The Brain Science Case 130

Chapter 130: The Collapsing Tower – 11 (End)

After a careful examination of the MRI, Cui Jinlong’s condition was finally diagnosed. Tang Zhichao couldn’t help but blurt out as he left the hospital with Yingli—

“The cause of the illness is a brain abscess.”

“Caused by a bacterial infection in the brain?” Seeing him nod, Yingli rested her chin on her hand. “It has already infiltrated the motor nerves, so it must have had a great impact on his life. To think that he didn’t have a physical examination at all…”

He shrugged. “It’s not uncommon for doctors to be so busy that they neglect their own health, especially since he’s the head of surgery.”

“Since it’s been diagnosed,” Yingli said, getting into the car and buckling her seatbelt, “you’ll be operating on him, won’t you?”

The action of inserting the car key paused, and he looked up and heard Yingli continue, “In my opinion, you’re not very willing, are you?” she pushed up her glasses, “after all, he operated on a patient while he was sick, and he also let Dr. Yao take the fall for him.” and it had led to Yao Wenyu’s subsequent suicide attempt, which had almost killed him.

He was silent, and the car slowly drove to the parking lot entrance.

“I can understand your feelings, but a patient is a patient. Whether they are a philanthropist or a murderer, as a doctor, you have to treat them all the same, don’t you?”

“Before, maybe.”

“Are you planning to let him die, senior?”

The hand holding the steering wheel tightened abruptly. “No, Director Cui’s surgery… I will still do it. And it has to be me.”

As if she were stunned by his fierce gaze, the person who was speechless was suddenly Yingli.

“Although I haven’t actually opened his brain to check… but with that degree of infiltration, I dare say that there are no more than three doctors in the hospital, including me, who can do this surgery, and with Dad and the director’s old friendship… I will definitely be asked to do this surgery.”

He lightly stepped on the gas. “The next thing I’m going to say, I’m only telling you… you’re right. I am indeed very unwilling, not just because Director Cui operated while he was sick, which put the patient in danger, but also because the director, in order to get funding for the medical research park, specially curried favor with the Yan family, and sacrificed Wenyu to protect Director Cui. I am also very dissatisfied with these actions.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard you speak in such an angry tone.”

“The actual dark side is not just this. What noble ideals of a doctor, the passion that was cultivated all the way through medical school and internship, only to find that it’s useless in the workplace… if it weren’t for the patients who need me, and I wanted to save one person at a time, I would have either left the big hospital long ago, or I would have been assimilated by people like Director Cui and the director.”

“It seems what she said is true…” she couldn’t help but mutter. Tang Zhichao is really very dissatisfied with the current situation.

“What did you say?”

“Ah, nothing. These thoughts, were they the main reason you and Sister Liqiong broke up?”

He snorted. “Of course not. Liqiong, who is always racing against time in the emergency room, is much stronger than me. We almost never talk about work privately.”

“Then what?”

“Didn’t I tell you?” he looked at her pointedly, “by the way, you’ve tried on the ring, right?”

Although she hadn’t actually tried it on, Tang Zhichao was right—that ring was indeed her ring size. “If you really like me, then why did you only propose to me after so many years?”

“It’s more like I only realized after I had been dating Liqiong for a while that she wasn’t suitable for me… she was more eager for marriage and love than I had thought. Did you hear her say that? She even plans to have children.”

“I haven’t heard that.” Yingli crossed her arms and looked up to see the MRT station entrance. “You can just drop me off here. I have to go back to the station.”

“At this time?” It was almost 8:30.

“Yes, to deal with the special project… I’ve already told Chief Fang.” She told a small lie without a trace.

Although he was confused, Tang Zhichao still stopped the car as she wished.

“Although it’s just helping, seeing you spend so much energy and time at the station… should I consider asking Zijun to get you a formal position?”

“The head of the Criminal Investigation Division doesn’t have that much authority. Alright, you go back and rest.” She waved her hand and closed the car door.

“Wait a minute, Yingli.” He rolled down the window. “When will you give me an answer?”

“Didn’t I already give you an answer?” she smiled, a half-smile.

His expression was instantly filled with disappointment. “Are you really not going to consider it?”

“Brother, I’m being very, very serious… I have no interest in marriage at all.” Stopping, she turned and said in a low voice, “with your conditions, it shouldn’t be hard to find a suitable partner. I’ll find a chance to give you back the ring.”

“Yingli…”

“Go back early. Goodbye.”

Another failed attempt. Tang Zhichao could only watch as Yingli disappeared into the MRT station entrance. He rolled up the window and wiped his face as if to compose himself.

At that moment, the phone rang. Staring at the caller ID, he temporarily turned off the engine. “Hello?”

A light laugh came from the woman on the other end of the line. ‘I saw her get out of the car… did you fail?’

“Yes, she formally refused.”

‘What a shame.’ she drew out the word, ‘then, about Director Cui’s surgery, what are you planning to do?’

“Yes, I’ll take it.” His eyes were filled with a fierce determination. “Leave it to me.”

‘Could it be… you’re planning to use a medical procedure to get revenge?’

“Although I haven’t actually observed the condition… but from the looks of it, it should have already infiltrated to a very deep level. The surgery is already very difficult, and it’s very difficult to not damage the motor nerves at all.”

‘I see…’

“And it was because of that that you were injured in the wrong place when you had ‘your’ surgery.”

‘Not just for your friend? Alright, I’ll gladly accept this kindness from Dr. Tang. But Dr. Tang… I was originally looking forward to recruiting her.’

“I’m sorry, I’ve tried everything.”

‘You don’t have to apologize. You’ve already helped a lot. I’ll find a way to do the rest myself.’

“Yes, keep in touch.”

‘Keep in touch.’

**

She had said she was going back to the station as an excuse, but Yingli had suddenly remembered she had forgotten something, and going back to the office had suddenly become a necessity.

“T-Teacher?”

“That’s great. Officer Chen is still here.”

“I’m about to leave work too, but there are still people on duty.”

“Ah, I just came back to get something. I’ll be leaving soon too.”

“Yes, you’ve worked hard, Teacher.” Chen Huomu said, walking away with a light step.

“You too.” Hurrying back to her desk, Yingli lifted a pile of documents. “Where… where is it?”

It is said that a truly intelligent person does not keep their environment too clean, but she was only used to leaving things in a mess at her workplace, which had created the strange phenomenon of her rental room being neat and tidy, but her desk at the station being a complete mess. Anyone who had only seen her desk would never have imagined that she had a clean and tidy apartment.

“Ah… found it.” She took out the book, which was filled with notes and labels. It was the textbook she used to prepare for her classes. Putting the book in her bag, she looked up and unexpectedly met another pair of pretty, thick-browed, big eyes.

Yingli couldn’t help but step back. “Zhou…” Jinglin. So she’s still here…

Jinglin, who looked like she was about to leave work, was filled with anger. She suppressed it, took a deep breath, and said, “I’ll take you back… and I have something to talk to you about.”

Yingli followed her to the familiar small white car. “The analysis you left, I’ve already seen it all.”

The document she had left this morning was the one she had painstakingly organized last night, the various suspicious points after she had clarified the medical malpractice that had happened to Li Yuejiao. After much thought, she had decided not to hide it anymore.

As Li Yuejiao’s daughter, she had the right to know.

“Yes.”

“So that’s the reason you’ve been going to the hospital so often these past few days.” Jinglin’s lips curved into a sarcastic smile. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

“What change of heart…”

“Weren’t you so unwilling to reveal any information before? Especially since you’re now a member of the special task force, you have an obligation to keep the project you’re investigating confidential.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

“In that case,” opening the car door, she looked at Yingli across from her, “why are you mixing business with pleasure at this time?”

“So you’d rather I be professional?”

“I’m asking you why.”

The same standoff, the same angry face from Jinglin, but this time, Yingli was no longer silent. “That’s because someone reminded me… that I should tell you the information that is related to you, and to give you the right to judge and act, instead of me taking the lead as I thought.” Her index finger on her glasses, she met Jinglin’s gaze. “Even if you feel conflicted, confused, and sad… that is your right.”

Jinglin smiled. “Ha, we have a great rapport, don’t we? I just suddenly realized today that even two people who are very close can’t completely understand each other. When I found out my mom wasn’t actually dead, I was angry at your concealment, but I only found out later… that compared to this, what I really hate is you, who is unwilling to explain.”

Yingli was silent. “Get in.” Jinglin patted the car window, and the two of them got in at the same time.

Closing the car door and shutting out the cold wind and the outside noise, the air in the car was so quiet that they could clearly hear each other’s breathing.

“Can you tell me the reason now?”

“Actually, it’s nothing special. I knew you would ask me for an answer, but at that time, I still hadn’t figured out the reason why your aunt might have faked her death… and I wasn’t sure if she had really escaped as expected, even if heparin was found at the scene. Instead of throwing out a bunch of guesses, it was better to temporarily keep this fact…”

“And then you quickly found out that my mom had formed a criminal organization?”

“The more I investigated, the more I found that your aunt had premeditated it. The whole case seemed to be for personal revenge, but it also seemed to be hiding a bigger, unknown reason. Especially when she committed the kidnapping of Dr. Su, and colluded with Shi Changyun to commit the crime, and almost burned Zhou Jingxun to death… I really couldn’t say it.” Yingli bit her lip and looked out the window. “I just didn’t want you, who had just been through the grief of losing your mother, to suddenly find out that you had been used and fooled, and even to know the dilemma of your mother’s position being opposite to your own… that’s all.”

“Yes, you’re right. I was in a position where I was neither here nor there. But after I figured it out, I became even more firm in my position as a detective. I will never do anything to disgrace my responsibility and my identity.”

“I know. Chief Fang mentioned it to me yesterday.”

“And then, until the end of the interrogation at noon, I found out that you had given me a ‘surprise.’” Jinglin forcefully crumpled the paper. She crumpled it into a ball and threw it at Yingli, then opened her arms—

“Zhou…” Yingli was taken aback, because Jinglin had crossed the gearshift and had hugged her. “Officer Zhou?”

“I cherish you. The feelings between us…” Jinglin choked out, holding Yingli tightly in her embrace, “is like friends, and like family. I deeply feel that if we were to just stop here, it would be too much of a shame… but I also hate your lack of frankness. Do you think that if you don’t say it, I can understand everything?”

Yingli pursed her lips. “That’s right.”

“That’s impossible. You are you, and I am me, not to mention your poker face is so hard to read.”

“I know… my method was wrong.”

Jinglin’s eyes suddenly widened. Yingli pushed up her glasses. “What’s wrong? Your eyes are so wide…”

“Are you… admitting your mistake?”

“Um, ah… I guess so.” She looked away, a little uncomfortable. “Whether it’s a projection of my own feelings, or the rapport we’ve developed from living together as friends and roommates… to think that you would understand my actions, to put it bluntly, is also because of enough trust, right?”

“Tang Yingli.” Jinglin couldn’t help but laugh, and she pressed her face to her neck. “I found that this is the first time you’ve spoken so nicely.”

“Is this considered nice?”

“Of course it is. You have no idea how desperate I was that day when you stubbornly said, ‘I have nothing to say.’ ” The anger she had been holding back finally dissipated, and Jinglin looked at her with a smile. “But when I saw that you were still willing to use this scarf, and when I received the note you left, I thought… at least you’ve shown your goodwill, and I don’t plan to let us stay in this stalemate.”

“Yes… since we’ve already talked it out,” Yingli pointed to her arm, which was hooked around her neck, “can you let go now?”

Jinglin chuckled and mischievously tightened her arms again. “You’re still not used to physical contact with others, are you?”

“Y-Yes… you’re so deliberate.”

Jinglin pulled back, and after a moment of gazing at her, she said, “Let’s go, let’s go home.”

“Home?”

“Back to your place. You…” Jinglin started the engine and at the same time gave her a sideways glance, “you didn’t throw away my clothes and all that, did you?”

“Of course not. They’re all still the same.”

“Is Antisocial Personality still as fond of eating?”

Yingli smiled. “Ah, I’ve been coming home very late these past two or three days. She’s been waiting very impatiently.”

“I knew you weren’t good to her.”

“I’ve noticed that whenever she hears your footsteps, she stands up straight and stares at the door, without fail.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Then I have to give her a good hug.” she raised an eyebrow, and the car quickly slid into the driveway, “by the way, Tang Yingli.”

“Hm?”

Staring at Yingli’s calm appearance, Jinglin smiled. “Compared to your awkward stubbornness, I found that…”

“What?”

“A frank you is even cuter.”

She pouted and looked out the window without a word.

**

As a former high-ranking official of the Investigation Bureau, Wei Yumin had a detached house in Taipei, which was for the convenience of meeting people for dinner and also an important place to store various confidential documents.

Even though it had been over twenty years since the incident, he still regularly arranged for a cleaning lady to clean it, especially after he had come back.

But Liu Jinmei, who had been cleaning this place for many years, had a vague feeling that something was not right from the moment she had opened the door.

The door was not locked. Did she forget to lock it when she was cleaning before… no. Wei Yumin is back in Taiwan, and he lives here. Don’t be fooled by his age, his mind is still very clear.

Could it be…

She pushed open the main door, and the room was in a mess, with traces of having been ransacked.

“Mr. Wei… Mr. Wei.”

She called out, but there was no answer. She was both surprised and scared as she explored the room, and finally, in the bedroom, she found Wei Yumin—already dead, and covered in blood.

An out-of-control scream suddenly erupted, and she scrambled to escape, leaving behind the corpse with a bullet in its forehead and its mouth taped shut.

The safe by the bed was already open. It was empty.