Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

Liu Wei was taken aback, then turned around and glanced back: "Yes, Zhou Jie has been here all along..."

Zhou Jie stood two steps away. Upon hearing this, she lowered her head even further and gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands.

The doubt that had been lingering in Chen Ping's mind suddenly took shape.

Why did Wang Tao refuse to talk about the fight? Why did he prefer to bear it all himself?

Everyone in the hospital knows that this guy has Zhou Jie in his heart.

Judging from Zhou Jie's appearance, Wang Tao's fight was most likely related to her.

And it should be a classic case of a hero saving a damsel in distress.

He turned and walked inside, just in time to run into Officer Gao who was coming out.

"Officer Gao, could you give me five more minutes, just five minutes, so I can have a proper talk with him?"

Chen Ping pleaded with Officer Gao.

Officer Gao glanced at Chen Ping and sighed, "Go ahead. Try to persuade him; cooperating with the investigation is the right thing to do. Dragging it out like this won't do anyone any good."

Chen Ping nodded and ran back into the interrogation room.

Wang Tao was taken to the interrogation room again. When he saw Chen Ping return, Wang Tao was slightly taken aback, but he didn't say anything.

"Zhou Jie is here, she's outside," Chen Ping said as soon as he saw Wang Tao.

Wang Tao suddenly raised his head, and the color drained from his face in an instant.

"Zhou Jie's eyes were swollen like peaches; she cried all night."

Chen Ping stared into Wang Tao's eyes and said, slowly and deliberately, "Wang Tao, tell me the truth, is this related to Zhou Jie?"

"No!"

Wang Tao panicked, his voice cracking, "It has nothing to do with her! Master, don't make wild guesses! I was drunk and I started it, it has nothing to do with anyone else!"

"Don't ask anymore. I admit to hitting someone, and I'm willing to go to jail."

"It's okay that she cried all night?" Chen Ping roared.

"She was scared! A young girl like her, seeing a fight, she was terrified..."

Wang Tao's words became increasingly incoherent, and by the end he felt he couldn't hold his own, so his voice trailed off.

"Fine, if you won't tell me, I'll tell you the consequences for you."

Chen Ping gritted his teeth and glared at Wang Tao. "Six stitches were needed on the back of his head. If the forensic examination determines it constitutes minor injury, it's intentional assault, a criminal case, and it'll leave a criminal record."

"Your medical license has been revoked, your continuing education qualification has been invalidated, and no reputable hospital will dare to hire you in the future."

"Your parents have supported your education for so many years, and this is how they leave you?"

"If you speak up now, there might still be a chance. If you keep quiet and wait for the test results, even a miracle won't save you."

Wang Tao's hands trembled under the table, and the flesh on his face twitched twice.

He understands all of these things.

He was a medical student, and he knew better than anyone what six stitches meant and what a criminal record meant.

But he gritted his teeth and squeezed out two words: "I admit it."

Chen Ping didn't speak, he just stared at him.

The room was so quiet that you could hear the second hand of the clock on the wall ticking.

After a long while, Wang Tao's shoulders slumped, and he spoke in a hoarse voice, pleading, "Master, please don't ask anymore, okay? If you still consider me your disciple, then please don't ask anymore."

"I'm the one who hit him, it has nothing to do with anyone else. Deal with it however you want, I'll accept it."

"I just want to ask you for one thing: don't make things difficult for Zhou Jie. She doesn't know anything."

Chen Ping sat for a few minutes, then stood up, pushed open the door, and went out.

Lin Xiaoran came up to her and asked, "How was it?"

Chen Ping shook his head. "He won't say anything."

"Is he stupid? Isn't he afraid of going to jail? He won't say anything, how can we help him?"

Lin Xiaoran frowned and said angrily.

Chen Ping didn't say anything more, but instead turned his gaze to Zhou Jie.

Zhou Jie sat on the bench, her head buried in her knees, her shoulders twitching.

Liu Wei stood to the side, at a loss, wanting to offer advice but not daring to.

Chen Ping walked over and stared intently at Zhou Jie.

"Zhou Jie".

Zhou Jie shuddered and slowly raised her head.

Tears streamed down her face as she looked at Chen Ping, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

"You know what happened, right?"

Chen Ping's voice softened, "Wang Tao won't talk, so you will."

Zhou Jie's tears welled up instantly. She bit her lip so hard that it turned bloodless.

"Dr. Chen..."

She choked up, but finally spoke.

"Brother Wang Tao... he did it because of me..."

Zhou Jie's sobs were muffled and intermittent, making one's heart ache.

All the pent-up grievances and fear from the previous night finally broke down the moment she met Chen Ping's calm gaze.

She raised her hand and hastily wiped away the tears streaming down her face, her shoulders trembling as she choked out the whole story of what happened last night.

"Last night after the dinner party ended, Liu Wei left first because he had too much to drink. The rest of us walked back to the dormitory. When we got to the alley behind the hospital, the streetlights were dim and there were few people..."

"Wang Tao was being talked to by the other guys, while Cao Yu, who was drunk, kept getting close to me and saying lewd things, so I kept avoiding him."

"When we got to a secluded spot, he came up to me, blocked my way, and put his hand inside my clothes."

"I was so scared that I backed away as fast as I could and screamed."

"Wang Tao heard my shouts and ran over. He saw Cao Yu hugging me and groping me all over."

"He got furious on the spot, beat up Cao Yu, and even hit him on the head with a brick."

By the end, Zhou Jie was crying so hard she could barely breathe, filled with guilt: "It's all my fault... If I had hidden away earlier last night, or hadn't gone to dinner with them, Wang Tao wouldn't have gotten into this mess."

"He was protecting me from beginning to end. He didn't fight for no reason, really!"

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

All the doubts, frustrations, and confusion I had felt before suddenly became clear.

No wonder Wang Tao insisted that he acted impulsively and refused to explain himself.

This kid is honest and straightforward, but he's really stubborn at heart.

He was afraid that if the matter were exposed, everyone would know that Zhou Jie had been harassed, he was afraid of ruining a young girl's reputation, and he was afraid that people would gossip about her.

Moreover, once Zhou Jie is involved, the police station will inevitably summon her to give a statement.

The police will then ask Zhou Jie to recount the events in detail, perhaps even several times.

This is tantamount to repeatedly reopening Zhou Jie's wounds.

Moreover, the police ask very detailed questions about these kinds of things, such as where the person touched the object, how long they touched it, and so on.

They might even ask whether it's a gentle touch or a vigorous kneading, whether it's grasped or pinched with the hands—they'll ask about all these details and record them.

How could Zhou Jie, a girl, possibly answer that?

Therefore, Wang Tao would rather take all the blame himself and bear the responsibility for fighting, even if it ruins his future studies, than let Zhou Jie suffer any criticism or harm.

Liu Wei, standing to the side, was utterly astonished, clicking his tongue repeatedly: "So that's why they suddenly started doing it last night!"

"That Cao Yu is such a scoundrel. No wonder he was so polite to us as soon as we arrived, even inviting us to dinner. He's up to no good."