Chapter 90: Downstairs
“Zhou Yun?” Zhou Tianzui looked at You Ruxu, “You suspect him?”
You Ruxu said, “My father used to say, you can’t just look at a single crime in isolation.” You had to consider all the related people and events. Although their analysis yesterday might have been wrong, and Zhou Heng also had a motive to kill Xu Jinwan, currently, they had reason to suspect Zhou Yun.
Because in this incident, he was the one who ultimately benefited the most.
However, she felt that if it was really Zhou Yun, he wouldn’t leave any evidence so easily.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Then why submit the request?”
You Ruxu said, “It’s called ‘luring the snake out of its hole.’”
Zhou Tianzui glared at her, “It’s called putting yourself in danger!”
You Ruxu said, “If it’s really him, he’ll definitely come looking for me.” Her tone was serious. “Xu Jinwan’s death isn’t enough to convict Zhou Heng.” They needed more pressure.
Or rather, more public outcry.
And where would that come from?
From her.
Zhou Tianzui put down her chopsticks and looked at You Ruxu, her fearlessness only fueling her anger. Her voice darkened, “You’re this happy about using yourself as bait to catch the killer?”
You Ruxu looked at her, paused, and said, “I just want to catch the killer as soon as possible.”
Zhou Tianzui: “Don’t give me that.”
She was fuming.
Zhou Tianzui completely lost her appetite.
You Ruxu, seeing that she had barely touched her food, sat beside her, her voice softening slightly, “Zhou Tianzui.”
Her tone made Zhou Tianzui think she was about to say something sweet and tender, almost seductive. Zhou Tianzui’s stern facade almost crumbled. You Ruxu said, “If you were in my shoes, you would do the same.”
Zhou Tianzui retorted, “I’m not as noble as Teacher You.”
You Ruxu said, “What if you encountered a patient in danger, would you save her or not?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “That’s completely different!”
“It’s exactly the same.” You Ruxu said, “You would save her, it’s your duty as a doctor, you wouldn’t give up even if there was only a sliver of hope. It’s the same for me, uncovering the truth is my duty, I’ll pursue every lead, no matter how small.”
Because that sliver of hope, that one in ten thousand chance.
To many, was everything.
So many unsolved cases, if there was even the slightest chance, perhaps they could catch the killer, bring peace to the deceased, ease the families’ pain, and let the public know the truth, so the discussions wouldn’t just be gossip, but a testament to justice.
Zhou Tianzui looked at You Ruxu.
You Ruxu said, “What?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Why aren’t you being a blockhead now?”
You Ruxu said, “I’m not a blockhead.”
Zhou Tianzui pretended not to hear, “What?”
You Ruxu rolled her eyes.
Zhou Tianzui chuckled, exasperated, “I’m not eating anymore.”
You Ruxu said, “Aren’t you hungry?”
Zhou Tianzui: “I am.”
You Ruxu frowned: “Then why aren’t you eating?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Feed me.”
You Ruxu wanted to shove the spoon in her mouth!
She hadn’t had much of an appetite herself, thinking about Xu Jinwan, but Zhou Tianzui’s antics made her eat more, the warm food comforting her. Her complexion also improved. After dinner, they sat in the car for a while.
You Ruxu was busy with work, constantly replying to messages.
Zhou Tianzui was busy looking at her.
You Ruxu’s eyes, light-colored, reflected the glow of the laptop screen, the words and symbols imprinted in them. Zhou Tianzui, finding it amusing, reached out and covered You Ruxu’s eyes.
Suddenly, darkness.
You Ruxu pulled her hand away, “What are you doing?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Watching you work.”
You Ruxu said, “Just a few more minutes, I’m waiting for an email.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Okay, Teacher You is always the busiest.”
You Ruxu’s ears turned slightly red.
She couldn’t stand the formal address now, it sounded more suggestive than even “A Ran.” Zhou Tianzui touched her earlobe, and You Ruxu moved away, Zhou Tianzui sitting up straight.
The email soon arrived.
You Ruxu closed her laptop, “Let’s go home.”
Zhou Tianzui drove, You Ruxu in the passenger seat. The streets were crowded, the festive atmosphere of the approaching New Year palpable, shops decorated with colorful lights, red lanterns hanging from the trees, but the rain from last night made the air damp and chilly.
When they arrived home, Zhou Tianzui filled the tub for You Ruxu, telling her to take a bath. You Ruxu relaxed in the warm water, almost dozing off, when Zhou Tianzui’s phone rang, the sound so loud she could hear it even in the bathroom. You Ruxu quickly rinsed off and came out, hearing Zhou Tianzui say into the phone, “I understand, I’ll be right there.”
You Ruxu asked, “Something wrong at the hospital?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Something came up, you go to sleep if you’re tired, I might be late.”
A premature baby, needing a C-section, but the family refused, insisting on a natural birth, they had been arguing for two days. The mother started experiencing abdominal pain in the afternoon, changing her mind back and forth, and now, seeing her in so much pain, the family panicked and started causing a commotion. Fu Shushu was currently in surgery, attending to a pregnant woman injured in a car accident, so they called Zhou Tianzui.
When Zhou Tianzui arrived at the hospital, Lin Luo was trying to reason with the family, the husband’s voice loud and agitated, “Where’s the doctor? Where’s that Dr. Zhou? She said this afternoon that we could have a C-section!”
Lin Luo explained, “Dr. Zhou is off duty.”
“Then doesn’t your hospital have any other doctors?!” His voice rose sharply. Zhou Tianzui, putting on her gloves, stood behind him. Lin Luo’s eyes lit up, “Dr. Zhou!”
The husband turned around. His blustering stopped abruptly, meeting Zhou Tianzui’s gaze. His voice lowered involuntarily, “Dr. Zhou, please examine my wife!”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Wait outside.”
The man hurried out, glancing back at his wife worriedly. Zhou Tianzui drew the curtains, examined the patient, and wrote a prescription. Lin Luo, who had been running around non-stop, took the prescription, whispering, “Dr. Zhou, it’s been so hectic today, the families are all so difficult.”
A hint of complaint in her voice.
Zhou Tianzui glanced at her, “Even if they’re difficult, you have to communicate with them properly. I remember communication with family members is a required course, did you pass?”
Lin Luo, taken aback, thinking Zhou Tianzui was unhappy with her complaint, quickly said, “Of course I passed.”
Zhou Tianzui smiled faintly. Lin Luo, relieved, heard her say, “Take her to the operating room.”
Lin Luo said, “Okay.”
Zhou Tianzui removed her gloves and messaged You Ruxu: [I’m at the hospital.]
You Ruxu, leaning against a pillow, was reading the messages in the group chat. After Xu Jinwan’s death, the group had become much quieter, the discussions subdued, everyone’s tone serious and professional.
Regarding You Ruxu taking over the Fengyuan story.
Teams 1 and 3 were no longer as sarcastic as before.
“We used to call her pretentious, a fake ‘bright moon,’ who knew she was the real deal.”
“Indeed.”
A few people had bought coffee for You Ruxu. She wasn’t in the office. Chen Xiang called her to tell her, “Teacher You, I never knew the three teams could be so harmonious.”
You Ruxu was also surprised.
Even the leader of Team 1 put aside her prejudice and cooperated with Shi Qi. Now, the entire TV station had only one goal.
To find the killer as soon as possible.
You Ruxu replied to the message, got out of bed to pour herself some water, and saw the doll by the water dispenser. Zhou Tianzui had chuckled when she bought it, “You’re not expecting me to cuddle with that, are you?”
Not for cuddling, but Zhou Tianzui seemed to enjoy playing with it, even giving it a new hairstyle when she was bored. You Ruxu chuckled, took the doll, and sat down on the sofa. Her phone lit up, it was a message from Zhou Tianzui, telling her she had arrived at the hospital.
She replied with an emoji, put down her phone, and played with the doll. The arm fell off again, she didn’t know if the joint was loose, it kept falling off. Exasperated, she reattached it. Looking at the doll, she thought of Xu Jinwan.
Their last meeting.
Outside the abandoned building. If she had stopped Xu Jinwan then, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened. You Ruxu absently played with the doll’s hair, then after a while, put it down on the coffee table and went to her room.
She didn’t know when Zhou Tianzui would be back.
She felt a little restless.
Lying in her familiar bed, hugging her familiar teddy bear, surrounded by familiar scents, yet sleep wouldn’t come. She opened WeChat and found Zhou Tianzui’s previous voice messages.
“I’m going to work now.”
“Just finished a surgery, I’ll call you later.”
“A Ran, what are you doing?”
You Ruxu clicked on the last message and replayed it.
“A Ran, what are you doing?”
Once.
Again.
She dreamt of Zhou Tianzui’s voice, pulling her to stand in front of Yu Qiao, “Mom, let me introduce you, this is You Ruxu.”
Yu Qiao, looking indifferent, said, “I know, Xiao Xu.”
Zhou Tianzui then said, “She’s Shi Ran.”
Yu Qiao chuckled, “Shi Ran, is it?”
Then she walked over and suddenly pushed her. You Ruxu fell into an abyss, a sudden jolt waking her up, her neck covered in sweat, a chilling coldness. She reached for her phone and checked the time, it was 11:30 pm, Zhou Tianzui still wasn’t back.
Thinking about the dream, You Ruxu felt uneasy. She called Zhou Tianzui, who sounded surprised, “You’re still awake?”
“I just woke up.” You Ruxu said, “You haven’t finished work yet?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “I’ll be done soon.”
You Ruxu gave a small “oh” and said, “Drive safe.”
Zhou Tianzui agreed.
After hanging up, You Ruxu got up to pour herself a glass of water. Her phone rang again. She thought it was Zhou Tianzui, but it was an unknown number. You Ruxu paused for two seconds, then answered, “Hello?”
The person on the other end asked, “Is this Reporter You?”
You Ruxu immediately recognized his voice, “You’re the person in charge of the construction site?”
“Yes, it’s me.” The man’s voice was low, the wind whistling in the background, “I have something for you.”
You Ruxu said, “What is it?”
“It’s Xu Jinwan’s.” The man said, “Xu Jinwan, she—she often met people at the site, she came to see me that day and said if anything happened to her, I should give this USB drive to you.”
A USB drive. You Ruxu gripped her phone tightly, “Where are you?”
The man, standing in the wind, looked up, “I’m downstairs.”
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