A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 62

At 7:00 AM, Shen Zhao emerged from his room to find Lu Xiao already seated upright at the dining table. A cup of steaming milk sat on the table, and the toaster was busy browning bread.

“Morning~”

“Morning… Uh, I don’t really eat breakfast.” Shen Zhao looked at Lu Xiao; the man’s sudden diligence was bordering on frightening.

Shen Zhao had assumed that after their conversation the previous night, their relationship would cool down for a while. Instead, Lu Xiao seemed to be getting even clingier.

“If you won’t eat, at least have some milk~” Lu Xiao said, squinting his eyes playfully.

“No.”

“Just one sip~”

“No need.”

“Should I feed it to you myself?”

“…Give it here.”

Shen Zhao took the warm milk and took a few small sips. Just then, Lu Xiao’s phone rang. Lu Xiao trotted to the balcony to answer, but his roaring voice still carried back inside.

“What! Who authorized that?”

“Dammit, I haven’t even finished digging into his background and they just let them take the kid?”

“Shit, I look away for one night and this happens!”

Lu Xiao rushed back in like a house on fire, threw on a change of clothes, and bolted to Shen Zhao’s side. “Quick, quick, take two more sips, then get to the station with me!”

Police Station: Director’s Office

On the way there, Lu Xiao drove as if he were trying to make the tires smoke. Shen Zhao spent the entire ride advising him to “watch your tone,” “speak calmly,” and “don’t be too impulsive.”

But when they reached the door, Lu Xiao still had an overwhelming urge to kick Gao Jianmin’s office door off its hinges. Restraining himself, he rapped his knuckles hard against the wood.

Gao Jianmin’s voice was steady as it drifted from within: “Come in.”

Lu Xiao entered, his mouth set in a tight line, his face looking incredibly sour.

“You’re here.” Gao Jianmin’s voice was slow. His head was down as he scribbled something on a piece of paper.

“Director Gao, what’s the situation? Why did you release that child without even telling me!” Lu Xiao blurted out, his voice thick with anger.

Gao Jianmin sat behind the desk, still not looking up, methodically organizing the documents on his desk. His expression was shrouded in shadow.

“Xiao Lu, I warned you before—don’t be impatient. Take a vacation. Did my words just go in one ear and out the other?”

Lu Xiao felt like he was choking. “But—”

Gao Jianmin picked up a jar from the desk, slowly unscrewed the lid, stood up, and sprinkled some fish food into the aquarium behind him.

“Big fish are different from small fish. When you see a big fish in the pond, you don’t just splash around. You build your strength, you set the scene, and you throw the bait. If you make a scene and startle it, it becomes very hard to catch again.”

Lu Xiao knew the Director was right, but he couldn’t quench his rage. “But you couldn’t just release him that easily! I didn’t even get to ask who the father was!”

Gao Jianmin sighed. “Xiao Lu, this seat I sit in looks glamorous, but it’s not easy. I have to weigh many things. Think about it—if someone can reach me, it means they’ve cleared quite a few paths behind the scenes. This specific person isn’t important, but I cannot ignore the network behind them. You young people might think I’m soft-eared, but we must follow rules and evidence. You were holding someone’s child and refusing to let him go home; how can I stand tall when people come to me with complaints?”

“Is evidence even needed for this? The kid’s mental and physical state is no different from severe depression! And the bruises on the mother—the father is clearly a piece of work! The kidnapper went to all this trouble to make a scene; it’s definitely a personal vendetta against him, Director!”

Gao Jianmin took a sip of tea. “Everything you’ve said is just personal speculation. Your fearlessness in investigating is a virtue, and small squabbles are fine. But in this situation, you need to bring evidence and follow procedure. If the process is legitimate, I’ll let you arrest whoever you want.”

The room fell into silence, save for the sound of goldfish splashing as they ate. Lu Xiao finally decided to temporarily resign himself to fate. He gritted his teeth and said, “Fine. Then have some pity on me—tell me who the father is…”

Gao Jianmin pulled the piece of paper he had been writing on from the desk and handed it to Lu Xiao.

—Zhai Hongtian

Lu Xiao frowned. The surname was different from the child’s.

Back in the car, Lu Xiao handed the note to Shen Zhao and got out to light a cigarette. Shen Zhao stared at the three characters on the paper, sinking into thought.

Lu Xiao leaned against the car door, took one last drag, and squinted as he asked, “Well? Want to go meet him?”

“I’ve heard of this man.”

“Oh? What’s his deal?”

“Zhai Group. They are one of the top players in the medical industry. They own several private hospitals with exorbitant registration fees—high-end private healthcare.” Shen Zhao continued, “But he keeps a low profile. He doesn’t personally appear at large business or industry conferences; the one active in public is usually the group’s CEO.”

Lu Xiao nodded. “In that line of work, he’s rubbing shoulders with the elite. No wonder Director Gao had to give him face.”

Shen Zhao didn’t speak again, but he felt a familiar sense of unease.

“Let’s go! To his house!” Lu Xiao jumped back into the car and pulled up the home address Zhang Zhen had just found.

Zhai Hongtian’s home was located in the city center—a sprawling flat of over 300 square meters. One didn’t even need to see the interior; the location alone signaled its immense value.

The two rang the doorbell, but no one answered for a long time.

“Should we go to his company?” Shen Zhao asked.

Lu Xiao shushed him, tiptoed quietly over to the lawn, and peered through a window. He mouthed to Shen Zhao: There’s someone inside!

A second later, Lu Xiao cheekily started rapping his knuckles against the glass. Inside, a man rolled his eyes and gave a slow nod to the housekeeper, who finally opened the door.

“How about that? Am I good or what?”

Shen Zhao played along and gave him a thumbs-up.

“You two… uninvited guests. To what do I owe the pleasure?” A man sat far off on a wide, carved mahogany and calfskin sofa. He held a cup of coffee, his expression one of pure impatience and hostility.

The live-in housekeeper brought slippers for the two, smiling apologetically as she led them in.

Shen Zhao was stunned. He remembered the records saying Zhai Hongtian was in his early fifties, but the man before him looked… not even thirty.

Is this Zhai Hongtian?

Shen Zhao masked his confusion and said, “We are here to visit Mr. Zhai Hongtian.”

Zhai Hongtian sat with a massive floor-to-ceiling window behind him; not far beyond was the city’s most expensive financial district. He looked like a king presiding over his territory, disdainful of invaders.

“That would be me.”

Lu Xiao’s eyes turned sharp. He squinted and flashed his police ID. “Sorry, police. I’m mainly here to ask you about your son—Cheng Nianchuan.”

Zhai Hongtian smiled thinly, showing no intention of inviting them to sit. He took a sip of coffee. “Oh? And what about him? Do you want me to pay a hefty reward for the ‘heroic deeds’ of the police in saving a life? Or perhaps… do you want to explain to me why you were detaining my son and preventing him from coming home!”

Zhai Hongtian set the coffee cup down heavily on its saucer, his eyes full of contempt.

“You mother…!” Lu Xiao thought, Who the hell do you think you’re looking down on with that act!

Shen Zhao quickly tugged at Lu Xiao’s sleeve from behind. He spoke softly: “Xiao Cheng’s physical and mental state are very poor. Are you aware of that?”

Zhai Hongtian frowned slightly and said nonchalantly, “He is my son; you needn’t trouble yourselves. His mother will take good care of him.”

Lu Xiao couldn’t help but burst out, “Care? Is ‘care’ defined by the mother failing to show her face for days after the kidnapping? What, were you hoping he’d die at the hands of the kidnappers!”

Zhai Hongtian glanced at them. “She didn’t recognize him at first—it’s quite normal. Now that she has, he’s back home. Tell me, is that a crime too?”