Courtyard House: A Veteran Returns Home and Becomes a Father

Xia Wanqing listened attentively, memorizing every request Su Mo made. She quickly organized her thoughts in her mind, thinking about how to investigate and how to avoid arousing suspicion.

"Don't worry, I've worked at the hospital for so many years, and the heads of several departments are like uncles who watched me grow up; they trust me completely. Many of my father's former students also stayed at the hospital, distributed across various departments, so you don't need to worry about connections." Xia Wanqing's tone was full of confidence, and a hint of determination flashed in her eyes. "I have ways to investigate these things, and I'll make sure no one finds out."

"Okay." Su Mo nodded, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes. He gently stroked her hair, his voice softening considerably. "But remember, your safety is always the top priority. If you spot anyone suspicious or sense any danger, immediately find an excuse to leave. Don't make any contact, don't try to verify anything. Leave everything else to me."

"I know." Xia Wanqing nodded, took his hand and squeezed it hard. "You have to be careful too. Since those people dared to attack me, they must have set up an ambush for you as well. You must protect yourself. I'll be waiting for you to come back."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Su Mo smiled, but his eyes still held a cold killing intent. "You, inside the hospital, help me find the hidden venomous snake. And I, on the outside, will lay a larger net to catch everyone involved in this matter."

He paused, his tone icy and chilling, and said, word by word, "I will make sure that none of those who dare to set their sights on you escape. I will make them pay a bloody price, and let them know what happens when they touch Su Mo's woman!"

In the quiet of the night, the couple shared no tender moments, no words of affection, only the tacit understanding of fighting side by side and a resolute determination. A dim lamplight illuminated their resolute faces, creating a world of their own in the darkness.

A silent, covert battle surrounding Peking Union Medical College Hospital was thus set in motion. The enemy was in the shadows, while they were in the open, yet they were fearless, for they knew that as long as they trusted each other and fought side by side, they would surely overcome all dangers and utterly defeat the enemy.

Just as Su Mo and Xia Wanqing were plotting and scheming together, in the central courtyard, the light in He Yuzhu's room was on, like a faint light in the darkness, particularly conspicuous.

He Yuzhu neither slept nor sat down. Instead, like a vigilant cheetah, he leaned slightly forward, hiding behind the curtains, staring intently through the gaps at Wang Yuanchao's house across the street. His eyes were sharp and focused; he didn't dare blink, afraid of missing any detail.

The operation at the steel mill failed; "Shadow" and his entire crew were wiped out. The news had spread throughout the black market, shaking the entire underworld of the capital. Before leaving, Su Mo specifically instructed him to keep an eye on Wang Yuanchao, to see how he would react and whether he had made any contact with the outside world's enemies.

Wang Yuanchao, the deputy director of the steel rolling mill workshop, usually appears honest and unassuming, and gets along well with everyone. However, Su Mo had long seen through him and realized that this man was not simple. On the surface, he was gentle and harmless, but deep down he was ruthless and cunning. Moreover, his background was highly suspicious.

However, for two days in a row, Wang Yuanchao's home was unusually quiet, so unusually quiet that it made people uneasy. Wang Yuanchao, who claimed to be the deputy director of the workshop, showed no signs of panic, did not rush to contact the outside world, and even rarely went out.

He still went to get off work on time every day, wearing his work clothes, head down, just like always, without any abnormality. After returning home, he stayed indoors, with the doors and windows tightly closed, and no sound could be heard from inside, as if the battle at the steel mill that was enough to shake the capital had nothing to do with him, and he was just an insignificant bystander.

Something unusual must be going on. He Yuzhu remembered Su Mo's teaching: the calmer the surface, the more turbulent the undercurrents; the more indifferent the enemy seemed, the more it indicated they were plotting something even bigger. He dared not relax for a moment, keeping watch by the window day and night, keeping a close eye on every move of Wang Yuanchao's family.

Just now, he finally noticed something was wrong, a very subtle anomaly.

Wang Yuanchao's wife, Li Xiulian, was a woman who always pretended to be warm, simple, and easygoing. She rarely went out, and even when she did, she was always in a hurry. But just now, she made an excuse to take out the trash and slowly walked out of the house. Her eyes were looking around, and she looked a little flustered, obviously on guard against something.

Just as she walked to the garbage bin in the corner of the yard, Qin Huairu happened to come out carrying the trash, and the two "coincidentally" met. He Yuzhu knew in her heart that this was not a coincidence at all, but a meeting that the two had arranged in advance.

The two women spoke for a very short time, less than a minute, in extremely low voices, huddled together, pretending to chat casually, and glancing around every now and then, as if afraid of being discovered. He Yuzhu was too far away to hear exactly what they were saying, but he clearly saw that at the end of their conversation, Li Xiulian took out several neatly folded banknotes and a few grain coupons from her pocket, and while turning around to take out the trash, she discreetly slipped them into Qin Huairu's pocket.

After a brief refusal, Qin Huairu's eyes flashed with greed. She quickly put away the money and tickets, stuffed them into her pocket, and then, like a thief, turned around quickly, lowered her head, and hurried back to her home, forgetting even to take out the trash.

He Yuzhu's heart sank instantly, a surge of anger rising within him. He knew Qin Huairu all too well—greedy, selfish, and opportunistic; she was capable of anything for personal gain. She had betrayed Su Mo once before for a small favor, and now, she had chosen to betray him again for that paltry sum.

She became a new "ear" and a new pawn planted by the enemy in the courtyard to gather information about Mr. Su. The enemy exploited her greed, bribing her to secretly monitor Su Mo and Xia Wanqing's every move. Any information was to be immediately relayed to Wang Yuanchao, who would then pass it on to the mastermind behind the scenes.

He Yuzhu dared not delay. He knew this matter was of utmost importance; if the news leaked, Mr. Su and Dr. Xia would be in grave danger. He immediately turned around, walked to the table, took out a pre-prepared coded note, quickly wrote down everything he had seen, and then, as agreed with Su Mo, hid the note in the cracks between the bricks under the old locust tree at the entrance of the alley—their secret location for exchanging urgent messages.

Having done all this, He Yuzhu returned behind the curtains, continuing to watch the movements at Wang Yuanchao's and Qin Huairu's homes, his eyes becoming even sharper and more vigilant. He secretly vowed to keep a close eye on these two people, to prevent them from passing on any more messages, and to ensure that Mr. Su and Dr. Xia were not harmed.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Peking Union Medical College Hospital was already bustling with activity. Medical staff, dressed in pristine white uniforms, hurried through the various wards. The groans of patients, the ticking of instruments, and the nurses' instructions mingled together, creating the unique hustle and bustle of the hospital.

As usual, Xia Wanqing wore a pristine white doctor's uniform, her long hair pulled back, and a gentle, professional smile on her face as she moved through the wards, making her rounds. Her expression was calm and natural, showing no signs of anything amiss, just like the conscientious, responsible, gentle, and considerate doctor she always was.

As she made her rounds, she carefully observed everyone around her, watching every move in the ward and looking for any suspicious signs. Nothing escaped her notice—not the nurses' expressions, the patients' conditions, or even the actions of the support staff.

But she remained on edge, not daring to relax for a moment. She knew the enemy was lurking in the shadows, watching her every move. If she showed the slightest abnormality, it would alert the enemy, making the investigation impossible and putting herself in danger.

During her lunch break, while other doctors and nurses went to the cafeteria for meals and rest, Xia Wanqing didn't go. Instead, she turned around and headed straight for the hospital's archives. The archives are one of the hospital's core areas, storing all patients' medical records and the hospital's personnel files. Investigating suspicious patients and personnel changes requires passing through the archives.

The archives room was filled with a unique, pungent yet familiar smell of old paper mixed with disinfectant. Tall metal filing cabinets, like silent giants, stood in rows and columns, each labeled with a neat tag indicating the type and year of the file.

"Aunt Liu, I'm here to look up some information." Xia Wanqing greeted Aunt Liu, who managed the files, with a smile. Aunt Liu was a long-time employee of the hospital, having worked in the archives for over ten years. She had watched Xia Wanqing grow up and was very fond of and trusted her completely. Usually, when Xia Wanqing came to look up information, she would never ask any questions.

"Oh, Wanqing, why didn't you go to the cafeteria for lunch today?" Aunt Liu looked up, smiled at her, and said in a friendly tone, "What information are you looking for? Find it yourself. Same as always, remember to put it back after you're done, don't mess it up."

"Okay, thank you, Aunt Liu." Xia Wanqing nodded with a smile, her tone obedient, and then walked smoothly to the filing cabinet marked "Special Care Ward".

She didn't immediately look at the latest files, as that would be too conspicuous and arouse suspicion. Instead, she pretended to look through old medical records, starting with those from several months ago, carefully examining each row and roll, while keeping an eye out for any suspicious patient entries.

Time passed slowly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Xia Wanqing's forehead. Her fingers ached from searching through the files for so long, but she didn't give up and continued to carefully examine each file. She knew that each file might contain crucial clues, and could be related to her and Su Mo's safety, and the outcome of this covert battle.

Finally, her fingers stopped when she reached the transfer record from last week. A file marked "Top Secret" caught her attention. This file was placed at the very back of the filing cabinet, wrapped in layers of other files, and would be completely missed without careful searching.

Xia Wanqing's heart skipped a beat. She carefully pulled out the file, gently opened it, her fingertips trembling slightly with nervousness.

The first page of the file contained a pitifully small amount of information. Patient's name: blank. Age: blank. Cause of illness: to be determined. Only a brief note read: Due to a special accident, the patient is in a deep coma and requires intensive care observation; no visits are permitted. The referrer for this transfer was a name she would never have expected—Chen Qiming.

Xia Wanqing's heart skipped a beat, and her pupils contracted sharply. Old Chen? That military veteran whom even her father, Su Zhenbang, respected so much? Old Chen was an upright and honorable man throughout his life. How could he recommend such a mysterious patient with an unknown identity to be transferred to the special care ward of Peking Union Medical College Hospital? There must be something wrong here. Either Old Chen has been deceived, or the file is forged, and Old Chen's signature has been forged.

She suppressed her shock and continued reading, her fingers rapidly flipping through the file pages, trying to find more useful information. However, most of the later pages were blank, containing only simple nursing records and no valuable clues.

Just when she was about to give up, she saw a name that was more familiar to her and instantly set off alarm bells in her mind on the last page of the file, in the section for attending physician—Liu Feng.

Liu Feng! Her colleague, and also one of her father Su Zhenbang's most outstanding students. A seemingly gentle and refined, highly capable, and always smiling associate chief physician in his early thirties. At the hospital, Liu Feng took great care of her, often helping her solve work-related problems. She always treated him like an older brother and never doubted him.

But now, he's actually this mysterious patient's attending physician! An unidentified patient marked as top secret, a forged (or misled) recommender, plus Liu Feng's recent unusual enthusiasm—all the clues point to one answer—Liu Feng is the venomous snake Su Mo is looking for, hiding in the hospital!

Xia Wanqing felt a chill run through her body, a coldness rising from the depths of her heart. She couldn't believe that her trusted colleague and brother were actually an enemy's mole, that they would join forces with outsiders to deal with her and Su Mo. The immense sense of betrayal sent a sharp pain through her heart.

She gripped the file tightly, her knuckles turning white, trying to calm herself. Now was not the time for grief; she had to get the news to Su Mo as soon as possible, while also avoiding alerting Liu Feng and letting him know she knew the truth.

She took a deep breath, slowly calming the turmoil in her heart. She was about to carefully put the file back in its original place, then make a plan and find a suitable opportunity to pass the message to Su Mo.

Suddenly, a gentle voice with a hint of a smile broke the silence of the archives room without warning, sounding behind her: "Wanqing, what a coincidence, you're here to look up information too?"

Xia Wanqing's blood seemed to freeze at that moment! A bone-chilling cold instantly swept through her body, making her stiff and unable to move. She knew that voice all too well—it was Liu Feng!

How did he get here? Did he discover her a long time ago? Has he been following her? Countless questions flashed through her mind, and fear and tension instantly overwhelmed her.

She slowly, bit by bit, turned around, her movements stiff as a puppet. There she saw, Liu Feng, silently standing behind her, only a step away. He was still wearing his pristine white doctor's uniform, his face still bearing that signature gentle smile, looking as refined and harmless as ever.

But that smile didn't reach his eyes; it was utterly devoid of warmth. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes gleamed with a chilling, eerie light, like someone admiring prey. His gaze fell on the file in her hand, his eyes darkening slightly, but his smile remained unchanged, only now tinged with a hint of ruthlessness and calculation.

Xia Wanqing's gaze unconsciously drifted to the door of the archives room. That heavy iron door, without her noticing, had been quietly closed and locked from the outside.

In the archives, only the two of them remained, the silence so profound they could hear each other's heartbeats. Xia Wanqing's heart pounded wildly, like a drumbeat; she knew she was in dire straits. But she didn't panic. A resolute glint flashed in her eyes. She told herself she had to stay calm, she had to find a way to escape, and she had to get the information that Liu Feng was the mole to Su Mo!