Chapter 130: The Evening Paper Turbulence

Old Dong’s surgery was major and lengthy. It was not until the afternoon that he was wheeled out of the operating room, still unconscious.

Old Dong now lay peacefully on the pristine hospital bed, sleeping soundly. His breathing was steady, no longer caught between life and death, no longer troubled by the uncertainty of tomorrow. Liu Yunfei felt as if the Grim Reaper were slowly drifting away from him. Dong Qianqian hurried over to the bedside, walking alongside the gurney, and whispered, "Dad." Unexpectedly, even under anesthesia, Old Dong let out a faint hum. Overcome with excitement, Dong Qianqian turned to her mother and said, "Mom, Dad woke up!"

"He hasn't fully regained consciousness; it will take a few more hours. This is just a slight return of awareness," the lead surgeon said, trailing behind them. He held a gleaming stainless steel tray, on which a piece of unrecognizable matter sat, stained with a reddish, pungent fluid.

The doctor spotted Liu Yunfei and immediately swiveled the tray, much like a bartender might deliver a drink, presenting the large, grotesque mass to him. Liu Yunfei gazed at the lump—flesh-like yet not, a mottled mess of red, black, and white soaked in thin blood—and as the metallic, fishy odor hit him, his stomach churned violently.

The surgeon had intended exactly this reaction. Though he had received plenty of favors from Liu, he didn't take them for free. "The surgery was a success," he told Liu Yunfei. "The necrotic tissue has been removed. Smell it—it’s already rotting."

As he spoke, the doctor shoved the tray under Liu Yunfei's nose. Liu held his breath and made a show of sniffing. "It stinks, it really stinks."

The doctor was not satisfied with Liu Yunfei's expression. Thinking to himself, *I refuse to believe I can't gross you out today,* he used a gloved finger to poke the mass and lectured, "When a person breathes, the air passes through here. Look, the interior is severely calcified—black and hard. Here, touch it."

Seeing that Mother Dong was on the verge of retching, Liu Yunfei quickly interjected, "No need, no need! Thank you, Doctor. Another day, I’ll treat all the doctors and nurses who participated in the surgery to a meal."

The doctor had been waiting for that exact sentence. He nodded with a grin. "You are too kind, young man. Does your family want this piece of meat?"

"No thanks, you keep it," Liu Yunfei thought to himself, *What would I do with this? Salt it and eat it for the New Year? I'd never be able to look at pork again.*

In truth, the doctor didn't actually want a meal; if he wanted to extort someone, he would ask for money—meals weren't as practical as cash these days. The real reason was that he had noticed the young man wearing a police uniform, and one that seemed to be of a decent rank. He recalled his own trouble with the local precinct after being caught with a prostitute—he’d been fined over 5,000 yuan and nearly needed his unit to bail him out. If he could build a connection with this kid, he wouldn't have to worry in the future.

Outside the intensive care unit, Dong Qianqian looked through the glass window at her father, who was wearing an oxygen mask. The heart monitor beside the bed pulsed rhythmically, and tears welled up in her eyes again. Liu Yunfei gently hugged her shoulders. "Don't worry, the doctor said the surgery was a success. He'll wake up soon. Go get something to eat."

"Let me watch a little longer."

***

At 3:30 PM, Zhu Zhicheng sat upright behind the expansive desk in his office. He was thinking about the martial arts class starting tomorrow. Liu Yunfei’s skills were certainly up to par, but the kid had never been a teacher and lacked any instructional experience.

Having spent many years in the military, Zhu Zhicheng never put his feet on his desk, nor did he lounge lazily. Regardless of where he was, he sat straight with his chest out, his hands clasped on his thighs. He loved order; his desk and shelves were neatly organized with files and documents, along with a stack of newspapers sent over by the security station.

Zhu did not have the habit of reading newspapers. What he disliked most were subordinates who spent their shifts drinking tea and reading the paper while waiting for the clock to strike five. Many government departments subscribed to a wide variety of papers just to keep people occupied so they wouldn't bicker, turning every workday into a reading club where everyone drew high salaries and pretended to be diligently studying politics.

A sharp, urgent phone ring interrupted his thoughts. "Hello, this is the Food Street Police Station."

"Is that little Zhu? That martial arts instructor you recommended the day before yesterday, is his name Liu Yunfei? The one currently in his third year at Huangjiang Experimental High School?" The stern voice of the old bureau chief from the Municipal Bureau came through the line.

The old chief had passed up many opportunities for promotion, preferring to remain in the police force. His father and uncle had both sacrificed their lives on the job fighting criminals, and as a result, he had a fierce hatred for evil and had earned immense respect throughout the Huangjiang public security system, while also intimidating many criminal syndicates.

"Yes, that's him. Is there a problem? I have to thank you for that—without your help, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly." Ever since Zhu transferred back to the city from the military and joined the police force, his rigorous attitude and decisive style had earned the old chief’s favor. The chief supported almost everything Zhu did, often cutting through red tape for him. Everyone in the city's government agencies knew that Zhu was the old chief’s successor.

"How did you handle this? You didn't even vet the person properly! You allowed someone like that to infiltrate the police force? It's a good thing no one knows he's a cop yet; he's disgraced us entirely. This matter has left me deeply disappointed in you," the old chief ranted.

"Old Chief, is there some mistake? What did he do?" Zhu was utterly confused. Liu Yunfei might have been a smooth talker, but he was sharp and possessed a strong sense of justice.

"Look at today's *Huangjiang Evening News* yourself," the old chief said, then slammed the phone down.

*"Unfilial daughter abandons father and mother, wealthy kid smashes shop and kidnaps victim?"* Zhu found the *Huangjiang Evening News* among the stack of papers. The headline was exactly that, featuring a clear photo of Liu Yunfei holding a girl's hand at the school gate. He skimmed the article. Zhu stood up in anger and slammed the paper onto his desk. "Distorting the truth! Pure, unadulterated nonsense!"

He immediately dialed back. "Old Chief, I know about this. What the paper says isn't true. The officers at our station all know Liu Yunfei acted in a heroic, just manner. There was no such thing as smashing a shop."

"Oh?" The old chief’s tone softened slightly, knowing Zhu wasn't the type to lie. "But do you realize how much influence the Yang Huiru news has on the city? Many people who don't know the truth will just blame the police again. I don't care who is right or wrong; until this is completely cleared up, don't let that kid appear in his capacity as a police officer. You teach the martial arts class yourself for now."

"But Old Chief, to be framed and then have to tuck my tail between my legs? What kind of logic is that?" Zhu tried to argue.

"If you can't do it, then cancel it!"

"No, wait, hello? Hello..." The line had already gone dead. Zhu stood there, phone in hand, stunned.

He had intended to accomplish something real with this stint at the grassroots level. He had spent a long time planning this training program, hoping to eventually roll it out to all police officers in the city. Was it to be stillborn because of this?

Zhu put the phone down and pulled out his cell phone to call Liu Yunfei. Liu was busy; Old Dong had just woken up, and the nurses were constantly asking for paper or basins. Dong Qianqian stood far off, watching her father blink, unwilling to step away for even a second. Liu Yunfei had no choice but to take on the role of the dutiful son-in-law.

"Mother Dong, this son-in-law of yours is really something. Handsome, tall, a good job, and most importantly, filial. You don't see many young people like this anymore," a nurse joked.

Mother Dong didn't say anything, just nodded with a smile, but Dong Qianqian felt a bit shy. If it weren't for Liu Yunfei, she didn't know what the outcome would have been today—she might not have even gotten her father into surgery. Watching Liu Yunfei running back and forth carrying bags and basins, a sudden sense of sweetness filled her heart.

"Qianqian, help me with these, I need to take a call," Liu Yunfei said. He had just finished gathering supplies when his phone rang. He had no hands free, but the phone kept ringing, persistent as a death knell.

"We're seeing each other tomorrow morning, what else is there?" Liu Yunfei saw it was Director Zhu, but he didn't know what it was about—he just felt annoyed. *Why call now, of all times?*

"You jerk, it's all the trouble you've caused! Don't come tomorrow morning," Zhu Zhicheng barked. Having taken heat from the old chief, he was using Liu as a punching bag.

"What now? I've been at the hospital all day, I didn't do anything!"

"Go buy a copy of the *Huangjiang Evening News* and look for yourself!"

Liu Yunfei was bewildered as the line went dead. *What does the evening paper have to do with me? I didn't give any interviews, and I'm not a celebrity.* Just as he was puzzled, his phone rang again. "Dad, why are you calling me now?"

"You jerk, it's all the trouble you've caused! My deputy bureau chief position is gone!" Liu Yunfei was even more confused. Two people in a row had said the exact same thing. *I’m here doing good deeds, how am I a jerk? And how does this have anything to do with your deputy position?*

"Dad, what's going on? Are you crazy?"

"Go buy a copy of the *Huangjiang Evening News* and look for yourself!" The same words again. *Is this the trendy phrase of the year?*

Just as he hung up, the phone rang again. *My God, are you people trying to kill me?* Liu didn't even check the caller ID. He snapped, "I'm a jerk, it's all the trouble I've caused. Who are you, and what's wrong now?"

The person on the other end paused. "How did you know I was going to say that?"

"Two people have already cursed me like that this hour. Who are you? Principal?" Liu Yunfei was even more baffled. *I only skipped one day of school, you don't have to be this relentless.*

The principal snapped back, "Two? You're annoyed by two? Do you know how many calls I've taken? The school's phones are blowing up. Higher-ups are reprimanding me, parents are questioning me, reporters are digging for info, and even more people I don't even know are calling just to curse me out. Can't you stay out of trouble for once? What did I do to deserve this? What did my mother do to deserve this?"

"Wait, wait, Principal, I didn't curse you! I respect you. Can you just tell me what I did?"

"Go buy a copy of the *Huangjiang Evening News* and look for yourself!" Liu Yunfei had already guessed it would be the same old line. But the principal, being a man of stature, added, "And later, I'm forwarding all the calls from people cursing me directly to you."

"Don't do that, that's a breach of privacy! Hello? Hello..."