Miss Forensics – Chapter 4
by Little PandaPart One
In this day and age, are there still people who dare to assault police?
As a prefecture-level city2, Jiangcheng had yet to implement traffic restrictions based on license plate numbers. A massive stream of vehicles poured into the congested roads.
Traffic lights flashed red and green.
Swarms of electric bikes and bicycles wove fearlessly through every gap, drivers taking their lives in their hands.
Horns blared in waves, mixed with the sharp whistles of traffic police, the whole scene like a pot of boiling water, chaotic and frothing.
Pedestrians rushed across the intersection in clumps during those final seconds before the green light began to flash. In the crush, someone’s steamed bun fell to the ground, kicked and trampled until it tumbled to the roadside, where a stray dog hunting for scraps near the trash can snatched it up in one bite.
The driver’s horn was about to wear out from pressing. The pedestrians crossing showed no signs of stopping. Just as the light was about to turn green again, the sound of newspaper rustling came from the back seat—impatient, getting louder.
He spotted a gap and slammed on the accelerator.
Lin Yan held a cup of fresh-ground coffee she had prepared before leaving. She had barely managed a few sips when a loud crash came. The vehicle lurched violently, and the entire cup sacrificed itself to her expensive, limited-edition designer suit.
The young heiress’s temples throbbed.
The driver turned around, stammering, “Miss, I was driving perfectly fine, but suddenly a three-wheeler came out of nowhere from my blind spot…”
“Looking to die?”
Quite a few people had already gathered at the intersection. In a place like Jiangcheng, not many could afford to drive a luxury car. People outside pointed and whispered.
The butler handed her a tissue, then got out to deal with the situation.
Song Yuhang helped the fallen elderly woman to her feet. The three-wheeler lay on its side, a basket of fruits and vegetables scattered everywhere, now inedible.
Fortunately, she had seen the danger in time and pulled the old woman off the three-wheeler. Her own little electric scooter had been knocked over, but the elderly woman had only suffered some scrapes.
“Are you alright, Ma’am?”
The grandmother sat on the ground, clearly shaken. Seeing her scattered produce, her eyes reddened. She opened her mouth but could not cry out for a long time.
“Where’s the driver? They hit someone, don’t they know to get out and explain themselves?”
“Seriously, driving a Benz makes you somebody?”
“Get out here, get out here, hurry up.”
“Everyone, we were driving normally. This elderly person suddenly rushed out. If we hadn’t braked in time, I’m afraid…” The butler smiled faintly, unhurried.
“So what if you were driving normally? You still hit someone, you know that?”
“Look at that fancy car of yours—not a shred of sympathy, is there?”
“Exactly, that poor old lady. Up at dawn to sell vegetables, and now she can’t even sell them. What’s wrong with paying some compensation?”
“By your logic, should I also pay out of my own pocket to send this grandmother for a medical checkup, advance the medical fees, and compensate her for the day’s lost income?”
A low, slightly hoarse voice suddenly cut in.
The woman’s voice was not particularly pleasant—it carried the textured rasp of someone who had smoked for years.
Song Yuhang looked up. What entered her vision first was a pair of slender high heels, then black wide-leg trousers, and finally, that face—unforgettable after a single glance.
She frowned, feeling she had seen it somewhere before, but she could not immediately recall where.
Lin Yan’s gaze swept over the elderly woman without leaving a trace. Forensic injury assessment was a basic skill, and with one look, she already had a rough idea in her mind.
“Ah, finally someone reasonable. You’re the car owner, right?”
It was the same burly man who had spoken before—beautiful women in Mercedes were already attention-grabbing enough.
“Are you a traffic police officer?” Lin Yan’s suit jacket was draped over her arm, the butler holding an umbrella for her. Her face clearly read four large characters: Strangers, keep away.
“N… no…” The man, intimidated by her presence, answered blankly.
“Then why should I listen to you?” Her lips curled into a mocking smile as she looked down at her watch.
“The traffic light cycles every sixty seconds. Three minutes ago, it was red. The one following traffic rules was me. The one who ran the red light was that old lady.”
The elderly woman sitting in Song Yuhang’s arms straightened up. Her clothes were worn, her shoes caked with mud, her hair completely white. Her lips trembled. “I’m sorry… miss… I… I was rushing to sell vegetables… if I don’t sell them… this whole month of work will be wasted…”
Seeing the old woman about to cry and Lin Yan playing the villain filing a false complaint, the crowd grew restless, pointing and criticizing.
“Exactly, why pick on an old vegetable seller when you drive a Mercedes?”
“People work so hard for so little money—have some sympathy.”
“Young people these days, not a shred of compassion…”
Lin Yan rolled her eyes. Like my money was just blown in by the wind.
“Fine, you want compensation?” Lin Yan pointed. The bumper was dented, the front of the car scratched.
“This car isn’t that expensive—only about two million or so. I’ll give you a discount on the market repair price, won’t even charge you for repainting. Ten thousand, maximum. Is the old lady going to pay me, or you—or you—or you?”
Her gaze swept across the few loudest troublemakers in the crowd, lips curled in mockery, the very picture of arrogance.
“And my suit—bespoke, no returns, no exchanges, dry-clean only. Because of this one braking incident, an entire cup of coffee is gone. That’s a hundred thousand down the drain. Shouldn’t you compensate me for that too?”
The grandmother’s face went pale with fear. She was on the verge of struggling out of Song Yuhang’s arms to kowtow to her.
“I’m sorry, miss… I’m sorry… it really was my fault… I’m old… my eyes aren’t good… it’s just me and my grandson at home… miss… I don’t need you to pay… don’t pay… it was this old woman’s fault…”
Some people, seeing the old woman crying so pitifully, turned their criticism toward Lin Yan.
Lin Yan was losing patience. “All of you, shut the fuck up. Did I hit you? Did I hit you? Mind your own damn business.”
It was that same burly man—insulted by her words, his temper flared. He raised his fist and charged forward.
“I’ll mind other people’s business today!”
Lin Yan’s driver shifted slightly, positioning himself to shield her.
But before the fist could land, someone intercepted it—another young woman, early thirties. She was tall and looked like she did not have much strength, yet she effortlessly defused his attack, using his own momentum to push him back into the crowd with minimal effort.
Four ounces to move a thousand pounds.3Lin Yan raised an eyebrow. “Here for more busybodying?”
Song Yuhang shook her head. “Not busybodying. You were speeding. Both parties share liability. But beyond the law, there’s human compassion—you should pay more.”
Lin Yan nearly choked on her own breath. “N—”
Song Yuhang pointed at a sign overhead. “City center. Speed limit thirty.”
Next to the massive billboard was a lone pole with an inconspicuous warning sign—thirty circled in thick red paint.
The young heiress’s lips twitched. She hovered on the edge of exploding.
Song Yuhang added, “Based on the time you just passed through the intersection, and the distance, if I calculate your average speed across that interval—you were speeding.”
Her tone was flat and unruffled. Seeing Lin Yan’s blank expression, she repeated the calculation formula.
Lin Yan’s head was starting to hurt. “Fine, fine, stop. You think just because you tell me to pay, I’ll pay? This is ridiculous…”
Song Yuhang paused. The traffic police team had not arrived yet. She instinctively reached for her pocket to pull out her police ID—but came up empty.
“I am…” She patted her jacket pocket again, uncertain.
“Are you what? A scammer? A shakedown artist? A bumper car?” Lin Yan rolled her eyes skyward, signaling the butler to hand over his wallet. She pulled out a stack of bills without counting and tossed them into their laps, dismissive as shooing a beggar.
“These days, even bumper cars take their jobs so seriously. With this kind of energy, you could do anything. This money—I’m paying you. Go buy yourselves coffins. Waste of my time. Get lost.”
Standing in the sun this long, Lin Yan’s makeup was about to melt. Mouth dry, she ducked back into the car.
The crowd gradually dispersed. Song Yuhang collected the money, and with a few passersby helped the elderly woman to the roadside. Then she returned to the middle of the road to pick up her fallen electric scooter. When she turned around, the butler from the Mercedes was standing by the old woman’s side.
“If there are any further issues, call this number to reach us.”
He handed her a card.
On the thin card, several characters were embossed in gold: Jingtai Group Co., Ltd.
On the back was a phone number for the legal department.
“Hey—” Song Yuhang tried to give the money back. “I’m really not…”
The butler shook his head, already walking away. The Mercedes slowly drove off, merging into the flow of traffic.
“Grandma, is anything else hurting? Let me help you to the hospital.”
“No, no, thank you, girl. You’re a good person.” The old woman clutched her hand, eyes brimming with tears, thanking her over and over.
The burly man who had been stopped earlier bought a bottle of water for the grandmother and handed one to Song Yuhang as well. “Hey, miss, you’re pretty strong. I’ve never been scared of anyone in a fight, but you pushed me and I felt like I lost my footing. Honestly, you shouldn’t have stopped me. A woman like that, so unreasonable—she deserves a good beating to learn her lesson!”
Song Yuhang smiled faintly, declining the mineral water. “Good thing you didn’t fight.”
The driver beside that woman—average height, broad shoulders, muscles tight, calluses on the back of his hands from regular boxing, flat nose bridge with scarring that suggested live combat experience. Most importantly: dumpling ears4. No one without decades of hard fighting walks away with ears like that.
A mere driver, already at the level of a professional kickboxing champion. That woman—who exactly was she?
“You’re just letting it go?” Halfway through the drive, the driver checked the rearview mirror.
Lin Yan did not even raise her head, continuing to flip through her newspaper.
“Otherwise? Could you beat her?”
The driver seemed to choke on his words, still somewhat unconvinced. “I…”
“To Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau. I’m exhausted from this whole morning.” She yawned, covering her mouth with one hand.
The driver did not dare delay, immediately turning the wheel and accelerating toward the city bureau.
It was past nine in the morning—the time when officers were coming and going, the bureau buzzing with activity. Lin Yan’s car came to a screeching halt right at the main entrance.
The young heiress slammed the door, slipped on her sunglasses, and strode in on high heels, every step deliberate, making quite the entrance.
Officers passing by whispered among themselves. “Hey, is that some rich heiress here to cause trouble again?”
The officer being asked had half a sausage in his mouth, carrying several bags of soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns. His uniform bulged in all the wrong places, he was not tall, he wore black-framed glasses, and his skin was rather dark—his arms were thicker than Lin Yan’s thighs.
A whiff of pork-and-cabbage bun drifted past Lin Yan.
The chubby officer turned to look at her, vegetable stuck between his teeth. “D… don’t know… but she’s pretty… heh heh…”
Lin Yan frowned, dry-heaving twice—whether from the smell of the bun or his face, who could say.
“Come on, let’s go. When Captain Song gets back, she’ll lecture us again.” His colleague pulled him along, walking faster.
“Fuck, what a bunch of freaks…” This place was not unfamiliar to Lin Yan. She looked up at the national emblem hanging high in the bureau’s main hall, took a breath like a warrior walking to execution, and plunged inside.
“Hey, did you hear? Our tech investigation division is getting a new forensic examiner today. That famous Lin… Lin whatshername?”
“Lin Yan.” A book titled Binhai Province Civil Service Exam Past Papers Explained5 slid down from the speaker’s nose, revealing a young man’s face—among this room of “freaks,” he actually looked somewhat decent.
But from the dropped book fluttered a piece of paper—not exactly proper material. A Japanese anime illustration.
The young man scooped it up, kissed it, and carefully tucked it back into his pocket.
His hands, greasy from the sausage and disgusting enough to rival pig trotters, typed “Lin Yan” at the keyboard.
A pile of search results came up.
“Hey, hey, come look.”
Several heads gathered around.
“Lin Yan, thirty-two years old. Bachelor’s degree from Fudan University School of Medicine—one of the ‘Old Six’ prestigious forensic medicine programs. Master’s and doctorate from Boston University’s Department of Forensic Medicine. To date, she has performed over five thousand autopsies, setting a record for young scholars…”
The woman in the photo wore a white coat, her wavy hair pulled back, a few loose strands framing her face. Her brows were arched, the outer corners slightly raised, her skin pale and her lips dark—she looked more like a model from a fashion magazine than a doctor or forensic examiner.
“That’s from last year’s coverage. My count just passed six thousand this year.”
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice. A woman sat in a lounge chair, legs crossed, admiring her exquisite manicure.
The others numbly turned their heads back. The chubby man continued reading, “But what puzzles people most is that Miss Lin clearly has an enviable family background. As the only heir to Jingtai Group (Lin Group), a net worth well over a hundred million—even without working, she’d be set for life. But rumors say Miss Lin has renounced her inheritance and severed ties with her father Lin Youyuan. The Lin Group has yet to release an official statement. Is this true, or is it just another of Miss Lin’s publicity stunts?”
“It’s true. I wish that old bastard would die already.” Lin Yan shifted uncomfortably on the bureau’s chair, squirming. How did these government chairs get so uncomfortable? She finally just sat up straighter.
Everyone turned around.
The chubby man wiped his glasses on his shirt again. “Lin Yan—the one Binhai Provincial Public Security Department listed as ‘Public Enemy number one’ for constantly overturning convictions for suspects?”
She rested her chin on her hand and nodded slightly. One look, and she almost seemed enchanting.
The young man who had been reading swallowed, stroking the paper in his pocket. “Walking through a field of flowers without a single leaf sticking to her—the dream girl of countless young men and women in the legal world, Lin Yan?”
“Hm?” The young heiress raised her phoenix eyes slightly. “So that’s what you all think of me.”
The tech division’s only female officer wore bangs and glasses thick as beer bottle bottoms. She manually pushed her jaw back into place.
“Filthy rich, spending money like water… Lin Yan?”
That question, Lin Yan did not even bother answering. She gave a small yawn.
The female officer’s eyes instantly sparkled. In her vision, Lin Yan was a walking stack of cash.
“All right, done asking. Who’s taking me to the locker room? Where’s the restroom?”
Three people lunged forward at once. “Me, me, I’ll do it!”
“Why would you go?! Can you even get into the women’s locker room?!”
“Jiejie, jiejie, I’ll carry your bag. This desk is empty, let me wipe it down for you.”
The chubby man looked bashful. “Lin… Forensic Examiner Lin, are you hungry…? These are the buns I didn’t finish this morning…”
Lin Yan turned, her face blooming into a smile—radiant as a flower, lighting up the room.
Before the chubby man could lose himself in that tenderness, her lips parted, and she spat out a single cold word: “Get lost.”
In the silence, his glass heart shattered. The young man patted his shoulder sympathetically before hurrying off to tidy Lin Yan’s workstation.
“Ouch, Captain Song, what happened?” Song Yuhang had changed and come out. It was not yet warm enough for air conditioning, so the room was still a bit stifling—she wore only a pale blue short-sleeved uniform, exposing a large scrape on her arm.
From elbow to forearm, dried blood, embedded dust and gravel not yet cleaned out—harrowing to look at.
She had gotten it saving the elderly woman earlier, scraping against the ground.
She casually grabbed a tissue to wipe it, not even frowning. “Nothing, just a scratch.”
A concerned colleague approached, offering her a wet wipe. “These days, people still dare to assault police?”
Assault police?
Song Yuhang thought of that woman’s arrogant demeanor, her lips curving slightly. “Assault police? I wouldn’t go that far. Just ran into a psycho who hit someone and then—”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. Traffic here in Jiangcheng is ridiculous. Early this morning on my way out, two psychos throwing themselves at my car like they had a death wish—”
A voice came from the entrance. Somewhat familiar.
Everyone turned to look—first at Song Yuhang, then at the door.
Detectives are sensitive to these things. Jiangcheng was not that big. Their eyes all showed anticipation.
The psycho woman Captain Song had mentioned walked in on seven-centimeter heels. Her police uniform was slightly loose, the top button undone, revealing pale skin and slender collarbones, a dainty earring in one ear that no one could name.
The Criminal Investigation Detachment captain followed behind her. “Comrades, let me introduce you. This is the new arrival, Lin Yan, Forensic Examiner Lin. Her reputation, I’m sure, needs no introduction.”
Someone nearly fell off their chair.
Song Yuhang’s expression flickered for just a moment. She touched her nose. A young officer nudged her arm. “Hey, Captain Song. The psycho you mentioned… was that her?”
Lin Yan smiled faintly, raising an eyebrow as she looked over. “What a coincidence. 6Bumper car.”
Being caught talking behind someone’s back—Song Yuhang did not show much emotion. Embarrassment came and went quickly. She even stepped forward to extend her hand.
“Not a bumper car. You were speeding. Hello, Forensic Examiner Lin. Song Yuhang, Deputy Captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment.”
Offering her name and position was an invitation to start fresh on good terms.
Lin Yan did not intend to shake and make nice. A slight nod was all she gave.
The room fell silent again. Song Yuhang drew back her injured arm, clearly used to this kind of reception, and turned away to tend to other matters.
The captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment was a man in his early forties, slightly heavy, his hairline already beginning to rise. He looked more like a slick businessman than a police officer.
He gave a dry cough, easing the tension. “Well then, let’s go around and introduce ourselves.”
The chubby man stepped forward first to shake hands. “Um… Forensic Examiner Lin, I’m Zheng Chengrui. C… computer science graduate, currently a technical specialist with the Cyber Security Brigade of the Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Detachment Technical Investigation Division.”
Technically, tech investigation and cyber security were supposed to be separate units, but they were short-staffed and unable to recruit good talent, so they had simply merged into one division—saved an office too.
Lin Yan could not even be bothered to raise an eyebrow for him.
He wisely retreated, defeated.
Then the young man stood up, hand raised in salute. “Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Detachment Forensic Science Technical Investigation Division Intern Forensic Examiner Duan Cheng!”
He rattled off the long title in one breath. Lin Yan began filing her nails.
Finally, the female officer stepped up, also saluting. “Technical Investigation Division Trace Examiner Fang Xin, reporting.”
By rank, Lin Yan was the chief medical examiner. That form of address was technically correct. But the young heiress had never been the type to care about pleasantries. She lazily raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment.
The others introduced themselves one by one. A room full of people—Lin Yan did not remember many of them.
But that woman—nominally a deputy captain—sat in an inconspicuous corner. Quiet, like the blue sky and white clouds drifting slowly past the window.
If you had not seen her skills.
“Wait, I’m the only forensic examiner in the Technical Investigation Division?” Lin Yan’s gaze swept the room, landing on the motley crew surrounding her.
Zhang Jinhai cleared his throat. “There was a chief medical examiner before. He passed away recently. The organization hasn’t had time to…”
“Oh, forget it.”
Forget it. She should not have asked. She had never seen a municipal public security bureau this impoverished—like a ramshackle troupe thrown together in some backwater town.
The author has something to say:
Thank you for reading. Please don’t give zero ratings for typo corrections, thank you.
Regarding the plot, character design, police ranks, and forensics aspects—I have taken creative liberties for dramatic effect. After all, this is a novel, not documentary literature. If it were truly realistic, it wouldn’t and couldn’t appear here. We are all making a living within constraints—please understand. My deepest thanks.
The case hasn’t appeared yet; there are a few more chapters. I feel I haven’t handled the investigation parts particularly well—the logic is pretty bad considering I once scored single digits on a math exam. I’ll preemptively criticize myself for everyone.
But I’ll play to my strengths and try to keep the plot smooth, the characters fleshed out, and the emotions natural.
Thank you again for reading. If anything I’ve said or done is incorrect or subpar, please be understanding.
I am Gu Huaijiu. I love this world, and I love all of you.
Footnotes
- Pèngcí — A Chinese term for staged traffic accidents where fraudsters intentionally cause minor collisions to extort compensation from drivers. The literal meaning is 'to touch porcelain,' referring to scammers who would pretend to knock over and break expensive porcelain, then demand payment from passersby they blamed.
- The term dìjíshì refers to a prefecture-level city—a mid-level administrative division below provinces but above counties. Jiangcheng is considered a mid-sized city by Chinese standards.
- A martial arts concept—using four ounces of force to deflect a thousand pounds of incoming pressure. It emphasizes technique and leverage over brute strength, a cornerstone principle of internal Chinese martial arts like T'ai Chi.
- Commonly known as 'cauliflower ear' in English—the thickened, deformed ears typical of wrestlers, boxers, and martial artists who have spent years absorbing impact to the head. In Chinese context, jiǎozi ěr (dumpling ear) specifically marks someone with extensive combat sports experience.
- Bīnhǎi Shěng Gōngwùyuán Kǎoshì Lìnián Zhēntí Jīngjiě—A study guide for the civil service entrance exam in Binhai Province. The title indicates its practical, test-prep nature.
- Pèngcí—see note at chapter title.
Damn it, I really don’t like the MC at all lol. Can’t wait to see how the author redeems her
⟵(๑¯◡¯๑) your honor, future wives