Miss Forensics – Chapter 79.2

Doubt

“Deceased, highly skilled. On January 15, 2008, at 13:40, the first autopsy began.”

Lin Yan picked up a dissecting knife from the tray and made a straight cut from head to tail, splitting the chest and abdomen in a single stroke. She proceeded systematically, removing the ribs and weighing the internal organs.

Since the deceased had not been dead for long, there was still some fresh blood, and the strong smell of blood made people nauseous.

On the other hand, Duan Cheng had been holding the camera all along and hadn’t gone out to vomit.

In contrast, Lin Yan, despite her deep-rooted disgust for this person, worked diligently. Her movements were neither fast nor slow, and the data she reported was both quick and accurate, which was impressive.

While the forensic team was busy, Song Yuhang was not idle either. He re-examined several other suspects involved in the assault on Bai Ling.

“Officer, we just hurt her on a whim. She didn’t die at the time; at most, it could be considered a case of assault,” the small-time thug across from him laughed, revealing a set of yellow, crooked teeth as he shook his handcuffs.

“Hey, when are you going to let me go?”

Until the official verdict from the court came down, they couldn’t be called “criminals” but rather “criminal suspects.” They were kept under unified custody in the detention center, and only after the court’s ruling could they be transferred to prison.

During this period, they still had the right to meet with their lawyers. This guy was hoping to get acquitted.

Song Yuhang tugged at the corner of her lips and placed the pen on the table. “Don’t worry, you’ll be out soon, but not going home. You’re going to prison.”

She reached into the cigarette box on the table, pulled one out, and lit it, looking satisfied as she watched the other person’s face change.

Surrounded by smoke, she leaned back in her chair, exuding a carefree aura, but her eyes were cold and sharp.

“Just an assault, you say? Your impulsive act destroyed the bright life and future of a young girl, pushing her into the depths of despair. It indirectly led to her suicide. Do you still think it’s a non-lethal offense?”

She blew out a smoke ring gently, leaning forward, and the smoke enveloped his face.

There was no air conditioning or heating in the interrogation room, and it was unclear whether it was cold or something else, but a layer of goosebumps appeared on his back.

Song Yuhang’s gaze seemed to pierce through him and into the void behind him. “She suffered a gruesome death. Every midnight, do you not feel any guilt or remorse?”

“Chinese people have an ancient saying: ‘Every debt will be repaid, and every injustice will be redressed.’ It’s not that there won’t be retribution; the time just hasn’t come yet.”

The person sitting across from her started swallowing saliva frequently, trembling his legs, unable to sit still.

Yellow crooked teeth saw her reaching for another cigarette from the table, glanced at it, and his voice trembled, “Give me one, I’ll talk, I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything.”

Song Yuhang sat back, threw him a cigarette, gesturing for someone to light it for him, and the nearby investigator opened the transcript.

She nodded. “Let’s begin.”

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Today is Tuesday, and it happens to be the last day of the second half of the semester. Ji Jingxing specifically asked for leave from her boss and left work early to pick up Xiao Wei from school.

Usually, when she was overwhelmed, Song Yuhang would help out. Ji Jingxing didn’t want to constantly trouble Mother Song, especially considering her age.

However, things were different now. Since their last argument, Song Yuhang had never taken the initiative to reach out to her, and Ji Jingxing didn’t have the face to bother her either.

Lost in her thoughts, Ji Jingxing was momentarily absent-minded. The traffic light ahead turned green, and the cars behind started honking frantically. It was only then that she snapped back to reality and gently stepped on the gas pedal.

The engine didn’t respond at the first attempt, and even with a bit more force on the second try, it still didn’t start.

Ji Jingxing was stunned. She unbuckled her seatbelt, preparing to get out and check. It was probably an engine problem again, not long since the last maintenance.

During the rush hour, the time for picking up and dropping off children, the road was packed with cars. Ji Jingxing stood alone in the middle of the road, each person and car passing by as she was stranded.

Occasionally, surges of traffic rushed past her, and the honking sounds were incessant.

Ji Jingxing shouted at the top of her lungs as she dialed the number for the car dealership. “Hey, what’s going on? How did you fix it last time, and now it’s stalled again—”

Before she could finish her sentence, the other side hung up the phone with a resounding click.

“Hello? Hello? Hello?”

No matter how much she shouted, all she heard from the receiver was a busy tone.

Ji Jingxing was both angry and anxious. She could see that it was almost time for school to end, and she was afraid that Xiao Wei would be waiting anxiously alone at the school. But the car couldn’t be moved for the time being.

She took out her phone, preparing to call 122 for emergency assistance, when a car slowly slid up beside her and came to a stop.

The car window rolled down, and Lin Ge, leaning on the steering wheel, looked at her. “Miss Ji?”

Ji Jingxing turned her head, feeling a bit familiar. “You… who are you?”

“I’m Lin Ge, we met at the hospital.” Lin Ge smiled gently, his eyes filled with a hint of curiosity as he looked at her and her car.

“What’s… what’s going on?”

After listening to her explanation, Lin Ge pondered for a moment, made a phone call, got out of the car, and proactively opened his own car door for her.

“If Miss Ji doesn’t mind, please ride with me. I’ll take you to the school to pick up your child, and the towing company will arrive shortly.”

Ji Jingxing declined, saying, “Ah, it’s fine. I’ll just wait for the police to arrive.”

“With all the traffic passing by, it’s not safe for you to stand in the middle of the road,” Lin Ge replied as he also got out of the car. He retrieved a triangular warning sign from the trunk, ran a distance away to set it up, and then returned.

“Besides, even if you call the police, they’ll just have someone come and tow the car away. It’s not like they can fix the car in the middle of this busy road.”

Ji Jingxing smiled a little, and her troubled mood slightly improved. “That’s true, but I think I’ll still wait for the towing company. After all, I’m the car owner. If there are any procedures to be done or money to be paid, I’d prefer to settle everything at once.”

From this exchange, Lin Ge sensed her meticulousness. Looking at her attire—a small suit jacket, a fitted skirt, and the lawyer’s badge shining on her chest in the sunset—he could tell that she had just hurriedly rushed over after work.

Seeing him scrutinizing her, Ji Jingxing suddenly realized something. Her face flushed, and she hastily removed the badge from her clothes.

“Sorry, I was in a hurry…”

“Hey, be careful!”

A three-wheeled vehicle zoomed past, and Lin Ge quickly pulled her towards him. Ji Jingxing stumbled and fell into his arms, where she was enveloped by a strong masculine scent, quite different from the gentle and soft feeling she associated with Song Yuhang.

Ji Jingxing was startled and quickly stepped back, saying, “Tha… thank you.”

Lin Ge nodded and released her arm. “I think we should wait on the roadside.”

“Okay.” Ji Jingxing remembered her recent fright and followed him to the other side of the road.

Only now did she have the chance to inspect her clothes. Her chest was empty, oh no, where was her lawyer’s badge?!

The badge might not be big, but losing it would be troublesome. It needed to be reported as lost, and the local lawyers’ association would have to submit an application for reissuance to the national bar association. It was uncertain when it would be replaced, but she had to wear it when meeting clients in her daily work.

Ji Jingxing glanced at the continuous flow of traffic, breathed a sigh of relief, and rubbed her forehead. Perhaps she hadn’t checked the almanac before leaving the house today.

Observing her series of movements and expressions, from panic to unease and then to a calm acceptance of reality, Lin Ge chuckled lightly and held a small badge between his fingertips, handing it to her.

“Miss Ji, were you looking for this?”

Ji Jingxing was pleasantly surprised as she took it. “Ah? How did it end up with you?!”

“I noticed it was about to fall, so I quickly caught it. I thought this thing must be important, just like the identification badge our doctor wears.”

Ji Jingxing carefully placed the badge in her shoulder bag, showing a genuinely grateful smile.

“Thank you. It’s indeed important, and it would be troublesome if it were lost.”

As they spoke, the towing company had arrived. Ji Jingxing completed the necessary procedures and paid the fees, instructing them to tow the car directly to the authorized service center.

Lin Ge also recommended another reliable service center to her, winking and sporting a cheerful smile that exuded a boyish charm.

“My friend owns that place. Mention my name, and you’ll get a 50% discount.”

Ji Jingxing laughed, “Really? Are you sure it’s not a ‘break-your-bones’ discount?”

Both of them burst into laughter.

Lin Ge glanced at his watch. “Well, it’s getting late. Let me drop you off at school. It’s not easy for you to find a taxi at this hour.”

Ji Jingxing had grown a bit familiar with him and could tell that he was fundamentally a very kind and gentle person. She no longer declined and nodded in agreement.

“Alright, thank you.”

“Fasten your seatbelt.”

“Okay.”

She turned to the side, fastened her seatbelt, and inadvertently caught a glimpse of the badge he had tossed into the storage compartment. She glanced at the photos, then looked at his face, and thought of their brief encounter in the hospital corridor. She remembered how he anxiously paced outside Lin Yan’s operating room. Her emotions became somewhat complicated.

“You and… Lin Yan are?”

Lin Ge turned the steering wheel to the left. “Yanyan is my cousin. Why?”

Ji Jingxing thought to herself: Why is he such a good person while his sister is like that?

Moreover, Lin Yan had some unclear relationship with Song Yuhang, which made her feel even more uncomfortable.

Lin Ge noticed her expression. “I’ve heard from Miss Song before. She said her sister-in-law is a very kind person with strong work abilities and beauty. Even as a single mother, she takes good care of her child on her own. Today, seeing you confirms it.”

He paused for a moment and slightly turned his head towards her in the light and shadow of the setting sun. “Yanyan also has a good relationship with Miss Song. Is there something that upset you about her? She can be a bit domineering in her personality…”

In the first half of his sentence, he praised her through Song Yuhang’s words, which made Ji Jingxing feel touched. But in the second half, she remembered Lin Yan’s aggressive behavior at McDonald’s. How could that be described as “domineering”? It was more like disregarding all boundaries.

Ji Jingxing felt a sense of kinship and noticed the seemingly good relationship between Lin Ge and Lin Yan. Perhaps he could help persuade her. So she decided to indirectly address the matter.

“No… Lin Yan is just… really… really…” She swallowed her criticism, even after repeating “really” twice, and opted for a more tactful approach.

“Did you have any results from your blind date with Yuhang?”

Lin Ge smiled bitterly, smoothly navigating through the traffic. “No, I was rejected.”

Ji Jingxing let out a sigh of relief, feeling unexpectedly regretful. To be honest, compared to Lin Yan, excluding gender as a factor, she found Lin Ge much more appealing.

“No wonder.”

Lin Ge parked the car at the entrance of the school and looked at her with confusion. “What do you mean?”

Ji Jingxing hesitated, implying something with her words. “Don’t you think your sister and Yuhang are getting a bit… too close?”

She emphasized her words.

Lin Ge suddenly looked over at her.

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“Mom, why didn’t Auntie come to pick me up?”

Ji Jingxing walked out of the school, carrying Xiao Wei on her shoulders. Xiao Wei had a cartoon backpack, and Ji Jingxing crouched down to tie her red scarf and zip up her down jacket.

“Auntie is busy and couldn’t come to pick you up.”

Xiao Wei started counting on her fingers, feeling a bit disappointed. “Mom and Auntie are both liars. Last time, they said they would take me out to play, but they didn’t. The time before that and the time before that… it’s always like this.”

Ji Jingxing’s heart ached, and she gently stroked Xiao Wei’s head.

“Xiao Wei, listen to Mommy. Auntie… from now on, she can’t be with us like she used to be. Auntie has work… and her own life. Mommy promises you that she will make time to spend with you as much as possible.”

Xiao Wei held onto her mother’s finger and sighed. “Mommy, is it because you and Auntie had a fight that day?”

Ji Jingxing didn’t want to bring up that topic, and hearing Xiao Wei say that made her eyes well up with tears. She hugged her tightly.

“No, Xiao Wei, Mommy loves you.”

Xiao Wei used her chubby little hand to wipe away her mother’s tears, her own voice choked with sobs. “Mommy, don’t cry. Xiao Wei loves you too.”

Ji Jingxing’s heart warmed, and she smiled through her tears, pulling Xiao Wei to her feet. “Mommy is fine. Let’s go, we’re going to have steak!”

“Okay, let’s go, let’s go, have some steak!”

After they left, Lin Ge’s car didn’t drive away. He leaned on the steering wheel, replaying Ji Jingxing’s words in his mind. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, gradually clenching his teeth.

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LP: Oh come on, Ji Jingxing! I thought this was your redemption! ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)

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