Slow to mature after marriage

The garden presented a completely different scene.

The old lady sat with Mu Siwan in the pavilion, while her second aunt peeled oranges beside them. Bo Ning leaned on the stone table, resting her chin on her hand, watching her sister-in-law.

The sun was shining brightly, scattering golden light across the ground.

"Siwan," the old lady handed her a peeled orange, "is your testing center usually busy?"

Mu Siwan took it and nodded.

"busy."

"Are you tired?"

"good."

The old lady looked at her with a smile, not minding that she didn't talk much.

"Has that kid Bo Yan bullied you?"

Mu Siwan continued to answer seriously.

"No, he's a very nice person."

Bo Ning burst out laughing from the side.

"Grandma, do you think my brother would dare to bully my sister-in-law?"

The old lady glared at her.

"What wouldn't your brother dare to do?"

Bo Ning shrank her neck and continued peeling the orange.

The second aunt chimed in with a smile, "Siwan, what does Bo Yan do at home?"

Mu Siwan was stunned.

She hadn't noticed that, but...

Does taking a shower count?

Bo Ning almost spat out her orange after taking a bite.

The old lady was stunned for two seconds, then burst into laughter and slapped her thigh.

"Take a bath?"

Mu Siwan nodded, her tone serious.

"Once in the morning and once in the evening, more frequently than usual."

Bo Ning laughed so hard she was slumped over the table, unable to get up.

The old lady wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes and waved her hand.

"Okay, okay, Grandma knows. He likes things to be clean."

Bo Ning laughed until her stomach hurt, then added haltingly, "Sister-in-law, you...you're so observant..."

Mu Siwan glanced at her, not understanding what was so funny.

The sunlight fell on her face, melting away some of her usual coldness.

She couldn't quite explain it herself, but being here made her feel less tense.

-

After dinner, the old lady held onto Mu Siwan's hand tightly.

"Don't leave tonight, go back tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Mu Siwan turned her gaze to Bo Yan.

She wavered.

The family atmosphere in the Bo family was something she had never experienced before.

She wanted to stay a little longer.

Bo Yan leaned against the door frame, hands in his pockets, meeting her gaze.

He clearly saw the fleeting moment of relaxation in Mu Siwan's eyes.

The moment she opened her mouth, Bo Yan straightened up slightly and answered for her.

"no."

The old lady glared at him.

"I asked Siwan, not you."

"She listens to me."

Bo Yan walked over, "rescued" Mu Siwan from the old lady's grasp, put his hand on her waist, and led her out.

"Come another day."

The old lady was cursing at him from behind, but he didn't turn around; instead, a smirk played on his lips.

Mu Siwan was led away by Bo Yan, and glanced back.

The old lady stood at the door, still glaring at him.

The old man watched the play leisurely.

Bo Ning smiled and waved at her from the side.

She looked away.

Bo Yan glanced down at her.

"Want to stay?"

Mu Siwan nodded

"A little."

"Today's timing isn't right." The man had a smile on his lips. "Next time."

-

The return journey was quiet. Mu Siwan sat in the back seat, legs together, fingers resting on her knees, gazing out the window.

Bo Yan glanced at her and found her sitting posture interesting.

"nervous?"

Mu Siwan looked away.

"no."

Her heart rate was a little faster than usual. She attributed it to a normal physiological response to the planned intimacy that was about to take place.

She continued to look out the window, the streetlights passing by one by one, casting flickering light on her face.

To ensure tonight's plans go smoothly, she needs to confirm some details.

Do you have condoms at home? I don't plan to have children for the time being.

Bo Yan tapped his fingers twice on his knee and turned his head to look at her.

"……have."

Mu Siwan nodded.

"Is the model suitable?"

His fingers stopped, he glanced at her, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.

"It fits," he said slowly. "Have you measured it?"

"No," Mu Siwan answered truthfully. "I've visually inspected it, and the error should be within a reasonable range."

"Okay." He leaned back in his seat, his tone casual. "I believe your assessment."

The carriage fell completely silent.

Mu Siwan suddenly remembered that there was something she hadn't confirmed.

Just as he was about to speak, Bo Yan spoke first.

"Everything is ready, Mrs. Bo." He leaned against the car window, a helpless smile on his face. "You just need to show up."

"……good."

The very next second after he finished speaking.

Mu Siwan's phone rang.

Bo Yan's eyelid twitched.

A bad feeling crept over me.

Sure enough, as soon as Mu Siwan answered the phone, a hurried voice came from the other end.

"Forensic Doctor Mu, there's been a crime scene in the northern suburbs of the city. A fisherman pulled up a floating corpse. You need to come over."

Bo Yan closed his eyes briefly.

have to.

Everything is ready now, but the person can't make it.

Mu Siwan hung up the phone and turned to look at him.

Bo Yan sighed and confirmed with her, "The northern suburbs, right?"

Mu Siwan nodded.

Send me the address, and I'll send it to you.

-

Forty minutes later, the car stopped beside a river embankment. In the distance, there was a police cordon with flashing lights, and several uniformed figures were walking back and forth.

Mu Siwan pushed open the car door, paused, and turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't keep my promise."

After saying that, she jumped out of the car and walked quickly toward the flashing lights.

It's too stuffy inside the car.

Bo Yan got out of the car, leaned against the hood, and stared at the figure behind him.

She walked to the police cordon, said a few words to the officers on site, took a blue protective suit, and deftly put it on. Zipping it up, putting on the hat, and pulling off the gloves, she looked like a completely different person.

She crouched down, approaching the body that had been pulled from the water. The flashlight beam shone on the area; she turned her head slightly, her expression focused, her movements steady. The people beside her were talking; she nodded, pointed to a part of the body, and her lips moved as if she were giving instructions.

Bo Yan looked at the woman squatting on the riverbank from a distance of several dozen meters, separated by the police line.

She was wearing a bulky protective suit, her hair was tucked into her hat, and she had no makeup on her face. Only the cold light of the flashlight made her profile look pale.

Not pretty enough. At least not pretty in the conventional sense.

But I just can't take my eyes off Bo Yan.

She was too calm. As calm as if the mess had nothing to do with her, as if the pungent smells didn't exist, as if the world consisted only of her and that mute corpse.

Professional, calm, and efficient.

The faint sense of unease in Bo Yan's heart suddenly dissipated.

Bo Yan thought that this kind of woman was probably unrelated to personal feelings. Anyone standing here, witnessing this scene, would sincerely praise her—

It's beautiful.

-

Mu Siwan squatted beside the body, the light from her flashlight illuminating the scene clearly.

"The time of death was approximately forty-eight hours," she stated calmly. "There were obvious ligature marks on the neck, but the ligature marks were irregular in shape and not from a common rope."

A male police officer wearing a mask squatted down next to her and looked in the direction she was pointing.

"Can you determine the direction of the rope?"

"Slanting upwards." She pointed to the direction of the ligature marks. "The deceased was 1.72 meters tall. If it was suicide by hanging, the point of impact should be higher. The hyoid bone was not fractured, which doesn't seem like a typical hanging death."

The male police officer nodded and asked again, "Are there two ligature marks?"