This was already the fifth one tonight!
Stiff limbs, dilated pupils, and severe impacts to the brain causing cerebral spinal fluid to spill out, a mixture of red and white. It looked just like tofu smothered in ketchup.
The woman in the white doctor's robe was quickly jotting down onto a death report, seemingly indifferent. Her slightly frowning willow eyebrows revealed her mood was far from beautiful.
So many deaths these days.
In the morning she autopsied a woman who had died as a result of abduction, and in the afternoon a three-year-old child who died due to abuse from a stepmother.
Ready to wrap up and take off for the day, she was about to step out when a massive collision on the Ring Road highway caused by a self-burning oil tanker lead to six bodies being urgently sent over.
Ding!
The midnight bell rings, sending chills down people's spines, feeling as if a chill was blowing on the back of our necks.
The morgue was already eerie, and despite the sutras playing softly in the Buddha alcove, it couldn't block out the pervasive ghostly aura.
The woman looked up at the clock and fiercely furrowed her delicate eyebrows, she began the autopsy on the last body of the night.
Truth be told, she wasn't afraid of dead bodies. In Han Bing's view, compared to the dead, the living were far more troublesome. Just yesterday, wasn't there a dispute in the clinic on the other side of the hospital?
Unlike her place where the dead remained silent, peacefully laying on the bed, even if being dissected without giving off a whimper of pain. Preserving the state they were in prior to death, waiting for her to uncover the truth, to reveal what had really happened.
Yes, Han Bing was a female forensic doctor, colloquially known as a coroner. Not one result of any autopsy she had conducted was made public, earning her the title "Lady Bao" of the forensic field. There were even families lining up, waiting for Han Bing to perform autopsies.
"Scissors." Han Bing's red lips softly uttered a single word.
But after waiting for a moment, there was still no sign of the scissors in her outstretched hand. Unable to hold it in, Han Bing repeated the word, with a stronger tone.
"Scissors."
Still nothing!
Han Bing lifted her head, only to see her assistant Lin Susu standing there, her face was pale, and her eyes were blank.
"Lin Susu, do not let me hear those jitters from your teeth," Han Bing couldn't help but exclaim.
This intern had been with her for two months now. Everything was fine, except her constant timidity. Especially at midnight, she'd get so scared and wouldn't dare to move. How could she expect her to be a coroner behaving this way?
Han Bing couldn't help but hold her forehead; she thought that after her training, Lin Susu's courage would have increased, but it was doing the exact opposite tonight.
"Han... Forensic Han, don't you think it's too cold?" It's so cold, and it's getting scarier.
Lin Susu couldn't help but feel a chill, and her teeth kept chattering. It was already past midnight, and it was the half-month of the lunar July, which was known to be the time when the 'ghost gate' opened. Forgive her for being too timid.
Lin Susu felt extremely cold, her body had stiffened, and apart from her eyes, she dared not move anything else. Especially now, she felt someone touching her hand.
No, it's not a feeling; someone was really touching her hand!
"Ah! Ghost!" Lin Susu screamed, with her head in her hands as she nearly hid under the bed.
"Ghost, your sister! It's me!" Han Bing couldn't help but curse.
With such a cowardly intern, she'd rather die than admit that she was her student after she graduates. That would be too damn humiliating.
Lin Susu, realizing her overreaction from Han Bing's abrupt yell, saw that Han Bing was impatiently snatching the scissors from her hand.
"Sob... Professor, I'm afraid. Today is Ghost Festival!" Lin Susu whimpered in a soft voice, saying 'Professor’ trying to evoke Han Bing's sympathy, hoping she would not berate her.
Where would Han Bing have the energy to deal with her? She had worked an entire day and was already extremely tired. Finishing that last report and hurrying home to sleep was the true priority.
"If you continue to cry, I'm convinced that a ghost will come looking for you soon. Hospitals are lacking in many things, but this is definitely one that can satisfy you", Han Bing coldly stated.
Lin Susu hurriedly looked around to see that Han Bing was just playing a joke on her. She quickly stood up and started assisting her with work.
It wasn't that she was faint-hearted. In fact, back in school, she was quite bold, which was why she was assigned as an intern under Han Bing. However, being a forensic scientist was no job for humans, having to dissect bodies all day and there was always emergency work at night.
But who could blame her for not recognizing the truth? Before her college entrance exams, she watched a criminal justice program where the forensic scientist male lead was so handsome, and she ended up applying for the Forensic Science major.
What's worse, Han Bing’s reputation had led the police station to specially hire her as a technical consultant. There were always cases that needed her help. She saw all kinds of bodies and never got rest, even at night.
The joy Lin Susu felt two months ago of being assigned to Han Bing as an intern was now completely gone.
If she knew she would face such a situation, she would rather have poor grades and lose to her competitors. Lin Susu was now regretful and wanted to cry but no tears came.
Just as Lin Susu was lost in thought, Han Bing had finished dissecting the last male corpse and was making several swift strokes on the report. She turned her stiff neck from looking down so long.
Done, end of work!
"Well, are you not leaving? Are you planning to spend the night here?" Han Bing glanced at Lin Susu, the corners of her mouth lifted.
It was only then that Lin Susu came back to her senses and hastily packed up her things.
Actually, working under Han Bing was not bad for Lin Susu. She not only gained exposure to a wealth of experiences but Han Bing was also an excellent teacher. Although she did not speak much, she did not keep things to herself. Moreover, she packed her surgical equipment herself and never relied on others.
"Here, this report needs to be given to the prosecutor tomorrow morning." Han Bing tossed the autopsy report at Lin Susu, then put the dissecting tools into her bag, ready to leave.
This time, Lin Susu reacted quickly. She was terribly afraid that Han Bing would leave her alone in the morgue, especially today, and swiftly put the report in the drawer before rushing to catch up with her.
"Han Forensic Doctor, why don't you hand it over to the prosecutor yourself?" Lin Susu said, making small talk, mainly because the hospital corridor was too vacant. All that was audible was the sound of her own footprints.
"Because I'm on a break," Han Bing replied with a poker face.
What she didn't tell Lin Susu is that July 15th is not only the day when the ghost door is open but also her birthday.
Seeing that Han Bing didn't want to discuss it, Lin Susu didn't question her any further. More importantly, the two had already left the hospital's main entrance.
"Goodbye, teacher," Lin Susu said, watching Han Bing drive away before running back to the hospital dormitory.
Han Bing waved her hand, and her car quickly merged into the traffic.
Perhaps because it was the Ghost Festival, the roads were exceptionally empty. Usually, there are vehicles passing even at midnight.
When she got home, Han Bing opened the door to an expectedly dark house. The bedroom was also empty with the bed's condition exactly as when she left in the morning.
Han Bing sighed. It seemed that Song Chuyun had not returned, meaning yet another overnight stay.
Ever since she had married Song Chuyun, he always found some reason to be away on business, increasingly so in the last few months. When she worked overtime, she was unaware, but she had not seen him at home when she was there.
Han Bing chose not to meddle with her husband in name only. Saying more would just make her upset, so it was better to push it off her mind, take a bath, and get a good sleep.
The next day, Han Bing was awakened by the ring of a phone call.
As today was her day off, she had deactivated her alarm, preferring to wake up naturally.
Han Bing groggily picked up her mobile phone. As expected, it was her husband’s grandmother.
"Hello, Little Bing, as soon as you wake up, get up quickly. Come to the old house with Chuyun later. The whole family will celebrate your birthday together." As soon as she picked up the phone, the soft voice of Song's grandma came from the other side of the phone.
The old woman's voice brought a smile to Han Bing's cold face, and her voice became much gentler.
"Okay, Grandma, we'll be there before lunch," Han Bing said obligingly, and they ended the call quickly.
Han Bing held the cell phone and gave a helpless wry smile.
Old Lady Song probably didn't know yet that she and Song Chu Yun were already separated - or rather, they had never been together in the first place.
Han Bing clearly remembered that she had accidentally overheard Song Chu Yun speaking to his lover on the phone before their marriage.
"A woman who spends all day touching dead bodies, just thinking about it makes me nauseous, I wouldn’t lay a hand on her." His tone was filled with contempt and disgust.
As for Song Chu Yun's avoidance, it was a breath of relief for Han Bing. She also didn't know how to end up in bed with a man she wasn't familiar with.
How did Han Bing end up marrying Song Chu Yun? This all started with the origins of Han Bing.
Whether it was because Han Bing was born at an inauspicious time, she was abandoned at the door of an orphanage, and the small note enclosed with her only mentioned her date of birth.
As for Han Bing’s name, it was given to her because she never liked to laugh as a child; she was like an ice queen. Hence, the orphanage director decided to give her his last name, Han.
In the orphanage, many orphans adopted the surname Han, following the director.
Due to her inherent personality, Han Bing didn't like to socialize with people from a young age. Not because of shyness, but she found it bothersome. She disliked the deceitful world.
One should know, Han Bing entered the medical college with the highest total score in the city. To everyone's surprise, she didn't choose clinical medicine aimed at treating patients but the forensic specialty instead.
This was because she didn't want to deal with people. In Han Bing's eyes, the dead were much more endearing than the living. At least they lay quietly on the bed, letting her do her job without questioning her medical skills or dealing with difficult relatives. She enjoyed the tranquility.
The Song Family was a well-established family in City A with ample wealth. Grandma Song has always been very fond of philanthropy since her young age.
The orphanage where Han Bing resided, was also a benefactor of Grandma Song's.
At some point, even though Han Bing was not as likeable as the other children, even when there were societal individuals coming to sponsor, she would not step forward, hoping someone might take her in.
Han Bing would always quietly sit in a corner, engrossed in a book she held.
For unknown reasons, she managed to catch the eye of Grandma Song. Grandma Song, when free, would visit the orphanage to see her. Later on, Grandma Song wished to adopt Han Bing, but was firmly refused.
Han Bing did not think there was anything wrong with living in the orphanage. Even though the conditions were average, there was freedom. Director Han was an open-minded and kind person, he respected every child's wishes.
And so, Han Bing rejected Grandma Song's adoption, but they became good friends. When Grandma Song sometimes volunteered at the orphanage, Han Bing would accompany her and chat.
To say they chatted wasn't accurate, it was more like Grandma Song talked and Han Bing listened.
Due to Han Bing's silence, she had become an excellent listener. Grandma Song would tell her all the bitter secrets she couldn't reveal to others.
Through their interactions, Han Bing learned that Grandma Song's son and daughter-in-law died in a car accident. The only family she had left besides her husband was a grandson named Song Chu Yun. Doing charity was a way for Grandma Song to accumulate blessings for her grandson.
This silent mode of communication between the two lasted until Han Bing was accepted into medical school and left the orphanage.