It was night.
In Qingfeng Town, Zhang Zhengbiao, the director of the town hospital, and a prominent figure within a certain system, all committed suicide, confessing their crimes.
At least, that was the official report – suicide due to guilt.
As for who orchestrated these events from behind the scenes, ordinary citizens would never know the truth. Even Yu Hongzhi was now in a state of utter panic, completely clueless.
His intuition told him it was deliberate revenge!
However, no matter how much Yu Hongzhi investigated, there were no signs of foul play, which left him in a state of anxious unease.
This was a hidden dagger, and who knew if he would be the next one to ‘commit suicide due to guilt’?
Yu Hongzhi, who had been awake all night, yawned. He checked the time and realized it was already seven in the morning. If he didn't rest, he might just drop dead. He summoned his subordinates, urging them to work diligently on the case without any slack.
After assigning tasks, as Yu Hongzhi was about to head home to rest, a subordinate rushed into his office.
Yu Hongzhi frowned, displeased. "Why are you rushing in? Didn't I tell you before to knock and report before entering?"
"Get out!"
"You must report before entering!"
The subordinate was sweating profusely and quickly said, "Director Yu, there's been a traffic accident on the Jiangning Cross-River Bridge."
Yu Hongzhi was furious. "I told you to get out, are you deaf?"
Just a traffic accident, and it required a report to him?
Seeing his reaction, the subordinate dared not push his luck. He ran outside, knocked on the door, and reported. Only after Yu Hongzhi's permission did he re-enter the office. By then, Yu Hongzhi had calmed down. Given this confidant's loyalty, he wouldn't have specifically reported an ordinary traffic accident if it were a minor matter.
"What's going on?" Yu Hongzhi drank a cup of hot water.
The confidant said again, "Director Yu, there was a traffic accident on the cross-river bridge, resulting in the instant death of the car driver."
"Here are the scene photos, please have a look."
Yu Hongzhi gave his confidant a deep look, but a bad premonition arose in his heart. After much hesitation, he took the accident report handed to him by his confidant. A mere glance was enough to change his expression drastically.
His eyes were fixed on the accident scene photos, his pupils contracting violently.
The license plate of the accident vehicle was all too familiar. He had chosen it himself, and the owner of this car was a confidante of Yu Hongzhi –
Calling her a confidante, everyone knew what that meant.
Yu Hongzhi's wife had also turned a blind eye, as such matters were commonplace for people like Yu Hongzhi.
"Who is the deceased?" Yu Hongzhi asked, his voice trembling.
"As far as I know, the deceased is Qi Yating, your friend who works as an administrator at Jiangning University." The subordinate said tremblingly. Yu Hongzhi was completely stunned. He had personally arranged for Qi Yating to get the position at Jiangning University.
Apart from a child, they had everything else.
Yu Hongzhi lit a cigarette for himself. "Has the cause of the accident been determined?"
The confidant nodded. "The brake system failed, causing this tragedy. According to our investigation, the brake system appears to have been tampered with, but we found nothing after our investigation."
"The perpetrator's methods are extremely sophisticated."
Yu Hongzhi became much more dejected. Qi Yating was his favorite person. His marriage to the woman from the Su family was purely for benefit.
"Fine."
"I understand. You can go now," Yu Hongzhi said hoarsely.
The confidant hesitated. "Then, should we continue the investigation? Or should we close the case now?"
Yu Hongzhi showed a bitter smile.
Investigate?
Even if the culprit was found, what then?
Unsurprisingly, the culprit would be someone from Chen Jinzhao's side. Moreover, the Su family would definitely not risk a confrontation with them over his confidante. What was the point of continuing the investigation?
Unless the Su family had lost their minds.
Yu Hongzhi waved his hand. "Close the case. Don't investigate any further. There will be no outcome."
The confidant nodded. As he reached the door, Yu Hongzhi called out again, "Arrange it. I'm planning to go to the funeral home to see her off."
"Yes, I understand!"
The office door closed.
Yu Hongzhi covered his eyes with his hands. If anyone were present, they would have heard the low sobs of this middle-aged man.
A man doesn't shed tears easily, unless his heart is truly broken.
He had no feelings for the woman from the Su family. Qi Yating, however, was his first love. Later, after being favored by the Su family, he abandoned his first love and married into the Su family, which led to his current status. Afterwards, Yu Hongzhi reconnected with Qi Yating. They began seeing each other in secret, in ways that could not be openly acknowledged. His wife also turned a blind eye, as long as their relationship wasn't made public, she could pretend not to see it.
"Yating..."
"I have harmed you," Yu Hongzhi said with guilt.
Now he finally realized the cruelty of the struggle; lives were at stake!
The previous struggles were confined within Jiangnan. Therefore, Yu Hongzhi was usually the one who emerged victorious. He had never realized the bloodshed involved in these struggles!
"Yating, if I could go back in time, I would rather not have entered this vortex," Yu Hongzhi murmured.
But.
He understood it clearly.
Once he chose to enter this vortex, it was almost impossible to extricate himself completely.
He could only press on until the bitter end.
"However—"
"Please rest assured, I will avenge you even if it costs me my life!"
Jiangning Provincial Hospital.
Li Qiutao received a call back from Xiao Wu. "Master, I've handled everything. What's the next step?"
"I've seen the news. You all did very well," Li Qiutao nodded.
"There's nothing else for now. Rest well for a few days. I'll notify you if there are any assignments."
"Okay!"
After hanging up the phone.
Li Qiutao, with his bloodshot eyes, looked at the time on his wrist watch.
It was already nine in the morning. There was still no news from the operating room, which made everyone's mood heavy with disappointment and dejection.
"Why is there still no news..." Li Qiutao murmured.
Time ticked by, and everyone's hearts sank. No one spoke, plunging the area into a deathly silence.
It was now half past eleven in the morning.
By this time, it had been a full twelve hours since Chen Jinzhao was wheeled into the operating room.
Just as everyone was on the verge of despair, the chief surgeon emerged from the operating room. The doctor's eyes were bloodshot and filled with deep exhaustion, as anyone would be after twelve hours of strenuous work.
Yu Mengzhi lunged forward, anxiously asking, "Doctor, how is Chen Jinzhao?"
The doctor took off his mask.
Meeting a pair of expectant eyes, he sighed deeply.
"Our hospital did its best."
"Whether the patient wakes up or not depends on his destiny."