Ban

Author: Wen Jinhai / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: When the phone rang, Tao Yong and Yao Xiaoqi were snuggling in bed, ready to have sex. Recently, Tao Yong had been traveling back and forth for several advertising projects, and had just returned to Fengcheng in the afternoon. He longed for Yao Xiaoqi and had been looking forward to dating her ever since he came back. On the way, he called her to tell her what time he would arrive and asked her to wait for him at his house. Tao Yong had been working at Fengcheng Daily for nearly a decade, considered a young veteran editor, though still single, he had recently caught the last bus for welfare housing and was allocated a two-bedroom apartment of over 90 square meters. Yao Xiaoqi had only been working for three years and, according to regulations, was not eligible for housing allocation. She had been living in the single staff dormitory of the newspaper office, sharing a small room with another young female reporter, which was quite inconvenient. Tao Yong’s house became their main meeting spot.
When he got home, Yao Xiaoqi was indeed waiting for him in the room. This made Tao Yong very happy, and he also felt content and satisfied. The two embraced the moment they saw each other and soon lay down in bed. But before they could do what they had come to do, Yao Xiaoqi’s phone rang—two short beeps. It was a message notification sound. Yao Xiaoqi wanted to check her phone, but Tao Yong quickly stopped her. A minute later, the phone rang again—two short beeps, not very loud, but it disrupted their mood, making them uneasy. Tao Yong could only irritably say, "Let me take a look. Who is so annoying?" Yao Xiaoqi jumped off the bed and walked to the sofa, taking her phone out of her bag and pressing a button. The blue screen displayed a message: "An old man died suddenly at the emergency center. The cause of death is suspicious—it may be an explosive incident. Please pay attention. If possible, meet me at the hospital after work. Please do not come to the hospital or call during working hours. Dr. Deng Qingbo, Fengcheng Hospital." Yao Xiaoqi couldn’t help but feel suspicious: Why did the old man die suddenly? What was the cause of death? Dr. Deng Qingbo seemed to want to tell her something, but he was hesitant and very strange. Tao Yong assumed she would finish reading the message and go back to bed to finish what they had started. Seeing her standing there frozen, he asked what was wrong. Yao Xiaoqi handed him the phone, and Tao Yong glanced at it dismissively, saying impatiently, "Don’t bother with it. What’s the news value in this? Fengcheng has over four million people, and there’s one million in the city alone. A few patients dying in the hospital is nothing out of the ordinary, especially an old man!"
But Yao Xiaoqi couldn’t shake her worries. After all, the sender was a doctor, and doctors understood the natural cycle of life and death. If the death was normal, why would he take the trouble to inform a reporter? She tried calling Deng Qingbo to verify, but found his phone was off. This only deepened her suspicion. Anyone with common sense would know that if a reporter received a tip via text, they would call to confirm, so they would keep their phones on to answer any questions. Yet Deng Qingbo had actually turned his phone off! Why? To save on phone charges? Or was there another reason? Or was it just a prank? Since Yao Xiaoqi had published her phone number as a hotline in the newspaper, strange calls had indeed come in, with people making up random "events" just to test the reporters’ reactions, or simply to chat with the female reporters for no reason. These calls were more like than tips, leaving Yao Xiaoqi both amused and annoyed. Could Deng Qingbo be one of those types?
Yao Xiaoqi checked the time and realized it was still work hours. Deng Qingbo had said not to call him during working hours, perhaps because he had something to consider and couldn’t speak freely. She decided to go to the hospital to verify what had happened with the old man’s death. Tao Yong was disappointed. "Do you have to go now?" Yao Xiaoqi understood his thoughts and comforted him, "Work is almost over, and I’ll go to the hospital right away. Once I come back, I’ll turn off my phone and spend quality time with you, with no interruptions, okay? Someone is so willing to provide a tip. If I ignore it, it will discourage readers from contacting me in the future." Tao Yong felt helpless. The life of a reporter is like this—news is a command, and even if something happens in the middle of the night, they must jump out of bed and rush out. Yao Xiaoqi appeared delicate and seemed soft at first glance, but inside, she was actually very stubborn. Once she decided to do something, nothing could stop her, not even force. Her mind was already in turmoil, and even if she stayed home and agreed to have sex with him, she wouldn’t be able to fully commit, nor would she enjoy a high-quality experience—it would be nothing more than an outlet for his desires.
Instead, it was better to let her handle the matter first and then enjoy some peace before they were intimate. He said, "I’ll go with you. It’ll be boring at home alone. Besides, if Deng Qingbo is playing a prank, I can at least give him a piece of my mind." Yao Xiaoqi agreed. They had always been a reporting duo, and before Tao Yong transferred to the advertising department, they had both worked in the newsroom as colleagues, frequently going out on assignments together. Their relationship was a classic office romance, one that had grown gradually through their daily interactions.
Dressed and downstairs, they hurried out on their motorcycles. P1-3