As Dr. Yu-Tong spoke, the memory of that moment resurfaced before his eyes.
That day, Shu-Yang had lain motionless and covered in blood on a white stretcher. Jun-Yu had broken down, sobbing and screaming Shu-Yang's name, desperately hoping to get even a single response from him.
Just like that, Jun-Yu had continued sobbing until he finally grew too exhausted to go on.
At the doctor's words, Shu-Yang lowered his head and said just one thing in a soft voice,
Shu-Yang: "Please, Doctor!"
Dr. Yu-Tong was still angry. However, he let out a long sigh and tried to calm himself before speaking.
Yu-Tong: "I'm sorry, Shu-Yang. Of course, you were ill yourself for quite some time. How could you possibly have been expected to look after him? Anyway, apart from the headaches, have you noticed any other symptoms in Jun-Yu?"
Shu-Yang thought for a moment before answering,
Shu-Yang: "Yes."
Yu-Tong: "What symptoms?"
Shu-Yang: "His headaches were worse after he woke up. Sometimes, the pain became so unbearable that he would vomit. Besides that, he couldn't sleep properly because of the pain. He would try to fall asleep by taking sleeping pills. And there's something else…"
Shu-Yang paused for a moment, thinking carefully before continuing.
Shu-Yang: "There's another incident, but I'm not sure whether it's related to his headaches."
It was as though Shu-Yang himself was questioning his own understanding in front of the doctor.
Dr. Yu-Tong asked,
Yu-Tong: "What incident?"
Shu-Yang: "An accusation was made against him, but it had absolutely no basis. He wasn't guilty of what he was accused of. Yet, at the time, he kept blaming himself."
As soon as Shu-Yang said this much, the memory of Jun-Yu's words in the cottage of an elderly woman named Xiao-Lin in Qingshan Village came back to him.
In a grave voice, Shu-Yang continued,
Shu-Yang: "He even wanted to destroy our relationship of so many years simply because I'm a police officer. He believed that baseless accusation against himself so deeply that he was willing to throw away the trust we'd built over the years."
"That day, he couldn't seem to think clearly about himself. He kept touching the corner of his forehead again and again. It was as if he was trying to remember something buried deep in his mind, yet he couldn't quite grasp it."
"Honestly, he wasn't guilty at all. But his behavior seemed strange to me."
Dr. Yu-Tong looked at Shu-Yang, trying to make sense of everything he had just heard.
Suddenly, Shu-Yang changed the subject and said,
Shu-Yang: "Doctor, there's something I just can't understand. You see, there's practically nothing about each other's lives that Jun-Yu and I don't know. You could say we're two bodies sharing one soul."
"I'm confused. Should I trust myself, or should I put on my police uniform and start investigating myself instead?"
Dr. Yu-Tong understood Shu-Yang's dilemma. He was torn between trusting Jun-Yu and investigating the case as a police officer.
Before Dr. Yu-Tong could say anything, Shu-Yang spoke up.
Shu-Yang: "Doctor, I love Jun-Yu more than I love myself, and I trust him more than I trust myself. That's why I could never investigate him without a valid reason. But what surprised me the most was his memory. You know how extraordinary Jun-Yu's memory is. So why did he behave that way that day? No matter how hard I try, I just can't find an answer to that question."
After listening to everything Shu-Yang had to say, Dr. Yu-Tong calmed down.
From Shu-Yang's words, he could tell that, whatever else he might be, Shu-Yang was certainly not an irresponsible person.
However, what he had heard only deepened the doctor's suspicions. Without the test results, though, those suspicions were nothing more than speculation.
Without revealing any of his concerns to Shu-Yang, Dr. Yu-Tong replied in a calm voice,
Yu-Tong: "Listen, Shu-Yang. The law has its place, and trust and relationships have theirs. You're a responsible police officer, so you should certainly investigate the matter. But if the evidence proves that your trust was justified, then that investigation should never be directed against Jun-Yu."
With that, Dr. Yu-Tong began walking toward a room.
Looking dejected, Shu-Yang called after him.
Shu-Yang: "But, Doctor… Jun-Yu…"
He stopped there and let out a long sigh.
Then he spoke again,
Shu-Yang: "Doctor, when will Jun-Yu regain consciousness?"
Dr. Yu-Tong could sense the storm of worry raging inside Shu-Yang. Shu-Yang was trying hard to keep his emotions under control, but the uneasiness was clearly written across his face.
The doctor answered calmly,
Yu-Tong: "At this point, it appears that Jun-Yu lost consciousness because of the exhaustion and nervousness he has experienced over the past few days. I hope he'll regain consciousness soon. Besides, we'll have the test results by morning. Don't worry so much."
Having said that, the doctor left.
Shu-Yang watched him walk away and let out a long sigh. Then he turned around once more and looked toward Jun-Yu's hospital room.
It was approximately 7:25 p.m.
Three members of Team Zing were seated around a large table in the VERN Club's meeting room. Ji-Shuan sat to Shi-Han's left, while Jia-Hong sat to her right. To Ji-Shuan's left sat the club manager, Ming-Xuan, and beside Ming-Xuan sat Zhen-Yu, the current director of VERN Club.
Jing-Tian and Hao-Yu were busy playing games, so they weren't attending the meeting.
Everyone wore a serious expression. However, Shi-Han had her head bowed lower than anyone else.
Breaking the silence, the manager spoke.
Ming-Xuan: "Zhen-Yu, what are everyone's gaming performance and livestreaming reports like?"
Zhen-Yu glanced at Shi-Han before handing a few sheets of paper to the manager.
Zhen-Yu: "Sir, everyone's gaming performance is reasonably good overall, but the livestreaming reports aren't satisfactory."
The manager read through the papers once, glanced at Shi-Han, and then looked back at the reports.
Ming-Xuan: "The livestreaming reports make one thing clear. Our popularity has dropped by more than thirty percent compared to before. Ji-Shuan, what do you think is the reason behind our decline?"
Ji-Shuan lowered his head and remained silent.
Ming-Xuan: "There's one thing worth noting, though. Our current livestreaming records are higher than before, yet our popularity has declined. Meanwhile, the Gaming Queen's livestreaming numbers have dropped."
Ji-Shuan continued sitting silently.
Shi-Han was feeling particularly nervous about today's meeting.
Zhen-Yu: "Yes, Sir. It's because of Shi-Han that our popularity has dropped by thirty percent."
Shi-Han raised her head and looked at Zhen-Yu, trying to say something. But all she managed to utter was,
Shi-Han: "Director, Sir, you've directly blamed me for the club's decline. But there must be other reasons behind it as well…"
Before Shi-Han could finish, Ming-Xuan shot her an angry look and interrupted her.
Ming-Xuan: "First, you were accused of murdering Xin-Yan, the sole heir to the Yu-Sheng Music Group. Then the accusation was exposed by the media. Do you have any idea what happened to our club's reputation back then, Shi-Han?"
Shi-Han remembered the news reports the media had published about her.
In a soft voice, she replied,
Shi-Han: "But, Sir, you all know that the accusation was false. And even after I was proven innocent, I was still punished."
At Shi-Han's words, Ji-Shuan finally spoke up.
Ji-Shuan: "Sister, this isn't punishment for the accusation against you, nor is it punishment for being proven innocent. It's punishment for your own actions."
Shi-Han wanted to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.
Jia-Hong: "Sister, you lose control of yourself whenever something happens. It's true that you didn't kill Xin-Yan that day, but you still raised your hand against her. Assaulting someone in public is a crime, too."
Ji-Shuan: "Your impulsive behavior that day destroyed our team's image. That's why you were demoted from a main gamer to a substitute gamer."
As soon as Ji-Shuan finished speaking, the manager slapped his hand against the table and said sternly,
Ming-Xuan: "Stop it! Do I still have to point out her mistakes one by one? What, does this girl not understand basic ethics? Can't she distinguish right from wrong? Haven't we already given her opportunities to prove herself?"
Ji-Shuan, Jia-Hong, and Shi-Han all looked dejected.
Zhen-Yu: "Ji-Shuan, Shi-Han has been given opportunities. That's precisely why she's still part of Team Zing as a substitute gamer. But has she made good use of those opportunities?"
He remained silent for a moment, looking at Ji-Shuan. Then he continued,
Zhen-Yu: "I don't know exactly why Shi-Han stays at the club. But you told me that she regularly livestreams with the team and has built a gaming background similar to VERN Club's. But is this really the background she has built?"
Ji-Shuan understood exactly what Zhen-Yu meant by background.
In a soft voice, he replied,
Ji-Shuan: "Director, Sir, Manager, Sir, you both know that Shi-Han never behaved like this before. I think she should be given a chance to explain herself and tell us why she acted this way this time."
When Ji-Shuan spoke up in Shi-Han's defense, the manager grew angry with him as well.
Ming-Xuan: "Ji-Shuan, you're actually responsible for Shi-Han going astray. You're the captain of Team Zing. Why didn't you keep an eye on her performance?"
Ji-Shuan lowered his gaze.
The manager had a point. As captain, he shouldn't have been so careless about his responsibility toward a member of his team.
Ming-Xuan: "Now it's clear that the four of you have remained consistently active in gaming, but the Gaming Queen hasn't. As a result, views have declined not only on the Gaming Queen's profile but also across your social media accounts. Directly or indirectly, Shi-Han is responsible for all of this."
Shi-Han was willing to accept a thousand accusations against herself, but she couldn't bear to see someone else being blamed because of her.
Perhaps this was exactly why Jun-Yu had said those things to her that day. He had advised her to make her behavior more refined and learn to control her temper.
Shi-Han had already realized her mistakes. Yet today, because she had chosen her words poorly, she had to endure another round of criticism. And Ji-Shuan had been reprimanded because of her, too.
Shi-Han: "I'm sorry, Sir. I understand my mistakes. But please don't scold the captain because of me."
The manager was still seething with anger. He didn't respond to Shi-Han's words. Instead, he silently turned his gaze away and let out a long sigh.
Jia-Hong: "But, Sister, what exactly is the reason behind your negligence?"
Before Shi-Han could say anything, the manager shot Jia-Hong an angry look and spoke.
Ming-Xuan: "Jia-Hong, today's meeting isn't for discussing Shi-Han's negligence or listening to excuses about it. We have much more important matters to discuss."
Jia-Hong sat there with a displeased expression. He understood that the manager was extremely angry with Shi-Han.
Ming-Xuan: "Ji-Shuan and Shi-Han, listen carefully. If your behavior doesn't change, I might remove you from the team without prior notice. Even I don't know when that might happen."
Instead of arguing, Shi-Han replied in a soft voice,
Shi-Han: "I promise you, Sir, that I will never again bring disgrace upon VERN Club or Team Zing. If anything like this ever happens again, I will accept whatever punishment the club imposes on me without questioning it."
Zhen-Yu: "That's enough arguing. Everyone, listen carefully. The main subject of today's meeting is the Canada International Gaming Tournament."
Ji-Shuan: "Isn't there still another three months before the tournament takes place?"
Zhen-Yu: "Yes, but considering the current state of our team, even three months might not be enough for us. Besides, we won't even realize how quickly the time passes once the official proceedings begin."
"Everyone, set your ultimate goal now. No matter how hard we have to work, Team Zing must win the Canada International Gaming Tournament."
As soon as the director finished speaking, the manager turned toward Shi-Han.
Ming-Xuan: "Shi-Han, the Gaming Queen, remember that you're currently in the most dangerous position on our team. Several clubs are about to organize friendly matches to evaluate their teams' abilities. If your performance in those matches isn't the best, you'll lose your chance to compete in the Canada International Gaming Tournament. You'll also lose your place as a gamer on Team Zing."
Shi-Han understood what Ming-Xuan meant.
If she could perform well in the friendly matches, she might be promoted from substitute gamer to main gamer again.
After all, she would only be eligible to compete in the international gaming tournament if she regained her position as a main gamer.
However, this opportunity wasn't merely about showcasing her skills on an international stage. It also came with other possibilities.
Shi-Han: "I will do everything in my power to restore Team Zing's reputation to what it once was."