Friend(GL) 144

Chapter 144: Lovesickness

Although You Ruxu said she wouldn’t go to the airport, she couldn’t sit still when the time came. She stood by the window, looking out. Captain Zhou, lying in bed, seeing her, asked, “Have a date?”

“No.” Seeing that Captain Zhou was awake, she asked, “How are you feeling?”

Captain Zhou moved her hand slightly, “This is the only part of me that works.” She wanted to laugh, but the movement pulled at her wound, making her wince, “Don’t move,” You Ruxu said.

With her injuries, Captain Zhou couldn’t lead the investigation, the fishing boat case was now being handled by Captain Yao, “Has Li Ting woken up yet?” she asked.

You Ruxu shook her head: “Not yet.”

“That Sang Qi is ruthless.” Captain Zhou said, “If we had been any later, he would have succeeded.”

The resentment must have run deep, Sang Qi’s hatred for Li Ting festering for so long. And Li Ting, despite his usual shrewdness, had been careless, falling prey to Sang Qi’s recklessness.

“Everyone has their weaknesses.” Captain Zhou said, “Sang Qi’s weakness is his loyalty to Zhang Ping, our informant used that to provoke him, that’s why he acted.”

Otherwise, who knew how long they would have had to wait for Sang Qi to make a move, “Where’s the informant?” she asked You Ruxu.

The informant’s cover was blown, he couldn’t stay with Sang Qi anymore, Captain Zhou had called him back, “He’s in the next ward,” You Ruxu said.

He had also sustained minor injuries, so although not serious, they asked him to stay in the hospital, just in case Sang Qi retaliated, “Sang Qi doesn’t tolerate betrayal, tell him to be careful, not to leave his room.”

You Ruxu understood.

Sang Qi was in charge of punishing “traitors” within the organization. The informant had been by his side for so long, and now, with his failed attempt to kill Li Ting, Sang Qi must be furious, he would definitely come after him if he knew where he was.

The hospital had imposed a news blackout after the incident. As long as the informant stayed hidden, Sang Qi wouldn’t be able to find him. And once Li Ting woke up, they would be able to get information about Zhang Ping and Sang Qi.

You Ruxu glanced out the window again, then at her watch.

Captain Zhou said, “I’m tired, I need to rest.”

You Ruxu said, “Then you rest, I’ll be going.”

Captain Zhou watched her leave, closing her eyes, any movement sending jolts of pain through her body, she gritted her teeth, her body covered in a cold sweat, only hearing You Ruxu’s receding footsteps after she lay back down. You Ruxu walked down the corridor, then returned to Captain Zhou’s ward, knocking lightly. The two officers inside immediately stood up. She said, “It’s You Ruxu.”

One of the officers opened the door. You Ruxu walked in, looking at the informant. He had been working with Captain Zhou for two or three years, participating in three missions, he used to be a small-time hoodlum, skilled at socializing, able to talk to anyone, his network of contacts extensive, obtaining information quickly. Although he seemed unreliable, he had completed all three missions successfully, the fishing boat case being his last.

He was different from the informants You Ruxu knew, she had expected someone calm and collected, but this informant had a fiery temper, which was precisely why he was able to infiltrate Zhang Ping’s organization, to get close to Sang Qi.

You Ruxu said to him, “Captain Zhou just woke up, she asked me to tell you not to go outside.”

The informant frowned, “When can I leave?”

His tone was sullen. You Ruxu said, “When we catch Sang Qi.”

“So I’m stuck here until you catch him?” The informant was clearly unhappy.

You Ruxu said, “It’s for your own safety.”

“My safety?” The informant said, “I’ve been an informant for three, four years now, I’m better at hiding than anyone!” His voice rose slightly, “And we agreed that my mission would be over once I came back, why didn’t you catch Sang Qi that day? Why did you let him escape?!”

You Ruxu paused, the officer walked over to her, and said, “Reporter You, don’t mind him, Brother Ma is just anxious.”

You Ruxu asked, “What happened to him?”

The officer said, “Something happened at home.”

You Ruxu asked, “What happened?”

The officer shook his head.

You Ruxu understood, it was to protect the informant’s privacy.

She left the hospital and drove to the First Affiliated Hospital, parking across the street, watching the people coming and going, after about half an hour, she received a call from Zhou Tianzui, “Are you home?”

Zhou Tianzui said, “I’m at the hospital.”

“At the hospital?” You Ruxu said, “Why didn’t you go home first?”

“I went home for a bit.” Zhou Tianzui said, “Just dropped off my luggage, the director’s waiting for me.”

You Ruxu said, “Then go see the director.”

Zhou Tianzui asked, “Where are you?”

You Ruxu looked at the large sign of the First Affiliated Hospital, gleaming in the sunlight, “I’m outside.”

“Outside?” Zhou Tianzui’s voice was laced with concern. You Ruxu chuckled, “I’m outside your hospital.”

“Then wait for me for half an hour,” Zhou Tianzui said, “I’ll come out after talking to the director.”

You Ruxu said, “Okay.”

She sat in the car, a sense of calm settling over her, it had been a week since she last saw Zhou Tianzui, but they had video called every day, so it didn’t feel like they had been apart for that long, as if Zhou Tianzui had been with her constantly, despite this, You Ruxu still touched up her makeup, straightened her clothes, adjusted her hair, even put on a pair of pearl earrings, her fingers tracing the smooth, cool surface of the pearls as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, not noticing Zhou Tianzui approach, Zhou Tianzui walked over to the car, not to the passenger side, but to her window, and knocked lightly, You Ruxu turned, her hand freezing mid-air, a sudden self-consciousness, like being caught preening, she rolled down the window, looking at Zhou Tianzui.

Zhou Tianzui smiled, “What a coincidence, Reporter You, are you waiting for someone?”

You Ruxu gave her a playful glare, and Zhou Tianzui lowered her voice, “Waiting for me?”

You Ruxu wanted to laugh, “Are you getting in or not?”

Zhou Tianzui said, “I’m getting in.”

She walked around to the other side of the car, got in, and said to You Ruxu, “Let’s go home first?”

You Ruxu asked, “Aren’t you going back to the hospital?”

Zhou Tianzui said, “I’ve already handed over the files to the director, I start work tomorrow, so I have half a day off today. What about you?” You Ruxu hadn’t had much work lately, Sang Qi had disappeared without a trace, and the police were still searching for him, also waiting for Li Ting to wake up. Zhou Tianzui nodded, “Then should we visit Captain Zhou?”

You Ruxu said, “She’s resting, I just came from there.”

Then noticing Zhou Tianzui’s expression, she added, “There are many people in her ward, her colleagues.”

Zhou Tianzui, resting her chin on her hand, leaned back against the seat, and just gave a small, indifferent “oh.” You Ruxu said, “If you want to go, we can go now.”

“Let’s go home,” Zhou Tianzui said, “I don’t want to go.”

You Ruxu: …

She pursed her lips, the atmosphere in the car suddenly awkward, Zhou Tianzui turned to look out the window, her phone ringing, it was Yu Qiao, and without hesitation, she answered the call.

Yu Qiao, thinking of Zhou Tianzui during a break in her interview, had called to ask when she would be home, Zhou Tianzui, looking at You Ruxu beside her, her body tense, “I’m not coming home tonight.”

“Not coming home tonight?” Yu Qiao seemed to remember something, “Okay, then your birthday is in two days, are you coming home for dinner?”

Zhou Tianzui thought for a moment, “I’ll come home for lunch on my birthday.”

Yu Qiao didn’t say anything more and hung up. Ji Lanfang was looking at the interview script. She had only asked three or four questions, and Yu Qiao’s answers had been rather reserved. She wanted to make Yu Qiao feel more comfortable, so she looked for a topic of conversation, “Dr. Zhou’s birthday is in two days?”

“Yes,” Yu Qiao said, “The day after tomorrow.”

Whenever Zhou Tianzui was mentioned, Yu Qiao’s face would soften, her expression relaxing. Ji Lanfang, seizing the opportunity, praised Zhou Tianzui, and Yu Qiao shook her head, “Just like her father, stubborn.”

If she wasn’t so stubborn, would she have been entangled with You Ruxu for so many years?

Ji Lanfang, hearing this, paused slightly, then smiled, “Speaking of stubbornness, I met a child like that once,” her voice low, a reminiscent tone, “I had just started working back then, this child said she sent me a package, but I couldn’t find it anywhere, and I told her I hadn’t received it, but she would come to the TV station every weekend to ask me about it, sometimes she would be stopped by the security guard, and she would just stand there, at the entrance, in the freezing cold, refusing to leave, her hands and feet numb, later, I gave her my phone number, and she called me every day.”

The calls continued for a long time, so long that even now, Ji Lanfang couldn’t forget, often picturing You Ruxu’s stubborn expression when she closed her eyes, why hadn’t she asked her more about it, that notebook, what was in it, why was it so important to her? Back then, if she had just asked, investigated further, would Zhou Qiming’s name have been cleared sooner?

She suddenly understood what she had missed, which was why, seeing You Ruxu on the news, she had contacted her immediately.

But back then, she hadn’t asked a single question.

Ji Lanfang returned to her senses, noticing Yu Qiao looking at her, she lowered her head, hearing Yu Qiao ask, “Was it You Ruxu?”

Ji Lanfang looked up, surprised, “You knew?”

Yu Qiao said, her voice barely a whisper, “So it was her…” Wu Xiulian’s words, she had been skeptical, how could it be so coincidental, that the notebook was lost, then hidden? And that You Ruxu didn’t know?

It turned out, she really didn’t know.

Yu Qiao opened her mouth, the suspicion now mixed with a tinge of guilt, she paused, then said, “Should we continue?”

Ji Lanfang nodded, “Yes, let’s continue.”

The setting sun cast long shadows, but the tinted car windows blocked the light. You Ruxu parked the car, looking at Zhou Tianzui, who was still leaning against the window, her hand on the frame, After parking, Zhou Tianzui opened the door, got out, and stood there, waiting for her, You Ruxu pursed her lips, walked over, and got into the elevator with Zhou Tianzui.

They ascended slowly, You Ruxu glancing at Zhou Tianzui from the corner of her eye, her face expressionless, serious, her features sharp and defined, “Zhou Tianzui?” You Ruxu called out softly.

The elevator reached their floor.

Zhou Tianzui stepped out, looked at You Ruxu, her eyes questioning, You Ruxu, unlocking the door, asked, “Are you angry?”

“No.” Zhou Tianzui’s tone was a little stiff. You Ruxu followed her inside, seeing her sit down on the sofa, she couldn’t help but lean closer, her tone slightly coaxing, “Don’t be angry, you know how it is with Captain Zhou.”

Zhou Tianzui looked at You Ruxu, “How is it with Captain Zhou?”

You Ruxu said, “She’s a patient now.”

“So am I.” Zhou Tianzui said, “Why don’t you care about me?”

You Ruxu looked at her, “What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m sick.” Zhou Tianzui said, “Terminally ill, incurable.”

You Ruxu’s expression turned serious: “What illness?”

Zhou Tianzui, seeing her sudden worry, her lips curving into a smile, which she tried to suppress, but couldn’t, “Lovesickness.”

You Ruxu: …

She glared at Zhou Tianzui and tried to stand up, but Zhou Tianzui grabbed her wrist, pulling her down onto the sofa beside her, “Seriously, if you don’t kiss me now, I’ll die of lovesickness.”

You Ruxu tried to pull away, but Zhou Tianzui released her hand, her own momentum sending You Ruxu leaning back against the sofa, her gaze still fixed on Zhou Tianzui, as if surprised by her sudden release, Zhou Tianzui, not wanting to hurt her wrist, hadn’t held on tight. You Ruxu looked down at Zhou Tianzui’s open hand, then after a few seconds, leaned forward, cupped Zhou Tianzui’s face in her hands, and gently bit her lip.

Zhou Tianzui: If you don’t kiss me, I won’t get better.
You Ruxu: kisses
Zhou Tianzui: If you don’t hug me, I won’t get better.
You Ruxu: hugs
Zhou Tianzui: If you don’t take off my clothes, I won’t get better.
You Ruxu: …