Qiming Chapter 50

Chapter 50

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After leaving the Public Security Bureau, Lin Xiangrong immediately hailed a cab, her destination being Ruihe Hospital.

Sitting in the car, she kept wondering, what kind of evidence had the police found?

Her feelings towards the Jiang family had always been complicated, mixed with gratitude, hatred, and countless bouts of anger and despair. She had been entangled with this family for over a decade, the initial happiness long forgotten, leaving only a tangled mess of conflicts and grievances.

As soon as she got out of the car, she saw a young doctor sitting on the steps. A gust of wind blew past, lifting his white coat and the nearby trembling branches. A few yellowing leaves fell on his head. He reached out, plucked the leaves from his head, and blew them gently from his palm.

One of the fallen leaves floated down to Lin Xiangrong's feet.

She bent down to pick up the leaf, waved at the doctor, and quickly walked towards him.

"You're here."

"Dr. Wang." She placed the canvas bag in her hand in front of him and watched as the young man shyly took it. He opened the bag, glanced inside, and pointed to a stack of photocopied medical records, asking, "Are these all Jiang Hai's?"

"Yes, they are all here."

"I've talked to Professor Ying, you can rest assured and leave it to me. I will also arrange the transfer for you as soon as possible." Wang Kun scratched his sparse hair, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the bag, leading Lin Xiangrong into the inpatient department.

In the dusk, the streetlights gradually lit up following his steps. He walked slowly, his face pale, unlike the hurried doctors around him, but rather resembling the patients in their hospital gowns.

"Did you have something to do this afternoon? Why did you come so late?" he asked while photocopying the medical records. A nurse brought them two cups of tea, informing her that the cafeteria was still open and they could go enjoy dinner if she hadn't eaten yet.

"Our hospital cafeteria is quite good." He neatly organised the printed medical records, put them in the office cabinet, and pointed to the door at the end of the corridor, "You haven't eaten, right? I'll go with you."

Without a word, she nodded and followed him to the cafeteria.

She deliberately kept a little distance, observing the young doctor's steps. His arm bore the marks of bruises, no external injuries but several areas of swelling. Although his eyes were full of light when he saw her, it couldn't hide the fatigue on his face.

"In the afternoon, I was called by the criminal investigation team to assist with an investigation." She sat in the cafeteria and ate a few bites of rice. The canteen at Ruihe Hospital was highly rated on review websites, but unfortunately, it was not open to the public. She ordered one of each remaining dish. She ate while Dr. Wang sat opposite her, watching her eat.

"They didn't give you a hard time, did they?"

"They couldn't." She raised her head and smiled at him, her eyes bright, "The officer was probably younger than you. I chatted with him about life and ideals. Young people, it's easy to defeat them with ideals and beliefs." She made a playful face.

"Pfft – you're young too."

"I'm much older than you."

She then held her face sadly, "A few days ago, I looked in the mirror and saw more fine lines at the corners of my eyes. I don't know who said time leaves no trace, clearly, there are traces everywhere."

"No, you are very beautiful." He replied seriously, his fingers trembling as he picked up the chopsticks, helping her with the dishes. Then he changed the subject nervously, "What did the police ask you?"

"Nothing much... just where I was at the time of the incident, they suspect me." She spread her hands helplessly, telling Wang Kun that this was a case of trouble coming uninvited. She didn't even know why she was a suspect, she had an alibi and couldn't have been at the crime scene. Hiring a hitman was also unlikely, considering Jiang Yang's death, few killers would have the patience to create such a ritualistic scenario.

"Suspect you? Then they are not competent." Doctor Wang nodded in agreement while peeling shrimp for her. He had a pair of fair, long, calloused hands, hands that wielded a scalpel to save lives and show compassion to all.

"Exactly, I was soaking in a hot spring at a hotel at the time, how could I have travelled a long distance home to kill Jiang Yang? Although I did want to chop him up, unfortunately, I didn't have enough time." She complained a bit, looking somewhat dazed at the half-eaten dishes.

She realised that since returning to the country, she hadn't had a proper meal. Tonight's dinner was probably the most sumptuous she had had in a while.

The empty cafeteria had only the two of them left, the chandelier above providing the sole light. He looked at her gentle and mature face under the light, with darkness behind her. Behind them was the window, offering no way out. Ahead was the solitary lamp above him, soon to be turned off.

He had always wanted to protect this person, to prevent them from falling into the darkness.

Even if he himself had already fallen into the quagmire of darkness.

"There's something I need to tell you." He finished peeling the shrimp, took off his gloves, rubbed his hands, and hesitated for a while before gathering the courage to speak. "After I finish handling the transfer for you, I am going to resign."

"Hmm? Why?"

"I've been a bit tired recently and want to go back home to rest." He rubbed his temples and turned to look at the stars and the bright moon outside the window. A breeze blew in through the half-open window, swaying his work badge on his chest.

Then he quickly grabbed a few tissues, covered his nose, and sneezed hard. He held his nose with the tissues for a few minutes before letting go.

He then threw the tissues into the nearby garbage bin.

By this time, Lin Xiangrong had finished her meal. He got up, intending to see her off, but as he turned, he heard her gentle voice behind him.

"How's your health lately?" She still sat at the table, looking at him tenderly.

"I'm doing well."

"Don't hide it from me." Lin Xiangrong lowered her head, deliberately glancing at the tissues in the garbage bin. His abnormal nose-pinching earlier suggested a problem with blood clotting, likely fearing that his nosebleed wouldn't stop.

After what felt like an eternity, she stood up and cautiously asked him, "Has your childhood leukaemia relapsed?"

Relapsed.

His heart felt as though it was suddenly gripped tightly, causing his whole body to tremble inexplicably. He clenched his fists to calm himself.

"Do you know why the police found me?" Her voice was warm but distant. "Because the killer who murdered the Jiang family accidentally left their own blood at the scene."

She stood in the darkness, looking at him with eyes full of compassion and regret. "The police compared the DNA and naturally suspected me. The killer's blood matches mine."

She lowered her head and smiled quietly.

"In this world, there is no one else with the same blood as mine."

No one else.

Her melodious voice kept amplifying in his ears, until it became a powerful explosion in his mind.

They weren't lovers, weren't family, yet they shared the same blood.

This was his blood relationship with her. The only relationship he carefully maintained.

Seeing Wang Kun standing there, pale and motionless, Lin Xiangrong knew she had guessed correctly. She walked to his side, opened her arms, and hugged him, as if comforting a mischievous child.

"I suggest you... start treatment immediately, don't delay. Begin with chemotherapy to hold on, and as soon as a match is found, go for the surgery."

"It's too late..." he said distractedly. How could it possibly be in time? Finding a new match was a distant hope, and surgery would take time. Besides, he didn't even want treatment.

"No, you must have the surgery again." Lin Xiangrong held his face in her hands and said firmly, "Once you have the surgery again, your DNA will change, and all the evidence will disappear, it will become a cold case."

"By then, all the evidence will point to me, and I have a solid alibi."

"Isn't it right to pay for murder with one's life?" Wang Kun was utterly shocked, his mind a mess as he looked down, unsure of what to do. "I know I won't live long, and I don't want to live."

"That depends on who was killed." She placed her slender index finger on his lips, signalling him to stay silent. "You go for the treatment, go seek that second one-in-a-million chance, I will buy you time."

The city's lights all came on, cold and penetrating to the bone. Lin Xiangrong stood in the chilly moonlight, pointing with her left hand at the brightest star, her eyes reflecting the entire night sky. "I saved you back then, so you should strive to live."

"Live, in order to repay my favour to you, live, in order to go through life and death, mountains of swords and seas of fire for me."

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It was already eight in the evening by the time Xu Chengyue finished his work in the laboratory. He drove towards Gu Yunfeng's house and suddenly remembered he hadn't been reimbursed for the hospitalisation expenses from his last stay. He needed to get a few more copies of the medical records from the inpatient department.

It was after eight, so the administrative department should have closed, but he decided to give it a try. He parked in the hospital parking lot and walked alone towards the neurosurgery department of the inpatient building.

The elevator stopped on the eighth floor. When the doors opened, he was surprised to see two people waiting for the elevator.

He recognised them both.

He remembered this young doctor, he had come to check on him when he was hospitalised. The doctor was very shy, tall and thin, and today, he looked particularly pale. But the question was... why was he with Lin Xiangrong?

"Are you going down?" Xu Chengyue asked.

"I'm just seeing her off." Wang Kun nodded. "I have another surgery coming up, so I'll be back."

"Oh... then I'll go down with you."

"???" Wang Kun and Lin Xiangrong exchanged glances in disbelief. He had just come up and hadn't even stepped out of the elevator, and now he was going back down? Xu Chengyue stepped back a few steps, and after they got in, he pressed the button for the first floor. He had an inexplicable feeling that running into Lin Xiangrong here at this time and place was a peculiar thing.

After exiting the elevator, he noticed that Lin Xiangrong seemed to relax a bit, unlike the tension she had when the three of them were in the elevator. Nearby, patients in recovery were taking walks, and medical staff were hurriedly passing by.

He adjusted his collar and asked, "Ms. Lin, what brings you to the inpatient department...?"

"I plan to transfer Jiang Hai to the neurosurgery department of Ruihe Hospital."

"Why?"

"Because of you." She stopped in front of Xu Chengyue's car. "The Jiang family was reluctant in the past, but now that they are gone, I can make the decision."

"I'm not willing to give up on any possibility. I believe he will wake up." She looked at him with a lingering and compassionate gaze that swept over the city along with the wind that swept up behind her, wrapping around the fallen leaves and dust.

"Just like you, waking up again."

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The author has something to say:

Rong Jie carried the whole show~

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: July 30, 2024 by Angel

Edited: September 26, 2024 by Angel