This was a temporarily converted ward. Ma Liu lay listlessly on the hospital bed, his face pale and eyes sunken, showing none of the ferocity he had displayed days before.
When someone entered, he didn’t even open his eyes, groaning weakly: “Don’t waste your efforts on me. If this pain continues, I’m as good as dead anyway…”
“You all talk big, but can’t even solve a minor problem like mine. Making me suffer like this for days for nothing…”
Su Tong observed his complexion and pressed firmly on his lower right abdomen.
“Ah—” The pain nearly made Ma Liu leap from the bed.
When Ma Liu opened his eyes and saw it was Su Tong, panic immediately filled his gaze. Trembling, he pointed a shaking finger at her:
“You… you wicked woman! You’re trying to kill me!”
Su Tong looked genuinely puzzled. “Weren’t you just saying you’re going to die anyway? Why would I need to kill you?”
She then pressed on another spot, eliciting another scream from Ma Liu. He looked frantically at Qin Yi nearby and shouted:
“Hey! Is this how you police handle cases? Just standing by watching her mess around! Where are your procedures! Your discipline!”
Lin Li had been reluctantly sent outside to keep watch, leaving only Qin Yi in the room.
Qin Yi stood silently with his arms crossed, his expression indifferent, clearly having no intention of stopping Su Tong.
Meanwhile, Su Tong’s other hand had casually taken hold of Ma Liu’s wrist, secretly checking his pulse.
Within minutes, without another word, Su Tong nodded to Qin Yi indicating she was finished. The two left the room one after another.
Left behind, Ma Liu wore a terrified expression, wondering what scheme they were plotting. Were they planning to torture him using different methods?
Seeing them emerge, Lin Li quickly approached, his face full of curiosity.
Having heard Ma Liu’s screams from outside, he wondered if they had managed to extract any information with Comrade Wu’s intimidation.
To his surprise, both remained silent and walked straight toward the front building. “Hey—hey—”
A sharp glance from Qin Yi immediately silenced him.
It wasn’t that Su Tong didn’t want to speak—she was feeling somewhat conflicted.
Ma Liu’s condition was actually quite simple: ordinary appendicitis, a beginner-level surgery. The challenge lay in his coagulation disorder, which would definitely cause heavy bleeding during surgery.
In modern times, laparoscopic surgery could solve this—minimal incision, fast recovery, able to leave bed within two to three days.
But in the 1970s, this was genuinely a tricky problem. With backward medical standards and limited surgical skills, no one could guarantee what might happen once the incision was made.
Yet without surgery, if the appendix became perforated and infected the abdominal cavity, it would also lead to death.
But these problems were minor issues for her.
When medical technology hadn’t developed sufficiently, doctors had to make large incisions to see internal organs and affected areas, resulting in big wounds, heavy bleeding, and slow recovery.
But she had used the latest medical equipment, performed countless surgeries both major and minor, and through micro cameras had seen nearly all human internal organs and memorized their locations.
She could accurately locate the appendix, minimize the incision, and operate with maximum speed.
Ma Liu’s pulse was steady and strong. Though somewhat weak, he had no underlying diseases. Even with slightly heavier bleeding, he could definitely withstand it.
Moreover, she had another method to stop the bleeding…
Ma Liu’s surgery was no problem for her at all.
Her dilemma was: should she do it?
Would Qin Yi believe her?
This wasn’t like catching thieves where she could claim it was just luck. If she helped, it would mean completely exposing her secret medical skills…
But if she didn’t help, Ma Liu would most likely die—either on the operating table or from infection afterward. He was also a key suspect in the police case, and they needed his testimony to solve it…
Although this case had nothing to do with her…
She had promised him that if he kept her secret, she would repay him.
Qin Yi followed behind Su Tong, watching as she walked ahead in silence. She was about to exit the hospital entrance when he called out, “Wu Tong, where are you going?”
Only then did Su Tong snap out of her thoughts, stopping in her tracks and turning to look at Qin Yi.
Qin Yi walked up to Su Tong and, seeing the conflict and hesitation written all over her face, couldn’t help but curve his lips into a slight smile.
“Why that expression after seeing Ma Liu? Regret catching him?”
Qin Yi had a strikingly handsome face, especially when he smiled. But he usually wore a cold expression, which often made people feel intimidated and overlook everything else.
Seeing him relaxed, Su Tong felt a bit more at ease too. She looked directly into his eyes and asked:
“Comrade Qin, do you trust me?”
She told herself inwardly: she would only try this once.
If he didn’t believe her, she would turn and leave without getting involved in this mess.
“I trust you!” Qin Yi answered with certainty.
…
Tsk! He actually trusted her! If he hadn’t, wouldn’t she have been spared this trouble…
“Why… why?” she couldn’t help asking further.
“I’ve investigated you these past few days, from your birth until now.” Qin Yi answered while looking directly at her, without any evasion.
This reply surprised Su Tong. “You… investigated me?”
“Yes! When a hostage suddenly appears during a pursuit and single-handedly captures two fugitives, I have to find out what kind of person she is.”
“Oh! So did you figure it out?” Su Tong’s tone turned somewhat cold.
“I did.”
“Your background is simple. Life has been hard and difficult for you since childhood, but you’re also intelligent and… resilient. You had excellent grades but dropped out halfway through eighth grade because your grandmother—who had always supported you—suffered a stroke and lost her influence at home.”
“But it seems you never gave up studying. You said your greatest hobby was reading.”
Su Tong hadn’t expected Qin Yi to give such an assessment of the original Wu Tong. The biggest labels in the original host’s short life had been jinx, unlucky, ominous, and fate-cursed—not just because several fiancés had died inexplicably, but also because people or things connected to her often met with misfortune. No one had ever paid attention to her studies or hobbies before. This perspective was quite… novel.
Although his investigation was understandable and not unreasonable, Su Tong still felt somewhat uncomfortable. Instead of focusing on the major case at hand, he had dug into every detail about her, the “hero.”
“So by investigating me, you proved I’m not a bad person, and then chose to trust me.”
“No, by investigating you, we’ve confirmed that you’re an extremely ordinary girl, even one with rather poor luck. Yet such a girl helped us solve a major problem and made a contribution that far exceeds your usual demonstrated abilities. This can only mean you have a hidden side—you have your own… secret.”
Qin Yi’s eyes were dark, his gaze piercing. “You were willing to risk exposing your secret to help us catch the fugitive. Why wouldn’t I believe you!”
Su Tong was somewhat surprised, her thoughts momentarily lagging.
Although he had investigated the former Wu Tong, he chose to believe the current her—this Su Tong with secrets. Even if his perception of the “secret” might differ from her actual one, this understanding was… somewhat comforting.
Not only was his thinking meticulous, but his ability to accept extraordinary things seemed beyond ordinary as well.
The weather today was quite nice, with visible sunlight.
Behind Qin Yi stood a tall holly tree. Looking up from above his head, one could see snow on the treetops shimmering with crystalline light under the sun’s rays.
Qin Yi stood there steadily, his gaze firm. “Wu Tong, I believe in you and won’t pry into your secret. I hope you can trust me too. Now, can you tell me what was troubling you just now?”