Chapter 58 Emergency Department Physician

To put it more gravely, this matter might possibly... lead to the entire case being fundamentally flawed.

Thinking of this, Ji Bowen’s expression darkened even further. If not for Han Ling’s lingering doubts that prompted his trip to Yifeng City, a miscarriage of justice would have dealt a fatal blow to his career once it came to light.

Should such adverse consequences have ensued, he would never have found peace for the rest of his life.

Handling a case wrongly is the single most unacceptable thing for a criminal investigator.

"Yang Qi! Have you lost all your shame?! What are you hiding?!"

Ji Bowen slammed his palm hard on the desk. Seeing him about to charge forward, Hu Lihui quickly pulled him back from behind.

A bad person cannot be a criminal investigator, but neither can a good person. Having served as a criminal investigator for so many years, Ji Bowen certainly did not possess a gentle temperament.

Had this been a few years earlier, he would have rolled up his sleeves and waded in, and Yang Qi would have suffered severely.

The fierce, tiger-like expression on Ji Bowen’s face startled Yang Qi, causing him to instinctively flinch in defense. Only after realizing the other man would not actually strike him did he let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm really not lying! You people are being completely unreasonable!" Yang Qi said, throwing caution to the wind as his courage surged.

Ji Bowen pointed at Yang Qi, stepping backward toward the exit of the interrogation room. "Fine, you just wait for me. You better wait right there, and let's see how long you can keep that tough attitude!"

Leaving the detention center, Ji Bowen took two deep drags from a cigarette. "Keep digging into the interpersonal relationships of Yang Qi and Hou Jiarou! Dig deep! Han Ling suspects there is a second suspect; follow his lead and find them!"

If Yang Qi had truly concealed his motive for the crime, perhaps to protect someone else, the relationship must be profound indeed for him to willingly shoulder the blame.

Hu Lihui: "Understood!"

Elsewhere, Fang Zhou called Han Ling to inquire about the details. The latter stated that while he harbored suspicions, he still needed clues and evidence to verify them. A crowd would be useless, and for the time being, they did not require outside support of any kind; he and Tong Feng were sufficient, so as not to startle the snake in the grass.

"Brother Zhou, give me a few days," Han Ling said.

Fang Zhou: "Alright, call me whenever you need anything."

...

That evening, Han Ling and Tong Feng returned to Qingchang City and staked out the entrance of the hotel.

This was where Li Hui stayed.

"Han Ling, do you really suspect Li Hui? That's her mother!" Driven by maternal ethics, Tong Feng still felt it made no sense.

Han Ling: "Captain Ji and the others must have gone to investigate other people. We'll just keep an eye on Li Hui and stake this place out for a few days.

You take the first half of the night, I'll take the second."

Merely finding the exact same brand of wet wipes in the car proved nothing yet, and he had not mentioned it to Fang Zhou because Li Hui would undoubtedly have to visit the sub-bureau again.

Tong Feng sighed helplessly: "Fine, I'll listen to you. Being your brother must mean I've had eight lifetimes of bad luck. I still have psychological shadows from the body-dumping site last time."

That incident was something he could not forget.

Han Ling: "Let's hope you're saying the same thing when this case is closed."

Night passed without incident.

In the morning, Li Hui went out for breakfast and then headed to the sub-bureau. She emerged two hours later, constantly wiping away tears. It seemed that upon learning the murderer of Hou Jiarou was Yang Qi, she was plunged into grief and indignation.

Leaving the sub-bureau by taxi, Li Hui headed to the computer mall where Zhao Zhiqiang worked.

Han Ling and Tong Feng followed at a distance all the way, without drawing close.

That night, Li Hui went to Zhao Zhiqiang’s home and did not come out again.

On the third morning, Zhao Zhiqiang left for work. At around ten o'clock, Li Hui changed into a fresh outfit, looking just as she had before, and boarded a taxi.

Han Ling and Tong Feng tailed her.

Eventually, the taxi stopped at the Qingchang City People's Hospital.

Han Ling glanced at the hospital sign through the windshield, and his expression instantly grew visibly dark.

This crazy woman... did she really, damn it, prove my guess right?

Upon learning that Hou Jiarou was unlikely to have divorced Yang Qi, many possibilities had remained. The current scenario was the very last one Han Ling wanted to see.

"Why did Li Hui come to the hospital? Is she sick?" Tong Feng asked, puzzled.

Han Ling said nothing, casually parking the car anywhere without caring if it incurred a parking ticket; the station had people to handle that anyway.

"Hey? Wait for me!" Tong Feng quickly gave chase. "What on earth is going on? Why do you seem to have such a clear destination in mind?"

Gazing ahead at Li Hui’s retreating figure, Han Ling said, "Don't ask. Just follow me."

Tong Feng: "You really treat me like a lucky mascot!"

The People's Hospital was extremely crowded in the morning. There were many patients seeking medical care, and just as many relatives accompanying them. Han Ling kept his eyes fixed on Li Hui, moving slowly through the hospital corridor.

Passing the emergency department office ahead, the voices drifting from within caused Han Ling to slow his pace.

"Dr. Xu! Thank you! Thank you so much! You saved my son's life, I'm kowtowing to you!"

Xu?

Han Ling instinctively turned his head. The office door was ajar, and through the narrow opening, half of Xu Qinghe's face was visible.

After taking two steps, Han Ling turned back and said to Tong Feng, "Fengzi, keep following Li Hui and make sure she doesn't notice you. We'll stay in touch by phone."

Tong Feng looked back: "What's wrong?"

Han Ling: "Nothing, you go ahead first. We'll talk later."

"Alright then." Tong Feng did not ask further and quickened his pace to catch up with Li Hui, who had already stepped onto the escalator.

Once Tong Feng left, Han Ling walked up to the entrance of the emergency department office, listening to the conversation inside.

"Dr. Xu, I will pay you back as soon as possible, please rest assured, I will never default on the debt! If I do, may heaven strike me down and grant me a miserable death!"

Xu Qinghe: "Don't be like that, get up quickly! We are doctors, this is simply what we should do. Hurry and take the child back home.

Don't worry too much about the money; prioritize the child's nutrition and schooling."

"Thank you, thank you..." The woman's voice was choked with tears.

Footsteps sounded, the door opened, and a grime-covered rural mother took her child by the hand and walked toward the hospital exit.

"We met a kind person, Jiajia."

"Mommy, it's an angel fairy." The voice of the four- or five-year-old child was innocent and sweet.

"Yes, an angel fairy."

The mother and child walked farther away. Just before their figures vanished, Han Ling could still see the woman raising her hand to wipe away her tears.

Soon after, two young doctors also left the office, chatting as they walked.

Han Ling followed behind them, listening intently.

"As expected of a returned overseas PhD, she diagnosed intussusception purely through palpation and initiated emergency measures without even running tests. Fortunately, it was timely."

...

"The child's condition was no longer suitable for air enema reduction; Dr. Xu's surgical plan was much safer and more cutting-edge. Even the associate chief physicians in our hospital don't have that capability."

...

"She'll be an associate chief physician in no time, bypassing the regular path through the fast-track green channel. Probably the youngest in the entire province, right? How old is the youngest associate chief physician nationwide?"

...

"Twenty-eight, and her last name is Xu as well. She earned her PhD at twenty-seven and was directly appointed as an associate chief physician and associate professor at twenty-eight."

...

"Oh right, I remember now. Then Dr. Xu is probably going to break the national record. And she's so pretty—who knows what kind of lucky guy is going to win her heart in the future."

...

"Shh... keep your voice down!"

The doctors gradually walked away.

Han Ling stood in place for a moment in silence, turned to look in the direction where the mother and child had departed, and then exited the hospital through another door to reach the main entrance.

The mother and child had just started on their way.

The mother rode a dilapidated tricycle, while the child sat obediently in the cargo box, arms spread wide, singing and dancing with a carefree, innocent, and joyful smile, completely untroubled by the world.

"La la la, la la la..."

Amidst the bustling crowd, the mother and child caught everyone's eye.

A child does not despise a poor home; as long as the mother is there, any vehicle is a Maserati.

Recalling the conflict with Xu Qinghe on New Year's Eve, Han Ling pulled a cigarette from his pack, placed it between his lips, and clicked his lighter.