The Genius Female Forensic Pathologist, The Psychological Anatomist

After work, Fang Rui and Mu Mian drove to the hospital to visit Zhang. Mu Mian had specifically gone to a gift shop to pick out a present and had the store owner wrap it carefully.

Zhang had been moved to the ICU and was still unconscious. The doctors said his condition was very critical, and there was a high likelihood he would remain in a vegetative state. Chen Xue had taken time off and had been sitting outside the ward, waiting for Zhang to wake up.

Mu Mian looked at Zhang through the glass. His head was wrapped in bandages, and he was hooked up to a ventilator, devoid of his usual energy. She shook the gift in her hand and whispered softly to Zhang, "Officer Zhang, do you want to know what's inside this gift box? You’ll have to get better soon so you can open it."

Zhang remained silent and motionless, seemingly unmoved by Mu Mian’s gift. Chen Xue sat quietly on a chair in the hallway. Zhang’s parents had urged her to go home and rest, but she hadn’t left.

Mu Mian comforted her, "Chen Xue, Zhang will wake up. He still wants to marry you."

Chen Xue stared at the ring in her hand and said nothing.

Fang Rui spoke up, "We’ve caught the person who hit Zhang. The mastermind behind it is Bai Jing, and it’s likely connected to the Jiangmiao Group."

Chen Xue continued to look down, seemingly oblivious to Fang Rui’s words, her focus entirely on the ring in her hand.

Fang Rui waited for her to come clean. If she was indeed part of the same organization as Bai Jing, and the organization had harmed Zhang, would Chen Xue betray them for Zhang’s sake?

Mu Mian reached out and hugged Chen Xue, comforting her, "Chen Xue, Zhang needs you right now. You can’t collapse from exhaustion. You need to rest."

"Alright, I’ll rest tomorrow," Chen Xue forced a stiff smile and hugged Mu Mian back.

"Chen Xue, you have to believe that Zhang will get better."

"Thank you, Mu Mian. No matter what happens, you’ll always be my best friend," Chen Xue whispered in her ear.

Mu Mian felt a lump in her throat. She wasn’t sure if Chen Xue was a bad person or if she was deceiving her, but in that moment, she believed that Chen Xue truly saw her as her best friend.

When Mu Mian got home and was eating a sandwich, she thought about the two files again.

The "Genius Brain Project"? Was someone trying to create genius babies? Mu Mian remembered her aunt’s words: "You mustn’t let Miao Miao become smart. Becoming smart will kill her." Did her aunt mean becoming a genius?

She glanced at the book on her shelf, *Flowers for Algernon*, a science fiction novel her aunt had given her. In the book, the author described a surgery that could make people smarter. Was her aunt hinting at something?

Mu Mian had read the book before, so when her aunt gave it to her, she hadn’t bothered to open it again. She quickly flipped through it and found a note written in pencil on page 66: "The Neuro Roseდ can make the brain bloom, but it can also make it wither."

How did her aunt know about the Neuro Rose? How did she find out?

Mu Mian grabbed the book and decided to go find Fang Rui.

Shen Xiyin was sitting on the couch in the living room, reading. When she saw Mu Mian rushing out, she asked, "Mu Mian, where are you going so late?"

"Sister, do you know what the Neuro Rose is?"

Shen Xiyin closed her book and said, "No, I’ve never heard of it."

"What did our aunt used to do?"

"She was a surgeon a long time ago. After that, she stopped working and focused on taking care of her daughter."

Mu Mian asked, "Did our aunt ever research any drugs that could make people smarter?"

"I don’t know. I was very young when she left home. Dad never let anyone talk about her, so I don’t know much about her."

"Alright. Sister, I’m going to find Fang Rui."

"It’s late. Isn’t it rude to bother him?"

"He’s my boyfriend. It’s fine."

"Then ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‍make sure to come back early."

Mu Mian ran to knock on Fang Rui’s door.

When the door opened, she excitedly said, "Fang Rui, I know what that symbol means!"

But it was Lin Sen who answered the door. Mu Mian frowned, "Brother-in-law, why are you here? Where’s Fang Rui?"

"He’s cooking noodles."

Mu Mian looked into the kitchen and saw Fang Rui cooking. So Fang Rui could cook? Why had he been eating instant noodles every day before?

Mu Mian asked, "Brother-in-law, why are you here eating noodles at Fang Rui’s place?"

Lin Sen replied, "Eating noodles is just a bonus. I’m here to discuss the case with Fang Rui."

Mu Mian was annoyed, "Why didn’t you invite me to discuss the case?"

Just then, Fang Rui brought over a pot of steaming noodles.

Lin Sen pointed at Fang Rui, "Ask him."

"Fang Rui, why didn’t you invite me to discuss the case? Are you trying to exclude me?"

"We were planning to call you over after we finished eating."

"Why didn’t you invite me to eat? I already had a sandwich for dinner, but I could still have some late-night snacks..." Mu Mian looked at the pot of mushy noodles, "What is this? Noodles? How did they end up like this?"

Lin Sen said, "Now you know why he didn’t invite you to eat."

Fang Rui shot Lin Sen a glare.

Mu Mian was baffled, "Fang Rui, how did you manage to cook noodles into this shape?"

Fang Rui didn’t answer. What else could it be? The noodles were overcooked.

He got another bowl for Mu Mian and placed it on the table, "Do you want some?"

Mu Mian looked disgusted, "No! Even though my boyfriend made it, I can’t eat noodles that look like this!"

"Then I’ll get you some snacks. You don’t eat sweets or junk food, and I don’t have any fruit... Should I make you some instant noodles?"

"Forget it, I’ll pass."

Lin Sen, however, didn’t seem to mind Fang Rui’s cooking. He served himself a bowl and ate with gusto.

Mu Mian watched him, puzzled, "Is it really that good?"

"I’m just here for the free meal. I don’t have the right to judge," Lin Sen handed her an empty bowl, "Want some? Serve yourself."

"Fine, I’ll force myself to eat a little. It’s my boyfriend’s cooking, so no matter how bad it is, I’ll try it."

She had only eaten half of her sandwich earlier, and it had already been digested. Mu Mian was hungry, so she decided to try Fang Rui’s noodles to save face.

To her surprise... it wasn’t bad. It had a strangely satisfying texture.

Mu Mian served herself another bowl.

Lin Sen remarked, "It tastes good because he used instant noodle seasoning."

Fang Rui, holding a freshly made bowl of instant noodles, glared at Lin Sen, "Then stop eating!"

After finishing their meal, Mu Mian said, "I know what that symbol represents. It’s the Neuro Rose. If you look closely, it does resemble a simple drawing of a rose."

Fang Rui asked, "How did you figure that out?"

Mu Mian held up the book, "My aunt told me."

Fang Rui analyzed, "Flowers? Could the flowers in this book refer to the Neuro Rose?"

"*Flowers for Algernon* is a science fiction novel about a surgery that can make people smarter. The flowers symbolize the surgery. It explores what happens when someone with low intelligence suddenly becomes highly intelligent," Lin Sen looked at Fang Rui and sighed, "You really should read more."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Mu Mian protested, "Fang Rui doesn’t need to read that much. I’ve read a lot of books, so I can explain anything he doesn’t understand!"

"..."

Mu Mian showed them the line her aunt had written: "The Neuro Roseდ can make the brain bloom, but it can also make it wither."

Lin Sen tried to interpret it, "The blooming probably means the Neuro Rose can bring positive changes to the brain, while the withering refers to its severe side effects."

Fang Rui asked, "How does your aunt know about the Neuro Rose?"

Mu Mian replied, "I’m not sure. But my aunt’s daughter was named Miao Miao. She used to be a police officer, but she died of an illness."

Suddenly, Mu Mian remembered something and added, "She was Jiang Yinian’s cousin-in-law. The Jiangmiao Group might have been named after her. My aunt also said that Miao Miao mustn’t become smart, because becoming smart would kill her. I suspect Miao Miao was also a victim."

Mu Mian couldn't figure out one thing. According to her aunt, Miao Miao was likely a victim of Neuro-Rose, so why would a company named after Miao Miao continue to research this drug?

Fang Rui said, "I'll ask the director tomorrow. Since Miao Miao was once a police officer, there must be a file on her in the system."

When they mentioned Jiang Yinian's name, Lin Sen exclaimed in surprise, "Mu Mian, Jiang Yinian was once a suspect in the murder of your parents. At the time, we discovered that the brake lines of your parents' car had been cut, and your father's computer had been stolen. It contained a lot of experimental data and research materials, all of which pointed to Jiang Yinian. However, we didn't have enough evidence to prosecute him back then."

Mu Mian was puzzled. "But my father treated Senior Yinian very well. If he really wanted the data, my father would have given it to him. My father once said that he wanted Senior Yinian to inherit his lab in the future. He had no motive to kill my father."