Chapter 196: I’m Sorry

A bundle wrapped in a handkerchief landed on the lawn next to the guard post of the Xiyuan County Public Security Bureau, catching the guard’s attention.

Coincidentally, the guard on duty today was the very same one who had been hit in the face with a paper ball last time.

Looking at the handkerchief-wrapped bundle on the lawn, he felt a strange sense of familiarity and immediately took it inside.

Staring at the item wrapped in the handkerchief, Du Changting, the captain of the Xiyuan County Public Security Bureau, frowned slightly. Inside the handkerchief were a Stone Tablet and a slip of paper. The note clearly stated that the Stone Tablet had been retrieved from beneath the hole in the ice at the Pond. It went on to say that it was highly likely connected to the murderer in the drowned woman case and suggested they check for fingerprints, etc.

Du Changting was also very familiar with the handwriting on the note. It was identical to the handwriting of the person who had previously left a note revealing the location of the criminals on Baihua Mountain. Clearly, both notes were from the same person.

It was just that this person never showed themselves, only passing them clues from the shadows.

’Who could this person be?’ Moreover, they actually knew about fingerprint analysis. ’One had to understand that, at this time, fingerprint analysis technology wasn’t something the average citizen would know about.’

"Did you see who threw it?" Du Changting asked the guard.

"Reporting to the Captain, no, I didn’t see them. The handkerchief was just thrown suddenly. I didn’t spot a trace of them at all." The guard was frustrated. ’My alertness isn’t low, so how could I have completely missed the person who threw it?’

"Alright, I understand," Du Changting said with a nod. Clearly, the person did not want to reveal their identity. Since that was the case, Du Changting didn’t plan to dig into it. Ultimately, it was enough to know that this person was helping them. The clue they provided last time had been very potent. For some reason, Du Changting had a good feeling about the Stone Tablet in the handkerchief today. ’Maybe we can really find the criminal with this.’

For the past two days, the bureau had been concentrating all its efforts on solving this drowned woman case. After all, the nature of the crime was too vicious, and it had happened near a village. If it wasn’t solved soon, it would likely keep the villagers in a state of panic.

After tossing the Stone Tablet toward the Public Security Bureau’s guard post and seeing the guard take it inside, Su Qing turned her attention elsewhere. Su Qing’s Wood Ability had now reached the Fourth Rank, and her range for controlling plants from a distance had suddenly expanded to a hundred-meter radius. Therefore, it was easy for her to see through the eyes of a plant inside the Public Security Bureau that Du Changting had received the Stone Tablet. Her goal accomplished, Su Qing turned and headed for the state-run restaurant.

At the state-run restaurant, she bought four pounds of pork and scallion dumplings, packed them in a few aluminum meal boxes, and returned to the hospital.

Meanwhile, in Doctor Du Chaoran’s break room at the hospital, Cheng Beilin and Du Chaoran were staring at each other. Du Chaoran looked a little embarrassed, while Cheng Beilin’s face was filled with resentment.

"It was my fault for leaving without saying goodbye. I’m truly sorry," Du Chaoran said, pursing his lips. He glanced at Cheng Beilin, who was still glaring at him resentfully.

"I had already accepted that you were dead. Why did you have to appear in front of me again?" Cheng Beilin wanted to be strong, to not show her vulnerability in front of Du Chaoran, but thinking of their past, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. "If you were going to disappear, you should have disappeared completely! Why show up in front of me again? It took me so long to finally forget you, don’t you know that?"

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry. At the time, I..." Du Chaoran started to explain, but he didn’t continue. He suddenly shut his mouth, his lips pressing into a thin line.

"What happened at the time?" Cheng Beilin pressed, seeing that he had stopped halfway through his sentence. "Say it."

"It’s all in the past. Anyway, I’m sorry," Du Chaoran said, lowering his head.

"You... bastard!" Seeing this, Cheng Beilin grabbed the pillow she was leaning against and threw it forcefully at Du Chaoran’s face. "You coward! You just up and ran back then, without leaving a single word for me! Now that we’ve met again, you’re as tight-lipped as a clam! Why did you leave without a word? Tell me! Just tell me!"

"I’m sorry." Du Chaoran caught the pillow and moved to place it behind Cheng Beilin. "The headboard is too hard. You’ll be more comfortable leaning against the pillow."

"I don’t need you to look after me!" Cheng Beilin cried. "You just up and left back then, no matter how much pain I was in. Why are you trying to care for me now? Tell me, why did you have to appear before me again? Why? Why didn’t you disappear for good?"

Frustrated and angry, Cheng Beilin pounded her fists against Du Chaoran’s chest, her tears flowing even faster.

It pained Du Chaoran to see her like this. He couldn’t help but pull Cheng Beilin into his arms. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I had no choice back then. I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry."

"But why, exactly?" Cheng Beilin asked through her tears.

"I..." Du Chaoran was just about to say something when suddenly, the door to his break room swung open. A young woman’s clear voice drifted in, "Doctor Du, I saw you didn’t go to the cafeteria, so I brought you some... Ah!"

Hearing the voice at the door, Du Chaoran instantly shielded Cheng Beilin behind him. He frowned at the nurse standing in the doorway holding a meal box. "Xiao Hu, do you not knock before entering my break room?"

Cheng Beilin quickly pulled away from Du Chaoran’s embrace and leaned back against the headboard, wiping the tears from her face.

"I-I didn’t mean to. I thought you were..." The nurse called Xiao Hu blushed. She stole a glance at the splash of light purple sweater behind Du Chaoran and pursed her lips. She had heard that Doctor Du had taken a woman to his break room and had grown flustered, so she had used the excuse of buying him lunch to come and see. She never expected Du Chaoran to speak to her so sternly.

At the same time, a flash of jealousy shot through her. She had seen it clearly just now: Du Chaoran had been hugging that woman.

’Who is that woman?’

’I’ve never seen her before. Du Chaoran has always been single. Could she be his girlfriend?’

Xiao Hu’s mind couldn’t help but race with wild thoughts when she heard Du Chaoran continue, "Xiao Hu, if there’s nothing else, please leave."

"Oh, oh." Xiao Hu’s face grew even redder. She quickly grabbed her things to leave. Just then, Su Qing returned. Carrying several aluminum meal boxes in a net bag, she came face-to-face with Xiao Hu. Xiao Hu glanced at Su Qing, then at the aluminum meal boxes in her hands, furrowed her brow, and turned to leave without a word.

Su Qing saw that the other person was a hospital nurse and thought nothing of it. Seeing the door was open, she pushed it further and walked in, announcing, "I brought back dumplings."

Then, Su Qing noticed the redness at the corners of Cheng Beilin’s eyes. ’She’s... obviously been crying.’