Chapter 133: I Know
You Ruxu sat in her room for a long time, barely reading the documents her colleagues sent. Worried about disturbing You Shu and Wu Xiulian, she went to the bathroom to wash up before they went to bed.
Wu Xiulian tidied up You Ruxu’s room, putting away the clothes she bought. The computer was on, a book open on the desk, You Ruxu’s notebook also open, filled with her elegant handwriting. Wu Xiulian didn’t look closely, just placed the clothes in the closet, and as she closed the door, she remembered You Ruxu’s words earlier, “Mom, if…”
If what?
Wu Xiulian knew.
She had asked You Shu what he would do if You Ruxu was still with Zhou Tianzui. You Shu had said, “What can we do? Our daughter is in love, what do you want to do?”
Wu Xiulian had sighed.
She had always known You Ruxu’s stubbornness, her persistence. If they truly objected, You Ruxu would rather suffer in silence than resent them, but that wouldn’t make them happy either.
After Zhou Tianzui’s visit to Yuhai, she had thought about it carefully. If Yu Qiao also agreed, then she and You Shu, had no reason to object.
You Ruxu, coming out of the bathroom after her shower, saw Wu Xiulian tidying up the coffee table, “Mom, are you going to bed?”
“Yes, it’s getting late, you should also go to bed early.” Wu Xiulian said, “Good night.”
You Ruxu, drying her hair, replied, “Good night.”
Wu Xiulian went to her room. A small nightlight was on in the living room. You Ruxu went back to her room, and as she sat down, she sensed something was different. She looked around the room, her hand pausing mid-dry as her gaze fell on the teddy bear on the bed.
She had put it away in the closet, and now it was back on her bed.
She opened the closet, her clothes were where she had placed the teddy bear.
It was Wu Xiulian.
She had heard You Ruxu’s “if.”
That unspoken hypothetical, she had heard it, and responded.
You Ruxu’s nose tingled. She walked over to the bed and hugged the teddy bear, the soft fabric yielding under her touch, the familiar scent comforting, she couldn’t bear to let go.
Is that teddy bear at your place?
I suddenly miss her.
Hugging the teddy bear, she couldn’t make excuses like Zhou Tianzui.
She missed Zhou Tianzui.
Missed her terribly.
You Ruxu silently hugged the teddy bear, her hand dampening its fur, her gaze fixed on her phone on the bedside table, not touching it until she went to sleep.
Zhou Tianzui’s sleep was filled with dreams, waking up several times, unsure if she was truly awake, then finally, as dawn broke, she stared out the window, lost in thought, time ticking by, messages constantly popping up in the work group chat, and she also received many messages in other group chats and private messages.
They were from the doctors from other hospitals, inviting her for breakfast, perhaps because they were always busy with work, their approach more direct than others, but Zhou Tianzui wasn’t interested, she got up, washed up, and checked her phone.
You Ruxu still hadn’t replied.
Zhou Tianzui, as if not noticing the lack of response, messaged her as usual: [Morning.]
You Ruxu, eating breakfast, saw her phone light up with Zhou Tianzui’s message. Wu Xiulian was peeling eggs in the kitchen, muttering, “I’ll make you some tea eggs tonight, you used to love them.”
You Ruxu replied to her mother, “Thank you, Mom.”
Then looked at Zhou Tianzui’s message.
Zhou Tianzui, in her mind, was a proud person, but she had repeatedly shown her vulnerability, swallowing her pride, she hadn’t explicitly said, I regret it, I regret breaking up with you, but her actions spoke volumes.
Catching You Ruxu off guard.
You Ruxu hesitated for a long time, then pursed her lips, and replied to Zhou Tianzui: [Morning.]
Zhou Tianzui, after brushing her teeth, feeling surprisingly cheerful, didn’t message You Ruxu again, and went downstairs for breakfast.
You Ruxu stared at her phone for a long moment.
“What are you looking at?” Wu Xiulian asked, “Why aren’t you eating?”
You Ruxu returned to her senses and put down her phone.
After breakfast, she went to the TV station, then to the hospital. As she reached the conference hall, she saw a familiar figure in the distance, and although she knew she shouldn’t be happy, she couldn’t suppress the surge of joy in her heart. She lowered her head and continued walking, the cameraman beside her, carrying his equipment, “Isn’t that Dr. Zhou from Jindu? I saw her on the news before.”
You Ruxu nodded, “Yes, that’s Dr. Zhou.”
“She seems like a nice person.” The cameraman said with a smile, and You Ruxu, thinking of her bad temper, her stern and unapproachable demeanor, couldn’t help but smile faintly, “Can you tell just by looking?”
“Yes.” The cameraman said, “Her father was wrongly accused for so many years, and she still risked her life to save that baby, she must be a good person.”
You Ruxu’s smile faded, her expression stiffening slightly. She gave a small “mm-hmm.”
“Reporter You, I thought you two were close?” The cameraman turned to look at You Ruxu. “We used to live together, back in Jindu.”
“Then you must be close.” The cameraman said, “Did she ever tell you about the person involved in her father’s case?”
You Ruxu shook her head.
The cameraman said, “I don’t know who it is, they’ve kept it a secret. I heard that person’s father even went to the TV station.”
The color drained from You Ruxu’s face, “Went to the TV station?”
“He’s suing the TV station, even looking for the reporter who did the interview back then. But it wasn’t made public, I have a friend at the station, some insider information. Reporter You, you were in charge of that news story before, didn’t he contact you?”
You Ruxu’s hands and feet turned cold, buried memories resurfacing, breaking free from their cage.
“You bitch, where did you go again today?”
“Who were you talking to? Old Chen again? Sluts can’t keep their legs closed.”
“A slut’s offspring, not even sure if it’s mine.”
“Want a divorce? Not a chance! Kill me if you can, then you’ll be free, but your daughter will be the daughter of a murderer forever, hahahahaha…”
A wave of nausea washed over You Ruxu, her face pale. She looked down, “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
“Oh.” The cameraman nodded. “Hurry back.”
You Ruxu’s face was grim, her expression controlled, but her mind, her stomach, churned, the suppressed emotions erupting the moment she closed the bathroom door behind her, her hands gripping the doorknob tightly, she took deep breaths, but it didn’t help, the man’s cruel laughter, his insults, still echoing in her ears, piercing her eardrums, her vision blurring, she stumbled towards the mirror, her reflection a series of fragmented images.
Her being beaten, her mother being beaten, thrown out of the house, standing in the rain and snow in thin clothes, her body covered in bruises, hungry and cold, the man sitting at home, drinking, eating the food she prepared, the slightest mistake met with punishment, standing by the table, watching him eat, repeating “I’m sorry” over and over again.
Footsteps outside. You Ruxu gripped the edge of the sink, her arms trembling. She took a deep breath, the air slowly filling her lungs, the dizziness subsiding. She turned on the faucet, the cold water a chilling shock as she plunged her hands into it, the coldness calming her racing heart.
She called Captain Zhou.
Captain Zhou’s voice was hesitant, “Chen Xiang didn’t want you to know, she didn’t want this to affect you again.”
You Ruxu’s nose tingled.
She suddenly remembered Chen Xiang constantly being at the hospital, saying the person involved in her story was hospitalized, it was Chen Xiang herself. You Ruxu felt a mixture of anger and helplessness, and finally just said, “I understand.”
She called Chen Xiang, her voice much calmer now.
Chen Xiang chuckled awkwardly, “Teacher You, you found out.”
You Ruxu asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want you to be hurt again.” Chen Xiang said, “I didn’t want you to deal with this, I didn’t want that man to know it was you.”
“Ugh!” Chen Xiang said, “Not that man, that animal, he even wanted to find you, to extort money from you!”
You Ruxu said, “But you’re injured.”
“I’m fine.” Chen Xiang said, “I’ve recovered long ago, and I put him behind bars! It was worth it!”
You Ruxu opened her mouth, but she didn’t know what to say. Chen Xiang said, “Really, Teacher You, don’t worry about it, you were injured because of the Xu Jinwan case, do you need her family’s gratitude and compensation?”
You Ruxu said, “I don’t need anything.”
“Exactly.” Chen Xiang said, “That’s what I thought too.”
You Ruxu pursed her lips and after a moment, said, “Chen Xiang, thank you.”
“You’re too polite, I won’t dare visit you in Yuhai next time if you keep being so formal.” Chen Xiang chuckled, “Teacher You, prepare yourself, I might come visit anytime!”
You Ruxu said, “Okay. I’ll be waiting.”
Chen Xiang, still cheerful, “But Teacher You, how did you find out?”
Although she hadn’t intended to hide it, the incident had been suppressed, not even reported in the news, and You Ruxu hadn’t been well lately, not paying attention to outside news, how did she suddenly—then she remembered, Zhou Tianzui had gone to Yuhai.
She chuckled, “Was it Dr. Zhou who told you?”
You Ruxu asked, “Zhou Tianzui? She also knows?”
Chen Xiang was surprised, “Not Dr. Zhou? I thought it was her. Actually, that man, he didn’t contact me first, he contacted Yu Qiao, Auntie Yu.”
You Ruxu frowned, “Why would he contact Auntie?”
“He must have thought Auntie Yu knew who the interviewee was, thinking she hated that person so much, she would sell her out.” Chen Xiang said, “He’s a truly despicable person.”
You Ruxu froze.
He contacted Yu Qiao first.
Yu Qiao could have told him, but she didn’t. Perhaps it was related to Zhou Tianzui breaking up with her, but regardless, Yu Qiao had unknowingly,
Protected her.
Even after everything she had done to Yu Qiao, she was still willing to protect her.
You Ruxu’s eyes filled with tears, her vision blurring. Zhou Tianzui had said Yu Qiao knew about her being in Yuhai, but she hadn’t been able to imagine it, it felt unreal, because Yu Qiao’s hatred towards her, it had been so intense.
But now, she suddenly understood Yu Qiao’s magnanimity, her hidden kindness beneath the layers of resentment.
That all-consuming hatred, now replaced by a gentle warmth.
You Ruxu’s tears flowed silently. She bit her lip and, after saying goodbye to Chen Xiang, hung up. There was a knock on the door, and Zhou Tianzui’s voice called out, “You Ruxu.”
She looked up, towards the door, hearing her name again.
You Ruxu quickly walked to the door, wiped her eyes, took a deep breath to compose herself, then opened it. Zhou Tianzui had seen You Ruxu. She had been about to enter the conference hall earlier, then turned and went to the restroom instead, and waited there, waiting, but the door never opened. She had received a message from Captain Zhou, telling her You Ruxu knew about Chen Xiang, she came to check on You Ruxu, worried.
Now, seeing she was okay, Zhou Tianzui relaxed.
She said, “What were you doing inside? The meeting’s about to…”
She stopped mid-sentence, her gaze lowering.
You Ruxu’s slender fingers clutched the hem of her jacket, and Zhou Tianzui, speechless, looked at her. You Ruxu also looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, a flicker of unshed tears, their eyes met, You Ruxu’s hand still gripping her jacket.
Zhou Tianzui took a step closer, pulling You Ruxu inside, and closed the door.
You Ruxu looked at her, the distance between them shrinking.
Close enough for Zhou Tianzui to embrace her without even reaching out.
Their breaths mingled, their scents intertwined, Zhou Tianzui said, “Can we be five minutes late to the meeting?”
You Ruxu asked, “Why?”
Zhou Tianzui’s gaze fell on her lips, “I want to kiss you.”
———
You Ruxu: A five-minute kiss?
Zhou Tianzui: Only five minutes?
