Chapter Forty-Four: This May Not Be an Accident

Over an hour later, the counselor finally received word and hurried over.
“You still haven’t reached Bai Mengqing’s parents?” He only had Bai Mengqing’s mother’s phone number and had called several times on the way, but no one answered.
“Is there any way to contact her father’s workplace? Could someone from the office notify Mr. Bai?”
With no other option, this was the only course left. The counselor quickly retrieved the name of Bai Mengqing’s father’s workplace and called the company’s main line directly.
The person who answered didn’t dare provide Mr. Bai’s number but promised to transfer the call to the office to see if he was available.
It happened that Mr. Bai answered. Upon hearing who was calling and after the caller identified himself and gave his wife’s phone number, Mr. Bai felt as if he’d plunged into an icy pit.
Chen Xin and the others didn’t know what kind of chaos was unfolding on the other side. They only knew that there’d been no news from the emergency room for a long time, and some female students had begun to quietly sob.
“What’s really going on? Why haven’t the police come yet?” Chen Xin anxiously paced in circles, then looked at the classmate who had brought Bai Mengqing in first. “Was the person who hit Xiaobai inside or outside the school? Was it someone from our school or another?”
“Outside the school.” A female classmate who was close to Bai Mengqing wiped her tears and spoke in a choked voice, “Xiaobai said she wanted to buy a book and asked me to go with her after class, and we’d eat outside together. Since there was only one class that afternoon, we left around three. After buying the book, I said there was still time, maybe we should eat back at school, but Xiaobai insisted that she’d promised to treat me, so she would. We decided to eat at the food street outside the back gate. She was about to call Zhan Zhan and the others to join us, had just turned to tell me something, and then the car started on the roadside and crashed right into us.”
“Were you on the road or the sidewalk?”
“On the sidewalk. We weren’t planning to cross the street at all.”
Chen Xin instinctively felt something wasn’t right, but she hadn’t been to the scene and couldn’t be sure what was going on. She could only wait for the traffic police to report. The problem was, no officers had come to ask questions so far, and that worried her.
“You two, hurry back and find eyewitnesses. Use a recorder if you can to document their statements. Someone else, go borrow a camera from the school newspaper group, take photos of the scene, and ask if anyone took pictures before—get those and the negatives if possible.”
Hearing Chen Xin’s instructions, the counselor sensed what she was concerned about.
“Chen Xin, do you have any thoughts about this?”
“I just think there’s something off. Standing at the street’s edge does make it easy to be hit by an out-of-control car, but the timing and place are too coincidental, and aside from Xiaobai, no one else was really hurt. It seems almost targeted. Normally, after an incident like this, and after they called the police right away, someone should’ve come to the hospital to make a record. But it’s been almost an hour, and no one has asked anything.”
When Chen Xin said this, others also felt uneasy. Immediately, two male classmates volunteered to find witnesses and preserve evidence. The female class monitor who had come along said her hometown friend was a reporter for the school paper; she would ask if any photos existed.
The counselor also picked up his phone and called the school administration, recounting the whole event and sharing Chen Xin’s analysis.
“No matter what, the injured party is our student. We don’t yet know if the perpetrator acted accidentally or intentionally, but hit-and-run is a fact. Should the school contact the traffic police?”
What was said on the other end was unclear, but judging by the counselor’s expression, the school’s stance seemed a bit strange.
“Chen Xin, do you know Zeng Zeng?”
“Zeng Zeng?” Chen Xin paused, recalling the female student who had spread rumors about her, Mao Xiaohong’s ex-girlfriend. “The one who slandered me in school?”
The counselor was startled, then nodded vigorously.
“Director, this might be the situation.” Seeing the counselor step outside with the phone to explain it to the director, Chen Xin felt things were becoming increasingly complicated. Could it be related to her?
Just as she was lost in thought, her phone rang. It was Bai Mengqing’s mother.
Mrs. Bai had been in a meeting, and there had been trouble with her business, so she had been discussing responses with her managers in the conference room, leaving her phone in her office drawer, unheard. It was only after Mr. Bai rushed over and told her that she realized Chen Xin had called many times.
Chen Xin briefly explained the situation to Mrs. Bai, then subtly suggested Mr. Bai try to leverage connections to learn more.
Mrs. Bai, seasoned in business, immediately picked up on Chen Xin’s hint. After a brief pause, she uttered a terse “very well,” then hung up.
The surgery lasted an hour and a half before Bai Mengqing was wheeled out. She had suffered a ruptured spleen causing internal bleeding. Originally, a full removal was planned, but during surgery, the lead surgeon discovered the rupture wasn’t as severe as expected, so a spleen-preserving operation was performed. If no postoperative complications arose, this would be the best outcome. While the spleen may seem less important, its absence would reduce immunity, impacting her future work and life.
By the time Bai Mengqing’s parents arrived, it was late. Chen Xin was dozing against the wall outside the observation room. Hearing their voices, she opened her eyes and stood to greet them.

“How is she?”
“The doctor said the surgery was successful, but there’s no guarantee against postoperative complications, so she’ll need to stay in the observation room for forty-eight hours before moving to a regular ward. Her spleen wasn’t removed, just repaired, and she’ll need a long period of bed rest.”
After briefly updating Bai Mengqing’s parents, Chen Xin hesitated, then looked at Mr. Bai.
“Uncle, did you manage to find anything out? What did the police say?”
Because others were involved, the counselor refused to share any progress. Their preparations were thorough, evidence had been copied several times, but the school’s attitude remained unclear, and neither the police nor school had made any statements. In the evening, a female officer had come, asked a few questions, then left without a word. The school’s attitude was rumored to be ambiguous; the counselor had even slammed the table with the director, but still, the outcome was unknown.
“A life for a life, a debt repaid. That’s the natural order. No matter how the school decides, as parents, we won’t stand by while our daughter lies in bed without justice.”
Mrs. Bai spoke first, her gaze on Chen Xin tinged with complexity.
On the way, she had spoken with the counselor and learned about Bai Mengqing defending Chen Xin earlier. She wouldn’t place all the blame on Chen Xin, but it was impossible not to feel uneasy. After all, but for the conflict between Chen Xin and Zeng Zeng, her daughter wouldn’t be in a hospital bed for no reason.
Chen Xin didn’t flinch from the Bai family’s gaze. Frowning slightly, she said, “From what the counselor told me, this seems to involve someone from school. Considering recent events, and the counselor asking about Zeng Zeng, I suspect she may be connected. Though it feels unfair, Xiaobai got on Zeng Zeng’s bad side by standing up for me, so if there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know, Uncle and Auntie.”
“This isn’t your fault. Xiaobai was right to defend you.” Mr. Bai reached out and patted his wife’s shoulder, then looked at Chen Xin with a kindly expression. “You’re a good child. Let Uncle and Auntie handle this. Go home and rest, and come see Qingqing tomorrow.”
Pressing her lips together, Chen Xin nodded. “All right, I’ll head home now and come back tomorrow morning. Xiaobai can’t eat for a couple of days, so should I bring something for you both?”
Mr. and Mrs. Bai politely declined, assuring her they would manage themselves.