Chapter 87: Tian Rui

Chapter 87: Tian Rui

Qiong Cang watched as the tip of the knife aimed at her, the white blade reflecting a dazzling light under the sun. She understood that, apart from saving herself, there wasn’t anyone reliable who could help her escape. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to endure the pain in her throat, and held her breath while observing the attacker’s movements, waiting for an opportunity to strike back.

Her heart pounded from the lack of oxygen, but her mind stayed sharp. When the attacker ran to a position about one meter away, she seized the angle and kicked out.

This "drugged brother," though strong, was mentally unstable, his body movements sluggish. He fell hard, his reaction slow—whether from long-term drug abuse or an overdose this time, he didn’t even raise his hand when his face hit the ground, only tightly gripping his weapon.

The bystanders, eager to help, hesitated when the man quickly stood up, wildly swinging the short knife and screaming incoherently, driving the crowd back again.

In his final, hoarse scream, Qiong Cang heard her name.

So, this wasn’t just some random bad luck after all.

Seeing the opportunity, Qiong Cang kicked at the attacker’s knee again, pushing him off balance. Unfortunately, her strength wasn’t enough, and the physical gap due to their gender difference was obvious. She even felt like she wasn’t fighting a human but a zombie.

The onlookers hesitated to step in, their anxiety mounting as they feared both the attacker’s weapon and his clearly unstable state of mind. They could only shout from the side, “Run! Run!”

Qiong Cang thought sarcastically, 'If I could run, would I even be here?'

Two consecutive failures enraged the attacker further, making him even more frenzied.

Qiong Cang held her neck, trying to stand up. The mouthful of blood that had been stuck in her throat finally spewed out, along with her stomach acid, burning her respiratory tract with a sharp sting.

Qiong Cang vomited until her vision turned black, thinking that "dying young" would be on her tombstone. Preparing for what felt like a final moment, she heard a dull thud and the middle-aged man fell in front of her.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “Good!”

Footsteps echoed as bystanders rushed forward to help subdue him.

From Qiong Cang’s angle, she could only see the boots of the good Samaritan. He stepped forcefully on the attacker's hand, making him let go of the knife. After the attacker released the weapon, he quickly kicked it away.

The knife flew right to Qiong Cang’s front. As she reached out to grab it, a pair of pale hands snatched it first.

The owner of the white canvas shoes, after picking up the knife, stopped not far away and shouted, “Run!”

Judging by the voice, it was a girl, seemingly shouting at the person who had just helped her.

Qiong Cang turned her head, squinting through the light and shadow. She blinked hard to squeeze out the tears, and saw a backlit man standing in the middle of the crowd.

He wore a baseball cap, the brim pulled low, covering half of his face. The curve of his jaw was distinct under the sunlight, and his tightly pressed lips made him look quite serious.

—Fan Huai!

That familiar outline instantly matched the half-face from Qiong Cang’s memory.

Though she hadn’t seen Fan Huai often, she was sure it was him. He seemed more mature, but also more somber than before.

“Fan Huai...” Qiong Cang made a faint sound from her throat, not even clear enough for herself to understand, “You’re still in City A?”

Fan Huai didn’t look at her, hesitated for a moment, then turned and ran away.

Qiong Cang immediately wanted to chase after him but was stopped by the girl behind her. The girl grabbed her arms, bent down, and asked, “Are you okay?”

Qiong Cang watched the figure disappear and shook her head with her eyes lowered.

When He Jueyun arrived, Qiong Cang was struggling to rise from the ground. A red, finger-shaped bruise circled her neck, stark against her pale skin, and her limbs were trembling slightly.

He Jueyun ran over and gently supported her with one hand. Qiong Cang turned her head to look at him, giving him a grateful glance. She winced and raised a hand to cover her throat, coughing silently to try and clear the burning sensation.

He Jueyun pried her hand away and, seeing her wounds more clearly up close, his expression turned even colder. The five deep finger marks on her neck were accompanied by gouges from fingernails, which had broken the skin and left trails of blood—evidence of the attacker's brutal grip.

He Jueyun tightened his arm and half-held her in his arms.

Soon, the security guards from the nearby area who had been helping with the search, along with the police on duty, arrived upon hearing the news. They saw the middle-aged man writhing on the ground, clearly high, and cursed under their breath, "He’s lost it!"

The sores on his body made it obvious he was a longtime addict. The police officers had seen him before and had no goodwill towards him, roughly cuffing him and dragging him away.

A young male police officer approached, asking anxiously, "Do you need an ambulance?"

He Jueyun said, "No need, I have a car. Come on."

Qiong Cang followed him, but as soon as she moved, her breathing became erratic, and any forceful breath caused her throat to hurt. The discomfort hadn't passed yet. Seeing how much pain she was in, He Jueyun scooped her up, nodded briefly to the others, and hurried away.

Qiong Cang wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder, listening to the steady beat of his heart through his jacket. Lifting her head, she saw the barely contained anger in He Jueyun's stern face. She tugged at his hair, but he didn’t react.

He Jueyun placed her gently in the passenger seat, and just as he closed the door, the backseat door was pulled open, and a shadow slipped inside. The girl who had been standing next to Qiong Cang had followed them.

He Jueyun opened his mouth to say something but didn’t have time to waste on her, so he ignored her and drove straight to the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, after a series of examinations and scans, the doctor clearly stated there was no danger to her life. He Jueyun's murderous expression finally softened a bit. But whenever he glanced at Qiong Cang, his face would tense up again.

Although Qiong Cang wasn’t able to speak easily, her spirit was still lively. She strongly requested to enjoy some oxygen, and with a bit of monetary persuasion, the doctor granted her wish.

Thus, He Jueyun watched helplessly as Qiong Cang lay on the bed, studying the two thin oxygen tubes. He finally had time to pay attention to the girl who had been standing silently in the corner.

The girl wore very ordinary clothes and white sneakers, looking like a simple college student, probably around twenty years old, with a very determined expression in her eyes.

Noticing He Jueyun’s intense gaze, Qiong Cang tugged at his sleeve and, once she had his attention, began gesturing frantically.

She pointed at the girl, then at herself, mimicked a cut across her throat, and finished with a thumbs-up.

He Jueyun: "..." Sorry, their minds were not in sync.

He Jueyun asked the girl, "Did you save her?"

The girl shook her head and said in a clear, crisp voice, "It was someone else."

He Jueyun was about to speak when his sleeve was tugged again. He looked down and saw Qiong Cang pointing forcefully at herself.

He Jueyun couldn’t help but say, "Is there no way for you to write this down, either on a tablet or paper?"

Qiong Cang clicked her tongue, a sound she made all too clearly.

Qiong Cang took the tablet and typed out a sentence, which was then read aloud by the text-to-speech function.

"You don’t understand the joy of spiritual communication."

He Jueyun: "How is it that even when you can’t speak, you still have such a twisted sense of humor?"

Qiong Cang pressed a button, and the tablet emitted a series of mechanical "hehehe" laughs.

He Jueyun: "..."

The mechanical laughter persisted, adding an absurd note to the tense moment.

"My name is Tian Rui," the girl said.

Qiong Cang typed: "I don't know him."

He Jueyun also shook his head.

Tian Rui said, "My father's name was Tian Zhaohua."

Clearly, they still didn't recognize him.

Tian Rui struggled to maintain her composure, though her emotional control wasn't perfect.

"He was a doctor. More than a decade ago, he was first falsely accused of sexual assault, and then he was hit and killed by a patient involved in a medical malpractice case. When he died unexpectedly, the hospital's investigation hadn't concluded yet, so even after his death, he was still tainted with scandal. The person who falsely accused him extorted a large sum of money, while the murderer only served one year in prison. They got off with barely any consequences, while my father died in obscurity!"

He Jueyun said, "Little sister, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Tian Rui said, "The person who accused him of sexual assault back then was Mei Shiyong."

The name Mei Shiyong finally rang a bell for them. She was one of the witnesses who testified against Fan Huai and also the second witness to die.

He Jueyun sat down quietly by the bed and asked, "Why are you telling us this?"

Tian Rui said, "Aren't you guys from San Yao investigating Fan Huai's case? I want you to make this into a case and clear my father's name!"

"Impossible," He Jueyun rejected without a second thought. "Do you know how difficult it is to create a case in [Crime Analysis]? Not to mention the enormous cost, the social implications alone are a serious issue. We don't take on any cases without clear evidence, and we certainly won't rely solely on your testimony."

Tian Rui exclaimed, "You can investigate it!"

He Jueyun said, "That's the police's job. If you have evidence, you should report it to the police first. If it's just an assumption, I'm afraid we can't work together."

Tian Rui clenched her fingers tightly, held back for a long time, and then shouted, "The police are corrupt!"

He Jueyun said, "Little sister, as I said, you need evidence."

Tian Rui exclaimed, "It's true! Back then, the police had the chance to prove my father's innocence, but they kept the evidence hidden! Why? After so many years, people still think my father had bad conduct and died deservedly! He was about to be promoted to associate professor, the most promising doctor in the hospital! He saved countless people, but in the end, he died so tragically. Is that fair? Isn't that what San Yao is all about—finding the truth? Why doesn't this case meet your standards?"

He Jueyun sighed, not knowing how to explain it to her, and asked, "Where are your other family members?"

Tian Rui snorted and turned her head, refusing to answer.

Qiong Cang pressed the keyboard and hit enter: "How did you meet Fan Huai?"

Tian Rui hesitated for a moment before replying, "He approached me first."

"Fan Huai?" He Jueyun said suspiciously, recalling the fleeting figure at the intersection. "So it really was him?"

Qiong Cang: "Have you formed an alliance?"

Tian Rui said, "Is that not okay? We are both victims."

Qiong Cang: "How long have you been following me? How long have you known Fan Huai?"

Tian Rui fell silent again. She felt wronged as she watched them scrutinize her, biting her lip. Realizing they weren't what she expected, she felt utterly disappointed and grabbed her backpack before running out.

He Jueyun didn't stop her, only remarking, "Kids these days."

Qiong Cang: "Check her."

"Yeah," He Jueyun already had a plan in mind; finding out Tian Rui's true identity wouldn't be difficult.

With just the two of them left, the room felt more intimate, and they both relaxed.

He Jueyun looked at Qiong Cang with a mix of concern and frustration. "Are you having some bad luck lately?" he asked. "You just got over a serious illness, and now you’ve got another injury. Are you making a habit out of this hospital stay?"

Qiong Cang nodded and mouthed, "I think so."

He Jueyun held back the rest of his thoughts. It wasn’t her fault, after all. He adjusted his emotions, leaned down in front of the bed, and asked, "Are you hungry? What do you feel like eating?"

Qiong Cang was immediately led off-topic, thinking about what to order. He Jueyun added, "Oh, but there’s not much you can eat right now, so don’t be picky. I’ll order you some porridge. If that doesn’t work, we can go for a drink."

Qiong Cang watched him stand up and reach into his pocket.

"I’ll go get something from the car first. You just lie down, and if you’re uncomfortable, press the call button," He Jueyun said.

Qiong Cang nodded.

He Jueyun went back to the car to grab his computer and some documents, and to brief Song Shu on the work for San Yao. He planned to stay with Qiong Cang in the hospital for the night and skip going home tomorrow.

As he opened the car door, he saw the bouquet of flowers still sitting on the backseat. He paused, realizing how fitting they were. He had been struggling to find an excuse to give them to her, but now they were perfect for a get-well visit.

He picked up the bouquet, straightened the edges to make sure it looked neat and beautiful, and carefully carried it back inside.

When he returned to the ward, Qiong Cang was already more alert, lying against the bed and watching TV. Her eyes immediately locked onto the flowers, and she tilted her head, silently asking what they were for.

He Jueyun handed her the flowers with a straight face. "Here you go, from your loving father..."

Qiong Cang quickly interjected with a surprised "Eh?"

He Jueyun, annoyed, tossed the flowers onto her lap.

Qiong Cang, trying to suppress a laugh despite the discomfort, managed to say, "I was just clearing my throat."

"You’re impossible," He Jueyun said, glancing at her.

Qiong Cang arranged the flowers neatly and tucked the fallen petals back in.

He Jueyun sat down again and then stood up. "I’ll put them in a vase."

Qiong Cang nodded.

He Jueyun then carried Qiong Cang’s precious flowers over to change the vase.

When he came back in and placed the flowers by Qiong Cang’s bedside, she sincerely said, "Thank you. You're a good person."

He Jueyun glanced at her and said, "You’re impossible. Just rest and don’t talk."