Miss Forensics – Chapter 31
by Little PandaPart One
Significance
Solving cases and seeking justice for the dead — that is the entire meaning of my existence.
Song Yuhang knew that against Lin Yan, she couldn’t retreat — the more she gave ground, the more Lin Yan would push.
The question was actually rather pointed, but Song Yuhang was extremely clever. Unlike Lin Yan’s direct approach, she was skilled at four ounces deflecting a thousand pounds1, tossing the question right back.
So she met her gaze openly, mirroring Lin Yan’s expression with a hint of a teasing smile curling her lips.
“I wonder if Forensic Examiner Lin has noticed that you seem to enjoy hovering around me and asking questions that go well beyond the bounds of collegial acquaintance.”
Lin Yan’s expression shifted.
Song Yuhang stepped forward, looking down at her. “But since you asked, I’ll give you a formal answer. I haven’t reported you simply because there’s no evidence that explicitly points to you. I’ve already suffered that same loss once — once was enough.”
She rested a hand lightly on her shoulder and leaned in. “Forensic Examiner Lin is a smart woman. Don’t play with fire and get burned2.”
Lin Yan turned her head slightly to look at her, her slender neck exposed once more to Song Yuhang’s gaze.
Both wore smiles on their lips, looking perfectly harmonious, yet concealing an unmistakable undercurrent of killing intent.
“Is that so? Who this fire ultimately burns — no one knows until the very last moment.”
Song Yuhang’s pupils contracted slightly. Her hand was already being pushed aside. Lin Yan turned and walked away, her silhouette disappearing into the dusk.
She made her way up the stairwell, finding nothing — no sign of anyone following her, no useful leads. She couldn’t help but wonder: had it been her imagination, or was the person tailing her Song Yuhang?
Song Yuhang said she treated her differently. Wasn’t she equally curious about Song Yuhang?
Lin Yan gave a faint scoff and pushed open the door to the rooftop.
The Criminal Investigation Detachment had already conducted a thorough search last time. The door lock was intact, no signs of a struggle, no second set of footprints. All fingerprints and footprints belonged to the deceased — suicide seemed highly probable.
During the autopsy, though the body was incomplete, she’d still managed to test blood drug concentrations. The results showed no indication of any medication.
Could someone have manipulated her into coming up here?
If so, how? Had the person who got her pregnant orchestrated it?
Lin Yan walked toward the edge of the rooftop as she mulled this over. Half a broken railing swayed in the wind. She reached out to pull the rusted iron railing back for a closer look — but the rooftop edge was covered in moss after the rain, treacherously slick.
The moment her foot landed, she knew something was wrong. It was too late to pull back. Her only point of leverage was that rusted iron railing, which groaned under the strain against her palm.
The sensation of weightlessness hit. The broken railing plummeted from the sixth floor and shattered with a deafening crash.
Before Lin Yan had even caught her breath, someone grabbed her around the waist and yanked her back. The momentum sent them both stumbling several steps — Lin Yan crashed squarely into her arms.
Song Yuhang was slightly breathless too. “Are you crazy? Standing that close to the edge — do you want to die?”
Lin Yan turned her head. They were still standing in that position. Something seemed to strike her, and she grew slightly excited.
“Was it raining all through May?”
As if a light had switched on.
Song Yuhang nodded. “You mean…”
“Yes, exactly. It was too slippery. I didn’t want to walk that close to the edge — I had no choice… Even today, with decent weather, it’s this slick. If it had been raining, it would only be worse…”
Lin Yan pointed at the railing. “Years of neglect — it couldn’t bear the weight of an adult, probably not even a child. She might not have committed suicide. She might have fallen.”
As she spoke, she faced the rooftop. Lin Yan was slightly shorter, so Song Yuhang only had to tilt her head down to see her slender nape. That faint floral scent grew richer.
She quietly released her hand from Lin Yan’s waist, took half a step back, and pulled her gaze away.
“But both the trace evidence and physical evidence teams searched this place several times and found no trace of a second person. Only a suicide note, verified by handwriting analysis as her own. Witness interviews also confirmed she appeared here alone late at night. If she fell accidentally, there should be a reason she came up here.”
Lin Yan paced back and forth. “Could she have come to meet someone?”
Song Yuhang nodded, gaze drifting into the distance. “I wouldn’t rule that out. And I think this person could be closely connected to whoever got her pregnant.”
Lin Yan stopped in her tracks. “Have all the men in He Miao’s circle been compared by DNA?”
“We did. No match.” Song Yuhang frowned slightly. “No, wait — there’s one person we haven’t done.”
“Who?”
“He Miao’s uncle — her maternal aunt’s husband.”
Lin Yan’s stomach turned. “Fuck. No way.”
Song Yuhang turned to face her, her tone flat. “Why not? Even blood relatives do it, let alone this kind of relationship.”
Lin Yan clicked her tongue in dark amazement. “Is Captain Song speaking from personal experience, or from cases she’s handled?”
Song Yuhang gave her an odd look. “From cases, obviously. My parents and older brother are all good people.”
At least they weren’t like Lin Yan’s father — a man who ignored his own flesh and blood while chasing every woman in sight.
Personality was shaped by family. Someone as cold, paranoid, aggressive, and cynical as Lin Yan was almost always the product of parental neglect.
People like that were also the most likely to end up on the wrong side of the law.
“You had an older brother. How come you never mentioned him?” Lin Yan was tired after an afternoon of running around and leaned against the rooftop water tank.
“He’s gone.” Song Yuhang said it plainly, then suddenly wanted a smoke — but when she reached into her pocket, she remembered she’d given her cigarettes away.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a cigarette pack came flying through the air. Song Yuhang caught it. She watched Lin Yan flick a lighter, walked over, and leaned in. “Borrow a light.”
But Lin Yan pulled the lighter back. She dangled a lit cigarette from her lips, looking at Song Yuhang with insolent ease. The flame flickered at her lips. Her eyes brimmed with provocation and ill intent. She tilted her head up slightly, signaling: if she wanted a light, she’d have to come get it herself.
She was too good at this.
Every expression, every glance was calibrated to seduce with perfect precision.
A fraction more would be excessive; a fraction less would fall flat.
Lin Yan might not be the most beautiful woman Song Yuhang had ever seen, but she was undoubtedly the one who had honed her own allure to its absolute peak.
Her hands, her eyes, her lips, her smile, her neck — every moment radiated a single signal.
Come.
Come closer to me.
Come let me capture you.
Or even…
Song Yuhang’s eyes darkened. She had clearly received the signal. Her barely noticeable Adam’s apple bobbed.
If Lin Yan was constantly radiating desire, then Song Yuhang was constantly using body language to broadcast: Stay away from me. Don’t come near.
Her uniform shirt was buttoned all the way up to the collar, the top two buttons fastened tight. The trapezius muscles along her neck surfaced faintly with each breath, each swallow.
It was a striking, untouchable kind of feral beauty.
Lin Yan exhaled a smoke ring, her gaze hazy. As the smoke drifted across Song Yuhang’s face, Song Yuhang moved — reaching straight for the cigarette at Lin Yan’s lips. Naturally, Lin Yan wasn’t about to let her succeed, turning her face slightly away.
Through the swirling smoke, she saw a triumphant smile curl at the corner of Song Yuhang’s mouth. She was done for.
Before she could mount a defense, Song Yuhang caught her off guard with a textbook hold and pinned her against the wall.
Song Yuhang twisted her arm with just enough force. The lighter slipped from Lin Yan’s palm.
“Song Yuhang, fuck… sss…”
“Didn’t Forensic Examiner Lin tell me to come get it myself? What are you getting mad about now?”
Seeing her wince, Song Yuhang released her, picked up the fallen lighter, and lit her own cigarette. She took a drag and looked at her.
“Or did you want me to take it another way.”
“I—” Lin Yan choked with rage, just about to curse her ancestors back eighteen generations, when her phone rang.
She pulled it out. It was the Technical Investigation Division.
“What is it?”
“He Miao’s aunt is here. She says she wants to take her body for burial…” Fang Xin sounded troubled on the other end, her voice low. “The case isn’t closed yet, but her aunt insists on taking He Miao for cremation. She says the body’s already incomplete — she can’t at least let her rest in peace.”
“Captain Zhang’s take is that since the cause of death is confirmed, the family can take the body for disposal.”
Lin Yan looked at Song Yuhang.
Song Yuhang pulled out her phone and called Zhang Jinhai. After a long moment, she hung up, her expression grim.
“Captain Zhang says the facts of He Miao’s case are clear and the evidence is conclusive. Whether suicide or accidental fall, homicide has been ruled out. The family can take the body for disposal. Bureau Chief Feng agreed as well. As for the pregnancy — that’s a separate case.”
Lin Yan understood. She said to Fang Xin, “All the samples have been collected, right? If she wants to take the body, let her. We keep the biological samples.”
Fang Xin sorted the bottles and containers in her hands, closing the cabinet door. “Don’t worry, Forensic Examiner Lin, everything’s stored. I’ll let you go — I’m heading to the funeral home to send off the body.”
Jiangcheng City Funeral Home.
By custom, there was a viewing ceremony before cremation. Wang Xiuzhen stood outside the viewing room, pinching her nose, looking thoroughly impatient. “What’s there to look at? Hurry up and cremate her. I’m still waiting for the compensation money.”
The staff member looked helpless as the body was placed on the conveyor belt. Fang Xin and the others stood in the viewing room, watching through a glass partition as this fifteen-year-old girl completed the final journey of her life.
After leaving the viewing room, they saw several funeral home workers in black suits approaching down the corridor, guiding a hearse toward them. A middle-aged couple followed the hearse step by step. The woman had thrown herself against it, wailing, and had to be supported by the staff.
Fang Xin came to the funeral home often to deliver bodies and knew the staff well. She asked quietly, “What happened here? The white-haired sending off the black-haired3?”
A flicker of pity crossed the staff member’s face. He sighed. “That’s exactly it. Only fourteen. Did poorly on final exams, took sleeping pills. They couldn’t save her.”
“That’s awful. How much pressure do parents have to put on a kid to drive them to that?” Duan Cheng leaned in, whispering.
By then the ashes had cooled. Fang Xin shot him a look. “Less gossiping. Go collect the ashes.”
Duan Cheng’s face crumpled like a bitter melon. “Isn’t that the family’s job?”
Fang Xin glanced over. Wang Xiuzhen was sitting on a bench in the corridor, picking her feet and cracking sunflower seeds. She clearly had no interest.
“…Right. Your humble servant is on it.”
Lin Yan squatted on the ground, finished her cigarette, and stood up. “Since it’s a separate case, I’m going to the provincial capital.”
Song Yuhang cast her a cool glance. The red ember of her cigarette tip flickered. “I thought you said the deceased had nothing to do with you. Why go so far out of your way?”
“How should I put it. When she was alive, our paths might never have crossed. But she’s dead, and I was the one who autopsied her. I have an obligation to finish saying what she couldn’t.”
Song Yuhang smiled, pressing the cigarette out against the railing. “That doesn’t sound like something Forensic Examiner Lin would say.”
The sun was about to set. The first threads of darkness fell, and Song Yuhang’s expression grew inscrutable.
“I’d rather believe that Forensic Examiner Lin sees her former self in He Miao. Or that her story touched a nerve. Your urgency to uncover the truth is really just you seeking justice for your own past.”
It was a probe. But Lin Yan gave a self-deprecating laugh. “If that’s how you want to read it, you’re not wrong. But I’m not seeking justice for my past self. I’m seeking justice for everyone who lives their life with everything they have.”
Song Yuhang fell silent for a long time. “You’re right.”
A fifteen-year-old girl in the flower of her youth. Mother dead early, father gone without a trace. She’d endured every bitterness living with her aunt. Yet poverty hadn’t broken her spine. She still wanted to study, found her own ways to earn tuition, and in her spare time sketched in her textbooks. What a resilient, poetic girl.
She didn’t deserve to die in vain.
“And Captain Song? Why do you want to solve this case so badly?”
She recalled the rumors circulating in the Technical Investigation Division. Song Yuhang had more seniority than Zhang Jinhai. When the previous Criminal Investigation Detachment captain retired, she should have been the one to take over. Instead, the brass had parachuted Zhang Jinhai in. Song Yuhang had been stuck in the deputy captain’s seat for nearly ten years.
In ten years, had she never once complained? Never felt frustrated? Never felt stifled?
Yet Lin Yan looked at her, and all she said was: “Solving cases and seeking justice for the dead — that is the entire meaning of my existence.”
Though their views clashed and they argued constantly, on this one thing, they were in perfect agreement.
In the darkness, Lin Yan’s lips curved into a faint smile.
Song Yuhang led the way down the stairs. “Let’s go. To the provincial capital.”
She waited, but Lin Yan didn’t follow. She stopped and looked back. “What’s wrong?”
Lin Yan looked back at the buildings below the rooftop. The lights of West City District were coming on one by one. It was a beautiful sight, but she frowned slightly.
“Do you feel like someone’s watching us?”
Song Yuhang turned back and walked to the railing. She hadn’t told anyone about the person in the black hoodie.
“When did you start feeling that?”
“Today. The moment I walked in here.”
Song Yuhang pulled binoculars from her bag and swept the area. The vantage point was excellent — she could see a boy doing homework in the apartment across, a woman washing clothes, a couple arguing, and all the varied textures of life.
But nothing stood out as suspicious.
She frowned too. “Let’s go. Provincial capital first. Be careful these next few days.”
Lin Yan shrugged indifferently. “Forget it. I’ve got plenty of enemies. Could be another one looking for revenge. One comes, this old lady takes them down. Two come, I take them both.”
Song Yuhang, resigned, pocketed the binoculars and walked down with her. “You’re really optimistic.”
“What else am I supposed to do? You think my BJJ was for nothing? Forget the whole country — at least in Jiangcheng, I’m unbeatable.”
“Oh? In that case, why carry a mechanical baton?”
As the saying went — an inch longer, an inch stronger4. Carrying a mechanical baton was simply to compensate for a deficit in raw strength.
Lin Yan gnashed her teeth. “Would it kill you to shut up?!”
Song Yuhang walked ahead, hands in pockets. “Only dead people don’t talk.”
“Pah!” Lin Yan followed, muttering curses under her breath.
“How did you even grow up this big? No wonder you don’t have friends or a partner…”
…
After they left, a light came on in one of the apartments across the street. The resident pulled an astronomical telescope back from behind the curtains.
“Holy shit! Who the fuck punctured my tire?!” Lin Yan felt the flat tire and howled at the sky.
Heads popped out of nearby apartment windows. Song Yuhang pressed a hand to her forehead. “We’re on a case. Did you really need to drive such a nice car out? Of course people are going to be jealous.”
Lin Yan was expressionless. “…This is already my cheapest car.”
“…Pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Song Yuhang turned to leave. Lin Yan was already calling a tow company. “What?! Two hours?! And you don’t even have Mercedes tires in stock??? What kind of repair company are you? You’d be better off fixing e-bikes! I spend that kind of money and this is how you treat your premium customers?”
As the young heiress’s tone grew increasingly aggressive, edging toward personal attacks, Song Yuhang paused, turned back, and offered hesitantly, “How about… you ride in mine.”
From Jiangcheng to the provincial capital was over two hundred kilometers. Off the highway, the road turned into a winding mountain pass. The car swerved left and right, and Lin Yan grew drowsy from the bumping. She yawned.
“How much longer?”
Song Yuhang checked her watch. “Another two hours or so.”
Lin Yan closed her eyes peacefully. “Fine. Wake me when we get there.”
After passing the last service area, they were fully in the mountains. The temperature dropped at night. Her bare arm felt chilly, so Song Yuhang rolled up the window. She glanced over — Lin Yan was already asleep.
She shook her head slightly, a bit helpless, and turned on the heat.
The phone on the dashboard suddenly rang. Song Yuhang saw it was Xiaowei and immediately slowed down, pulling onto the shoulder of the emergency lane to answer.
Lin Yan was roused. She frowned slightly, her voice still lazy. “Mm… who is it?”
Before Ji Jingxing could speak, she heard a soft, alluring female voice — apparently asking Song Yuhang if they were together this late.
She held Xiaowei’s burning little body, suddenly at a loss for words.
Song Yuhang took the phone and stepped out of the car. “What’s wrong, Jie5?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Ji Jingxing steadied herself. “Xiaowei… Xiaowei has a fever… My car’s in the shop, and I can’t get a taxi…”
A delicate sense of pride made it hard for her to say, “Can you come over right now?” Then, thinking of that female voice she’d just heard, Ji Jingxing changed her words.
“Are you out somewhere?”
Song Yuhang confirmed it. Hearing the urgency in her voice, she felt a pang of worry — it was the middle of the night, after all.
“What’s her temperature?”
“39 degrees. I’ve been putting cold towels on her, gave her fever medicine, but it’s not getting better…” Ji Jingxing was frantic.
Lin Yan threw on her coat and got out of the car. She laughed coldly. “If she has a fever, call an ambulance. What’s calling you going to do?”
Ji Jingxing clearly heard that too. It made her feel even worse — anxious and angry, on the verge of tears.
“Yuhang, I…”
Song Yuhang shot her a cold glare, covered the receiver, and lowered her voice. “It’s okay, don’t worry. Wait for me — I’ll be back in about an hour. I’ll let you know when I’m close. Get dressed, grab the health insurance card, bundle Xiaowei up, and wait downstairs. We’ll go to the hospital.”
After hanging up, Lin Yan leaned against the car door, her tone nonchalant. “My, isn’t this the good police officer who serves the people? Choosing beauty over duty already?”
Song Yuhang gave her an irritated look. “Not interrupting when someone’s on the phone is basic manners.”
Lin Yan was smiling, but her eyes gradually turned cold. “Think clearly. You’re almost there, and now you want to turn around and waste time going back. Not to mention the suspect could catch wind and skip town.”
Song Yuhang opened the car door and got in. “I can have the team in the provincial capital bring the person in first.”
Lin Yan sneered. “Beat the grass and alert the snake6.”
“Are you coming or not? If not, I’m leaving.” Song Yuhang raised her eyes to look at her, and her gaze turned cold too.
A threat? Song Yuhang was actually threatening her?!
A nameless rage flared up instantly. All for that white lotus7 who’d call someone back in the middle of the night over a fever?
Lin Yan slammed the car door and stepped back. “Then go! You think I can’t survive without you?”
She pulled out her phone to call a ride.
Song Yuhang saw her being completely unreasonable and felt a flash of anger. She inserted the key, put it in gear, and stepped on the gas — but the car didn’t budge.
Lin Yan was wandering around looking for cell signal. She turned around and saw Song Yuhang still in the same spot — the engine was roaring but the car wasn’t moving. She nearly burst out laughing.
“Hahaha, it’s fate! Looks like heaven doesn’t want Captain Song to play the hero.”
Song Yuhang turned the key and re-ignited. Still nothing. Her sarcastic tone fueled Song Yuhang’s anger, and her lips pressed into a tight line.
“Are you done?”
Lin Yan draped herself over the car window. “Nope. Not done. Looks like Captain Song is destined to spend the night with me.”
Song Yuhang ignored her, got out, and popped the hood to tinker with the engine. Lin Yan leaned against the car, her coat hanging loosely off one shoulder, exposing half of her pale, exquisite shoulder, watching Song Yuhang work.
“Hey, I’m just saying — what’s so great about that white lotus? Worth you rushing back and forth in the middle of the night? Women are so dramatic. It’s just a fever — who hasn’t had a fever? Go to the hospital yourself, or call an ambulance.”
The moment Lin Yan finished, there was a loud bang — Song Yuhang slammed the hood shut and strode over.
In the moonlight, her expression was grim. Her tightly pressed lips betrayed a thin edge of fury.
With no one else around, Lin Yan swallowed hard and took half a step back. “What… what are you doing?”
Song Yuhang clenched her fists. “Insult me all you want. Don’t insult her.”
Aside from that rainy night, she rarely showed such a serious, intense expression — practically bristling with rage. And all for that overly delicate woman?
Lin Yan thought this, and an indescribable sense of grievance surged into her chest. Her lips pressed tight too.
“Fine. I’ll take back everything I said on the rooftop. Captain Song never said anything about solving cases or meaning anyway. We still walk different paths and cannot work together8.”
Song Yuhang was taken aback. “That’s not what I meant. Solving the case is important, of course, but Xiaowei is also…”
“Enough, enough, stop.” Lin Yan was impatient. “Phone. Give me the address.”
Seeing Song Yuhang hesitate, she added, “Mine has no signal.”
Song Yuhang roughly understood what she was planning. She recited the address and handed over the phone. Lin Yan walked to an open area to make the call.
“Hello? Yes, I need someone taken to the hospital. The address is…”
She rattled off the instructions in no time and tossed the phone back to Song Yuhang. Instead of taking the passenger seat, she dove into the back, lay down fully clothed, and closed her eyes.
Song Yuhang walked over and tapped lightly on the window. “Hey, thank—”
Lin Yan grabbed her coat and threw it at the window. “Fuck off! Don’t disturb this old lady’s sleep!”
The author has something to say:
Forensic Examiner Lin is too smooth. Even I’m swooning.
Today’s military parade was amazing. Those female soldiers — I’d take any of them. Happy National Day, everyone — have a great holiday!
Footnotes
- A Chinese martial arts idiom meaning to use minimal force to overcome a much greater force; here, to skillfully redirect a question with the least effort.
- A warning not to engage in risky behavior that will ultimately harm oneself.
- A Chinese expression describing the deep tragedy of elderly parents outliving and burying their own children.
- A Chinese martial arts proverb: in combat, a longer weapon grants greater reach and advantage.
- Literally 'older sister'; a familiar, affectionate address used by Song Yuhang for her sister-in-law Ji Jingxing.
- A Chinese idiom meaning to act prematurely and alert the target, ruining the operation.
- Literally 'white lotus'; Chinese internet slang for a woman who appears innocent and fragile but is subtly manipulative.
- A classical Chinese proverb from Confucius: those with different goals or principles cannot work together.
Damn that was spicy!
Damn that was spicy!