Chapter 99

Chapter 99

After coming into contact with Gu Zhishu’s condition for the first time, her father had been very eager to establish a research team dedicated to studying and conquering it. Unfortunately, before he could even begin putting the plan into motion, Gu Zhishu mysteriously disappeared.

For Yu Jingtong’s father, that matter had always remained a regret.

After Yu Jingtong graduated, she came to work at the First Affiliated Hospital of A University of Science and Technology Medical School, hoping to obtain the materials Doctor Liu had previously compiled on Gu Zhishu’s condition. Only after she arrived did she learn that Doctor Liu’s research materials had been accidentally destroyed in a fire ten years ago. But Yu Jingtong refused to give up. She knew that important research was unlikely to exist in only one copy, so she traveled across the ocean to find Doctor Liu, hoping to obtain whatever research he still had on Gu Zhishu’s illness. Of course, once Doctor Liu learned why she had come, he said nothing-and then began refusing to meet with her at all.

That aroused Yu Jingtong’s suspicions. So not only did she not give up, she began carefully collecting every bit of information related to the matter. In her view, although the files had been burned, as long as the people involved were still alive, they would definitely retain some memory of what had happened. Gu Zhishu’s three attending physicians-Doctor Liu, Doctor Jia, and Doctor Zhang-had all left the hospital, but there were still nurses. The nurses who had personally handled the case might no longer be there, but wherever there were people, there was gossip. She refused to believe that, in a hospital with so many nurses, not a single one had seen or heard anything.

In the end, she really did manage to dig up a little information. It wasn’t much, but she did learn the identity of the person who had undergone surgery at the same time as Gu Zhishu.

“Because the person who had surgery with Gu Zhishu was extremely famous.”

When Nan Mu had asked Yu Jingtong earlier why she knew, it was only because he thought the timing was too coincidental. He and Qiu Ziyu had just been discussing the matter when someone suddenly jumped out and said she knew, so he couldn’t help feeling suspicious. But now that Yu Jingtong was speaking with such certainty, Nan Mu fully believed her, and naturally wanted to know the real answer.

“Who was it?”

Nan Mu and Qiu Ziyu both clenched their fists and stared at Yu Jingtong, their hearts inexplicably tightening with unease.

“Doctor Jia Lingyuan. Have you heard of him?”

Qiu Ziyu looked completely blank at the name. “Huh? Who?”

It was the first time he had ever heard the name.

Yu Jingtong was just about to explain when Nan Mu spoke first. “Jia Lingyuan. A world-renowned researcher in basic biological science, especially accomplished in embryology.”

Yu Jingtong gave Nan Mu a thumbs-up. “That’s right. That’s the one.”

Qiu Ziyu was completely lost. Basic this, basic that-he recognized every single word, but once they were put together, he had no idea what they meant. All he could do was keep asking, “How do both of you know him? He sounds pretty impressive, so what exactly does he do?”

“It’s normal that you don’t know him,” Nan Mu said calmly. “Jia Lingyuan is a researcher in basic biological science. Back in college, the professors in our department often mentioned some of his research, so I’m fairly familiar with him.”

As soon as Nan Mu finished, Yu Jingtong immediately added, “In 2008, Jia Lingyuan joined the Roslin Institute and became a student of Ian Wilmut. His achievements in embryology were so outstanding that even his mentor, Ian Wilmut, praised him repeatedly. In 2015, he suddenly returned to the country and was invited to join Wisdom Biotech Company, where he also served as a director. Then in 2018, he became the honorary director of the Regenerative Medicine Center, so he’s quite well-known among us medical students as well. That’s why I said he was extremely famous-so famous that the nurses who saw him back then still remember that incident clearly.”

Yu Jingtong said quite a lot in one breath, but all those professional terms and names flowed through Qiu Ziyu’s mind like water, leaving nothing behind.

Still, Qiu Ziyu had a professional sharpness of his own. “Jia Lingyuan is also with Wisdom Biotech Company? And his surname is Jia… Then is he related to that Doctor Jia?”
But Qiu Ziyu’s sudden, roundabout question stumped Yu Jingtong, because she had no idea which Doctor Jia he meant.

Qiu Ziyu had no choice but to pull up the information he had just found and read Doctor Jia’s name and background to her.

Realization dawned on Yu Jingtong. That Doctor Jia had already left before she joined the hospital, which was why she hadn’t made the connection right away. Still, she had indeed heard a little about him.

“Oh, you’re talking about him? …Yes, that’s right. I think he was a distant nephew of Dr. Jia Lingyuan. I’ve heard people mention it before.”

Qiu Ziyu’s brows drew together. It felt as though everything had just clicked into place.

Jia Lingyuan, Wisdom Biotech Company, the surgery he had performed with Gu Zhishu ten years ago, his studies abroad, the overseas guest surgeon Doctor Liu, Doctor Jia who was related to Jia Lingyuan by blood…

Qiu Ziyu felt that Nan Mu’s earlier deduction had not been wrong. Perhaps that really was the truth. He had simply guessed the wrong person: Huangfu Junsheng.

The reason Nan Mu had connected Huangfu Junsheng to all of this in the first place was because he had once found a business card belonging to Huangfu Junsheng in Lin Zhengfeng’s home. But the line between Huangfu Junsheng and Gu Zhishu could never quite be linked.

If the real culprit was changed to Jia Lingyuan, however, everything was different.

Not only would it connect him to Gu Zhishu, it would also connect him to Lin Zhengfeng. After all, Jia Lingyuan was also a director of Wisdom Biotech Company, so his relationship with Huangfu Junsheng had to be quite close. Whether he had gotten the business card from Huangfu Junsheng, or had deliberately left Huangfu Junsheng’s card at Lin Zhengfeng’s home to mislead the police investigation, either scenario was entirely possible…

Qiu Ziyu was just wondering how to get Yu Jingtong to leave so he could discuss this with Nan Mu when a commotion suddenly came from outside the door. Vaguely, he could even hear the nurses trying to stop someone.

Nan Mu’s ward was considered one with fairly good privacy, and nothing like this had ever happened before. The three of them all turned toward the door at the same time.

“I’ll go see what’s going on,” Yu Jingtong said, pulling the door open as she spoke.

The noise outside instantly became much clearer. Nan Mu and Qiu Ziyu both heard a familiar female voice, anxious and frantic. “I already told you, I’m his mother… My son is hospitalized, and I can’t even go in to see him?”

“Ma’am, it’s not that we’re not letting you see him. We just need to verify your identity. You can call your son first and have him confirm it, then ask his caregiver to come out and bring you in…”

“I’m sorry, my wife is just very worried…”

Qiu Ziyu squeezed past Yu Jingtong. Looking at Nan Mu’s parents, who were practically fuming with urgency, he gave an awkward cough and strode over to them with an apologetic smile. “Uncle Nan, Auntie, what brings you here?”

Nan Mu’s mother shot Qiu Ziyu a sharp glare. “If I hadn’t come, were you planning to keep hiding this from me forever?”

Qiu Ziyu rubbed his nose, knowing that no matter what he said, he was definitely going to get scolded. So he turned to the nurse and said, “These two really are family. Sorry for holding up your work.”

The people staying on this floor were all either wealthy or powerful, and the nurses were stopping visitors for the patients’ safety. Once they learned that the two were indeed family members, they said nothing more and returned to their posts.

Seeing the situation, Yu Jingtong also said goodbye to Qiu Ziyu and left first.

Afraid of being scolded, Qiu Ziyu escorted Uncle Nan and Auntie to the door of Nan Mu’s ward, then very “thoughtfully” closed the door for Nan Mu.

Better his comrade than himself. If he couldn’t hear it, then as far as he was concerned, he wasn’t being scolded.

After closing the door, he turned around-only to discover that a middle-aged man and a young man were still standing outside. The young man was holding a flower basket, his face wreathed in an ingratiating smile as he beamed at him.

Qiu Ziyu looked completely baffled. “And you two are…?”