The Brain Science Case 127

Chapter 127: The Collapsing Tower – 8

‘She will come to me. I’m sure of it.’

“How can you be so sure?” Zhou Zengxiang’s expression changed. “Could it be… when she was in the hospital, you did something to her…”

‘Am I that kind of person?’ he sighed exaggeratedly, ‘I not only arranged a hospital room for her, but I also went to visit her personally and even got the best doctor to treat her.’

“But what I know seems to be different.” At least the photos from her plastic surgery told them that Li Yuejiao had had some unknown surgery.

He snorted. ‘I’m at the hospital entrance, sir. There are so many reporters outside… that’s all for now. I won’t talk anymore.’

The sound of the call being disconnected came from the receiver. Zhou Zengxiang glanced at the screen and quickened his pace downstairs.

He quickly walked into the special task force room. Inside were only Fang Zijun, Cai Yuwei, and Jian Minggui.

“Hello, Director.” the three of them said in unison.

“Where is everyone else?”

Fang Zijun explained one by one, “Dr. Tao is preparing for an autopsy… it’s the model who was accidentally poisoned before. Lu Tingfeng is in the office, and Chen Huomu will be here in a bit. As for the teacher… she went to the municipal hospital again today.”

“Again?”

“She went yesterday too. Ah Mu just said that she claimed to have found a clue and might be able to find out about a possible medical malpractice and the source of the stored blood soon.”

‘…and I got the best doctor to treat her.’

Yan Ruiyang’s words were still ringing in his ears. Zhou Zengxiang couldn’t help but sigh. “If the so-called best doctor only ends up with a medical malpractice, then that’s really ironic.”

“Director? I’m sorry, what did you say was ironic…”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” He waved his hand. “By the way, where’s the information I wanted?” Wei Yumin was really curious about the case that had happened to his nephew.

“It should be with Ah Mu. He’ll be here in a bit…” before he could finish, there was a knock on the team room door.

“I’ll get it.” Cai Yuwei volunteered.

“The people on the list, are they all being monitored?” while Cai Yuwei was opening the door, Zhou Zengxiang asked.

“Yes, but…”

“But what?”

“If Mountain Wind doesn’t make a move for a long time…” Fang Zijun stammered, “how long should our surveillance continue?” after all, this was a labor-intensive job.

“Well, in any case, let’s continue to observe for a while…” while the two of them were talking, there was a slight commotion at the team room door.

“Senior Ah Mu, and… Jinglin.”

Zhou Zengxiang looked at the door, and following behind Chen Huomu was the female detective with the long hair.

“I’m not a member of the special task force, so I won’t go in.” Zhou Jinglin stood outside the door. “I’m here to give the director some information… Director.” The moment she peeked her head in, her eyes met Zhou Zengxiang’s.

She took a deep breath. “Can I talk to you alone?”

**

“What do you want to talk to me about, Officer Zhou?”

Standing in the corridor outside the team room, Zhou Zengxiang leaned against the railing and looked at the gray sky.

“When the special task force members were announced before, the words you said to me, do you still remember them, Director?”

“My memory is not that bad.” He smiled faintly and turned, finding that Jinglin’s face was completely without a smile. “What’s wrong?”

“When I heard you say that at the time, I immediately thought of the case I had solved with Tang Ying… the teacher.” She bit her lip and continued, “To be honest, I’ve been bothered by this result. I even thought, could it be that the director and the chief thought I could solve the case entirely because of the teacher’s credit? Could it be that in your eyes… I’m not that outstanding.”

“No, that’s not it. Solving a case is the result of everyone working together. Even a talented person like Dr. Tang can’t solve a case on their own, right? You are indeed an active, proactive, and outstanding detective.”

Even though he praised her, Jinglin’s expression did not change, and she even shook her head slightly. “But after I struggled for a long time, I found out… that these were not the real reasons I was excluded.”

He frowned. “Officer Zhou?”

“The mastermind of Mountain Wind… is my mom, right?” she said with a sad expression, “Li Yuejiao is not dead. She planned this operation to escape someone’s surveillance, and even my appearance became a powerful proof of her ‘death.’”

“You…” his voice was hoarse, and it slightly betrayed his inner surprise, “how could you think that, Officer Zhou?”

“At this point, you don’t have to play dumb with me anymore. I found another test report… in the blood sample at the scene, an anticoagulant was clearly found. And I continued to investigate and found a fact that I couldn’t even imagine. My mom… Li Yuejiao not only kidnapped the director’s wife, but she also conspired with Shi Changyun, who almost burned Jingxun to death.”

Since she had already said so much, Zhou Zengxiang could only nod in acknowledgement. “Yes… you’re right. That’s right. In order not to put you in a difficult position, and to prevent any possible malpractice due to this mother-daughter relationship, Chief Fang and I did not select you for the team.”

“The director probably doesn’t know.” The hand holding the folder was trembling, and Jinglin stood up straight. “Before my mom came to the north for hospitalization, I almost only went home to see her on New Year’s. For over ten years, our mother-daughter relationship was not good… it was only recently, before the incident, that it was slightly repaired. Because… because of her profession, I had always felt disgusted, and even ashamed.”

Zhou Zengxiang listened carefully, and her eyes became bright and shining. “On the contrary, becoming a police officer was my ambition since I was little… I am proud to be a detective, to have this identity.”

“Your mother must be proud of you too.”

Her smile was fleeting. “What I want to say is, I will not, under any circumstances, do anything to disgrace the identity of a detective.”

Looking at this face that was so similar to the pre-plastic surgery Li Yuejiao, Zhou Zengxiang had a feeling of seeing the young her, who had not yet been in the nightlife industry.

“Your determination, I understand.” He smiled, but his tone changed. “But even so, I still hope you can keep your distance from this case.”

“I know. The fact that I am the ‘mastermind’s daughter’ cannot be erased… but since I know she is still alive, I also have a reason I cannot give up.” She smiled bitterly. “I have so many questions I want to ask her, including who my biological father is, and the reason she did this… I have to get an answer.”

“Officer Zhou… what are you planning to do?”

“In any case, to be able to hear the director admit this in person is very meaningful to me.” She shook her head and handed him the folder. “This is the information you need. Goodbye.”

Zhou Zengxiang held the folder and looked at Jinglin’s coolly departing back, and couldn’t help but sigh, “Not just her appearance… but even her personality is so much like you.”

**

This press conference, which was heavily funded by a well-known automobile group and led by an elite medical team from the municipal hospital, had finally officially begun.

The press conference started on time at 1:40. Even though the location was in their usual pre-clinic meeting room, the colleagues in the neurosurgery department still turned on the TV and watched the live broadcast.

“Zhichao, look, it’s starting, it’s starting.” a colleague shouted, his tone filled with a hint of anticipation.

“Isn’t it just on the second floor? Why don’t you go and see it in person?” Tang Zhichao took a sip of water from his mug, not even looking up.

“There are so many reporters there. How can you see clearly through the screen?” The colleague who spoke was crossing his legs, and the other two doctors who had come to join the fun also came over. “Yan Ruiyang’s son was just hospitalized yesterday, and he’s holding a press conference today. Is he trying to divert all the attention from his son?”

“You’re overthinking it. This press conference was announced a long time ago.”

“So he timed his son’s hospitalization?”

“I don’t know. But for the press conference to be so big, the surgery department will also feel a lot of pressure. Yan Ruiyang’s son, this illness not only has to be cured, but the surgery must also be done very beautifully.”

“Of course. I heard that Director Cui will be personally in charge. Arrhythmia is a piece of cake for him…”

His colleagues were all talking, and Tang Zhichao pursed his lips, not wanting to express any opinion on this topic. “You few, don’t forget your rounds and your clinic.”

“We know. Hey, Zhichao, where are you going?”

“I’m going to the ICU to see Wenyu.”

Yao Wenyu. He was rushed to the hospital for surgery yesterday after jumping from a building. “Why did he suddenly think of it?”

“If you were the one who had to take the fall for this,” he stopped, “would you still be able to cross your legs and not care at all?”

The colleague who spoke was dumbfounded, and Tang Zhichao glared at him. “Have a little more sympathy, and a little less schadenfreude.”

He strode away, and the colleague who had been scolded muttered a few words and continued to stare at the live broadcast.

The person who was complaining thought he was speaking very quietly, but Tang Zhichao heard him clearly—“it would never have been you who had to take the fall. It’s so nice to have a former head of internal medicine as a father…”

Outsiders always thought that with his father backing him, he could be carefree, but they didn’t know that he had no choice at all, and that with this halo, he was under an indescribable pressure in the hospital.

Only because he was Tang Yuzhong’s son, so he had to be perfect, had to do a beautiful job. In all the years he had been at the municipal hospital, the gossip around him had never been less.

Perhaps it wasn’t to the point of being exhausted, but he was really a little tired, especially as he climbed higher and higher, and began to slowly enter the so-called “high-level,” the more he was unable to focus on his patients.

Shaking his head, he quickened his pace to the intensive care unit.

**

Putting on an isolation gown, Tang Yingli adjusted her mask, took off her glasses, and after the fog had dissipated, she put them back on.

“Has he woken up?” Ye Manzhi asked, but the nurse shook her head.

“Dr. Tang will be here in a bit.” After adjusting the IV drip, the nurse left.

“Daddy.”

“Shh, be quiet. Daddy is sleeping…” Ye Manzhi stopped her son.

Yingli stared at the blood pressure, heart rate, and other data on the monitor for a while, first checking his head injury, and then looking down at his body, hands, and feet.

From the surgery record and the wound, it was confirmed that he had a skull fracture. There were also contusions on his head and back. For a person who had jumped from a height of four floors, his luck was quite good.

The three of them stared at Yao Wenyu, and the mother and son occasionally talked, until Tang Zhichao hurried over and broke the silence.

“Dr. Tang.”

“Mrs. Yao, hello.” Tang Zhichao quickly noticed the woman standing by the head of the bed. “Who is that?”

“She said she’s your sis…”

“It’s me.” Yingli interrupted, pulling down her mask. “You didn’t recognize me, senior?”

Because she was wearing a mask and a head covering. “Ying…” Tang Zhichao put his hands on his hips and walked over. “What are you doing here?”

She pushed up her glasses. “Ah, I’m here to see Dr. Yao, and to ask Mrs. Yao a few questions… what’s wrong?”

“Come here.” Tang Zhichao grabbed her hand and gave Ye Manzhi a forced smile. “Excuse me for a moment.” then he pulled his sister all the way to the ICU door.

Yingli hadn’t even had a chance to take off her isolation gown. “I’m just here to investigate. There’s no need for this.”

“You… it’s already chaotic enough. Can you not add another thing to it?”

“The press conference wasn’t my doing. I just want to find the clues I’m looking for as soon as possible.” She threw up her hands and pulled off her mask and head covering. “By the way, I accidentally ran into that professional Go player in the food court. He’s a nice guy, not arrogant at all, but his situation is a little pitiful…”

“Yingli, I’m begging you. Now is really not the time to bring this up. Whether it’s Wenyu or that Officer Zhou’s mother, it’s all the same.”

Her index finger on her glasses, Yingli looked up at him and said coldly, “So you just dare to be angry but not to speak?”

Tang Zhichao froze, and she continued, “Even if you were hesitant on the phone yesterday, I probably understood. Dr. Yao was transferred without making any mistakes because he was taking the fall for a well-known doctor. After the transfer, Dr. Yao was depressed, maybe he couldn’t adapt to the new environment, or maybe he was still bothered by it, and in the end, he jumped. Fortunately, he was saved, but his good family is now like this. Did you see their tears? Can you not investigate this?”

“Of course I saw them. Listen, I also think this whole thing is ridiculously funny, but if you expose it now, the scope of the impact will be much greater than you think.” Tang Zhichao pointed to the isolation door. “First, whether Wenyu can return to his position as a doctor or not, his medical career in a big hospital is over. Second, the person you’re going to expose is very likely to be operating on Yan Ruiyang’s son. Before… a certain incident, he was a doctor with a very prominent and perfect record and seniority. You grew up in this family, so you must understand the dilemma the medical community in Taiwan is facing now.

“How many doctors have gone to open cosmetic surgery clinics? It’s because they don’t want to be associated with the words ‘medical malpractice.’ I don’t deny that there are a few doctors here who care more about their own interests and promotions than their patients, but if you keep pursuing this, you’ll just scare away other people who are interested in a medical career.”

His hands gently on her shoulders, their eyes met. “Third, you are my sister. Even if we both deny it, everyone will still think that I was the one who leaked the information to you. Some conspiracy theorists will even think that I’m trying to bring someone down. I’ve heard too much of this kind of talk here… I also have a lot of patients, and even if I’m not satisfied with my current work situation, I still don’t want you to make things worse here.”

After a moment of silence, she, with a blank expression, spoke—“the ‘certain incident’ you’re talking about is Li Yuejiao’s cancer cell removal surgery, right?”

Tang Zhichao stared at her in disbelief. “Are you a robot? I just said so much, and you only heard that sentence?”

“Ah, I heard the rest too, but I only care about the parts that are related to the case.”

“Yingli, you… you really are…” his forehead was veined, and his trembling jaw was about to spit out any hurtful words.

“Say it.”

He was stunned.

“Whether you say I’m not good at comforting people, I don’t know how to consider other people’s feelings, or I’m overly rational, or even cold-blooded.” She tilted her head up slightly, and the corners of her lips lifted. “Anyway, it’s not the first time I’ve been told that… I don’t care.”

Behind that “I don’t care,” how much loneliness and misunderstood sorrow was hidden?

Tang Zhichao remembered that Yingli used to have a habit of recording her feelings on a tape recorder as a diary. Once, after she had been adopted, he had heard her say this to the recorder—

‘From today on, I’m all alone.’

At that time, he, who was in middle school, had been so sad. How could a little girl of only six say such heartbreaking words in such a mechanical, flat tone?

From that moment on, he had made up his mind to take good care of this “sister,” this girl who had inherited his real sister’s name.

“I won’t say that.”

He shook his head and took Yingli’s hand. “Don’t worry, you’ll never be alone again.”

“Huh?” she raised an eyebrow, “what do you mean?”

“Well…”

“Dr. Tang.”

A nurse from the ICU rushed out, interrupting his explanation. She pulled down her mask and shouted at him, “Dr. Yao, he… he’s awake.”