Chapter 117: Healthy and Plump

Soon, a steaming hot pot was placed on the table.

Six young people sat together, raising their glasses to celebrate a reunion that had been hard-won.

"Congratulations to Qiaoyuan on her successful discharge! May you stay healthy and bloom with vitality!"

Listening to Jiang Zao’s well-wishes, a smile that couldn't be hidden spread across Meng Qiaoyuan’s face.

"Thank you, thank you Zaozao, and thank you all. I know my situation kept everyone busy for a long time. Now that I’ve been discharged and everything is safe, my life has finally returned to the right track."

After the excitement settled, she tasted the fragrant hot pot, and Meng Qiaoyuan finally felt a glimmer of the reality of being alive. Thinking of a young life that had been permanently halted in the still-chilly spring due to such an accident, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

Jiang Zao keenly sensed the shift in Meng Qiaoyuan’s mood. Under the table, she tugged on her hand and said, "You don't need to worry; everything has been handled."

A flicker of light crossed Meng Qiaoyuan’s eyes. "How did it turn out? Tell me."

Jiang Zao glanced at Zhou Lichuan, set down her chopsticks, and began to recount all the turbulent events that had unfolded while Meng Qiaoyuan was hospitalized.

The police had apprehended the family immediately. The man who had attacked her was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, and his wife received five years. As for Liu Wenguang, he was implicated in a multitude of crimes—gambling, loan sharking, kidnapping plots, and the very medical dispute he had incited from behind the scenes. Because these multiple cases were being tried together, it would take some time. Furthermore, since Du Bin had not yet been caught, if Liu Wenguang eventually provided useful information, a reduction in his sentence was possible.

"What about the rest? Zeng Yingying’s funeral arrangements, and that intern?" Meng Qiaoyuan asked anxiously.

Zhou Jiayan and Jiang Zao exchanged a look, nodded, and Zhou Jiayan took over the story from Jiang Zao.

"The intern, Wei Xu, decided to pause his internship to go back and study for a PhD in psychiatry; he no longer wants to be a surgeon. From now on, the thoracic surgery department will lose a surgical genius. It is truly a tragedy."

"And Zeng Yingying?"

"..."

Everyone present fell silent at once. No one knew how to reveal such a heartbreaking reality to Meng Qiaoyuan, who had only just recovered.

Seeing their expressions, Meng Qiaoyuan’s heart tightened. "Has something changed?"

Zhou Lichuan sighed, deciding to be the villain who would strip away the truth. "Zeng Yingying’s family... they might not be what you saw."

"What do you mean?"

The atmosphere at the table grew heavy, making Meng Qiaoyuan extremely uncomfortable. Shen Mushi, sitting beside her, reached out and patted her back gently to comfort her.

Zhou Lichuan continued, "Zeng Yingying was not her parents' biological daughter; she was adopted. According to their superstitions, they believed Zeng Yingying would bring them a brother for their future children, and sure enough, a few years after adopting her, her parents gave birth to their own biological son."

Meng Qiaoyuan stood frozen.

Jiang Zao added, "After her younger brother was born, Zeng Yingying became the family's maid, taking care of him as he grew up, and she was even subjected to abuse..."

Meng Qiaoyuan murmured in disbelief, "In other words... everything her family showed at Zeng Yingying’s funeral was a lie?"

"...Actually, you should know," Zhou Lichuan said, "at an occasion like a funeral, with officials and even media present, they needed that atmosphere to declare the tragedy a 'successful' conclusion."

Meng Qiaoyuan sat blankly in her seat.

Shen Mushi looked down at her. "Zeng Yingying’s life insurance and all the compensation money fell into the hands of the Zeng family. Her younger brother is spoiled and quite calculating. He deliberately used her old diary to provoke you, all for the purpose of squeezing more subsidies out of you."

Meng Qiaoyuan had indeed thought about providing a bright, promising future for the boy, who had already been recommended for admission to her alma mater. Yet, that momentary act of kindness had been nothing more than a bargaining chip in someone else’s scheme.

Meng Qiaoyuan pursed her lips. "What happened later? Did their family continue to apply for more compensation?"

Jiang Zao shook her head. "They tried to contact the Meng family, and my sister Qiaoyan even asked me if there was any way to use charity to help that family. These were things Yan discovered while she was handling the charity fund."

Du Bin spoke up, "The son is about to enter university, and with all the expenses, they are naturally greedy—the more, the better."

Jiang Zao nodded in agreement. "Facing a family like that, my thoughts and Zhou Lichuan’s are the same. We can’t control the policies or the insurance, but we will no longer intervene in any subsequent social support, graduate recommendations, or further assistance."

Meng Qiaoyuan took a deep breath.

"What else can I do for her? Zaozao... a living, breathing life vanished beneath my own hands. I am a doctor; I am accustomed to life and death, but I just can't let this go..."

Shen Mushi touched Meng Qiaoyuan’s slightly chilly fingertips and said, "Do you remember the 'Wangwang' gift pack takeaway from that night you worked overtime in the ER?"

Meng Qiaoyuan nodded. "I remember. I think it was bought by Zeng Yingying’s blind date."

Shen Mushi continued, "Her blind date was a police officer. When he brought a witness to the hospital, he saw Zeng Yingying and fell in love at first sight. He went through two levels of superiors to find the head nurse of the ER, which led to their date. That day, the gift pack was just a joke; Zeng Yingying had even taken a break from her busy shift that day to send two crates of Wangzai milk to the police station in retaliation."

Meng Qiaoyuan asked urgently, "How is he doing now?"

"He’s been a bit depressed and has been making mistakes at work. The station granted him leave, and he’s at home on paid rest," Jiang Zao said promptly.

Zhou Jiayan finally joined the conversation; since she was the one who handled this matter, she had the most to say. "That young man refused my help and only asked for some of Zeng Yingying’s personal belongings. Some of those items had already been disposed of by the Zeng family, but I managed to track them down through various channels and have already returned them to him."

Shen Mushi said, "There isn't much more we can do about this. The Zeng family is using Zeng Yingying’s death to gain attention online, and while Brother Chuan managed to suppress the trending topics yesterday, they won't give up; they will definitely find ways to keep this story fermenting. We are all listening to you—you decide how to handle this."

Meng Qiaoyuan pondered for a long time, so long that the fish balls floating in the hot pot began to swell.

Jiang Zao fished out the fish balls and placed them in Meng Qiaoyuan’s bowl. "There is a Buddhist saying: 'Do not interfere with the karma of others.' I also believe there isn't much we can do here. At most, we can ensure the Zeng family’s online rhetoric doesn't spread and prevent them from gaining sympathy through the internet. Zeng Yingying herself had few ties left to this world; she came and went unencumbered. If you are truly worried, we can keep a closer eye on that police officer’s career in the future."