A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 71

As Lu Xiao drove, the plane trees on both sides of the road blurred into a continuous green streak. Shen Zhao stared out the window at the retreating cityscape, rubbing his temples. His headaches had been growing more frequent lately.

“What’s wrong? Head hurting again? Is it still the concussion?” Lu Xiao’s voice broke the silence in the car.

“I’m fine,” Shen Zhao replied, shaking his head. “I was just wondering… if Xiao Cheng has been cooperating with Zhai Hongtian’s medical experiments all this time, does his biological mother know? Is she a forced accomplice, or a willing participant?”

Lu Xiao recalled the scene of Cheng Nianchuan’s mother causing a scene at the police station—specifically the way she had shoved Shen Zhao. He rolled his eyes. “Who knows? She didn’t exactly look like she was being kept in the dark. Ugh, just thinking about her gives me a headache. When we see her, stay as far away from her as possible!”

Shen Zhao nodded slowly. “Perhaps we’ll have our answers once we face her.”

Lu Xiao kept his eyes on the road, lost in thought. After a long silence, he finally spoke. “I remember I only got halfway through asking you last time before we were interrupted. About Dongxi Town… the orphanage where you grew up…”

Shen Zhao’s heart skipped a beat. “Yes… what about it?”

“Nothing much. I just saw in the news that there were signs of intentional arson. I wonder how the investigation went in the Dongxi jurisdiction—if there was ever a follow-up.”

As Lu Xiao spoke, he tilted his head, his gaze locking onto Shen Zhao’s face for a split second before returning to the road.

Shen Zhao sensed the underlying probe in Lu Xiao’s tone. His fingers tightened around the fabric of his trousers. He stole a glance at Lu Xiao, but the detective’s expression remained perfectly natural, as if he were merely making casual conversation.

“I’m not entirely sure. They probably never found a suspect.”

The small space of the car suddenly felt suffocating. Shen Zhao’s throat felt dry; he kept his head down, not daring to look Lu Xiao in the eye.

“It’s just small talk, don’t be nervous,” Lu Xiao said with a smile, his manner incredibly relaxed.

Shen Zhao nodded. “Mhm. Is there… anything else you wanted to ask?”

“Well, the last time I asked, we were cut off by that kidnapper’s livestream. I just wanted to follow up. Hey, Shen Zhao… that fire was massive. How did you actually get out?”

Lu Xiao’s tone was light, but the question landed with the weight of a mountain.

A sharp pain throbbed in Shen Zhao’s temple. He massaged his brow, fixating his gaze on the horizon in an attempt to find some semblance of calm. The air stagnated. Shen Zhao didn’t respond for a long time. Lu Xiao eased his foot off the accelerator, not pressing further, simply waiting for Shen Zhao to speak.

“Lu Xiao, can I… can I trust you? Or rather, will you believe me?”

Shen Zhao’s fingers were clenched so tightly his palms stung. Lu Xiao’s questions were like needles, piercing into his most vulnerable, repressed memories.

While Shen Zhao hesitated, Lu Xiao reached out and covered Shen Zhao’s clenched fist with his own. With gentle strength, he pried open each of the doctor’s stiff fingers and lightly patted the back of his hand.

“Trust me.”

Lu Xiao said only those two words, but his hand remained resting on Shen Zhao’s.

“I…” Shen Zhao’s voice sounded as if it were being squeezed from the depths of his throat. He paused, his thoughts jammed. His heart rate accelerated, and his breathing grew ragged.

He didn’t know how to explain his actions, nor how to explain the “intentional arson” mentioned in the news.

“Lu Xiao… the person in the news… the one who started the fire… it was probably me.”

Shen Zhao snapped his head up, his eyes frantic and his face a transparent, ghostly pale.

“What?” Lu Xiao’s fingers tightened instantly, only to realize that Shen Zhao’s hand had turned even colder.

“Yes. It was me… I set the fire at the orphanage.” Shen Zhao’s voice trembled. He slowly closed his eyes; in his ears, he could almost hear the howling wind and the screams from within the inferno.

“What do you mean?” Lu Xiao was momentarily thrown into a panic. Though he had sensed many mysteries surrounding Shen Zhao, a confession like this was enough to leave him stunned.

Shen Zhao struggled to keep his thoughts stable. “I set the fire… to give them a chance to escape the orphanage.”

Lu Xiao’s voice was full of confusion. “But they all…”

“Yes. They all died.”

A weary, bitter smile touched Shen Zhao’s lips. He wanted to explain further, but his temple gave a violent throb. No… that’s not right…

The moment he tried to speak, the memories in his mind began to warp and twist. A grotesque, eerie voice echoed in his head: “Are you happy now that you’ve killed them?”

Shen Zhao’s pupils dilated. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst through his ribs, and his throat felt as though it were stuffed with cotton. Who? Who is speaking?

What do you mean, “killed them”?!

Shen Zhao gritted his teeth, his chest heaving violently. Cold sweat rolled from his brow into his collar. It felt as if something were crushing his chest, stifling his breath.

“No, no! It wasn’t me… I didn’t kill them!” Shen Zhao murmured in terror, his hands reflexively clutching his own sleeves.

Lu Xiao sensed the abnormality. His gaze turned cold and sharp as he pulled the car over. He hit the seatbelt release and leaned over the spiraling Shen Zhao.

“Shen Zhao! What’s happening?”

He unbuckled Shen Zhao’s seatbelt and began rubbing his back to help him breathe, his eyes incredibly piercing. Shen Zhao’s consciousness felt like it was sinking into a thick, dark swamp. He continued to mumble, his forehead drenched in sweat as if he were enduring some form of extreme physical torture.

“Shen Zhao! Shen Zhao!”

Lu Xiao shook him by the shoulders, his voice a constant anchor in the doctor’s ear, trying to pull him back to reality. But Shen Zhao’s eyes grew more hollow, and his lips wouldn’t stop trembling.

Lu Xiao felt a sharp pang in his own heart. He had never seen Shen Zhao like this. Gritting his teeth, he threw open the driver’s side door, dashed around the front of the car, and pulled open the passenger door. He hauled Shen Zhao into his arms, holding him tight and stroking his back.

“Can you hear me?” Lu Xiao’s voice pierced through the haze again and again.

After what felt like an eternity, Shen Zhao’s eyelashes fluttered. He looked up blankly at the panicked Lu Xiao holding him. “Lu Xiao… what’s wrong?”

“You scared the hell out of me!” Lu Xiao let out a massive sigh of relief. “Shen Zhao, if you do that a few more times, you’re going to end up making me a widower.”

But Shen Zhao still seemed trapped in the nightmare. His body continued to shake. “It was my fault… it was all my fault…”

Lu Xiao reflexively tightened his embrace, his tone low and certain. “Don’t talk nonsense!”

He narrowed his eyes, his voice turning grave. “Shen Zhao, these headaches… how long have they been like this?”