professional patients

The two continued walking towards their destination, their questions still unanswered.

"Is it a problem with the fire?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.

“I’ve seen the stove fire many times, and your mother didn’t hide it from me,” Bai Yunxian said.

“…That means there’s something wrong with her.” Cheng Xiangwu said, feeling insecure about her cooking skills.

"Could you please not say that?" Bai Yunxian asked suspiciously. "She deserves your respect, both in terms of her status and her condition. And why can't the problem be with the wax?"

Cheng Xiangwu felt that she had seen too many problematic waxes recently, and she was not good at this area, so she couldn't answer them all.

"Has your family ever used that recipe?" Cheng Xiang asked. "It's not just for cooking."

For example, making those strangely shaped candles in Gu Wanqiu's office.

“…I can’t find a reason why I need it, but I must have used it before, otherwise I wouldn’t have been asked to learn it, and I wouldn’t have had to ask someone for it without even learning it. Besides, there have been some problems recently, so I specifically came to you,” Bai Yunxian said. “Turns out you’re useless too.”

Cheng Xiangwu had nothing to say.

"But don't take it too seriously. The problems from back then aren't hard to explain now. If there were really big problems, they wouldn't have come to you only now. My mom probably wants to talk to you about something else. She has the recipe and knows you can't be a chef, so she wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for you," Bai Yunxian said nonchalantly.

But if that's the case, there will be a big problem. Cheng Xiangwu thought of all the things that had happened before, and Bai Langtao, who had gone mad according to Gu Wanqiu. It was really hard not to take "other things" to heart.

"It was your sister who was looking for me." Cheng Xiangwu paused, then, recalling the family feud Diana had mentioned, asked, "Did you see your mother when you went back?"

"Of course," Bai Yunxian nodded, saying matter-of-factly, "If my sister wants to see you, it's my mom who wants to see you. I think she's just too lazy to leave the house."

"...So you're just assuming your sister will be the next chairperson?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.

"Hehehe." Bai Yunxian smiled mysteriously and smugly, "This part is a family secret."

"Mm," Cheng Xiangwu responded.

“…Be curious,” Bai Yunxian said with a grin. “I’ll tell you if you beg me.”

"Please." Cheng Xiangwu didn't hesitate at all.

“Be more sincere!” Bai Yunxian said, dissatisfied. “Add honorifics and your request. This is a very important secret. The application letter for accessing the database should normally be submitted at least three working days in advance, but now it depends on your attitude.”

"Lord Baiyunxian, please tell me this very important secret," Cheng Xiangwu said expressionlessly.

"Hahaha—" Bai Yunxian laughed so hard that she bent over in place, showing no intention of standing up for the moment.

Looking at this person, Cheng Xiangwu felt that apart from her face, she had no resemblance to Bai Yuntian. However, the Bai she had met was also an imposter, and the mysterious Miss Bai Yuntian had never shown herself in front of her.

"Ahem." Bai Yunxian straightened up and cleared her throat after laughing enough, tidying herself up into a more organized figure. "Since that's the case, then I'll tell you."

"Speak quickly," Cheng Xiangwu said.

“My brother and I have always known that Mom would definitely make my eldest sister her successor. She was already sensible when the company was still in its development stage. She has always received the education that a successor should receive, and we were basically raised by her.” Bai Yunxian paused deliberately at this point.

"And then?" Cheng Xiangwu followed up in kind.

“Secondly, the eldest sister is actually Aunt Guanhai, who is the child of Mom’s sister,” Bai Yunxian said. “They worked hard together in the mountains. My mother has always felt guilty after Aunt Guanhai passed away because of the mining area. Moreover, the people on the board of directors all know that the next chairman will definitely be the eldest sister, otherwise things would have fallen apart by now.”

Bai Guanhai—this was the second time Cheng Xiangwu had heard this name. Unlike the naming conventions of her descendants, the names of the two sisters, Langtao and Guanhai, who were six years apart in age, didn't seem quite right for Senhu, a city not located by the sea, nor did they sound like they came from the mountains. But in any case, Senhu City only had one mountain, which was a series of rocky mountains near Qingshan Road, relying on Senhu, with mining areas at its feet and hollowed-out at its bottom.

“My brother seems to still be thinking about it, but that’s all he can do. He’s already married to someone else.” Bai Yuntian nodded. “Oh, he even has a child.”

It's obvious that she doesn't respect her own family much either.

"What do you mean by the mining area?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.

“The earthquake happened thirty years ago,” Bai Yunxian said. “Aunt Guanhai personally led the geological survey. Back then, it was hard to find experts in private companies. From any perspective, she was the most important member of our family.”

Thirty years have passed since then, Cheng Xiangwu thought.

During their conversation, the two passed the intersection where the car accident had occurred. The crowd of people who had come to offer their prayers had dispersed, and the candles and bouquets had been placed on the steps where they would not obstruct the normal passage of pedestrians. Although it was a pity, these regrets could no longer disrupt the steady progress of their journey.

"...What happened here?" Bai Yunxian asked, looking at the shattered stone bricks that even the tarpaulin couldn't contain.

You've come to the right person. Cheng Xiangwu, who almost became a victim, has the most say: "There was a car accident the day before yesterday. A truck crashed into the shop. Last night, someone was praying here."

“Is that so…” Bai Yunxian frowned. “This driver is courting death and still dragging others along. He’s just making things difficult for them.”

“No, the driver isn’t dead,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

Upon hearing this, Bai Yunxian took off her glasses, squinted at the direction of the shop, and asked, "How can someone survive being hit like this?"

"His eyes were still open when the police pulled him out," Cheng Xiang nodded. "We just don't know if he'll wake up."

"You know quite a lot." Bai Yunxian put on her glasses and stopped looking. "The emergency facilities in this hospital are terrible, but if emergency treatment can stop the bleeding and kill the bacteria, he should wake up."

The two continued walking forward.

“I was nearby at the time,” Cheng Xiangwu said, then asked, “What if he didn’t wake up even though he had no external injuries?”

“Looking at external injuries is useless; we need to look at imaging, whether it's locked-up, minimally conscious, or a vegetative state.” Bai Yunxian paused, then asked, “The driver definitely has external injuries. Why do you ask that?”

“There was a gunman here before. He was arrested and never woke up. He was taken away as a vegetable,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

"Take him away?" Bai Yunxian frowned. "The public hospital in Senhu City doesn't have a rehabilitation department, a nursing department, or even a neurology department. They only have a few caregivers. Where can they take him? And honestly, although the diagnosis of vegetative state patients is quite broad, there are no assistive facilities here to guarantee the accuracy of the results. Who made the diagnosis? And with a gun? Are you serious?"

"Uh." Cheng Xiangwu quickened her pace to get away from these questions.

"Hey Cheng Xiangwu, what happened while I was away?" Bai Yunxian asked from behind.

"It's nothing serious, just search it online," Cheng Xiangwu said, mainly because it wouldn't matter to the other party even if they found out.

Bai Yunxian remained silent, her pace slowing down. Suddenly, she sped up, leaped from behind, and grabbed Cheng Xiangwu's neck mid-air, twisting it backward. This murderous act startled passersby, who all turned to look.

"Tell me!" she said through gritted teeth. "Tell me everything, don't hide anything from me!"

"Hey, hey." Cheng Xiangwu hurriedly tried to pull off the posture corrector around her neck. More and more people were looking over. She felt that if she continued like this, she would be able to see herself and the thirty-year-old guy behind her who was still using this to coerce others when he took out his phone to check the local news.

"Are you going to talk or not?" Bai Yunxian practically climbed onto Xiang Wu's back. She glanced down and saw the teeth marks on the wrist under the gathered sleeve, and exclaimed, "Who did you mess with?!"

“…You.” Cheng Xiangwu patted the arm in front of her neck. “I’m telling you, stand up straight right now.”

"That's more like it." Bai Yunxian stood up again, raised her hand to adjust her glasses to hide her flushed face. "Now let's get out of here quickly. How far is the place to fix the phone card?"

"Almost there." Cheng Xiangwu straightened her collar and quickened her pace again.

This small shop, which claims to be able to repair anything, can of course also repair SIM cards that don't fit the slot. The whole process takes no more than five minutes, costs five yuan, and includes a free phone restart service.

"Let's go." Bai Yunxian stepped out of the shop, her spirits radiant as if she had received the signal herself. "Sister, I'll treat you to dinner!"

"Wow, thank you, sister," Cheng Xiangwu replied expressionlessly.

This time, Bai Yunxian led the way with her phone map, while Cheng Xiangwu followed behind. She told her that Qin Zixi, who had just been released from prison, was shot and killed in his home by an unemployed man with a sniper rifle through the reflective glass. The police arrested a person in a vegetative state and later tracked down a union member through an informant. During the arrest operation, the man escaped and crashed his truck into a shop at an intersection. It is unknown whether he has woken up yet.

"...I'm truly impressed," Bai Yunxian commented, walking into a convenience store by the roadside and opening the ice cream display case. "Which one do you want?"

“Chocolate,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

So Bai Yunxian walked in and out carrying an ice cream cone and an ice cream bar. Cheng Xiangwu reached out to take it, but the chocolate ice cream cone was pulled back.

“…Thank you, sister,” Cheng Xiangwu said, after which she received a sugary version of the Brain Cooler, a gift from Baiyunxian.

“Although it’s only been less than ten minutes since I officially connected to the internet, such a big event should have been trending on social media by now. When I was in the car, I had to type the full characters of ‘Senhu’ to get it to appear. And,” Bai Yunxian turned around, “Cheng Xiangwu, you know too much.”

“…Is there?” Cheng Xiangwu took a bite of the crispy chip.

"You came back because of Qin Zixi. He was killed. Why aren't you leaving?" Bai Yunxian asked. "Don't tell me you really want to be a chef."

"Because my agent gave me advice," Cheng Xiangwu said.

"...Come on, let's not even talk about what kind of foreigner would come here to work as a middleman." Bai Yunxian scoffed, "Everyone I've ever met whose profession can be classified as a middleman treats their clients as commodities, and their commodities as currency. Profession isn't the issue, identity is. Is she the reason you're staying here?"

"Partly," Cheng Xiangwu sighed softly. The reasons were complicated now. "I met her when we were working together, and she's been staying at my place recently."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yunxian turned around and looked at her with an expression that clearly indicated she had something to doubt.

"You remember Senhu No. 2 Middle School, right?" Cheng Xiangwu ignored the strange look in his eyes.

"I heard that the high school building at your school is going to be demolished in the next few days because of an unknown infectious disease." Bai Yunxian adjusted her glasses. "The disease is so bad that even the high school students' immune systems can't handle it, let alone the surrounding residents. But the building is already being demolished, and it's too late to say anything now."

“All the first-year high school students are dead, and the cremations have already been completed. She’s investigating this,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

"...Why?" Bai Yunxian asked.

"They say it's a natural phenomenon, but some police officers from other places are also investigating it," Cheng Xiangwu said.

Now she could understand why they said that. Those beings deep underground needed their hearts to beat a few times, needed to eat, and needed to hatch; humans really couldn't do anything about it. Climate disasters required models to predict, and the signs of those disasters would simply vanish into thin air, leaving only headless corpses.

However, when Cheng Xiangwu thought of this, she remembered that the Bai family seemed to have controlled the scope of the disaster's impact. She looked at Bai Yunxian.

"Oh, I see." She took a bite of her ice cream, seemingly neither surprised nor concerned. "That's going to be tough."

Cheng Xiangwu looked away.

"What does this have to do with you?" Bai Yunxian asked.

"Hmm?" Cheng Xiangwu turned her head.

"You still haven't said why you're staying here." Bai Yunxian shook her half-eaten ice cream. "Armed dangerous individuals, hit-and-run truck drivers, inexplicable foreign investigators, campus infectious diseases—what do these have to do with you?"

In the plaza in front of the shopping mall in the city, she stood at the top of the steps, one step away, looking back at the crowd against the light. Cheng Xiangwu looked up and felt that the scene was familiar. After many years, this person still liked to ask questions from a place where she wouldn't be affected by the questions.

"That's all that happened. The rest is my personal matter." Cheng Xiangwu walked up the stairs, her gaze fixed ahead. The mall was even more crowded than when she had passed through earlier. "What are you going to take me to eat?"

“…You can eat anything without queuing,” Bai Yunxian said.

The screening didn't work. Even the juice shops in the mall had long queues, and the supermarket parking lots were empty, not to mention those who could sit down to eat. People who wandered into the chaotic flow couldn't tell which queue was for which store.

"How come I didn't know there were so many people at Senhu? Is there some kind of festival recently?" Bai Yunxian asked incredulously, hiding in a corner to avoid the crowd.

"It's your mother's birthday," Cheng Xiangwu said, raising her voice slightly as it was too noisy around her. "Shall we eat out?"

"Where else can we eat outside?" Bai Yunxian asked, raising her voice.

"Let's go out first, we'll talk about it outside." Cheng Xiangwu said, lifting her foot and walking out of the mall.

"Hey, wait for me—" Bai Yunxian quickly followed, but someone cut in from the crowd, and her Crocs slipped, and she was about to fall to the ground.

"Hey, watch out." Someone caught her.

Cheng Xiangwu turned around upon hearing the sound and found that the kind person was Lin Che'an, who had been very busy lately. She was still wearing a formal suit that was a little messy from being squeezed, and her black square-rimmed glasses seemed to have been rubbed by Bai Yunxian, and were tilted on her face, covering half of her worried face.

"Thank you, I'm sorry." Bai Yunxian hurriedly thanked her and stood up straight. "Excuse me, are you alright?"

"No, that's not true." Lin Che'an adjusted his glasses, turned around and saw Cheng Xiangwu standing to the side. He smiled gently, "Isn't this Ms. Cheng? It seems you still haven't adjusted to the temperature here after a few days."

“Dr. Lin.” Cheng Xiangwu nodded.

"Are you two here for dinner too?" Lin Che'an smiled helplessly. "I can't even squeeze into the supermarket. To be honest, this is the first time there have been so many people. I heard that Ms. Bai Langtao invited a celebrity for her birthday. The celebrity arrived this morning, and many people came here hoping to run into her."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yunxian pursed her lips.

“…Come again tomorrow.” Cheng Xiangwu sighed, then asked, “Is Dr. Lin still working today?”

“Someone invited me to discuss some issues. For those seeking advice, wearing formal attire would be more convincing, wouldn’t it?” Lin Che’an blinked. “Besides, there’s a shortage of police manpower lately, so I do have to work overtime.”

As she spoke, she tugged at the hem of her shirt to make it look neater, but soon the fabric was creased by a couple who squeezed past her.

"Thank you for your hard work," Cheng Xiangwu said.

“I can hardly call myself…” Lin Che’an sighed, then smiled slightly, “I have to go now. You two be careful of the crowd and avoid getting hurt.”

"Thank you, you too." Bai Yunxian nodded.

After saying that, she waved to the two of them and quickly left the mall. Cheng Xiangwu let Bai Yunxian walk in front of her and also quickly left the crowded space.

“…Eh.” As soon as Bai Yunxian stepped out the door, she eagerly took a deep breath and turned back to ask, “Do you know that person?”

“A psychological evaluator from the Moriko City Police Department, I met her in the car before.” Cheng Xiang nodded. “Where should we eat?”

"I only remember a few in the mall. Wait while I look for them." Bai Yunxian took out her phone, opened the map, and searched for restaurants. All the search results that popped up were leading her into that constantly revolving glass door.

While she was searching, Cheng Xiangwu was pondering who else in the vicinity could get Lin Che'an to provide services on Sundays. The police officers who vomited at the car accident scene shouldn't be waiting until next Monday, and judging from their tone, the person seeking advice seemed to be looking for her for a personal matter.

Aside from psychological assessments, the only service she can offer is psychological counseling, but who would specifically seek out a police station to ask about psychological issues? Nowadays, it's obviously more convenient to do this online or by phone.

"Why are all these restaurants names so suggestive that they make your blood sugar fluctuate wildly? Can't they offer anything healthy?" Bai Yunxian muttered.

"You have diabetes?" Cheng Xiangwu asked in surprise, as this person looked quite healthy.

“No, but guess how old I am?” Bai Yunxian said. “Everyone over thirty should automatically make healthy eating one of the essential lessons in life, especially those who work indoors.”

Cheng Xiangwu, who is still two or three years away from becoming an outdoor worker and whose diet is arranged according to the forms and documents all year round, has nothing to say.

“Speaking of health issues, that suspicious person named Xiao Fu has excessively dilated pupils. Does she have a vision problem?” Bai Yunxian asked.

"I don't know, maybe it's because I'm getting old," Cheng Xiangwu said.

“...If you insist on saying it that way, then so be it.” Bai Yunxian looked up at her for a moment and then looked down again. “That Dr. Lin probably has some cardiovascular disease. Even in that condition, he still has to work overtime on Sunday. Civil servants here really have it tough.”

"I don't know, maybe it's because I'm getting old," Cheng Xiangwu said.

"...Let's go." Bai Yunxian put down her phone.

"What do you want to eat?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.

"I want to eat egg tarts, before I get too old to eat them," Bai Yunxian said.

So they found a fast food restaurant with fewer people. There were three egg tarts in the family bucket, and Bai Yunxian ate two.

"There's no reason for you to take on the kitchen job. Was it that agency's idea? Did they trace the investigation of No. 2 Middle School back to our company?" Bai Yunxian pointed the tip of her French fry at the person across from her who was silently munching on corn. With her hair tied up, she looked like a college student. "Or did they trace it back to our family?"

Chengxiang choked on the corn and put it down to drink cola.

"...Why are you asking so many questions?" She finally had time to clear her throat and vocal cords. "You said you just came back for a meal. As long as the food is good, isn't that enough? Anyway, there are plenty of capable chefs besides me."

“Since it’s related to our family, it’s normal for me to care. That real estate agent is too suspicious.” Bai Yunxian said with a French fry in her mouth, making her suspicions seem legitimate. “She’s familiar with you, so now you’re becoming suspicious too, you know that, Cheng Xiangwu.”

"...You know your sister has a boyfriend who's a homeroom teacher at No. 2 Middle School." Cheng Xiang couldn't remember the man's name for a moment, so she simply stopped thinking about it.

"I know, six or seven years ago, an expert was sent from above saying that Senhu's greenery was insufficient. The mayor, Gu Wanqiu, said that he immediately gathered more experts and said that this matter needed to be resolved urgently, and the campus greening was naturally part of it. At that time, my older sister had just been promoted to CEO Bai, and the board of directors kept finding fault with her, saying that she had no social contributions. So she funded the campus greening project. She was also present when the sign for the No. 2 Middle School's garden school was put up. At that time, the school sent a decent-looking teacher to receive my sister, that was Lu Que. Later, when I came back for dinner during the Spring Festival, I saw that teacher. By the time my sister became the chairman, they should be getting married." Bai Yunxian said thoughtfully, "Is he a victim? A suspect? A witness?"

Her words showed no emotional shift, and her reaction was at least much smaller than it had been at the apartment door earlier.

“The first one.” Cheng Xiang nodded. “We want to test your sister’s opinion on this matter; she’s not easy to see.”

“…That is indeed strange.” Bai Yunxian wiped her fingers. “Given my sister’s personality, this matter would not have been delayed until now for you and the police.”

"What is her personality like?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.

"She's the kind of person who treats her schedule like Tetris. Our family's security captain used to teach her swordsmanship, but she started using it as a break. My brother is terrified of her." Bai Yunxian probably wanted to laugh, but her brows furrowed instead. "I haven't even had a chance to see her yet. When did this happen?"

"It was about a month ago," Cheng Xiangwu said. In that case, Bai Yuntian's behavior in the office did indeed fit his personality.

"That teacher wasn't the only victim. Have you investigated all the others in a month?" Bai Yunxian asked.

“I’m not an investigator, and I only came back a few days ago.” Cheng Xiangwu shook his head. “I went to your company this morning, but we didn’t talk much before I left.”

At this point, she thought for a moment and then asked, "Did that teacher visit your home during the Chinese New Year six months ago?"

“...I went home before New Year’s Eve that time. There was something important in my team during the New Year, so we moved the meal forward. It was just a casual meal with a few of us from the family, not a banquet, so of course he didn’t come.” Bai Yunxian stopped eating as she spoke. She picked up her second cup of black coffee of the day and drank half of it in one gulp. “Even a broken relationship shouldn’t be like this. I’ll go back and ask him.”

"Keep it up," Cheng Xiangwu said, though she hesitated whether to ask about the Bai family's connection to the union, especially Bai Langtao's attitude.

According to Gu Wanqiu, the Bai family broke with the union "a long time ago," without specifying the exact time. Either she thought it was unimportant or she didn't know, but in either case, Cheng Xiangwu didn't think Bai Yunxian could know more. This person even had to eat New Year's Eve dinner at off-peak times, which clearly showed that she cared more about her medical career.

However, she still had to ask the questions she needed to. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "How much do you know about the union?"

"You're asking this because you think our family has connections with those people. Why?" Bai Yunxian countered.

“…It’s because of some things,” Cheng Xiangwu said vaguely. “If you don’t want to talk about it, then forget it.”

“…Okay.” Bai Yunxian pondered for a long time, then looked up and said, “I’ll tell you something personal, and you tell me something in return.”

Faced with this sudden secret exchange of time, Cheng Xiangwu nodded.

“We have a family chat group. We don’t chat very often, but it’s the only way I can communicate with my family.” Bai Yunxian waved her phone. “I came back for the New Year, and after I left, it felt weird to see what they were saying.”

She pondered her choice of words for a moment, “Everyone in our family uses a fixed range of words and tones, which we collectively call our chatting style. But later I felt that my sister’s chatting style had changed, and my mother’s speaking frequency had also decreased a lot. I couldn’t find out why, and their behavior during video chats didn’t seem abnormal. I felt it was very strange, so I took a leave of absence. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have really had to come back.”

After saying that, she crossed her hands and rested her chin on them, gazing out the window. "This is what my mom said—"

"There will be some interesting activities. Come back and play if you're interested." Bai Langtao's message sounded like an ordinary elder extending an invitation.

“Of course I wouldn’t abandon my lab mice and run back just because of an interesting activity. What if they were poisoned by an inaccurate dose of food while I was away? Then I’d have worked for nothing this month.” Bai Yunxian sighed. “But I feel like I might have missed something, and I can’t keep missing the next opportunity.”

Humans, as three-dimensional beings, can only grasp things in the present. When they recall and fantasize, they must always stop thinking about everything in the present so that they can confidently smear their thoughts on the ground or project them outward to prove that useless possibility. Now, now, now, the possibility of the present has been determined.

Therefore, I cannot accept that only people nowadays like to reminisce or fantasize. If only it were like this, if only it were like that.

That's why people who live in the present are afraid of possibilities. What if? What if it's true?

There are also people who want to consider both sides, and recently the most obvious label on these people has become well-known: ADHD.

“…What if something happens to them…” Bai Yunxian didn’t finish her sentence and turned to look at Cheng Xiangwu. “My mother and my sister both warned me not to have any contact with dangerous people. If I encounter them, I should call them immediately. I think there is some conflict between them.”

Moreover, this conflict could potentially affect the younger generation, and importantly, Bai Yuntian is an insider.

“…Actually, I also have a person I suspect in the future.” Bai Yunxian adjusted her glasses with her wrist. “There has always been a master around my mother, surnamed Dong. He’s been there since I was a child. He’s a few years older than my sister, but he speaks with the air of a conman.”

"Master?" Cheng Xiangwu found this profession quite novel. "The kind of master who tells fortunes?"

"She does other things too, like feng shui and meditation, but what she does most is spread unsubstantiated rumors about my mom." Bai Yunxian clearly disdainful of this. "All she does is put on airs all day, and my mom believes her completely. I used to always see her standing in my mom's office, all dirty and unkempt, standing by the window putting on airs, tsk..."

Her dissatisfaction with the person, profession, or phenomenon was almost palpable in her words.

"...Do you think your mother might be scammed by that 'master'?" Cheng Xiangwu asked. "But your sister is there too, on the same floor. She can't be scammed too, can she?"

“My eldest sister definitely won’t be fooled; she doesn’t even have the patience to listen to that kind of stuff.” Bai Yunxian snorted and waved her hand. “But in recent years, my mother has retired, so my eldest sister can’t keep an eye on things all the time, so it’s hard to say.”

"Is it possible that your mother's suggestion to contact me was her idea?" Cheng Xiangwu asked thoughtfully. This person sounded like someone who didn't consider empirical analysis of Xiao Fu's version. But even if it was a lie, being able to fool Bai Langtao for so long showed some skill.

“…That’s unlikely. Aunt Cheng knew my mother before that master.” Bai Yunxian thought for a moment and said, “But your matter is definitely related to my family’s matter. I can only ask as many people as possible about internal matters, so I plan to start investigating from other places.”

"Keep it up." Cheng Xiang nodded five times.

“…Alright then.” Bai Yunxian propped her head up. “So, it’s your turn next. What exactly are you doing here?”

She picked and chose what she wanted to say, and when it was the other person's turn, she asked what she wanted to ask directly. This seemed a bit unfair, but Cheng Xiangwu knew that it was useless to talk about fairness with this person, and besides, she also had a lot to choose from, with a wide range of options for her answers.

Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment, then took out the letter of authorization that Gu Wanqiu had given her. "The mayor asked us to investigate the case at Senhu No. 2 Middle School. She doesn't trust outside criminal police officers, and I happen to have some connection with her and am relatively free."

Rather than aimlessly pursuing the goal of catching the real culprit, Gu Wanqiu clearly preferred finding a way to reliably control the effects of the natural disaster, rather than simply controlling Goulson. The Bai family had used this method before, so they could expect it to work again.

The power of attorney was taken away without any ceremony. Bai Yunxian examined it over and over, then put it down in disbelief and looked at Cheng Xiangwu, "You're actually doing this well?"

Cheng Xiangwu was utterly baffled by this act of self-servingly placing himself in a clichéd storyline to provide emotional value.

"...What kind of life do you think I should lead?" she asked.

"Isn't this basically a universal search warrant, even though it's only valid in Moriko City?" Bai Yunxian ignored the previous question and continued to marvel at the contents of the warrant. "That mayor has never given our family a kind look. I never expected her to be able to provide something like this. Have you ever used one?"

"There hasn't been a chance yet." Cheng Xiangwu shook her head. So far, Xiao Fu has been doing all the work of finding information.

"What do you mean there's no chance? Make the most of all the documents!" Bai Yunxian slammed the power of attorney on the table and coaxed, "For example, with that person in a vegetative state, you can use this to get all the necessary test reports."

“You want to see it,” Cheng Xiangwu said.

“…I’m a professional, it’s no problem for me to take a look at you.” Bai Yunxian grinned and said, “And that truck driver is also from that union, right? He should be in the hospital now, and judging by the time, he should be out of danger by now.”

"Now?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.

"Now," Bai Yunxian nodded, "Do you still want to eat?"

While Cheng Xiangwu was downloading the ride-hailing app, registering, and verifying her identity, she ate a couple more bites. By the time the ride-hailing car arrived at the fast food restaurant, she had already cleaned up the trash.

The destination is the Moriko City Public Hospital. Zhang has now been transferred to a special ward area, while the driver who caused the accident is still in a sterile ward and will become Zhang's roommate after the infection observation period ends.

The letter of authorization was useful, but not very helpful. The hospital lacked specialized equipment and staff for MRI, only having X-ray and CT scans. Its departments were also incomplete; the more established departments were all clinical. Gastroenterology, nephrology, and orthopedics had sufficient staff, while rehabilitation was included within orthopedics, regardless of the location of the injury.

Since the driver who caused the accident was still unable to move, the two men obtained Zhang's CT images and other test information using a universal search warrant.

"This was only done because the police requested it; otherwise, an X-ray would have sufficed, since they'd already confirmed he was in a vegetative state anyway," said the receptionist who was showing them the documents.

"...Confirming a state of impaired consciousness requires at least twenty-eight days of observation. Forget it." Bai Yunxian glanced at the document, then looked up and asked, "Does this person have any testimonies from relatives or friends?"

"No?" the staff member asked doubtfully. "Wasn't this person brought here by the police? Some of his relatives and friends came to make a scene earlier, but they might be hiding. What kind of good person could be brought here by the police?"

"Fine, then we can't do an autopsy. What about the prognosis?" Bai Yunxian rustled the papers, her voice impatient. "If all else fails, just write 'discontinue treatment.' What kind of diagnosis is it if there's no prognosis? Who wrote that?"

"I don't know. I'm guessing a paramedic? A forensic doctor? This person had been lying in the police station for over a day, and they brought the medical report with them when they brought him here." The staff member shrugged. "We don't have a psychiatrist here, so how can we give an opinion?"

“It should be the neurology department…” Bai Yunxian looked at the ceiling. “Of course not. Don’t you consider sending the case to the lab? At least send it to a major hospital for an MRI to see if there is any bleeding or deviation. Do the diagnostic people think they are God and just sign off like that?”

"This is not something we can decide, ma'am," the staff member said helplessly.

"Where are the criminal police officers from other places?" Bai Yunxian asked in confusion. "They must be very anxious if they can't get any clues. How could they let this person just lie here like this?"

"Why not? It's always been like this, hasn't it?" The staff member said dismissively.

Upon hearing this, Bai Yunxian looked at Cheng Xiangwu and asked questioningly, "What do you mean, 'all along'?"

"I don't know." Cheng Xiangwu shook her head and asked the medical staff, "What do you mean by 'everyone is like this'?"

"If something happens, send them to the hospital. Once they're confirmed dead, take them to the morgue. After the family has a good cry, they're cremated," the staff member said, nodding. "Aren't there many 'all-inclusive' services on the street outside? But those claiming they can bring people back to life are just scamming you..."

She kept talking incoherently, not caring where her focus was or whether it was correct.

“…Alright, then tell me about the nursing procedures. What’s so special about this special ward?” Bai Yunxian sighed and asked, her tone already showing that she had no expectations of him anymore.

"It was originally intended for patients who couldn't take care of themselves. It has ventilators and monitoring equipment, but nothing more advanced. It's like a budget ICU. We don't usually accept patients in a vegetative state here, but since that person had nowhere else to go, we had to put them here for now." The staff member pointed in a direction as they spoke. "I can see you're in a hurry, so why don't you go and see for yourselves? I'll call the nursing station over there and you can come over."

“…Thank you.” Bai Yunxian nodded.

"Has the driver of the car accident from yesterday woken up?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.

"It's only been a day, I don't think so." The staff member looked up. "When this person was brought in before, they almost couldn't be saved. They were about to stop breathing, but then suddenly, for some reason, they were able to breathe again and their heartbeat stabilized. It's a miracle."

Cheng Xiangwu had a strange feeling that this person probably wouldn't wake up.

"Has no one come to see him?" she asked.

"No, just those police officers." The staff member shook his head.

"Was there a post-operative review?" Bai Yunxian asked. "Such a bizarre situation can't be blamed on God, can it?"

"We don't have that kind of custom here, like post-operative meetings. The surgeon who performed the operation was Dr. Liu from the orthopedics department. If you need one, just ask her," the staff member said, picking up the landline at the front desk.

The two first went to Zhang's hospital room.

Most people who cannot take care of themselves also cannot take care of themselves, their self-respect, or their self-love. Zhang possessed everything necessary for "a human being to live," but most people would not accept living in such a state. The ward he was in smelled bad, and he looked like a grotesque exhibit, but fortunately, neither of them felt uncomfortable.

"Professional sister, do you have any new ideas?" Cheng Xiangwu stood by the door keeping watch, watching Bai Yunxian walk around the hospital bed, and asked.

"...Let me make this clear first, I'm a researcher, specializing in brain structures, so my diagnostic skills are pretty basic." Bai Yunxian muttered to herself as she paced back and forth. "There are indeed no external injuries, and the test report doesn't show any abnormal wounds, but he shouldn't be diagnosed as a vegetative state. The observation time is insufficient, and his behavior doesn't match. The appropriate state is coma or stupor. Based on the current observations, it's impossible to determine whether it's an acute mental confusion disorder. At least we should find the trigger first."

Regardless, this is an early stage, and the patient should have undergone more testing and observation before being diagnosed as being in a vegetative state. The diagnosing person either doesn't want their license or is deliberately trying to avoid these tests, but the question now is who the diagnosing person is.

Cheng Xiangwu took the documents from her hand and flipped through them, only to find some illegible signatures. "Do you think there's any chance he'll wake up?"

“…Anyone can ‘wake up’ before brain death, but it’s strange that you’re asking this.” Bai Yunxian tilted her head. “Why do you think he won’t wake up?”

"Because we've done all the tests we could?" Cheng Xiangwu asked uncertainly.

“Wrong,” Bai Yunxian denied. “That’s not the answer.”

“…Okay,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “A professional said he is dreaming right now and can’t wake up from it.”

"First of all, a person in a coma doesn't dream, and secondly, dreams shouldn't be the reason for not being able to wake up. What profession is the professional you mentioned?" Bai Yunxian asked.

“…Occultism.” Cheng Xiangwu whispered, turning to look at the doorway. She had a feeling that Xiao Fu would suddenly appear behind her and attack her.

The ward fell silent for a moment, with only the steady beeping of the electrocardiogram monitor serving as a reminder of the heartbeat's presence.

"...Cheng Xiangwu, which occultism are you referring to?" Bai Yunxian's expression was both tactful and questioning. "Is it clinical or research-based?"

Cheng Xiangwu, who had been subtly reprimanded, took a deep breath and said, "In short, our investigation revealed that this matter is indeed unusual. The police have investigated this person's background, and there's no way he would use a sniper rifle, and—"

Cheng Xiangwu stopped there, because what followed fell into the realm of "mysticism," where she had little right to explain or speak. Speaking out here would only make the person feel like they were suited to be sold health products.

"And?" Bai Yunxian continued.

“…I can’t explain it to you clearly, but that’s not important to you anyway.” Cheng Xiangwu looked at Bai Yunxian and asked, “Why did you say he doesn’t dream?”

“Because dreaming is very difficult, and people in a coma don’t have that ability.” Bai Yunxian paused here and looked away slightly. “However, I can’t really say that absolutely. We don’t have any specific imaging results or related research on the brains of people in a coma yet. The physical manifestation of dreams is difficult to capture, so let’s leave this part to religion for now.”

“That means you’re dreaming.” Cheng Xiangwu nodded. “And the reason you’re unconscious is a concussion.”

"...Why are you so absolute?" Bai Yunxian asked. "Where's the evidence? People's consciousness goes through stages, and concussions require a trigger. The accounts of patients recovering from hypermetabolic coma cannot be directly accepted."

“According to your statement, I can’t provide you with evidence either, but can’t expert testimony be considered evidence?” Cheng Xiang asked five times.

“Even the most authoritative experts’ testimonies must be verified before they are used.” Bai Yunxian seemed unmoved. “Moreover, assuming the testimonies are true, if this expert skipped procedures and directly put this person into a vegetative state, and then directly elevated their brain function to the level of dreaming, wouldn’t this person find that contradictory?”

“They are not the same person.” Cheng Xiangwu shook her head. “I don’t know who wrote the diagnosis.”

"Who is that expert?" Bai Yunxian asked.

“…My real estate agent.” Cheng Xiangwu said, then couldn’t help but peek outside the door again. After returning, she looked under the bed and at the curtains to make sure no one was there.

"...Your guilty conscience makes me rather curious." Bai Yunxian pushed up her glasses. "Where did she come from?"

"Abroad?" Cheng Xiangwu said.

"Please specify the institution or college," Bai Yunxian said.

“I don’t know. All I know is that she harbors a lot of resentment towards her family,” Cheng Xiangwu shook his head.

“…Let’s go ask the surgeon.” Bai Yunxian sighed.

The orthopedics department was bustling, and the two had to wait a while before they could enter the consultation room.

"Oh, you mean the one who was brought to the emergency room the day before yesterday?" Dr. Liu was a well-proportioned middle-aged woman. Although she was a surgeon, she showed no signs of spinal problems. Her every move revealed that she had a very good exercise habit, and she would undoubtedly live a long time.

"I heard from the front desk staff that he experienced respiratory failure during his surgery but inexplicably recovered. He's been unconscious ever since. Could you tell us more about it?" Bai Yunxian asked.

Dr. Liu probably didn't expect to be asked such a question. He looked surprised, paused for a moment, and then put down the teacup in his hand.

"The driver's physical condition wasn't great to begin with. Most people who do manual labor in Senhu have some kind of kidney disease. He also had multiple comminuted fractures all over his body. When he was brought in, he was bleeding all over. After we put him on a tube, we tried to stop the bleeding and clean the wounds, but we still couldn't stabilize his blood pressure. At that time, I thought that he was probably injured somewhere in his internal organs. After all, his sternum was severely collapsed. If his lungs were injured, we would have to perform open-chest surgery." Dr. Liu calmly recounted, "But before we even intubated him, his breathing suddenly stabilized. I guess he had received enough blood transfusions, so there was no reason for us to continue with open-chest surgery."

After she finished speaking, she took a sip of tea.

"...That's all?" Bai Yunxian couldn't wait for the next step and couldn't help but ask, "Don't you find that strange?"

"What's so strange about it? Being alive is the best outcome. What's so strange about it?" Dr. Liu said disapprovingly. "Why are you doing research in this hospital? Curing patients is the most important thing. Besides, I don't think the police cared much about the deaths in the past. Instead of worrying about the cause of the disease now, we should focus on maintaining public order."

"Sigh." Bai Yunxian sighed. "Okay, I heard from the receptionist that the police came to check on us. When did this happen?"

"Nobody's here?" Dr. Liu said. "He's unconscious and wrapped up like that, what's there to see?"

"...But the receptionist said—" Bai Yunxian frowned.

"I guess they came in an ambulance and went directly to the front desk, so they didn't run into me." Dr. Liu shook his head. "No one has come to visit this ward these past few days, just the two of you. But I'll report to the police when you wake up, and then things will get lively."

“…Alright.” Bai Yunxian nodded after thinking for a moment. “When do you plan to awaken them?”

"...His breathing is normal, and we didn't try to keep him calm. We just waited for him to wake up naturally, and he should be awake by now." Dr. Liu scratched his head. "If he hit his head, there's nothing we can do."

With some medical advice in hand, the two left the hospital.

The square in front of the hospital is always crowded; there are always patients, and people die every day.

“Based on that expert’s opinion, both of them could also be considered as having delayed concussion coma. Let’s not talk about the dreaming part for now, I’ve never seen an onset of the illness during surgery.” Bai Yunxian said thoughtfully, “The reason we can’t make a diagnosis is that the trigger is unknown and unusual. Do you have any guesses about the trigger, especially for the first one?”

Of course there are, Cheng Xiangwu even experienced it herself, but just like before, she doesn't have much to say.

"Can't explain it clearly again?" Bai Yunxian tilted her head and chuckled. "Judging from this, that expert is comparable to a forensic doctor to you."

“You could say that,” Cheng Xiangwu nodded. “Actually, if you think your family members are acting strangely, the best way to investigate is to ask them directly, rather than investigating from the outside.”

Not to mention that Bai Yunxian is someone who studies away from home all year round, so this kind of examination will not reveal anything. The hospital may be a place that medical students are familiar with, but she obviously has problems with acclimatization.

“…Of course I will ask.” Bai Yunxian said after a moment of silence, then raised her hand and slapped Cheng Xiangwu on the shoulder. “You have no right to remind me of this. You haven’t shown any interest in investigating the fire you started all these years.”

With a snap, Cheng Xiangwu touched his fur collar, not correcting the topic that the man had changed the subject of.

“…Because I didn’t think there was anything worth investigating,” Cheng Xiangwu said softly, then asked, “Did you investigate?”

"I just took a quick look, I'm very busy," Bai Yunxian said vaguely. "Anyway, I can confirm that the fire started from the inside, and it's most likely on the second or third floor."

“I see.” Cheng Xiangwu nodded.

"...Give me a bigger reaction!" Bai Yunxian scolded. "At least express whether you are satisfied with this answer, what your doubts are, what it reminds you of, and send it to me in a critical report. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. tonight!"

“Ugh…” Cheng Xiangwu felt this was too troublesome.

Bai Yunxian walked up to Cheng Xiangwu in a few steps. The two looked at each other, and her glasses flashed. Suddenly, she reached out and pinched both sides of his cheeks, pulled them, and squeezed them upwards.

"Repeat it for me." Bai Yunxian stared at Cheng Xiangwu and said, "Yes, thank you for your trust."

Cheng Xiangwu had no choice but to maintain a forced smile and say, "...Yes, thank you for your trust." As she spoke, she almost bit the inside of her cheek.

"That's more like it." Bai Yunxian squeezed her hand a couple more times before letting go with satisfaction. "If the report is sincere enough, then I'll tell you another top-secret piece of information."

"Can you tell me now if I'm begging you?" Cheng Xiangwu rubbed his chin.

"...How come I don't remember you being such a shameless person?" Bai Yunxian asked in confusion, then said seriously, "Anyway, I'm going home now, or my eyeballs will pop out of my head if I don't go to sleep soon."

"Good night." Cheng Xiang nodded.

“But if you don’t send me the report on time, I’ll come to your house tonight to get it, understand?” Bai Yunxian asked with a smile.

“…I understand.” Cheng Xiang nodded five times. “I really understand. I’ll write it when I get back.”

"That's more like it," Bai Yunxian nodded.