Friend(GL) 150

Chapter 150: Where Is She?

Yu Qiao looked down at Zhou Tianzui, who kept asking, “Mom, where’s You Ruxu? Where is she?”

The nurse started to say, “Reporter You…”

Yu Qiao interrupted her, “You Ruxu is dead.”

She looked up after saying those words, Zhou Tianzui, as if struck by lightning, was frozen, her mind unable to process the information, she just stared at Yu Qiao, motionless.

Yu Qiao said to the nurse, “You can go now.”

The nurse, looking at Zhou Tianzui with pity, left the ward, She had heard that You Ruxu and Zhou Tianzui were very close, like sisters, and You Ruxu had even risked her life for Zhou Tianzui, it was understandable that Dr. Zhou was devastated.

She would also be devastated.

Such a good reporter, how could…

The room was silent, even the beeping of the machines seemed to fade away, Zhou Tianzui looked at Yu Qiao for a long time, then said, “Mom, you’re lying, aren’t you?”

“You hate her, I know, you must be lying.” She tried to smile, but tears welled up in her eyes as she pulled herself up, the pain from her wound, which had been so intense just moments ago, now gone, she tried to get out of bed, Yu Qiao rushed over and hugged her, “Xiao Tian…”

“Mom, you’re lying.” Zhou Tianzui shook her head, “You must be lying. Mom, I’ll break up with her, I won’t see her again, okay? Please don’t lie to me, you said, she’s fine, she’s in another ward, she’s waiting for me.”

“You Ruxu is waiting for me, she’s waiting for me,” Zhou Tianzui pushed Yu Qiao away, wanting to get out of bed, but Yu Qiao held her back, not too tightly, afraid of hurting her wound, Zhou Tianzui struggled in her embrace, pushing her away, Yu Qiao stumbled back, and Zhou Tianzui fell to the floor, she grabbed the edge of the bed, wanting to stand up, but couldn’t, Yu Qiao stood behind her, Zhou Tianzui’s shoulders shaking, her hands gripping the bedsheet tightly, desperately trying to stand, but she had no strength left, her soft sobs echoing in the room, Yu Qiao placed a hand on her shoulder, “Xiao Tian,”

Zhou Tianzui’s soft sobs turned into uncontrollable wails. She pounded on the bed in anguish, her wound reopening, the blood staining her hospital gown, Yu Qiao, worried, tried to help her up, but Zhou Tianzui buried her face in the sheets, unable to speak, her body shaking uncontrollably as she cried silently, her grip on the sheets tightening, Yu Qiao said gently, “Xiao Tian, please don’t do this.”

“You lied.” Zhou Tianzui said, her voice muffled, “She also lied.” Her eyes were red and swollen, her hair matted with tears against her face, a look of despair in her eyes as she looked up, a despair so intense that Yu Qiao couldn’t bear to meet her gaze, she opened her mouth, about to speak,

Zhou Tianzui said, “You all lied to me, she promised she would be fine,” gripping Yu Qiao’s hand tightly, “Mom, she promised she would be fine, there must be a mistake, I have to go find her.”

She tried to stand up. Yu Qiao, seeing the bloodstain on her gown spreading, Zhou Tianzui seemingly oblivious to the pain, just wanting to leave, hugged her from behind, “Xiao Tian, Xiao Tian, please don’t do this, calm down,” but even with all her strength, she couldn’t hold Zhou Tianzui back, who, clutching her wound, stumbled towards the door.

Yu Qiao said, “Xiao Tian, she’s listening, please calm down.”

Zhou Tianzui, struggling to break free, something fell from Yu Qiao’s pocket, a soft thud against the floor, and Zhou Tianzui stopped, she looked at the object, then at Yu Qiao, “What’s that?”

Even without Yu Qiao telling her, she knew, it was You Ruxu’s press pass, the one she treasured, the one that carried her dreams and her guilt, the one that had been her reason for living.

Zhou Tianzui stumbled forward, crouched down, and picked it up.

“Hello everyone, I’m You Ruxu, reporting live from Jindu…”

“Hello, I’m field reporter, You Ruxu.”

The woman in the photo smiled at Zhou Tianzui, who, tracing the image with her fingertip, sitting on the floor, wanted to smile back, but she started crying instead, clutching the press pass, her sobs echoing in the quiet room.

Yu Qiao’s eyes were red and swollen, she looked away, the nurses and doctors, hearing the commotion, stood at the doorway, watching Zhou Tianzui’s breakdown, a doctor wanted to approach, but Yu Qiao said, her voice choked with tears, “Could you, give us a moment?”

The doctor and nurses, seeing Zhou Tianzui’s grief, their own eyes reddening,

Zhou Tianzui was helped back onto the bed, the doctor re-bandaging her wound, wanting to offer some comfort, but seeing her expression, knowing any words would be futile, the press pass clutched tightly in her hand, its edges sharp and unforgiving, digging into her skin, she didn’t seem to notice.

After the doctor left, Yu Qiao said, “Xiao Tian, just cry, let it all out, you’ll feel better.”

Zhou Tianzui said, her voice muffled, “It’s all my fault.”

Yu Qiao looked at her.

Zhou Tianzui continued, “It’s all my fault, if I hadn’t asked her to bring the files, she would be fine.”

She was already going to Yuxin Hospital, she had asked You Ruxu to bring them, it was her fault.

Yu Qiao said, “Xiao Tian, please don’t blame yourself, she wouldn’t want you to.”

“Would she?” Zhou Tianzui looked at Yu Qiao, “Would she really be unhappy? And if she was unhappy, wouldn’t she come to see me?”

Yu Qiao was speechless.

Zhou Tianzui looked down at the press pass in her hand.

The third time she held it, she had placed it around You Ruxu’s neck twice, why had she agreed? She could have refused, it was all her fault, it was all her fault!

Zhou Tianzui turned her head away, closed her eyes, her hair matted against her cheeks, the darkness making her pale face even whiter. Yu Qiao sat beside her, “Xiao Tian, I really hated her before, I know I shouldn’t blame her entirely for your father’s incident, but I couldn’t help it, I hated her.”

That hatred, that day, when she saw You Ruxu’s determination to save Zhou Tianzui, had suddenly dissipated.

She cared about You Ruxu’s safety, she wanted You Ruxu to be okay, she wanted to see You Ruxu again, she even hoped, that You Ruxu and Xiao Tian could be together, could be happy.

They were both good children.

Carrying the burden of guilt and their dreams, every step forward more difficult than others, yet they never gave up. She watched as You Ruxu walked into that operating room, her heart filled with a sudden understanding, the all-consuming hatred, finally letting go.

Yu Qiao said, “But I’m grateful to her now, she gave you a second chance at life, she gave me a second chance.”

“Xiao Tian.” Yu Qiao looked down, “You know how I lived after your father’s death, you saw it all, do you want her to live like that, to endure that kind of pain, alone?”

Zhou Tianzui murmured, “I…”

She didn’t, she didn’t want that at all, even the thought made her heart ache, she looked down at the press pass in her hand, her eyes unfocused, she didn’t speak, and Yu Qiao, seeing this, relaxed slightly, Zhou Tianzui would be okay, although it would be a long and painful process, she believed Xiao Tian would get through it.

Zhou Tianzui didn’t ask about You Ruxu again, just lay there silently. Yu Qiao tried to talk to her, but she would only respond after a long pause. Yu Qiao didn’t mind, Zhou Tianzui was much calmer than she had been back then, she would recover much faster.

At dinnertime, Yu Qiao went to buy food, and Zhou Tianzui asked her to bring her the press pass. Yu Qiao handed it to her, about to ask what she wanted to do with it, when she saw Zhou Tianzui carefully tuck it into her own ID holder, as if placing You Ruxu in her heart, a constant reminder, never to be forgotten.

Yu Qiao was speechless, just staring at Zhou Tianzui.

Zhou Tianzui, holding the two IDs together, her eyes red and swollen, Yu Qiao said gently, “Xiao Tian, do you want to rest for a bit?”

She tucked Zhou Tianzui in, wanting to take the press pass, but Zhou Tianzui’s grip was tight. Yu Qiao could only wipe her face and then left to arrange the ward transfer. Zhou Tianzui was being transferred to a regular ward that afternoon, and she had already booked a bed, while Zhou Tianzui was resting, she would take her things over.

Zhou Tianzui closed her eyes, and You Ruxu’s image appeared, You Ruxu sitting beside her, You Ruxu smiling at her, You Ruxu getting angry, You Ruxu holding her, comforting her.

She couldn’t sleep. She opened her eyes, the room quiet, she suddenly threw off the blanket and sat up, and just as she was getting out of bed, she heard the nurse call out, “Dr. Zhou? Dr. Zhou, why are you out of bed?”

“I’m going to my new ward,” Zhou Tianzui said, and the nurse quickly helped her up, “I’ll take you there.”

Zhou Tianzui said, “No need.”

She pushed the nurse away gently. The nurse, still worried, followed her, calling the doctor, but Zhou Tianzui seemed oblivious, just walking towards the exit.

The reporters waiting in the lounge area were eating instant noodles, discussing how to explain to their bosses why they still hadn’t been able to interview Zhou Tianzui, when someone suddenly shouted, “It’s Dr. Zhou!”

The previously empty corridor was suddenly filled with people.

Zhou Tianzui was surrounded by reporters, their press badges displayed prominently, their cameras rolling, excitedly asking, “Dr. Zhou, are you feeling better now?”

The nurse tried to intervene, “Please make way, Dr. Zhou needs to rest.”

But the reporters pushed forward, “Dr. Zhou, we heard you and Sang Qi were in a standoff in the operating room for almost ten minutes, what did you talk about?”

“Dr. Zhou, the mother and child you saved are both alive and well, do you have anything you’d like to say to them?”

“Dr. Zhou, we heard you were shot…”

“Dr. Zhou, I’m a reporter from Heping Evening News, how are you feeling right now?”

The reporter, young, in her twenties, and Zhou Tianzui, looking at her, the cameras all turning to them, the reporter, stunned by her gaze, Zhou Tianzui asked, “You’re a reporter?”

The reporter, confused, weren’t they all reporters here?

She nodded, “Yes, I am, I’m from Heping Evening News.”

Zhou Tianzui asked, “Do you know You Ruxu?”

She said, “She’s from Jindu TV’s midday news team, she’s also a reporter.”

The reporter blinked, stunned by the question, her hesitation making Zhou Tianzui turn to the person holding the microphone beside her, “You’re also a reporter, right? Do you know You Ruxu?”

A figure rushed forward, and Chen Xiang called out, “Dr. Zhou…”

Zhou Tianzui, ignoring her, her tone as if she didn’t even recognize her, “Do you know You Ruxu?”

Chen Xiang’s eyes instantly filled with tears, “Dr. Zhou…”

Zhou Tianzui ignored her, turning to the person beside her, “Do you know You Ruxu?”

Her voice was filled with a desperate, almost obsessive, need to know, most of the reporters present had heard about You Ruxu, their heads lowering, a sudden, awkward silence falling over the corridor, they, usually so eloquent, now speechless, the cameramen, looking at Zhou Tianzui through their lenses, the raw grief emanating from her bringing tears to their eyes.

Yu Qiao, returning with the food, saw Zhou Tianzui from afar.

She had thought Zhou Tianzui was calm earlier, but she had been wrong,

It wasn’t calmness, but a carefully controlled composure, a fragile restraint, and when that restraint broke, she became obsessive, almost frantic, Yu Qiao stood there, watching Zhou Tianzui, her hospital gown stained with blood, her face pale, her hair slightly disheveled, walking from person to person, repeating the same question over and over, “Do you know You Ruxu?”