Chapter 107: No Love
Chapter 107
Fang Rui and Mu Mian arrived at Zhang's hospital room.
"Everyone spread out a bit, don't all crowd together. Zhang can barely breathe," Chen Xue waved away the heads clustered around the bed, complaining, "Who brought those yellow chrysanthemums? That's so inauspicious, take them away! And those lilies too, get rid of them. Zhang is allergic to lilies!"
Zhang was well-liked, and his room was packed with colleagues who had come to visit. Even the new female accountant from the finance department had brought a bouquet of lilies.
Everyone gathered around to examine Zhang's wounds. Those who knew the truth were stifling their laughter, while the uninformed were whispering amongst themselves.
"Bro, your leg doesn't look like it was just from a fall. Why are there all these holes in it? What on earth happened?" Wang poked Zhang's leg, making him howl in pain.
Chen Xue angrily swatted Wang's hand away. "He's already in this state, and you're still bullying him? What kind of friend are you?"
"Come on, Zhang's a tough guy. This is nothing for him," Wang sheepishly withdrew his hand.
"Oh no, I forgot to buy pork trotters to make soup for Zhang. He needs to build up his strength," the female accountant looked distraught.
"Little Shen, why are you worrying? Chen Xue is right here. She's studying medicine, don't you think she knows how to take care of Zhang? You're always fretting over nothing."
"But Chen Xue is a forensic pathologist. She specializes in corpses."
"..."
Zhang's face turned bright red. He hadn't dared tell everyone that he'd stepped in an animal trap. It would ruin his image.
Mu Mian looked at the room full of flowers and gifts, suddenly realizing she had come empty-handed. Oh no, she'd forgotten to buy a present.
Her gaze moved from the pile of gifts to the enormous, elaborate fruit basket Fang Rui was holding.
Would it be okay to sneak a fruit or two from it?
"Mu Mian, can you carry this?" Fang Rui handed the fruit basket to her.
Mu Mian reminded him, "Aren't you giving it yourself? It'll be awkward without a gift."
"It's fine. My friendship with Zhang doesn't need gifts to prove it."
"That's great then. I could really use a gift."
Mu Mian excitedly took the basket, nearly toppling over with it. It was so heavy! In the end, she opted to hug it as she entered the room.
Everyone watched as Mu Mian stumbled in, hugging a fruit basket half her height.
Zhang was moved to tears. "Mu Mian, I'm so touched! You didn't have to come, let alone bring such a huge fruit basket. Why so formal?"
Then Zhang glanced at Fang Rui's empty hands, and his tears of gratitude dried up. The boss was so cold-hearted, not even bringing a small gift when he was bedridden.
Seeing Zhang's disappointed expression, Fang Rui was exasperated. Why did a grown man care so much about getting gifts? He wasn't a child.
The others also looked at Fang Rui's empty hands and scolded him, "Captain Fang, you didn't even help her carry it? How are you going to handle having a girlfriend in the future?"
"I wanted to carry it myself," Mu Mian clarified, seeing that Fang Rui was being misunderstood. "Fang Rui bought the fruit basket at the fruit shop downstairs. He got the most expensive one. I forgot to buy a gift, so Fang Rui let me give his gift so I wouldn't be embarrassed."
Everyone exchanged knowing looks. "Well, what's his is yours, right? No need to be so particular about it."
"Exactly!"
Zhang was touched again. He felt honored that Fang Rui had bought him the most expensive fruit basket. He must really value him!
Mu Mian frowned, not understanding why Fang Rui's fruit basket would be considered hers. Did that mean his corpse would be hers too? But Mu Mian had already promised Fang Rui she wouldn't let him donate his body, so she didn't voice her confusion.
"Officer Zhang, I heard you were injured by the culprit, but these wounds look strange. Did they attack you with a rake?" Mu Mian examined Zhang's injuries closely. Worried that others might not know what a rake was, she explained, "You know, like in Journey to the West? Zhu Bajie's weapon is a rake."
Everyone suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, it really does look like Zhu Bajie took a swipe at him with his rake!"
Mu Mian didn't understand why everyone was laughing, so she just laughed along.
Zhang grumbled dejectedly, "Man, I must have stepped in dog poop that day to have such bad luck."
Mu Mian pointed to the bandage on her head. "Hey, I've been having bad luck lately too."
Everyone remembered the rumors about Mu Mian and couldn't help laughing again.
Fang Rui glanced at Mu Mian, a bit helpless. Her wound had long since healed, but she loved SpongeBob SquarePants so much that she still wore that eye-catching bandage every day. Fang Rui had tried to remove it for her, but before long, Mu Mian would secretly put it back on.
After making a ruckus in the room for a while longer, they were complained about by the elderly patient next door for being too noisy. Everyone had to leave, letting Chen Xue stay alone to look after Zhang.
Before leaving, Mu Mian saw Chen Xue and Zhang chatting and laughing together in the room, looking very happy.
Mu Mian was puzzled. Zhang's injuries were so severe, why was he still so cheerful? Chen Xue's boyfriend was lying in a hospital bed, how could she laugh? Their emotional states were strange and couldn't be explained by normal logic.
Mu Mian recalled the forensic guide Forensic Doctor Cheng had written for her. He said that people in love have illogical emotions - their tears might express joy, their laughter might mask sorrow. Overcoming hardships and setbacks might even deepen their love... Mu Mian thought love was so complicated!
"What's wrong, Mu Mian? Your eyebrows are all scrunched up like Crayon Shin-chan."
"Fang Rui, I'm studying an emotion that normal humans possess - love," Mu Mian raised her chin, looking a bit proud. She thought Zhou Junwei's experimental design lacked creativity. She wanted to design a perfect experiment to study love.
But before that, she needed to understand what love was.
"Why study love?" Fang Rui's heart suddenly sped up. Had Mu Mian finally realized that their relationship was different from her other friendships?
"Because normal people all have love. Zhang and Chen Xue have love, Forensic Doctor Cheng has love, even Wang found a nurse girlfriend. Even my hacker friend - a severe social phobic - has an adorable girlfriend..." Mu Mian listed the couples around her and sighed, "Except for me. I don't have love. Because I'm not normal."
Seeing Fang Rui's complicated expression, she carefully reminded him, "Fang Rui, you don't seem to have love either."
"I do have love," Fang Rui corrected her.
Mu Mian tilted her head, looking confused. "But you don't have a girlfriend."
"That's true, but people without girlfriends can still have love."
"Okay," Mu Mian remembered poor Lin Consultant and warned Fang Rui, "But love without a girlfriend means you can't get married. You'll be lonely forever. Like Lin Consultant. You'll be pitiful."
Fang Rui looked at Mu Mian very seriously. "That's why I have to work hard to make her fall in love with me."
"Fang Rui, it's okay if she can't fall in love with you. I won't get married either. My sister will die before me, so I'll definitely end up alone in my old age. I can keep you company then." Mu Mian smiled at Fang Rui.
Fang Rui smiled too. It was okay if Mu Mian couldn't fall in love with him, as long as she was willing to stay by his side forever.
As they passed by the Jiangzhou Grand Hotel, Fang Rui saw police officers and security guards restraining a bruised and battered man.
Fang Rui stopped the car and asked, "What happened?"
"This guy snuck into the hotel to steal. He took a set of jewelry worth millions. We caught him red-handed."
The man wailed, "I didn't steal that jewelry! It was given to me by my daughter, Su Momo. I'm innocent! I'm not a thief! I can prove my identity. I really am the father of the famous star Su Momo. How can it be stealing if I'm taking my daughter's things?"
"The evidence is conclusive. We caught you in the act. No use denying it!"
The police and security guards had already obtained proof of his theft and were taking him to the police car.
Fang Rui suddenly realized that Su Momo had set up a perfect scheme. Everyone who had been unkind to Su Momo received their corresponding punishment.
Su Momo wasn't just seeking revenge on her boyfriend; she was exacting retribution on everyone.