Chapter 412 — You Still Have to Find Wei Zhao; "Who Is It?" Yang Huaijun Asked.

"Professor Guan — Guan Xuemin, the professor who's been treating your injuries all along, Brother Yang..." In private, Qiu Lingshan called Yang Huaijun "Brother Yang"; it felt friendlier that way.

"Oh? Old Guan?" Yang Huaijun was taken aback. "If you're looking for him, then don't go the long way round and put the cart before the horse — just go straight to Wei Zhao."

"Go to Wei Zhao?" Qiu Lingshan was startled too. "What would I go to Wei Zhao for?"

"If you go to Old Guan, he'll recommend Wei Zhao to you as well," Yang Huaijun said with a laugh.

After the call ended, Qiu Lingshan was still somewhat puzzled. Why did Yang Huaijun tell her to go to Wei Zhao for everything? Was Wei Zhao omnipotent? Earlier she had asked him to help catch the killer, and he'd had no idea — so how was it that he had a way when it came to Liu Bojia?

Still, since Yang Huaijun said so, there had to be a reason. She didn't much trust Wei Zhao, but Yang Huaijun she trusted one hundred percent.

With that thought, Qiu Lingshan dialed Wei Zhao's number...

Wei Zhao pushed open the door of Tang Jucheng's hospital room and walked in. The Tang father and daughter had been talking about something; when Tang Yun saw Wei Zhao enter, she shut her mouth at once, her face flushing slightly. "You... why didn't you knock?"

Tang Jucheng, all smiles, said, "Xiao Yi's here! Sit down, sit down! Yun'er, pour your classmate some water and peel him an apple."

"No need to trouble yourself!" Wei Zhao waved a hand. "There isn't much time in the lunch break. Let me take a look at your injury first, and then Tang Yun and I will head back."

"All right, what do I need to do?" Tang Jucheng was delighted. He had heard his daughter describe the miraculous scene she'd witnessed the day before, and now he felt both satisfied with Wei Zhao and anxious — he had no idea whether a young man like this could possibly take a fancy to his daughter.

"It's fine, Uncle Tang. Just lie on your side right there." Wei Zhao walked over with a smile and fished a box of silver needles from his pocket — the same ones he had used to give Liu Zhenhu acupuncture, which he had carried on him ever since.

"All right." Tang Jucheng hurried to oblige and turned onto his side.

Wei Zhao inserted a needle into Tang Jucheng's lower back with apparent casualness. Tang Yun was so startled her heart nearly stopped, but when she saw no unusual expression on her father's face, she patted her chest and let out a breath.

"Do you feel anything?" Wei Zhao asked.

"No..." Tang Jucheng shook his head slightly.

Wei Zhao frowned, began twirling the handle of the needle, and then asked, "How about now? Do you feel anything?"

"No..." Tang Jucheng shook his head again.

Wei Zhao's expression tightened slightly. Tang Jucheng didn't notice, but Tang Yun caught it, and she couldn't help growing nervous — yet she didn't dare ask, afraid that if her father heard, his joy would come crashing back down.

"How about here?" Wei Zhao moved the silver needle to another spot.

"A little... a little something, kind of tingly..." This time Tang Jucheng reacted. "My lower back feels sort of itchy..."

"Heh... not bad. Nothing serious," Wei Zhao said with a smile.

"Really? That's good, that's good!" Tang Jucheng was overjoyed at Wei Zhao's words. Before Wei Zhao arrived, his daughter had told him any number of wondrous things about the young man, and now, seeing his miraculous acupuncture for himself, he was more impressed than ever.

"Uncle Tang, forgive me for speaking bluntly: your left leg is fine, but there's something wrong with your right leg." Wei Zhao didn't hide it — nor was there any need to. In a few days, when the man stood up and felt it for himself, he would know.

"What? Only one leg... doesn't that make him a cripple?" Tang Yun blurted out in shock, but the moment the words left her mouth she realized how inappropriate they were. Saying such a thing in front of her father would surely hurt him...

"Oh? Only one leg works? That's not bad at all — far better than lying in bed unable to do anything, the way I am now. At least I can help her mother with a few chores!" Tang Jucheng took it philosophically. After only a moment of astonishment, his earlier delight returned. For him, so long as things were better than they were now, that was enough — why set his sights so high?

"It's good that you can look at it that way, Uncle Tang." Wei Zhao had expected to have to offer a few words of comfort, but the man was so open-minded that it saved him a good deal of talking. "Still, don't lose heart, Uncle Tang. Once you've recovered fully, I'll give you a few more acupuncture sessions, and then I'll bring some herbs from my hometown — with those, you'll be able to throw away the crutches."

"Really?" Tang Yun had already resigned herself to reality, but hearing that Wei Zhao still had a way, she immediately widened her eyes and stared at him. "There's still a way?"

"Uncle Tang's condition is much like Xiaofen's, so of course there's a way." Wei Zhao smiled. "So you needn't carry any psychological burden, Uncle Tang. It's only a matter of the nerves."

"That's good, that's good!" Tang Jucheng was overjoyed at this unexpected blessing. He had thought there was no hope left, and now Wei Zhao was actually saying it could be cured!

"Thank you..." Tang Yun pressed her lips together. There were so many words of gratitude in her heart, but when they reached her lips, they came out as that simplest of words.

"Heh, it's nothing — just a small favor." Wei Zhao smiled, but then his phone rang. He made an apologetic gesture, took out the phone, glanced at the caller — and no longer wanted to answer it!

The call was from Qiu Lingshan. What was that girl calling about now? Was there something else she wanted?

"Whose call is it? Why aren't you answering?" Tang Yun looked at Wei Zhao, puzzled.

"Some brain-dead girl," Wei Zhao said, and hung up.

"Brain-dead girl?" Tang Yun was baffled; she had no idea who Wei Zhao meant.

"Qiu Lingshan — you've met her. Last time I helped her rescue a hostage," Wei Zhao said.

"Oh, Captain Song. Then whatever she wants must be important, right? Why won't you take the call?" Tang Yun remembered her. "What if someday you need a favor from her?"

Tang Yun had struggled at the bottom of society for too long; to her, one more friend was always a good thing — especially a formidable cop who might be able to help when trouble came!

"Need a favor from her? It'd be a wonder if she didn't come asking favors from me..." Wei Zhao was saying, when the phone rang again. It was Qiu Lingshan once more. There was nothing for it; Wei Zhao picked up. "Hello? Brain-dead girl, are you ever going to stop? What else do you want?"

He couldn't even get a few words out with Tang Yun without being interrupted, so naturally he was annoyed. This Qiu Lingshan had no sense of timing when she called.

"You..." Qiu Lingshan was about to say 'Who are you calling a brain-dead girl?' but in the end she swallowed it. Since she needed Wei Zhao's help, she had naturally prepared herself to be scolded. "Fine. This brain-dead girl has something she wants to ask you!"

Qiu Lingshan was so furious her teeth itched; she could have eaten Wei Zhao alive. But she knew very well that he responded to softness, not force — if she dug in her heels, he might very well just hang up on her.

...