Chapter 809: Walk Out on Foot
Seeing a man in his forties, wearing glasses, come out of the special care ward, Lin Jie hurried over and asked, "Doctor Yue, how is the patient doing now?"
This doctor was named Yue Kun, the deputy director of the psychiatric department at the University Affiliated Hospital, a psychologist and chief doctor whom Lin Jie had specially invited to diagnose Yao Henan's condition.
"The patient has come out of self-imposed psychological isolation!"
Yue Kun gently pushed up his glasses and continued, "However, the patient has suffered from severe trauma again, showing some resistance to the current reality and unwilling to communicate with the outside world."
"Overall, compared to the previous self-isolation, the situation has improved a lot."
Lin Jie sighed slightly in relief and said, "Doctor Yue, this patient will need a lot of your care."
Yue Kun sighed and said, "I will do my best. What happened to her also shocked me..."
After sending off Doctor Yue, Lin Jie walked into the ward.
Yao Henan was sitting on the bed with her head slightly lowered.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass, casting on her body, adding a glimmer to her slightly pale complexion, making her look like a delicate and fragile porcelain doll.
"Ahem, ahem..."
Lin Jie cleared his throat twice, fearing that speaking abruptly might startle her.
"Yao Henan, I'm Lin Jie. You should remember me, right?"
"Not long ago, in the hospital's front yard, your father personally told you to listen to me. I will take care of you in the future."
Seeing that Yao Henan did not blink or react at all, Lin Jie, though somewhat expected, couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
He exhaled lightly and continued, "What has happened cannot be changed or chosen to be forgotten; we can only force ourselves to face it."
"You might not like to hear nonsense, so I'll get straight to the point."
Lin Jie candidly said, "Your father entrusted you to me because I promised him that I would do my best to heal your bone injuries, so you could stand up again and walk by yourself."
"Yao Henan, you should know that your father's time is limited, and his greatest wish is to see you recover."
"Now, you have emerged from self-imposed psychological isolation, which is half of his wish fulfilled."
"The other half of your father's wish is to see you stand up and walk by yourself."
Lin Jie raised his voice slightly and said, "Your bone injuries are severe. Frankly, I'm not confident. I can only promise to try my best, and I also need your cooperation and effort."
"Let me put it this way: your mental willpower will largely determine your recovery level."
"If you give up and retreat, no matter how skilled I am, I won't be able to help you."
"When that day comes, whether you go for the farewell in a wheelchair or on foot is, in a way, decided by the current you."
At this moment, Yao Henan slowly raised her head, looked at Lin Jie, and slowly opened her mouth, saying one word at a time, "Walk... there...!"
Lin Jie showed a gentle smile and said, "If you want to walk there, you need to follow all my arrangements."
"Today, rest well in the hospital. Tomorrow morning, I will arrange for some students to come over and give you a detailed physical examination..."
Lin Jie gave her a few instructions and also told the duty nurse some precautions, then returned to his office with Qin Gang.
Waiting there were Zhang Xiaoxiao, Lin Miao, and An Kemeng, who immediately came over, chattering and inquiring about Yao Henan's condition.
Lin Jie accepted a cup of water handed over by An Kexin and drank more than half of it in one gulp, saying, "Yao Henan's condition is better than I expected; at least she has the motivation for physical recovery."
"Kexin, how is the lawyer contact going?"
An Kexin softly replied, "Lawyer Li Haoxiang, upon learning most of the client's situation, expressed on behalf of the firm that the firm would represent the case pro bono and assign the most capable criminal lawyer to defend the client."
"However, about this case..."
Lin Jie understood the implication of An Kexin's unspoken words, sighed, and said, "I understand too, the role a lawyer can play in this case is very limited."
"I just hope to delay as much time as possible, to win more recovery time for Yao Henan."
An Kexin replied softly, "I will convey your meaning to Lawyer Li."
"Also, I have asked Lawyer Li to study as soon as possible how to transfer Yao Henan's guardianship to us under the current situation."
After An Kexin finished speaking, Zhang Xiaoxiao quickly asked, "A-Jie, is it okay for Nannan to be without a caregiver?"
"I'm worried that she might overthink things and get stuck in a dead end."
Lin Jie explained, "She is staying in a 24-hour special care ward, with a duty nurse always monitoring."
"Nurses can inevitably miss things, A-Jie, I want to accompany her."
Zhang Xiaoxiao reminded, "At this moment, if someone could accompany Nannan, even if they say nothing, it would surely make her feel more at ease and calm."
Lin Jie thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, Xiaoxiao, I'll leave it to you..."
This sudden incident completely disrupted Lin Jie's schedule.
He had to make several phone calls in a row to rearrange his plans for tomorrow and next week.
Just as Lin Jie put down the phone, An Kemeng, who was clutching her phone, suddenly shouted, "Brother Jie, sister, Miaomiao, come and look quickly."
"Can't you be a little more composed instead of always being so alarming..."
As he scolded An Kemeng, Lin Jie got up and came behind her to watch the video on her phone with An Kexin and Lin Miao.
It turned out to be Yao Jishun's self-recorded video.
He was seen speaking to the camera: "I am Yao Jishun from Binhai City, the father of a lovely fifteen-year-old girl. By the time you see this video, my beloved daughter and I will presumably have left this world."
"The reason for releasing this video at a scheduled time is to serve as a warning to the national education management departments, schools, and all parents and students."
In the video, Yao Jishun calmly narrated his daughter's story.
What followed in the video surprised Lin Jie. It was actually a confession from three girls.
The three recounted the bullying they had done to Yao Henan at school, essentially describing all the big and small wrongdoings they had committed against her.
"Uncle, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong."
"This was all because Hao Yuxi forced us to do it. Her father is the chairman of the school board; even the class teacher doesn't dare to manage her. How could we dare to disobey her..."
"Uncle, please, I really know I was wrong and I won't dare again. Please let me go..."
Watching the frightened and tearful pleading of the girl in the video, Lin Jie sighed and said, "Kemeng, turn off the video."
An Kemeng complied, turning off the video, and said, "I found this video while searching online for information related to this case, searching for Yao Jishun's name."
"Brother, were those three girls in the video really killed by Yao Jishun?"
"From their final pleas, they don't seem that bad?"
"I don't know if those three girls are dead. Let's wait for the official police announcement!"
Lin Jie gave a perfunctory response, then added, "Even the most vicious people will be afraid and beg for mercy when facing the final judgment."
"But many outcomes are already destined when certain actions are taken. Just like in an idol drama that says, if apologies were useful, what would the police be needed for?"
Seeing that An Kemeng and Lin Miao were both looking somber, Lin Jie said to An Kexin, "Why don't you take them home first? Today's events have had a significant impact on them, and returning to a familiar and comfortable home might improve their mood and feelings."
An Kexin agreed, reminded Lin Jie to take care of himself, and took the two young girls back home.
Near six in the evening, while still at the hospital, Lin Jie received a call from Kong Mingqing.
"The crime scene has been identified, and four bodies that were submerged in the sea have been retrieved. One of them clearly shows signs of torture and torment."
"Yao Jishun confessed that it was a 'kill the chicken to scare the monkey' tactic. The other three girls who witnessed the process were so terrified they lost control, so there was no need to interrogate them — they confessed everything."
Lin Jie softly acknowledged, asking, "Did you see the video online?"
"Yes, I did! Because it involves juvenile crime, the cyber police are already blocking related videos. However, once information is released online, it's difficult to completely erase."
"Let me tell you something else..."
Kong Mingqing said somewhat indignantly: "A task force led by the deputy mayor, including the education committee, the police, and prosecutors, has been urgently formed and has entered Bowei International School."
"The leaders have given instructions to thoroughly investigate this matter, as well as the school's management and student bullying incidents."
"The chairman, the principal of Bowei International School, and the homeroom teacher of the involved student have been detained."
Lin Jie couldn't help but say, "That's remarkably efficient."
"How could it not be efficient?"
"This is a major incident involving four deaths, and it was triggered by bullying among school students."
"Plus, the impact of that video probably means that by tomorrow morning, news and reports on this will be everywhere."
The topic was heavy, and Lin Jie didn't want to continue it, so he asked, "Brother Kong, you and a colleague changed into plain clothes for surveillance, but were seen feeding each other as if being affectionate. Was that necessary for work?"
Kong Mingqing hurriedly explained, "Lin Jie, I did that just to remind you!"
"To remind me?" Lin Jie was a bit confused.
"I saw you, Miaomiao, and Xiaoxiao from afar and was worried you might come over to greet me and arouse the suspect's suspicion, so I deliberately acted closer to my colleague, putting on a bit of a show."
"You all know how deep the relationship is between me and my wife."
"I figured that my out-of-character behavior would surely make you understand that I was on a mission."
Lin Jie snorted dismissively, unable to resist teasing, "You say, you're a man in your forties without the aura or attire of a rich guy, and you're playing the role of a couple with a colleague in her twenties — it's just not fitting, is it?"
"I seriously suspect you're using work as an excuse to take advantage of a colleague or perhaps you have some improper thoughts..."
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