In 1991, Zhao Xiangwan entered Hunan Police Academy, but a late-night knock on the door threw her into a chaotic family drama.
When her eleven-year-old adopted sister, Meimei, lost her younge...
Chapter 45 Freeze Reaction
◎ Staring blankly ahead, teeth clenched ◎
A night passed and Miao Hui still did not wake up.
She lay quietly in the hospital bed, in a deep coma, relying on a ventilator to maintain her life.
Zhou Rulan and Wu Ruxin took turns to watch over the school. After Wu Jianshe calmly handled the handover of Miao Hui's work, he arranged for Zhou Rulan and Wu Ruxin to take leave and instructed his son Wu Rulie to return to school: "You are not needed here. Go back to school and study hard to prepare for the final exam."
When it was time to go to work, Wu Jianshe washed his face and told Zhou Rulan, "You and Xinxin stay here. Contact us if you have any questions."
Zhou Rulan lowered her head and asked, "Where are you going?"
Wu Jianshe's face was expressionless: "Go to work."
Zhou Rulan raised her eyes and looked at Wu Jianshe, with a flash of anger in her eyes: "Mom is like this, and you still want to go to work?"
Wu Jianshe said calmly: "Professionals should do professional things. There are doctors here."
After a sleepless night, Zhou Rulan was so exhausted that she could no longer control her emotions. She slowly stood up from her mother's bedside and walked to within a step of Wu Jianshe.
"Can a doctor replace a husband? Look at the person lying unconscious on the bed. Look at her! My mother has always been a very strong person. She was not defeated even when my biological father passed away. But last night, she jumped off the building and committed suicide! I ask you, why did she commit suicide?"
Wu Jianshe looked stern and said, "Are you questioning me?"
Zhou Rulan's chest rose and fell, and countless thoughts flashed through her mind. That night, she lay on the head of her mother's bed, looking at her pale face from a close distance, her heart aching. Why on earth did her mother not want to live anymore? Why on earth did her mother leave her to die without saying a word?!
When her biological father Zhou Jiangyong died during a mission, her mother did not shed a single tear. She held her five-year-old daughter Zhou Rulan in her arms and attended the memorial service, received the hero medal, and received the martyr certificate. When faced with the leaders' concerned inquiries, she gritted her teeth, stood up straight, and said in a trembling voice, "Please rest assured, I am also a police officer. I will not embarrass Zhou Jiangyong!"
What kind of injustice did my mother suffer in this marriage? She didn't even have the will to die in such a difficult time, so why did she jump off the building last night?
Zhou Rulan was assigned to the Jinlianhu Police Station after graduation. She has been working there for four years and has her own dormitory. She usually only goes home to visit her parents on weekends. Recently, her mother seems to be worried, but she won't tell you no matter how you ask her. She just says that she is too busy at work and a little tired.
Now that I think about it, my mother must have had something on her mind for a long time, and she just regretted that I didn't ask her.
Thinking of this, Zhou Rulan clenched her fists and mustered up her courage to look at her powerful stepfather in front of her: "Yes! I am questioning you. What kind of injustice did you make my mother suffer that made her jump off the building?"
Wu Jianshe glanced at her coldly and asked, "Are you sure your mother committed suicide by jumping off the building?"
Zhou Rulan held her breath and looked at him in disbelief: "Is it not true?"
Wu Jianshe's eyes seemed to be filled with great weight: "You are also a policeman, everything depends on evidence. Before Miao Hui woke up, murder, manslaughter, accident, suicide... everything is possible."
After saying this, Wu Jianshe's eyes swept across Miao Hui's face, his brows slightly wrinkled: "Don't spread rumors, just stay with your mother." After saying this, he straightened his collar and strode away.
Zhou Rulan was young after all, and could not suppress Wu Jianshe's aura. She watched him leave without saying a word.
Zhou Rulan felt a sharp pain in her palm and lowered her head to look at her right hand. She had clenched her fist too hard and the nail of her little finger had pierced into her palm, causing blood to flow out.
When Wu Jianshe's figure completely disappeared, Wu Ruxin quietly rubbed against Zhou Rulan's side and asked timidly: "Sister, did mom really commit suicide?"
In Wu Ruxin's eyes, her mother was gentle and kind. She never spoke loudly at home. Even when facing her brother Rulie's unreasonable behavior, she could still patiently explain things to him. How could such a loving mother commit suicide?
Zhou Rulan turned to look at Wu Ruxin with a distant look in her eyes and asked, "What do you think?"
The two sisters have lived together for 19 years, and Zhou Rulan knows Wu Ruxin too well. She is selfish and petty, and she wants to take all the love and warmth of the world into her own hands. Wu Ruxin usually relies on her father's love and doesn't take her seriously. Now she is probably scared by her mother's suicide, so she depends on her so much.
Wu Ruxin was hurt by Zhou Rulan's eyes and asked cautiously: "Sister, maybe Dad is right, and Mom just fell down accidentally?"
Zhou Rulan turned to look at Miao Hui on the bed. The dissatisfaction that Wu Jianshe had just suppressed came to the fore again. She said in a cold voice: "Accidentally fell? What was your mother doing on the roof at nine o'clock in the evening? The preliminary investigation results at the scene showed that there was no third party and no signs of a fight. What does this mean? After all, you are a criminal investigation professional. Tell me, what does this mean?"
Wu Ruxin tried hard to make excuses for her father: "When the accident happened, it was already late at night, which made it difficult to investigate the scene. Maybe there was a third party? We just haven't found it yet. Maybe there were signs of a fight? They were just ignored. Anyway, I just don't believe that my mother would be so depressed. Our family is so good, why would my mother jump off the building?"
Zhou Rulan looked at Wu Ruxin as if she was a fool: "Do you think our family is good?"
Wu Ruxin was stunned for a moment: "Not good?"
Zhou Rulan turned away, too lazy to pay any more attention to Wu Ruxin.
Wu Ruxin was upset by her sister's attitude. She looked at Miao Hui, who was lying on the bed silently as if dead, and grabbed Zhou Rulan's sleeve, begging, "Sister, please don't ignore me. I'm scared. Tell me, what's wrong with our family?"
Zhou Rulan didn't say anything.
Wu Ruxin continued: "Look, my father is the deputy director and is very prestigious in the public security system. My mother has attracted the envy of many people when she goes out. Sister, you work at the police station, I was admitted to the Public Security University, and both of us are Enter the public security system according to their requirements. When my younger brother graduates from school in the future, he will definitely inherit his father's career. If the family of five is in the same system and looks after each other, life will definitely get better and better. Am I right?”
Miao Hui lives in the intensive care unit, surrounded by doctors and nurses. From time to time, someone comes to check on Miao Hui's condition, check whether the instruments are functioning normally, and record blood pressure, heart rate and other data.
Zhou Rulan didn't want to respond to Wu Ruxin's words, so she took advantage of the nurse's inspection to go around to the other side of the bed. However, Wu Ruxin followed her like a little tail, crying and shouting at her: "Sister, talk to me, don't ignore me. Mom is like this now, I'm scared."
Wu Ruxin looked a lot like Miao Hui, especially her eyes that were filled with tears, her long eyelashes fluttering and looking pitiful. Zhou Rulan looked at her eyes and her heart softened. Although this sister in front of her had many minor flaws, she was her closest blood relative besides her mother.
Zhou Rulan sighed: "Do you think Dad treats Mom well?"
Wu Ruxin tilted her head and said, "Dad is rarely at home, so Mom makes all the decisions. They never quarrel, and they always discuss everything. Many families are like this, isn't it? Isn't it good?"
Zhou Rulan laughed sarcastically, "You are just stupid enough to know nothing. Director Wu has a stern face every day and feels like he has entered an interrogation room when he returns home. Has he ever listened to what my mother said? Has he ever really cared about my mother? How can he regard my mother as his wife? He just regards her as a nanny."
Wu Jianshe's parental authority is very strong, and his children dare not resist. Wu Ruxin usually only acts coquettishly with Miao Hui, and feels at ease when her father is not at home. In her mind, her father is like a mountain, stable, strong, calm, and someone she can rely on. As for whether he is close to her mother, Wu Ruxin doesn't care.
Most families have this structure: the man works outside to pursue his career, while the woman stays at home to provide support. Could it be that she would jump off a building just because her husband wouldn't talk to her? Wu Ruxin muttered to herself, "Even if that's the case, there's no reason for my mother to commit suicide."
Zhou Rulan has a deeper relationship with Miao Hui and knows more about her mother. She whispered, "Do you know that mom is also a department-level cadre and has a career? In order to establish the Criminal Technology Center, mom ran around and finally built it. But because you had to take the college entrance examination and your brother had to take the high school entrance examination, she gave up the position of director and willingly became a behind-the-scenes hero."
Wu Ruxin was a little confused: "Oh, what does it matter whether he is the director or not? We already have a deputy director in our family, why do we need a director of the technical center? Mom has never cared about fame, she won't be upset because of such a small matter."
Zhou Rulan nodded: "Yes, it's a small matter."
She paused and continued, "Looking further ahead. When my brother graduated from elementary school, my mother said that he would go to Jinlianhu Middle School with you and walk to school. But my father said that boys should be independent and insisted on sending him to the best boarding middle school, Zhiyuan Middle School. The tuition for Zhiyuan Middle School is three thousand a year. Do you remember?"
Wu Ruxin curled her lips and said, "Of course I remember. I felt uncomfortable at the time. Why did we all go to Jinlianhu Middle School, but my brother had to spend money to go to Zhiyuan Middle School? Humph! But... this is also a small matter. My brother is a boy after all, so he can just board."
Zhou Rulan pursed her lips and said,
Yes, it’s a small matter.”
Zhou Rulan's voice gradually increased: "My younger brother is the child of my father's comrade-in-arms. He was brought back when he was only one month old. My father didn't even say hello when he brought him back. You were only three years old at the time. My mother had to take care of you and the baby at the same time. She often hid in the quilt and cried in the middle of the night. Did you know that?"
Wu Ruxin exclaimed, "I, I was still young at that time, how could I know that my mother would cry? I do remember that my brother always cried when he was young, and he cried endlessly, which was very annoying."
The instrument makes a "beep, beep" sound from time to time.
The nurse and doctor left, leaving only the sisters Zhou Rulan and Wu Ruxin in the ward.
In the quiet ward, Zhou Rulan's voice began to tremble: "Perhaps, you will still say that this is a trivial matter. How can a child not cry? Comrade Wu passed away and left behind a young child. Raising him up to fulfill the friendship of comrades, how great and noble it is. Unfortunately, the great and noble person is Wu Jianshe, and the one who worked hard and suffered is Miao Hui."
Wu Ruxin understood what Zhou Rulan meant, and her heart was as heavy as ice. It took her a long time to find her voice: "We are a family, we prosper together and we suffer together. Dad is busy with work, so he can't take care of the children."
Zhou Rulan looked at Miao Hui lying on the hospital bed, her eyes full of heartache: "You don't understand how much Mom has given to our family. But look at our dad's attitude towards Mom. Mom is still worried about life and death, but he is still working! In his eyes, what is Mom?"
Wu Ruxin had always been well protected by Miao Hui. Every day, she cared about who dressed prettier, who got better test scores, and who was more popular. Zhou Rulan's words suddenly tore open a veil of the real world, and Wu Ruxin felt sore and bitter in her chest, and she felt indescribable pain.
"Sister, mom is a police officer. She is a gentle yet strong person. Even if we take a step back and say that my parents don't have a good relationship and mom has given more and sacrificed more for our family, then, then it shouldn't be that bad..."
The two sisters have mentioned the word suicide too many times, and Wu Ruxin is no longer willing to talk about it.
Zhou Rulan glanced at her sister and for the first time felt that she still had some brains: "Yes, mom is very strong. If it wasn't a huge blow, she would never... um. I don't know what happened at home. Do you feel anything?"
Wu Ruxin shook her head repeatedly: "No, no, I don't know anything."
Zhou Rulan was puzzled and sat down slowly with a frown.
Wu Ruxin usually liked to say sarcastic things, but she was actually not very courageous. She sat obediently beside Zhou Rulan, not saying a word.
After sitting for a while, Wu Ruxin felt a little restless due to the depressing atmosphere in the ward, and whispered, "Sister, is it possible that Mom is sad because of my brother? Dad is a son-in-law and treats Rulie like the apple of his eye. When I had a fight with him before, Dad always scolded me. He also went to boarding school in junior high school, as if he was afraid that my mom would abuse him. Yes! It must be because of this."
Zhou Rulan seemed to be thinking about something.
Seeing that she was listening attentively, Wu Ruxin continued, "Sister, do you know Zhang Yalan from our dormitory?"
Zhou Rulan shook her head.
Wu Ruxin reminded her: "She was the girl in our dormitory who helped my parents get divorced. Have you forgotten her?"
Zhou Rulan remembered: "Oh, yes, I remember. You mentioned it once at home during the winter vacation. Her father was abusive. Your class teacher, Captain Xu, and Zhao Xiangwan helped her mother get a successful divorce."
Wu Ruxin: "Yes, it's her. Think about it, if mom thinks dad is not a good person and this family is not a good one, then she can also divorce, right? My mom is a police officer, she must know how to use the law to defend and protect herself, how could she...right? So, I still think there is a problem, maybe it's an old enemy who came to visit, or a bad guy asked her to go to the rooftop and pushed her down when she was not prepared."
Zhou Rulan lowered her head and thought for a moment: "Although my mother is a clerical worker, she is not a weak woman. If an enemy came to the door, wouldn't she call the police? If a bad guy asked her to go upstairs, wouldn't she tell my father? The parapet on the roof of our building is 1.2 meters high, and my mother is only 1.58 meters tall. It is almost impossible to push her down without a struggle."
After all is said and done, the most likely possibility is that Miao Hui committed suicide.
But why did he commit suicide? No one knows.
We can only hope that Miao Hui wakes up safely, then the mystery can be solved.
Wu Ruxin rolled her eyes and said, "I heard that Zhang Yalan's father was out fooling around all day because he had no son, and he was very mean to her mother, so they divorced. My father is not a domestic abuser, and we have an adopted son named Wu. What is there for the mother to be upset about?"
Zhou Rulan glanced at her and said, "It doesn't matter whether you have a boy or a girl. What's in your head?"
Wu Ruxin smiled flatteringly: "Sister, I don't support favoring boys over girls. I mean, many men nowadays always feel that they need a son to carry on the family line. It seems that this problem does not exist in our family, right?"
Zhou Rulan sighed and shook her head: "You are just too frivolous. Are you trying to say that Rulie was adopted, not Dad's biological child, so Dad is lukewarm to Mom?"
Wu Ruxin glanced at Zhou Rulan, bit her lip, hesitated for a long time, and finally made up her mind to say this: "I, I just think that Dad is too good to Rulie? Logically speaking, I am his biological child, but don't you think Dad cares about Rulie more? Is it possible, is it possible... maybe..."
Zhou Rulan looked over impatiently after hearing her hesitating.
The two sisters looked at each other, and Zhou Rulan's pupils shrank: "No way?!"
Wu Rulie is Wu Jianshe's illegitimate son? How is that possible!
Wu Jianshe is an upright and loyal person. He adopted the orphans of his comrades and was commended for this. Who in the provincial department doesn't know this?
When Zhou Rulan thought of this possibility, her heart was like being fried in oil. She stood up suddenly with a serious expression: "Nonsense! Impossible!"
Wu Ruxin was frightened by her sister's expression, tears streaming down her face: "Sister, don't scare me. I, I was just talking nonsense."
Zhou Rulan lowered her voice but spoke quickly: "You must keep this to yourself and don't tell anyone!"
Zhou Rulan is older than Wu Ruxin and has been in the police station for four years, so she knows the seriousness of this matter. If Wu Jianshe really took his illegitimate child home, falsely claiming that he was an orphan of a comrade-in-arms, deceived the organization's trust, and deceived Miao Hui's feelings, then he is simply unforgivable!
If Wu Jianshe was just an ordinary person, perhaps it could be classified as a personal style issue, and he could just hold it high and then let it go. But Wu Jianshe is different. He is the deputy director of the provincial department, an outstanding party member, and a banner of the provincial department. If he does this, where will the widow of the martyr be placed! Where will the public security responsibility be placed!
Not only will Wu Jianshe lose his black veil, but he will also have to undergo an organizational investigation. It is very likely that he will never be able to work in the public security system, and even his family and children will be implicated.
The more Wu Ruxin thought about it, the more frightened she became. She shrank her neck and hugged her knees, her lips trembling. "I, I only thought of this when I saw Mom like this. Tell me, is this why Mom..."
Zhou Rulan's brain started working quickly.
My younger brother, Wu Rulie, was brought to my house when he was just one month old, and my mother has been raising him ever since. But strangely, my younger brother is not very close to my mother, and he doesn't talk much at home, unlike my younger sister who calls her "Mom" as soon as she enters the house and hugs her mother's arms and acts coquettishly whenever she has nothing to do.
This time when his mother was hospitalized, his reaction was also very calm. When his father asked him to go back to school, he left, as if taking care of his mother should be the responsibility of his two sisters and it had nothing to do with him.
Zhou Rulan used to think that boys and girls were different, but now it seems that this is not true.
Even if he is introverted and doesn't like physical contact, my brother shouldn't be so distant from his mother. Was this really the reason why my mother jumped off the building?
Raising a stranger's child to adulthood is nothing for a mother. But what if the child she raises is her husband's illegitimate child? The feeling of being deceived and betrayed by her husband would probably make the mother collapse.
Wu Rulie is a freshman in high school this year, and he is almost as tall as his father. Thinking back carefully, his eyebrows, figure, temperament... are indeed very similar to Wu Jianshe. He has a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, a little thick lips, and thick earlobes. I used to think that it was normal for a child raised to look like one's own family, but now I think it's not right.
If we say that people resemble who they were raised by, then Wu Rulie should look like Miao Hui. Why does he look like Wu Jianshe who is rarely at home?
Zhou Rulan felt as if her head was about to explode as she was flooded with complicated thoughts. She groaned and sat down, one hand hanging down and the other resting on the edge of the bed.
Wu Ruxin didn't know what Zhou Rulan was thinking, but she was very sensitive to other people's emotions and instinctively felt that something was wrong. She grabbed her sister's drooping right hand and asked anxiously, "Sister, what's wrong with you?"
Zhou Rulan was silent for a while, then slowly raised her left hand from the edge of the bed and put her index finger to her lips.
"Tsk——" The finger was trembling slightly.
Wu Ruxin saw that her face was pale, but her eyes were surprisingly bright. Her heartbeat became faster and faster: "Sister, you, don't scare me."
Zhou Rulan took a deep breath and looked at Wu Ruxin: "Xinxin, if, I just said if, if your guess is right, what will you do?"
Wu Ruxin was at a loss: "I'll follow my sister."
Zhou Rulan sighed: "I can draw a clear line between him and me, but what about you?"
Wu Ruxin then realized the seriousness of the problem. Yes, if his father's behavior was problematic, he would most likely lose his job. Would his future as a student at the Public Security University be affected?
After thinking for a while, Wu Ruxin's attitude was obviously more relaxed than Zhou Rulan's: "I'm not afraid. I didn't want to be a police officer in the first place. After graduation, I'll go to the art troupe to dance. Now it's not the time to make collective punishment, so let it be."
Zhou Rulan was infected by her sister's ease, and her stiff back relaxed a lot: "Since you are not afraid, then I will go check it out!"
Wu Ruxin was still young, so she was still a little scared. She whispered, "Sister, are you really going to check? How? What if you find out?"
Zhou Rulan leaned close to her sister's ear and said, "Don't make it public yet. Leave this to me. I'll go home later. You stay here and call a doctor if anything happens. If you can't come, call your classmates to come and help."
After she finished speaking, she stared at Wu Ruxin seriously and solemnly: "Mom's situation now is special. It's not certain whether she committed suicide. What if someone sees that she is not dead and wants to continue to harm her? You must protect her well. She can't leave your sight for a moment. Even if you are sleepy and want to take a nap, you have to hold her up first! If you need to go to the toilet..."
At this point, Zhou Rulan frowned and said, "No, I can't leave now. I'll leave after you call a classmate over."
At this moment, there was a knock on the ward door, interrupting Zhou Rulan's words.
Wu Ruxin looked up and quickly stood up to greet them: "Meng Annan, Zhang Yalan, Zhao Xiangwan! Why are you here?"
Meng Annan presented the three girls with fruit: "You left school in a hurry last night, and we didn't have classes today, so we asked Teacher Zhou for leave and came to see you."
After the explanation, Meng Annan poked his head into the room and saw Miao Hui lying on the bed. He asked politely, "How is Auntie?"
Wu Ruxin shook her head, looking somewhat dejected.
Zhang Yalan hurried to comfort her: "It's okay, it's okay. Auntie is blessed with good fortune, and nothing will happen to her. Um, do you need our help?"
Zhou Rulan was just worried about leaving and Wu Ruxin staying alone in the hospital. What if she had to leave for something urgent? Now, three girls from the Public Security University came and they should be trustworthy.
After giving a few brief instructions, Zhou Rulan left in a hurry.
Zhang Yalan looked at Zhou Rulan, who was wearing a uniform and looked dashing, and praised: "Wu Ruxin, your sister is really beautiful."
Wu Ruxin looked at her with envy and snorted. She was about to make some sarcastic remarks to her, but then she changed her mind and thought that she had come to visit her mother with good intentions and was willing to accompany her until her sister came back, so she curled her lips and said, "My sister is pretty to begin with."
[My sister looks like her father, so she is pretty. I have seen her in my mother's old photo albums, she was very handsome. I look like my mother, but luckily I don't look like my father, otherwise I would be ugly with thick eyebrows, big eyes and thick lips.]
Zhao Xiangwan glanced at Wu Ruxin, then looked at Miao Hui, whose head was tightly bandaged, and nodded secretly. They were indeed very similar.
[I don't know what my sister is doing now, how to check? Is she going to do a paternity test for Dad and Rulie? The provincial criminal technology center where my mother works just introduced equipment this year. It can be done, but the application process is complicated and requires two people to cooperate. In this way, won't it be known to the world? Oh! I don't know why, I'm so scared. Mom, please get well soon. If you have anything, please tell me and my sister. Why did you jump off the building? ]
Zhao Xiangwan's eyebrows twitched when he heard this.
This is the bad thing about mind reading. Other people's privacy automatically penetrates into your ears and you can't escape it.
Zhao Xiangwan didn't want to know about the bloody family plots that could only be found in Hong Kong tabloids, such as "The wife who had raised the child for many years turned out to be her husband's illegitimate child, and she jumped off the building out of shame and anger."
With the company of her roommate, Wu Ruxin gradually relaxed and answered questions from Zhang Yalan and Meng Annan.
"What happened to your mother?"
"My mother fell from the roof at night and was seriously injured."
"Why did she fall down? Did someone hurt her?"
"I don't know. The police are investigating."
Wu Ruxin had just been reprimanded by her sister and did not mention a word about Miao Hui's possible suicide.
Zhao Xiangwan stood aside, listening to her thoughts quietly, and gradually sorted out the whole story. Looking at Miao Hui, whose face was as pale as gold paper and motionless, he clenched his fists unconsciously.
I have spent half my life just to make wedding clothes for others.
No matter who you are, you will feel miserable, right?
However, Zhao Xiangwan could do nothing. The victim was unconscious, and all this was just speculation. He was just Wu Ruxin's college classmate, so what could he do?
Miao Hui has not woken up yet. The doctors have already used all the necessary measures. The nurses can only conduct irregular checks on her. Everything depends on her recovering on her own.
He may wake up, become a vegetable, or die.
Wu Ruxin stayed by the bed, listening to her classmates' words of comfort. She didn't know why her heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat's paw. She felt pain, soreness, and helplessness.
At this moment, Wu Ruxin finally grew up.
She looked up at Zhao Xiangwan with a sincere attitude: "Zhao Xiangwan, can your micro-expression behavior really detect lies?"
Before Zhao Xiangwan could say anything, Zhang Yalan spoke up: "Of course! Zhao Xiangwan is very powerful. I tell you, as long as a person is alive and breathing, as long as your eyes can move, she can see through your little thoughts at a glance."
Wu Ruxin smiled bitterly: "In the past, I actually disliked you."
Zhao Xiangwan's eyes were calm: "It's okay."
Perhaps it was because the ward was too depressing, or perhaps it was because her heart was suffocated by the huge secret, Wu Ruxin really wanted to confess at this moment, but she still held back.
The three girls in front of me have lived in a dormitory for a year. Meng Annan is a tomboy, straightforward and honest; Zhang Yalan is warm and generous, sincere and kind; Zhao Xiangwan is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, tolerant and generous. They are all trustworthy people, but... no matter how trustworthy they are, this secret cannot be told.
Wu Ruxin asked Zhao Xiangwan: "Why aren't you angry?"
Zhao Xiangwan smiled but said nothing.
Wu Ruxin is nothing but a petty, jealous child who just wants to compete for all kinds of favors. Apart from saying a few sour words and rolling her eyes, she hasn't done anything really bad. Why bother with her?
Zhao Xiangwan's smile was as warm as the spring breeze, blowing away the jealousy in Wu Ruxin's heart.
What does it matter if Zhao Xiangwan wins a few more awards, is commended a few more times, or is liked by more classmates? Wu Ruxin now just wants her mother to wake up quickly.
--
Two hours later, Zhou Rulan returned to the hospital.
In her right hand she held a bag containing toiletries and spare clothes for the two sisters. Her face was pale and her smile was very forced.
Wu Ruxin took the bag from Zhou Rulan and looked up to see the panic in her eyes. She couldn't help but feel nervous: "Sister, what's wrong?"
Zhou Rulan's voice trembled a little: "Dad, Dad is cleaning up at home."
Wu Ruxin subconsciously asked, "Didn't Dad go to work?" Then she thought again and stared at Zhou Rulan with wide eyes. No way? How could Wu Jianshe, who never did housework, clean up at home?
Zhou Rulan glanced at the classmate standing behind her and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
[He, he was actually rummaging through the house! What was he doing? My mother was not sure whether she was dead or alive, and he was actually rummaging through things at home! When he saw me coming home, he looked flustered for a moment, but he quickly covered it up and said he came back to look for a document.
Documents! His documents are usually in the study, how could they be in the bedroom? He probably didn't notice that he was looking through his mother's dressing table. Could it be that he has some leverage over his mother? What is he looking for? My mother doesn't have the habit of keeping a diary, so it shouldn't be a diary, what is it? Is it a paternity certificate? Or something else...】
Wu Ruxin walked forward and hugged her sister.
A soft arm was wrapped around her shoulders, and Wu Ruxin's breathing sounded in her ears. It was the first time that her sister took the initiative to be intimate with her and gave her such a warm hug. Zhou Rulan was stunned for a moment.
Wu Ruxin said in a hoarse voice: "Sister, don't be afraid. I'm still here."
People say, "Brothers fight together, fathers and sons fight together", and the same is true for sisters. Zhou Rulan is extremely grateful to her mother for giving birth to her sister, so that she has another blood relative she can rely on and trust in this world besides her mother.
Her heart, which had been beating fast just now, slowly calmed down. Zhou Rulan pulled Wu Ruxin's hand away and said angrily, "It's so hot. Why are you holding me so tightly?"
Wu Ruxin was a person without any ideas. Now her mother was in a coma and her father might have an illegitimate child. This huge secret made her panic and she had to hold on to something to feel safe. Even though Zhou Rulan pulled her hand away, she still took the opportunity to wrap her arms around her sister and said, "Sister, can my classmate help us?"
Zhou Rulan gave her a stern look and said, "What nonsense are you talking about! Your classmates are still students. It is a gesture of love and kindness for them to come and visit their mother. How can you trouble them?"
Zhou Rulan glared at Wu Ruxin in a warning tone, hating her sister for not being sensible. She was unwilling to tell even her most trusted colleague such a big secret, and Wu Ruxin actually wanted to drag her classmates into it!
If it was false, then the person who would be offended would be the powerful Deputy Director Wu. In the future, he would only need to say a word to banish me to the cold palace when it comes to graduation assignment.
If it was true, they would be enemies with Deputy Director Wu. If they won, it would be fine. But if they lost? They would bet their future.
Zhou Rulan smiled at Zhao Xiangwan and the other two and said, "My sister is in the same dormitory with you. Thank you for your care in the past and for coming here today."
Is this an order to evict us?
Zhang Yalan wanted to say something, but was stopped by Zhao Xiangwan. Zhao Xiangwan looked at Zhou Rulan sincerely and said, "If you encounter difficulties, you might as well find a stronger support. Doesn't the provincial government have a supervisory department?"
Zhou Rulan's eyes lit up: "Okay."
Yes, no matter how high a position Wu Jianshe holds, he is still under the control of the Party. Above him, there are still Party discipline and laws. Can he really cover up everything?
Thinking back to the people who surrounded my father last night, only Uncle Wang Xiaoquan stood aside calmly and composedly. Wang Xiaoquan is the deputy director of the provincial department, at the same level as my father, and also the head of the discipline inspection and supervision team.
Simply put, Wang Xiaoquan is not afraid of Wu Jianshe, but Wu Jianshe is afraid of Wang Xiaoquan.
Wang Xiaoquan is a good friend of Zhou Rulan's father and has a good relationship with Miao Hui. If you ask him for help, he will definitely help!
Thinking of this, Zhou Rulan couldn't hide her excitement and looked at Zhao Xiangwan seriously: "What's your name?"
When Zhao Xiangwan arrived at her home, Wu Ruxin proudly introduced her: "Sister, she is the Zhao Xiangwan who was named by the Municipal Bureau and awarded the Medal of Excellence by our school! She can recognize lies through micro-expressions."
Zhou Rulan seemed to have heard of Zhao Xiangwan's name, and asked curiously, "Can you really tell when a lie is lying?"
Zhao Xiangwan said calmly: "Micro-expressions stay on the face for a very short time. They are human instincts and cannot be faked. If you can capture these facial expressions that only last for a few tenths of a second and analyze them, theoretically, you can tell whether the other person is lying."
Zhou Rulan looked at her thoughtfully and held out her hand: "Okay, I remember you. Hello, Zhao Xiangwan, I'm Zhou Rulan."
[If I need you in the future, I may trouble you. But I will definitely protect you and will not let Wu Jianshe cause you any trouble.]
Hearing what Zhou Rulan was thinking, Zhao Xiangwan smiled and stretched out his hand to shake hers. The two equally tall and beautiful girls looked at each other with a look of mutual admiration in their eyes.
After leaving the hospital, Zhao Xiangwan, Zhang Yalan and Meng Annan felt very heavy.
Zhang Yalan sighed: "Wu Ruxin is so pitiful. Her mother is in a very serious condition now. I don't know if she can wake up."
Meng Annan also sighed: "Yes, as long as the mother is here, the family will exist. If her mother had done something, her father, who is such a big leader, would definitely remarry. Then Wu Ruxin would have a stepmother. Isn't it sung in the nursery rhyme? Little Baicai's face is yellow, and her mother died when she was only two or three years old... How tragic!"
Zhang Yalan patted Meng Annan: "What are you talking about?"
Meng Annan cried out in pain and dodged for a moment: "I just think that it is better to live with a beggar mother than a government official father. If Wu Ruxin loses her mother, her life will definitely be difficult in the future. Although I have never met her father, he is a senior official in the provincial government, so he must be very fierce!"
Zhao Xiangwan looked at the two of them fighting and shook his head.
The most pitiful thing for Wu Ruxin is not that Miao Hui is still alive or dead, but that her father may have violated the rules and had a child, which is a problem with his work style. If a cadre of a party or government agency violates the family planning policy, it is a serious violation of discipline. He will lose his official position and public office and will be dismissed.
Not to mention that he pretended that his illegitimate child was the orphan of a comrade-in-arms, deceived his wife, deceived the organization, and deceived the masses. His crime is unforgivable and he must be subject to supervision and review by the organization.
If he doesn't sit properly, this trial might lead to a lot of trouble, and it's hard to say whether he can get away with it unscathed.
Although there is no evidence at present, after listening to Zhou Rulan and Wu Ruxin's thoughts, Zhao Xiangwan already has a tendency to form an opinion - their guess is very likely to be correct.
Walking down the hospital stairs and turning right onto the bus lane, Zhang Yalan and Meng Annan, who were fighting, let out a "Hey~" at the same time.
Looking closely, they saw a bright red car parked on the side of the road, in the blind spot at the bend. Zhang Yalan and Meng Annan ran too fast and their knees hit it.
The car window rolled down, and a beautiful young woman with big wavy hair gave them an unpleasant look: "What are you doing? Can you afford to pay for wrecked my car?"
Zhang Yalan smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Meng Annan refused to apologize. He looked around, put his hands on his waist and said, "This is not a motorway. You parked the car wrongly. You caused my knee to be hit, and I haven't asked you to compensate me yet!"
The woman gritted her teeth, stopped arguing, and quickly rolled up the car window.
Through the car window, the woman put her hands on the steering wheel, holding the edge tightly. Because she used too much force, her facial muscles were a little stiff, and she looked a little weird.
Zhao Xiangwan frowned, feeling a sense of disharmony.
Zhang Yalan didn't want to cause trouble, so she pulled Meng Annan and said, "Forget it, let's go."
The three girls exchanged glances and left quickly, treating the collision as just a minor accident.
The bus is coming.
The three girls got on the bus. There were not many people on the bus, but there were plenty of empty seats. The three of them sat together. After the bus started, looking out the window at the busy traffic, Zhang Yalan sighed, "It's great to have a car."
Meng Annan smiled and joked: "You should take the driving test first, and then you can drive a police car after being assigned to the police station."
Zhang Yalan shook her head: "No, I'm talking about private cars. It's great to have your own car and drive it around wherever you want to go, regardless of wind or rain, and without having to wait for the bus."
Meng Annan saw through her little thoughts, curled his lips, and said in a long voice: "Oh - are you jealous of others driving cars? What is there to envy! I don't think that woman is a good person."
Zhang Yalan asked: "Why?"
Meng Annan put on a reasoning posture: "She parked her car in an irregular manner, randomly, which shows that she is arrogant and disrespectful of the rules. She looks to be in her thirties, and she looks good. The red car she drives is a Nissan Duke, which is a representative of Japanese luxury cars. It needs to be bought from Hong Kong and shipped here. The domestic price is 680,000."
Zhang Yalan's eyes widened: "Oh my god, 680,000? How can you be so rich!"
Meng Annan said disdainfully: "Look at that woman, she is young and arrogant, and she doesn't have the temperament of a business owner at all. Where does she get so much money? She is either a sugar daddy or a mistress. She can't get away with it!"
The terms "sugar daddy" and "mistress" had just become popular in Hong Kong. Zhang Yalan had never heard of them before, but she didn't know what good words they were when she heard them. She said, "What are you talking about!"
Meng Annan's hometown is in Xiangdong, adjacent to Guangdong Province, so she has many opportunities to come across these new terms. She rolled her eyes at Zhang Yalan and said, "Why are you spitting at me? Many people from our place are doing business in Shenzhen and Guangdong Province. Many nouveau riche people wear pagers on their waists and hold mobile phones in their hands. They are very arrogant and show off. When they have a little money, they act like the rich people in Hong Kong and keep mistresses and concubines."
Zhang Yalan blushed and asked, "My lover, I understand. What is that, honey?"
Meng Annan: "It's the kind of young woman who works as a secretary for a rich man, but in fact she's still doing ambiguous things, you know."
Zhang Yalan understood: "Oh, Xiaomi, a younger secretary."
Meng Annan explained: "Alas, in order to distinguish the profession of secretary and avoid hurting the good secretaries who really fulfill their duties, the word "mi" is replaced by "mi" in "secretary". Sweetheart, sweet honey."
Zhang Yalan felt as if a door to a new world had opened before her.
Meng Annan continued with the previous topic: "That woman is obviously not a good person at first glance."
Zhang Yalan thought of how Zhao Xiangwan had once judged that her father's lover Liu Liju was a prostitute, so she turned to look at Zhao Xiangwan and asked, "Why don't you tell me?"
Zhao Xiangwan kept frowning. When he heard Zhang Yalan's question, he thought and answered, "She sat in the car and didn't get out. Through the car window, I could see that she was dressed boldly and fashionably, with delicate makeup, exaggerated hoop earrings, and pink nail polish on her hands holding the steering wheel. She must be living a comfortable and leisurely life. If she is not a star or a singer, then she may indeed live by relying on men."
Meng Annan patted the back of Zhao Xiangwan's chair happily: "Right, right, I told you!"
Zhao Xiangwan continued, "If someone hit her car, most people would get out to check if the car was damaged, but she didn't get out. She didn't seem to mind at all. Why?"
Yes, why? Zhang Yalan and Meng Annan looked at each other and began to think about the answer to this question.
"She's probably rich enough to not care about this."
"She probably had more important things to do than to care if we wrecked her car."
Zhao Xiangwan nodded in approval: "Yes, I also think she has more important things to do. I don't know if you noticed that her hands were tightly gripping the steering wheel, her chest was close to the steering wheel, her eyes were staring blankly ahead, her teeth were clenched, she was..."
An idea suddenly came to Zhao Xiangwan's mind and his expression changed.
Zhao Xiangwan remembered that this woman's behavior and micro-expressions were a kind of "frozen reaction"!
All human subconscious reactions are the result of natural selection in the long process of evolution. When facing more ferocious animals, our ancestors would subconsciously freeze their reactions to save their lives. For example, they would hold their breath, restrain their limbs, and freeze their facial expressions.
All of the woman's reactions fit this characteristic.
Some criminals will subconsciously enter a freezing state before committing a crime, which means they are nervous and looking for support points for the next battle.
What is she going to do?
In other words, who did she want to hurt?
She sat in the car, holding the steering wheel tightly with both hands, unwilling to leave the driving seat even if the car was hit by someone. She was currently staring at the front nervously. Who was she going to hit?
Thinking of this, Zhao Xiangwan suddenly stood up from his seat.