Chapter Thirty-Five: Who Gave You the Courage

The room suddenly fell silent.

Seeing that no one moved, Zhou Yi slung his backpack over his shoulders, pulled his cap down over his head, and walked out the door. Naturally, he didn’t bother to close the dormitory door behind him. The cold wind howled in, but none of the seven inside dared to protest.

The corridor was empty, the only sound Zhou Yi’s footsteps echoing off the walls. He descended the stairs, surveying his surroundings: this was clearly the Medical College of Shanda University, and his current body was that of a senior student. The Fatty, meanwhile, studied in the Computer Science Department; in 2000, the Software Park campus had yet to be built, so he was still on the central campus. Unfortunately, that was at least five kilometers away from here.

Zhou Yi rifled through his pockets. His wallet, flattened and thin, lay in his backpack. Inside were just thirty yuan. It was already the last day of November; his family usually sent his living expenses on the third of each month, and it was always exactly five hundred yuan, not a cent more. Even the old-school mobile phone in his hand had been bought through scrimping, saving, and part-time work.

He sighed.

There was nothing to be done but wait for the next transfer, and his memories of Cheng Zhi were limited. To track him down, he’d at least need equipment—in short, everything required money.

Outside, heavy snow was falling. Zhou Yi tightened his grip on his cap and set off into the biting wind. There was no point worrying about anything else for now; first, he needed to find Fatty.

Braving the snow, Zhou Yi walked toward the campus gates. It was lunchtime, so the guard didn’t stop him as he left. On the streets, pedestrians and vehicles all moved with care; the sudden snowstorm made the roads treacherous, and some people, finding the surface too slick, were pushing their bikes rather than riding them.

But, with his empty pockets, Zhou Yi could only check the bus stop signs, making his way to the intersection of Wenhua West Road and Baotuquan Road, waiting for the green light to cross and catch a bus.

Just as the yellow light flashed, a dark blue Santana shot past Zhou Yi, speeding through the intersection at what must have been over a hundred kilometers an hour.

Bang!

With a resounding crash, the blue Santana slammed into a white sedan, toppling it. Two pedestrians nearby were caught in the chaos and thrown to the ground. The younger one scrambled up and hurried back to the sidewalk, but the older man fell face down and lay motionless. The Santana, seemingly out of control, circled erratically around the elderly man. Zhou Yi paused in shock—was the driver a novice?

As he was about to step in, the Santana’s door burst open, and a woman tumbled out, staggering to the ground. The car kept circling. The driver of the white car crawled out, trying to get to the Santana, but was struck by the door and thrown forcefully to the pavement.

Almost instinctively, Zhou Yi sprang into action, sprinting into the center of the chaos. If no one intervened, the female driver, the elderly man, and the well-intentioned rescuer might all be run over—and there were no traffic police in sight.

He dashed to the middle, dodging the deformed car door as the vehicle spun by, then leapt sideways onto the driver’s seat. Stomping on the brake and yanking the handbrake tight, he brought the Santana to a screeching halt.

Only then did Zhou Yi exhale in relief. He quickly got out to check on the three involved. The female driver sat on the ground, dazed, but thanks to her winter clothing, she had only grazes on her forehead and cheeks. The would-be rescuer’s arm had been struck by the car door; at the slightest touch, he howled in pain—clearly, it was broken.

Zhou Yi unbuttoned the man’s coat, wrapped the hem around his arm, and buttoned it at the collar for support. He shouted at the stunned female driver, “Call 120—emergency services! His arm’s broken, and the old man’s in even worse shape!”

He hurried to the elderly man, while the woman, startled by his shout, burst into tears. “How dare you yell at me! Do you know who I am? Even my parents, relatives, and colleagues have never spoken to me like that! Who do you think you are? Boo hoo hoo!”

She broke down, sobbing in indignation.

Zhou Yi hesitated. The injured male driver had already started dialing his phone. Zhou Yi ignored the woman and focused on the elderly man.

The old man’s injuries were severe: not only a head wound, but his breathing was barely perceptible, his heart had stopped. Zhou Yi turned him over, pounding and calling out, but got no response.

Looking up, Zhou Yi saw two traffic officers riding over. The scene was chaotic—several cars had been wrecked, several people hurt, and the road needed to be blocked off while they waited for the ambulance.

Quickly, Zhou Yi loosened the old man’s belt and began performing CPR. The injured male driver, despite his pain, leaned over to watch, having already been impressed by Zhou Yi’s earlier decisive actions. The way he’d stopped the car was the work of an experienced driver or someone from a family with cars.

Seeing the seriousness of the situation, he asked anxiously, “How is he? Will the old man be okay?”

Kneeling by the old man, Zhou Yi shook his head as he continued chest compressions. “Cardiac arrest—his condition is critical. See if you can find any ID or family contact info on him. We need to notify his relatives as soon as possible.”

The driver scrambled up to call for help. The two traffic officers spoke into their radios, calling for backup and an ambulance, and hurried over when they saw movement.

The injured driver, kind-hearted as ever, quickly recounted the sequence of events, including Zhou Yi’s instructions. In the end, his gaze fell on the female driver.

“We should detain her right away. She was driving a Health Bureau vehicle, and after the accident didn’t help the injured, just complained about our attitude. How are we supposed to know who she is? We can’t guess, can’t ask, can’t say anything—mention one thing and she starts crying. You’d better handle this. If something happens to the old man, at least keep the driver from running off or there’ll be no end of trouble.”

Zhou Yi didn’t look up, but the driver’s words were spot on, ending with a pointed reminder for the two officers.

Hearing the woman was from the Health Bureau, Zhou Yi was surprised—helping the injured should be second nature to anyone in medicine, yet her reaction was nothing like a medical professional’s. After countless chest compressions, the old man finally let out a faint moan. Zhou Yi quickly checked his carotid pulse, listened for breath, and at last felt a heartbeat—weak, but his breathing had returned. The crisis, for now, was over.

Exhausted, Zhou Yi collapsed back onto the ground. The injured driver and a traffic officer rushed over.

“How is he?”

Zhou Yi managed a weary smile, wiping sweat from his brow. “He’s got pulse and breath again—should be stable for now, but he needs a hospital check-up. His right arm is broken; I’ll immobilize it so the ambulance can take him straight in.”

Searching around but finding nothing suitable, Zhou Yi took off his own scarf, tore it free, and pulled the thickest surgery textbook from his bag, rolling it into a U-shape as a splint. He wrapped the scarf around the old man’s neck, securing the arm in place.

At that moment, the ambulance sirens blared. It wasn’t their fault for being slow—traffic was jammed, the roads slick with snow, and speed was impossible. Police cars had come to escort the ambulance; more officers disembarked, slipping as they ran to help, and together they managed to get the injured onto stretchers.

Zhou Yi quickly explained the situation and his preliminary assessment. The medical team, noting his expertise, made no attempt to question his identity, simply assuming he was a fellow doctor who’d happened to be passing by. The ambulance roared away.

The female driver, meanwhile, continued to shout, kicking over two officers, phone in hand, yelling into it and warning the arriving police, “Don’t touch me! Try it and I’ll accuse you of harassment! Tell me your badge numbers, I want them all! I want to see who’s got the nerve to lay a hand on me—my father is Li Yugang!”

Zhou Yi paused. The claim sounded familiar, and her arrogant manner made it clear she had powerful connections—either talent or background had gotten her a Health Bureau car at such a young age. Still, dragging her father into it at every turn was pretty witless.

Suddenly, Zhou Yi sensed a camera flash nearby. Glancing sideways, he saw no one. Not wanting to linger, since the old man was safe, Zhou Yi gathered his things. Without his scarf, the cold wind stabbed at his neck, making him shiver as he headed for the bus stop.

Tow trucks came to haul away the damaged cars. With the wreckage and blood cleared, traffic resumed, and soon nothing remained but scattered debris and faint stains.

A bus pulled in. Zhou Yi quickly boarded and left.