June 1, 2022
Listening to Xiao Tang’s report, Zou Shuyang furrowed his brows.
“According to the hospital records, the original doctor scheduled for the surgery was someone else, but at the last minute, they were replaced by Zhong Langming.”
Zhong Langming was the name of the hospital’s director.
After hearing this, Zou Shuyang nodded but didn’t immediately respond.
Xiao Tang didn’t mind and continued, “Zou Team Leader, do you know why the doctor was replaced by Zhong Langming back then?”
After waiting a bit without receiving a response, Xiao Tang called out repeatedly, “Zou Team Leader? Zou Team Leader?”
Zou Shuyang pinched the bridge of his nose and said helplessly, “You didn’t call me in the middle of the night just to make me guess riddles. Get to the point.”
Feeling criticized, Xiao Tang pouted and explained, “I later found the doctor who was originally scheduled. He said that although Shen Tinglan’s injuries looked severe at first glance, after his initial examination, he realized they weren’t that serious. However, at that moment, another more critical patient was admitted to the hospital, so Shen Tinglan, who wasn’t in such critical condition, ended up being transferred to Zhong Langming.”
Is that so?
Zou Shuyang quickly wrote “Zhong Langming” on the whiteboard.
After a while of silence, Xiao Tang complained, “Zou Team Leader, don’t you have any thoughts after hearing this?”
Zou Shuyang remained silent.
Xiao Tang couldn’t believe it and felt a bit smug, “Zou Team Leader, if you didn’t notice anything, should I spell it out?”
Capping his marker, Zou Shuyang let out a cold laugh, “Isn’t it suspicious that Shen Tinglan, whose injuries weren’t severe, ended up dying on Zhong Langming’s operating table?”
Xiao Tang chuckled awkwardly, “Zou Team Leader, so you knew?”
Zou Shuyang scoffed, “Anyone paying attention could figure that out. It’s too late now. Contact Zhong Langming tomorrow and have him come to the station.”
Xiao Tang chuckled and hung up the phone.
——
June 2, 2022.
When Zou Shuyang arrived at the office, he saw Xiao Tang slumped over his desk, his round face scrunched up in frustration.
Zou Shuyang paused as he entered the office, “What’s wrong with you? Why the long face?”
Hearing the voice, Xiao Tang immediately stood up and complained, “Zou Team Leader, I did what you said! I contacted Zhong Langming first thing this morning, but as soon as I mentioned it, he said he didn’t have time and hung up on me before I could say anything more.”
Xiao Tang sat down again, trying to look small, pitiful, and helpless. “Then, when I tried calling him back, he wouldn’t answer, and eventually, he blocked me.”
Xiao Tang’s tone became increasingly aggrieved, with a hint of anger mixed in.
Patting Xiao Tang on the head, Zou Shuyang smirked, “Quite bold, isn’t he?”
Xiao Tang nodded, indeed quite bold.
Despite his nodding, Xiao Tang remained serious, “I asked around at the hospital, and they said Zhong Langming wasn’t scheduled for any surgeries today, nor did he have any conferences or meetings.”
From behind a pile of files, Xiao Wang looked up, “So, Zhong Langming is intentionally avoiding us.”
Xiao Tang slumped back onto his desk, mumbling, “Zou Team Leader, you have to back me up on this.”
Amused, Zou Shuyang gave Xiao Tang’s head a light tap, “Alright, stop fooling around. Let’s head to the hospital.”
——
As soon as Yin Zhuo arrived at the hospital, he was surrounded by a group of young nurses.
The nurses warmly chatted with him, acting all close and friendly, which made the young male doctors nearby a little jealous.
After finally breaking free from the nurses’ circle, a doctor named Zhang sidled up to him, walking shoulder to shoulder.
“Hey, Dr. Yin, with so many nurses around, don’t you feel like going after any of them?” Dr. Zhang half-jokingly, half-jealously teased as he looked at Yin Zhuo’s slender and handsome face. “If you don’t want to get married, at least date one of them for a while. You wouldn’t be losing anything, and they’d be more than happy.”
Yin Zhuo kept his gaze straight ahead, “Not interested.”
Dr. Zhang clicked his tongue and sighed, “Talk about dry spells and floods. If I had a face like yours, I’d already be living the life with a beautiful wife and mistresses on both arms. How could I be single all these years?”
He continued with a regretful tone, “It’s such a waste that someone as good-looking as you has no interest in pretty, adorable girls.”
Yin Zhuo suddenly stopped walking, and Dr. Zhang turned to look at him, “Yin Zhuo?”
Yin Zhuo glanced ahead and then smiled, “Team Leader Zou.”
Seeing Yin Zhuo’s calm demeanor, Zou Shuyang frowned slightly, wondering if it was just his imagination.
Somehow, Yin Zhuo looked… more suspicious.
It was an indescribable feeling.
Yin Zhuo appeared to be a gentle doctor, yet standing in front of him, Zou Shuyang couldn’t shake the subtle chill creeping up his spine.
“Dr. Yin.”
Nodding coolly, Zou Shuyang was about to walk past him when Yin Zhuo suddenly asked, “Is Team Leader Zou here to see Director Zhong?”
Zou Shuyang paused, “How did Dr. Yin know I was looking for Director Zhong?”
Yin Zhuo simply smiled.
Zou Shuyang’s frown deepened, “Dr. Yin?”
In response to the confused gazes of his colleagues, Yin Zhuo explained with a smile, “Director Zhong called me yesterday. If you’re interested, you can come talk to me later.”
With that, he nodded to Zou Shuyang and walked away.
Dr. Zhang glanced at Yin Zhuo’s retreating figure and then at Zou Shuyang, who seemed deep in thought. He awkwardly smiled at Zou Shuyang before hurrying to catch up with Yin Zhuo.
Standing behind Zou Shuyang, Xiao Tang muttered, “Zou Team Leader, this Yin Zhuo is way too suspicious, isn’t he?”
Zou Shuyang watched Yin Zhuo for a moment longer without commenting, “Let’s go.”
Director Zhong’s office was on the fourth floor of the hospital.
The moment they entered the area near Zhong Langming’s office, both Zou Shuyang and Xiao Tang noticed that the surroundings had become unusually quiet.
The sounds of patients and activity from behind them seemed distant, almost like they were separated by countless years.
Rubbing his arms, Xiao Tang instinctively moved closer to Zou Shuyang, “Zou Team Leader, why do I feel a bit creeped out?”
Looking around at the dim lighting in the hallway, the tightly shut doors, and the half-dead plants nearby, Zou Shuyang commented, “A combination of this oppressive environment and the muffled background noise can indeed create a significant psychological impact.” He patted Xiao Tang’s shoulder, “Once this case is over, take some time off and go on a vacation. Relax a bit.”
“Huh?”
Zou Shuyang kept walking, “You’re under a lot of mental stress.”
Standing outside Zhong Langming’s office, Zou Shuyang listened to the silence inside before knocking on the door. After waiting for a while with no response, he asked, “Is he not in?”
Frowning, Zou Shuyang pushed the door.
It wasn’t locked, and the door opened easily.
Sunlight flooded the room, reflecting off the shiny white floor tiles, making the brightness almost blinding.
“There’s really no one here.”
Before Xiao Tang could finish speaking, his sharp eyes spotted something white behind the desk.
Exchanging a glance with Zou Shuyang, Xiao Tang cautiously walked over, his steps light and almost inaudible.
Just as Xiao Tang reached the desk, Zhong Langming suddenly screamed and crawled away, pressing his back against the wall, his entire body trembling.
The last time they had met, Zhong Langming had been the picture of success and grace. Now, in the blink of an eye, he looked like this?
Cowering in the corner, Zhong Langming hugged his head, shaking along with his clothes and hair.
Squatting down beside him, Zou Shuyang asked, “What happened to you?”
Hearing Zou Shuyang’s voice, Zhong Langming shook violently.
Startled by his reaction, Zou Shuyang reached out and touched Zhong Langming’s shoulder.
Zhong Langming suddenly spoke, “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me, I don’t know anything, I really don’t know anything.”
“Don’t kill him?”
Xiao Tang looked from Zhong Langming to Zou Shuyang, his neck nearly twisting off, “Zou Team Leader, is someone trying to kill him?”
Zou Shuyang remained silent for a while, not responding.
Zhong Langming was clearly lost in his own world, curling up and repeating over and over, “I don’t know, I don’t know anything.”
After muttering to himself for a while, Zhong Langming suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes locking onto Zou Shuyang. “Shen Tinglan is dead.”
Zou Shuyang’s expression didn’t change. “Yes, he’s dead, but when he was brought to the hospital, they said his injuries weren’t serious.”
Staring at his now wrinkled hands, Zhong Langming muttered, “Yes, his injuries weren’t serious, so why… did he die?”
He kept repeating “why” and didn’t respond to anything else Zou Shuyang or Xiao Tang said.
“Zou Team Leader, what should we do?”
Sighing, Zou Shuyang replied, “This is a hospital. What else can we do?”
He instructed Xiao Tang to follow up with Zhong Langming’s situation while he turned and asked a passing nurse for directions to Yin Zhuo’s office.
It seemed Yin Zhuo had anticipated his visit, as he had already cleared out his colleagues from the office. When Zou Shuyang arrived, only the sunlight and Yin Zhuo were there.
Closing the door behind him, Zou Shuyang crossed his arms and looked at Yin Zhuo with pursed lips.
Yin Zhuo, however, acted like he was greeting an old friend, warmly inviting Zou Shuyang to sit beside him. His overly thin face was adorned with a smile that seemed like a mask, with his mouth curving just the right amount.
“Team Leader Zou, you’ve probably seen Director Zhong by now.”
Noticing the change in Zou Shuyang’s expression, Yin Zhuo’s smile deepened. “Aren’t you curious about what happened to Director Zhong?”
After sizing up Yin Zhuo for a moment, Zou Shuyang asked, “What happened to him?”
Yin Zhuo smiled, then took out his phone and placed it in front of Zou Shuyang.
The screen displayed a recording interface that had been prepped. All Zou Shuyang had to do was press play to hear the conversation between Yin Zhuo and Zhong Langming.
But Zou Shuyang wasn’t interested in invading others’ privacy.
Seeing this reaction didn’t surprise Yin Zhuo. Folding his hands together, he nodded toward the phone, “Team Leader Zou, although I’m not entirely sure what Director Zhong went through yesterday, this recording should clear up some of your confusion.”
Be my Patron ~ Buy me Ko-Fi
✨Be a part of the story – support my translations✨
✨Buy me some Ko-FI | Paypal to support my effort✨
✨✨Advance chapter at Patreon✨✨
