The Brain Science Case 64

Chapter 64: Another Voice in the Brain – 1

#Forgetting is a difficult thing. I don’t think I’ll ever truly learn.

**

A small sedan slowly pulled into the municipal hospital’s parking lot.

The car was parked smoothly, but Zhou Jinglin had no intention of getting out.

And she was a little worried.

“Are you sure it won’t take long?”

“It won’t. Just a little while.”

“Then… I had an egg pancake for breakfast. Is that okay?”

“This isn’t a blood or urine test. It doesn’t matter what you eat or drink.”

“You said before… it’s very narrow in there?”

“Yes. Are you claustrophobic?”

“Does getting locked in a bathroom while trying to escape a beating count?”

“If it led to you developing a fear of small spaces, then yes. It depends on you.”

It was actually fine. But the reason Jinglin had said that was simple…

She didn’t want to do that brain scan.

She had agreed before because of Tang Yingli’s tireless “suggestions,” but now she regretted it. Could she back out?

But she was already here, and Tang Yingli had even come with her. Looking at the trees being blown around outside, if she said it was too cold to have the scan, Tang Yingli would probably kick her out of the car with her high heels.

Rubbing her temples, Jinglin decided not to delay any longer.

“You don’t seem very willing,” her clean, sharp eyes were as usual, “are you okay?”

She had been caught. “How am I not?”

“Then why are you pouting?” Her index finger circled her own rose-colored lips. “That’s a sign of your psychological resistance.”

“I…” she bit her lip, “so what if I am?”

Tang Yingli couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s just an fMRI and a PET scan. Why does Officer Zhou seem a little… scared from the beginning?”

“Of course I’m scared,” she muttered. “I don’t even know what’s going to happen, and it’s not you who’s getting the scan…”

Tang Yingli crossed her arms. “I’ve done both. The scans are in my room. Want to see them?”

“You mean you have to use yourself as a test subject before you can study others?”

“You could say that.” She shrugged. “If you want to talk about uncomfortable… it’s probably the constant buzzing sound during the MRI.”

“A buzzing sound? Why?”

“Simply put, it’s because the radio frequency pulses stimulate the water molecules in your brain…”

“Stop, stop.” Jinglin decisively held her arm and stopped her.

“I haven’t even started explaining yet.”

“It’s not the first day I’ve known you. Your ‘simply put’ is not simple to me at all… since we’re here, let’s just do it.” She pouted and stomped toward the hospital entrance.

Looking at her determined steps, Tang Yingli pushed up her glasses with a smile.

**

Before entering the machine, lying on the bed, Jinglin couldn’t help but ask herself why she was sacrificing her precious holiday just to do the brain scan Tang Yingli had mentioned.

Although Tang Yingli had done her best to explain the process, to her, the unknown was the unknown. People are afraid of the unknown.

But what she was really afraid of was not the process of the scan.

It was, what if her brain really was as Tang Yingli had said… would this change her perception of her, and even affect their interaction?

With the outbreak of Li Yuejiao’s murder case, their relationship had also undergone a drastic change. Although she couldn’t say what kind of feeling it was yet, to her, Tang Yingli had long surpassed the weight of a “colleague,” and was even closer than a “friend.”

It was lucky that she hadn’t been caught when she had accidentally entered her room before. What about this time? Could this flaw of hers, this tendency to get angry, really be seen through a scan?

Just thinking about it was enough to make Jinglin uneasy.

But it was too late to regret it. The bed made a faint whirring sound as it sent her into the machine.

She tensed and closed her eyes.

This would take a while.

**

“I’ll leave the examination process to my brother for now.”

After Zhou Jinglin had completely entered the machine, Tang Yingli turned to leave.

“Where are you going?” he asked, grabbing her. “I thought you would be here with your friend.”

“I have an appointment with someone.” She tried to pull her hand away with a blank expression. “Brother?”

“Yingli.” Tang Zhichao lowered his voice, his brow furrowed, his tone almost pleading. “Don’t be like this.”

If she hadn’t arranged for Zhou Jinglin to come for a scan, they would have gone almost three weeks without talking.

It was clear that she had not accepted his proposal.

The moment she had refused, many emotions had flashed through his mind, including “why.” Why had Tang Yingli not accepted? She had not said the reason, but her reaction was as if he should not have proposed at all.

At his questioning, Tang Yingli had looked innocent. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Stop avoiding it.” He stared at her. “At least you have to give me a proper answer.”

“I thought you understood what I meant.” Looking up, her rose-colored lips were pressed into a thin line. “Is this your own will?”

Tang Zhichao was confused for a moment. “Of course it is. Do you think I proposed to you on Dad’s orders?”

“I didn’t say that.” She sighed as if in relief. “I never thought of being with you in that kind of relationship. Isn’t it good to be siblings?”

“I should be the one asking you that.” His expression was as if she had slapped him. “If you really see me as your brother, then why do you keep reminding me that we’re not related by blood?”

When she was first adopted, she had always called him brother, but at some point, “brother” had gradually become “senior.”

“Even though we’re not related by blood, I will never forget your acceptance and care for me. You have always been my brother, and that has never changed. As for the form of address…” she took a deep breath, “I just wanted to make a distinction.”

“What do you mean?”

“Although I am also Tang Yingli,” the words that followed had been buried in her heart for many years, “I am not the one who died.”

Tang Zhichao was frozen in place.

“At that time, I chose to accept this name because you convinced me it was for the best.” Although that was just a one-sided lie to make the Tang family whole. “But that doesn’t mean I’m a substitute for anyone.

“So, I didn’t become a doctor. So, I went to study abroad… to you, I’m no longer ‘obedient.’ That’s all.”

She had become the neuroscientist they had never expected, instead of going into the unsuitable fields of music or medicine to bury her talent.

She was Tang Yingli.

But she did not accept the life they had originally planned for “Tang Yingli.”

“We never saw you as a substitute for anyone…”

“You just didn’t say it out loud.” She looked directly at him. “Otherwise, why not just admit that I’m an adopted daughter? You’ve never explained it to anyone else, have you?”

He was speechless, because she was telling the truth.

“In that case, then don’t break this secret.” Pulling her hand away from his grip, Tang Yingli gave a bitter smile. “From the day you proposed to me, I’ve thought a lot… you’re right. I am cutting myself off.”

“Yingli…”

“That diamond ring, please leave it for the future ‘Mrs. Tang.’ I have other things to do. I’ll leave Officer Zhou to you for now.”

Shaking off Tang Zhichao, she pulled her coat tighter and strode out of the lab.

The silver pinky ring on her left hand still shone. She was proud of it.

**

“Keep an eye on the blood oxygen level in bed twelve,” Ren Liqiong said, taking off her stethoscope. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

She brushed her messy hair back, and before leaving the emergency room, she turned back and grabbed a paper bag from the table.

The person outside seemed to have just arrived. Tang Yingli strode over, her elegant posture in a long black dress, high-waisted coat, and suede high heels almost making it seem like she was on a runway.

“Sister Liqiong.” She waved her hand and walked over quickly. “I’m sorry to trouble you with this.”

“Not at all, it’s a small matter.” Besides, she could also take a breather. “Let’s go somewhere less crowded to talk.”

Although it was only in the teens outside, the sun was still bright.

Ren Liqiong untied her mask and let out a breath, while Tang Yingli was looking down at the medical record.

“You can’t talk about this. It’s a breach of patient privacy,” she said. “Also, these are the original files. You can’t take them with you.”

“I won’t get you in trouble, Sister Liqiong. Besides, I don’t plan to take them with me.”

“That’s good.” Ren Liqiong moved closer. “Who is she to you? Judging by her age, she doesn’t seem like someone you would know.” Especially since she had been studying abroad for so long.

“This is a friend’s mother. I’ve met her a few times too, although we’re not close.”

“A mother?” she frowned. “Oh, so your friend knows you have connections and asked you to get the medical records for them?”

Tang Yingli smiled and said vaguely, “Yes… something like that.”

Ren Liqiong instinctively felt that something was wrong, but before she could ask, she was cut off. “The surgeon, are you close to him, Sister?”

“Yes, I am. What’s wrong?”

Staring at a certain point in the medical record, Tang Yingli blinked to confirm. “Stage 3A liver cancer…” There were several follow-up records, and the most recent one… was the day before she had returned to Taoyuan.

And then the murder had happened.

Was it a coincidence…?