Insights Chapter 160: Measurement

Extra Extras: The Happy Life of the Medical Examiner

Chapter 160: Measurement

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

At the City Bureau Medical Examiner’s Center, it was nearing the end of the weekend shift. With few recent cases and the upcoming weekend in mind, Gu Yanchen couldn’t help but feel in a good mood. He made his way to the medical examiner’s office, ready to take Shen Junci home.

The medical examiner, Shen, was shutting down his computer. “Just wait a moment, I’ll take these things to the lab, then we can leave.”

Gu Yanchen asked proactively, “What needs to be delivered?”

Shen pointed to a small storage box on the floor. “That one.”

The box was transparent, containing liquid and something else, appearing red and yellow, packed in plastic bags.

Gu Yanchen lifted the box without hesitation. After enduring so much, Gu Yanchen had developed the habit of never asking what was in the medical examiner’s office.

As they chatted about recent cases, Gu Yanchen delivered the items to the forensic lab.

Captain Gu miscalculated today; his lack of inquiry didn’t mean others wouldn’t speak up.

Handing over the items, Gu Yanchen’s body stiffened momentarily when a new junior colleague in the lab remarked, “Oh, this must be the set of shredded intestines, right?”

Gu Yanchen’s throat tightened. He swallowed back the words, “What do you want to eat tonight?” He felt his fingertips tingling.

“Yes, it’s the deceased’s shredded intestines and liver, with other organs missing,” medical examiner Shen stated calmly.

The junior colleague made a note, “Results will be out in forty-eight hours; you’ll be notified via the computer.”

Gu Yanchen glanced at his hands, then spontaneously went to wash them in the nearby restroom.

Shen Junci noticed Gu Yanchen’s change in mood and patted his shoulder in comfort. Gu Yanchen pumped soap into his hands twice, then realized whether he or Shen Junci carried the box, it was still better if he did. With this thought, his mood improved. The two headed downstairs together and got into the car.

As Gu Yanchen started the car, Shen Junci suddenly turned and said, “Yanchen, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you, could you do me a favor?”

Captain Gu felt a bit nervous at the polite tone, especially since Shen Junci didn’t use his surname. It felt like someone suddenly put candy in his mouth. The first time Shen Junci asked for his help was in Changxi County, to assist in sawing a girl’s skull. Then it was at a car accident scene, helping to shovel mud off bodies. Handling corpses and such was common, so it wasn’t really helping.

Now, with Shen Junci saying this…

Gu Yanchen, seasoned by experience, quickly composed himself. “Don’t be so polite; helping you is my duty, isn’t it?”

Shen Junci smiled slightly, “Don’t worry, this time has nothing to do with corpses.”

Then medical examiner Shen explained, “Well, recently the medical examiner department has been working on a database project for data collection. Apart from skeletal remains, we also need data samples from volunteers.”

This was the combination of big data and forensic anthropology, very practical.

For example, if the medical examiner found unidentified skeletal remains with missing data, they could look for individuals of the same gender, similar height, and weight to estimate the specific physical condition of the deceased and fill in the missing data.

Gu Yanchen asked, “So, you mean you want to collect my data?”

Shen Junci nodded, “I’ll handle the collection process, and once entered into the system, it’s anonymous. If you’re not comfortable with it, you can refuse.”

Gu Yanchen felt relieved hearing his words. “It’s okay, if it’s for your work, then go ahead and collect it.”

Shen Junci visibly relaxed and his gaze lowered. “I was afraid you might mind.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “How many people do you need to collect data from in total?”

Shen Junci replied, “We need to collect a total of five hundred people here. Most of the data will be provided by cooperating hospitals. We only need to measure some key data ourselves.”

Gu Yanchen chuckled, “So, it’s just data collection? I guess I’m sacrificing for science too.”

After they returned home, as usual, Gu Yanchen cooked dinner. He asked Shen Junci when he would need to be measured.

Medical examiner Shen leaned against the wall, watching him busily. “No rush, just measure before bedtime tonight. It’ll only take about half an hour altogether.”

Tonight was a rare weekend evening, so Gu Yanchen steamed a fish and cooked two other dishes.

Shen Junci helped set the table, and they enjoyed the hearty dinner.

While eating, Shen Junci praised, “This fish is delicious.”

Gu Yanchen replied, “I made it according to Old Lin’s recipe.”

Since Shen Junci discovered Lin Xianglan’s secret recipe notes last time, Gu Yanchen organized them into a booklet, printing and binding it, and used the recipes to cook.

“He never made this dish for me in the past,” Shen Junci said. “I didn’t expect his collected recipes to be used for you.”

“Perhaps this is his legacy for me,” Gu Yanchen remarked.

Many dishes in the recipes were labeled with a single word, “difficult,” and some were marked as “very difficult.” The most exaggerated ones were labeled “as difficult as ascending to heaven.”

Until the end of the diary, Lin Xianglan wrote, “I helped solve a wrongful conviction case with a family today. They gave me a pennant that reads ‘Penang Ascends to Heaven.’ Looks like I can’t casually say ‘as difficult as ascending to heaven’ anymore.”

After that, the labels changed to “as difficult as making a tree bloom,” “as difficult as finding a needle in the sea.”

In total, the easy ones were few and far between. Only for the chicken soup, it was written, “For a cooking god like me, it’s simply a piece of cake! So easy!”

Gu Yanchen clearly had more talent in cooking. Now, he had reached the level of difficulty where he planned to try other dishes when he had time.

After dinner, it was time to walk the dog and play with the cat.

Gu Yanchen called out, “Snowy!” The little cat dashed over, and Gu Yanchen fed it a cat stick. Then he said, “Go call Wuliang.”

The cat seemed to understand, running to the balcony to summon Wuliang.

Gu Yanchen said to the pets, “Guard the house well.”

They leashed the dog, took a stroll downstairs, and returned to clean Wuliang’s paws. Snowy had grown larger, now reaching Wuliang’s knees. The kitten was at its most mischievous stage, occasionally running over to scratch Wuliang before darting away when he turned to look.

Gu Yanchen couldn’t bear it anymore, picking up the cat to scold, “How did you develop this habit of running away after teasing someone?”

Little Snowy looked up, appearing weak and helpless. It seemed to realize its mistake, approaching Wuliang and rubbing against his neck, blinking its big eyes, seemingly seeking forgiveness. As a retired police dog, Wuliang naturally couldn’t be compared to a cat. He lowered his head, looking at the kitten with affection, then lay down on the mat. Snowy snuggled closer, rubbing against Wuliang’s neck. It lifted its head, licking the fur on Wuliang’s neck. Wuliang seemed to find it itchy, tilting his head and squinting, extending a paw to lightly stroke the kitten’s belly…

Gu Yanchen looked down, feeling increasingly uneasy about this development. This cat and dog…

Shen Junci came over and asked, “What are you looking at?”

Gu Yanchen carefully considered how to describe the scene before him. “Animal drama?”

Crossing species, it brought a different kind of excitement, giving a sense of taboo. Shen Junci frowned slightly, as if questioning, Are you really so thirsty to watch this? He pulled Gu Yanchen up and said, “Come on, let’s go inside and get to business; it’s time to start measuring.”

Shen Junci hadn’t changed his clothes today, still wearing the medical examiner’s work uniform with a white shirt underneath, looking every bit like a doctor. Although he had joked before about giving Gu Yanchen a physical examination, Shen Junci hadn’t acted on it. Now, the two sat face to face, solemnly. Shen Junci opened his laptop and entered the blank page of the system, ready to start filling it out.

The first step was measuring height, weight, and body fat percentage, and they had a professional weight scale at home.

The first thing medical examiner Shen said was, “Take off your clothes.”

Gu Yanchen, “…”

Was it going to be this intense from the get-go? He was about to unbuckle his belt and take off his pants…

Shen Junci looked puzzled and lifted his head, “I meant your outerwear.” Then he glanced around. “It’s too cold if you take everything off. Just wear something light; it’ll give a more accurate weight.”

The second step was measuring heart rate and pulse. Shen Junci placed his slender, slightly cool fingers on Gu Yanchen’s wrist, fully focused on counting the pulse. Gu Yanchen looked up at him. The cat and dog were confined to the balcony, and the surroundings quieted down.

After a minute of counting, Shen Junci looked a bit puzzled. “Your heart rate is quite fast… it’s over eighty.”

Gu Yanchen said, “That’s impossible. I’m a sniper; I exercise regularly. It’s never been over sixty before.”

Then he found the problem. They were so close that he could feel his heart pounding.

Shen Junci didn’t realize this. He couldn’t find his stethoscope, so he politely asked, “Could I listen to your heartbeat by getting closer?”

Gu Yanchen imagined the scene; his heart was beating rapidly. He hastily stopped him. “If you listen to my chest, it’ll go over a hundred.”

He took a deep breath and turned around, sitting on the stool in the opposite direction. “I won’t look at you; let’s measure again later.”

This time, Gu Yanchen took out his phone and browsed Weibo while Shen Junci counted. “58 times. It’s surprising to have such a difference…”

Then came the detailed measurements. Shen Junci had prepared all the professional tools, measuring each aspect meticulously, from the skull to the spine. He recorded as he went along.

Gu Yanchen’s bone structure was exceptionally good, with a high nose bridge, distinct jawline, and a slender figure.

He asked Gu Yanchen to take off his shirt. Whenever he encountered a scar, Shen Junci would reach out and touch it.

When he pressed on certain spots, his hand felt a bit cold, and Gu Yanchen would laugh and say, “That tickles.”

But Shen Junci remained exceptionally serious, “Don’t move; it’ll be over soon.”

Life was indeed interesting, starting from the meeting of two cells and gradually growing into a beautiful life. Shen Junci felt that the person in front of him was like a book, requiring patience to read and understand.

After the basic data collection, Shen Junci pointed to the last item on the form. “This is left.”

Measuring dimensions. Gu Yanchen instantly understood why Shen Junci insisted on being the only one to measure and why he was worried about Gu Yanchen refusing. It seemed that he had to take off his pants for this task.

As Shen Junci prepared the tools, he commented, “I’ve dissected many male corpses, but there aren’t many like you. It’s quite significant for research purposes.”

This wasn’t the first time the two had been so candid with each other. Looking into Shen Junci’s earnest eyes, Gu Yanchen silently reminded himself that this was a sacrifice for the medical examiner’s career.

After recording the data, Shen Junci’s face was slightly flushed, and his palms were sweaty from nerves. Seeing him like this, Gu Yanchen couldn’t help but chuckle.

Finally finished, Shen Junci uploaded the data and closed the laptop screen. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe this data.”

Gu Yanchen said, “But you’re not seeing it for the first time, are you?”

Shen Junci thought for a moment before saying, “Seeing and measuring are two different things.”

Gu Yanchen reached out and grabbed Shen Junci’s waist, his voice hoarse. “I helped you with the measurements; now it’s your turn to help me.”

Before medical examiner Shen could respond, Gu Yanchen’s lips sealed his. Gu Yanchen turned off the light, and in the darkness, Shen Junci’s voice trembled uncontrollably.

.

On Monday, Shen Junci walked into the medical examiner’s office.

Deputy Director Liu was lecturing, “When it comes to building the medical examiner’s big database, you can’t make things up. Some of the data is too exaggerated; I can tell it’s fake just by looking at it!”

Song Qiancheng whispered, “We’ve checked everything carefully…”

Liu Shurong said, “Young people, I understand the desire for a good physique, but it still needs to be based on science… especially number 147, who measured and uploaded it?!”

He had seen the data yesterday; it was almost perfect. Plus, the final data was too exaggerated; he intended to use it as a negative example. Seeing Shen Junci come in, Song Qiancheng and Qi Yi’an both exchanged glances with Liu Shurong, gesturing with their eyes.

Liu Shurong completely misunderstood. “What are you all doing? Be serious!”

Unable to hold back, Shen Junci said, “I did the measurements.”

Liu Shurong, “…”

Shen Junci, “I’m responsible for the accuracy of the data.”

For the sake of measuring this data, medical examiner Shen had paid a heavy price, spending the entire weekend mostly in bed, and even now, he felt a bit sore.

Liu Shurong completely reversed his stance, “That’s what I said! This dataset is comprehensive, and the data collection is very professional, accurate to two decimal places. You all should measure according to this standard!”