Chapter 21
Tang Ruxin's head had been groggy since her conversation with the two elders from the Chen family, and she had trouble concentrating. She knew her body and mind were reaching their limits, and she needed a break. But given the current situation, she wouldn't have much time to rest.
After returning to the ward, she asked Song Mu to do three things.
First, print out multiple copies of Chen Junan's pre- and post-employment physical and psychological assessment reports and have them stamped by the hospital. Second, give Yu Lei the previously screened information on employees with the surname Dong and those whose names contain the character "dong." Third, come over tomorrow morning to complete her discharge procedures.
Song Mu wanted to express his opinion on the last thing, but he saw Tang Ruxin curled up in the quilt and lay down, covering her head and wrapping herself up like a ball.
The ball shape remained throughout the night, and Tang Ruxin didn't change her sleeping position. She didn't reveal her head to the light until the doctor's rounds in the morning.
The light was so bright that she couldn't see her surroundings for a moment. She only felt that there were people gathered in front of the bed, but there was not a single recognizable face.
She lowered her head and rubbed her eyes, and immediately felt a dry and painful sensation in her throat. She coughed violently and couldn't suppress it.
"You're still planning to be discharged from the hospital?"
A cup of water was handed to her. Tang Ruxin took it subconsciously, drank a few sips to relieve the discomfort in her throat, and then squinted her eyes to see who was speaking.
"Why are you here? Where is Song Mu?" Tang Ruxin's voice was hoarse. After she finished speaking, she immediately drank two sips of water.
Yu Lei moved the chair towards the head of the bed, then pointed at the doctor standing at the foot of her bed, indicating that she should deal with that side first.
"Director Tang, we don't recommend you be discharged today. Acute pneumonia can be serious or minor. If you cooperate with treatment, you can be discharged today without any problems. But you drank alcohol last night and were exposed to cold wind, and your condition has worsened since you were first admitted."
At the foot of the bed stood two circles of white coats: an attending physician, a department head, a chief resident physician, and four interns. This scene made Tang Ruxin wonder if these seven were there for rounds or to see him off.
"Doctor Liu, will my illness not be cured if I don't stay in the hospital?" Tang Ruxin asked with a smile.
"You can't say that..."
"That's fine. I can come here for an IV drip every day. Please prescribe some medicine for me."
The three doctors at the foot of the bed exchanged helpless glances. The patient insisted on being discharged, and they couldn't force him to stay. Besides, he was a major client of their hospital, with over 2,000 employees receiving their checkups every year. How could they possibly go against the client?
Just as Chief Resident Dr. Liu was about to nod in agreement, Yu Lei suddenly stood up.
"Thank you doctors, I'll talk to her."
Soon, Yu Lei and Tang Ruxin were the only ones left in the ward. They stared at each other in silence, as if they were thinking about what words they could use to convince the other.
After a moment's thought, Tang Ruxin suddenly realized what was happening. She was completely out of her mind. Why had she tried to convince him? If she insisted on being discharged, could he still torture her? Tang Ruxin picked up her phone and called Song Mu, but the call didn't go through.
——Oh, you are so bold.
Tang Ruxin smiled and hung up the phone. She threw back the quilt and got out of bed. She went to the closet and took out the clothes and supplies she had brought with her for the hospitalization one by one. At the same time, she said slowly:
"Even if the king of heaven comes today, I will be discharged from the hospital."
"If you don't leave the hospital, I'll tell you why I'm looking for Zhao Zheng."
"Okay." Tang Ruxin stuffed everything she had taken out back into the closet, closed the cabinet door, turned around, climbed onto the bed, and covered herself with the quilt. The arrogance of the previous moment passed quickly like the flip of a book, replaced by the obedient and gentle demeanor she was so good at.
Yu Lei looked at her quietly for a while, his gaze gradually fading. He looked away, licked his lips, which were not dry, and finally spoke after a long pause:
"I was the one who harmed Zhao Zheng. I'm looking for him to atone for my sin."
For the first time in her many days in the hospital, Tang Ruxin heard the ticking of the wall clock in her ward. The sound was clear and distinct. Besides that, there were the voices and footsteps of people outside the door, the gurgling sound of the wheels of a medical equipment cart, and the ringing of the nurses' station bell not far down the corridor.
——The only thing he couldn’t hear was his own voice. The sound of his breathing and heartbeat seemed to have disappeared for a moment.
Her throat suddenly ached, and she tried to cough but it felt like something was blocking her throat. She glanced at the water cup beside her, but her arm felt too heavy to lift.
"What did you do?" Tang Ruxin tried hard to keep smiling, trying to make herself look calmer.
Yu Lei stood beside the bed, his hands in his trouser pockets, his gaze still fixed on the window. The sunlight seemed to respond to his gaze, covering his profile without reservation, completely exposing the bitterness and forbearance buried deep in his face to the light of day.
This scene, like a dream, lasted only a moment, as Yu Lei quickly turned and walked towards the ward door. He walked hurriedly, saying:
"The deposit has been paid, and the balance will be paid after you recover."
Without giving Tang Ruxin a chance to ask further questions, Yu Lei quickly left the ward and closed the door behind him. Standing in the corridor outside, he leaned against the wall for a long moment before leaving.
Arriving outside the ICU ward where Chen Junan was, Yu Lei looked through the glass window and saw Chen Junan's parents wearing isolation suits, standing and sitting beside Chen Junan.
Their visiting time was limited and they would be out soon. Yu Lei waited patiently outside the door, not wanting to disturb their precious time spent close to Chen Junan.
Last night, after finishing work on the scene, it was past three in the morning. Yu Lei, who had just returned home and was about to go to bed, was completely awakened by several messages from Song Mu. He went through the messages Song Mu had sent him, all of which contained "Dong," "Dong," and "Dong," and whose work might overlap with Liu Dong's.
After the third round of screening, Yu Lei sent the remaining three employees' information to Chen Jingzhou, instructing him to complete the interviews today. He would then go with Zhao Guoliang to confirm the results with Liu Dong's wife. If they were a lead worth pursuing, they would follow up.
Therefore, Yu Lei was the only police representative who came to the hospital to meet with the injured's family today. While he was waiting, Ding Xinqiao and Lin Shuangjiang also arrived.
Both of them had drunk quite a bit last night. After Lin Shuangjiang saw Sun Chengze off, she went home to rest. Ding Xinqiao worked tirelessly, waiting until the scene was cleared before leaving.
"Good morning, Captain Yu." Ding Xinqiao greeted with a faint smile. His temperament was still gentle and elegant, but his expression was tired and there were red bloodshot in his eyes.
"Is there anything to eat?" Yu Lei started begging.
Ding Xinqiao and Lin Shuangjiang were both stunned for a moment, then shook their heads.
"I'm going to get something to eat. I didn't have breakfast." Yu Lei pointed at Chen's parents behind the glass wall. "If they come out, you guys talk first."
After saying that, he walked towards the vending machine at the corner of the corridor not far away. He seemed to have seen some bread when he passed by just now.
It seemed like every vending machine in the world had its own ideas, and this one was no exception. Yu Lei scanned the code several times, but couldn't open the glass door. The LCD screen kept displaying "System Verification in Progress."
He looked up and saw a security camera at the nearby stairwell, so he gave up on kicking it. There were several vending machines on each floor of this hospital, but only one sold food and drinks. Already on the top floor, he had no choice but to try his luck downstairs.
Fortunately, the machine downstairs was working properly. Yu Lei bought two pineapple buns, a sausage, two braised eggs, and five bottles of black tea—too much to carry with two hands. Without a bag, he had no choice but to hold the items in his arms, holding the already opened sausage in his mouth, intending to eat as he walked.
He turned the corner and climbed a few steps when he suddenly heard the sound of high heels coming from the bottom of the stairs. The sound was crisp and slow, and each step was firm, like an old monk beating a wooden fish.
Yu Lei felt strange. This wasn't the normal pace of a normal person's walk. Either he was tired, or he simply didn't want to walk this way. If he didn't want to walk, why didn't he take the elevator?
Could it be that the vending machine downstairs is also broken, and this person is just here to buy something like him?
Out of curiosity, Yu Lei stopped, bent down and looked down.
He saw a woman wearing a beret and a short British-style dress slowly ascending the stairs. The nearly vertical angle prevented him from seeing her face, but he could make out her general shape. With a single glance, Yu Lei searched his memory for several people with similar figures. His intuition told him he had seen this person before.
Yu Lei stretched out his long legs, took two steps up the stairs, and hid at the corner of the upper stairs.
The woman wore large sunglasses, half her face hidden behind them. Her long, chestnut-colored hair draped over her shoulders, bouncing rhythmically with her steps. She was short, slightly plump, but well-proportioned, not out of place.
He still couldn't see her face, but the fact that she had to wear sunglasses to cover her face even indoors made it difficult for a policeman to suppress his curiosity.
Yu Lei, clutching a pile of things and chewing a sausage, tiptoed down the stairs. He hid behind the fire door in the stairwell, sticking half of his head out to look.
Just as he saw the man had walked away and was about to follow him, he turned into a ward. Yu Lei hurried out of the stairwell and chased him for a few steps. His pace gradually slowed down, but his brows became more and more furrowed.
——That’s Tang Ruxin’s ward.
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