Chapter 51:

Shen Qingzhou’s words were undeniably sharp. Objectively speaking, what he said was quite harsh, but Qi Zheng did not refute it.

Qi Zheng stood silently, turning his gaze to the window. Outside, traffic flowed incessantly, and the night view of Beijing remained bustling and vibrant, yet he appeared particularly desolate.

There had always been something slightly out of place about him in this city, and now, that feeling was even more pronounced.

Lin Qiao stared intently at Qi Zheng, hoping to catch some clue from his expression. She didn’t know who Ji Tong was, the person Shen Qingzhou had mentioned, but from Shen’s tone, this person must have held great significance to him—perhaps even connected to someone or something Shen valued deeply.

Since it involved Shen Qingzhou, naturally Lin Qiao also cared. The admiration she had previously felt for Qi Zheng’s character vanished completely.

After a long silence, Qi Zheng finally looked at Shen Qingzhou under the composed gaze of Zhao Chunjun, who stood with his arms crossed. Qi Zheng spoke indifferently, “Why bother asking when you already know?”

Shen Qingzhou raised an eyebrow and quietly observed Qi Zheng and Zhao Chunjun for a moment. Even while seated, his posture remained unyielding, and the two standing above him seemed more uneasy under his gaze.

After a pause, Shen Qingzhou stood up, took Lin Qiao’s hand, and left. After getting into the car, she finally asked, “Where are we going?”

“I need to visit that psychiatric hospital you went to before. If you don’t want to come, I’ll drop you home first,” Shen Qingzhou replied.

Lin Qiao hesitated briefly, instinctively fastening her seatbelt and staring ahead. “I’m going with you.”

Shen Qingzhou turned his head slightly to look at her. “Won’t that make you uncomfortable?”

She didn’t look at him, her tone firm. “The best way to overcome psychological trauma is to face it bravely.”

Shen Qingzhou slightly curved his lips. Under the deep night sky, his refined face resembled the bright, serene moon at dawn.

“Alright,” he murmured softly, starting the car and pulling onto the road. He smoothly veered into a side street, avoiding the heavy traffic. The street was much quieter, and even as a local who knew the area well, Lin Qiao hadn’t known this route existed.

“Does this road lead there?” she asked in confusion.

Shen Qingzhou nodded, eyes fixed ahead as he spoke calmly, “I’ve been taking it often these past couple of days.”

“So you’ve been missing these past two days because of this?”

“Exactly.”

Unable to help herself, Lin Qiao asked, “Can I ask who Ji Tong is that you were talking about with Qi Zheng earlier?”

Shen Qingzhou glanced at her inscrutably, then turned back to the road before slowly saying, “Why don’t you guess?”

“…How can I guess without any hints?”

“No worries, take your time. We still have half an hour to go.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiao almost wanted to throw her bag at him. She gritted her teeth in frustration and glared at him. “If you don’t want to tell me, just say so. Why play games?”

Shen Qingzhou wore an expression of innocence. “Why would I not want to tell you? I’m even bringing you along, aren’t I?” His voice carried a slight nasal tone more than usual. Before Lin Qiao could ask if he was catching a cold, he continued, “Ji Tong is Xiao Ning’s biological father.”

Lin Qiao’s mouth formed a perfect “O” as she stared at him in disbelief. “Xiao Ning’s biological father? Are you sure? Didn’t you say before that Xiao Ning’s father died in a terrorist attack while on assignment abroad?”

Shen Qingzhou nodded. “That’s the official story, but recently, while investigating that hospital, I found him by accident.”

“Could it be someone who just looks like him?”

“Name, age, and appearance all match. What do you think?” He stated it matter-of-factly.

Lin Qiao was momentarily speechless. After a pause, she asked, “Then what does this have to do with Qi Zheng? Could it be…?” She recalled the day she was locked in the hospital and the sight of Qi Zheng then. “Did Qi Zheng send Ji Tong to the hospital?”

Shen Qingzhou gave a slight nod, confirming her guess. With practiced ease, his pale, slender hands turned the steering wheel and continued, “Before, I had only heard the name from you. I had never seen him. But later, when I did see him, I realized he was a colleague of Ji Tong’s wife. I had seen him twice before and remembered his face, though I didn’t know his name.”

“You mean Qi Zheng?” Lin Qiao asked.

“Yes, him,” Shen Qingzhou replied. “Before Ji Tong’s wife, Ding Yue, passed away, she worked at the hospital where Qi Zheng worked. They were in the same office, working together every day.”

Lin Qiao’s mind was in chaos. The names Qi Zheng, Ji Tong, and Ding Yue circled in her head. She said numbly, “The man who was supposed to have died abroad is still alive, but has been locked in a psychiatric hospital with mental illness. And Ding Yue, who became depressed and died shortly after giving birth because of the news of his death, how pitiful she must be…”

Shen Qingzhou gave a soft scoff, his smile tinged with irony. “That’s something you should ask Dr. Qi. He might just be the one responsible.”

Lin Qiao was a woman, and women loved reading novels, filled with all sorts of complicated romantic entanglements. But now, Lin Qiao only felt that the saying “fiction originates from life” was true—real life always had stories more dramatic than those in novels.

“You’re not implying that Qi Zheng deliberately withheld the news of Ji Tong being alive from Ding Yue, causing them to end up like this?” Lin Qiao asked, dazed.

Shen Qingzhou didn’t respond, neither denying nor confirming her speculation. Only when he stopped the car in front of the psychiatric hospital did he speak again, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “When Ding Yue was still alive, she was only close to two men—one was her husband, Ji Tong, and the other was Qi Zheng.”

Lin Qiao frowned as she looked at him. He turned to her, silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “Why do you look like you’re about to cry?”

Lin Qiao shook her head without speaking.

Shen Qingzhou shifted his gaze to the hospital sign, then glanced back at her. “Scared? Then wait in the car. I told you not to come. Don’t force yourself.”

Lin Qiao shook her head again, sighing. “I’m not scared. I just find Ding Yue’s story a bit unsettling.” She paused, lowering her voice. “Also, places like psychiatric hospitals are just too terrifying. Let’s avoid them in the future unless absolutely necessary.”

Shen Qingzhou curved his lips slightly, got out of the car first, walked around to open the passenger door for her, and walked into the hospital side by side with her.

He walked quickly, just like he had driven earlier, and Lin Qiao struggled to keep up, unable to resist asking, “Are you in a hurry?”

Shen Qingzhou looked ahead. “Yes, it’s urgent. We need to meet Ji Tong before Qi Zheng and Zhao Chunjun return. Otherwise, what we see might not be the truth.”

Lin Qiao trotted alongside him toward the hospital entrance, somewhat curiously asking, “If you were in such a hurry, why did you insist on taking me home first?”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t even turn his head and said, “You’re more important.”

Lin Qiao was momentarily speechless, her face turning red. She followed Shen Qingzhou, ignoring the staff’s attempts to stop them, and went straight to the ward area. At first glance, she spotted a familiar nurse, and the sight of this person immediately made her hide behind Shen Qingzhou.

Shen Qingzhou grasped her hand and looked toward the nurse. The nurse stared at them in confusion and said, “Visiting hours for patients are over. Please come back early tomorrow.”

Shen Qingzhou reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, took out an item, and showed it to the nurse. Calmly, he said, “Police officer. May I visit the patient now?”

The nurse looked at Shen Qingzhou with astonishment, glancing at the “police ID” that had briefly flashed before her and was quickly put away again. She remained silent for a while, seemingly caught in thought, uncertain whether to believe it since she hadn’t seen it clearly.

Shen Qingzhou urged impatiently, “Miss, please decide quickly. Otherwise, I won’t rule out the possibility of taking you to the police station on suspicion of obstructing official business.”

The nurse started slightly, pursing her lips with hesitation, and said, “Whom do you want to see? We have many patients here, and they’ve all gone to sleep already. They all took their medication before bedtime and might not be able to cooperate with your work. So, I suggest you come back during the daytime tomorrow.”

Shen Qingzhou released Lin Qiao’s hand, took a step forward, and looked down at the nurse with a soft yet commanding voice: “I need to see Ji Tong. Take me to him, or bring him out. Don’t waste my time with unnecessary words.”

The nurse stared at Shen Qingzhou, seemingly frightened by him. It wasn’t until Lin Qiao coughed that she suddenly snapped out of it and said, “I… I’ll take you to see him.”

Shen Qingzhou stepped aside to let her go first, indicating that she should lead the way. Lin Qiao followed behind them, entering the ward area. She was extremely familiar with this path—it led directly to the very ward where she had once been confined, the place where she had spent the longest day of her life.

The nurse stopped before reaching the ward where Lin Qiao had previously been confined. She hesitated outside a different room, only opening the door reluctantly under Shen Qingzhou’s indifferent gaze. Inside this ward was a single patient—Ji Tong.

The room was dark, with no lights on. Ji Tong was asleep, just as the nurse had mentioned. Without the light, Lin Qiao couldn’t see his face clearly, only making out the silhouette of a very thin man.

“Officer, I’m telling you the truth, he’s already taken his medicine and fallen asleep. Why don’t you come back tomorrow morning?” the nurse said helplessly.

Shen Qingzhou said directly, “Get out.”

The nurse was taken aback and asked, “What did you say?”

Shen Qingzhou looked at her and repeated, “Get out. Don’t make me say it a third time.”

Lin Qiao kept avoiding the nurse’s gaze all the way, fearing she might recognize her. Although being recognized wouldn’t be a big deal, Shen Qingzhou was here impersonating a police officer. The nurse probably hadn’t seen him during his last rescue mission, so she didn’t recognize him. However, the situation was different for Lin Qiao herself—the nurse had delivered meals to her and would certainly remember her distinctly. If she were exposed, it could easily shatter Shen Qingzhou’s not-so-sophisticated lie.

Female nurses, by nature, feel a sense of fear towards Shen Qingzhou’s terse manner and his coldness towards them. She had already compromised to this extent, so it was quite reasonable for her to give in even more.

She lowered her head, sighed, and walked away after saying, “Please leave as soon as possible.”

Lin Qiao watched her leave the ward and heard Shen Qingzhou instruct her, “Lin Qiao, close the door.”

Lin Qiao immediately agreed, ran to close the door, and then stood at the doorway, looking at Shen Qingzhou, who was about a meter away from the hospital bed.

He stood there motionless from the moment he came in, neither moving closer nor stepping back, upright and still, gazing at something no one could tell.

After a long while, just as Lin Qiao was beginning to grow anxious, he finally spoke up in a calm and unhurried tone, his voice barely above a whisper, so soft that one could barely hear: “Ji Tong, stop pretending. Get up.”

Lin Qiao looked at the man lying in the hospital bed with surprise. The man had immediately opened his eyes and sat up after Shen Qingzhou finished speaking. He gazed upward at Shen Qingzhou for a while, before hoarsely and incredulously calling his name, “Qingzhou?”

Shen Qingzhou pulled over a chair, sat down, leaned back with his arms stretched out, and said emotionlessly, “Glad to know you still remember me.”