Chapter 147: Substitution
He Wei and the nurse stared at Zhou Tianzui, stunned by her words. They looked at Sang Qi, whose gun remained pointed at them, a cruel smirk on his face as he listened to Zhou Tianzui, just as he was about to pull the trigger, there was a noise at the doorway, and he instinctively turned, firing a shot towards the entrance.
Yu Qiao was pulled back, someone shielding her body as she fell to the floor. The gunshot echoed, her ears ringing, a deafening roar, drowning out all other sounds.
She was dazed, her only thought, Zhou Tianzui was inside.
Zhou Tianzui was in danger.
“Auntie.” You Ruxu held Yu Qiao, who had grabbed the nurse’s access card and swiped it open just as Sang Qi turned towards the door, a split second too late, and the bullet would have hit her, she and Yu Qiao lay on the floor, the metallic smell of blood filling the air, making her nauseous. This sudden turn of events shocked the onlookers, You Ruxu shouted, “Evacuate the patients!”
Her tone sharp and urgent.
The security guards reacted immediately, ushering people away, the informant lying unconscious nearby, You Ruxu wanted to call Captain Yao, to ask about the backup, but she was afraid of interrupting their operation to apprehend Zhang Ping, her anxiety growing. She stood at the doorway, watching the door close.
The moment it closed, a loud bang echoed from inside.
You Ruxu’s face paled. He Wei and the nurse were also trembling, their faces ashen, they had never experienced anything like this, at most, it was just agitated family members, some pushing and shoving, they had never even seen any illegal weapons, let alone a gun.
Only Zhou Tianzui remained relatively calm.
She looked down at her abdomen, the intense pain momentarily numbing her senses, she couldn’t even feel it, just the warm gush of blood, Sang Qi, who had fired the shot, sneered, “Sorry, Doc, I missed.”
He seemed to be reveling in his power, in their fear, like mice cowering before him, a cruel smile twisting his lips. Zhou Tianzui looked down, her vision blurring, then the numbness receded, and the pain hit, a searing agony that ripped through her, every cell screaming in protest, she couldn’t move, the scalpel in her hand slipping, her grip loosening.
“Gauze.” The nurse, hearing her weak voice, burst into tears, her hand trembling as she handed it over, “Dr. Zhou,” she cried.
Zhou Tianzui took a deep breath, her grip on the scalpel tightening, the veins on her hand bulging beneath the surgical glove, “Gauze,” she repeated.
The nurse quickly handed it to her. Sang Qi leaned against the wall, a bloodstain on the wall behind him, seemingly oblivious to his own pain, his gaze fixed on Zhou Tianzui, the gun pointed at her again, but he didn’t fire, as if enjoying her struggle, her quiet desperation.
There was nothing more satisfying than crushing someone’s hope, watching it crumble.
Kill her?
No, not yet. Let her continue.
Wouldn’t it be even more satisfying to kill her after the baby was born?
Sang Qi’s mind raced, a thrill of anticipation, his face flushed with excitement, picturing it. He didn’t let Zhou Tianzui or the nurse tend to his wound, just grabbed the gauze and pressed it against the bleeding shoulder.
Zhou Tianzui, sensing his shifting mood, worked faster, He Wei, standing beside her, heard Zhou Tianzui call out, “He Wei.”
She looked up, her vision blurred by tears, which she didn’t dare wipe away, blinking rapidly, she walked over to Zhou Tianzui.
Almost stumbling.
She looked down.
A pool of blood.
Zhou Tianzui’s blood.
Her face paled, “Are you afraid of dying?” Zhou Tianzui asked.
He Wei looked at her.
Zhou Tianzui asked again, “Are you afraid?”
He Wei stammered, “I…”
She gritted her teeth, “What do you want me to do?”
“Stop her bleeding, find the source, perform emergency procedures.” Zhou Tianzui looked at He Wei, “You’re taking over this surgery.”
Zhou Tianzui’s voice was weak, her grip on the scalpel loosening, her body swaying, she leaned against the operating table for support. He Wei looked down, “I’ve never done this before…”
“You have.” Zhou Tianzui said, “He Wei, you have.”
He Wei suddenly remembered her first days at the hospital, taking credit for Lin Luo’s work, she had studied extensively afterwards, focusing on emergency procedures, especially late-term pregnancy complications and hemorrhages, practicing simulations, afraid of being exposed.
She had worked tirelessly, observing surgeries, terrified of You Ruxu finding out.
And now, that vanity, that fear, had become this patient’s lifeline.
He Wei stood beside Zhou Tianzui, “I’ll do it.”
Zhou Tianzui’s body swayed, about to collapse. He Wei reached out to support her, “Don’t worry about me,” Zhou Tianzui said.
She was losing too much blood, her body weak, barely able to stand. He Wei took the scalpel from her hand, glanced at her, then looked down at the patient, Sang Qi sneered, his laughter growing louder, the sound making his wound ache, “Interesting, this is really fucking interesting!”
You Ruxu couldn’t hear what was happening inside, didn’t know who was injured, what the gunshot meant, she didn’t dare open the door, she comforted Yu Qiao, then saw Fu Shushu hurrying over, “What happened? Who’s looking for Su Ying?”
You Ruxu asked, “Su Ying is your patient?”
“Yes.” Fu Shushu said, “She just had surgery, she’s still unconscious, what’s going on?”
You Ruxu instantly understood, she nodded, a nurse pulling Fu Shushu aside, whispering to her, Fu Shushu’s brow furrowed, You Ruxu said, “Is there a way to contact them inside?”
Fu Shushu said, “There’s an internal line.”
You Ruxu said, “What’s the number?”
Fu Shushu looked at her, You Ruxu’s voice urgent, “What’s the number?”
There was a nurses’ station next to the operating room, a phone on the counter, Fu Shushu, glancing at You Ruxu, gave her the number, You Ruxu held the receiver, her gaze fixed on her watch.
After a minute. She dialed the number.
The phone rang in the quiet operating room. He Wei’s hand trembled. Zhou Tianzui, her eyes closed, whispered, “Don’t shake.”
Her voice barely audible.
He Wei didn’t dare turn around, didn’t dare look. She knew Zhou Tianzui was using her last ounce of strength to hold on.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She took a deep breath, blinked rapidly, focusing, her entire world now the patient in front of her, the mother and child.
Beside her, Zhou Tianzui slowly slid to the floor, leaning against a machine, her face, hidden beneath the mask, covered in sweat, the phone still ringing, Sang Qi pushed the nurse, “Answer the phone!”
The nurse, worried about Zhou Tianzui, hearing Sang Qi yell, “Damn it! Answer the phone!”
She shakily answered the call, her voice breaking into sobs before she could even speak, “Dr. Zhou, Dr. Zhou is dying, help her, please…” You Ruxu’s mind went blank, as if struck by a hammer blow, she asked, her voice numb and distant, “What did you say? What happened to her? Was she shot?”
The nurse sobbed, “She was shot, so much blood…”
“You talk too much!” Sang Qi kicked the nurse, sending her sprawling against the wall, snatched the phone from her hand, and put it on speakerphone, “Did you find Su Ying?”
You Ruxu’s voice was cold and steady, “Why would I find Su Ying for you?”
“You’re playing with me?” Sang Qi sneered, “Alright, there are seven lives in this operating room, if I don’t see Su Ying in twenty minutes, you better prepare seven coffins.” His voice was like a venomous snake, hissing through the phone line, “Don’t forget, one of them is a newborn.”
A chilling threat.
You Ruxu asked, “You’re looking for Su Ying, to kill her?”
Her calm voice echoed in the operating room. Zhou Tianzui, her consciousness fading, opened her eyes slightly, she saw Sang Qi standing by the table, You Ruxu’s voice coming through the phone, a faint smile appeared on Zhou Tianzui’s lips, she tried to sit up, pushing herself up with her hands, but the floor was slippery, she couldn’t, she crawled forward slightly, then, exhausted, leaned against the wall.
Sang Qi, noticing her movement, aimed the gun at her, making a shooting gesture, then sneered at You Ruxu, “Just bring Su Ying here, nothing else concerns you.”
You Ruxu said, “I’ll bring Su Ying, and you let everyone inside go.”
“Negotiating with me?” Sang Qi said, “You think you have the right to negotiate with me?”
“You’re not planning on leaving this place alive. If I bring Su Ying here, you’ll just kill her, and everyone else inside will die with you.” You Ruxu said, “They’re all going to die anyway, why should I give you another victim?”
Sang Qi sneered, “You’re smart! Fine, a trade, bring Su Ying here, and I’ll let you take one person out.”
Zhou Tianzui’s eyes widened slightly.
You Ruxu said, “Everyone.”
Sang Qi narrowed his eyes, “You…”
You Ruxu said, “How about a different trade, Sang Qi, do you remember the Pingcun deal, four years ago?”
Sang Qi was silent, his eyes narrowed dangerously, his expression darkening, her words like a knife twisting in his gut, he was no longer amused, his voice cold and sharp, “What do you mean?”
You Ruxu said, “Don’t you want to know why the Pingcun deal failed? Don’t you want to know who betrayed you? I know.”
“Why should I believe you?” Sang Qi’s grip on his gun tightened.
You Ruxu said, “Don’t you remember me? I’m You Ruxu.”
Memories flooded back, and Sang Qi instantly recognized the name, that dog who had pursued him relentlessly, causing so much trouble for his brothers, the Pingcun deal had failed, and they had been searching for the traitor within their ranks, but before they could find him, his brothers were arrested, he and his second brother escaped, his second brother had wanted to kill You Ruxu, then he disappeared, Sang Qi himself escaped abroad, stayed there for two years, then met Zhang Ping, he had wanted to take revenge on You Ruxu, but Li Ting, afraid of complications, had stopped him, old and new grudges combined, his voice low and dangerous, “It was you?”
You Ruxu said, “It was me.”
He said, “Come inside.”
Before You Ruxu could reply, a voice from the other end shouted, “Don’t come in!”
It was Zhou Tianzui!
You Ruxu’s heart leaped with relief, tears welling up, but she didn’t speak, hearing Zhou Tianzui repeat, “Don’t come in, do you hear me?! You Ruxu! I’m not letting you come in!”
Sang Qi, looking down at Zhou Tianzui, a mixture of frustration and anger, his plan thwarted, he kicked her, “A dying dog shouldn’t bark.”
Zhou Tianzui clutched her abdomen, hearing the nurse’s soft gasp, “Dr. Zhou!”
She looked towards the phone, her voice a desperate plea, “Don’t come in, please, don’t come in…”
She was kicked again, a muffled groan escaping her lips.
You Ruxu said, “I’ll come in, and you let them go.” Her voice was calm and steady, “Or you can kill them all, and you can be a clueless ghost, never knowing who betrayed you!”
Her words struck a nerve.
Sang Qi, haunted by the betrayal four years ago, his role in Zhang Ping’s organization to punish traitors, ruthlessly, how could he not want to know? He had dreamt of finding out!
He desperately wanted to know!
He was obsessed with it!
Sang Qi looked at Zhou Tianzui lying on the floor, then at He Wei, still operating, the two nurses, the young nurse in front of him, he was reluctant, so many lives, enough to entertain him for days, but he wanted to know who betrayed him at Pingcun! He needed to know, for his brothers!
You Ruxu, although her heart was pounding with anxiety, didn’t pressure him, she waited in silence.
The silence stretched, only their breaths audible.
Sang Qi finally said, “Come inside.”
He agreed. You Ruxu breathed a sigh of relief and hung up. She asked the officer, “Where’s the one who was shot earlier?”
“He’s, downstairs.” You Ruxu quickly went downstairs, then back up again, and just as she was about to enter the operating room, her wrist was grabbed. She turned around; it was Yu Qiao.
She called out, “Auntie.”
Yu Qiao said, “Don’t go in.”
You Ruxu froze.
She could see the worry beneath Yu Qiao’s cold demeanor, her fear of losing Zhou Tianzui, yet still not wanting You Ruxu to risk her life, “Auntie, if I go in, there’s a chance she’ll survive, if I don’t, she’ll die.”
Whether the police arrived or Su Ying was brought there,
Sang Qi had no intention of letting anyone go, he was prepared to die there.
So, she knew the risks, the worst-case scenario was Sang Qi changing his mind and killing her too, but this was a chance, a chance for Zhou Tianzui and the others to survive, and she wouldn’t let it go.
Fu Shushu said, “Reporter You.”
You Ruxu, hearing her voice, looked down at her press pass, took it off, and handed it to Yu Qiao, “Auntie, I’m going in, not as a reporter, but for Zhou Tianzui.”
You’re not cilantro, and you’re not scallions.
You are Zhou Tianzui.
Because, I love Zhou Tianzui.
