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The old police officer looked at Zhang Qiu's reaction with satisfaction and said, "So, do you want to talk to me now?"
"I don't want to. I won't say anything until my lawyer arrives." In reality, there was no lawyer; Zhang Qiu just wanted to buy more time. Until he thought of a good plan, delaying was the best strategy to gain time for himself.
The old police officer scoffed and raised his chin, saying, "You've watched too many TV dramas, haven't you?"
Zhang Qiu indeed fell silent. The old police officer stared intently and said sternly, "Don't think that by saying nothing you can escape. The evidence is irrefutable, and no one can deny it. This year, the National People's Congress just passed an amendment emphasizing evidence over testimony. In your situation, the criminal department will definitely get involved. I advise you to cooperate."
Zhang Qiu remained silent.
"Alright, alright, you shouldn't ask him anymore. He just coughed up blood before you came; he needs to rest now." To ensure the old police officer believed her, Wang Jinghan turned around and showed him a bloodstain on her nurse's uniform.
The old police officer scanned Wang Jinghan's clothing and deliberately picked up several printed photos, waving them in front of Zhang Qiu before placing them on the bedside table. "These photos are for you to help jog your memory. If you think of anything, just contact me; Liu Hua knows how to reach me."
As the old police officer stood up to leave, he glanced back at Liu Hua by the door and said, "Keep an eye on him."
Liu Hua nodded, still looking at the police officer with dissatisfaction.
Just as the old police officer was about to open the door to leave, a large man who had been escorting Jiang Xue home returned, pushing the door open and walking in. He collided with the old police officer, who had turned back to look at Liu Hua. The large man was about to explode in anger but suppressed it when he realized he had bumped into someone in a police uniform.
The old police officer felt a sharp pain in his shoulder from the collision but did not rub it; instead, he looked up at the large man towering over him and said, "What are you doing? This is the police's Intensive Care Unit; get out!"
Ignoring the police officer, the large man directly approached Zhang Qiu and said, "Brother, I've already sent your person back."
"What person did you send?" The old police officer sensed something was off.
"Why should I tell you?" The large man frowned and showed no respect for the police officer.
"As long as you are a citizen of the Republic, you have an obligation to cooperate with the police inquiry!"
"Not fulfilling an obligation isn't illegal, right?"
"You..."
"Officer," Zhang Qiu suddenly spoke up from the hospital bed. The old policeman turned around abruptly and walked a few steps to Zhang Qiu's bedside, saying, "You."
Zhang Qiu said, "I can tell you who sent him."
"You!"
"Have you heard of the name Jiang Xue?"
"In the kidnapping case, what is his relationship to you?"
"He is my girlfriend."
The old policeman looked thoughtfully at Zhang Qiu, and suddenly his expression relaxed, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope. Seeing the change in the old policeman's expression, Zhang Qiu hurriedly added, "Understood, she went back to the police station to give her statement. Please don’t disturb her tonight."
The old policeman stood up and said, "That's more like it. You should cooperate with us and share everything we need to know; it will be better for you. Now think carefully; I believe you are a smart person."
The old policeman left with his fellow officers. As they exited the hospital room, one officer asked, "Master, are we just leaving like this?"
"He won't; what else can he do?"
The police officer frowned and said, "Why is he so arrogant?"
"How can someone who does such things not be arrogant?"
"Hmph, no matter how arrogant he is, he'll have to soften up when he meets us."
The old officer patted the younger officer on the shoulder and smiled without saying anything more. From Zhang Qiu's words, the old officer actually picked up a hint of a clue, like suddenly discovering a faint glimmer of light in the endless darkness. Since the victim of the kidnapping case was the girlfriend of the suspect in this case, could there be a connection between these two cases?
After Wang Baoguo left with his apprentice, the ward fell silent. Liu Hua and the police officer on duty sat down on chairs while Wang Jinghan cleaned up the food scraps on the table and threw them all into the trash can. The four big guys remained outside, two on each side. Zhang Qiu closed his eyes and practiced the breathing techniques from the ancient book given to him by Grandpa Pingchuan, feeling a wave of comfort wash over him.
When Zhang Qiu opened his eyes, he found Wang Jinghan staring at him. He smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing much, just sleep. You need to rest."
"You should go home and sleep too; there are so many people here."
Wang Jinghan shook her head with a smile. "I'll stay here with you."
"Your grandma will worry about you." Zhang Qiu remembered how he had hurriedly sent Wang Jinghan home when they were outside at night.
"I told my grandma I was working overtime," Wang Jinghan said as she helped cover Zhang Qiu with a blanket. "If it gets hot, just tell me, and I'll lift it for you. Now, get some sleep."
Zhang Qiu nodded.
When he woke up again, it was already the next morning. On the table beside him were some congee and boiled eggs. Zhang Qiu glanced at Wang Jinghan; she was resting her head on her arms beside him, her long eyelashes gently resting against her eyelids. He could feel her warm breath on his hand. Zhang Qiu smiled knowingly and chose not to disturb her.
Sitting in the chair all night, Liu Hua saw Zhang Qiu wake up and walked over, saying, "Today, it should be someone else's turn to take over. Make sure not to get into any conflicts with them."
"Don't worry, I understand."
"And those at the door, if the department sends other Comrades, let them stay outside. They shouldn't be in the ward."
"Okay, I'll handle it with them."
Liu Hua nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Zhang Qiu, thank you."
"Thank me for what?" This truly puzzled Zhang Qiu. After getting up, Zhang Qiu felt guilty towards Liu Hua. Once Liu Hua returned, he would inevitably face punishment and might even end up in prison like Zhang Qiu. If that were the case, then Zhang Qiu would be the sinner.
Liu Hua smiled and said, "I thank you for helping me understand what it means to be a man. From now on, I will work harder to pursue my girl, your Sister Lan."
"Oh, is that so? Then," Zhang Qiu also smiled, "I wish you both the best."
"What are you two talking about?" Wang Jinghan rubbed her eyes and sat up. Looking at Liu Hua and then at Zhang Qiu, she smiled and said, "Good morning."
"Good morning. Sorry for waking you up."
"It's fine." Wang Jinghan got up and brought a bowl of rice porridge to Zhang Qiu, smiling as she said, "It was made this morning; it's not hot anymore. I'll feed you."
"Okay."
Wang Jinghan fed Zhang Qiu porridge while Liu Hua naturally stepped aside. Zhang Qiu said, "I want to get out of bed and walk around."
"No!" Wang Jinghan set the porridge aside and helped Zhang Qiu peel an egg. "You must rest; you can't get out of bed!"
"But I need to go to the bathroom."
Wang Jinghan's face flushed as she naturally recalled the last time Zhang Qiu was hospitalized. Zhang Qiu noticed Wang Jinghan's expression and also thought of the awkwardness from that previous hospital stay. For a moment, both fell silent. Wang Jinghan lowered her head to continue peeling the egg, and Zhang Qiu no longer insisted on getting out of bed.
The door to the ward was pushed open from the outside, and Jiang Xue hurried in. Upon seeing Zhang Qiu, she smiled brightly. "You're awake! I was worried I would come too early and disturb your rest."
"I've been awake for a while. You're recovering well, right?" Zhang Qiu looked at Jiang Xue, who seemed like a different person from yesterday. Her complexion was rosy, her hair neatly styled, and she wore a floral dress with lace trim, looking just like a cute princess.
"Fully revived," Jiang Xue said as she spun around, her gaze landing on the egg in Wang Jinghan's hand.
Wang Jinghan naturally caught that look and smiled. "Since you're here, I'll take a break for a moment and let the family member feed him."
Jiang Xue laughed. "Sounds good."
Zhang Qiu watched the two of them with mixed feelings and said, "Um, let's eat breakfast later; I need to go to the bathroom."
Wang Jinghan interrupted, "I've prepared a urinal for you; you can't get out of bed!"
Ignoring Wang Jinghan's objections, Zhang Qiu said, "Xue'er, help me."
Jiang Xue glanced at Wang Jinghan and then at Zhang Qiu before choosing to assist him. Zhang Qiu tried to get out of bed, gently moving her body since it had become somewhat numb from lying down for so long. With Jiang Xue's support, Zhang Qiu took a few steps. Wang Jinghan rushed to the other side, ready to catch Zhang Qiu if she fell. However, that moment did not occur; Zhang Qiu walked steadily and emerged from the bathroom with an easy smile. "Looks like I'm recovering well again."
"I know you recover quickly, but you still need to rest."
"Of course, I definitely need to rest," Zhang Qiu winked at Wang Jinghan. "It's much better here than in prison."
Zhang Qiu lay back down on the hospital bed, and the task of feeding him breakfast was handed over to Jiang Xue by Wang Jinghan. Before Zhang Qiu could finish eating, the phone rang. Seeing an unfamiliar number from the capital, he pressed the answer button and said, "Hello, who is this?"
"Zhang Qiu, how is your recovery going?"
The voice on the other end was old and sounded eerie, sending chills down Zhang Qiu's spine, but that wasn't the main issue. Zhang Qiu furrowed his brow and asked, "Who are you? How do you know I was injured?"
"Well, you'll find out soon enough. Now let me ask you, do you want freedom?"
"I'm already quite free right now." Zhang Qiu hung up the phone directly. Jiang Xue and Wang Jinghan looked at him and asked, "What happened?"
"I don't know; it might be a madman." Zhang Qiu shook his head, recalling the conversation in confusion.
Before he could put down the phone, it rang again. Zhang Qiu picked it up and saw it was still that same number. As soon as he answered, he said, "Is this never-ending? Who are you? If this is a joke, I don't have time for it."
"Zhang Qiu, from North Luan County, H Province, born in 1995. Currently a senior at Beiluan No. 1 High School. One month before the college entrance examination, you became involved in a criminal case that could lead to several years of punishment..."
Zhang Qiu couldn't hear the rest of what was said; his expression changed repeatedly before he finally asked, "Who are you?"
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