Chapter 54#
March 15th#
“Then where is he now?”
Luo Wenyun didn’t even dare to ask what the staff member’s words meant.
“We don’t know either. Go to the police station and ask. The people at the police station will definitely know.”
The staff member added, “Not the local precinct, but the city police station.”
Luo Wenyun got back into the car.
It wasn’t until he fastened his seatbelt and tried to step on the gas that Luo Wenyun realized his legs had gone soft.
He didn’t even have enough strength to press the accelerator.
The staff member’s words sounded tactful, but they were actually very blunt, leaving nowhere to hide and no way to avoid the truth.
That black nanny car stayed parked there for nearly twenty minutes before finally leaving.
A staff member, gesturing with a soft measuring tape, said to the person who had just answered Luo Wenyun: “That guy just now was Luo Wenyun, right? Why would he come here?”
“I heard he was the first person to report it. Who knows.”
Luo Wenyun rushed to the city police station.
The civilian police officer at the front desk asked him a few questions, asked him to take off his mask and show his ID, and then gave him another look before leading him into a room inside the hall.
Luo Wenyun pursed his lips.
It was that look again.
The look the officer gave him was exactly the same as the one the staff at Linhai Shiyuan had given him.
“Sir, please prepare yourself mentally first.”
The officer took a piece of paper out of a folder. Out of pity, she gave him a heads-up before handing it to him.
Luo Wenyun reached out to take the paper from the officer.
Black text on a white background, with two red seals.
There wasn’t much text on the paper, and it looked very clean. At the very top were four large, bold characters:
[DEATH CERTIFICATE]
A paragraph of small characters in regular script below clearly stated, “Victim Mo Xuzhi passed away at 11:00 AM on March 14, Year X, at the Linhai Shiyuan Scenic Area in the southern suburbs of Rongcheng.”
As if struck by an electric shock, Luo Wenyun threw the certificate back onto the desk.
The office fell silent for a moment, then was broken by Luo Wenyun’s voice.
“It shouldn’t be like this,” Luo Wenyun said. “It shouldn’t be like this. He promised me he wouldn’t leave Beijing. He said so.”
He looked up and asked: “Where is he now? I want to see him!”
“I’m very sorry, sir, but you don’t have that right. After the forensic identification, Mr. Mo has been transferred from the bureau to the hospital. Only his relatives are eligible to visit and claim his remains.”
Luo Wenyun was hit hard by the word “remains.”
“He has no relatives at all. I’m his friend… Do you, do you guys watch the news? He likes me. I’m eligible to see him. I’m eligible…”
Luo Wenyun leaned his hands on his knees, gradually becoming unable to speak.
The officer still shook her head, her expression full of regret: “I’m sorry, but legally, you and Mr. Mo are not relatives.”
“Would you like to keep looking at this document, Mr. Luo?” the officer asked. “If you’re done, I’ll take it back.”
This document could only be disclosed to specific people and was still in the confidential stage. It could not be taken out by anyone in any form. Seeing Luo Wenyun’s state, the officer was afraid he would grab the death certificate and run straight out of the police station.
Luo Wenyun reached out and gripped the certificate tightly again. His grip was so strong that the paper became wrinkled.
Luo Wenyun stayed at the police station and didn’t leave until his manager saw the news online about “Luo Wenyun suspected to be appearing at the Rongcheng Police Station” and came to take him away.
The red light of the emergency room at the Rongcheng City Hospital had gone out in the afternoon. Unlike the worst-case scenario they had prepared for, the patient inside didn’t go to the ICU. He was transferred to a private general ward and watched over by several doctors in 24-hour seamless shifts.
Wang Zhifeng didn’t return to the seminar. He found someone to participate in his place and stayed at the hospital.
Knock, knock.
The door to the ward was gently knocked. Wang Zhifeng turned his head and saw someone outside the glass window winking at him, signaling him to come out.
To allow the patient to rest better, the lights in the corridor were very dim, only providing enough light for people passing by to barely find their way.
Wang Zhifeng recognized the person looking for him by the dim light.
It was the attending physician. He handed the test results to Wang Zhifeng and said:
“Regarding the joint frostbite caused by the avalanche, it’s not particularly serious. As long as the patient persists in treatment, it can be cured.” “But,” the doctor flipped to the next page of the results, “after a follow-up physical examination, we found that the patient’s lungs suffered significant damage for unknown reasons. The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level on one side of the lungs is higher than the normal level, indicating a possibility of malignancy.”
Wang Zhifeng’s face was hidden in the shadows, so the doctor couldn’t see his expression.
Then he adjusted his glasses and, with the help of the light from the equipment in the ward, carefully identified every word on the test results.
“But Professor Wang doesn’t need to worry too much now. There might be some issues with this test. We’ll perform another test after the patient is a bit better.”
The doctor had given Wang Zhifeng the second set of test results.
The first test results showed that the CEA in Mo Xuzhi’s lungs was far beyond the limit, and the entire lung had almost lost its normal functioning ability.
In other words, terminal cancer.
They were also shocked by the results. Their first reaction was to adjust the equipment and perform another test after the adjustment. Fortunately, the second test was obviously much more reliable. The CEA index was nowhere near as exaggerated as the first test. Although there was lung damage, it was within the controllable range.
There might still be some issues with this test result, but after a discussion among several doctors, they eventually decided to give Wang Zhifeng a heads-up.
If nothing happens by then, it’ll be a happy ending for everyone. If there’s any accident, at least they’ll be mentally prepared and won’t be too emotional.
Wang Zhifeng was silent for a moment, then asked: “Can I keep this test result?”
The doctor nodded: “This is a copy, so you can.”
“Alright then. Get some rest. Thank you.”
After the doctor’s figure disappeared into the darkness, Wang Zhifeng returned to the ward.
The ward was very quiet, with only the beeping sound of the equipment, and then no other sound.
The young man lying on the bed breathed very shallowly, so shallowly that it was completely inaudible. Wang Zhifeng opened the test results, looked at the content on the paper for a few moments, then looked at Mo Xuzhi for a while. After seeing the white mist on the respirator changing regularly, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued to look at the results for a few more moments.
The lights in the room shifted to 11:30 PM.
The eyelashes of the person lying on the bed began to tremble continuously.
This tiny movement was clearly captured by Wang Zhifeng. His reflex was to quickly hide the test results, but then he quickly reacted, calmly folded the paper, and put it in the pocket of his shirt near his chest. Then he looked down at Mo Xuzhi seriously.
He could tell that Mo Xuzhi wanted to open his eyes.
But his eyelashes moved again and again, and he still didn’t have the strength to open his eyes.
Seeing that the white mist on the respirator had significantly increased, Wang Zhifeng guessed that he might want to say something. He bent down and put his ear near the respirator, but he still couldn’t hear anything.
More and more white mist was sprayed on the respirator.
Wang Zhifeng’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t dare to raise his voice or touch the person on the bed. He only dared to prop his hands on the bed and say in the smallest possible voice: “Don’t worry, take it slow. I’m always here.”
Still worried, he added, “Don’t be in a hurry. Let’s not worry about talking for now, okay?”
Mo Xuzhi’s finger moved.
Wang Zhifeng understood his meaning and immediately flattened his palm, bringing it to the tip of Mo Xuzhi’s right index finger.
Mo Xuzhi slowly wrote words on his hand.
His pressure was very light, and the strokes were very small. Wang Zhifeng had to focus all his attention on every tiny movement to guess what he was writing.
“It’s 11:35 PM now.”
“That’s right, it’s 11:35 PM on the 14th.”
Unexpectedly, Mo Xuzhi said he hoped he could stay with him for a while. It didn’t have to be long, just until midnight.
Once it passed midnight, it would be the 15th.
Mo Xuzhi probably knew his current situation quite well. He knew that he might not be able to hold on and would lose consciousness before midnight. He kept trying to slowly write words on Wang Zhifeng’s hand to keep himself alert.
“Stop moving for now, take a rest. I’ll tell you what happened today. If you’re interested, just tap me.”
Wang Zhifeng knew Mo Xuzhi needed rest now, but he understood his persistence even more. He saw Mo Xuzhi’s finger moving slower and slower, knowing he had run out of strength.
Since Mo Xuzhi couldn’t move, he would be the one to speak.
Mo Xuzhi tapped his hand.
That meant he agreed.
“I went to the seminar today. Do you know who was sitting next to me?”
“It was Zhang Li from the South Institute, the one who lost to our institute in basketball before and then worked as a coolie for us for three months. As soon as he saw me, he asked where you were, saying he wanted to clear his name.”
Wang Zhifeng saw more white mist on the respirator and guessed that Mo Xuzhi must be smiling.
He could even imagine his smile.
It should be very flamboyant, with the confidence of having victory in hand. Perhaps he was still calculating how to exploit Zhang Li to make him play his maximum role.
“I knew you would agree. When we finish the project, we’ll schedule a match with him. We’ll make it a big one, for a year, and drain all his remaining value before letting him go back.”
“…The few people who shouted at the mountain in the park today have been placed under administrative detention. They’ll probably have to learn a lesson.”
Accidents involving the personal safety of important scientific research personnel are handled by special personnel, and the police station also takes it very seriously. At the same time Mo Xuzhi was sent to the hospital, those few young people had been found through the comparison and restoration of surveillance footage and the description of the taxi driver.
They didn’t know that their behavior had caused someone to be buried under the snow; they only thought they had caused trouble by triggering an avalanche. At that time, they thought of nothing but leaving. As a result, the highway they took was blocked due to accumulated snow. By the time it was passable, they were already sitting in the bureau.
After questioning, the police learned that the security guard in the park had already told them not to shout when there was accumulated snow. Later, they saw the security guard leave for some reason, and someone boldly shouted.
The person who shouted originally said he didn’t know that shouting on a snow slope would bring such consequences. Later, after being questioned by the police again, he admitted he knew the consequences but thought the probability of such a thing happening was low, so he ignored the rules.
The probability of such a thing is indeed low, but that doesn’t mean the probability is zero.
Wang Zhifeng said: “They will pay the price for their actions.”
Mo Xuzhi didn’t respond to this. Instead, he moved his finger up from Wang Zhifeng’s palm, struggled to reach his wrist, and tapped on it.
This was asking what time it was.
Wang Zhifeng turned to look at the digital clock on the wall.
He said: “It’s almost midnight. Hold on a little longer.”
The finger of the person on the bed moved.
“Five seconds left.”
“Five—four—three—two—one.”
The date on the digital clock changed from March 14th to March 15th.
Wang Zhifeng put Mo Xuzhi’s hand back under the quilt and tucked it in tightly. He bent over and said:
“Mo Xuzhi, it’s a new day. It’s time to get some rest.”
After Wang Zhifeng finished tidying the quilt for Mo Xuzhi, he took his coat off the hanger and draped it over his shoulders. He sat on the stool, leaning against the wall, and kept watch.
“Wang… Zhifeng…”
“…Thanks.”
In the quiet room, the hoarse whisper was almost non-existent, but Wang Zhifeng heard it clearly.
The breathing of the person lying on the bed became steady again.
Rather than losing consciousness, Wang Zhifeng believed he had fallen asleep.
After a long time, a soft sigh came from the quiet space.
“You’re welcome.”
Thank you for still being alive.
March 15th, a very ordinary day.
But the world seemed to have turned upside down in an instant.
In the dark night, for the first time, the people in the world had dreams truly thought up by themselves.
Bizarre, absurd, yet exciting.
Something was being stripped away from here, and everything gained the meaning of its own existence.
They were no longer faceless, unimportant bystanders, but complete people of flesh and blood with their own thoughts and experiences.
Each of them was the protagonist of their own life.
At the same moment midnight arrived, the Weibo trending searches were completely replaced from top to bottom.
The many netizens who were still fighting on the front lines in the middle of the night contributed a huge amount of traffic to this.
The top trending search was [#Mo Xuzhi# Mo Xuzhi’s Baidu Baike Info Changed]
Next was [#Spring Snow Scenery# A Gift from Nature]
Especially the top trending search, its popularity was far ahead.
The cause was a netizen who, after hearing other netizens say Mo Xuzhi graduated from a “digger school,” looked him up on Baidu Baike and asked, “Doesn’t Baidu Baike say Mo Xuzhi graduated from Jinghua University? Why do people say he has a low education level?”
The netizens didn’t believe it, especially the die-hard anti-fans. They had flipped through Mo Xuzhi’s Baidu Baike so many times and had never seen any words related to “university” in it.
So everyone went to verify it.
[Name: Mo Xuzhi Gender: Male Info Overview: Outstanding graduate of the Class of ‘15, Jinghua University. Won the first prize in the middle school group of the National Physics Competition, the gold medal in the middle school group of the International Physics Olympiad, the first prize in the college group of the National Physics Competition, the first prize in PhysicsBowl, the Grand Prize in the International Science and Technology Competition (this was the first gold medal our country has won in this competition), the first prize in BPhO… His works were awarded the Grand Prize for International Science and Technology Innovation and Development, the Gold Award for Physics Invention and Production, etc. Mo Xuzhi was originally a signed artist with Apple Entertainment, later terminated the contract, current occupation unknown. Participated in variety shows such as “First Experience of Love” and “…”. Representative works unknown. Note: Due to missing information, relevant data for some awards needs to be verified on foreign websites. Baidu has not finished checking yet, to be supplemented.]
Baidu Baike even changed Mo Xuzhi’s photo to a very formal one, looking like an ID photo with a red background.
The expression of the Mo Xuzhi in the photo was different from what they usually saw—it was very serious, with his eyes looking straight ahead and his white shirt buttoned to the very top.
They were clearly the same person, yet they inexplicably felt that this might be the real Mo Xuzhi.
Netizens were directly confused.
[Is this Mo Xuzhi’s information??? I must be blind.]
[I don’t understand, but I’m greatly shocked.]
[This must be a bug on Baidu Baike, right? Didn’t Mo Xuzhi say himself that he graduated from a digger university?]
[My tentative footsteps paused, and I began to think calmly. Such an amazing person feels like he wouldn’t do the things marketing accounts said. If he really had such a high IQ, he would have played us like fools long ago (?)]
[What’s so great about these awards? I have a bunch at home. Trying to fool people with just this much?]
[Is there something wrong with the person above? Although I have a wait-and-see attitude towards this, you… have you written the homework you need to hand in to the teacher tomorrow?]
[If it wasn’t for that last part about Apple Entertainment, I would have thought Baidu Baike copied the information to the wrong place.]
[Holy shit! Boss! Amazing! Titi! So many awards still to be supplemented! Give me one and I’ll directly reach the peak of my life!]
[It’s fake, right? Waiting for the face-slapping. This is probably the first step of Mo Xuzhi’s comeback—creating a “top student” persona to gain netizens’ blind worship of highly educated people, and then wait for an opportunity to strike back and continue making money. Everyone can keep an eye on his Weibo; he’ll probably post a Weibo before long.]
[Thinking it’s the first step of a comeback +1. Waiting for the whitewashing. Before that, @Jinghua University first to confirm if Jingda really has such a person.]
[I feel like that episode of “First Love” filmed at Jinghua University has something to it. Let me watch it carefully again.]
[@Jinghua University]
…
A large amount of traffic poured in, and the administrator of the official Jinghua University Weibo woke up with a start from a dream and posted a Weibo late at night.
[Jinghua University V: He is the pride of the school and one of the outstanding graduates of the Class of ‘15. Everything is true.]
[1L (Jinghua University): Adding a patch: everything is true (excluding groundless rumors and slander).]
[Mama, it really is! I won’t dare to speak again from now on.]
[Do groundless rumors and slander refer to those previous news? Father Jingda’s attitude is so clear. Were those previous messages really fake?]
[Waiting for an explanation. At this point, Mo Xuzhi really won’t say a few words?]
[He probably hasn’t noticed at all. I followed him; from when he posted the termination statement until now, he hasn’t been online.]
[What era is this? Who wouldn’t see the trending recommendations?]
[Even so, it’s only the early morning now. Many people are still sleeping.]
After two more snowfalls, it was a sunny day.
When Mo Xuzhi opened his eyes again, the first person he saw was Wang Zhifeng.
He was pulling the blinds to let sunlight into the room.
The light wasn’t glaring. Once Mo Xuzhi got used to it, he stopped squinting.
The sunlight illuminated everything in the room clearly, including the digital clock on the wall.
Mo Xuzhi saw the characters on it clearly.
[March 15th]