The Brain Science Case 103

Chapter 103: The Psychologist – 10

“Actually… old Tao once borrowed money from me.”

“How much?”

“It’s hard to say.” It was clear it wasn’t a small amount.

“Did he pay it back?”

“He did, he did. I heard… he was playing the stock market.” He lowered his voice. “Gambling, you know. You win some, you lose some. I heard his judgment was pretty good, but it’s inevitable that he would make a mistake sometimes…”

The implication was that he had borrowed more than once.

“Besides you, did he borrow money from anyone else?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know about that. I only lent it to him because we were friends…”

So he would borrow money from his colleagues privately? This is important information. “Understood. Thank you.”

After the information was compiled, it was all passed on to Tang Yingli.

“Why does your phone keep ringing?” Zhou Jinglin couldn’t help but pout.

“Chief Fang is sending me information related to the case.” She was looking at her phone and taking notes at the same time.

“So you’ve identified the deceased’s son as the main suspect, senior?”

She glanced at Lian Huizhu, who was next to her, and gave a small smile. “Yes, thanks to the details you observed. Once we’ve identified the suspect, the rest will be easy.”

“I say… why did Dr. Lian come with you, Teacher?” And she had even brought coffee.

Lian Huizhu explained with a smile, “Because I have a break this afternoon, so I could come over for afternoon tea.”

Really? She felt that this “on the way” was very deliberate.

She had heard that besides her clinic at the big hospital, she also had a psychiatric clinic near this hospital on Thursday and Friday nights.

This semester, Tang Yingli had classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Lian Huizhu’s clinic was “coincidentally” in the morning. She was also free on Thursday and Friday afternoons, and on Saturdays and Sundays, she was said to be on call, so as long as it wasn’t her turn, she could come and find Tang Yingli.

It seemed that besides Mondays and Wednesdays, she would see her at all other times. It was clearly a case of close pursuit.

But Tang Yingli seemed to be completely fine with it.

“Do you think, based on the current information, that Zeng Chonghao shows signs of narcissistic personality disorder?” Tang Yingli moved the organized notes in front of Lian Huizhu.

“Let me see… although the information is a bit one-sided, I think it’s possible.” From her perspective, Lian Huizhu was almost leaning on Tang Yingli. “His early family ties must not have been good. He both craved his mother’s attention and love, but was also in pain because he couldn’t get it, so he shifted his attention to objects, using expensive things to decorate himself…”

They… are too close.

“Dr. Lian, when did you start helping the teacher with her cases?” Jinglin managed to interject.

“Ah, because my senior thinks my specialty…”

Tang Yingli interrupted. “Finish your analysis first.”

“Oh, okay.”

Jinglin, knowing she was not welcome, turned her head away and refused to listen to Lian Huizhu’s psychological analysis.

The attending physician came over at this time to check on her injuries and ask questions.

“Yes, you’re recovering well. The fact that it doesn’t hurt means the wound is not infected…” the attending physician pondered for a moment and smiled, “we’ll observe for two more days, and if all goes well, you can be discharged this weekend.”

Finally. Jinglin was excited, and even more so to see the attending physician’s smile. “Thank you, doctor.”

“Don’t say that. You’ve been very cooperative, at least after the second injury.”

Ugh, can you not emphasize that last part?

After the attending physician had left, Jinglin touched the wound on her side and turned to Tang Yingli with excitement. “Teacher, did you hear…” that?

“…In my opinion, the probability of recurrence is very high. I believe he will definitely set another fire.”

She wasn’t listening at all…

“Then what should we do?”

“We can only have someone watch him. When dealing with such a suspicious and dangerous criminal, it’s best to catch him in the act.” Tang Yingli crossed her legs. “By the way, if you’re interested, Huizhu, would you like to try to help out at the station?”

“Is it the forensic psychiatry you mentioned before?” Seeing her nod, Lian Huizhu smiled. “I’d be very happy to try.”

“Yes, I’ll discuss the details with Chief Fang… after all, besides investigating cases, all the things related to psychology and mental health are thrown at me, and I’m getting a little overwhelmed.”

“You’re too tired, senior. You should find a chance to relax.”

She took a sip of her coffee, and her phone rang again. “It seems the problem with the electric heater has been solved.” She answered with a smile. “Hello, it’s Tang Yingli. Yes… that’s right…”

She lowered her voice and slowly walked to the hospital room door. Lian Huizhu did not follow, but just stared at her long, slender back as if she were mesmerized, until she was out of sight.

After finally looking away, she saw Jinglin’s defeated expression, and the coffee next to her was untouched. She smiled. “Aren’t you going to drink it, Officer Zhou?”

“Uh, actually, I don’t like coffee that much…”

“I’m so sorry. I only thought of my and my senior’s preferences. I’ll buy other tea drinks next time.”

“No need.” She opened her mouth, her voice filled with an uncontrollable anger. “I’m about to be discharged. I’m so sorry to have troubled you to come and visit me all the time.”

“What’s the big deal? You’re my senior’s roommate, so of course you’re my friend too.” She shrugged with a smile. “I forgot to ask… you’re very young, aren’t you, Officer Zhou? You have a lot of seniors.”

“Um, yes.” Nine years apart.

“My senior is a standard cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside person,” she said, leaning against the lounge chair and talking about her observations. “On the surface, she’s nice to everyone and very polite, but she will subtly show a distant attitude toward people she doesn’t like. Before I met you, I always thought that the people who could get along with her should be at least her age, or a little older, mature, and able to keep up with her jumpy way of thinking.”

“Oh?”

“So, when I found out that my senior was very concerned about you, Officer Zhou, and also showed a rare thoughtfulness, I was really, really curious.” Lian Huizhu gazed at her. “Especially since you were able to become my senior’s roommate… it really made me wonder.”

“What do you mean by ‘wonder,’ Dr. Lian?”

“To put it bluntly, what does she see in you?”

This sentence completely angered Jinglin.

She rested her chin on her hand and fearlessly met Jinglin’s glare. “Don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean any harm. I’m just curious. Because Officer Zhou is the type who acts on impulse. And although my senior is very proactive, she always considers the consequences… so why would she admire you, who is so different from her in her actions?”

Jinglin secretly gripped the quilt and heard her say, “I don’t plan to ask my senior, but I want to know the answer. So…”

“So you’re planning to question me?”

“Haha, that’s a cute answer.” As if she had heard a joke, Lian Huizhu covered her mouth with a smile. “My senior’s thoughts are not something we can guess.”

In other words, this sentence was like mocking her for not understanding Tang Yingli at all.

“I will find the answer by being by my senior’s side,” she said with confidence, drinking her coffee. “If I can enter your and my senior’s workplace, I will definitely understand, right? I’m really very interested. Whether it’s my senior or Officer Zhou.”

“You, I have no interest in becoming your…” her forehead was veined, and she was about to object when Tang Yingli had already returned.

“It’s confirmed that it was burned back to the machine from the outside. It wasn’t a mechanical failure…” Tang Yingli hadn’t finished speaking when she keenly noticed the strange atmosphere between the two of them.

“What’s wrong? Did you have a fight?”

Jinglin’s face was flushed, and the muscles in her jaw were twitching. She was clearly angry but had nowhere to vent. In contrast, Lian Huizhu was radiant and seemed to be in a good mood.

“It’s nothing…”

“It’s my fault.”

Tang Yingli first looked at Jinglin, who was trying to smooth things over, and then turned to Lian Huizhu. “I brought a coffee that Officer Zhou doesn’t like, and I also said some not-so-nice things. I’m willing to apologize.”

“What did you say, Officer Zhou?”

“Actually, it was with my senior…”

“It’s nothing.” She glared at Lian Huizhu, but said to Tang Yingli, “Nothing at all.”

“Is that so?” Tang Yingli’s expression was blank. “Huizhu, do you have time? Can you take me back to the station?”

“Of course. The clinic doesn’t start until 6:30.”

“Then let’s go right away.” Tang Yingli picked up her handbag and quickly left the hospital room.

“You have a lot of pride, don’t you? You’d rather be wronged than complain to your senior.”

“There’s nothing to complain about.” Jinglin pursed her lips. “You should take the teacher back now.”

Lian Huizhu’s face darkened slightly, and after a “goodbye,” she followed her out.

**

On the way back to the station, Tang Yingli finally asked.

“What’s going on with you and Officer Zhou?”

“Actually, it was just about you…” Lian Huizhu roughly recounted the conversation, but she was vague about the part where she had mocked Jinglin.

After listening to her story, Tang Yingli rested her chin on her hand. “Yes, so it wasn’t my imagination.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “What imagination?”

“Officer Zhou doesn’t seem to be very happy to see you, and you also have an inexplicable hostility toward her.”

“I-I don’t…”

“You think I can’t tell?” Tang Yingli frowned. “Huizhu, I know you’re very confident in your own professional field, but I’m not a fool. After all these years abroad and my training, I can read between the lines more than you think.”

She bit her lip. “I’m sorry…”

Tang Yingli snorted. “So you’re apologizing because I was right?”

“I just… I just care about you.” She slammed on the brakes at a red light and said emotionally, “After all this time, we’ve finally met again. I believe this must be because our fate is not over. Do you know, since we met in high school, I’ve… always…”

“So it wasn’t my imagination,” Tang Yingli sighed, this time her voice much smaller.

“Especially after you said that—‘as long as it’s the right person, it doesn’t matter if they’re a man or a woman.’”

“I did say that.”

“So…” taking a deep breath, Lian Huizhu decided to go for it, “is Officer Zhou the ‘one’ you were talking about, senior?”

Tang Yingli was taken aback for a moment, and she inexplicably thought of Jinglin’s expression when she had given her the scarf.

“What are you thinking? We’re just roommates. It’s not the kind of relationship you’re imagining.” She pushed up her glasses in frustration. “I don’t have that kind of feeling for her… and I don’t think Officer Zhou does either.”

“It seems your perception is wrong, senior.”

Lian Huizhu smiled, a painful smile. “Do you know, seeing you and her interact so naturally and intimately… I’m so envious. The thoughtfulness you show her, I’ve never seen it in anyone else.”

“It seems you and I are not that close.”

“Perhaps. But that’s because… you’ve never allowed anyone to get close, except for Zhou Jinglin. I asked Tao Qianya, and he said that it was only after her mother’s case that you two suddenly became so close.” Her eyes were filled with tears, and she gripped the steering wheel and said, “I remember it very clearly. The one time I drove you home in this car.”

Tang Yingli was silent, her arms crossed.

“That house looked so shabby, but I remember the dean said your parents were very well-off and had property in the north. Why did you come to Hsinchu to study? That house didn’t look like you were living with your family, but more like you were living alone, and you always seemed to be very distant from your family… so I was thinking, could it be because you and Officer Zhou have a similar situation…”

“You’ve been digging up a lot of information about me,” Tang Yingli said with a sarcastic smile. “You’ve really worked hard.”

“That’s because… I really like…”

“The light is green.” She interrupted mercilessly.

Lian Huizhu was forced to pull herself out of her emotions, and she was a little clumsy as she started the car again.

“I now know how much of an impact that short half-semester in our third year of high school had on you.”

“I even chose my profession to be closer to you. What do you think?”

“Don’t make it sound so pitiful, as if I forced you to study psychology and become a psychiatrist.”

“Of course that’s not what I meant. I just wanted to express that you’ve really changed me a lot.”

“Oh.” She looked out the window and did not respond.

It wasn’t until they were almost at the station that Lian Huizhu broke the silence again.

“After I met you, senior, I was very happy. Whether it was learning about the brain or becoming a psychiatrist… your appearance enriched my life, which is why I’ve always remembered you.”

“I know. After we reconnected, I have to admit I was happy.”

Lian Huizhu finally showed a small smile. “To me, that’s enough.”

The car arrived at the station, and Tang Yingli’s fingers were on the door handle, but she didn’t move immediately.

“Although I’ve said that to you before,” her rose-colored lips were pressed into a thin line, and she chose her words carefully, “I really haven’t met ‘that person.’ Whether in the States or in Taiwan, men or women. A lot of people have tried to confess to me, but I haven’t met that kind of person.”

“Senior.”

“Even so, I’m not lonely.” She held out her left hand. “So… this ring, I don’t plan to take it off yet.”

On that pinky ring was a beautiful and delicate small lock.

“Thank you for the ride.”

Looking at Tang Yingli’s retreating back, for some reason, Lian Huizhu lost control of her emotions and covered her face, crying and crying.

Until she had composed herself again, she put on her glasses and looked at the main entrance of the station. “I won’t give up… Senior Yingli.”