded.
You Ruxu found some fireworks factory employees who hadn’t started their shift yet, hoping to learn about Zhang Xiaojie’s character from them. Chen Xiang helped her contact a few people. As You Ruxu was walking out, she suddenly saw a man, the one who had answered the phone and said Zhang Xiaojie’s wife was also in the hospital. He was looking at his phone while looking around, then entered a nearby elevator. You Ruxu thought for a few seconds and followed him.
The man went up to the third floor. You Ruxu followed behind. It was quieter up here, not as noisy, with far fewer people. The man pushed open a door and went in. You Ruxu frowned, seeing a sign on the door that read “Hospital Staff Only.” Her brows furrowed. She hesitated for a few seconds, then followed him inside.
Inside, there was a smaller room, which seemed to be a lounge for doctors. White coats hung on the wall. The door was half-open, and she heard a familiar voice.
“Who performed the emergency treatment on the patient?” The voice was so familiar that You Ruxu immediately recognized it as Zhou Tianzui’s.
Zhou Tianzui looked sternly at the two people in front of her.
He Wei glanced at the person beside her and said, “I did.”
You Ruxu heard a click. The man in front hadn’t turned off the sound on his phone. Hearing the noise, Zhou Tianzui immediately walked to the door, opened it, and saw You Ruxu standing outside.
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