I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 177: Chapter 175: Taking You to See a Chinese Doctor

Su Miaoyi washed up, dried her hair, and put on some simple makeup.

Just as she was looking for something to wear, the doorbell rang.

She went to open the door.

It was Shen Shilan.

Su Miaoyi smiled. She opened her mouth to call her Professor Shen, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out.

In the end, she just parted her lips slightly and then broke into a laugh.

The moment Shen Shilan saw her, she beamed. ”All ready?”

”Almost,” Su Miaoyi said, pulling her inside. ”I bought new slippers. Just a second.”

She went to get the new slippers, unwrapped them, and placed them on the floor.

”What about mine?” Shen Yanzhou suddenly appeared at the door.

Su Miaoyi jumped. ”You can go barefoot.”

Shen Shilan let out a laugh.

Shen Yanzhou glanced at her, sighed, and silently put on his old slippers by the door. ”They’re old and uncomfortable.”

Su Miaoyi pretended not to hear and went to the kitchen to get them something to drink.

An’an was sleeping on the sofa.

As soon as Shen Yanzhou sat down, he lifted the cat onto his lap.

Su Miaoyi brought out the drinks. ”I wasn’t paying attention and brought him back with me. And then, over there...”

She pointed at the rug near the balcony. ”He peed.”

Shen Yanzhou glanced at the rug. ”I’ll bring his litter box over when we get back tonight.”

Su Miaoyi nodded, but then the meaning registered, and she said, ”Huh?”

”Let him stay here and keep you company when you’re home,” Shen Yanzhou said. ”He’s an expert troublemaker. The thought of you having a peaceful, comfortable time at home all alone makes me miserable.”

Su Miaoyi: ”...”

Shen Yanzhou let out another laugh.

Su Miaoyi ignored him and turned to Shen Shilan. ”I’m going to find something to wear.”

”Want me to help you pick something?” Shen Shilan asked.

Su Miaoyi thought for a moment, then nodded. ”Okay.”

Shen Yanzhou watched them enter the bedroom, then smiled again, stroking An’an’s chin. ”Are you happy to see your big sister?”

An’an responded with a purr.

And so Shen Yanzhou waited. An hour went by.

Listening to An’an’s purrs, he almost dozed off himself.

”What about this one? This one is lovely. If you wear this, you could braid your hair,” Shen Shilan said, holding an outfit up against Su Miaoyi to see how it looked.

Su Miaoyi scratched her head.

Shen Shilan understood immediately.

Too lazy to braid it.

”Wear this one and just tie your hair up,” Shen Shilan said. ”We’ll go shopping for clothes later. The weather’s getting warmer; it’s time for a new wardrobe.”

Su Miaoyi smiled and nodded.

”You should also buy a few extra outfits to keep at the bureau. That way, if you have to pull an all-nighter, you’ll have something fresh to change into,” Shen Shilan said. ”Otherwise, it’s so uncomfortable wearing the same sticky clothes when the weather gets hot. While your work clothes should be comfortable, you can wear something more vibrant when you’re not working.”

”Look in your closet. Your brightly colored clothes are all collecting dust, while these black, white, and gray ones are so worn they’re starting to pill.”

Su Miaoyi leaned her head against the closet, smiling as she listened.

The vibrant clothes were all ones Su Miaoyi had bought in the past.

The clothes she bought later were all in shades of black, white, and gray—baggy and comfortable.

”How about this one,” Shen Shilan said, holding up another outfit. ”But it doesn’t seem to fit right anymore.”

She studied the fit carefully.

Su Miaoyi straightened up and looked down as well.

It really did seem a bit ill-fitting.

It wasn’t simply a matter of gaining or losing weight; it felt like the shoulders and waist weren’t in the right place anymore.

”I can wear it,” Su Miaoyi said.

”No, you can’t.” Shen Shilan put the outfit back.

Su Miaoyi stood to the side and waited.

”You’re just like your dad. As long as he could squeeze into an outfit, he considered it wearable,” Shen Shilan said as she continued to browse. ”But clothes have to fit properly, don’t they? Otherwise, they’re so uncomfortable.”

Su Miaoyi’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She listened quietly without saying a word.

”I remember one time, back when your dad was still the bureau chief, he bought a shirt that was too tight in the arms. I told him to return it, but he wore it to work the next day anyway,” Shen Shilan recounted. ”As it happened, a case came up that day, and he went to arrest a fugitive. When he came home that night and took off his jacket, the shirt underneath was torn all the way from the armpit to the elbow.”

She started laughing as she spoke. ”It was in May, just when it was getting too hot to wear a jacket indoors. He didn’t dare take it off the entire day. He wore it all day long, and when he got home that night and took it off... I laughed at him for over a month.”

Su Miaoyi started laughing along with her.

In the midst of her laughter, Shen Shilan suddenly realized what she had said. She froze for a second, then stammered, ”I—I mean, your Minister Qin.”

Su Miaoyi nodded, still smiling. ”Now that you put it that way, I won’t be as nervous the next time I see him.”

Shen Shilan paused, taken aback.

”I was so nervous the last time I saw Minister Qin,” Su Miaoyi said.

Shen Shilan pressed her lips together, then couldn’t hold back a laugh.

’I have to tell Qin Chengyuan about this when I get back.’

’It used to be that he was the one afraid of his daughter. I never thought a day like this would come.’

Su Miaoyi didn’t know what she was laughing about, but she laughed along anyway.

”And after you met him?” Shen Shilan asked.

”After I met him...” Su Miaoyi thought for a moment. ”Minister Qin is quite serious, but... he doesn’t seem as intimidating as I imagined.”

”He’s only serious at work. In private, he’s kind of a goofball,” Shen Shilan said. ”Next time he’s free, I’ll arrange for you to meet him outside of work.”

”Huh?” Su Miaoyi froze for a second, then scratched her head.

’Even though... I know who he is... I don’t have any memories of him. In my mind, he’s still my direct supervisor, first and foremost.’

’Meeting my big boss in private.’

’This... this...’

’How is this any different from your homeroom teacher moving in over summer vacation just to keep an eye on you?’

”Oh,” Su Miaoyi managed to say.

Shen Shilan patted her cheek, seeing her pained expression, and laughed again.

Su Miaoyi tried to laugh along but couldn’t manage it.

...

Just as Shen Yanzhou was about to doze off, the three of them finally headed out.

But their first stop...

A traditional Chinese medicine clinic.

Su Miaoyi was still in a daze as she sat in the chair and the old traditional Chinese medicine doctor took her pulse.

She looked up at Shen Shilan.

Shen Shilan gave her a reassuring look.

Su Miaoyi then looked for Shen Yanzhou, but after a quick scan of the room, she realized he hadn’t come in with them at all.

So she turned her gaze back to the white-bearded old man in front of her.

The old man felt her pulse, his brow furrowed.

Su Miaoyi suddenly felt a little uneasy.

She looked at Shen Shilan again.

Shen Shilan placed a hand on her shoulder, signaling that everything was fine.

”Open your mouth, let me see your tongue,” the old doctor said.

Su Miaoyi opened her mouth.

”Your other hand,” the old doctor said.

Su Miaoyi switched hands.

After another quiet moment, the old doctor finally spoke. ”You’ve been staying up all night, then sleeping for over ten hours at a time.”

Su Miaoyi was astonished. ’He can tell all that?’

”You skipped breakfast, drank ice water, and an iced beverage—coke.”

Su Miaoyi was even more shocked. ”You can tell all that just by taking my pulse?”

”The coke part was a guess,” the old doctor said.

Su Miaoyi: ”...”

”And I guessed right,” the old doctor added with a smile.

Su Miaoyi nodded.

Shen Shilan asked, ”Is it serious?”

”It’s not a major issue now, but if you continue like this, it will deplete your qi and blood and drain your vitality. That’s definitely not sustainable,” the old doctor sighed. ”I’ll prescribe some medicine to help regulate your system. But the most important thing is for you to fix your daily routine and eat a healthy diet. More beef, fish, shrimp, and protein. Less fried food.”

”I have to take medicine?” Su Miaoyi asked. ”But I feel perfectly fine. I have a good appetite and plenty of energy.”

”You’re actually the healthiest person I’ve seen in months.” The old doctor’s tone shifted. ”But even a strong constitution can’t take this kind of abuse forever.”

Su Miaoyi fell silent.

”Also, you should hurry up and find a boyfriend,” the old doctor said earnestly. ”For the sake of, you know, yin-yang balance, hormonal regulation...”

Su Miaoyi suddenly choked on her own saliva and broke into a fit of coughing.

Shen Shilan patted her on the back.

”I—I’m so young, and I already need to balance my yin and yang? My hormones need regulating?” Su Miaoyi asked, incredulous.

”You stay up all night. Your schedule is irregular,” the doctor stated.

”Is there any other way?” Su Miaoyi asked.

”Drink the medicine.”

”I’ll drink it.” Su Miaoyi was suddenly firm. ”I’ll drink it! Go ahead and prescribe it. I’ll drink every last drop. I love drinking medicine.”

The old doctor: ”...”

The few assistants standing by all started to laugh.

Shen Shilan sighed, then smiled as well...