Beijing city is vast, and there are always a few murders. However, severing a person's right hand after killing them is an unusual act.
...
For this, Huang Youdao pondered deeply, but his imagination offered no help; he could not discern the entire process of the murder. Thinking back, his ability to guess Duan Shan's actions was most likely due to his thorough knowledge of everything related to the hospital.
Murder, from a certain perspective, was not within Huang Youdao's professional domain.
Regardless, Huang Youdao refused to become a murderer. He devised a treatment plan for himself, using medication only available abroad, primarily for schizophrenia.
Clearly, the medication worked. After taking it, Huang Youdao no longer heard the security guard complaining about pranks, and his life gradually stabilized.
...
ID - 563743675
However, Huang Youdao still had something weighing on his mind; he couldn't let go of the murder case. Had the killer been found? He likely hadn't, as no police had questioned him.
Perhaps it wasn't me who killed them?
How could that be? Besides me, who else would do such a senseless thing?
Time slowly passed. Due to the medication, Huang Youdao's IQ began to decline, returning to the level of 115. He was a bit smarter than the average person, but certainly not a genius.
He decided to let his life fade into the background, allowing the "demon" in his heart to drift away with the wind.
At the end of that year, Huang Youdao agreed to a blind date and met a woman in her thirties. She was divorced, and he was unmarried. However, Huang Youdao's parents had passed away, and he had almost no contact with his siblings. Therefore, as long as Huang Youdao didn't mind, it didn't matter if the woman had been married before.
"I've heard a bit about you," the woman said.
"What?"
The woman didn't answer directly, saying seriously, "After we get married, you can do your own things, as long as they don't interfere with our lives. My only requirement is that we consummate our marriage once a month until I have a child."
Huang Youdao understood the unspoken meaning in her words. He nodded, "When should we get married?"
"You decide!"
"What about the betrothal gifts?"
"We both have jobs; I don't need any betrothal gifts."
Huang Youdao was a bit confused and asked curiously, "If you don't need a man, why do you want to get married?"
"I want a child, not from IVF. I want a father for it, born after ten months of pregnancy. Gender doesn't matter; I will raise him with love."
Huang Youdao nodded. "You really are a strange person."
"Aren't you also a strange person?" the woman retorted, her question piercing Huang Youdao's heart like a sharp sword. He nodded helplessly and took out his work notebook, checking his schedule. Then, he said seriously, "At the end of the month, I have three days free. Let's get married then."
The woman nodded. "If you have time tomorrow, let's go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and get our marriage certificate."
"Okay!"
...
Huang Youdao was a model husband. He didn't secretly date someone as the woman might have expected. He spent most of his time working, came home normally at night, and slept in the same bed as his wife.
Until one day, the woman said to him, "Professor Huang, what medication are you taking?"
"Medication for my nerves."
"Can you stop taking it?"
Huang Youdao remained silent. The woman continued, "We haven't used any protection, yet I still haven't conceived. The doctor said it might be related to the medication."
"It's not related."
"The doctor said..."
For the first time, Huang Youdao got angry with the woman, shouting, "Which doctor? Let him speak to me. I am an expert in medicine!"
The woman fell silent and then cried. She finally told the truth: her previous marriage had ended because she couldn't conceive, and her in-laws had looked down on her. Although she had a good relationship with her husband, their inability to have children had strained their marriage, leading to divorce.
"Where did you see the doctor?"
"I've seen all the infertility specialists. It's not a male issue, and I don't seem to have any problems, but for some reason, I can't get pregnant. Maybe..."
Huang Youdao interrupted her, "Come to my hospital tomorrow."
...
Huang Youdao looked at the woman's examination report, his expression somber. It was a genetic disorder, something the infertility specialists couldn't resolve. Now, the biggest problem was that he couldn't resolve it either.
This made Huang Youdao somewhat unwilling to accept it. He thought of the woman; she was quite attractive, educated, and had a good job. However, coming from a traditional family, she couldn't live a solitary but happy life like others.
"Professor Huang, you..."
The assistant looked at Professor Huang's troubled face and hesitated to speak.
"Continue..."
"If it were the old you, you would definitely face the challenge head-on. But now..."
"What about now?"
"You've become a bit lax at work. Compared to your former self, you haven't had a breakthrough in a long time, and you've even become complacent in your work."
Huang Youdao understood; only he knew the real reason. He glanced at the report and then at the medication on his desk. The woman's genetic disorder could likely be solved.
But now, Huang Youdao knew his intelligence was insufficient, lacking creativity and imagination. He couldn't fully utilize what he had learned. If... yes, that's what he would do!
Tao Yue, please let the "demon" possess my body.
Huang Youdao recited in his heart. Then, he locked the usual medication in his desk drawer.
"This case is the challenge we aim to overcome this year."
The assistant looked at Professor Huang's sparkling eyes and became excited too. "Yes, Professor!"
...
"How is it going?" Huang Youdao asked his assistant.
"The gamma globulin has shown improvement."
"Not enough!"
...
"Professor, your blood cholesterol is too high~"
"Don't worry about that number for now. Here... there needs to be improvement. Increase the dosage."
"Understood, Professor!"
...
"Professor, look!" The assistant excitedly handed the report to Huang Youdao.
"Latent harmful gene carrier?"
"Yes, yes! As long as we continue to improve!"
"Notify the family, prepare for discharge. Oh, I forgot, I am the family. We'll handle the discharge procedures today."
ID - 563743675
The assistant was bewildered. "What about the harmful genes?"
"Are we gods? To achieve this much is already a battle against hell."
...
"Are we discharging soon?" the woman asked.
"Mm!"
Professor Huang replied calmly.
"Didn't your assistant say that another...?"
"Yes, another crucial step is needed."
"Then why are we discharging? Professor Huang, tell me, can it not be cured?"
Huang Youdao smiled. "No, this crucial step needs to be completed at home."
The woman blinked, and after a long moment, she understood Huang Youdao's meaning, her face instantly flushing red.
...
Huang Youdao returned home from work and heard a loud argument from the hallway. He opened the door and entered the room, asking the woman, "Why are our neighbors fighting?"
"The family on the third floor had an extra urn, and when they opened it, they called the police. The police arrived and found out the urn contained the ashes of the neighbor's child. The neighbor wants to sue the child downstairs for theft, but the child claims he didn't steal it, and the police have no evidence. So, they started arguing."
"Oh!"
Since their return from the hospital, the relationship between the woman and Huang Youdao had changed significantly. The woman whispered into Huang Youdao's ear, "Lao Huang, do you know? That urn actually moved downstairs on its own?"
It sounded like a bizarre event, but Huang Youdao didn't pay much attention. He looked at the woman. "What did you call me?"
"Lao Huang, what's wrong?"
"Nothing!" Huang Youdao smiled sincerely, feeling a warmth in his heart.
"Lao Huang, do you know? That urn doesn't actually contain the ashes of that woman's child. In many places in our hometown, they raise these kinds of urns. It's called raising a 'gu' child. They place the bones of a deceased child in an urn and put it on an altar to serve as lookouts for wicked businessmen."
"Lookouts?"
"Yes, if there's impending disaster or danger, the 'gu' children can see it and send them dreams to ward off the misfortune."
Huang Youdao smiled wryly. "Wife, you're only in high school, right? Why do you still believe in this?"
"I just feel they are morally corrupt. You know, the truly powerful 'gu' children are suffocated to death right after birth and placed in an urn. Never mind, never mind... don't get cursed."
Seeing the woman's demeanor, Huang Youdao hugged her. "Is dinner ready?"
"Mm!"
After dinner, Huang Youdao returned to his study to read. After getting married, he had moved into a larger house, and the study had become his most comfortable space.
A moment later, the woman came in and handed Huang Youdao his medication. "Take your medicine."
"Can I take it now?"
"Mm, you should be able to, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm worried about you..."
Worry flickered across the woman's face. She didn't know what illness Huang Youdao had, but taking medication always implied something was wrong.
...
Huang Youdao watched the woman leave the study and put the medicine back into the drawer, untouched. He murmured to himself, "This is the last time."
A few days later, the neighbor who had been raising a "gu" child with an infant died. Her right hand had been severed.