Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Yu Jingtong shook her head. “I’m not sure. Because my father couldn’t determine exactly what Gu Zhishu’s condition was.”

Wen Miao didn’t quite follow. “What do you mean, he couldn’t determine it?”

“It means my father believes Gu Zhishu’s condition is a new form of Brain Diseases-something that hasn’t appeared in modern medicine yet. The neural pathways in his brain are very strange, like some kind of lesion has occurred, but it doesn’t fit any existing category of Brain Diseases. It was also the first time I’d ever seen my father bring a report home so seriously and discuss the cause of the lesion with my mother. My parents looked up all kinds of information on Brain Diseases and consulted experts both at home and abroad, but even now they still haven’t been able to pin down an exact name for it. That’s why I said it’s still uncertain, and why I hesitated over whether I should even bring it up.”

Nan Mu asked, “Then did you ever tell Gu Zhishu about this?”

“Of course I did. My father said Brain Diseases can be mild or severe. Without a confirmed cause, he didn’t recommend that Gu Zhishu continue with his current treatment, because treatment that doesn’t match the condition could very easily trigger new Brain Diseases problems. Around May, my father even wanted me to get Gu Zhishu to come in for another follow-up. He wanted to see whether, after five months, Gu Zhishu’s Brain Diseases had shown any new changes.”

As she said that, Yu Jingtong suddenly stiffened. “Could it be… Gu Zhishu did it to avoid continuing treatment?”

Nan Mu asked, “When did you tell Gu Zhishu all this?”

“In February. Gu Zhishu went to my father for an exam in mid-January. Only after my father and mother discussed it from every angle did they tell me that it would be best for Gu Zhishu not to continue his current treatment. The moment I found out, I passed it on to Gu Zhishu.”

Nan Mu nodded. “Then it doesn’t add up. If Gu Zhishu knew in February, he would’ve either stopped immediately or kept going-why would he wait until April to decide to dodge treatment? And if he trusted you and your father’s assessment, then even if he wanted to stop, he should’ve come to you right away to get a new treatment plan.”

“True.” Yu Jingtong let out a breath. “I told him then, too-since we still hadn’t figured out what the specific lesion actually was, we needed further research.”

Neither Nan Mu nor Wen Miao knew much about the medicine behind Brain Diseases.

Nan Mu asked, “Then do you think there’s a high chance it was a misdiagnosis?”

Yu Jingtong answered without hesitation. “I think the chances are very high. Gu Zhishu once told me there was another patient back then with what was said to be the same condition. After they both had surgery, that person recovered well and was discharged quickly. But Gu Zhishu was readmitted not long after because the pain was unbearable. From that alone, doesn’t it suggest his condition might not actually have been the same one? It could’ve been two very similar conditions that got lumped under one cause. What’s more, based on Gu Zhishu’s description, the way his Brain Diseases presented was completely different from the other patient’s.”

After hearing all that, Wen Miao drew a long breath. Her head was starting to ache even worse.

Gu Zhishu might have been misdiagnosed-did that have anything to do with his murder?

“No matter what, thank you for answering our questions today.” Wen Miao wrote her phone number down on a slip of paper and handed it to Yu Jingtong. “If you remember anything else later-anything you think might be important-please contact me.”

Yu Jingtong took the note and checked the number carefully. “Okay. I also hope you can find Gu Zhishu as soon as possible.”

===

The two of them left Yu Jingtong’s home.

Wen Miao asked, “Do you think the misdiagnosis has anything to do with Gu Zhishu being murdered?”
Nan Mu remained silent, feeling as though he had forgotten something critical. Just as the two of them had walked a short distance away, he suddenly turned around. “Wait, I just remembered something.”

Nan Mu ran back to Yu Jingtong’s house and knocked urgently on the door.

When Yu Jingtong opened the door again, she looked surprised to see him. “Is something wrong?”

“I forgot to ask one thing.” Nan Mu braced one hand against the doorframe as he caught his breath. “You mentioned that you once lent a book to Gu Zhishu. What was the title?”

Yu Jingtong tilted her head, thinking for a moment. “It was a book about neurological disorders. The title was simply *Brain Diseases*.”

“Right.” Nan Mu let go of the door. “Thank you. Sorry for the interruption.”

Yu Jingtong paused for a few seconds to make sure he didn’t need anything else. “You’re welcome. Well… take care.”

Nan Mu nodded and watched her close the door before finally turning to leave.

Wen Miao had already caught up to him and heard Yu Jingtong’s answer. “Is there… something wrong with that book?”

“I was just thinking…” Nan Mu mused for a moment. “Why would someone who knew they might have been misdiagnosed choose to study medical texts on their own, yet never tell their parents or friends that they might have been misdiagnosed?”

Wen Miao’s footsteps faltered at his words.

It was true; the Gu Family seemed completely unaware that Gu Zhishu might have been misdiagnosed. But why? Usually, when someone encounters such a life-altering situation, their first instinct is to tell their parents, relatives, or friends to seek advice and support.

What had made Gu Zhishu decide to keep it a secret?

“If you were Gu Zhishu and discovered you might have been misdiagnosed, wouldn’t you go to your attending physician immediately to verify it? Wouldn’t you ask them about your symptoms in detail?”

Wen Miao blinked. “I think… I would? At the very least, I’d want to confirm with them whether I actually had the disease or not.”

Nan Mu hummed in agreement, his expression turning grave. “Then that attending physician seems quite suspicious.”

“Should we go investigate the doctor next?”

“But I still can’t figure it out.” Nan Mu rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. “Even if Gu Zhishu did bring up the misdiagnosis with his doctor… and even if it really was a misdiagnosis, would an attending physician actually commit murder over that? For conditions like brain diseases that require surgery, there would have been multiple consultations beforehand. A decision made by so many people means the responsibility is shared. Why would the doctor feel the need to kill? By killing him, the entire weight of the responsibility falls solely on the doctor’s shoulders.”

A long silence fell over the alleyway, broken only by the rhythmic scuffing of their footsteps.

Once they emerged from the alley, they hailed a taxi and headed back toward the hospital entrance.

Only then did Wen Miao speak up. “Maybe we should just find this doctor and ask them directly.”

That seemed to be the only option left. Nan Mu thought about it and asked, “By the way, speaking of which, do you know which hospital Gu Zhishu was admitted to after he fell ill?”

There were more than a dozen hospitals of various sizes in City A.

Wen Miao looked up, her gaze landing on the building across the street. It was the same hospital where Nan Mu had been treated for his injuries. The sign read: “First Affiliated Hospital of A University of Science and Technology Medical School.”

Nan Mu looked at Wen Miao, then back at the hospital, looking quite surprised. “The hospital where Gu Zhishu was treated… is this one?”

Wen Miao nodded. “That’s right.”