Seeing her come out, Shi Ting immediately rose to meet her. He was a block of ice, and she was his warmth — even this block of ice grew warm in her presence.

“Meeting’s over?”

“I still need to go and handle some paperwork. The forensic science department officially opens tomorrow, and the medical college has hired me as a special lecturer.”

Seeing Yan Qing’s face lit up with excitement, Shi Ting took her hand. “My dear Qing truly can do anything.”

He was genuinely puzzled, in fact, by how she could remain so composed. Her forensic skills were first-rate, but she had never been a teacher before. Faced with all those eager, earnest students, would she not feel the slightest anxiety?

And yet her eyes shone bright, filled with eager anticipation for whatever lay ahead, giving him the impression that she had long since grown accustomed to exactly these sorts of things.

His Qing Qing held so many mysteries, but she never spoke of them, and he would never go prying. He needed only to stand watch over her dreams and her future.

“There’s also something I’d like to ask of you.” Yan Qing looked at him seriously. “For anatomy class, we will need a large supply of cadavers. Could the unclaimed bodies from your military police bureau be sent to the medical college?”

“Certainly — the military police bureau will cooperate fully with Director Yan’s teaching needs.”

Hearing him tease her with the title “Director Yan,” Yan Qing gave his forehead a light flick. “Come on, let me take you to see the classrooms.”

“As you command, Director Yan.”

Yan Qing looked at him with a smile. He winked back at her.

Yan Qing reached out and patted the top of his head. “Good student.”

Three days later, the medical college’s forensic science department officially opened its classes. The department had just over thirty students in total, Ling Ai among them.

The students were tremendously curious about this new discipline. Among them, many were also fans of Qiao Yiran, whose reports on the military police bureau over the years had produced accounts of case-solving so riveting they read like the best kind of storytelling.

But the truth was, reality was far harsher than fiction, and these students were about to meet their first great challenge as aspiring forensic scientists — the anatomy dissection.

Because Du Tonghuai was occupied with other affairs, the task of coordinating the receipt of cadavers from the military police bureau fell to the class representative, Ling Ai. Ling Ai and her classmate Zhang Lingxiao went together to the college gate, where the military police bureau’s vehicle was already parked and waiting.

“Ling Ai, have you ever seen a corpse before?” Zhang Lingxiao was already feeling the unease of anticipating the cadaver, though mixed with something closer to excitement.

“Yes.” Ling Ai thought back to the charred bodies she had seen at the scene of the vehicle arson, and her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch.

“Director Yan said the most horrifying type of cadaver is what they call bloat — the whole body decomposing and swelling up like a greenish-gray balloon.” Zhang Lingxiao wrinkled his nose as he spoke.

Ling Ai was about to reply when the car door swung open, and a familiar figure stepped out. The sight of him stopped her cold.

“Ling Ai.” Zhang Lingxiao called to her. “Let’s go.”

He turned back to look at Ling Ai and found her face flushed red, standing there in a daze with a distinctly peculiar expression. “Ling Ai, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No — no, I’m fine.” Ling Ai quickly managed a smile, but when she looked toward Zheng Yun again, the flush on her cheeks had still not faded.

Zheng Yun was dressed in his uniform and cap, an air about him that was both dignified and strikingly handsome.

“Ling Ai?” Zheng Yun also seemed momentarily taken aback. “You’re the one handling the transfer?”

“Yes.” Ling Ai nodded quickly. “Good day, Captain Zheng.”

Zheng Yun produced a document. “Please examine the cadaver first, then sign here.”

“Examine the cadaver?” Zhang Lingxiao swallowed instinctively at the words. He had volunteered to come and handle the transfer, but now that the time had come, thinking of what state the body might be in, he was having second thoughts.

“Of course.” Ling Ai agreed readily. “Shall we go over?”

Zheng Yun glanced at her and offered a considerate word. “It’s a poisoning death. Not too frightening.”

Ling Ai felt a small warmth at that. “Thank you.”

Zheng Yun said nothing more, and directed his subordinates to unload the body from the vehicle. The body was covered by a white sheet, concealing what lay beneath.

A young officer lifted the edge of the sheet. “Go ahead and examine it.”

It was a male corpse, approximately in his mid-forties, dressed in rough hemp clothing. There were no obvious external injuries on the body — all in all, still within manageable limits.

Ling Ai was not especially bold about these things in truth, but with Zheng Yun standing nearby, she made every effort to appear unafraid. It was not that she felt no fear — she simply did not want to lose face in front of him.

She took the form Zheng Yun had given her and carefully examined the external surface of the body against the listed description.

The corpse had been dead for over two days already. Fortunately, early autumn was upon them and the temperature was pleasantly cool — otherwise the smell of the body would have been absolutely unbearable.

Zheng Yun looked down at the young woman carefully examining the cadaver. She was plainly frightened yet was forcing herself to appear perfectly composed. For some reason, watching the taut, pressed line of her lips, he found it — somewhat endearing.

“Examination complete.” Ling Ai straightened up, took the pen, and signed the form. “Thank you, Captain Zheng.”

Zheng Yun’s assignment had only been to deliver the body — he had no obligation to carry it through to the dissection room on the medical college’s behalf. But if he left now, Ling Ai and her male classmate would have to carry it themselves, and the thought of her small frame and slender arms made Zheng Yun sigh inwardly. “I’ll have my men carry it to the dissection room.”

Ling Ai looked at him in surprise, knowing this was not part of the military police bureau’s duties.

Zheng Yun said nothing further, and ordered his men to lift the body and bring it through the medical college’s back entrance.

A body could naturally not pass through the main gate — the medical college had made special arrangements, designating a separate access route for the forensic science department.

Ling Ai followed behind Zheng Yun, seeing only the back of him in his uniform and the neatly trimmed hair at the base of his neck.

She imagined Zheng Yun must be someone who valued cleanliness. His home, though not large, was spotless, and his dress at all times was immaculately tidy, free of any trace of dust.

“Ling Ai, weren’t you scared?” Zhang Lingxiao asked quietly.

“I was, actually.” Ling Ai pursed her lips with a touch of embarrassment. “But Director Yan says everyone is like that when they first deal with bodies. You get used to it.”

“You’re braver than I am, and you’re a girl.” Zhang Lingxiao grinned. “Ling Ai, did you know that Qian Wei likes you?”

Ling Ai made a startled sound. She could not figure out how Zhang Lingxiao had jumped in a single breath from cadavers to Qian Wei.

“Though I also know you wouldn’t give Qian Wei a second look — his family just has some money, that’s all.” Zhang Lingxiao curled his lip. “Reeks of it, too.”

Ling Ai glanced at Zheng Yun walking ahead of them, and suddenly felt quite awkward. Having this sort of topic come up within earshot of the person she liked was genuinely mortifying.

“Zhang Lingxiao, did you finish the homework Director Yan assigned yesterday?” Ling Ai quickly changed the subject.

Fortunately, Zhang Lingxiao did not press the matter of Qian Wei any further and nodded quite earnestly. “I did.”

Ling Ai said a few more things about the assignment, and when she looked toward Zheng Yun again, he was still walking at his steady, unhurried pace ahead of them, as though he had not heard a single word of their conversation.

If Zheng Yun felt any particular regard for her, Ling Ai thought, he surely would have shown some reaction by now — but for all her observing, he had not so much as paused for a single moment.

The disappointment in her heart was real, yet she quickly consoled herself: she liked him of her own accord, and she had no right to demand that he feel the same way. That would not be fair.

When the body was carried into the mortuary, Zheng Yun looked at Ling Ai. “We’ll leave it here then.”

“All right.” Ling Ai hesitated, meeting his gaze for a moment. “Thank you for your help.”

“Think nothing of it.” Zheng Yun put the form away and turned aside. “This body will need to be moved into the dissection room — there is no need for you, a young woman, to do the carrying. Oh, that classmate of yours they mentioned just now — Qian Wei, was it? Have him come and take care of moving the body.”

Zhang Lingxiao immediately piped up, “I’ll go fetch Qian Wei right now.”

“I’ll be going then.” Zheng Yun gave a brief nod. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.” Ling Ai pressed her lips together and watched him turn and walk away. Only when his figure had disappeared from view did she let out a quiet sigh.

As for what had happened that evening, he had not brought it up, and she would naturally not raise it either. Perhaps in his mind, it was nothing more than a passing, inconsequential moment — not worth spending any effort to think about.

She had never liked any boy before, and so she did not know how one was supposed to go about these things. She wanted to take the initiative, yet feared being rebuffed. When it came down to it, it was simply a matter of having no confidence in herself.

As for the thoroughly bewildered Qian Wei, who had suddenly been summoned to come and carry a corpse — for a young man of wealthy family, this was practically the stuff of nightmares. Had Zhang Lingxiao not said it was to help Ling Ai, he would never have bothered to come and get his hands dirty.

The truth was, his transfer from another branch of medicine into forensic science had nothing to do with any interest in the field. He had enrolled entirely because Ling Ai had signed up for forensic science, and he was quite taken with this lively yet somewhat aloof young woman.

“Thank you for your trouble,” said Ling Ai, inclining her head.

“It’s nothing, really — easy as anything.” Qian Wei laughed heartily, with an air of casual indifference, though his eyes were constantly wandering over Ling Ai.

Zhang Lingxiao and Qian Wei each took one end of the body to carry. Watching Qian Wei smile at Ling Ai with that vaguely unsavory expression, Zhang Lingxiao felt a mischievous impulse taking shape.

“Ow!”

He deliberately let his foot slip to one side, his body tilting with the movement, and the white sheet covering the body slid off along with him.

Qian Wei, walking behind, suddenly found a gray, pallid face staring up at him, and let out an immediate shriek of terror, releasing both his hands at once. “A dead man! A dead man!”

Qian Wei sprang backwards and stood there trembling. “A dead man! A dead man!”

Ling Ai looked at his cowardly display, then held it up against the image of Zheng Yun in her mind — and shook her head.

Qian Wei finally came to his senses after a moment, and noticing Ling Ai watching him, felt thoroughly humiliated.

“Ahem.” Qian Wei composed himself with forced calm. “It was a bit of a surprise, seeing a corpse like that. Ha.”

“My fault entirely.” Zhang Lingxiao looked deeply apologetic. “Come on, let’s get this body moved — Director Yan is waiting.”

Qian Wei did not want to lose face in front of his beloved, so he could only brace himself and lift the body once more.

When the cadaver was placed upon the dissection table, the students crowded around it instinctively shrank back several steps.

Yan Qing smiled. “Do you know that corpses can speak?”

One student, mustering their courage, asked, “Director Yan — corpses can speak?”

—