The Brain Science Case 25

Chapter 25: The Ulysses Contract – 1

#In that moment, what did it feel like?

**

The Tang family mansion was bustling with excitement tonight.

Mr. and Mrs. Tang, who had been on vacation with a few friends, had finally returned. Coinciding with their daughter’s return from her studies abroad, what was originally supposed to be a family dinner for four had, at the urging of the hospitable Shao Wanjuan, suddenly been upgraded to a welcome party for their daughter and a reunion for friends and family.

Because of the tight schedule, Tang Zhichao was swamped with cleaning the house, buying groceries, and decorating, and even she, the “guest of honor,” was not spared.

Should I be surprised? Her mother’s spontaneous, do-what-she-wants personality hadn’t changed a bit.

But what also hadn’t changed was her excellent cooking, which could satisfy any palate, and her cheerful, welcoming disposition.

At six in the evening, the guests began to arrive. Tang Yingli took a car home and went straight to the kitchen to find her mother.

“Is there anything else I can help with?”

“The quiche will be ready in ten minutes. Just take it out…” Shao Wanjuan, busy in the kitchen, turned around. “Yingli, you look so beautiful today.”

Yingli was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and pants, a stylish combination of bright white with a gray shawl. She had not only put on makeup but also earrings, a look that was both androgynous and feminine. The only thing that hadn’t changed was that she, who was already “a head above the rest,” was wearing thick-soled high heels again.

“You, on the other hand, with all this cooking… your makeup is smudged.” She took out a handkerchief.

“It’s fine. You’re finally back, of course I have to show off my skills… Don’t you miss the ‘taste of home’?”

“Of course I do. I miss your beef consommé, scallion pancakes, and rolling donkey, I can’t even count them all.” Gently dabbing Shao Wanjuan’s forehead, she smiled. “Anyway, I won’t be going far for a while, so there will be plenty of opportunities to eat.”

“But you’re not living at home… I heard from Zhichao that you’re even helping his classmate with a case?”

“Yes, it’s because I have to go to the station and the university that I’m renting a place. That way, even if my room is a mess, you won’t see it.”

Shao Wanjuan pinched her daughter’s cheek. “Tidy up a bit! All you do is work… Today is your party, so smile.”

“You say it’s my party, but almost none of my friends are here,” she said with a wry smile.

“Just think of it as showing your face to your relatives and friends. Speaking of which, Aunt Shuzhen’s son… that Yuzhe, I wonder if you remember him?”

“Yuzhe? Oh.” She pushed up her glasses, not particularly interested. “You mean the crybaby who cried every time he lost at chess and vowed to get revenge, right?”

“Uh, don’t say that… he was very happy to hear you were back. Yuzhe runs a company now and is quite successful. You two were so close as children. It’s been so long, why don’t you go say hello?”

She gave a noncommittal response and, to please her mother, returned to the party.

Looking around, the guests were either big shots in the medical field or musicians, all friends of her parents. Her father, Tang Yuzhong, had been the head of internal medicine at the municipal hospital and had a wide circle of acquaintances. After years of hard work, Tang Zhichao had also established his own authority. Just the two of them were enough to handle most of the guests.

It was her party in name only. In reality, she was like a guest, out of place.

“Ah, there she is… Yingli, over here.”

Tang Yuzhong waved at her. She couldn’t avoid him and could only approach with a composed expression. What followed was a series of introductions, mostly to elderly medical professionals. When she occasionally met a doctor her own age, they would inevitably ask when she was getting married.

She remained impassive, but inwardly, she wanted to roll her eyes so hard they would get stuck in the back of her head.

As Shao Wanjuan was bringing out the last dish, she quickly grabbed a glass of red wine and slipped into a corner.

“You’re the guest of honor, yet you’re hiding in a corner drinking alone?”

A cheerful, teasing voice suddenly cut in. She looked up and saw a casually dressed young man. “Long time no see. Do you remember me?”

“Lin Yuzhe.” The crybaby, she added silently, extending her hand graciously. “Of course I remember. You’ve gotten taller.”

“Ha, you too.” He took her hand, his deep eyes looking directly at Yingli. “Besides your height, you haven’t changed much in over ten years.”

“Oh?”

“You’re as beautiful as ever.”

“Thank you.” She was no stranger to such an intense gaze.

After a few pleasantries, she learned that he ran his own high-end clothing brand. “Would you be willing to come to my studio for a screen test? You have the figure of a model.”

Taking a small sip of red wine, she said, “I’d love to, but I’m a bit busy with work right now… maybe some other time?”

“Oh? Didn’t you just get back?” He was still persistent. “What kind of work?”

“I’m teaching a class at my brother’s alma mater. I’m also assisting the Criminal Investigation Division with a case, providing my opinion on criminal profiling.”

“That… sounds really busy.” Lin Yuzhe’s smile was a little strained, but he quickly perked up. “Yingli,” he said, his grip on her wrist both casual and firm, “do you remember our promise from back then?”

“A promise?” She frowned. “You mean the one about chess?”

Lin Yuzhe’s mother and Shao Wanjuan were old friends, so their children had also been very close. As far as she could remember, she had never lost to him in chess.

“That’s the one! You probably don’t know, but it’s been sixteen years since my last crushing defeat to you. Since then, I’ve told myself I have to improve my chess skills. I never thought I’d have to wait so long for this game, but I finally have my chance.” Lin Yuzhe gave her a wink he thought was charming. “One game with me, what do you say?”

“I don’t even remember the last time I beat you.” He remembers it so clearly? What a petty man, Yingli thought with an unconscious frown. “Do we have to play right now? My parents just got back, and there are so many guests today…”

“You’re not scared, are you?” he teased.

Her fingers tightened around the crystal glass. Yingli chuckled. “What do I have to be scared of? But just playing chess seems to be lacking something… didn’t we used to bet twenty dollars a game?”

“You want to raise the stakes?”

“Mm,” she nodded noncommittally.

Lin Yuzhe seemed to grow even more excited. “Then… if I win, you come to my studio for a date with me. How about it?”

Yingli readily agreed. “And if I win?”

“You can ask me to do anything. As long as I can do it.”

So confident? “Anything?” she confirmed again.

“Yes.”

She looked down and gently pushed up her glasses.

“It’s a deal.”

**

The mansion’s piano room was suddenly filled with people. Most of those who had come to watch were childhood friends of Lin Yuzhe and Tang Zhichao, and she knew most of them. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had grown up among boys.

Before the match, Tang Zhichao specifically pulled his sister aside.

“I won’t go easy on him. There’s a bet.”

“I’m just reminding you to be careful.” He pointed at Lin Yuzhe. “I heard Yuzhe was really hung up on his losses back then. He apparently even had a teacher. Don’t underestimate him.”

“Ah, that’s perfect.” Her index finger on her glasses, she gave a nearly malicious smile. “I was worried I would win too easily.”

“Hey, Yingli…”

Ignoring Tang Zhichao’s concern, she dusted off her sleeves and sat down on the black side of the board, crossing her long legs.

“You first.”

“Alright.” Lin Yuzhe was not one to be polite, launching a bold attack from the start.

“Yuzhe, don’t lose!” “All those years of chess lessons are finally paying off!” “Will the king finally be able to topple the queen this time?” The friends on the side were constantly heckling, and Lin Yuzhe bantered back and forth with them, the atmosphere lively and cheerful.

But Yingli quickly wiped the smiles off their faces.

Under her relentless assault, Lin Yuzhe quickly lost his rook, knight, and other important pieces, forcing him into a defensive position.

But when his queen was taken, he stared at the board, almost speechless.

Moving her queen, Yingli elegantly trapped his king with a promoted pawn. “Check.”

More accurately, checkmate.

“I lose…” His face was ashen, and he could only lower his head in defeat. “Another game.”

He met Yingli’s gaze across the board. In that instant, Yingli suddenly covered her mouth and exclaimed, “Ah, you haven’t changed either.”

His brow furrowed. “Hm?” What a random thing to say.

“Your expression when you lose is exactly the same as before.” She stood up. “A bet is a bet. As for your date, I can only say I’m sorry.”

After all these years, she had still only seen him lose at chess.

“Tang Yingli, wait…”

She adjusted her cufflinks and left. Before she did, she specifically turned back to look at a certain person. “What you said just now was wrong.”

It was the person who had teased Lin Yuzhe about the “king toppling the queen.”

Unfortunately, Lin Yuzhe was not a king. And she was no one’s queen.

“I… was wrong?” he asked, confused.

Yingli didn’t answer, just strode out of the piano room on her high heels.

With a cool, composed smile.