Qin Auntie, Save Me [Rebirth] 10

Chapter 10: Save Me!

The July morning in Meng City was already warm. While it wasn’t noticeable inside the car, standing outside for twenty minutes was quite uncomfortable.

Li Wan raised her right hand to shield her forehead from the sun, a futile gesture. As agreed, she had accompanied Qin Qianrou to Central Hospital first, then they would head to the station for work.

The team leader hadn’t been present yesterday, so they were at a disadvantage in the project meeting, but Lin Shuangzhi had said she would organize another discussion, which meant they had a better chance. Qin Qianrou hadn’t explicitly stated it, but Li Wan knew that rushing to the hospital so early in the morning, besides keeping her promise to Shen Yiqiu, was mainly to gather some clues about Dongsheng Group to strengthen their position in the next meeting.

However, the more anxious she became, the more she perspired. Li Wan wanted to leave quickly, but the traffic officer in front of her had other plans.

“Officer, could you let us handle our business first? We really have something important to do. You have our contact information, or we can come to the Traffic Police Brigade to find you later.”

Li Wan’s urgency seemed ordinary to Chen Kang. Dealing with various traffic accidents daily, he rarely encountered calm and composed individuals at the scene.

“Miss Li, I understand your situation. But you’re key witnesses, and according to regulations, we must record the basic information on the spot.”

Li Wan rolled her eyes helplessly and said pathetically, “Qianrou…”

Qin Qianrou glanced at her calmly, her arms crossed, her expression hidden behind her sunglasses. Chen Kang stole a few glances while recording information; as he suspected, she seemed cold.

They had rushed out after a quick wash-up this morning. Li Wan, saying it was unsafe for Qin Qianrou to drive after an all-nighter, had volunteered to drive. The roads were relatively empty in the early morning. Qin Qianrou ate a small pastry in the car and prepared another one for Li Wan to have after they arrived.

But just ten minutes away from Central Hospital, at an intersection, Li Wan suddenly slammed on the brakes. This was a shortcut known only to locals, passing through a short residential area and leading directly to the back entrance of Central Hospital.

Although Qin Qianrou hadn’t rushed her, Li Wan had wasted some extra time choosing her clothes and shoes this morning. Qianrou was always punctual for her interviews, and she didn’t want to be the reason for her to break the habit.

“What’s wrong?” Qin Qianrou, who was touching up her makeup, looked up, puzzled.

Li Wan pointed out the window. Qin Qianrou followed her gaze and saw an elderly man sitting on the ground on the not-so-wide road ahead, with a woman holding an electric scooter standing next to him.

“Let’s go see if we can help.” Seeing that the woman wasn’t helping the old man up, Qin Qianrou unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and got out.

Li Wan followed her. As they approached, they heard an argument.

“How were you driving? Swerving all over the place and bumping into me!” The man, about sixty years old, was wearing medium-length pants; his knee was scraped and bleeding slightly.

The woman, about thirty years old, explained, “Sir, this is the road for vehicles. You weren’t walking on the sidewalk but trying to compete for space with my scooter. And I clearly honked my horn when I was turning; you still insisted on trying to beat me.”

The old man rubbed his leg and glared at her, “So? You hit someone and you don’t even apologize? You think just because I’m old, you can bully me? The sidewalk is full of things; how could I walk there?”

The young woman’s voice was anxious and aggrieved, “How can you be so unreasonable? It was clearly your fault. Playing the victim card and blaming others. Unbelievable!”

Li Wan glanced at Qin Qianrou and whispered, “I saw the scooter hit him.” She paused, then added, “But I also saw that when the scooter was turning, the old man, who was initially walking parallel to it, suddenly darted across…”

The implication was that the old man had intentionally bumped into the scooter.

Qin Qianrou was slightly shocked but quickly regained her composure. Such incidents had become more frequent in recent years, so she wasn’t completely surprised. However, she still couldn’t accept such behavior. Even though the environment seemed to be deteriorating, and more and more people chose to turn a blind eye, Qin Qianrou still held onto her initial aspirations, hoping to show the world more of its true colors.

“This is a residential area; the collision spot must be a blind spot for surveillance cameras.” Qin Qianrou surveyed the surroundings, her eyes dimming.

They listened from afar for a while. The old man was relentless, insisting on dragging the young woman to the hospital for a check-up and saying he would call his family for support and demand an explanation. Exasperated, the young woman’s voice became increasingly shrill, “Why don’t you go rob someone?!”

Qin Qianrou shook her head and stepped forward.

“You’re both insisting on your own versions; continuing to argue won’t achieve anything. I suggest you call the traffic police to resolve this. That would be best for both of you.”

As soon as Qin Qianrou made the suggestion, the two people who had been arguing fiercely were stunned, then both shook their heads.

The old man seemed a little guilty, not daring to meet Qin Qianrou’s eyes, but muttering, “What’s the use of calling the traffic police? A waste of time and they won’t do anything. Something that can be settled with a few hundred yuan, why involve the police?”

After saying this, he deliberately glanced at the young woman.

The woman, who had previously refused to back down, seemed to waver. Qin Qianrou initially didn’t understand her reaction.

“Do you have any concerns?” Sensing her hesitation, Qin Qianrou asked.

“Calling the traffic police is pointless. They’ll just try to mediate and smooth things over. In the end, I’ll still have to pay the few hundred yuan.” The young woman forced a smile; it seemed she wasn’t dealing with the traffic police for the first time.

Qin Qianrou keenly perceived her distrust of the traffic police, a sentiment she had encountered many times during her interviews. These people were mostly ordinary citizens, working in various grassroots jobs.

Their subjective avoidance of seeking professional help in times of trouble indicated a lack of confidence in public authority. Qin Qianrou knew that in recent years, some incidents had indeed had a negative impact on society. The unprofessional, and sometimes even unethical, behavior of certain public officials had disappointed the public.

But Qin Qianrou hadn’t given up on proving to everyone that light still existed. If they encountered darkness, they shouldn’t detour, but dispel the darkness and welcome the dawn.

“Don’t worry, my friend witnessed the incident. We’ll truthfully recount the facts when the traffic police arrive.”

Qin Qianrou’s words slightly appeased the woman, but she was still hesitant.

“But I have to pick up my child. She stayed at her grandmother’s last night, and I promised to take her to kindergarten this morning.”

Calling the traffic police would definitely take time, and no one wanted to delay their own affairs.

Li Wan frowned at the stalemate; they were running out of time. She glanced at Qin Qianrou, wanting to remind her, but the words wouldn’t come out. She couldn’t stand idly by either. If this matter was settled privately, it would only further disillusion those who experienced similar situations.

Rebuilding public trust was everyone’s responsibility, especially for them, as journalists and witnesses.

“Xiao Wan, call the traffic police.”

Twenty minutes later, Chen Kang from the Traffic Police Brigade arrived. After listening to both sides, he had a general understanding of the situation. But the information provided by Li Wan and Qin Qianrou was also essential. This delay made them completely late.

Qin Qianrou was anxious, but she hadn’t gotten Shen Yiqiu’s contact information last night, and with Auntie Liu present, it wouldn’t be convenient to look for her. She glanced at the nearby Central Hospital and sighed inwardly.

If given the choice again, she would still make the same decision. There were priorities, and going to the hospital was to finalize Shen Yiqiu’s discharge, which, compared to this sudden incident, was within her planned schedule.

If she had turned a blind eye, the concept of justice would gradually erode in the hearts of passersby. Until one day, the audience would view programs exposing the truth as a joke.

She didn’t want to be a contributor to such apathy, but she didn’t think being late was justified either. On her way to the ward, Qin Qianrou pondered how best to explain herself to Shen Yiqiu.

She had interviewed many people and seen various expressions. But this was the first time she had thought about a pouting, softly complaining face before even meeting the person.

Qin Qianrou looked at the ward just ahead. She hadn’t come up with a concrete solution along the way, but as she reached the door, inspiration seemed to strike.

Should she just try to coax her later? She was still a child, after all.

Having found a solution, Qin Qianrou felt inexplicably relieved. The fatigue from the all-nighter and the annoyance from the incident on the road were temporarily suppressed. She adjusted her emotions and prepared to push the door open.

Li Wan, as she had done yesterday, waited outside. Shen Yiqiu had specifically asked to see Qin Qianrou, but not her, and Li Wan wasn’t one to impose herself. Although she was curious about this person who had been lucky enough to survive but unfortunate enough to lose both parents, she chose to wait quietly now.

The ward was still quiet, but the atmosphere was noticeably different. Qin Qianrou sensed the change as soon as she stepped inside. Looking closely, she realized there were several other people in the ward besides Shen Yiqiu.

She recognized Shao Qidong immediately. As for the other two, she didn’t know who they were, but seeing them standing opposite Shao Qidong, forming a triangle with Shen Yiqiu’s bed, it was easy to imagine their relationship dynamics.

Qin Qianrou nodded to Shao Qidong in greeting. Just as she was about to speak, her attention was drawn to Shen Yiqiu on the bed.

The girl’s face was pale, with a faint trace of blood on her lips, clearly from biting herself. Despite the early hour, there was fatigue in Shen Yiqiu’s eyes, not from lack of sleep, but from utter exhaustion.

Qin Qianrou sometimes felt this way too, mentally and physically drained after long and pointless debates.

But when she had met Shen Yiqiu last night, she hadn’t been like this. Could it be that the sudden change in her expression before they left last night had already indicated her discomfort?

Qin Qianrou’s doubts deepened, but her steps didn’t falter as she walked towards the bed.

As soon as she stopped, something soft and warm suddenly landed in her arms.

Shen Yiqiu practically buried her entire head in Qin Qianrou’s embrace. Qin Qianrou, unaccustomed to such contact, didn’t push her away.

“You…” What was wrong?

Before Qin Qianrou could ask, the soft body in her arms moved again. She looked down and saw the still pale face, but with more light in her eyes than before.

Then, Shen Yiqiu cried out desperately, “Waaah, Qin Auntie, you finally came!”

Hearing “Auntie” again, and in front of so many people, Qin Qianrou’s temples throbbed.

But Shen Yiqiu was relentless, clinging to her arm, refusing to let go, and pleading, “Qin Auntie, you have to save me!”

Comments

2 responses to “Qin Auntie, Save Me [Rebirth] 10”

  1. SluggishReader Avatar
    SluggishReader

    Girl is that even more justisfied than a teenager losing her freedom? THINK CLEARLY, she need you yet u aren’t genuine enough to help her. You already know what kind of person the penilless guy and u still vhoose rhat random stranger

  2. Bao Bao Avatar
    Bao Bao

    In this scenario, you can’t really dislike her. It’s all the author’s way of trying to drag out the suspense for the readers and attempting to establish her character of a bringer of justice. I don’t particularly like the way it’s written. The author seems so verbose. I get that she’s trying to build the character, their position in society, etc etc., but at this point, it’s just giving the opposite effect. I won’t drop it yet, might be better later on.

    Thank you for the translation!!

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