"Why did you come to the hospital so late?"
Li Wenshan rubbed his face with one hand and said wearily:
"Our Arts and Culture Troupe just got back from a performance tour. The troupe paid out a performance subsidy, with special bonuses for several comrades who'd recently joined! Comrade Zhou Yunzhi was transferred from the Southwest Military Region, so she counted as one of the newcomers too! Given her special circumstances, and the fact that she'd taken part in the joint performance earlier, the organization decided to give her the same bonus as the others!
"I'm the officer in charge of this. I spent all afternoon handing out the bonuses, and by the time I finished, it was already this late! Zhou Yunzhi was the only one left, so I wanted to get it taken care of as soon as possible! I came to check on her and give the money to her family while I was here! I even asked my superior for permission before leaving the troupe! You can... verify all of that!"
"Did you tell the comrades in the Security Department?"
"Of course I did! Several times! But they said that even if everything I said was true, it didn't rule out the possibility that I'd seen a pretty woman and acted on impulse! But... but there weren't even any lights in the hallway. I couldn't make out what that woman looked like! How could her looks have tempted me? Besides, this is the Military Hospital! I never had any such intention, but even if I did, I wouldn't be stupid enough to walk straight into the line of fire!"
Song Ning continued, "How many people knew you were coming to the hospital?"
Li Wenshan paused and looked up at Song Ning...
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Just