After leaving the Nofi Medical Center, Angela found the sky pitch black, with a light drizzle starting to fall. She took a deep breath, thankful that Katrina's condition wasn't severe. A panting sound of a dog reached her ears. She headed towards Stanford University, intending to visit her father's lab. Angela hadn't been back to San Francisco for six months, and though not much had changed, she realized she knew very little about her father.

Two years earlier, she'd been admitted to a graduate program at Southern University and had traveled to China for her studies. Due to her unique talent in neuroscience, Angela became Chen Chen's laboratory assistant during her first year as a graduate student. Of course, her father's connections likely played a part. With her busy academic and experimental workload, she had little time to return to the US to visit her father. On the rare occasions they video-called, their conversations revolved mostly around research. She knew her father was even busier than she was, often working tirelessly on the development of a memory extractor.

Albert was Angela's only relative, and with his demise, Angela felt the weight of losing the last of her kin in this world. Maybe her biological parents were still alive, but they had chosen to abandon her at birth.

Walking, Angela's mind wandered to the memories of her father. On a warm and breezy morning, her father had found her at the entrance to his lab. At that time, she was an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. Seeing Albert, the baby girl had shown a radiant smile. "An angel! Truly an angel!" Albert had exclaimed, lifting the infant in his arms and naming her Angela, a name he told her about. The paternal love he gave shaped her cheerful and optimistic nature. She hardly ever cried. The only time she remembered crying was at six when, after reading that tears were salty in a fairy tale, she'd squeezed out some tears to taste them for herself.

Her father had caught her doing this. He gently dabbed her teardrops with his finger and tasted them, remarking with squinted eyes that Angela's tears were sweet.

How could they be sweet? Now, she could clearly taste the bitterness of the tears streaming down her face, so bitter it made her want to throw up, but she had to hold it back.

Suddenly, a sharp brake noise shattered the quiet street's silence. Before Angela could react, she found herself sprawled on the wet ground. Fortunately, the driver reacted in time, preventing a terrible accident.

Recounting the close call sent shivers down Angela's spine. She was lost in thought due to her father's incident.

"Are you alright?" A man emerged from the car's driver's side.

"Oh, I'm fine." As Angela looked up, the car's headlights blinded her. Through the blinding light mixed with the rain, she saw a shadowy figure approaching.

The rain grew heavier. The man grabbed an umbrella from the back seat and walked towards Angela. As her eyes adjusted to the light, Angela recognized him, "Will?"

What a coincidence, the man who'd almost hit her was Will!

"Angela!" Will recognized her too. He'd seen her in Professor Albert's lab. Handing her the umbrella, he bent down to check her injuries.

"I'm fine," Angela assured, trying to stand. But a sharp pain in her knee forced her back down.

"Don't move. Let me see if there's a bone injury," Will inspected briefly. "It seems like a superficial injury. But just to be safe, you should go to a hospital."

"I don't think it's necessary. Such a minor injury will probably heal before I even get to the hospital," Angela emphasized the word 'minor'. Her father's tragedy was her main concern.

"Where are you headed? I'll drive you," Will offered, feeling somewhat responsible.

"To Stanford University, Albert's lab!" Angela instantly regretted adding "Albert's lab". She threw an apprehensive glance at Will.

"Get in," Will shrugged.

Inside the car, it was warmer. Angela wiped her wet hair with tissues handed by Will. The car's interior smelled faintly of orange blossom perfume—pleasant and familiar, though Angela couldn't place it.

Her phone rang. It was Chen Chen, informing her about an escalating epidemic in China, necessitating his immediate return. Feeling awkward due to Will's presence, Angela kept her conversation short. She conversed in Mandarin, which Will didn't understand.

"Why'd you choose China for neuroscience studies?" Will was curious, having heard of Angela's study venture in China, especially after hearing her converse in fluent Mandarin.

"I have half-Chinese ancestry. I wanted to understand China better," Angela had undergone a gene test revealing significant Han ethnicity in her DNA, marking her as Chinese-American.

"China's growth is phenomenal. But the world's brains are still in the US," Will was surprised by her quest for origins in China.

"In the two years I've studied in China, my perspective on the country has completely shifted. In the future, the world's 'brain' will be in China."

The rain outside grew heavier. The windshield wipers swayed rhythmically, making the view increasingly blurry. The world seemed to distort in the downpour. A momentary silence filled the car.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Will turned on the radio, attempting to lighten the mood. Inappropriately, news of Professor Albert's death aired. "International leading neuroscientist, Professor Albert, was found dead in his laboratory this afternoon..." The media kept repeating the news tirelessly.

"Next, breaking news. The police have identified a suspect responsible for Professor Albert's death: a Chinese woman named Xia Nan. Surveillance footage from near Albert's lab shows she was the last person to enter. The police are now conducting a citywide manhunt and request anyone with information to come forward."

Xia Nan! The murderer of Professor Albert? Perhaps out of shock, Will reflexively slammed on the brakes. Unprepared, Angela lurched forward, her phone slipping from her grasp and landing beneath the seat.

"Angela, are you okay?" Will glanced at Angela, checking if the sudden stop had harmed her.

"This is the worst day of my two-plus decades. I'm sorry, it seems I've dragged you into this," Angela whispered. She felt pain in her ribs, but after feeling around, it seemed nothing was broken.

"I thought I saw a stray dog darting out," Will lied, trying to mask his reaction. He restarted the car and turned off the radio.

A weary, blank expression settled on Angela's face. Overwhelmed by grief, everything felt numb. Reaching under her seat for her phone, she noticed a tiny chip.

A memory chip! Angela's heart raced. She recognized it as the special chip her father developed for memory extraction. How could it be in Will's car?

Did he...? Silently, Angela picked up the chip, hoping Will hadn't seen. However, her unease did catch his attention.

"You should let out your emotions, like venting a dam," Will said, concerned. "Take care, Angela."

"Thank you. I can handle it," Angela replied with a faint smile. She closed her eyes, hoping her body didn't betray her or give away any signals.

Memories of past disagreements between Will and her father flashed before her. Earlier, when Officer Coleman had asked if her father had any enemies, she hadn't even considered it. That was a decade ago. How could Will possibly have the memory extractor chip, which hadn't been released to the public?

Angela leaned back and shut her eyes. She decided not to speak to Will any further, fearing she might impulsively question him about the chip. Emotions could lead to foolish decisions. Silence, at least, meant no mistakes.

"We're here," Will whispered. He handed her an umbrella from the trunk. With a brief "thank you," Angela disappeared into the curtain of rain.

Will watched her go, then slowly drove on the road where he'd met Xia Nan the previous day. Apart from bustling police cars, media vans, and occasional taxis, there wasn't a single pedestrian.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. The car still held the unique orange blossom scent of Xia Nan. Meeting her had been intriguing; a physiological issue plaguing him for 21 years seemed resolved after their encounter. Fresh memories of their intimacy lingered. She was intoxicating.

Yet, her scent also took him back to a horrific night 21 years ago. That night held two memories he yearned to forget but were hauntingly persistent.

He had changed his name, identity, and even removed a tattoo, but couldn't erase those memories. Driven to change his fate, he studied diligently and earned a PhD from Stanford. Just when he believed he was about to make a significant breakthrough, Professor Albert heartlessly expelled him.

A police officer, perhaps suspecting something amiss after the recent murder, pulled him over for questioning. Knowing that perpetrators often revisit crime scenes, the officer was wary of any suspicious individuals nearby.

"My girlfriend is mad at me. I'm waiting for her to come out," Will quickly concocted a believable excuse. After verifying his identity and seeing his decent attire, the officer let him go, even patting his shoulder sympathetically.

Will parked nearby and decided to check the scene at Professor Albert's lab. It was still cordoned off with several police cars stationed. The media vied for shots and reports about the renowned neuroscientist's death at Stanford's lab.

Five hours had passed since the murder was discovered. The lab was the crime scene, with police gathering evidence. Will blended in with the reporters, watching the ongoing investigation.

Minutes ticked by, but the police showed no sign of leaving. Given the case's prominence, they had to keep up appearances, showcasing their dedication.

"Breaking news! Breaking news! The police have found fingerprints on the murder weapon. After comparison, they belong to Xia Nan!" A reporter with a mop of brownish-gray curly hair probably has good ties with the San Francisco Police Department, as he managed to get the exclusive information.

"What's the motive for the murder? Why kill Professor Albert? Could it be a love triangle issue?"

"Xia Nan's boyfriend is Chen Chen, who just won the Nofi Prize. Chen Chen was a student of Professor Albert."

"Oh my God, it sounds like there's a lot to this story. There might be even more explosive details."

"We have a scoop! Ten minutes ago, a gynecologist named Dr. Ray contacted us after seeing the news about Xia Nan. She said that 21 years ago, Xia Nan was raped. Dr. Ray deeply regrets that she accepted the request of Xia Nan's parents to conceal the rape from the police. She speculates that perhaps the rape led Xia Nan to harbor resentment towards society, pushing her to commit such a heinous act. If they had reported the incident back then, it might have helped the girl get back on a normal life path."

"Oh my God! That's unbelievable! Did they catch the man who raped her?"

"No, Dr. Ray said her parents kept it a secret."

"What if Xia Nan discovered that the person who raped her years ago was Professor Albert and sought revenge?"

"We're getting closer to the truth! Three minutes ago, an obstetrician named Catherine revealed that 20 years ago, she was hired by a couple to secretly deliver a baby girl for Xia Nan in a mansion. The couple paid her a substantial sum to keep this a secret. Based on the timing, that baby girl must be the result of that rape."

These two revelations made the media waiting outside the crime scene extremely excited. They started speculating and investigating connections between Xia Nan, the baby girl, and Professor Albert. Soon after, a "truth" that the media wholeheartedly believed came to light:

Professor Albert was the very man who raped Xia Nan! Xia Nan killed Professor Albert as revenge for her past violation! And the girl who is officially known as Professor Albert's adopted daughter is actually the result of Professor Albert raping Xia Nan, the timeline matches perfectly. Xia Nan gave birth to a baby girl on July 16th, while Albert adopted Angela on July 18th of the same year, only two days apart.

Will witnessed the birth of an explosive news story. Soon, the media would broadcast it far and wide, and Professor Albert would have never imagined being posthumously portrayed by the media as a rapist. Maybe Professor Albert really did it. Will recalled Angela mentioning earlier in the car that she's of Chinese-American descent, which seemed too much of a coincidence.

He saw Angela not far away, surrounded by the media. She must have heard everything. Having just lost her father, and now facing the unbearable reality that her adoptive father might be a rapist, Will felt a pang of sympathy for her.

Now, he had to go back and ask Xia Nan exactly what she had done in Professor Albert's laboratory that day.