Chapter 126: The Collapsing Tower – 7
Arriving at the municipal hospital, Yingli could easily see a few SNG vans and reporters waiting at the scene.
It had been so lively for two days in a row. She avoided the crowd and instead entered the hospital through the emergency room entrance.
Ren Liqiong didn’t seem to be there, and Tang Zhichao was probably either on his rounds or in the clinic. Knowing that they both had their own work to do, Yingli was not in a hurry to contact either of them.
After a walk around the emergency room bed area, she did not find her target. After asking the nurse on duty, she learned that Yao Wenyu had already been transferred to the ICU for observation and treatment.
“When was he transferred?”
“He went in after surgery last night.”
“He hasn’t woken up yet this morning?”
“No.” The nurse’s face was filled with sympathy.
“I understand. Thank you.”
There was a visiting window from 1:00 to 1:30 in the afternoon, and it was not out of the question that Yao Wenyu’s wife would come to visit. She probably had limited knowledge of the storm in the hospital. But before the person involved had woken up, she was the only clue.
Sigh, if only Tang Zhichao or Ren Liqiong were willing to be honest, things would be much simpler.
Yingli went to the food court, and as the convenience store clerk was making her coffee, a wheelchair quietly but abruptly passed by the entrance.
The reason she said quiet was because the patient was pushing the wheelchair himself, and there was no one with him. He was wearing a regular hospital gown and was unremarkable, but what was abrupt was that in this bustling food court, what was on his lap was not lunch, but a wooden Go board.
If there was anyone in the hospital who would be carrying such a thing around, it would have to be this professional Go player.
“Miss, your coffee is ready.”
Taking the coffee, she silently followed the young man, wanting to see where he was going.
In the end, he found an empty table in a corner and, ignoring the noise and the smell of food around him, he began to place the Go stones with concentration.
Although he occasionally attracted a few curious glances, almost no one lingered by his side, and he was at ease, as if he were the only one there.
Yingli did not understand Go, but from the fact that he did not hesitate to place the two-colored stones in a fixed position, she could probably understand that he might be replaying a previous game, or some brilliant match.
What an amazing memory and concentration. She knew that top Go players all had similar abilities. With years of experience and an understanding of the existing rules, it was easier for them to remember the process of a game in their minds, like a living surveillance camera. But to actually observe it was still amazing to Yingli.
However, just as the stones had occupied half the board, he stopped.
Taking advantage of the slight distraction in Yan Kaiwei’s thoughts, she skillfully intervened. “May I ask a question?”
His shoulders trembled slightly, and his gaze shifted from the board to her. “You are?”
“Is this a game you’ve played before?”
Yan Kaiwei paused for a moment and said, “Yes… this is the game I lost in the title match last year.” He returned to the board and placed a black stone in an empty space. “I originally played here, and then…” he placed the subsequent moves, and after the fifth white stone was placed, he let go.
“And that was it… I resigned when my time ran out, and I didn’t advance.”
“So you’re looking for a chance to win?”
“Yes, ever since I lost, I’ve been thinking about it at least two or three times a day.” Yan Kaiwei took back the few stones he had just placed and returned to the previous pause.
“It wasn’t because you were not feeling well that you lost?” Yingli raised an eyebrow, and he turned abruptly. “I heard you came back to Taiwan for hospitalization because of a heart condition, so I just thought, maybe you weren’t feeling well during the match and it affected the outcome…”
“No, I was fine during the match. To be honest, my health only got worse after I lost.” He shook his head with a smile, and the black stone was decisively placed in another position. “In any case, my health is not an excuse for my loss.”
“I see.”
“Do you understand Go, miss?”
“Not at all. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Tang Yingli, a neuroscientist.” She proactively held out her hand. “Hello, Mr. Yan. I witnessed you being surrounded by a large group of reporters when you entered the hospital lobby yesterday.”
“I don’t know where they got their information.” He shook her hand. “A neuroscientist? I’ve seen a show… is it a job that uses instruments to scan the brain and deduce people’s thoughts?”
“Far from it. We do study the brain, but accurately predicting other people’s thoughts is definitely not the main purpose. As far as I know, whether it’s a CT scan or a brain scan, neither can accurately understand a person’s real thoughts, let alone a lie detector.”
Yan Kaiwei looked very interested. “Oh, then is there a way to predict?”
“Compared to instruments, using your own eyes is more accurate. After all, we’ve been learning to guess other people’s thoughts or emotions since we were babies. ‘Reading people’ is an important part of socializing.”
He threw up his hands. “So we’ve all been fooled by the dramatic effects?”
“That’s right.” Yingli pushed up her glasses. “But even if the audience may be misled by the drama, the actual brain presents what it’s really thinking and its purpose through actions and expressions. So I often say, the brain doesn’t lie.”
“The brain doesn’t lie… that’s very interesting. I didn’t expect to meet someone as interesting as you here, Miss Tang.” He looked at her clothes. “Are you here to visit someone?”
“I guess so.” She smiled. “Then why did you come here to play Go, Mr. Yan? With your status, you should be in a single room…”
“I was. But now there are reporters there, so I ran out with these.” He gave a wry smile, and a white stone was placed with a “clack.” “After all, playing Go is the only thing I can really do to calm down here.”
“Are they here to interview you about your condition?”
“No, what they really want to ask is my opinion on my dad’s medical research park expansion plan.” As the eldest son, he was of course seen as the future successor, even though his current identity was a professional Go player. “I thought his business was already big enough, but I didn’t expect it to get even bigger.”
“You mean… your father is planning to get into the medical business?”
“To put it nicely, it’s to promote the development of medical technology, but I know his personality. He won’t do a losing business, not to mention this is a billion-dollar investment.”
Before she could even think, she heard Yan Kaiwei let out a sigh of defeat. “It seems… the conversation is over.”
Two or three men in suits quickly ran through the crowd. “Young master, why did you run out without your phone…” the bodyguards immediately separated Yingli and asked with alarm, “who are you?”
“This lady was just playing Go with me. Don’t be rude to her.” Yan Kaiwei put on a stern face and nodded to Yingli. “I’m sorry, I have to go back.”
“It was a pleasure to talk to you.” Yingli smiled and stepped back, and the two bodyguards, without his permission, had already started to pack up the Go stones. He frowned in displeasure, but the three of them were completely unaware.
“Have the reporters all left?” he asked with a blank expression.
“Yes, they’ve all left. The boss and the director will be holding a formal press conference later…” they spoke in low voices, and the three of them packed up their things and pushed Yan Kaiwei out of the food court.
“A press conference?” So that’s why the interview cars were here. Glancing at the time, she found that the visiting hours for the ICU were about to open. She drank her coffee and moved to another location.
**
To make the meeting time, many family members were already waiting outside the ICU.
Ye Manzhi held her young son’s hand and stared at the time. There were only fifteen minutes left before the meeting time, but to her, it felt so long.
“Mom, what’s Daddy doing in there?”
This question had been asked several times. She forced a smile and said patiently, “He’s in there with a lot of doctors and nurses taking care of him.”
“Is Daddy awake?”
“I don’t know yet.” Her phone rang again. After the incident last night, the concern of her relatives and her anxiety had kept Ye Manzhi up all night. She lowered her head to read the message, until her son tugged at her sleeve.
“Mom… someone.”
“I’m sorry, are you Dr. Yao’s wife?”
A black shadow flashed before her, and she was startled to find a woman standing next to her. “I am. May I ask who you are?”
“Hello, my name is Tang Yingli, a neuroscientist, and also Dr. Tang Zhichao’s sister.” She took out a pass that looked like a medical staff’s.
“So you’re Dr. Tang’s sister. Neuroscience… so you’re not a doctor?”
“Ah, I’m not. Can I sit down?” she asked, sitting next to Ye Manzhi and taking out a small notebook. “Can I ask you a few questions?”
“What questions?”
“Do you know why Dr. Yao Wenyu was transferred?”
Ye Manzhi was dumbfounded and instantly remembered the night at the end of last year when she had come home and had found the drunk Yao Wenyu lying on the sofa—
On the table was a transfer letter, stating that he had been transferred from the municipal hospital to another local hospital… even if she was ignorant of the medical system, she knew that going there, both in terms of salary and promotion opportunities, was a world of difference.
Why was he suddenly transferred? The drunk him had only repeatedly said that he was a scapegoat, and had muttered a name she was not familiar with…
But after he had sobered up, her husband had completely denied everything that had happened when he was drunk and had also insisted that she not tell anyone.
“Mrs. Yao… Mrs. Yao?” she came back to her senses, and what woke her up was Yingli’s probing gaze, “did you remember something?”
Her face was tense. “This question… my husband has told me not to talk about it.”
That means she knows the answer. “Did he say why?”
“He didn’t say in detail… but the only possibility is that he’s afraid of offending someone, right?”
“Then after he went to the hospital he’s serving now, was he happy?”
Ye Manzhi was at a loss for words. “Um… if he were happy… then what happened yesterday wouldn’t have happened, right?”
“That’s true. I’m sorry, I asked a stupid question.” She pushed up her glasses and continued to ask in a flat tone, “Dr. Yao was forced to leave here, right?”
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded forcefully as if she had made up her mind. “It was very sudden.”
“Did he jump from a building to commit suicide?” Seeing Ye Manzhi nod, she continued, “can you explain his situation the day before?”
“Yesterday he was on leave. I went to work as usual, and the child went to kindergarten. I didn’t think much of it. But before I got off work, I suddenly received a notification that he…” at the mention of the sad part, Ye Manzhi pursed her lips, and her eyes instantly turned red, “I picked up my son and rushed over, and he had already been pushed into the operating room. I signed the surgery consent form for him… and then it was just waiting… I didn’t even know how to react.”
Yingli handed her a handkerchief. “It’s okay, it’s okay. My brother said Dr. Yao’s condition has stabilized, and now we just have to wait for him to regain consciousness… for something like this to happen so suddenly, your mood must be very difficult, but now you have to hold on. Your child still needs you very much, doesn’t he?”
Ye Manzhi wiped her tears, looked at her son, and patted his head.
“Since you’re sure Dr. Yao’s suicide is related to his leaving here… why don’t you just say it?”
She was taken aback. “Say it?”
“Yes, from your reaction and your account, you know the general reason, right? Dr. Yao was suddenly transferred, and it was without any mistake on his part.”
“That’s right…”
“Dr. Yao didn’t want you to talk because he still had to survive in this system, but now the situation is different…” Yingli frowned and said in a low voice, “don’t you feel that it’s unfair? His good job was suddenly changed, and Dr. Yao has been depressed ever since, and then this happened.”
Ye Manzhi was almost convinced, but her reason was pulled back at the last moment. “You’re… Dr. Tang’s sister, aren’t you? Even if I tell you, what can you do?”
“To be honest, Mrs. Yao, I’m investigating a case… by the way, when was Dr. Yao transferred?”
“Last October.”
October… that is, after Li Yuejiao was discharged, and Yao Wenyu is also a surgeon. “Although there is still a lack of evidence, I have reason to believe that Dr. Yao’s transfer is related to the case I’m investigating. Are you willing to believe me, Mrs. Yao, and tell me what you know?”
Ye Manzhi gripped the handkerchief tightly, trembling. Yingli did not rush her with words, but instead gently held her hand, as if to give her silent support and wait.
Finally, she took a deep breath, and with a sob, she told Yingli, “That day, Wenyu came home drunk…” she recounted the situation at that time.
Yingli heard the keyword. “He said he was a scapegoat?”
“Yes.”
“A scapegoat for what? Whose sin?”
“I don’t know…” she covered her mouth with a handkerchief and, as if she had a flash of inspiration, she replied, “but he said a long string of drunken words, and I vaguely heard a name from it.”
“What name?”
She frowned. “I think it was… Cui something-long?”
“Cui… something-long, is long the second or third character of the name?” she rested her chin on her hand and quickly made a note.
“I’m not sure. Because when he sobered up, I asked him again, but he wouldn’t say anything… and he also asked me not to talk about it.”
The last fifteen minutes of waiting were over. The isolation door was opened, and the long-awaited family members prepared to enter the ICU one after another.
“Time is precious. Let’s get in line.” Yingli took the initiative to take Ye Manzhi’s hand. “Let’s go and see Dr. Yao first. We can talk about the rest later.”
**
After finishing his paperwork, Zhou Zengxiang was on his way to the station when he unexpectedly received a call.
Staring at the caller ID, he hesitated for a moment and then answered. “I didn’t expect you to take the initiative to contact me.”
‘Are you surprised? At this time… the director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau should be having afternoon tea, right?’
“I wish I were that leisurely. What do you want?”
‘So quick to get to the point? I thought you would have chatted with me for a while, for example, asking me what I’m doing now…’
“You’re probably at your company. I saw your new car ad the other day.”
‘Wrong. I’m about to hold a press conference.’
“For what?”
‘A new business to do.’
“Isn’t your business big enough?”
‘It’s different. This is a life-saving business, different from cars.’
For some reason, the words “life-saving” from Yan Ruiyang’s mouth made Zhou Zengxiang feel a chill run down his spine. “What kind of business are you doing?”
‘It’s related to medical research. I know you’re very busy, so I won’t keep you in suspense… I just received a notification from Ou Yaoguang that you’ve recently set up a special task force.’
“Yes.” Ou Yaoguang, that big mouth. Zhou Zengxiang cursed under his breath. “That’s right.”
‘The investigation target is very interesting… I hear it’s an old friend.’
Yan Ruiyang was clearly trying to get information from him. Fed up with being passive, Zhou Zengxiang said directly, “How much did Yaoguang tell you?”
‘Not much. That’s why I’m asking you… how far has Li Yuejiao gone?’
Because he was on the phone, Zhou Zengxiang chose to take the stairs. “She’s kidnapped a few people, and she’s also killed a few… how should I put it?”
Yan Ruiyang laughed. ‘It’s very much in our ‘old’ style.’
He took a deep breath. “Ruiyang, this has nothing to do with you. Simply put, that’s it. I still have things to do, so I won’t talk anymore.”
‘Don’t hang up, don’t hang up… you’ll regret it if you hang up on me, sir.’
He was patient. “Is there anything else?”
‘You say… is Lisa having a change of heart?’ he exclaimed, ‘after being a government dog and doing all sorts of bad things, she’s now turning around and biting you with the same methods?’
“Yes, the target is us, so I said this has nothing to do with you…”
‘It has something to do with me too. Even if I’ve changed my identity, have been clean for many years, and have made a career for myself… in the end, you, Ou Yaoguang, and she are still the same group, aren’t we?’
As if he were afraid he wouldn’t believe him, Yan Ruiyang emphasized again, ‘She will come to me. I’m sure of it.’
