Just then, someone knocked on the door of the ward, and then two police officers walked in.
"Excuse me, gentlemen. We need to take a statement about what happened today." Two policemen walked in. One of them immediately noticed Chen Xiao sitting on the bed, paused for a moment, and then couldn't help but laugh, "Huh? What a coincidence, it's you again?"
Chen Xiao recognized the policeman—a thin, middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance but sharp eyes. He was the same officer who had taken her statement after her robbery, and who had given her his phone number when he drove her home in his police car.
Hmm, I remember, his surname was Xu...
"Officer Xu, hello." Chen Xiao smiled politely and nodded.
Officer Xu seemed to be of a higher rank than his colleague. When he saw Chen Xiao, a strange look flashed in his eyes. He tilted his head at his colleague and said, "You can go out now. I'll handle this."
His colleagues had no objections and simply walked out.
“Chen Xiao, let’s talk about what happened today.” Officer Xu pulled up a chair and sat down next to Chen Xiao’s bed. His eyes were full of curiosity and interest as he stared at Chen Xiao. “It’s only been a few days, and we’ve already met twice. What a coincidence.”
Chen Xiao felt uneasy under his gaze and forced a smile: "Officer, what happened today was just a coincidence."
"Tell me," Officer Xu said, taking out a notebook. "Please tell me in detail what happened today." He then looked at the woman. "And you, please tell me as well. What exactly happened?"
He paused for a moment, then said calmly, “Your husband is still unconscious, but we have the test results. He was clearly drunk before driving, so putting everything else aside, that alone is a violation of the law. He will face a lifetime driving ban and fifteen days of detention. However, I personally still have some doubts about this matter.”
The woman's eyes looked somewhat nervous.
“I’ve examined the scene and conducted an investigation. I suspect that your husband may have intentionally driven the car into you! If that’s the case, then he is suspected of intentional assault, and in more serious cases, he could be charged with premeditated murder.” Officer Xu’s voice was cold: “Even if he was drunk, the law is very clear that intoxicated people must bear criminal responsibility.”
Assault? Murder?
The woman seemed startled, her face changing color. After several shifts in expression, she immediately shook her head, her voice resolute: "That's not how it is, officer. He didn't want to kill me. He was driving away, and I didn't want him to leave, so I rushed up to stop him..."
Officer Xu squinted at her for a while, seemingly lost in thought, before finally nodding slowly: "Alright, since you put it that way."
He then turned to look at Chen Xiao: "Mr. Chen Xiao, could you describe to me what happened?"
Chen Xiao already had a rough idea of what to say. After thinking for a moment, he said in a low voice, "I was on my way to this lady's house. I have a job tutoring her daughter in English. When I got there, I saw a car about to hit this lady, so I rushed over to save her and pushed her away."
Officer Xu seemed to smile, his eyes flickering with a half-smile: "Oh? So you pushed this lady away? The car hit you, and you weren't injured?"
Chen Xiao forced a smile: "The car... didn't hit me." His thoughts gradually became clearer, and he feigned composure: "I pushed the lady away, and when I saw the car coming at me, I was terrified, thinking I was doomed. But then, the car suddenly changed direction and passed by me without hitting me. Uh, I think the gentleman probably reacted in time. As a result, the car went out of control and crashed into the green belt next to it."
"You mean, the car turned by itself?" Officer Xu looked at Chen Xiao with a smile. Chen Xiao felt a little nervous under his gaze, but could only force a smile and say, "Yes."
"Then why were you unconscious for so long?"
Chen Xiao scratched the back of his head: "Uh... I guess it's because I was terrified. You know, people can faint when they're extremely scared."
Officer Xu stared at Chen Xiao with his sharp eyes for a while, his thoughts unreadable. Finally, he smiled and slowly closed the notebook: "Alright, I understand."
He had already stood up and glanced at Chen Xiao and the woman: "You two have both been frightened, so please get some rest. We will contact you again if there are any problems with this matter."
Officer Xu had already said goodbye, but when he reached the door of the ward, he deliberately stopped, turned around and looked at Chen Xiao with a half-smile on his face: "Chen Xiao, you've recovered so quickly. I saw you in the hospital three days ago after the hostage incident. You were quite badly injured then."
After saying that, he pushed the door open and left.
Chen Xiao's expression changed instantly!
Three days after the hostage situation, I was in the hospital with my arms and chest wrapped in bandages, and I even had some fractures! I could barely walk! Officer Xu saw it all! And now, just three days later, I'm back to being a tutor, all lively and energetic...
And look at myself now, my arms are exposed, my skin is smooth and intact... where is there even a single scratch?
Involuntarily, cold sweat broke out.
Chapter Thirty-Six: I Believe!
Officer Xu's words clearly carried a deeper meaning, but the woman didn't seem to grasp it. She simply noticed Chen Xiao's pale face and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing." Chen Xiao shook his head, smiled to hide his embarrassment, and then said seriously, "By the way, An Qi knows about what happened today, right?"
“She…I’ve already sent her to her grandmother’s house.” The woman said sadly, “I will get a divorce once he wakes up. Although I’m very disappointed in him, he is still the father of my child, so…thank you for covering for me in front of the police just now.”
Chen Xiao nodded silently. He couldn't help but feel a little touched by the woman's kindness. In fact, she could have easily sued her husband, since intentionally hitting someone with a car was a serious crime.
"I just want a divorce, and then I can leave him with the child." The woman's expression suddenly became troubled. "However, Chen Xiao, I might not be able to continue hiring you as Anqi's tutor. With all this happening, things at home will definitely be very chaotic and inconvenient lately... Also, during the divorce proceedings, I'll have Anqi stay at her maternal grandmother's house, and after the divorce, we'll move out of our old house... so..."
"It's alright, I understand." Chen Xiao didn't take it to heart at all, and even kindly comforted her, "After all, we've known each other for a while. If you have any difficulties..."
He paused for a moment, then smiled—Chen Xiao's smile naturally possessed a kind of approachability that made people feel warm: "Although I'm just a poor student and can't help you much, you and Anqi are two women after all. If you need any help, I'm a man after all, and it would be good if I could do some physical work or run errands for you."
The woman smiled, her eyes filled with emotion: "No matter what, thank you."
Since he wasn't injured and had a lot on his mind, Chen Xiao quickly completed the formalities and left the hospital. Just as he reached the hospital lobby, the woman behind him caught up, called out to him, and stuffed a letter into his hand: "Sorry, I forgot for a moment. This is your salary."
Chen Xiao was somewhat surprised. She had only taught her daughter once, yet the envelope in her hand was quite thick...
"This..." Chen Xiao was about to refuse when the woman immediately said, "Speaking of which, if it weren't for you today, I'm afraid I would have..." Thinking of her husband hitting her with his car, a trace of pain flashed in the woman's eyes, and then she forced a smile and said, "Consider it my salary and some token of my appreciation."
Chen Xiao frowned: "Mrs. An..."
"You don't need to call me Mrs. An anymore." The woman's voice was somewhat bitter. "Oh, you don't know my name yet. My surname is Lu. You can call me Sister Lu. Please accept this money no matter what, otherwise I will feel very uneasy."
She then gave a wry smile: "Actually, I was a little embarrassed to give such a small amount, but my family has suffered such a misfortune, and I don't have any more money to give at the moment, so please don't mind."
Now that things had come to this point, Chen Xiao knew he couldn't refuse if he didn't take it. Besides, Chen Xiao wasn't the type to be pretentious. After thinking for a moment, he solemnly put it in his pocket: "Okay, then I'll accept it. You can contact me anytime if you need anything."
After saying goodbye and leaving the hospital, Chen Xiao saw a police car parked at the main entrance. Officer Xu was standing next to the car, a cigarette between his fingers, smiling as he watched Chen Xiao walk out.
At night, the cigarette butt in Officer Xu's hand flickered like a star.
Upon seeing the other person's playful smile and eyes, Chen Xiao felt a little nervous.