Miss Forensics – Chapter 27
by Little PandaPart One
Secret
It was like a secret—a secret known only to herself and her.
Lin Yan was tall and long-legged, but she was surprisingly light when picked up. Song Yuhang was startled by her weight, and she pressed her lips even tighter.
With her hands full holding Lin Yan, opening the car door was a struggle. Fortunately, Fang Xin ran out just in time to open it for her. Song Yuhang placed the woman inside and turned back to say, “Thanks.”
“No problem, Captain Song. Go on, hurry! We’ll let you know immediately as soon as we have any leads.”
Song Yuhang ran to the driver’s side, opened the door, and buckled her seatbelt. Nodding slightly, she even leaned over to carefully pull the seatbelt over Lin Yan as well.
As the car rolled out of the Jiangcheng City PSB’s gates, a red light loomed ahead. Song Yuhang turned her head to check on her. Lin Yan’s face was excessively pale, and even her usually vibrant red lips had lost all color.
Song Yuhang touched her forehead with her fingers. It was burning hot.
She’d pushed through her illness and kept working the entire day like this?!
The more Song Yuhang thought about it, the worse she felt. She’d never felt a red light drag on for so long. Striking out from the patiently waiting queue, she slammed her foot on the gas pedal.
But she’d forgotten that she was driving her own car today. A traffic officer on a motorcycle chased after her, yelling for her to pull over. By the time she reached the hospital entrance, she’d naturally been slapped with a ticket and six points docked from her license—a classic case of law enforcement knowingly breaking the law.
She ran all the way upstairs carrying Lin Yan in her arms, handing her over to the ER doctor. She watched as the doctor pressed a stethoscope to Lin Yan’s chest and instructed a nurse to prepare an IV drip.
“What’s wrong? Is it serious?”
“She passed out from a high fever. There might be some mild pneumonia.” The doctor moved the stethoscope to listen to her heart from another angle, removing it only after a moment.
“But don’t worry, it’s not life-threatening. Lend me a hand to move her to the hospital bed. Then we’ll contact the imaging department for a head CT scan.”
Only after hearing this did Song Yuhang’s heart slowly settle. Together with several medical staff, she lifted Lin Yan onto a gurney and wheeled her toward the CT room. Once she saw her enter the scanner, she turned to head to the billing department to pay the fees.
By the time she returned to the ward, an IV line was connected to the back of Lin Yan’s hand. She lay quietly in bed, her sea-grass-like long hair splayed across the snow-white pillow. Snuggled deep beneath the blankets with her head turned to the side, her face appeared even smaller.
The nurse hung another bottle of fluid on the IV stand beside them. “Remember to ring the bell for us to swap the bottle once this one finishes.”
Song Yuhang nodded. “Thank you.”
Once the nurse left, she dragged out a stool from under the bed and sat down. She reached out to pull the blanket up to Lin Yan’s chest, but caught an accidental glimpse of a sliver of fair skin beneath the wide-open collar.
For some reason, she recalled the brief glimpse of the tattoo from that night, and the way Lin Yan had trembled all over when Song Yuhang’s fingertips had gently brushed past it.
It was like a secret—a secret known only to herself and her.
Song Yuhang swallowed hard. As if possessed, she gently brushed a few strands of Lin Yan’s hair aside.
That porcelain-white skin silently exuded an unspoken allure, possessing a sort of unconscious sensuality that was uniquely Lin Yan.
The air itself seemed to turn dry. Song Yuhang licked her lower lip. Her fingertips touched the collar, undoing the first button. It wasn’t enough; she was still some distance away from that secret.
The second button. She could catch a faint glimpse of the view beneath, but she wanted to see the whole picture.
The complete secret. The whole of Lin Yan.
After all, she harbored far too many secrets inside her.
With those thoughts swirling in her mind, Song Yuhang undid the third button. Just as her cool fingertips brushed against skin, a burning hot hand clamped down onto her wrist.
The temperature felt as if it were scalding her, instantly reducing the unusual atmosphere and her hazy state of mind to ash.
Song Yuhang withdrew her hand like lightning. The movement was so abrupt that her chair tilted backward and clattered against the empty bed opposite them.
Lin Yan propped herself up, covering her mouth as she coughed a few times. Her face was pale, but her eyes shone with a burning intensity. “What? We had one fight and now you’ve developed feelings?”
The question left Song Yuhang utterly speechless. She wasn’t one who could easily hide her emotions, and embarrassment was written all over her face.
Lin Yan relaxed her posture and gathered her disheveled collar. “There’s no need to feel guilty. Captain Song, you are a rare opponent. Whether it’s freestyle sparring or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I really wanted to see who would win. That fight felt incredible.”
In truth, she had not experienced such a thrilling, uninhibited release in a long time. It had purged not only her blood and tears, but also the deep anger and resentment stored in her heart.
Song Yuhang had always thought Lin Yan was the type of person who would never let a grudge go—someone stubborn, gloomy, and unhinged. Yet her generosity regarding this matter far exceeded her expectations; she had practically let her off lightly1.
Song Yuhang was taken aback, then she too relaxed. “Even so, I still owe you an apology. Don’t worry, once you’re better, I’ll gladly go as many rounds as you want.”
Could she even recover?
Lin Yan smiled slightly and stopped talking. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a faint shadow shifting by the ward door, a spot hidden from Song Yuhang’s line of sight.
“I’m a bit hungry.”
She said.
Song Yuhang stood up. “What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it.”
“Anything. Just make sure it’s light.”
“Alright.” Song Yuhang nodded, preparing to turn and leave.
Lin Yan called out to stop her again. “Is it really okay for you to leave the case behind and run over here?”
Even she did not know why she felt compelled to add that extra question.
The other woman’s footsteps came to a clear halt. Lin Yan thought she wouldn’t answer, but Song Yuhang slowly turned around, looked into her eyes, and said, “It’s fine. The criminal investigation detachment still has our other brothers on duty. Solving a case doesn’t hinge on a single moment.”
She answered with utter sincerity. Lin Yan smiled slightly, remaining silent.
When Song Yuhang pushed the door open to leave, the attending physician was just walking over with some scans in hand.
She stepped aside to let him pass and slowed her pace. Once the doctor entered the room, she pressed herself against the corner of the wall and heard several of Lin Yan’s suppressed coughs.
“It’s nothing too major. There’s some infection in the lungs. Once the fever subsides, we’ll administer some anti-inflammatories. Plus, a mild concussion…”
Song Yuhang lowered her eyes. She recalled the several times she had slammed Lin Yan onto the floor, each time with the back of her head hitting the ground first. Good Lord, what had she done?
She couldn’t bear to listen to any more. Hurrying her steps as if fleeing, she departed the area, her mind a chaotic, tangled mess the faster she walked.
Once the footsteps gradually faded into the distance, Lin Yan let out a quiet, imperceptible sigh of relief before raising her eyes to ask the doctor, “Well?”
The doctor glanced out the door. Confirming that there was no one in sight, his expression turned grim as he addressed her with a different title, “President Lin, your condition isn’t good. I think it’d be best to let Chairman Lin know as soon as possible.”
Lin Yan closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, her gaze was as cold as a sword. “No one must know about this—especially not my father. Otherwise…”
A layer of cold sweat broke out on the doctor’s forehead. “Yes, of course, President Lin. Please rest well. Call us if you need anything.”
“Buns! Freshly steamed buns! One yuan and fifty cents for two, three yuan for four…”
“Authentic Sichuan spicy noodles, five yuan for a big bowl!”
“Qianjiang crayfish…”
As night began to fall, the area outside the hospital entrance became a bustling hub for various street vendors. The air hung thick with the coal smoke and grease of malatang and barbecues. Song Yuhang walked a short distance down the path in front of the hospital and spotted a small stall selling congee.
She walked over to inspect the sign, and the stall owner greeted her warmly, “Miss, what would you like to have?”
Song Yuhang looked down at the various congees kept inside the insulated thermal buckets. The vendor scooped some up with a ladle; it was thin and watery, with barely a few grains of rice scattered within. The dim streetlights made the interior of each container look somewhat dark and grimy, making it impossible to judge their level of hygiene.
She recalled Lin Yan’s classic declaration: Is this even fit for human consumption? This is pig food!
Song Yuhang took a step back. “No, actually, I’ll pass. Thanks.”
After some thought, she drove a bit further away. She drove a bit further, only turning off the ignition and getting out of the car when she spotted a restaurant specializing in Chaoshan claypot congee by the roadside.
By the time she returned to the ward carrying the takeout containers of congee, a familiar-looking man was standing right outside the door.
Song Yuhang quickened her pace and walked over. “You…”
Lin Ge turned around, raising an index finger to his lips. “Shh—”
Song Yuhang took the hint and peered inside through the small glass window at the top of the door. A flashy woman, young enough to be Lin Yan’s younger sister, was sitting by the bedside, putting on grand airs as the stepmother.
“Yanyan.” The woman’s nails were grown out even longer than Lin Yan’s, painted in a gaudy, chaotic style that practically gleamed under the ward’s fluorescent lights. She lifted the lid of a food container with one hand, her voice dripping with affection.
Although Lin Yan’s name wasn’t particularly pleasant, it was highly unique. Yet with this single call, the woman managed to turn “Yanyan” (厌厌) into the homophone “Yanyan” (艳艳)—instantly conjuring the cheap, brassy vibe of a widowed or divorced protagonist from some eighteenth-tier rural romance novel.
Even listening from outside made Song Yuhang feel a shiver run down her spine.
Lin Yan remained completely unfazed.
Seeing no reaction, the woman grew bolder. She brought the container closer, pinching her throat to speak in a coquettish, affected tone. Her youth should have been her greatest asset, yet she insisted on plastering her face with a dizzying amount of makeup. As her mouth opened and closed, Lin Yan watched in real-time as flakes of foundation crumbled from her face onto her blanket.
“Your father heard you were sick and sent me over to check on you. Look, Auntie even made this seafood soup myself. Hurry up and try it while it’s still hot; that’s when it tastes best.”
The moment the container opened, the muddy, fishy stench of low-grade seafood wafted out. Who on earth would feed this to a sick patient?
Moreover, the moment she spoke, she forcefully elevated her own status in the family hierarchy.
Lin Yan raised her brow slightly, remaining unmoved. “Oh? Lin Youyuan sent you?”
The woman swayed her body, knitting her brow as she clutched her chest in a display of profound sorrow. Squeezing out two nonexistent tears, she dabbed the corners of her eyes with an Hermès handkerchief.
“Yanyan, how can you address your father like that? He still cares about you. You didn’t even show up when your father and I got married, and we didn’t say a word about it. He still transfers money to you every month on time, and you hold a share of the company stock. He’s even put your name down for several subsidiary companies…” At this point, a trace of resentment slipped into the corners of her eyes. “By all rights and reasons, I am the First Lady of the Lin Family2. You ought to call me Mom.”
What a coincidence. Just this morning, she had mockingly told her gossiping colleagues at the public security bureau to call her Mom, and by evening, another woman had shown up, practically begging to be called exactly that.
Lin Yan stared at her in silence. She shared a striking resemblance to Lin Youyuan, possessing beautiful, long-lashed phoenix eyes with jet-black, brilliant irises. Even when she wasn’t speaking or smiling, her gaze seemed full of unspoken affection.
A faint smile played on her lips as she kept her voice soft. “Oh? Where did you get your face done? It’s remarkably well-maintained…”
Before she could even finish, the woman patted her own cheek, beaming with joy. “Right? I think so too! It’s that salon in the East District—they do amazing work. I have a membership card, we should go together sometime! Honestly, you’re older than me, already in your thirties. You really ought to take better care of yourself.”
The moment those words left her mouth, Lin Ge slapped a hand over his face. “It’s over.”
Song Yuhang raised her eyebrows. Lin Yan gave a cold, superficial smile. “Yes, I really envy you. I envy how you’ve managed to keep your skin so thick.”
The woman’s giggling was abruptly cut short, lodging in her throat like a strangled rooster. Her lips trembled as her false eyelashes fluttered up and down, threatening to peel off at any second.
“Who the fuck left their fly unzipped and let a piece of work like you slip out?” Lin Yan delivered every word with deliberate precision, finally unleashing the street slang she had picked up from her years roaming the markets and alleys as a child.
“You should hurry over to the urology department and get checked. Clearly, you’ve never pissed and looked closely at how many catties and taels you weigh3.”
“Thinking you’re a princess just because you’re decked in Chanel and carrying Hermès. I ask which KTV you work at, yet you keep your mouth shut.”
“You want to be my mother? Are you worthy? Do you make keys? How many do you make, you dick!”
“If you’re that desperate to be someone’s mother, why don’t you slam your head against a wall, reincarnate early, and keep my mother company on the road to the Yellow Springs? Maybe then you’ll stand a chance in the next life.”
When it came to cursing people out, Song Yuhang had truly never seen anyone whose verbal combat power could rival Lin Yan’s.
The two standing outside traded a glance, the same word flashing in their minds: Terrifying.
Though the woman was somewhat vulgar and malicious, she was an eighteenth-tier starlet who put on airs of being from a respectable background. She had never faced such an onslaught in her life. Her face turned a violent shade of red, and she looked ready to leap forward and rip Lin Yan’s mouth apart. But Lin Yan moved first, grabbing the metal food container and flinging the contents straight at her face. As viciously as she cursed, she struck even harder.
The woman took the full brunt of the scalding soup, letting out an earth-shattering screech. By the time Song Yuhang and Lin Ge burst into the room, Lin Yan had already grabbed the metal container with one hand and seized the woman’s hair with the other, pinning her against the bed and beating her mercilessly.
“Fuck your mother! Fuck your mother! You think you’re worthy of mentioning my mother’s name in front of me?! I spit on you!”
The IV stand began to sway precariously. Song Yuhang lunged forward to steady it, pinning Lin Yan down as she shouted, “Lin Yan!”
The woman seized the opportunity to tear herself away. Her hair was a bird’s nest, her makeup was smeared, a dark bruise was blooming on her forehead where the metal container had struck, and her false eyelashes had fallen off. She was an absolute wreck.
Stamping her feet in tears, she shrieked, “Lin Yan, I’m going back to tell Youyuan! Just you wait!”
“Do you think I’m afraid of that old bastard? Let him come! Let’s see if he dares to mention my mother’s name in front of me! I don’t care if he’s a cripple now—I’ll beat him to death!”
Lin Yan’s rage flared up again. With her shoulders pinned, she couldn’t break free, so she hurled the metal container directly at the woman’s head. The sheer exertion threw her into a violent fit of coughing and wheezing.
Due to her wild movements, the IV needle slipped loose. Bright red blood began to climb backward up the plastic tubing, a jarringly prominent sight.
Ducking the metal container, the woman saw Lin Yan coughing violently and continued to jeer. Lin Ge was also furious, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists. However, since she was Lin Youyuan’s legally wedded wife, he technically had to address her as his aunt, forcing him to hold back from intervening.
Someone else was far faster than him. Possessing immense strength, Song Yuhang lunged forward, grabbed the woman by the collar, and hoisted her up like a helpless chick. Shoving and dragging her backward, she threw her straight out of the room.
“Get the fuck out! If you don’t leave right now, I’m going to hit you too.”
Trembling with rage, the woman flung her hand away and glared at the coughing Lin Yan, her tone dripping with venom. “Fine, fine! Lin Yan, you sure have a great cousin and a loyal friend. Let’s see how long you can stay this arrogant. We’ll see about this!”
Song Yuhang slammed the door shut with a loud bang, sealing out the screeching of that strangled rooster.
Brushing the soup stains and food debris from her clothes, the woman prepared to stalk away in fury. Just as she turned, an elderly lady happened to walk in her direction.
The lady’s silver hair was bound in a neat, elegant bun. She wore a traditional Tang-style jacket of such quiet luxury that its brand was impossible to discern. She was supported by the butler beside her, and she carried a ceramic soup pot in her hand.
Recognizing her as a visitor, the woman smoothed her clothes and greeted her with an exaggerated, preening posture. “Oh, elder sister-in-law! What wind blew you all the way out here?”
The elderly lady cast a casual glance over her, seemingly unable to recognize her at all. She turned to her servant and asked, “Where did this wild chicken come from?”
The woman’s face turned green with fury.
The servant replied deferentially, “I do not know, madam. Perhaps she escaped from one of the local KTV lounges. Let us go inside; visiting the young heiress is what matters.”
The lady nodded, letting her servant support her as they walked toward the ward.
Left standing in the hallway, the woman ground her teeth in sheer hatred, nearly tearing her handkerchief to shreds.
The author has something to say:
Thank you for reading.
Nurturing their feelings a bit; the exciting parts are still to come.
(Today, I also want to learn from Lin Yan and be a wicked yet happy woman) 【Doghead】
PS: The cursing lines come from my little angels / all you lovely netizens. 【Doghead】
Thank you everyone, I love you all~
Footnotes
- Qing na qing fang (轻拿轻放): Literally 'to pick up gently and put down lightly'. An idiom meaning to handle a sensitive or difficult situation with extreme leniency and care instead of strict punishment.
- Linjia Da Furen (林家大夫人): The First Lady or First Mistress of the Lin family. This title denotes high social status and authority as the primary wife of the family patriarch.
- Sa pao niao haohao kankan ziji you ji jin ji liang (撒泡尿好好看看自己有几斤几两): Literally 'take a leak and look at your own reflection to see how many catties and taels you weigh.' A vulgar northern idiom used to tell someone to recognize their own insignificance.
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