Chapter 440: Severe Injuries
Chapter 440: Chapter 440: Severe Injuries
"Su Qing." Teacher Sun thought for a moment before speaking to her. "I know you were away on official business, and that’s why you’ve missed so many classes. Although it was for work, I have to remind you that you’re still a student. You need to make your studies your priority."
Su Qing naturally understood Teacher Sun meant well, so she smiled and said, "Teacher Sun, I understand. I’ll be mindful of it."
Hearing her say that, Teacher Sun relaxed a little. "It’s good that you’re aware. It’s just that the final exams are only a little over ten days away. I’m afraid you won’t have time to catch up on the classes you missed. Considering you were absent on official business, I was planning to help you file an application with the university. You could take the final exams at the beginning of next semester. That would give you enough time to make up for the two months of classes you missed. How does that sound?"
"Teacher Sun, there’s no need. I’ll be completely fine," Su Qing said. "My roommate took notes for me. Besides, I have a good memory. A little over ten days is enough time."
Teacher Sun felt Su Qing was boasting and frowned. "Su Qing, this is no joke. Your course credits are on the line."
Su Qing smiled. "Don’t worry, Teacher Sun. I’ll really be fine."
"Really?" Seeing how firmly Su Qing spoke, Teacher Sun decided to trust her this once. "Alright, then. Go ahead and take the final exams with everyone else for now. However, if you feel like you’re not going to make it in the next few days, remember to tell me immediately. I’ll help you apply for a postponement."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher Sun."
Su Qing left the counselor’s office. She silently calculated the time. ’Normally, Mr. Gong and An Zhihan should have arrived in Beijing by now. I already gave Mr. Gong the phone number for Mr. Li’s residence, but I haven’t received any calls from him in the few days since I’ve been back. I wonder if something held them up.’
Su Qing sighed again. ’It’s a shame cell phones don’t exist yet in this era. Not being able to stay in touch at all times is really inconvenient.’
However, just as Su Qing was thinking about Mr. Gong and his group, Zou Ming showed up right after she finished lunch.
When Su Qing saw Zou Ming, she had a bad feeling. ’It’s probably another case.’ Her exams were only a little over ten days away, and her counselor’s words were still fresh in her mind. Just as Su Qing was trying to figure out how to turn him down, Zou Ming spoke. "Su Qing, the municipal bureau has a case—a vicious assault. You might know the victim. An old traditional Chinese doctor with the surname Gong, does that ring a bell? He’s also from Xiyuan County. The people with him said they came to Beijing looking for you."
"What!"
Su Qing’s head snapped up to look at Zou Ming. "Who? Who did you say?"
"An old traditional Chinese doctor with the surname Gong," Zou Ming said.
"You said victim!" Su Qing’s eyes went wide. "He... he..."
Su Qing’s heart pounded like a drum. She held Mr. Gong in high esteem. She never imagined that one day, he would be associated with the word "victim."
"He’s currently in a coma, at the hospital..."
"Which hospital? Take me there, quickly." As she spoke, Su Qing told Li Huan to ask for a leave of absence for her, then hurriedly pulled Zou Ming toward the campus exit. "You drove, right?"
"Yes." Zou Ming hadn’t expected Su Qing to be in such a rush. "Don’t panic. They’re working on him in the emergency room right now. I’m sure he’ll be okay."
"What exactly happened?" Su Qing asked. "Was there a young man named An Zhihan with Mr. Gong?"
"Yes." Zou Ming nodded. "The young man, An Zhihan, wasn’t seriously injured. But of the others with them, one person died at the scene. Two more are seriously wounded, and one has minor injuries."
Hearing this, Su Qing frowned. "What did they run into?"
As he drove Su Qing to the hospital, Zou Ming explained, "According to an informant, the two groups got into an argument, and the other side suddenly pulled knives. There were five people in the attacking group. Two died on the spot, and three got away. If some kindhearted passersby hadn’t stepped in to help, I’m afraid Mr. Gong and his group would have been in much worse shape."
Su Qing asked, puzzled, "Who would be so brazen as to commit such a major crime near Beijing?"
"We haven’t found out yet." Zou Ming frowned. "By the time we got the report and arrived on the scene, they had already fled. Our first priority was to get the injured to the hospital for emergency treatment. Luckily, they were carrying some aged ginseng with them. Otherwise, I’m afraid they wouldn’t have made it to the hospital."
Su Qing took a deep breath. Her intuition told her this wasn’t a simple matter. She even suspected a connection to Xiangcheng. ’But if it really is related to Xiangcheng, I don’t get it. An Zhihan has been living in Xiyuan County for years. It’s not like people from Xiangcheng haven’t visited Xiyuan County before. Why didn’t they make a move on him then? And why do it so openly now?’
’What exactly is going on here?’
Zou Ming gave Su Qing a general overview of the situation, but because there had been no further progress in the case, he couldn’t provide any more information.
Soon, the car pulled up to the main entrance of Beijing First Central Hospital.
"An Zhihan, Uncle Fang." Following Zou Ming to the floor with the emergency rooms, Su Qing immediately spotted An Zhihan in a wheelchair, staring worriedly at one of the doors. Beside him stood Fang Lutian, his arm in a sling. But she didn’t see A Feng, and her heart skipped a beat.
Su Qing had a very good impression of the young man who had always taken care of An Zhihan.
"Su Qing." Hearing her voice, An Zhihan turned to look at her. His face was deathly pale, with gauze taped to his forehead and one arm wrapped in bandages.
"How is Mr. Gong? And A Feng?" Su Qing hurried forward to ask, glancing at their injuries. "What did the doctor say about your wounds?"
"Our injuries are fine." An Zhihan’s voice was low. "Grand-uncle is still in surgery. The doctor said the head injury caused the coma. He’s old, so the doctor told... told me to prepare for the worst. And A Feng is also in surgery. He was stabbed three times, all in vital spots. The doctor said his situation isn’t optimistic either. It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for my illness, they never would have suffered this senseless disaster."
At that moment, An Zhihan was filled with self-blame. Memories from his youth flooded his mind. The car accident that had befallen his family back then... although his First Uncle and Second Uncle had been the ones behind it, he always felt that if he hadn’t asked his parents to take him to the amusement park for his birthday, perhaps the accident could have been avoided.