Because I Cannot Hurt You

On the other side, Yunru and Zizi were carrying out their own investigation about Han Zongying. He had tried to reach the old officer who had handled her case, but unfortunately, he had already passed away two years back. They thought that he could shed some light on the past.

So now they stood in front of the hospital's entrance where Han Zongying was admitted after the incident and declared dead.

Zizi asked in doubt, "Will they really let us see Aunt's records?"

Yunru smiled. "That depends on how well you perform."

Zizi coughed. "I am not an actress."

"There is always a first time. You will do good."

"What if there might still be that doctor who Grandpa told to hide the truth?"

"I already looked into that. That doctor changed branches a long ago in another city. He doesn't work for this branch anymore. We can have a shot with this staff."

Zizi beamed. "Great!"

---

At the reception desk, the nurse raised her head and smiled and politely asked, "How may I help you?"

Zizi got Yunru's signal, and she started. Her eyes were already wet as she spoke, "I really need your help…"

The nurse widened her eyes. "Mam, are you hurt? Is there an emergency?"

Zizi sniffled. "I-I am fine. But maybe my Aunt isn't."

"Your Aunt?"

Tears rolled down Zizi's cheeks, and she gasped, "Yes. Actually, a few days ago, I came to know that I have an Aunt who got separated from my family. This happened years ago."

"Oh dear," the nurse looked sympathetic.

"Grandpa and Dad had received news that Aunt was no more, and she died in an accident. But recently, I saw a woman who looked like my Aunt! I recognized her from the pictures Dad showed me. It was unbelievable, so I asked my fiance to check. My fiance here is a cop. He opened an investigation."

Yunru flashed a polite smile.

"Through a lot of digging, he found that Aunt had really gone through an accident, and she was admitted to this hospital. But maybe, she isn't dead, and that woman is really my Aunt," Zizi wiped her eyes and stared at her, "We now feel that it's a big misunderstanding about what happened years back. Aunt is alive. That's why we came here, hoping that we could know something about Aunt and what happened to her or possibly where she went after her discharge. Could you please help us?"

The nurse had tears in her eyes. "Of course. I am touched that you think about your Aunt so much."

Zizi sadly nodded. "She is a part of my family."

The nurse said, "The bellboy can help you. What is the name of this patient, and when did this accident occur?"

Yunru conveyed all the details.

"I see. The record of an incident from around thirty years back will be in our archive room. We are still in the process of digitizing the paper records…" She looked a little guilty.

Yunru shook his head. "No problem. We are fine with the files, too, as long as we get any clue about our Aunt."

The nurse rang the bellboy, and on her instructions, he took them to the hospital's archive room.

Zizi whispered. "That wasn't difficult."

Yunru chuckled. "Thanks to impeccable acting."

Zizi giggled too. "Thanks to being your cop too. I think she only agreed because you are a cop, so she thought this was all official."

He nodded. "Indeed. The hospitals are bound by confidentiality. They wouldn't just let any civilian into the archives."

The bellboy opened the door, and they saw hundreds of paper files stacked on the stands. Zizi already felt dizzy seeing so many files.

"Han Zongying, right?" 

"Yes."

"I think we can find her information on the computer too."

Zizi said, "But the nurse said that digitization is still in process."

"It is. But we have already digitized accident-related files as they start with A. So, your Aunt's information will be there."

Yunru narrowed his eyes. His gaze shifted towards the shelf where there was written S.

The bellboy sat in front of the computer and entered the search key 'Han Zongying.'

"Got it."

Yunru and Zizi gathered around the bellboy and looked at the entry.

The bellboy said in a sympathetic voice, "I am sorry. But according to this report, Han Zongying had sustained major injuries because of the accident, and she died soon after."

"O-Oh…" Zizi covered her mouth and pretended to cry.

Yunru gave it a deep thought.

So just like the fake report, Grandpa pulled strings to create a fake accident report too. Well, it makes sense, but…

What they really wanted was to get their hands on another report.

Yunru signaled Zizi, and she understood. She burst into tears and tried to divert the bellboy's attention.

"Really? Aunt is no more...It was a misunderstanding?" She sniffled.

Yunru said, "Oh, I got a call from the station. Maybe it's related to Aunt. I have to pick this one…"

And he quickly excused himself. Zizi kept the bellboy busy, and Yunru, pretending to talk on the phone, walked towards the shelf marked as S.

Suicide.

He knew he would get another report of Han Zongying. He could have asked the bellboy, but two contradictory reports of the same patient would have aroused suspicion. The doctors might have told the world that it was an accident, but there was a chance that they would have kept the original file among the records. After all, it was a high-profile case of the daughter of the Han family.

Among the files, he looked for the ones starting from H for Han Zongying. He flipped his fingers down through the files' binders.

And there it was.

Name - Han Zongying.

Her file was indeed present in the list of suicide records too.

His eyes narrowed. He quietly took the report out. 

Yunru slowly opened the file and silently flipped through the pages to read the report.

The cause of her death was a fall from the high-rise balcony that shattered her bones. Death was inevitable with the impact.

But he was searching for something else. He didn't know what.

But he got it.

The missing piece of the puzzle.

And its revelation shook him hard.