wish
Zhou Nianhua is a serious offender, and Shen Bining is not considered a relative, so they were not originally qualified to meet. However, due to the special status of the patient and the doctor, the prison still approved the meeting.
After a series of rather complicated procedures, Shen Bining finally met Zhou Nianhua through the thick glass window.
Shen Bining had only seen similar scenes in movies and TV series. She never dreamed that she would have a day when she could visit someone in prison.
For a moment, curiosity about the prison environment overshadowed interest in Zhou Nianhua.
Soon, Zhou Nianhua was led by a prison guard to sit on the other side of the glass window.
Shen Bining didn't speak, but quietly observed Zhou Nianhua, and suddenly understood Xie Feng's thoughts.
This Zhou Nianhua is indeed too "deceptive". Even when he is wearing prison clothes and has his head shaved, he still looks like an honest person.
Shen Bining felt that he was a bit like the neighbor uncle in the compound where she lived when she was a child. He was the kind of good man who would come home from work and pat the heads of the children playing in the yard with a smile, while carrying groceries he had bought for his wife in one hand.
If it weren't for his clothes and hairstyle, who would believe he was a murderer who killed his wife?
As Shen Bining sized up Zhou Nianhua, Zhou Nianhua was also sizing her up. Her eyes were calm and clear, showing neither the fear and helplessness common among prisoners who had been detained for many years, nor the fierce glint in the eyes of some murderers.
He calmly met Shen Bining's gaze, his eyes filled with an almost deathly indifference.
Shen Bining had never met a murderer before, but she had seen too many terminally ill patients who didn't have much time left. Many of these patients had similar eyes in their final moments—a kind of despair and indifference in accepting their impending death.
"Is this Dr. Shen? Thank you for coming to see me. I didn't expect Dr. Shen to be so young and to be doing such meaningful work. It's truly remarkable." Zhou Nianhua spoke first, her voice even carrying a hint of shyness.
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Since the other party was being so polite, Shen Bining, who is always soft-hearted, naturally softened her tone and said, "Thank you for the compliment. Time is limited, so let's get straight to the point. Why did you come to me to help you fulfill your dying wish? Given your physical condition, you should use some of the opportunities to apply for assistance to apply for some pain medication, which would probably be of greater help to you."
Zhou Nianhua smiled, a pale and sorrowful smile. "I don't have many days left to live. I shouldn't waste those medicines, and I certainly shouldn't waste this precious opportunity for help. Besides, I deserve my fate today. I should suffer more while I'm alive so I can die in peace."
"Why did you kill your wife?" Shen Bining could no longer bear it and blurted out the question, her eyes filled with obvious inquiry and impatience, as if she couldn't wait to pry open Zhou Nianhua's mouth and make him tell her everything.
Xie Feng, standing to the side, stared in disbelief at Shen Bining.
Are young people these days so direct? They don't give any build-up and just stab people in the heart right away?
Zhou Nianhua was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting the other party to be so direct. He hurriedly looked away, as if he dared not meet Shen Bining's eyes again, but Shen Bining still saw sadness and regret in his eyes.
"Dr. Shen, if I'm not mistaken, you probably wouldn't want to see me after learning about my deeds, right? That makes sense; who would sympathize with a murderer?" Zhou Nianhua said sadly.
Shen Bining showed no intention of comforting Zhou Nianhua. She pointed to Xie Feng beside her and said, "I was unwilling. It was Officer Xie who kept speaking up for you and persuaded me a lot before I agreed to come and see you."
Zhou Nianhua immediately said gratefully to Xie Feng, "Officer Xie, thank you so much. I thanked you for your help when I fell ill, and now you're willing to find a doctor for me. You've gone to so much trouble for a sinner like me. I really don't know how to repay you."
Xie Feng waved his hand dismissively and said hastily, "No need for Xie. Just tell Dr. Chen what you need. Let me make it clear beforehand, she only agreed to see you, not to provide you with end-of-life care. She said she needs to understand the details before making a decision, so tell her about your difficulties with the murder case from back then and see if you can persuade her to help you."
After speaking, Xie Feng unconsciously stretched forward, looking eager to watch the drama unfold.
Shen Bining glanced at Xie Feng speechlessly. She now strongly suspected that Xie Feng's enthusiasm in helping Zhou Nianhua find her was purely out of curiosity about the gossip surrounding Zhou Nianhua's murder of his wife.
However, Shen Bining still chimed in, "Officer Xie is right. I need to understand the real reason you killed your wife before I can decide whether to take you on as a patient. Although doctors are supposed to treat all patients equally, I work in end-of-life care, which has its own principles. I don't help just anyone. If you want me to help you fulfill your last wish, you need to think carefully about how to convince me."
To everyone's surprise, the person opposite Shen Bining fell silent after she finished speaking.
Zhou Nianhua lowered his head, completely concealing his expression from his eyes and face, making it impossible for anyone to see his emotions at that moment.
Shen Bining was slightly surprised, unable to understand why Zhou Nianhua wouldn't tell the truth. If that was the case, the only reasonable explanation was that he had no ulterior motives and that his killing of his wife was intentional.
Shen Bining's face darkened, and she was about to retort when she saw Zhou Nianhua raise his head, his eyes filled with a deathly gray. He said calmly, "My dying wish is for Dr. Shen to help me find someone and persuade him to come to the prison to see me. If I can see that person, I am willing to tell him everything that happened back then. If I cannot see that person, I would rather go to hell with this secret and this sin than reveal it to the public."
The turn of events was unexpected for Shen Bining and Xie Feng. They looked at each other, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
Why did Zhou Nianhua's dying wish be to see someone? Why did she only reveal the truth in front of that person?
Shen Bining pondered for a moment, then sneered, "Why should I believe you? Maybe you just want to trick me into helping you find someone, and you don't actually have any so-called truth. Once I bring the person to you, you can back out, and I can't do anything about it."
Zhou Nianhua knew that the girl in front of him didn't trust him and didn't like him. He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and said in a trembling voice, "They say that a dying man's words are kind. I'm about to die, so there's no need for me to lie to a young girl like you. Besides, that person is very important to me. I've been in prison for twenty years, and he never once came to see me. Now that I'm about to die, I'm asking you to help me find him. I would never lie about him, and I would never lie to him."
"Who is that person?" Shen Bining couldn't help but ask.
Zhou Nianhua closed his eyes, and his whole body began to tremble. Shen Bining could even see the muscles in his face twitching, clearly trying his best to endure something.
“He is my son, his name is Zhou Hui.”
*
After leaving the visiting room, Shen Bining and Xie Feng returned to Xie Feng's office.
As soon as she closed the office door, Shen Bining couldn't wait to ask, "What's going on with Zhou Nianhua's son?" As she asked, she recalled the information she had just looked at.
The information does seem to mention that Zhou Nianhua and Tang Kexin had a nine-year-old son. After the tragedy, the little boy was adopted by Tang Kexin's younger sister.
Because the description of the boy was only a few lines long, Shen Bining didn't pay much attention to it when she read it. If Zhou Nianhua hadn't mentioned this son, she would have almost thought that he had no descendants.
However, according to Zhou Nianhua's account, he was no different from someone who had no descendants.
Zhou Nianhua said that since he went to prison, his son has never visited him, not even once.
Thinking about it, this is only natural. No son could forgive his father for killing his seriously ill mother, let alone face the situation.
Xie Feng hadn't expected Zhou Nianhua's obsession to still be his son. He sighed heavily and said with a sigh, "The couple left behind a nine-year-old son, who was later adopted by Tang Kexin's sister. It's said that not long after, she took the child to live abroad. The boy also changed his surname and is now called Tang Hui. From Zhou Nianhua's arrest to his sentencing, it was Tang Kexin's sister who handled everything. Tang Hui never showed up once, which is understandable, considering he was only nine years old. Later, when Zhou Nianhua was in prison, he asked to see his son several times. We also contacted the child's aunt, but Tang Hui refused to visit him in prison. Then, he quickly went abroad with his aunt to settle down, and we lost contact with the two of them."
Shen Bining was furious when she heard this, and asked in a wailing voice, "Do you mean I have to go abroad to find him a son? You guys are being ridiculous."
"Dr. Shen, don't worry," Xie Feng quickly comforted him. "Although Zhou Nianhua has lost contact with his son, other relatives still visit him occasionally. According to those relatives, Tang Hui returned to China last year to develop his career. He is now a lawyer and has opened a firm with a friend."
As he spoke, Xie Feng magically pulled out another stack of documents from some drawer and placed them right in front of Shen Bining. "This is Tang Hui's information. He's still in our city."
Shen Bining was about to explode with anger. She felt that she had been tricked by Xie Feng. This guy had planned every step from the beginning, just waiting for her to "take the bait".
"Officer Xie Feng," Shen Bining's face flushed red with anger. She slammed the documents Xie Feng handed her onto the table and shouted in a tone of a young woman's unique mix of shyness and anger, "Were you plotting against me from the very beginning, leading me into this trap step by step, just to get me to help someone find their son?"
"Dr. Shen, I had no such intention. But since I've asked for your help, I naturally need to prepare all the information first. I can't very well ask you to collect the information, can I?" Xie Feng quickly waved his hand and explained.
Shen Bining stared at Xie Feng suspiciously for a long time, but couldn't see anything wrong. Then she thought, as long as she didn't agree, no matter how well Xie Feng had planned beforehand, it wouldn't matter. He was a police officer; he couldn't force a law-abiding citizen like her with harsh methods.
"I'll trust you for now," Shen Bining muttered, her arrogance gradually fading.
Seeing that Shen Bining was no longer angry, Xie Feng quickly pressed on, asking, "Then will you help him?"
Now it was Shen Bining's turn to be speechless. She lowered her head, her brows furrowed, and her neat teeth gently biting her lip, as if she were having an internal struggle.
Xie Feng didn't urge them and patiently waited for their reply.
After a while, Shen Bining said, half hesitantly and half seriously, "Officer Xie, can I go back and think about it? How about this, I'll give you a definite answer before tomorrow."
“No problem, you have my phone number. Let’s add each other on WeChat later, and you can contact me anytime.” Xie Feng didn’t force her and readily agreed to Shen Bining’s request.
Afterwards, Xie Feng accompanied Shen Bining out of the prison. He originally wanted to take Shen Bining back to the hospital, but Shen Bining refused to trouble him to make another trip, so he had to give up.
As Shen Bining got into her car, she suddenly asked before leaving, "What do you plan to do if I don't agree? Just let it go?"
Xie Feng tilted his head and thought seriously about Shen Bining's question. Finally, he smiled sheepishly and said, "It's probably up to a few of us to go and invite Tang Hui. After all, before they die, they should be able to see their father and son one last time."
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