The Brain Science Case 121

Chapter 121: The Collapsing Tower – 2

Jinglin’s decisive departure from Yingli’s side was like a large stone thrown into a calm lake. After the ripples subsided, it returned to calm, as if nothing had changed.

But the real changes, only they themselves knew best.

“…Really? Okay, I understand.” Putting on her high heels, Yingli looked in the mirror and was surprised to find that the ends of her hair had passed her shoulder line.

After finally finishing the autopsy, while she was changing, Yingli mentioned that Zhou Jinglin had asked about Li Yuejiao’s test report.

“Yes, she didn’t ask… why did you suddenly mention this, Teacher?”

Yingli took a deep breath. “Because she knows.”

A chill ran down Tao Qianya’s spine. “She knows? How could…”

“It seems she found out by accident while investigating the case of the culprit who had held the owner hostage with a knife.”

“Really? But she didn’t have a fit like before…” he clapped his hands, “no wonder I haven’t seen you two having bento boxes together lately.”

This rare, strong reaction made Yingli give a wry smile. “In any case, that’s how it is.”

The nonchalance that Yingli showed, in Tao Qianya’s eyes, was almost a forced front. “But you can’t completely blame the teacher for hiding the truth, can you?”

“No matter the reason, the fact is that I did it, and I have nothing to say for myself.” She patted his back. “It’s almost noon. Where are you going to eat today?”

His recent “new favorite” was a noodle shop in an alley. The Hakka rice noodles there always reminded him of his grandmother’s cooking.

“…So Mountain Wind is planning to start… something like a social movement?”

Counting the actions of the organization led by Li Yuejiao, whether it was murder, kidnapping, or threats, they had done it all. It was a mixture of gangster and secret agent tactics, and they were indeed ruthless. But from another perspective, could it also be called “an eye for an eye”?

Setting aside her personal grudge with Zhou Zengxiang, at least in terms of foreign migrant workers, it had successfully drawn the attention of many media outlets to the problem of illegal workers and the treatment of foreign migrant workers, and had also cleverly concealed their real purpose for kidnapping the councilor.

“This is my guess. After all, the Wei councilor’s family has people who helped the government implement authoritarian rule back then,” Yingli bit her lip, and the steam from the noodle soup forced her to temporarily take off her glasses, “and Lin Pinyi’s reporting direction is exactly what they desperately need. If the kidnapping operation cannot achieve her goal, I have every reason to believe there will be further action. She is not the type to give up easily.”

“Their next step?”

“Yes, I believe it will be a more radical and direct way of expressing their demands…”

Someone came in and out of the snack shop, and they temporarily ended their conversation.

“By the way, I won’t be in this afternoon.” She put her glasses back on.

“You mean you won’t be in the team room, or?”

“Not in the office. I’m going to the hospital.” The corners of her lips lifted. “Don’t worry, I’m going to investigate.”

Tao Qianya had a sudden realization. “Are you going to investigate her detailed medical condition?” Yingli had previously expressed her opinion on Li Yuejiao’s plastic surgery in the team.

“That’s right. I’ve made an appointment to meet my brother, and I’ll also be in contact with another surgeon.” She clasped her hands. “I hope to get some information that can be investigated.”

“Although I’ve never worked in a hospital… will they talk about this kind of thing? Won’t there be a gag order or something?” even if she and Tang Zhichao were siblings.

“I don’t know. That’s why it’s called an investigation.” She stood up and took some change out of her clutch. “The soup here is very good. You can come here often if you have the chance.”

Does that mean I’ll have a lot of chances to come and eat with her in the future? Tao Qianya was suddenly reminded of the careless words he had said before—I wish I could have a girlfriend as talented as her—and in contrast to Yingli’s pretty smile, his heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

“I’m going now.”

“Oh, oh.”

In April, the weather had started to warm up a little, and sometimes it would even reach around 28 degrees. Yingli had also switched from a coat to a thin, long-sleeved cotton jacket, and when she walked out the door, the old owner couldn’t help but take another look at her.

**

“Who is this person?”

Tang Zhichao pointed to the end of the bed and asked the boy who was lying there with a smile.

“M-Mommy.”

“Do you know what time it is now?”

“It’s noon. I just had lunch.”

“Do you remember what you ate?”

“A rice burger, chicken nuggets…” he squinted in thought, “and milk.”

“Very good.” He wrote it down and turned to the woman. “We’ll observe for a while longer. If we’re sure there’s no discomfort, then he can be discharged.”

“Thank you… thank you, Dr. Tang.”

When Tang Zhichao shook her hand, he could clearly feel her joy and excitement. The sight of a patient recovering, the happy smiles of their family, had become the greatest motivation for him to maintain his passion for his work.

“You’re welcome.”

After a short break from his rounds, he was about to go back to rest when his phone received a message, reminding him that he had an appointment.

‘I’m in the hospital lobby,’ Tang Yingli had sent a minute ago.

Tang Zhichao hurried to the lobby to meet her, and from a distance, he saw his sister in all black and gray.

“Long time no see.”

Yingli shrugged. “Not long, I just got here.”

He, who was a little out of breath, pursed his lips. “I was just being polite.”

“Oh.” She pushed up her glasses. “Are you on your rounds?”

“Yes, can you tell?”

“It took you eight minutes to get here after you replied to my message. The clinic is not far from here, and you’re holding a folder. So you haven’t had lunch yet?” she asked, holding two cups of coffee. “It’s almost two. I thought you would need this.”

“You even have to deduce all this. I’m really impressed.” Tang Zhichao shook his head and asked with a smile, “Then will you have lunch with me?”

“I can…”

In the middle of their conversation, a few people with SLR cameras suddenly rushed into the hospital lobby and kept taking pictures of a young man in a wheelchair. The young man was surrounded by a few bodyguards, who were blocking the cameras and protecting him with the medical staff. This chaotic scene continued all the way to the elevators.

“Who’s that? A star or a celebrity?”

“Neither.” Tang Zhichao was as cold as if he were an outsider. “Let’s go, let’s go eat, and we can also talk about the purpose of your visit today.” He took her hand a little forcefully and pulled her out of the chaotic lobby.

**

“Yan Kaiwei?” Hearing the young man’s name, Yingli’s eyes suddenly widened.

“Yes, you know him?” Tang Zhichao was a little surprised.

“No.”

Her adamant denial was hilarious. “I was just thinking that I have a high school classmate with a very similar name.” But it was definitely not the same person. Yan Kaiwei was at most in his early twenties. “What’s wrong with him?”

Yan Kaiwei was the son of the CEO of a well-known domestic automobile group, but his prominent family background was not the reason he was known, but because he was a professional Go player in Japan, and he had challenged the “Honinbo” title at the young age of nineteen before the new year. Unfortunately, he had lost after a fierce battle, but he had already made a name for himself.

“Honinbo? To be able to challenge the title at such a young age…” Yingli muttered.

“I heard before that he might be hospitalized for treatment.”

“It sounds like he has some kind of congenital disease.”

“That’s right.” Tang Zhichao pointed to his heart. “He has a heart problem.”

“And he can still be a professional Go player?”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “You might as well say that’s why he became a professional Go player.”

“Playing Go also requires a lot of stamina and concentration. I don’t think it’s any easier.” She rested her chin on her hand and took a small sip of her coffee. “Has he always been treated here?”

“Yes, there’s a dedicated medical team in the hospital that is in charge of his condition. It seems to be a heart valve prolapse… I remember he had surgery a few years ago.”

“Oh?” she answered nonchalantly.

“Alright, let’s not talk about him.” In the blink of an eye, the food on the plate had almost been swept clean by Tang Zhichao, probably a “skill” of a professional doctor. “You specifically asked me out. It’s not just to have a cup of coffee with me, is it?”

“I want to ask about someone, but before that…” Yingli quickly took out a small notebook from her coat, moved closer, and said in a low voice, “have you heard of any medical disputes here recently, senior?”

The hand holding the coffee cup tightened unconsciously. “What’s wrong? Are you investigating a case?”

“Yes, Officer Zhou’s mother was hospitalized here last November…”

“Ah, the one who had a brain scan before? I remember. She and her mom look very much alike, right?”

“Yes…” Yingli frowned, “you’ve seen her mother?”

“Ah, yes, in the operating room. She had an ovarian polyp, right? A minimally invasive procedure…” he gestured with his right hand, pointing out the approximate location of Li Yuejiao’s surgery, “you want to ask about her surgery? Is this related to a case? What case…”

“The case is a little complicated. I’ll tell you later.” She said it briefly. “Yes, I want to ask about her surgery. Do you know who her attending physician was?”

“About that, I think you should ask Liqiong.” Crossing his legs, Tang Zhichao crossed his arms and drank his coffee. “Although I’ve also supported other departments before, that was a long time ago. In recent years, I’ve only focused on brain surgery…”

“You’re being defensive, senior.”

He was almost burned by the coffee. He turned, and what was waiting for him was Yingli, who was leaning forward and slightly in a pressing posture. “I actually asked Sister Liqiong, and I also checked her medical records, but I followed the trail and unexpectedly got her pre-plastic surgery state. I very, very much suspect that she had other unknown surgeries within a month of her hospitalization, and that her medical records were not detailed.”

Tang Zhichao’s mind went blank for a moment, and he immediately realized that Yingli was using interrogation techniques on him. “So that’s why you… asked me that question just now?”

She smiled and nodded.

“This is not funny at all, Yingli.” Tang Zhichao raised his hands in surrender. “Listen, I really don’t know…”

“You just said you’ve seen her, which is already very strange. And then you mentioned that you only focus on brain surgery, and her illness would never have required you to operate.” She raised an eyebrow and interrupted. “By the way, she was in a single room. Unless you specifically went to find her, you wouldn’t have ‘casually’ seen her.”

“I know this person, and because of Officer Zhou, I paid special attention to this patient,” Tang Zhichao said firmly but with reservation, “but about her attending physician and her surgery, I really can’t say any more. Besides, I don’t understand the full situation.”

Yingli’s blank expression was a little terrifying. “In any case, you go and ask Liqiong, and see if she’s willing to talk to you about this. That’s all I can hint at.” He stood up. “Thank you for the coffee. I should be getting back to the clinic.”

Tang Zhichao left as if he were escaping, and she did not chase after him, but just stared at his back until he was out of sight.