Zhang Feiyu was standing before the operation theater with a vacant gaze. He hadn’t moved an inch since his wife began battling for her life.
"Zhang Feiyue?"
He tiredly turned his head to see Huojin before him.
"I don’t have any more answers to give you Inspector..."
His lost and crumbling voice pained him. He softly said, "I am not here to ask questions. I thought I should let you know about the accident."
He didn’t respond but Huojin could tell that he was listening. He stepped aside and a sobbing woman ca in the front. She was tightly holding onto her son’s hand, who was clinging to her leg behind her.
Huojin said, "We found out that her child ran off towards the road. He suddenly ca in front of your wife’s car and to save him, she took a sharp turn and crashed into another car. The impact caused her car to overturn and..."
The woman deeply bowed. "I am sorry! Please forgive my son! I-I...I don’t know how to apologize to you...I wasn’t paying attention and I didn’t even realize when he left my side...S-Suddenly, there was this huge crash and seeing my son so near it almost gave a heart attack..."
She faced him with tearful, reddened eyes and a trembling figure.
Zhang Feiyue blankly looked back. He then looked at the child, who was on the verge of bursting into tears himself. He didn’t look to be anymore than six years old.
"You...cannot just...say sorry when two people could have lost their life," he inhaled a deep breath which expressed his fury but what was he supposed to do when the culprit was a little child?
"You should have..." he clenched his jaw, "looked after your child properly. You are his mother."
"I am so sorry..." the mother could only whisper her deepest apology. "I will c-compensate for all the dical expenses-"
"Can you please leave?" He quietly urged, cutting her off. "Please...just leave. I don’t want any compensation. I just want Luqi to be okay."
Huojin silently nodded at them and signaled them to go back. He bent down to the kid’s level and smiled. "It’s okay, buddy."
The boy looked down, frightened.
Huojin ruffled his head. He didn’t want this child to be gripped with trauma. "You are taught at school to not cross the road when the signal is green, right?"
He trembled, curling himself into a ball.
"That’s because it’s for your own and everybody’s safety. Be sure to always be by your Mama’ side next ti, okay?"
The kid stared at him, tears sliding down his chubby cheeks. "I...didn’t..." he gasped, his body shaking hard.
His mother held him protectively and begged. "Please, it’s my irresponsibility that this happened. D-Don’t scold my son please..."
"I am not scolding him, just nicely telling him the right thing to do. Anyway..." he glanced at Zhang Feiyue and looked back at her, saying in a quiet voice, "You are not allowed to leave the city. You are liable for compensation and you might get court summons after the investigation is over."
She paled. "I didn’t do it on purpose! I-It was just an accident!"
"Which cos under negligence, Mam. Negligence has its consequences in the court of law."
She swallowed hard and could only leave with trembling steps.
After they left, Huojin awkwardly hung around for a mont. He couldn’t find the right comforting words. Eventually, he patted his shoulder trying to give him reassurance. "This is the best hospital in the city. Your wife would definitely co through it okay."
His shoulders quivered and he finally let himself cry as he broke down. "I...cannot lose her...I love her a lot. I cannot lose her..."
Huojin kept his grip firm. "You won’t, Zhang Feiyue. You won’t lose her."
—
"Sis!"
Bojing dashed to Jia’s side as she was resting in her ward and all ready to get discharged.
"Sis, I heard you got hurt! H-How are you now?"
Jia looked surprised. "You ca here just to et ?"
Behind Bojing, she saw another familiar figure entering the ward. Her jaw dropped seeing that young man in a doctor’s coat.
"Shilin?"
Shilin smiled back. "Nice to et you again, Superintendent Song."
"What are you doing here?"
That too following Bojing in a doctor’s coat no less.
Bojing sniffled. "S-sis, he is a new mber in Boss’s lab now. He will be w-working as an intern with us."
"I am under Senior Lu’s care."
"Huh?" Jia let out the familiar confused gaze as Bojing had. But Bojing quickly brought her up to speed.
"I see."
She arched her brow, not completely understanding what she felt about this. It seed odd for sobody related to a previous case to be officially working in the team now.
I guess Huojin has made watch too many Detective Conan episodes...
Jia smiled. "That’s great. Glad to have you on onboard."
"Thank you, Inspector," he smiled.
She paused and curiously asked, "How are things at college now?"
"It’s going well. But it was shocking to hear Anhe’s confession."
"Confession?"
"Yes. She confessed everything that she did towards Yong, Li Beiye, Aang, Daxia, Jinping and much more. With all those pictures and videos - she admitted everything in front of everyone," he lowered his gaze, "It’s hard to believe that I was friends with such a person. Everybody was shaken up. Her father tried to bury her wrongdoings so he was under fire too. Right now, he is already dismissed from his principal position and the university board has decided on a new person."
"Oh."
Strange, Jia thought. I never thought Anhe would be the type to co out herself with such an admission. What caused this change in heart?
She then asked, "Oh yes. How was the case at Infiniti Technologies? Wait, do you know the coincidence? The woman who Lim and I went out to rescue turned out to be Zhang Feiyu’s wife - the sa man who was charged with his boss’s murder. What happened? She had hurriedly left to et him as soon as she got the news of the chaos at his office."
Bojing replied with slumped shoulders. "I-It’s terrible sis...Zh-Zhang Luqi, she..."
—
With Bojing’s help, she quickly headed to the floor where Zhang Luqi was being operated on. In front of her ward, she saw a man standing and staring listlessly. From the photos she had seen back in their house, she recognized him to be Zhang Feiyu.
The doors opened just then and the lead doctor stepped out accompanied with a nurse.
"Luqi!" Zhang Feiyu grabbed the doctor’s arms and exclaid. "Luqi! How is she now?"
The doctor’s brows tensed up with hesitation and helplessness. "Unfortunately, Mr. Zhang. We cannot say anymore when Mrs. Zhang will wake up now."
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