Due to traffic delays, Mu Mian and Shen Xiyin arrived at the restaurant to find that Professor Jiang had already been waiting for them for quite some time.
Professor Jiang was a kindly old lady with graying hair and glasses. Upon seeing Mu Mian, she greeted her first:
"Hello, Mu Mian. It's wonderful to finally meet you. You're just as lovely as your photo."
"Hello, Professor Jiang. It's nice to meet you too. You look just as professional as your photo," Mu Mian forced herself to make eye contact with Professor Jiang, stretching her lips into a smile, trying to act like a normal person.
"Mu Mian, there's no need to be nervous. We're just here to have a meal. I won't be conducting any behavioral assessments."
"I'm not nervous."
Professor Jiang exchanged pleasantries with Shen Xiyin for a moment, then turned to Mu Mian and cautiously probed, "Mu Mian, would you like to see your mother..."
Mu Mian, focused intently on the menu, hadn't clearly heard what Professor Jiang was saying.
"Professor Jiang," Shen Xiyin handed the menu to her, forcibly interrupting, "What would you like to eat?"
Professor Jiang gave Shen Xiyin a disapproving look but swallowed the question she was about to ask.
They were at a Western restaurant. Shen Xiyin ordered a seafood risotto for Mu Mian and a steak for herself.
"I'd like another seafood risotto to go!" Mu Mian told the waiter.
Shen Xiyin looked at Mu Mian, puzzled. "Are you that hungry today?"
"I have a friend who often forgets to eat dinner on time. I thought I'd bring him something to eat."
After the food arrived, Shen Xiyin and Professor Jiang began discussing work-related matters.
Mu Mian first picked out all the shrimp and carrots from her plate and put them into the takeaway box.
"Mu Mian, wasn't that meant for your friend? How can you put the food you don't like in there?" Although Mu Mian had been picky with food before, she never had the habit of putting food into other people's bowls.
"He won't mind. He likes these things. Last time, he ate all the carrots from the plate."
Shen Xiyin was a bit surprised. Mu Mian was a person with strong boundaries, but this friend she spoke of seemed to have already been placed within the circle Mu Mian had drawn for herself.
Over the past six months, Mu Mian's social skills had improved greatly.
Having finished picking through her food, Mu Mian began to eat quickly. "Sister, don't talk to me. You'll affect my eating speed."
Professor Jiang asked, confused, "Mu Mian, are you in a hurry? You're eating so fast."
"There's a corpse waiting for me. It's urgent, I need to get back quickly."
Professor Jiang's expression froze for a moment before she regained her smile. "You're a forensic pathologist now?"
"Yes! And a very excellent one at that."
"I can see that, because you're so dedicated to your work."
"Your logic is flawed. Not all dedicated forensic pathologists are excellent ones. Chen Xue is also very dedicated, but she's not an excellent forensic pathologist."
"..."
Mu Mian finished her meal quickly. She refused Shen Xiyin's offer to drive her home and took a taxi instead.
After Mu Mian left, Professor Jiang watched her retreating figure and couldn't help but remark:
"It's been nineteen years, hasn't it? The last time I saw Mu Mian, she was only six years old. Back then, we all thought she might live in her own world forever. I never expected her to change so much. If I didn't observe carefully, I wouldn't even be able to tell she's an autistic patient."
Professor Jiang still remembered her first encounter with Mu Mian. Mu Mian was very quiet, like a soulless puppet. No matter how people talked to her, she wouldn't react at all, focusing intently on the patterns on the floor.
She conducted a series of tests on Mu Mian, and the results were terrible. Mu Mian's intelligence level was extremely low, her language development was stagnant, and she had severe sensory integration disorder. It was a case where post-natal intervention seemed impossible.
At that time, they all gave up on intervention therapy for Mu Mian. Only Shen Xiyin didn't give up.
Shen Xiyin smiled and said, "Professor Jiang, you're exaggerating. Mu Mian's symptoms are still very obvious. Her behavioral logic is very different from normal people."
"But her current state is what many families with autistic members dream of. She can basically live independently now, right?"
"Yes, she's been living independently for the past six months."
Professor Jiang was a bit shocked. It was rare for autistic patients to live independently without a caregiver. Although Mu Mian had no problems with daily living skills, it was clear from their conversation that she had severe social difficulties.
"Mu Mian's emotional disorder is still very serious. Her memory is excellent, but she can hardly remember emotions. Her emotions are just perceptions of the present moment, and it's very difficult for her to extract them from memories again. Professor Jiang, is there any way to improve this situation?"
Shen Xiyin knew that the root of Mu Mian's social difficulties was that she couldn't judge other people's emotions or empathize with them.
"Many autistic patients have this problem. It might be related to the developmental state of their brains. It's very difficult to improve through post-natal training."
"I see." Shen Xiyin wasn't surprised by her answer. She had brought Mu Mian to meet Professor Jiang today just to catch up.
"So, are you planning to settle down in China?"
"It's uncertain. But for now, we might stay in China. My father left an inheritance that I need to deal with. Once I've handled that, I'll take Mu Mian back."
"I met Mu Mian's mother a few days ago. She's doing quite well now. Don't you want to take Mu Mian to see her? I think she would be willing to take care of Mu Mian, and you could relax a bit."
"There's no need! I begged her before to see Mu Mian, I even promised her a large sum of money, but she still refused to come see Mu Mian." Shen Xiyin calmly cut the steak on her plate. "So I won't let Mu Mian see her."
Professor Jiang noticed that Shen Xiyin had changed a lot. During her university days, Shen Xiyin was like a little sun, lively and expressive. Since her parents died in a car accident, she had become much more composed, but she had lost that sense of lightness.
She seemed to be carrying a lot of pressure.
"Xiyin, what responsibility and obligation do you have to take care of Mu Mian? What about your own life? Your career? Your supervisor is very angry. He's cultivated you carefully for so many years, and now you've come back to China to work in an unknown clinic. You're throwing away your career! You should return Mu Mian to her mother, let her mother take care of her. It would be good for you and for Mu Mian!"
Professor Jiang became increasingly agitated as she spoke.
She was good friends with Shen Xiyin's parents and knew Shen Xiyin's supervisor. She felt that Shen Xiyin was being too emotional, giving up such a good job opportunity for Mu Mian, a sister with no blood relation.
"Xiyin, if you go back now and apologize to your supervisor, withdraw that resignation letter, there's still a chance to salvage everything."
"He should learn to respect my choices. My career aspiration is simple: I just want to fulfill my sister's wish and help her become a normal person."
Shen Xiyin didn't understand why everyone thought Mu Mian was holding her back. In fact, it wasn't the case. She resigned not just to take care of Mu Mian, but more for herself.
Mu Mian was her family, and also an achievement in her professional career!
"You're too naive! That's impossible!" Professor Jiang sighed.
Shen Xiyin remembered many years ago when they had told her the same thing: you're too naive, Mu Mian will be a speechless idiot all her life.
"Professor Jiang, as therapists, we shouldn't easily say something is impossible."
"Ah, we advised you back then that you should hand Mu Mian over to other therapists. She's both your patient and your sister. This dual relationship means you can no longer make rational judgments."
