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When Wen Sheng and Xu Jianing arrived, they saw not only Li Qingmiao standing in the corridor outside the operating room, but also several people in police uniforms.
When Li Qingmiao saw Wen Sheng, she immediately rushed over and hugged her, sobbing uncontrollably, "Sheng Sheng, my brother... my brother..."
"Qingmiao, don't rush, speak slowly." Wen Sheng gently patted her back, encouraging her to speak slowly.
A young policeman nearby sighed and offered to explain, "It's like this, last night we received a tip that Comrade Li Changshui had a struggle with a suspect during a pursuit operation. The suspect was agitated and carrying a weapon, and Li Changshui suffered a severe blow to the abdomen."
Li Qingmiao sobbed, "Sheng Sheng, do you know that my brother got injured while trying to catch his teacher?"
"Teacher?" Xu Jianing frowned and repeated, "You mean, the person he's hunting down is his own teacher?"
Li Qingmiao nodded, tears streaming down her face: "It was an informant in the criminal investigation team. That teacher used to teach my brother, but he was later wanted for corruption and smuggling. My brother received a tip and went after him..."
She paused, then added, her voice choked with emotion, "And... that person is Zhang Qin's father."
“Zhang Qin refuses to come to see him now. She says my brother ruined her family and that she hates him.”
The corridor suddenly became eerily quiet.
"Do Aunt and Uncle know about this?" Wen Sheng asked.
Li Qingmiao shook her head and wiped away her tears: "I don't know yet. I only found out because I was interning at this hospital... My parents are still at home, waiting for my brother to come back for dinner tomorrow on his day off."
At this point, she broke down in tears and couldn't speak again.
Wen Sheng reached out and pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back to comfort her.
Xu Jianing lowered his head, thinking about his conversation with Li Changshui a few years ago.
"Ah Ning, my teacher at the police academy told me that if he ever breaks the law, no matter how deep our teacher-student relationship is, we must arrest him. What does that mean?"
"It means that people should have a bottom line in life. Rules are rules, and if you cross them, you are wrong."
"But what if one day, the person standing in front of me is my most trusted teacher, friend, or even family member?"
"Then we can't hesitate any longer. Because since they chose that path, they've already betrayed you. Changshui, you'll become a good policeman."
But now, fate seems to be playing a cruel joke.
Those who truly upheld their principles almost paid with their lives for it.
Just then, the red light in the operating room suddenly went out, and several people looked up at the same time.
The door was pushed open, and the doctor took off his mask and asked, "Who is a family member?"
Li Qingmiao immediately rushed forward and said, "It's me! I'm his sister! Doctor, how is my brother?"
The doctor looked at her, then at the police officers beside her, his expression serious: "She's out of immediate danger. The abdominal wound has been stitched up, but she hasn't woken up yet due to excessive blood loss. She needs close monitoring for at least another 48 hours."
"Then... is everything alright?" Li Qingmiao asked.
The doctor nodded wearily: "So far, the surgery went smoothly. As long as the condition remains stable for the next couple of days, there shouldn't be any major problems."
Li Qingmiao raised her hand to cover her mouth, and tears welled up again. She could barely stand and threw herself into Wen Sheng's arms, sobbing with trembling shoulders.
Wen Sheng looked up at Xu Jianing, her eyes saying that the first lesson after graduation was too cruel.
Life is unpredictable, and the world is full of uncertainties.
Li Qingmiao cried in Wen Sheng's arms for a while, finally calming down. She raised her head, her eyes red and swollen: "I want to see my brother."
"Okay, we'll go with you."
Through the thick glass, they saw Li Changshui lying quietly alone on the hospital bed.
An oxygen tube extended along his side, his chest rose and fell slightly, and he was wrapped in white gauze. Gone was his carefree, self-proclaimed "straight-line racing god."
Through the glass, Li Qingmiao's tears fell again: "Brother..."
Xu Jianing stood behind, silently watching that pale face.
"You little brat... how come you're even more stubborn than me?" he muttered to himself.
For the next two days, the three of them took turns staying at the hospital. Once Li Changshui's condition improved, they notified Su Yu and Li Jun.
When Su Yu saw Li Changshui in the ward, she almost fainted. She was supported by the nurse and Wen Sheng to prevent herself from falling.
Li Jun, standing nearby, berated Li Qingmiao: "How could you not tell your family about something so big?"
Li Qingmiao lowered her head, not daring to offer any rebuttal.
Just then, a nurse rushed over with the patient's medical record and interrupted, "Are Li Changshui's family members here? The patient has woken up, all his vital signs are stable, and he has been transferred to a regular ward."
The group immediately followed the nurse to the ward.
Pushing open the door, I saw Li Changshui leaning against the bed. Although his face was still a little pale, he looked like he had recovered some of his energy.
"Dad, Mom, Sister, you're here." He forced a smile and said he was fine.
When his gaze fell on the doorway, he paused, blinked, and exclaimed, "...Am I out of my mind? How come even the two people from the capital have come in?"
Xu Jianing strode over to him and said, "You still have the energy to joke?!"
"If you don't laugh, you'll all be crying your eyes out." Li Changshui grinned, wanting to raise his hand to pat him, but then gasped in pain from the movement in his abdomen.
"Don't move!" Xu Jianing quickly stopped him.
"Alright, alright, I won't move." Li Changshui laughed as he was pressed down. "Alright, Aning, this patient of mine who just came back from the brink of death can't take your roughhousing."
He turned to look at Wen Sheng: "Isn't Sheng Sheng about to graduate? Why did you bring her back?"
Wen Sheng quickly explained, "Brother Changshui, I've already attended the graduation ceremony."
"That's good." Li Changshui nodded, and was about to say something when he suddenly paused. His gaze swept across the crowd, and the smile on his lips gradually faded.
"Zhang Qin, she—" He was interrupted by Li Qingmiao before he could finish speaking.
"Brother, let's not talk about this," Li Qingmiao said, her eyes red. "The doctor said you can't get excited right now."
Li Changshui paused for a moment, then smiled, though the smile didn't reach his eyes, and said casually, "It's understandable that she hates me, it's fine."
Xu Jianing looked at him, her heart filled with complicated emotions.
Li Changshui, who always laughed carefree, now had red eyes and tried to pretend to be indifferent, saying, "That's fine too."
Su Yu had been watching silently from the side, but at this moment she finally couldn't hold back any longer. She reached out and held her son's hand, tears streaming down her face: "My child, this is the first time I've ever seen you not smile."
"Mom, I'm fine, really."
Li Changshui comforted her instead: "And look, I've done a good job this time, maybe I can get a promotion. When my salary is higher, I can buy you and Dad better things."
Li Jun patted him on the shoulder, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just sighed.
"Alright, alright, stop crying, everyone," Li Changshui said with a smile.
"Then Mom will make you some soup; you need to nourish yourself properly," Su Yu said.
“Yes, I’ll go with your mother. Qingmiao, you’ll come along too.” Li Jun nodded.
When they had all reached the door, Li Changshui suddenly spoke up: "A-Ning, stay for a moment, I have something to say to you."
Wen Sheng also stopped. Li Changshui smiled at her and said, "Sheng Sheng, you go with my parents. I have something to say to Aning."
Wen Sheng nodded, said okay, and then left with Su Yu and the others.
The moment the door closed, only the two of them remained in the ward.
Li Changshui leaned against the bed, his smile slowly fading, looking like a wilted eggplant.
Xu Jianing walked to the bedside, pulled over a chair, and sat down.
"Ah Ning, I actually thought this day would come a long time ago." Li Changshui looked at the ceiling and smiled bitterly.
Xu Jianing didn't speak, but listened quietly.
“If I let him go just because he’s her father, then I don’t deserve to be a policeman. But if I arrest him, she will hate me.”
"This is a multiple-choice question with no answer. No matter which one I choose, someone will get hurt."
"Thank you, Aning."
"Thank you for showing me what to do. If it weren't for what you said to me back then, I might have hesitated, I might have let him go. If that had happened, I would have felt guilty for the rest of my life."
Xu Jianing shook his head and said in a low voice, "It's not my achievement, Changshui."
He paused, looking into the other person's eyes, "You already know the answer yourself."
Li Changshui was stunned for a moment, and his eyes reddened even more.
Xu Jianing continued, "You knew what to do from the moment you wrote to me in your senior year of high school telling me you wanted to go to police academy."
"But if you insist on thinking it's my doing, you can ask the boss if they can give me a banner that says 'Cures those who can't think straight.'" He patted his shoulder, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Ah Ning, you're still so annoying." Li Changshui burst into laughter through his tears, laughing so hard that it pulled at his stomach, causing him to gasp in pain.
"I'll go and call them in." Xu Jianing stood up and walked to the door.
"A-Ning," Li Changshui suddenly called out to him.
Xu Jianing turned around.
Li Changshui adjusted his expression and resumed his playful grin: "When are you and Shengsheng getting married? Remember to invite me to the wedding banquet!"
Xu Jianing looked at him and knew that he was trying to cheer himself up.
"When you're fully recovered, the first toast will be to you."
"What do you mean?" Li Changshui narrowed his eyes, a sly smile on his face. "Are you two getting closer to marriage?"
Just then, the door was gently pushed open.
Wen Sheng poked her head in, carrying a thermos, and looked at them with a puzzled expression: "Aunt Su asked me to come in and ask about the situation."
Xu Jianing saw her, smiled, and continued the previous topic, saying, "Let her tell you."
Wen Sheng was taken aback, then pointed to herself: "Me? What should I tell who?"
"Of course, you're telling me when you two are going to invite me to your wedding?" Li Changshui looked at her with sparkling eyes.
Wen Sheng smiled and said, "After you recover."
Xu Jianing shrugged and laughed heartily upon hearing this: "See, she said the same thing as me."
Li Changshui leaned against the bed, looking at the two people in front of him, and finally a genuine smile appeared on his face.
"This level of understanding is beyond words."
He secretly thought that once he recovered, he would attend his brother's wedding.
He will toast them properly when the time comes.
One toast to the regrets of the past, one toast to the hopes of the future.
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