Chapter 21: A Glimmer of Hope
Jiang Yuan’s face held more confusion than shock. She had been talking to Shen Yiqiu when the girl’s expression suddenly changed, and she rushed out without a word, leaving Jiang Yuan no time to react, only able to stare after her in bewilderment.
“Xiao Qiu, did you call Reporter Qin in for…?” Even the experienced Director Jiang couldn’t understand Shen Yiqiu’s actions.
She had thought Shen Yiqiu had gone to find Qin Qianrou for help, but after practically dragging the “reinforcement” in, she had run off again.
Now, the three people in the ward wore different expressions, a scene in itself.
“Oh, I suddenly remembered something important I needed to discuss with Qin Auntie,” Shen Yiqiu feigned scratching her head, stealing a glance at Qin Qianrou, relieved she hadn’t been exposed.
“I see. Then you two talk. Don’t rush to make a decision about today’s matter. I’ll be staying in Meng City for a few more days. Call me anytime if you change your mind.” Jiang Yuan prepared to leave, then asked, “You still remember my number, right?”
Shen Yiqiu, already impatient, remembered that Qin Qianrou had saved it for her and simply nodded.
Reassured, Jiang Yuan left, giving Qin Qianrou a meaningful look before closing the door.
Qin Qianrou sat back in her previous spot, the chair against the wall. She had noticed Jiang Yuan had been sitting in a different chair earlier.
“Now can you tell me what you just sensed?”
Shen Yiqiu’s mood improved; being in the same room with Qin Qianrou gave her a sense of security, “Actually, you weren’t the main target. I was afraid you would be caught in the crossfire.”
“Oh?”
Shen Yiqiu walked over, moved the chair Jiang Yuan had been sitting on further away with a slight look of disgust, and sat on the edge of the bed. “I just sensed that a patient’s family member would rush into the corridor and attack a nurse, seemingly because of something related to giving the patient an injection.”
Qin Qianrou pursed her lips, indicating she wanted to hear more.
“I didn’t see the details, I just saw that when the family member rushed over, they would bump into you, who would be sitting in the corridor, and also hit your hand.”
As Shen Yiqiu spoke, her gaze fell on Qin Qianrou’s left hand.
Although Qin Qianrou didn’t want to be treated as a fragile object needing constant protection, she also didn’t want to be injured again for no reason.
“How could you suddenly sense something about a patient’s family member?”
Shen Yiqiu thought carefully and said, “I think the person I sensed was actually the nurse, not the family member.”
Qin Qianrou thought about it and understood; since Shen Yiqiu’s admission, it had been the nurses caring for her, so they naturally became people she cared about.
She seemed to have thought of something else, “Then your heart…”
Shen Yiqiu patted her chest lightly, “It didn’t hurt much, just a slight twinge.”
Jiang Yuan’s arrival had disrupted their earlier conversation. Qin Qianrou wasn’t in the mood to continue working, and Shen Yiqiu was also troubled by the matters in Hai City.
“You don’t seem to like Director Jiang visiting you.”
Shen Yiqiu sat cross-legged on the bed, her chin resting on her hand, pondering whether she should answer Qin Qianrou’s question honestly.
“I do feel a little resistant to her.”
Qin Qianrou confirmed her earlier guess; Jiang Yuan was definitely a factor in Shen Yiqiu’s refusal to return to Hai City.
“Didn’t you say she had a very good relationship with your mother?”
Qin Qianrou didn’t intend to pry, but if Shen Yiqiu wanted to stay in Meng City, she had to give Jiang Yuan a clear answer. However, recalling Jiang Yuan’s expression earlier, she clearly intended to visit again.
“If I said that after experiencing certain things, I’ve grown up and seen through some of those superficial relationships, would you believe me?”
Shen Yiqiu’s feigned seriousness and unexpectedly mature words almost made Qin Qianrou laugh.
Shen Yiqiu looked at her helplessly, “Don’t laugh, I’m serious. I used to think that as long as people kept in close contact, expressed concern for each other, and shared their lives, it meant they had a good relationship.”
Qin Qianrou could hear the underlying meaning in her words, clearly directed at Jiang Yuan.
Relationships between adults were relatively complex and difficult to maintain pure intentions. Even if they had known each other since their youth, there was no guarantee they would retain their initial sincerity after being tempered by society.
“You think she’s changed, that she’s no longer the Auntie Jiang you remember?”
Shen Yiqiu narrowed her eyes slightly, looking out the window at the blazing sun that couldn’t warm her cold heart.
“She mentioned Hai City just now, wanting me to go back with her during the summer break, saying she could help me handle everything there.”
That seemed a little too eager.
Qin Qianrou’s professional instincts kicked in; she also sensed something was off about Jiang Yuan.
“I told her I didn’t want to go back to Hai City, and she assumed I no longer wanted that home. So she wanted me to deal with it quickly, so I would have no more ties to Hai City.”
Even after being reborn, Hai City was still a special place for Shen Yiqiu, filled with memories.
“If there’s nothing urgent that needs to be handled in Hai City, you can ignore it for now. As for your home, I can arrange for someone to maintain it regularly.”
“No need!”
Shen Yiqiu’s sudden outburst startled Qin Qianrou.
Shen Yiqiu also felt a little awkward, forcing a smile as she explained, “I’ll go back myself later. No one’s living there; it doesn’t matter if it’s maintained or not.”
“Okay.”
Qin Qianrou’s straightforwardness was a stark contrast to Jiang Yuan’s persistence. Clearly, people with different motives had different approaches.
The nurse, after successfully calming down the patient’s family member, entered the ward with a lunchbox, smiling, saying it was a personal thank you to Shen Yiqiu.
“Luckily, Xiao Qiu was there today, otherwise, if things had escalated, I would have definitely been reprimanded.”
It was just past lunchtime, and both of them were hungry. The food in the lunchbox looked delicious and was a generous portion; it was clear the nurse’s gratitude was sincere.
Shen Yiqiu took a bite of a small rib and said through a mouthful of food, “So, even though you were the one who was harassed, you would still be the one getting reprimanded?”
The nurse sighed, wanting to explain, but after a moment of contemplation, she could only sigh again.
“Well, that’s how it is now; we can’t explain why. So the best outcome is for nothing to happen, for everything to be peaceful.”
Seeing them enjoying the food, the nurse smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling.
After she left, Shen Yiqiu looked at Qin Qianrou and said with a sigh, “Such a work environment is so demoralizing.”
“You have quite a strong sense of justice.”
“Of course.”
Shen Yiqiu puffed out her chest proudly and continued eating with gusto.
When Chen Kang arrived at the ward, the aroma of food still lingered. Shen Yiqiu was about to rest, and Qin Qianrou was also about to leave.
“Oh, Reporter Qin is here too!” Chen Kang paused, surprised. Qin Qianrou’s aura wasn’t as strong today.
“Hello.”
Shen Yiqiu hadn’t expected Chen Kang to come today, but she quickly understood his purpose. However, with Qin Qianrou still present, she didn’t want her to know the details.
“Are you here to see Shen Yiqiu?” Qin Qianrou remembered Chen Kang visiting on the day they first met.
“Well, it’s mainly official business. We don’t have much free time.”
Official business? Qin Qianrou initially thought he was looking for her.
But recalling Chen Kang’s surprised expression earlier, she realized it must be about Shen Yiqiu’s parents.
“Then I won’t disturb you. I’ll be going.”
After Qin Qianrou left, Chen Kang formally addressed Shen Yiqiu. He had been concerned about this girl since the day of the accident. Although she wasn’t much younger than him, her experience was truly heartbreaking.
“You insist the car accident wasn’t an accident and request a reinvestigation?”
Shen Yiqiu sat up straight and nodded seriously in confirmation.
“Yes, I believe the car accident wasn’t simply an accident.”
Chen Kang took out a file and slowly opened it.
He looked down and sighed before taking out the contents and handing them to Shen Yiqiu.
“These are some photos from the accident scene. We were afraid of upsetting you, so we didn’t show them to you before. Since you insist it wasn’t an accident, you should take a look at these first.”
Besides the horrific photos of the scene, there were also some investigation reports. Shen Yiqiu had seen these in her past life, but back then, she had been overwhelmed by Shao Qidong’s massive debt contract, and Jiang Yuan’s seemingly comforting words had further confused her, so she had only focused on the gruesome images.
But now she was certain that Shao Qidong was behind this pile-up. Since it wasn’t an accident, there must be clues.
Shen Yiqiu mustered her courage, suppressed her emotions, and looked at the documents rationally.
Chen Kang, who had been looking down, had thought she would burst into tears upon seeing these. However, Shen Yiqiu remained silent. Looking up, he saw her intently studying the reports.
Compared to the gruesome photos, the reports were indeed more likely to contain clues. Out of compassion, Chen Kang had only brought photos of the completely mangled Mercedes-Benz, showing traces of blood, but no photos of the victims.
He was afraid Shen Yiqiu wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Since she had been unconscious before arriving at the hospital, the last time she saw her parents must have been when they were still alive.
The reports stated that there hadn’t been any mechanical failures with the Mercedes-Benz driven by Shen’s father, and the braking system hadn’t been tampered with. Based on the on-site investigation, his actions after the initial impact were also reasonable.
So… it really had been a traffic accident.
“My father’s car was normal, then what about the other vehicles? Were they all normal too?”
Chen Kang paused, then recalled, “They were mostly normal. The weather was good that day, the road conditions were fine, and there weren’t any unusual circumstances before the accident.”
“Then whose actions caused the initial incident?”
“It was a large truck that rear-ended another vehicle. The row of cars in between didn’t stand a chance.”
Shen Yiqiu recalled the scene that day. The journey had been uneventful until her father glanced at the rearview mirror and suddenly said, “That truck behind us keeps accelerating.”
Then, the violent collision occurred.
But she also remembered a vehicle from the opposite lane crashing into them.
Chen Kang, guessing her question, explained, “The vehicle in the opposite lane was a small minibus. The driver was startled and lost control of the steering wheel, veering across.”
So it was just… bad luck?
Shen Yiqiu pursed her lips, remaining silent, but her grip on the report tightened.
Chen Kang sighed softly. Although he disliked accident scenes, facing the victims’ families was even more difficult.
“I find that truck and the minibus suspicious. Can you investigate them further?”
Shen Yiqiu’s request put Chen Kang in a difficult position. They had already completed the investigation; there hadn’t been anything unusual.
“I understand how you feel. Every accident has a party at fault. The drivers are already under investigation and will be punished accordingly. But regarding the nature of the accident, we hope you can understand our conclusion.”
Shen Yiqiu knew she wouldn’t get any more information from Chen Kang. But the truck driver and the minibus driver were still alive; perhaps they knew something.
“Can I ask where the truck driver and the minibus driver are now?”
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