Chapter 83
Li Qinyue figured it was almost time for Zhuo Zhi to get off work, so she sent her a message, but there was no reply.
After about ten minutes, she called, but Zhuo Zhi didn’t answer.
Li Qinyue quickly changed her clothes and was about to leave the apartment when her phone rang.
It was Zhuo Zhi. She quickly answered, “Officer Xiao Zhuo, you’re free now?”
But it wasn’t Zhuo Zhi. It was Officer Zhao, “Xiao Li, where are you now?”
Li Qinyue’s heart skipped a beat, “I’m about to leave the apartment, Brother Zhao, did something happen to Zhuo Zhi?”
“There was a minor accident,” Officer Zhao said quickly, afraid of alarming her too much, “But she’s fine, she’s at the Third Hospital now, getting checked up.”
“If she’s at the hospital, how can you say she’s fine?!” Li Qinyue’s voice rose sharply, along with her heart rate. “Where is she? Is she awake?”
Officer Zhao also panicked, “Xiao Li, don’t worry, don’t worry, she’s awake, I’ll let her talk to you.”
“Okay,” Li Qinyue’s hand was trembling.
There were muffled voices and sounds of movement on the other end. It only lasted a few seconds, but to Li Qinyue, it felt like an eternity.
Zhuo Zhi’s voice, a little hoarse, finally came through the phone, “Sister, I’m fine.”
Li Qinyue felt a slight sense of relief. She didn’t speak to Zhuo Zhi, but said, “Give the phone to Officer Zhao.”
Officer Zhao took the phone, “Xiao Li, don’t worry, come slowly.”
Li Qinyue took a deep breath, “I’m on my way, thank you for taking care of Zhuo Zhi.”
Officer Zhao quickly responded. Li Qinyue wanted to ask more questions, but her heart was pounding, so she just hung up.
The Third Hospital was quite far from White Birch Lane, and it was difficult to get a taxi today.
Li Qinyue couldn’t bear any further delay. She logged into her other WeChat account, scrolled through the flood of messages, then entered a group chat and sent her location.
-
Anyone nearby? Need a ride.
Her rich and idle friends were indeed faster than any ride-hailing app.
A car stopped in front of her. The driver greeted her excitedly, but Li Qinyue just got in and said curtly, “Don’t talk, Third Hospital.”
The driver, sensing her urgency, didn’t say a word, started the car, and even sped, running a red light.
When they reached the hospital, Li Qinyue jumped out and rushed inside. The elevator was packed, so she quickly turned and ran up the stairs.
She reached the fourth floor, breathless, and saw Officer Zhao as soon as she turned the corner.
Officer Zhao also saw her and hurried over, “Her head is fine, no internal injuries, just her arm…”
Li Qinyue’s brows furrowed.
“Fractured,” Officer Zhao said, “We just got the X-rays, the doctor is treating it now.”
“This room?” Li Qinyue pointed at a closed door.
“Yes.”
“Is there anyone with her?” Li Qinyue asked.
“Yes, Xiao Sun is inside.”
Li Qinyue’s frown deepened, “Officer Sun Qi, the one who was on duty with Zhuo Zhi?”
“Yes, he’s also injured, but insisted on staying with Zhuo Zhi.”
“Good,” Li Qinyue suddenly calmed down.
On her way to the hospital, she had thought of countless questions to ask, her anger directed at Zhuo Zhi, at Zhao Shangxing, even at the entire police system.
But now, hearing that Zhuo Zhi only had a fracture, her anger subsided.
She felt regret for having imagined worse scenarios, and relief that it wasn’t as bad as she had feared.
Now, her rationality told her to act like an adult, to handle the situation calmly, and not to overreact.
After all, she was representing Zhuo Zhi’s family now.
Li Qinyue pointed at a nearby chair, “Come on, Officer Zhao, let’s sit down and talk.”
She had tried to sound calm and composed, but to others, it probably didn’t come across that way.
As Officer Zhao sat down, he felt like he was being interrogated.
Li Qinyue said, “Please tell me about Zhuo Zhi’s injuries, and then explain how this accident happened.”
Zhao Shangxing was the one who had signed Zhuo Zhi’s recommendation letter, the one who had facilitated her employment at the station. Zhuo Zhi was young, and there was no precedent for hiring someone her age, but her exceptional martial arts skills had made everyone overlook that issue.
Now that something had happened, he was naturally responsible.
Especially seeing Li Qinyue’s eyes, barely suppressing her anger, he knew he had to be honest and not hide anything.
“A closed fracture, the doctor said it’s not serious…” Zhao Shangxing started explaining the situation. When he reached the part where Zhuo Zhi had saved Sun Qi by pushing him out of the way of the truck, his hands clenched, his palms sweating.
Li Qinyue remained silent.
Zhao Shangxing added more explanations, consolations, and reassurances, but Li Qinyue still didn’t speak.
Zhao Shangxing didn’t know what to do, so he just looked at her apologetically.
Then he saw Li Qinyue’s lips tremble. She leaned back against the wall, as if all the strength had drained from her body.
Li Qinyue didn’t look at him. She stared at the hospital ceiling for a while. Two gurneys carrying critically injured patients passed by in the hallway.
The buzzing in her ears gradually faded, and she finally spoke, “Isn’t this a miracle?”
Zhao Shangxing was about to nod, then hesitated and said, “It’s fortunate that Zhuo Zhi was there, otherwise Xiao Sun might have…”
Li Qinyue closed her eyes, “Yes, yes.”
Her tone was unreadable, so Zhao Shangxing didn’t dare to speak, just waited quietly with her.
Zhuo Zhi knew that Li Qinyue had arrived, so after her arm was put in a cast, she immediately got up, ready to leave.
The nurse stopped her, “Wait, we haven’t treated your face yet.”
“My face is fine,” Zhuo Zhi tried to pull her hand away, but the nurse held on tight.
The nurse was surprisingly strong. She pulled Zhuo Zhi back onto the chair, “How is it fine? You have a scrape here, a girl’s face is important, we need to disinfect it and clean it up so it won’t leave a scar.”
“They already treated it in the emergency room…” Zhuo Zhi was anxious.
“Why are you in such a hurry?!” the nurse said, her voice rising slightly, “This is for your own good, sit still! Don’t move!”
Sun Qi, who was waiting outside, also said immediately, “Don’t rush, Zhuo Zhi, listen to the doctor.”
Zhuo Zhi could only sit still, watching the nurse’s uniform and smelling the antiseptic.
Although this examination room wasn’t open to the public, it wasn’t strictly off-limits to companions either.
Li Qinyue had arrived at the hospital, but she hadn’t rushed in to see her. Zhuo Zhi knew she must be furious.
Last time, with just a stolen phone, it had taken so long to coax her, this time… The more Zhuo Zhi thought about it, the more anxious she felt, a sense of panic rising within her, the fear of losing Li Qinyue.
The fear made her break out in a cold sweat.
The moment the nurse finished treating her face, Zhuo Zhi jumped off the chair and rushed out.
This time, no one could stop her.
The nurse didn’t try to stop her either. She turned to Sun Qi, “You’re next, your face is a mess.”
“I’m fine,” Sun Qi said, trying to follow Zhuo Zhi, “I…”
“If you two are really fine, why are you even at the hospital?!” the nurse grabbed his arm, “It’s New Year’s, how can you face your family like this?”
Sun Qi still looked at Zhuo Zhi, “Zhuo Zhi, you…”
“Don’t worry about me, my sister is here,” Zhuo Zhi waved her hand and left the room.
Sun Qi wanted to follow her, but the nurse held him back, “Okay, her family is here, worry about yourself first.”
“I need to explain to her sister, I need to apologize…”
“No one blames you for this,” the nurse pushed him back onto the chair, “It was an accident. Isn’t there another officer outside? Just rest for a bit and let us treat your injuries.”
“But mine are just minor…”
“Okay,” the nurse pressed a cotton swab against his wound, silencing him with a hiss.
After his hiss of pain, the nurse’s hand became gentler, “Thank you for your hard work.”
Sun Qi smiled, wincing slightly, “Thank you too.”
Zhuo Zhi left the examination room, turned a couple of corners, and finally found Li Qinyue.
Li Qinyue was talking to the head nurse at the information desk, typing on her phone as she spoke.
Zhuo Zhi, seeing her, was momentarily stunned. Li Qinyue was beautiful, no matter what she wore, no matter her mood, she was always captivating.
Zhuo Zhi clenched her left hand, her injured hand, thinking, if the truck had been just a little bit closer, she might never see this beautiful person again.
Her heart pounded in her chest. At this moment, she mentally slapped herself, finally understanding what it meant to be truly afraid.
She didn’t regret her actions, but she was scared.
Zhuo Zhi stared at Li Qinyue, her gaze lingering, until Li Qinyue turned and looked at her.
The distance between them felt like a blurred image on a TV screen. Zhuo Zhi felt like they could see into each other’s souls.
Zhuo Zhi smiled faintly, making a silent promise. No matter how angry Li Qinyue was, she would coax her patiently, no matter how long it took.
Li Qinyue shifted her weight, and Zhuo Zhi quickly walked towards her.
She was fast, and by the time she reached Li Qinyue, Li Qinyue had only just turned around, taking one step.
“Sister…” Zhuo Zhi called out, “I wasn’t…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence. Li Qinyue reached out and hugged her.
It was a gentle hug, a careful hug, avoiding her injured arm, a hug that barely touched her shoulders.
But it was enough to make Zhuo Zhi speechless, her heart swelling with emotion, tears welling up in her eyes.
Li Qinyue’s hand rested on her head, gently stroking her hair, “Don’t cry, you have medicine on your face.”
Zhuo Zhi had never seen Li Qinyue so gentle, so caring, so forgiving.
This Li Qinyue wasn’t angry, wasn’t frowning, but her concern was palpable.
“Wait a minute, I have a few questions for the doctor,” Li Qinyue said, “Are you done here?”
“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi nodded vigorously, “The doctor said I can go home tonight.”
“You want to go home, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Good, we’ll go home soon,” Li Qinyue smiled, “Your heroic right hand is out of commission, I can finally relax.”
Zhuo Zhi immediately understood what she meant. Her worries vanished like a feather in the wind, and she smiled, “I still have my left hand.”
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