Song Ran didn't pay attention to any news from the outside world that night and went to bed early. Although she took sleeping pills, she slept soundly and woke up in good spirits the next day.
It was only when she arrived at the TV station that she followed the news.
After the students' open letter yesterday morning and the announcement of the suicide case in the afternoon, two waves of massive attacks against her emerged online. But after Wang Han stood up, the situation reversed and turned to abuse against Zhao Yuanli again, even affecting some innocent students who supported Zhao Yuanli in real name.
Song Ran didn't know whether the faces connected behind the network were human or beast.
After the incident became a big deal, the school immediately suspended Zhao Yuanli and said it would do its best to cooperate with the police investigation. At the same time, it would conduct a school-wide investigation on all types of violence to provide students with a good learning environment.
Wang Han has dropped out of school and has been picked up by his parents, waiting for the police to investigate and collect evidence. As he is a minor, the progress of the case will not be announced to the media. However, Wang Han wrote a sentence on the social platform: "Please don't support me, because I know that if you are not satisfied with the result, the knife in your hand will stab me."
Song Ran wrote a public postscript.
She admitted that she had made a mistake in not conducting a thorough investigation and had misled public opinion. She hoped that everyone would learn from her mistakes, patiently wait, trust, and supervise the investigations conducted by relevant departments in accordance with the law. The truth will eventually come out.
She wrote in the article:
“… Public figures have a butterfly effect on public opinion, especially in the journalistic industry. I ignored this point and let the situation develop far beyond my expectations. It was my mistake. But as spectators, should you also improve your critical thinking and analytical skills and not blindly stand in line and vent your emotions…”
However, compared with previous articles, this article calling for rationality received very few comments and reposts.
But Wang Han called her and said he had seen the article she posted.
The boy was very apologetic on the other end of the phone: "Sister, I'm sorry. I wanted to find someone to help me, so I lied to you. I was afraid of being isolated by my classmates, so I didn't stand up in time."
Song Ran smiled: "It's okay, you are under a lot of pressure now, I am a little worried about you."
"My parents are with me, it's okay. Don't worry, I will tell the truth this time and won't hide anything, but I won't exaggerate either."
"good."
The two didn’t talk much. His parents kept their phones to themselves for fear of being harassed by reporters. Wang Han hung up quickly.
Some reporters also contacted Song Ran, hoping to interview Wang Han through her, but were rejected by Song Ran.
The reporter scolded: "When you were at the center of the storm a few days ago, I publicly supported you. Now that the storm is over, you have turned your back on me?"
Song Ran blocked him directly.
Afterwards, Song Ran printed a piece of paper and went to Liu Yufei's office.
Liu Yufei was surprised when he received the simple one-page resignation letter: "What are you doing?"
Song Ran apologized: "Boss, I want to resign."
"You..." Liu Yufei couldn't understand, "Why are you doing this? It's not easy for Wang Han to come forward and testify, proving that what you said is right. Now there are many people outside supporting you."
"The result was right, but the process was wrong," Song Ran said. "I shouldn't have released information that was harmful to the suspect."
"I say you are always dwelling on a dead end. Zhu Yanan's case is on trial, but that doesn't mean the victim Wang Han can't seek justice now. Does he have to wait in line? And Wang Han's case must be resolved at this time so that it can really attract attention."
Song Ran was silent for a while and wanted to say, what you said is different from what you said last time.
But she just smiled and said, "If it weren't for this, I would have resigned long ago." She handed over her medical records and said, "In my current state, it would be irresponsible to continue working in the news."
When Liu Yufei saw the diagnosis of mental illness, he was stunned.
He rubbed his head, not calming down for a long time, and said, "You are an excellent reporter. This has to wait for the approval of the higher-ups. It will take at least one or two weeks. Wait for the notification first."
"Okay. Sorry to bother you."
…
Wang Han's case was handled by the Criminal Police Team. His accusation was very clear and did not require a wide-ranging investigation, so the police officers from the Baixi Road Police Station did not get involved.
However, some reporters with ulterior motives blocked the school gate according to the students' names on the joint letter, wanting to interview those students who "shielded" and spoke for Teacher Zhao, which caused several conflicts.
In just one morning, the police officers on Baixi Road handled several incidents.
Li Zan was busy until almost noon before he finished work. He had just returned to the police station and had not even had time to drink a sip of water when his colleague said the director called him.
Li Zan walked to the door of the office and heard the director on the phone: "Hey! We have been comrades for so many years, and you are still polite to me? This kid is doing very well, he is calm and down-to-earth, and he is in good condition. Don't worry. I'm watching him."
Li Zan knew that he was the leader of the political department of his army.
After the director hung up the phone, Li Zan knocked on the door and said, "Director."
"Ah Zan," the director said with a smile on his face, waving at him, "Come in quickly."
Li Zan went in and sat down: "What do you want to talk to me about?"
"Nothing else. You've been here for almost half a month. Your team asked you to go back for physical and psychological tests. Your physical and mental condition will be monitored regularly there. You know that, right?"
"I know." Li Zan smiled apologetically and said, "The instructor told me. But I was too busy last weekend and forgot about it."
"It's okay. I'll give you a leave here, you should go back to the army to report first. Otherwise, my comrade will come to urge me again, thinking that I am holding you captive."
Li Zan smiled: "Okay. Thank you, Director."
Li Zan went home, washed his hair and showered, tidied himself up, and changed into a military green training suit. When he passed by the desk to get the clothes hanger, he took a closer look and saw that the desk was full of books, tools, and wires.
He thought about how busy he was with his work at the grassroots level during this period, leaving early and returning late, leaving him with almost no time for himself. If this continued, he was afraid that one day his time would be wasted.
Song Ran's words rang in my ears: "Are you afraid?"
Li Zan took out his cell phone and sat on the sofa. He rubbed his half-dry hair with a towel and called Chen Feng.
His fingers were rubbing on the towel, and after a few beeps, Chen Feng picked up the phone: "A-Zan?"
"Instructor." Li Zan opened his mouth, lowered his head and touched his eyebrows, and said, "I will go back to the army to take the test this afternoon, is that okay? Or if it is not convenient today, tomorrow is also fine..."
"That's convenient!" Chen Feng said loudly, "Everyone is here. What time will you arrive?"
Li Zan glanced at his watch: "Two o'clock in the afternoon?"
"OK."
At 1:30 in the afternoon, Li Zan set off.
On the first day of March, the temperature finally showed signs of warming up.
Although there are only dead trees on Luoyu Mountain, the sky is blue, the sun is warm, and the air is refreshing.
When Li Zan walked towards the army gate, he was mentally prepared to be questioned, but he didn't expect that the sentry recognized him and saluted him without asking any questions.
Li Zan returned the salute, and when he raised his right hand to his temple, his heart also lifted.
It was one minute to two when I arrived at Chen Feng’s office.
Chen Feng glanced at his watch and said, "Not bad, I remembered the rules. I'm not late."
Li Zan smiled and said, "I don't want to be punished by running ten kilometers."
"Where?" Chen Feng said, "It has increased to fifteen now."
Li Zan followed Chen Feng downstairs and across the playground.
On the playground, rows of new soldiers were training, shouting slogans of "ho" and "ho" with full energy.
Li Zan couldn't help but look back a few more times. Chen Feng saw it and asked, "How is your physical condition now?"
Li Zan said casually: "We'll know after the test later."
Before he finished speaking, Chen Feng suddenly punched him. Li Zan raised his hand to block it and quickly turned around to twist it. Chen Feng felt pain and immediately stopped, and Li Zan also let him go.
Chen Feng shook his wrist that was blocked by his blow, frowned and smacked his lips, "You kid! You're so cruel to the instructor."
But I was happy in my heart. It was not bad. My strength and speed were still there.
Walking to a separate training ground, the physical training instructor was already waiting.
Li Zan didn't waste any time. He took off his coat and threw it aside. He fell forward and started doing push-ups. The instructor stood by and kept the time. It took two minutes and eleven seconds to do 100 push-ups.
Then came the standing long jump test. He stood up, breathing hard, and before he could even catch his breath, he looked at the sand at the starting line, stepped back, bent his knees slightly, pursed his lips, and jumped up, reaching 3.09 meters.
Then there were pull-ups, 10m x 8 round trip runs, long-distance running... After finishing each test, half an hour had passed.
Li Zan was covered in sweat, as if he had just been fished out of the water; his hair was all wet and stuck to his temples.
Chen Feng saw it and frowned: "What's wrong with your hair? It's so long, shave it tomorrow."
Li Zan glanced at him, bent down, picked up the coat on the ground, threw it on his shoulders, and went to the infirmary.
The person who conducted the psychological test on him was Doctor Zhang, who was in charge of psychological counseling in the army and had always been Li Zan's psychologist.
Only Doctor Zhang and Li Zan were present during the psychological test.
Chen Feng took some time to find the physical training instructor and asked, "What are the test results?"
The instructor said, “It’s quite strange.”
Chen Feng's heart tightened: "Why is it strange?"
“The results are excellent.”
“…” Chen Feng was about to punch him.
The instructor said slowly, "Normally, there should be a slight decrease after leaving the team. This shows that he has been training hard since leaving the army and has never stopped."
Chen Feng smiled happily when he heard this and patted the instructor on the shoulder: "Thank you for your hard work."
He happily went back to the psychological counseling room.
About half an hour later, Li Zan came out with a calm expression.
He glanced at Chen Feng and said, "It's okay, I'm leaving."
Chen Feng wanted to say something, but finally frowned and waved his hand: "Let's go." Seeing him walk away, he shouted again, "Report on your own next time, don't let me rush you!"
"I know." Li Zan waved his hand without turning his head.
Chen Feng went in and asked the military doctor in a relaxed tone: "What are the results of the psychological test?"
The military doctor said: "It's still unqualified."
Chen Feng was stunned. His previous sense of ease was extinguished by a basin of cold water poured over his head. He sighed helplessly.
"But..." The military doctor changed his tone.
"But what?"
"He's willing to speak his mind."
Chen Feng: "What did you say?"
"..." The military doctor glanced at him, "How can I tell you this?"
"If he doesn't want to tell me, then don't tell me." Chen Feng was already very satisfied and said with a smile, "As long as he is willing to cooperate with the treatment, that's a good thing, right?"
"That's a good thing." The military doctor said, "Mental illness can only be cured if the patient is willing to cooperate."
…
After get off work, the moment Song Ran walked out of the TV station building, he felt relaxed for the first time.
She walked to the roadside to wait for the bus, and when she looked up she suddenly discovered that new buds had sprouted on the willow treetops.
Today's spring is late, but it has finally arrived.
She thought about it and called Li Zan.
I waited for a long time but no one responded. Just as I was about to hang up, someone picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"
Song Ran's heart tightened and he said, "It's me."
He chuckled, "I know."
She turned her back to the street, looked at the bus stop sign, and said, "I suddenly remembered that I owed you a meal last time. Do you remember?"
He thought for a moment and said slowly, "That's true."
"How about I give it back to you today?" To make today a little more special, she said, "Today is the first day of March, and the weather is nice. I think it's a good day."
He said with a smile: "Okay."
"Well, let me think about it." She poked the bulletin board with her finger, "What kind of food do you like? Hot pot, Cantonese cuisine..."
“Home cooking,” he said.
"Eh?" She didn't react, and after thinking for a while, she said, "Then I'll look at some local restaurants..."
"Just do it for me." The background was very quiet, so his voice was particularly clear.
Song Ran was in a busy and noisy place. She was staring at the billboard in a daze when she heard him say, "Didn't you say you are a good cook and wanted me to see it?" He said in a low voice, "So you were just bragging?"
"Then you can see later whether I am bragging or not." Song Ran said with his chin raised.
"Okay. I'll send you the address."
…
When Song Ran got off the bus, she saw Li Zan standing on the platform waiting for her.
He was wearing a military training uniform today, and he looked particularly tall and heroic. She hadn't seen him dressed like this for a long time, and it seemed a little strange to her, so she asked, "Are you back in the army?"
"Go back and test it," he said.
The two of them got off the platform and walked across the bicycle lane to the inner sidewalk. Song Ran lagged behind him half a step and looked at him a few more times. He looked much tougher in his military uniform.
A bicycle sped past them, but she didn't notice it. He held her arm tightly and pulled her back, asking, "Where are you looking?"
Song Ran didn't say anything. When they were on the sidewalk, he whispered, "You look better in a military uniform."
Li Zan glanced at her sideways and didn't answer.
Walking into the vegetable market, a faint smell of meat hits you in the face. There are fruit and vegetable sections, seafood sections, meat sections, sauce sections... There is an abundance of supplies and people coming and going.
Li Zan asked, "What would you like to eat tonight?"
Song Ran said, "I'm treating you, so go ahead and order the food."
Li Zan curled his lips and said, "Look while walking?"
"Oh." Song Ran followed him.
This area has many lakes and rivers, and fish are plentiful. Liangcheng people and Jiangcheng people love to eat fish. Fresh lake and aquatic products occupy a large area in the vegetable market.
At each stall, a large wooden box was covered with plastic sheeting and filled with water to create a simple fish pond. An air pump pumped fresh air into the water through a thin tube. Various freshwater fish swam in the pond, and the ones with their stomachs turned upside down were picked up by the stall owner and thrown aside for sale at a low price.
Song Ran followed Li Zan in the wet corridor when a large catfish suddenly jumped out of the pond and jumped around in the middle of the road. Song Ran was startled and hid behind Li Zan. Li Zan stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking at the fish. The stall owner chased after him, grabbed it and threw it into the pond, splashing the water.
Li Zan looked back at the people behind him and said, "Do you want this one? I think it's very lively."
Song Ran shook his head like a rattle and whispered, "I don't like it. It must not taste good."
The stall owner looked over, and Song Ran pursed his lips and smiled at him.
Continuing to walk forward, Song Ran asked: "What kind of fish do you like to eat?"
Li Zan said: "Yellow bones."
"I like it too, so let's buy the yellow bone."
I found a wild yellow croaker stall. The fish in the pond were small and tender.
The two of them crouched down and took a small net to catch fish by the pond. Song Ran stretched out his hand and instructed: "We need the small ones, the ones..."
Li Zan took aim and scooped up the small fish, which went into the net.
"And that one..."
In the end, I caught seven or eight small fish as long as fingers.
After weighing and paying, Li Zan was about to reach into his pocket when Song Ran hurriedly stopped him and said, "Didn't you say it was my treat?"
Li Zan had already handed the money to the stall owner and smiled at Song Ran: "I'll buy the fish, you can take care of the rest."
The fruits and vegetables were fresh and colorful. Song Ran wanted to buy everything he saw and quickly picked out a bunch of oyster mushrooms, tofu, green peppers, cauliflower, cucumbers, fresh river shrimps, and leeks.
Li Zan was amused and said, "There are only two of us. Don't make too much. We won't be able to finish it."
Only then did Song Ran stop.
Li Zan's community is near the vegetable market, and there are some evergreen trees planted there. After a winter, the green color of the trees has become a little dull, but the sky is very blue and the clouds are very white.
The family compound was very quiet. This residence was an old house of one of Li Zan's political commissars, which was sold to him. It was an old house, and the price was not high when it was bought.
The house looked old from the outside, just like Song Ran's father's house, but when he opened the door and went inside, he found that it was newly decorated and very clean. It had two bedrooms and a living room, and since he lived alone, it seemed very spacious. It was unlike Song Zhicheng's house, which was packed with all kinds of things.
Especially the balcony, there is no clutter and the space is wide open.
The spring sun shines in, the windows are bright and clean, and you can almost smell the scent of the fine dust and sunshine.
Li Zan put the vegetables he bought into the kitchen sink. Song Ran gently pushed him aside and said, "Let me do it. Help me get some onions, ginger and garlic."
Li Zan then leaned aside and peeled garlic carefully.
Song Ran washed the killed yellow croaker and put it on a plate. He poured out the tofu for the side dish and rinsed it with clean water. He also washed the oyster mushrooms and green peppers and tore them into strips.
The oil in the pot was heating up, and Song Ran suddenly asked, "Do you have an apron at home?"
Li Zan was peeling garlic, he looked up and thought for a moment: "Yes."
He quickly brought an apron. Song Ran was holding a spatula in one hand and a fish in the other. When she saw the apron, she didn't know which hand to release first, and was in a panic. Li Zan was silent for a second, put the apron over her head, and walked around behind her.
Song Ran poured the fish in his hand into the oil pan, making a sizzling sound.
Li Zan stood behind her, slightly bent over, lowered his head, and put his hands around her. She took off her coat and wore a loose thin sweater. The wool was very soft, rubbing his arms, itching a little. He touched the two strings of the apron, pulled them behind her, tied them up and pulled gently. Unexpectedly, her body was so thin that the apron string tightened around her waist and pulled out two long strings.
Li Zan was stunned.
Song Ran felt his waist tighten, and his heart tightened as well.
Li Zan looked down, pursed his lips slightly, loosened his hands a little, and tied a bow behind her waist.
Just as he tied the knot, oil splashed from the pot. Song Ran dodged and shrank back, and the back of his head hit his chin.
He loosened the rope and stood up.
She covered her head and looked back, blushing: "I'm sorry."
He said nothing, turned around and continued peeling garlic.
When the fish was fried until golden brown, Song Ran added water to the pot, covered it with a lid, added seasonings, and started to cook the soup.
She returned to the pool and began to pinch off the shrimp heads.
Li Zanyuan was sitting by the pool peeling garlic. When she came over, the two of them inadvertently got very close to each other.
Neither of them spoke since they put on their aprons.
In the quiet kitchen, only the soup in the pot was bubbling, and occasionally a few shrimps were jumping in the plastic bag.
Song Ran lowered his head and pinched the small river shrimp, and suddenly said: "Let me tell you something."
"Hmm?" He turned his eyes in her direction, only seeing most of her back of the head and a small part of her face, her long black eyelashes drooping, and her small and straight nose. He casually glanced at the bow at her waist, her fluffy pink sweater tucked in, looking very soft.
“I quit today,” she said.
He came back to his senses, thought for a few seconds, and asked, "Is this the result you thought of?"
"Yeah. I've thought about it." She put tofu, green peppers and oyster mushrooms into the pot, covered it with a lid, and said in a relaxed tone, "I think what I need most now is to adjust my state, and then think about what to do next."
He asked gently, "Are you feeling okay?"
She was silent for a moment, then smiled to encourage herself: "Of course I feel a little sad, after all, I have been there for two years. But... now, I can finally relax."
Li Zan said: "In Wang Han's case, the police are investigating and collecting evidence. I heard that the evidence is very solid. You don't have to worry about him. Even in Zhu Yanan's case, key evidence is still missing. The truth may not be clear. But at least, Zhao Yuanli will be punished. He will not have the opportunity to harm students again in the future."
"That's good." She pursed her lips and smiled, threw the shrimp heads into the trash can, cleaned the shrimp bodies, and whispered, "I'm actually still a little confused now, haha." She laughed dryly twice.
"How to say?"
"I feel like I'm not really suited to domestic news, and international news, for now..." She said self-deprecatingly, "It seems like I really need to change jobs and become a museum curator."
Li Zan placed another peeled garlic on the chopping board in a row, looked at her sideways, and said, "It would be great if you could report on events or shoot news documentaries. Don't give yourself too many responsibilities and don't get involved in public opinion. I saw that you were very good at the work you did when you were in Dongguk, and you seemed very happy. You might be more suitable for recording."
Song Ran raised his head after hearing this, was stunned for two seconds, and said, "Yes."
He looked at her and chuckled, "Silly..."
"… "
Song Ran pointed to the two rows of plump white garlic cloves neatly arranged on the chopping board and said, "Who's stupid?"
Li Zan said, "We are having military training here." He pointed at the young garlic soldiers and said, "Stand still!"
Song Ran chuckled.
The soup pot began to boil again. Song Ran opened the lid and the fragrance filled the air.
She scooped up some soup with a spoon, blew on it twice, tasted it, licked her lips, and couldn't tell the saltiness for a moment, so she turned her head and said, "You try it."
She was going to scoop some soup into the bowl, but he came over, took the spoon from her hand, drank the remaining half of the soup, tasted it carefully, and said, "It tastes just right."
Song Ran took the spoon back, his face red from the steam, and said in a stammer, "No, did you add salt?"
"Need not."
"Then it's ready to go."
"Um."
The food was served, including oyster mushroom, tofu and yellow croaker soup, fried river shrimp with leeks, stir-fried cauliflower, and stir-fried cucumbers.
Li Zan tasted every dish, drank a bowl of fish soup, and said, "That's quite good."
Song Ran then laughed: "You're not bragging."
Li Zan looked up at her. Perhaps because she had been in the kitchen for too long, her face was flushed, and looked warm and soft.
It is already dark outside the window, and under the lighting inside, there is a sense of quiet and distant feeling.
He didn't stay in this house much, and most of the time it was quiet and deserted. Unlike today.
He looked away and drank the soup slowly: "Do you often cook at home?"
"I do it when I have free time. You don't do it often, do you?"
"Yeah. I eat in the cafeteria most of the time."
"Is the food good in the army?"
"Not bad. They change the menu and cook frequently."
"So we also eat in the cafeteria at the police station now?"
"Hmm," he said, "it tastes much worse than in the army."
When Song Ran heard this, he asked, "Are you going to go back to the army in the end?"
Li Zan paused for a moment without thinking about it. He slowly swallowed the rice in his mouth and said, "It should be."
It's only a matter of time.
After the meal, it was already 9:30 in the evening.
Song Ran packed her things and went home, and Li Zan saw her out.
The two went downstairs and walked out of the yard, walking side by side along a long road with deciduous trees planted on both sides.
Song Ran looked up at the night sky and suddenly said, "Hey, look, it's sprouting."
Li Zan looked up.
Under the street lights, tender green buds sprouted on the dry branches, gathering strength in the night.
"This winter has been so long," he sighed, "It's finally over."
Her eyes sparkled as she said, "Finally."
Li Zan stopped a car on the side of the road and looked carefully at the license plate.
He opened the car door, Song Ran got in, and waved at him: "Bye."
He closed the car door and bent down to knock on the window.
The glass fell down, and Song Ran looked at him with a smile: "What's wrong?"
Li Zan looked at her smiling face and paused for a second before he remembered to say, "Tell me when you get home."
"Yeah." Song Ran nodded, his eyes shining.
He couldn't help but smile, waved at her and said, "Bye."
The author has something to say: A-Zan needs to resolve one thing first.