Cheng Xiaorui, lying on the hospital bed, had heard Han Yu's voice.
She wasn't surprised when he appeared before her now.
She raised her hand to signal: [I...]
"Wait until your IV drip is finished."
Han Yu gently placed her hand, which was signaling, back on the bed, indicating for her to rest and let the IV drip proceed.
Having one hand on the IV drip while also signaling could cause blood to flow back into the needle.
Cheng Xiaorui, with her pale face, nodded, saying nothing further. She merely bit her lip nervously, not even daring to look directly at Han Yu.
Han Yu sat by the bed, looking down at his phone, and then made a phone call.
Considering Cheng Xiaorui's inability to speak, Han Yu could only remain silent.
However, with only the two of them in the room, the atmosphere felt somewhat awkward.
Over an hour later, Cheng Xiaorui finally finished her IV drip. The nurse removed the needle and left.
Only then did he gaze at her with cold eyes and say, "Speak."
His imposing demeanor, even though he wasn't interrogating a criminal, and the oppressive aura emanating from his dark blue police uniform, were enough to make Cheng Xiaorui feel suffocated with nervousness.
[It's nothing.]
She signaled and shook her head.
"The doctor just said you fainted from hunger because you hadn't eaten."
From the moment he had first seen Cheng Xiaorui when she entered, he had clearly noticed her sallow and gaunt complexion. She looked like she had lost a lot of weight.
"I transfer money to you regularly, enough for your living expenses. Don't you owe me an explanation? Or rather, I should have asked you for clarity the last time I saw you."
Han Yu brought up the previous encounter, as if to say: you had better have a reasonable explanation.
Cheng Xiaorui lowered her eyelids, still not daring to meet Han Yu's gaze.
A moment of silence fell in the room. She raised her hand, repeating the same gesture as before: [It's nothing.]
"Don't push my lim..."
Han Yu's habitually cold tone was cut short, as he worried about frightening her.
He then got up and sat beside the hospital bed, saying softly, "I am your guardian, and it's necessary for me to understand your situation. Moreover, I am a police officer, and I am also your... your brother. You shouldn't hide anything from me."
Cheng Xiaorui looked up, mustered her courage, and stared at him. She pursed her lips, hesitating, and remained silent.
"You are questioning my ability as a police officer."
The implication was: even if you don't tell me, I can still find out.
[Actually... it's just... I want to save money, and repay you sooner.]
Don't make up a lame excuse.
"Cheng Xiaorui!"
Han Yu was very displeased with her lie.
Cheng Xiaorui, her heart pounding with fear, just wanted to escape. She sat up and signaled: [I'm going to the restroom first.]
She got up, put on her shoes, left the ward, and went to the restroom.
"Hoo..."
Han Yu let out a long sigh and helplessly patted the side of the bed.
As he was frowning in distress, his peripheral vision caught sight of the phone placed on the headboard.
He picked up the phone without hesitation. It was password protected.
As it happened, Han Yu had seen her unlock password before, and he unlocked it directly.
He browsed through her phone's contacts and messages. Everything seemed normal.
Until he opened WeChat, and a list of contacts appeared before his eyes.
And in the list of recent contacts, the fourth avatar was a little red clown, with the nickname: Devil.
This successfully captured Han Yu's attention.
He clicked on it...
Devil: Little mute, time to pay up.
Date: September 1st.
Today is the sixth day of the eighth lunar month, and September 12th of the Gregorian calendar.
This was a conversation from eleven days ago.
Devil: Damn it, you still won't pay, huh? Wait for me at the school gate tonight, and try to run if you dare!
Date: September 4th.
Devil: Fuck, little mute, you've got guts, I'll kill you today.
Cheng Xiaorui: I'm sorry, I really... I really have no money left.
Devil: If you can't come up with three thousand yuan today, I'll upload all those photos of you to the campus forum.