Silent Testimony - Chapter 72

“Shouldn’t you find a doctor to check that?” Qiu Wan knew that the current Li Hewei was stubborn and would not listen to persuasion, so she called Cheng Yingqiu over. “She has a fever.”

“A fever?” Cheng Yingqiu raised her hand to touch Li Hewei’s abnormally hot forehead, then quickly snatched the phone. She asked, “What’s the password? Is it 850808?” She successfully unlocked it, navigated to the application, and selected the Emergency Internal Medicine department for registration.

Li Hewei retrieved her floating gaze, pondered for a moment, and finally spoke: “Just go buy some antipyretic medicine.”

Worry flashed across Cheng Yingqiu’s face. “No. At least let a doctor take a look. Also, your forehead injury should be cleaned and disinfected, shouldn’t it?”

Qiu Wan nodded in agreement. “Xiao Tao’s subsequent recovery will certainly require someone to look after her. If you collapse too, who will step in? Are we relying on her parents? Auntie is probably fine, but what about her father?” Although Qiu Wan intentionally lowered her voice, Liu Yun still heard it. While feeling grateful, she deeply felt she was causing too much trouble for them. She walked over quickly and suggested hesitantly, “Xiao Wei, you go see the doctor. I’ll stay here and watch.”

“Auntie.”

“I am very grateful that you always look out for Xiao Ling. Now that she is ill, you have been rushing around for her, so you must also take care of your own health.” Liu Yun sat down, grasping Li Hewei’s icy hands, her nose stinging with emotion. “Go quickly. We may not have the fate to be in-laws, but I see all the good things you do for Xiao Ling.”

Li Hewei was worried about Tao Ling, and her consciousness was still cloudy, preventing her from organizing her thoughts clearly. She could only respond woodenly with an agreement. After discussion, Qiu Wan stayed behind, and Cheng Yingqiu accompanied her to the consultation room.

“38.7 degrees Celsius. You said you jumped in the water to save someone and didn’t have time to change, letting your body heat naturally dry your clothes, and then you were exposed to the wind by the river?” Inside the Emergency Internal Medicine clinic, the doctor patiently inquired about the process of catching the cold.

“Mmm, yes.”

“This is only the beginning. If you don’t take medicine promptly, it might develop into a high fever.” The doctor stared at the computer, recording Li Hewei’s condition. “Let’s check your blood first to see if there is any infection.”

“Okay, thank you.”

After the blood test, the doctor suggested medication. Wanting to recover quickly, Li Hewei opted for an intravenous infusion.

“Hey, I told you to rest in the patient room. What are you trying to do?” The nurse had just left the room when Li Hewei turned over to get out of bed, but Cheng Yingqiu snatched her shoes away.

Li Hewei pursed her dry, thin lips. “Yingqiu, give them to me.”

“No. Just sleep well,” Cheng Yingqiu advised earnestly. “If you stay outside the emergency room, will she wake up? You should take care of your own body first.”

Li Hewei looked up, obvious sadness swirling in her eyes. “Yingqiu, think about it from my perspective. If Sister Qiu were ill, what would you do?”

“Bah! Bah! Bah! She’s doing just fine.”

“But Tao Ling is still in a coma. I panic when I can’t see her. Do you understand?”

Cheng Yingqiu understood her and relented slightly. “You won’t be able to see her if you go over there, either.”

“At least I’ll be closer to her.”

Li Hewei’s words were firm, syllable by syllable. Cheng Yingqiu found it difficult to refuse any longer. She placed the shoes by Li Hewei’s feet and raised her hand to take down the IV bottle. “Let’s go. Torture yourself however you like.”

“Thank you.”

“What thank you? You’re as stubborn as a mule. She’s the same way; she went back to work when her hand was still swollen after being reset.” Cheng Yingqiu scoffed softly. “Annoying.”

Li Hewei didn’t reply, quietly put on her shoes, and walked towards the emergency room by her side.

Outside the emergency room, Lin Ye was explaining Tao Ling’s current condition: “The acidosis, hypotension, and hypoglycemia have all been corrected, and her coagulation status is also good. She will be pushed out shortly for further examinations.”

Liu Yun nodded. “Thank you, thank you, Doctor.”

Lin Ye turned around, and Li Hewei called out to her. “Dr. Lin.”

“Officer Li, you……” Lin Ye looked at her, noticing the IV drip, and a hint of surprise crossed her face.

Li Hewei hurried forward. “I just have a minor cold. What about her? Has she woken up?”

Lin Ye shook her head. “The doctor from Neurology performed the strong stimulus test, and there was no response.”

The strong stimulus test is usually used when a patient is in a coma to assess their chance of recovering consciousness. Tao Ling’s status meant she would not wake up in the short term.

“However, when I touched Forensic Doctor Tao’s conjunctiva, she blinked,” Lin Ye curved her lips, comforting her gently. “So, it’s not a deep coma. There is still a chance of waking up.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

“We are now preparing to take her for a CT scan to check for cerebral edema, pulmonary inflammation, and other conditions.”

“Okay.” Li Hewei’s right hand hung down, her nails deeply embedded in her palm, yet she couldn’t feel any pain.

Five minutes later, Tao Ling was pushed out of the emergency room. Medical staff surrounded the transfer bed, and Li Hewei dared not approach, only following the slow movement from a distance.

“Excuse me, move aside.”

“Sister, aren’t you going to take a look?” Cheng Yingqiu watched Liu Yun, who was accompanying the bed, weep bitterly, and asked Li Hewei, who was standing motionless beside her.

“No need. I’m on an IV drip, and I might get in their way,” Li Hewei’s breathing was unsteady, her voice hoarse, and her entire being was precarious, like a candle flickering in the wind.

“Alright.” Cheng Yingqiu pulled out her phone, intending to distract her. “Look at the fortune stick I drew for Sister Tao Ling—Lingqian 65: ‘Amidst danger, one meets a noble person who helps; waves on flat ground naturally subside in peace.’ It says bad luck will turn into good, and the noble people should be those doctors.”

“Let’s hope so.”

“It’s the best kind of fortune. It must be right.”

About 20 minutes later, a resident doctor came to explain the details: “The CT scan shows mild cerebral edema. No issues were found in the lungs for now, but she has a slight low-grade fever. Dr. Lin suggested transferring her to the EICU (Emergency Intensive Care Unit) for treatment.”

Liu Yun quickly said, “Transfer her. What procedures do I need to follow?”

“Sign the forms first, then go pay the fees shortly.”

After completing the procedures, and after a brief argument, Li Hewei paid the deposit.

Liu Yun’s words were full of gratitude. “Xiao Wei, you’ve put in effort and money. How can I feel right about that?”

“Auntie, I already said Tao Ling has medical insurance and work injury insurance. You don’t need to worry……”

Before she could finish, Liu Yun’s phone rang. It was Tao Luhai calling. “Hello, give me the number for a carpool going to Shujiang.”

Liu Yun walked to the side. “Isn’t the teahouse owner’s daughter a dispatcher for Shujiang?”

“Her family charges too much, 40 per person.”

“Then don’t come.” Calling to successfully arrange a carpool would take at least 30 minutes, plus the time consumed en route. He wouldn’t arrive at the hospital until almost 9 PM.

“What did you say?”

“I, I……” Liu Yun rarely spoke harshly to him. “You don’t care about Xiao Ling anyway.”

“Fine. You two, mother and daughter, are in collusion. If I don’t go, I don’t go. Didn’t she say her matters have nothing to do with me? I’ll grant her wish.”

Tao Luhai hung up the phone.

Liu Yun turned her head back, pulled at the corners of her mouth, and said helplessly, “Don’t laugh at me.”

Li Hewei often deals with judicial organs or accepts public requests for autopsies, and she is accustomed to the vicissitudes of human relationships and coldness. Families where parents and children get along well are common, but families with this kind of emotional distance are also commonplace.

She took a deep breath and responded hoarsely, “Auntie, Tao Ling has people who care about her. She doesn’t need his concern.”

“Don’t you all have work? Go back. I’ll stay here,” Liu Yun patted Li Hewei’s shoulder lightly. “Xiao Wei, you have a fever. Get some rest soon.”

Li Hewei didn’t respond to either the first or the second suggestion.

Ignoring whether she responded or not, Liu Yun turned to Cheng Yingqiu. “Xiao Cheng, thank you, and your friend too.”

Cheng Yingqiu politely introduced her. “She’s also Sister Tao Ling’s superior, Officer Qiu Wan.”

“Officer Qiu.”

Qiu Wan returned a smile. “Auntie, I do have work to attend to. Please keep in touch here.”

“Will do.”

“Sister, what about you? Go back and sleep, then come again tomorrow?” Cheng Yingqiu poked Li Hewei’s back.

“I have some work matters that require your help.” Cheng Yingqiu had previously consulted with Qiu Wan, planning to drag Li Hewei back to rest, as staying outside the ICU door would be futile.

“What work?”

“We’ll talk about it when we get back. We have to wait a little longer. Go put the IV bottle down in the patient room first,” Qiu Wan pointed to the infusion bottle held high by Cheng Yingqiu. “That’s the last bit.”

After the infusion was finished, Li Hewei helped Liu Yun book a room at the hotel opposite the hospital and, after making sure everything was settled, finally got into the waiting car.

“Sister, fasten your seatbelt,” Cheng Yingqiu looked at her in the rear-view mirror. “Don’t worry. Get some sleep, and maybe Sister Tao Ling will wake up tomorrow.”

“Mmm.” Li Hewei’s face was ashen, and her eyes showed complete exhaustion. “Did Sister Wang and Sister He find anything in Chao Hui’s room?”

Qiu Wan was looking down, sending and receiving messages, and replied, “Your task today is to rest. Don’t worry about anything else.”

“I need to know. Let me go see Yan Chen.”

“We don’t have evidence pointing to him,” Qiu Wan paused for two seconds, looking at the private message sent by He Ying, a look of unconcealed delight appearing on her face. “We found 100,000 in cash in the lock bag of Chao Hui’s suitcase, and the special paper wrapping it had Yan Chen’s fingerprints on it.”