Forensic Forensic - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The pregnant woman was taken to the police station in a car. Due to her unique situation, Luo Jianan didn’t allow her into the interrogation room, but instead questioned her in the reception room. The pregnant woman’s name was Zhang Xiaohua. Before Luo Jianan went in to question her, he ran a criminal record check on her ID number on the computer and retrieved her file of public security detention.

Qi Ming just happened to enter the office and saw Luo Jianan hurriedly leaving with a pile of documents. He reached out to stop him, “Why didn’t you call me?”

Luo Jianan said playfully, “I saw you were drooling in your sleep, and I didn’t want to disturb your sweet dreams.”

Not to mention Qi Ming, even Chen Fei rolled his eyes at the thought. If Luo Jianan could hold back even for a minute, he’d have to go to the temple and burn incense. He’d thought that giving Luo Jianan and Qi Ming some time would help them mature and calm down, but he hadn’t expected things to get worse. “Bringing back a suspect?” Without even picking up on Luo Jianan’s question, Qi Ming reached out and snatched the stack of documents from his hand, glanced at them, and shoved them back. “I’ll go with you.”

“Not a suspect, just a routine questioning. She can’t kill anyone like that,” Luo Jianan explained to Qi Ming as they walked. “But this woman was really fierce. She came up and grabbed my waist and wouldn’t let go.”

“So you took advantage, didn’t you?”

“It’s so frustrating! My stomach is moving, kicking my legs, like this, like this.” Luo Jianan said, poking Qi Ming’s arm with a finger. “It feels so fucking weird.”

Qi Ming frowned and yanked his hand away.

——————

Zhang Xiaohua usually scolded doctors and nurses with a lot of rhetoric; even the police at the police station knew how powerful she was. But now, inside the Public Security Bureau, with the Criminal Investigation Department sign hanging at the door, her aura suddenly diminished. Seeing the stack of criminal records Luo Jianan had thrown on the table, she pursed her lips and remained silent for a long time.

“Based on this pile of information, I’ll call the colleagues from the Economic Investigation Department right now, and they’ll immediately detain you for fraud. Believe it or not?” Luo Jianan threatened her. “Why are you causing trouble at the hospital instead of doing your job?”

Zhang Xiaohua wiped her nose and said with downcast eyes, “There are several mouths to feed at home. Besides, they killed someone with their treatment, so they should pay compensation!”

“How many children do you have?” Miao Hong asked.

“Three, all girls, money-losing stuff.” Zhang Xiaohua curled her lips. “One more birth and you’ll be fined. If I don’t come out to earn money, I’ll be starving.”

Miao Hong’s face immediately darkened upon hearing this: “Fine and give birth? What? Giving birth to a son proves you’re capable?”

Zhang Xiaohua raised her head and glanced at Miao Hong, but the next second, Qi Ming reached out and pinched her chin, prying open her eyelids. She immediately screamed, “Eh!? The police are beating people!”

“Stop arguing!” Qi Ming snapped, “Your last prenatal checkup was When? Have you checked your liver function? Is your urine protein and bl00d pressure high?

“My three daughters were all born at the town clinic. They’re all fine. Why would they need a prenatal checkup?”

“You have jaundice.” Qi Ming grabbed her hand and turned it over. Seeing the red spots scattered across it, he frowned. “And you have liver palms. Stay here and don’t move. I need to examine you.”

Zhang Xiaohua was stunned by Qi Ming’s words. She didn’t realize what had happened until he returned to the room with a syringe and a bl00d pressure monitor.

“Bl00d pressure 113/167, gestational hypertension.” Qi Ming put away the bl00d pressure monitor and took out the syringe. “I suspect you have preeclampsia. Roll up your sleeves. I need to draw bl00d and test a few parameters.”

“What the hell is that?” Zhang Xiaohua had never heard of the term the white-coated doctor was talking about.

Luo Jianan hadn’t heard of it either. As a single, unmarried man with no children, he was a bit confused from the moment he heard Qi Ming mention prenatal checkups. He looked at Qi Ming with a curious gaze, his expression akin to, “I want to know what that ‘zi’ thing is, too.”

“Eclampsia, the epilepsy of epilepsy, is a condition caused by pregnancy-induced hypertension. It often occurs after childbirth and is extremely fatal.” Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s lack of movement, Qi Ming signaled Miao Hong for help. He then explained while drawing bl00d, “Warning signs of preeclampsia include liver damage and jaundice. I’m going for a biochemical test now; the results should be back in half an hour.” Before leaving, he specifically warned Luo Jianan and Miao Hong, “Don’t interrogate her yet. If her bl00d pressure spikes any further, she’ll die here.”

“Hey, you police officer, why are you cursing?”

Zhang Xiaohua shouted angrily.

——————

The test results showed elevated levels of several indicators of preeclampsia, and Qi Ming demanded that Luo Jianan immediately take Zhang Xiaohua back to the hospital. After listening to Luo Jianan’s report, Chen Fei agreed. “If she’s not a suspect, let her go. If there’s a double death, no one can bear the responsibility.”

“I don’t think she’ll seek treatment if we release her. She’ll definitely return to the hospital to get money,” Miao Hong said worriedly. “Captain Chen, are there any regulations for forcing people to seek medical treatment?”

Chen Fei shook his head. “Unless it’s a highly contagious disease, the police have no right to force someone to seek medical treatment.”

“So we’ll just let her run wild and kill herself?” Luo Jianan spread his hands. “Boss, didn’t you see how violent she was when she threw a tantrum in the hospital?”

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Fei asked Qi Ming, “Teacher Qi, does this disease have a high mortality rate?”

“If adequate emergency measures are taken before and after childbirth, the mortality rate can be kept below 1%.” Qi Ming paused. “But if there’s no preparation, the mortality rate is close to 100%, because the time from onset to death is usually only a few minutes.”

“Then what should we do? The law stipulates that if someone poses a clear threat to their own safety, “If Zhang Xiaohua behaves in a manner contrary to the law, the police can take coercive measures.” Chen Fei stood up, resting his hands on the table, and solemnly announced, “Luo Jianan, Miao Hong, arrest Zhang Xiaohua and send her to the hospital for treatment according to the medical procedures for detained individuals. Notify the officers at the responsible police station to maintain 24-hour surveillance. Release her when the doctor says she can be discharged.”

Luo Jianan said, “Boss, I’m not saying you’re a good person, but you should express some resentment.”

“That’s better than watching her die,” Chen Fei pointed toward the office door. “Get back to work. I’ll handle any complaints.”

Sure enough, no sooner had Zhang Xiaohua been taken to the hospital than he returned to the bureau to hear that the Internal Investigations Department had issued a notice to Chen Fei. They said they had received a report alleging that Chen Fei abused his power and illegally detained innocent people. Furious, Luo Jianan turned and was about to return to the hospital to give that ungrateful woman a good scolding, but Miao Hong talked him out of it.

Fuming with rage, Luo Jianan only took a few bites of lunch before throwing down his chopsticks and checking his phone. Qi Ming, sitting across from him, saw the resentment suddenly vanish from his face, replaced by a smile. He couldn’t help but ask, “What did you see? You’re grinning like an idiot.”

“I saw a joke Dr. Xiaoxia posted on WeChat Moments. It’s hilarious. Let me tell you—” Luo Jianan laughed so hard he was practically crying. “There’s a friend who’s a proctologist. At a gathering, we asked him why he chose that department. He sighed and said, ‘Back then, I was still transferring departments. I was having dinner with a few senior doctors at the hospital and we were asking which department made the most money. Some said surgery, some said orthopedics. Then a highly respected director said… “Bullshit! Ophthalmology is the most profitable!”… So I ended up choosing proctology… Hahaha, how funny!”

Qi Ming looked at him expressionlessly and asked, “What’s so funny about that?”

Luo Jianan put away his phone, folded his arms across his chest, and asked Qi Ming, “Isn’t it funny that people with high IQs have low EQs? Then what about the dried fish you told me about is funny?”

“I think it’s quite funny. I’ve always had everyone rolling on the floor with laughter. But you’re right, some jokes require a professional to get the point.” Qi Ming said, glancing slightly—Dr. Xia? Xia Yonghui from the Respiratory Department at Renhe Hospital?

“Yes, you’re a professional. You can even die laughing while holding a dried fish.” Luo Jianan started to jeer again, but he didn’t expect Qi Ming to be truly angry. He slammed his chopsticks on the table and walked away.

Miao Hong just finished getting lunch and came over. Seeing Luo Jianan staring at Qi Ming’s back with a look of “What the hell did I say wrong?”, she nudged her apprentice’s shoulder with her elbow.

“What’s going on? We haven’t even been living together for a day and we’re already bickering?”