Slow to mature after marriage

Chapter 19 is not needed

At the testing center, Mu Siwan sat at her workstation typing out a report.

Xiao Qin brought over his coffee and glanced at the screen.

"Master, what about the case of the floating corpse last night?"

"Um."

"Finished writing?"

"Soon." Mu Siwan's fingers didn't stop. "The direction of the strangulation marks, the binding injuries, and the samples from under the fingernails will be sent for testing today."

Xiao Qin nodded, then leaned closer and lowered her voice.

"Who drove you home last night? I saw a black car, a Bentley, driver!"

Mu Siwan paused in typing.

"husband."

Xiao Qin almost spat out his coffee.

"Husband?! You're married?"

Mu Siwan turned her head to look at her, her expression indifferent.

"We've been married for three years."

Xiao Qin's eyes widened, her gaze shifting downwards to her hand.

"What about the ring?"

Mu Siwan looked down at her hands.

It was bare, there was nothing there.

She recalled Bo Yan's three principles—no talk of feelings, no interference in each other's lives, and mutual respect.

Ring.

This is probably also a part of the process that leads to feelings developing.

"No need." She looked away and continued typing the report. "The ring will slow down the dissection."

Xiao Qin opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

She saw that car last night; it was a black Bentley, worth over ten million.

It's not that I don't have money to buy a ring.

That probably means there's no love involved.

What a blind fool! He doesn't even like his master!

Xiao Qin thought angrily.

Municipal Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Detachment.

A young policeman walked in carrying a file bag and placed it on Meng Qing's desk.

"The forensic report from the identification center, regarding the case of the floating corpse."

Meng Qing looked up.

"Who delivered it?"

"That's what the forensic doctor surnamed Mu wrote yesterday," the young policeman said with admiration. "I heard she analyzed the scene in exceptional detail, pinpointing the direction of the ligature marks, the hyoid bone, and even the fingernail crevices. Everyone there says she's amazing."

His surname is Mu.

The forensic doctor from yesterday.

Meng Qing's eyes flickered.

He opened the report, quickly flipped to the last page, and his eyes fell on the signature.

Three words, simple and sharp.

Mu Siwan.

He stared at those three words for a few seconds, and the corners of his lips slowly curved up.

is her.

Closing the report, he asked, "How long has she been gone?"

"Just left, they should still be waiting for power—"

Before he finished speaking, Meng Qing had already rushed out with the report in his hand.

Just as Meng Qing rushed out, Mu Siwan stepped into the elevator.

He stood at the end of the corridor, more than ten meters away, and saw that figure from behind.

Quiet, indifferent, with a straight back.

She is completely different from the girl who used to peer out the window longingly.

So much time had passed that he could hardly recognize it.

But just as she stepped into the elevator and slowly turned around—

He finally saw her face clearly.

"Mu Siwan!"

He blurted it out.

Inside the elevator, Mu Siwan slowly raised her head.

The door was closing, and through the increasingly narrow gap, she saw a figure backlit.

Tall, wearing a leather jacket, he was running this way.

The voice was both familiar and unfamiliar.

It sounds like I've heard it somewhere before.

The elevator doors closed completely.

Meng Qing rushed to the elevator, only to see the metal door slowly closing, reflecting his own panting face.

He stared at the door, at the numbers flashing on it.

6...5...4...

Meng Qing stood still, without moving.

is her.

It's really her.

It's been ten years.

He saw her again.

Meng Qing suddenly remembered that summer.

She leaned against the attic window and asked him what the outside world was like.

"Is it in color?"

He nodded.

"I'll show you when you come out."

The sixteen-year-old girl's eyes lit up, as if they could hold the entire summer within them.

But then he left.

I failed to keep my promise, and didn't even have time to say goodbye.

The elevator numbers are stuck at 1.

Meng Qing snapped out of his daze, tightened his grip on the report, and turned to rush down the stairs.

When he ran out of the lobby on the first floor, the revolving door was still turning gently.

There was a person standing at the door.

Not her.

Meng Wan turned around and was stunned when she saw him panting.

"Brother? Why are you running?"

Meng Qing didn't speak, his gaze passing over her and searching around.

Across the street was traffic, and on this side was a parking lot, with several cars driving out. He didn't know which car was hers, nor which direction she went.

Meng Wan followed his gaze and looked at the report in his hand.

"Who are you going to chase?"

Meng Qing lowered his eyes.

"It's nothing."

He stood on the steps, the sunlight shining from behind him, casting a long shadow.

She accomplished what she wanted to do.

He was able to leave as he wished and become a forensic doctor.

This is enough.

As for the others—

There's always another chance.

He looked away and turned to walk back.

The elevator slowly descended. Mu Siwan leaned against the elevator wall, staring blankly at the changing numbers.

That voice just now... it sounds familiar.

She frowned, unable to recall.

The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out. The testing center's car was already waiting at the door.

Back at the testing center, she had just reached the office door when she heard a strong, resonant voice coming from inside.

"Mu Siwan, come in here."

Li Jiliang sat behind his desk, his chubby face expressionless, twirling a pen in his hand.

Mu Siwan went inside.

"master."

Li Jiliang stared at her for a few seconds, then slammed his pen on the table.

"Why didn't you tell me about such a big event as your marriage? I only found out from my disciples and grand-disciples."

The chubby little old man surfs the internet every day, spouting a popular phrase.

"Is this right? Is this right?"

Mu Siwan then realized what he was angry about and tried to comfort him in a dry manner.

"It's nothing serious."

"Not a big deal?" Li Jiliang stood up angrily and paced back and forth in his office. "If getting married isn't a big deal, then what is? Is dying a big deal?"

He walked up to her and looked her up and down.

"You got married three years ago? I can't believe I'm only finding out now. Don't you even respect me as your mentor anymore?"

Seeing that the old man was quite angry despite his age, Mu Siwan was afraid that he might do something bad, so she quickly apologized.

"I was wrong, Master. Next time..."

There might not be a next time. She stopped herself in time and repeated herself.

"I was wrong, Master."

She recalled how Li Jiliang had taken care of her over the years—teaching her step by step when she first entered the industry, covering for her mistakes, and inviting her to his home for meals during holidays. She wasn't ungrateful.

"Don't call me master, you are my master." Li Jiliang waved his hand, sat back down, and softened his tone, "Alright, I didn't really mean to scold you. I just wanted to tell you that if you need anything in the future, just let me know."

Mu Siwan nodded.

"I'm turning sixty next Saturday, come over for dinner."

Mu Siwan nodded: "Okay, thank you, Master."

"No need to thank me." Li Jiliang waved his hand. "A few teachers will be coming too, you can get to know them. Oh, and there's also the son of an old friend who just transferred back to Beijing. Young man, you can chat with him."

"it is good."

"Okay, go out."

She turned and walked out.

As she reached the door, Li Jiliang called her back again.

"Siwan".

She turned around.

The old man looked at her, his tone unusually serious.

"Is that person good to you?"

Mu Siwan thought for a moment.

"good."

Thinking back to her time with Bo Yan, Mu Siwan nodded in affirmation.

"He's very good to me."