Another sleepless night.
The morning sunlight poured into the room, and Zhou Ning exhaled a breath.
After multiple attempts, he couldn’t fall back asleep, let alone continue the dream he had. He thought for a mont and then grabbed the phone.
"Hello, He Shancun, are you working, or is it your day off?"
"I want to strangle you. Don’t you know what ti it is? I finally get a Saturday off, and you call at seven in the morning. What do you want? How did I end up with a friend like you?"
"I think I need to see a psychologist."
There was a pause from He Shancun on the other end of the phone, followed by the creak of a bed.
"Tell what’s going on. How did things get to this point? Have you been hit by sothing? Or is there a case that you can’t get out of your head?"
Zhou Ning opened his mouth but didn’t know where to start.
"I can’t sleep, I can’t even close my eyes. My mind keeps mulling over mories missing from before I was ten. These past few days, these mories keep surfacing, incomplete and in fragnts. I don’t know how to express it, and I don’t know who to turn to."
"Quit the nonsense, I’m on my way. Are you at ho?"
"Yeah."
"I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Co downstairs."
Zhou Ning hung up the phone, stretched lazily, and got up from the couch with a smile on his face—it looked like soone was treating him to breakfast.
After washing up and changing into a white T-shirt and jeans, he went downstairs. He Shancun’s car was already parked at the gate of the community. He opened the door and got in.
He Shancun’s gaze was fixed on Zhou Ning for a long while before he started the car.
"What do you want to eat? Breakfast is on ."
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"I don’t know, anything is fine."
As the car moved forward, He Shancun cleared his throat.
"I really owe you one. Let’s go for tofu pudding. I know a new pie shop that just opened up, their tofu pudding is especially good."
All the way, He Shancun didn’t stop talking, ntioning the patients he had been busy with lately. To Zhou Ning’s surprise, he ntioned that he was going to transfer to Qindao Central Hospital at the end of the month, still to work in the ergency departnt, because every hospital is short on ergency doctors.
As the car ca to a stop, Zhou Ning unbuckled his seatbelt and finally turned to look at He Shancun.
"Going to Central Hospital to be the director of the ergency room?"
He Shancun rolled his eyes at him.
"Get out of the car. I wish I could go to a different departnt. Do you think the ER is a nice place?"
Zhou Ning didn’t make any fuss and quickly followed him out of the car. The shop wasn’t big but was very clean, which suited a doctor’s penchant for cleanliness. They approached the bar and ordered a few pies, and seeing the tofu pudding, Zhou Ning hesitated a bit.
"Which flavor do you eat?"
"Do you even need to ask? Savory tofu pudding, of course! I’m a true northerner. I can’t do sweet. Their place has all the flavors, though. Why, you want to try sothing unusual?"
Zhou Ning looked at the owner who was waiting to take orders, and ordered a spicy tofu pudding, an action that surprised He Shancun a bit.
"That’s quite unusual."
"Cut it out, I just want to try sothing new."
The two sat down, and the pies and tofu pudding were quickly served. Zhou Ning, having tossed and turned all night, was genuinely hungry. In monts, he ate four pies and finished the tofu pudding. He Shancun sneaked a glance at Zhou Ning, his face full of perplexity.
"Tell the truth, kid, are you faking illness to trick into treating you to a al? With that appetite, you don’t seem to have any problems. Save a pie."
As he spoke, the two of them charged for the last pie. Chopsticks clattered against the plate, and they ended up splitting the last pie in half and polished it off before patting their bellies contentedly.
"I didn’t expect you to transfer to the city area as well. That caught by surprise."
He Shancun wiped his mouth, and the key point of that sentence caught his attention.
"Hold on, what do you an ’you’re also going to the city area’? Who else is going to the city area?"
After all, having been a county for quite so ti, it was natural to feel like it wasn’t part of the inner city. So when ntioning ’city area’, the concept still referred to the areas within Dongtai District, Gulou District, Quanshan District, Tongshan District, Liuhe District, and Jingkou District.
"!"
"You?"
This ti, it was He Shancun who froze, blinking as he looked Zhou Ning up and down.
"I know you’re very capable, but being transferred to the city district is different from us, fundantally different. Not bad, pal, when are you going?"
Zhou Ning laughed.
"I’m reporting there on the fourth. Last ti you t Mr. Zhao, the forensic technician, and Xu Da, they were both transferred with . We took over a new case right away, which we just closed last night. It was a case with quite an impact, and it even got exploited by foreign dia."
He Shancun blinked again as if sothing dawned on him.
"The case at the archaeological site?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"Solved it?"
"Yes, although the truth is hard to accept, the case is considered closed."
"Damn! Why did I run my mouth off? You’ve pulled one over on again, no need to explain, I get your implication. The city bureau wanted that case cracked, so they transferred you guys over, and in just a few days, you closed the case that had been hanging for months, right?"
Zhou Ning sighed, recounting everything about Zhang Min’an and Luo Suqin. As he retold the story, the oppressive emotions in his heart seed to fade a bit.
At the end, He Shancun extinguished the cigarette in his hand and sighed as well.
"Damn, don’t ever tell about your cases again; my heart is too fragile, just hearing it once is enough to make soone depressed. But will Zhang Guoqing face legal punishnt?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"No, no law can deal with freeloading off one’s parents. He could’ve been sued for injuring Luo Suqin and blackmailing Zhang Min’an, but both felt guilty and endured it, which led to Zhang Guoqing’s brazen behavior.
However, Xu Da will communicate with Southwest University, and after several investigations and notifications, I think Zhang Guoqing’s reputation will be ruined. As a teacher, lacking in moral conduct, can he still hold a teaching position?"
Only then did He Shancun breathe a sigh of relief, and beca reflective.
"If this is love, then I’m better off single. Work keeps occupied enough, and in my free ti, I enjoy playing gas. My life is wonderful this way. Why bother inviting trouble? When I’m old and immobile, I’ll just go to a retirent ho. Isn’t it better to find company then?"
Zhou Ning shook his head, smiling.
"I was actually thinking of introducing Xiaoyu to you, but you’re not sounding right, buddy. Have you been hurt by love before?"
He Shancun scoffed.
"You’re practically half a d student yourself, don’t you see the situation? I started my studies late, graduated from grad school at twenty-seven, only had one relationship on campus.
After two years as a resident, I had just settled into general surgery when I got thrown into ergency. Last year I just beca the head of the ER, busy on my feet all day. Do you think I have ti for romance?"
"It’s tough for everyone, stop complaining. Isn’t it great to be going to the Central Hospital?"
"It’s great, but I have no place to live. I need to sell my current house, then make a down paynt, and just like that I’m back to square one. My family is just average; we don’t have an old house to be compensated for demolition, so it’s too hard. Why should I make soone else suffer with ? Don’t bring disaster upon Xiaoyu."
Zhou Ning shook his head with a smile. Actually, he thought the two of them would be quite compatible, as He Shancun was just too busy, good-looking, and had a decent job. He could bring it up again when there was a chance.
"Alright, let’s go. I’ve scheduled an appointnt for you with a psychologist, we shouldn’t be late."
Zhou Ning paused, not expecting that He Shancun had already arranged everything. He was touched by the gesture and, without saying another word, got up with He Shancun and they made their way to Liuhe District, an area Zhou Ning was unfamiliar with.
An hour later, they arrived in front of a small building. Pushing the door open, they entered; even the sll of the new decor hadn’t dissipated yet.
"This guy has a PhD and opened his psychological consultation clinic. We’re also friends, so you don’t have to worry about the cost. Co on, I’ll introduce you."
At the reception desk, a pretty young nurse stood up and nodded politely at them with a smile.
"Doctor He, right? Doctor Shi is already waiting for you in the third-floor clinic. Please follow ."
Following the pretty nurse, they reached the third floor. The entire small hall was filled with lush plants. They knocked on the door and entered the only room, a large space with just a desk, so chairs, and a chaise lounge, but it didn’t really look like a clinic.
He Shancun moved closer to greet the man, then pulled Zhou Ning forward to introduce him.
"Let introduce a friend to you, this is Zhou Ning, the forensic doctor, and this is Shi Tianxiao, the psychologist we’re going to be seeing today for free."
Shi Tianxiao raised his hand and thumped He Shancun, glaring at him, his previous scholarly deanor gone in an instant.
"Ill-matched friendships, how did I end up with a friend like you? Enough with the chit-chat, let’s sit down. But forensic science is actually the profession I find most interesting. Is it very thrilling?"
Zhou Ning rubbed his nose.
"Thrilling is secondary, but it’s certainly very pungent."
All three of them laughed loudly, clearly understanding that Zhou Ning’s last remark was the real deal when it cos to being a forensic doctor. After He Shancun talked for a while about his upcoming transfer, he turned to Zhou Ning.
"Okay, no more dawdling, the man charges by ti and I shalessly squeezed you in. Get straight to your issue, rambling isn’t an issue, but being unclear is. Start talking!"
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