45. ****

Chen Sheng had always held the military hospital here in high regard.

“I thought so too, right after I was discharged,” Xu Rongrong said.

Chen Sheng glanced at her.

Seeing he remained silent, Xu Rongrong continued, “Do you remember Lin Wu? The other police officer who was with me at the time.”

Chen Sheng nodded.

To be honest, he hadn’t known Lin Wu’s name, but since Xu Rongrong had described him in detail, Chen Sheng immediately recalled the person in question.

“What about Officer Lin?” he asked.

“It wasn’t Lin Wu, but something happened to his brother’s friend.”

“I’m not close to Officer Lin, let alone his brother, not to mention his brother’s friend…” Chen Sheng spread his hands, not finishing his sentence, but his meaning was clear enough.

He didn’t know any of them!

“I understand, Dr. Chen, please let me finish,” Xu Rongrong said.

“All right,” Chen Sheng nodded.

“Lin Wu’s brother has a close friend, a girl named Su Qian. Their relationship is… a bit complicated.” Xu Rongrong paused, searching for the right words, before continuing, “You could say Lin Wu’s brother is Su Qian’s closest male friend.”

She looked at Chen Sheng.

Her face was expressionless, but Chen Sheng instantly caught her implication.

Could a man and a woman truly be just friends? Often one played dumb, the other refused to admit it, or perhaps they simply found each other unattractive.

Of course, mutual disinterest was more common in one’s thirties or later, when reality replaced romance.

“Are they teenagers?” Chen Sheng asked, trying to discern the nature of their relationship—for analysis, not gossip, of course.

“They’re just over twenty.”

Chen Sheng nodded, understanding—hardly any different from adolescence.

“So Lin Wu’s brother secretly likes this Su Qian?” he asked.

“That’s what Lin Wu believes. I don’t know the details, but their relationship isn’t actually central to what I’m about to say.”

Chen Sheng: ???

Then why bring it up in the first place?

He realized he’d wasted his curiosity.

Xu Rongrong went on, “Su Qian later met a man, and they quickly became a couple. Dr. Chen, I think you know this man.”

“I do?”

“Dai Shujie,” Xu Rongrong revealed.

“Him?” Chen Sheng was taken aback. Dai Shujie was the doctor Cao Dahu had gossiped about—the one involved with Liu Susu.

“Isn’t he married?” Chen Sheng couldn’t help asking.

“He is. But because he married into his wife’s family, he holds little status at home, and their marriage is strained. He often seeks other women. Su Qian was just one among several,” Xu Rongrong replied.

Chen Sheng was speechless.

So the playboy was right under his nose?

“And then?” he pressed, unable to suppress his curiosity.

He couldn’t help it—Dai the Casanova’s skills were remarkable. Liu Susu was the most beautiful nurse in the hospital, and although Chen Sheng had never seen Su Qian, he doubted she was any less attractive.

After all, to win over someone as stunning as Liu Susu, Dai Shujie must possess something extraordinary. Such a man wouldn’t settle for ordinary women.

“Su Qian is dead.”

“Dead?” Chen Sheng was stunned.

“When we found Su Qian’s body, only a small part remained. The rest, after being recovered, had been cut into pieces,” Xu Rongrong said coldly.

“Another dismemberment?” The words slipped out, and he froze. Why had he said ‘another’?

Xu Rongrong’s eyes lit up at the word.

“You do remember!”

Her fatigue seemed to melt away, as if a drowning person had finally grasped a lifeline.

“Remember what?” Chen Sheng asked reflexively.

“Let me tell you about Su Qian’s case first,” Xu Rongrong said, sidestepping his question.

“All right.” Chen Sheng helped himself to another bite of fish—the pickled fish was best eaten hot, while the flesh was still tender and smooth.

“I can’t tell you how Su Qian’s body was discovered, nor share the details. But I can tell you that the person who dismembered her was much more skilled this time. Compared to the first case, he was far more experienced, which means Su Qian may not have been the only victim.”

“So, what does this have to do with Officer Lin…” Chen Sheng began, recalling the police officer Xu Rongrong had mentioned. He sensed a connection between the two matters.

It wasn’t that he suspected Officer Lin Wu himself, but rather that there was a link to the previous parasitic infection incident.

“Dr. Chen, do you believe in memories being altered?” Xu Rongrong suddenly asked.

“Altered memories?”

“What if I told you that a fire once occurred on the street behind Yuehe Street? Would you believe me?” Xu Rongrong pressed on without waiting for his answer. “I know you don’t, because I can hardly believe it myself. I remember it clearly, but there’s no news report or record, and the street behind Yuehe is gone—there’s only an empty lot now.”

“An empty lot?” Xu Rongrong’s words gave Chen Sheng pause.

He hadn’t been there since that night. All his information since had come from others or from the internet.

He remembered clearly that, though the area had been deserted, there were still some shops. How could it have become a wasteland?

“Dr. Chen, what if I told you that Nurse Liu Susu from your hospital didn’t resign, but was murdered, and her body dismembered? Would you believe that?”

“Lin Wu and I were never infected by parasites!”

Chen Sheng’s eyes widened.

Xu Rongrong continued, but he could no longer focus.

Because as she spoke, all the oddities he’d sensed before suddenly connected in his mind.

“Is it really possible for memories to be altered?”

“And yet, I distinctly remember seeing Liu Susu twice after that.”

“Could it really be a ghost?”

Chen Sheng couldn’t help but wonder, and finally voiced his doubts.

Xu Rongrong fell silent as well.

She wasn’t sure herself, and that uncertainty had left her so exhausted and hesitant—ultimately bringing her to Chen Sheng once more.

After a moment, Xu Rongrong raised her head and looked at him. “I can’t give you a definite answer. But since we’ve both experienced this, perhaps we should find a time to sit down and discuss it together?”

“All right,” Chen Sheng agreed.

“There’s one more thing—I hope you can help us keep an eye on Dr. Dai. We suspect he’s Su Qian’s killer.”

“That’s not a problem,” Chen Sheng replied.