Chapter 20: The Road Ahead is Uncertain (Part 1)

  "Hello..." A hoarse but powerful voice came from the other end of the phone, it was Professor Elans, a renowned expert in psychiatry and neuroscience, who Zhang Fan had been trying to reach. The connection between Zhang Fan and Professor Elans was due to a case that had been puzzling the professor for a long time. For an authority on physics and psychiatry, there were some things that he couldn't explain with his professional knowledge. Until one day, at a dinner party, he met Zhang Fan and they discussed the case. Professor Elans heard about fields he had never touched before, which were completely unrelated to his profession, but could be used to reasonably explain some problems he had been unable to solve.

  "Professor Yirans? I'm Zhang Fan." Recognizing people by their voice was one of Zhang Fan's essential skills, and although it had been a long time since he last spoke with Professor Yirans, Zhang Fan still knew in the first instant that the person on the phone was exactly who he wanted to find.

  "Zhang Fan... where have you been indulging in pleasure lately? It's been so long, and you haven't even come to visit this old man. The '82 Lafite I specially kept for you last time was missed during its optimal drinking period, and my granddaughter scolded me for a whole week. This time, I secretly kept another good bottle of wine for you without letting her know. When are you coming over? Let's have a good drink together again."

  On the other end of the phone, Zhang Fan couldn't help but smile wryly and slightly move the receiver away from his ear. This Professor Yilans had a serious drinking problem, and an even worse habit of talking excessively. When it came to Zhang Fan, this young man's admiration only made him more extreme in his display of both his drinking and talking habits.

  "I'm really sorry, I have no choice either. You know my job requires me to be on the move all the time, and who knows where I'll be tomorrow? But one thing is for sure, I'll definitely appear in front of you again after a few days."

  "Oh…… is that so? When did you become so kind-hearted and thoughtful, coming to visit an old man like me on your own initiative? How come I didn't see the sun rising in the west today? And haven't seen any headlines about earthquakes in the newspaper?" Professor Ilans was clearly not going to let go of this opportunity to scold Zhang Fan, who had delivered himself to his doorstep.

  "You didn't know I've always been so kind? Moreover, someone as humorous and knowledgeable as you, who is admired by everyone, is not often seen. Being able to drink and chat with you is a blessing that I have accumulated over eight lifetimes! Although these words are obviously meant to flatter, an older person and a beautiful woman alike both like to hear sweet nothings. This method has never failed for Professor Islam."

  On the other end of the phone, Professor Yilans's hearty laughter came through. "Speak up! You little rascal, you wouldn't come looking for me if nothing was wrong. Has some woman been chasing you to get married and driven you to a dead end, or is someone claiming to be your illegitimate child and wanting me to help you with the paternity test?" Although Professor Yilans had brought up the topic at hand, he still couldn't resist teasing Zhang Fan a bit.

  "I know Professor Yilans is wise and powerful, unbeatable. Flattery got the better of him, just like Zhang Fan now."

  "Stop, stop, you're getting more and more absurd. Alright, don't try to coax this old man anymore, I can still tell how much of what you're saying is true and how much is false. Let's get down to business, what do you want from me?" Professor Yilans seemed like he was about to be nauseated by Zhang Fan's sweet talk, and hastily interrupted him.

  "Here's the thing, I met someone who lost her memory. Based on my investigation, it's possible that she suffered physical damage related to physics. Moreover, this damage seems to have had some impact on her sex drive. In this field, how many people can surpass your skills? So, I was thinking of bringing her to Paris and asking for your help in checking her out to see if we can find the root cause of the problem."

  "Has it had some effect on your libido?" Professor Yilans quickly grasped the theme of Zhang Fan's words, of course, also what he thought was the theme. The tone of his voice couldn't hide a smile. "You wouldn't be someone who brainwashed another person's little girl, then discovered that you unintentionally did something wrong, and as a result, the little girl won't let you touch her. So you came to seek my help?"

  "Professor Yilans, do you think I'm so incompetent and shameless?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Professor Yilans' ability to associate ideas, actually thinking that Zhang Fan had taken advantage of the woman and then came to him for help to cover his tracks.

  "It looks the same from any angle." Professor Yilans was apparently very pleased to have made Zhang Fan speechless this time.

  Zhang Fan ignored Professor Yilan's sarcasm and stated the purpose of this visit: "I think this case is strange. When I examined her brain, I felt that it wasn't a high-level mind control, but rather a post-traumatic amnesia caused by external brain injury. But how could this amnesia affect her sex drive? According to her symptoms, her libido would surge uncontrollably at regular intervals, to the point where she couldn't control herself. So, I want to bring her to you and see if you can find the problem and solve it. She's a key witness in the case I'm working on, and I need her memories to clarify many things. Professor Yilan, I've experienced your sharp words, when can I experience your equally sharp skills again?"

  "Such a case, I've never heard of it before. If it's caused by physical reasons leading to intermittent memory loss, then it shouldn't have any impact on libido. If there is an impact, we need to see if there's a problem in other aspects, but this can only be determined after a thorough examination. Bring her over as soon as possible, I'll arrange for the examination at any time." After listening to Zhang Fan's detailed introduction, Professor Elance's professionalism emerged, and he quickly gave his preliminary analysis. However, all the puzzles could only be solved after a thorough examination, which was something that Zhang Fan, Ouni, and even Professor Elance in far-off Paris had to wait for.

  "So we will go as soon as possible, but the weather here is not very good at present, it may take a few more days to arrive. Once we reach our destination, we will inform you and everything will be arranged according to your plan." Upon hearing Professor Ilans' words, Zhang Fan's heart also settled down. At least things had progressed to this point, everything was developing in line with his expected goals. Perhaps the curtain would be lifted in the not-too-distant future. [End of Chapter]