Miss Forensics – Chapter 14

Volume One: First Scroll

The Interrogation

In all matters, avoid taking extreme measures, or you will have to face the consequences.

Lin Yan took 20g from each of the specimens left from the last autopsy, separately performed organic decomposition to separate the residue, washed and centrifuged them, then took drops for microscopic examination, her movements methodical and orderly.

This was Song Yuhang’s first time seeing her in a white lab coat, her curly hair pinned up, revealing a jade-white nape.

She had thought someone like Lin Yan couldn’t possibly settle down to do research, but unexpectedly, she worked very seriously, changing the microscope’s magnification several times while observing and taking notes.

“She’s shut herself in the lab since coming back,” Fang Xin said in a lowered voice, shielding her face with a folder.

“If Team Leader Song is looking for her, I can go call her.”

——From now on, you do your investigation, and I’ll do mine.

Song Yuhang thought of these words, opened her mouth, then changed what she was going to say: “No need, let her work. Tell me the results as soon as they’re out.”

Lin Yan stayed in the pathology lab all afternoon, and by the time she came out, the sun was setting in the west.

She hung her white coat on the rack, gathered her fluffy hair with her fingers, and tied it back neatly with a black hair tie.

“Forensic Expert Lin, come eat something now that you’re done,” several technical investigators said as they sat together eating instant noodles.

“No need, I’m not eating,” she said, putting on her wristwatch, hesitating before speaking: “Song—”

Fang Xin quickly interjected: “Oh, Team Leader Song came by this afternoon, saw you were still experimenting and left.”

The forensic expert snorted through her nose; at least she knew better.

“I’m not, I didn’t, I really didn’t know, my relationship with her was purely professional…” the person sitting opposite was still desperately defending themselves against the police questioning.

“If you don’t have evidence, I’ll sue you for defamation!”

Song Yuhang straightened up from her chair, gesturing to Zheng Chengrui to turn the computer screen for him to see.

“Starting from March last year, you sexually harassed Ding Xue for over a year, including but not limited to verbal harassment. Principal Ge, you’re a family man with a reputation to maintain. If your esteemed wife were to know about this—”

The chat records were filled with obscene language too vulgar to read, including sexually suggestive photos he had sent to Ding Xue to provoke her.

Throughout the year-long harassment, because he was her superior, Ding Xue had been constantly tolerant, politely declining and firmly refusing. All of this had made him furious with humiliation, leading him to send Ding Xue a message on the evening of May 14th.

“If you won’t drink a toast, you’ll have to drink a forfeit [敬酒不吃吃罰酒 | jìng jiǔ bù chī chī fá jiǔ | idiom meaning if you refuse the easy way, you’ll have to take the hard way]. You’ll regret this!”

The chat records were shocking. Ge Jun broke out in a cold sweat but still maintained his facade, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief: “Impossible, this must be something you’ve fabricated to frame me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the interrogation room door was pushed open, with several police officers trying to stop someone behind it, but it was too late.

Lin Yan slammed a photo onto the table: “Then how do you explain this?”

In the photo, a man and woman were lying intimately together; the woman appeared drunk, while the man was leaning over her face lecherously trying to kiss her.

Cold sweat immediately ran down Ge Jun’s forehead, his face turning an alternating pale and ashen color. He gritted his teeth, steeling himself to deny everything to the death.

“I think you’d better understand this: you’ve been listed as the prime suspect by the police. No matter how much you quibble, we’ll find evidence to bring you to justice. As the head of a school, surely you know that even without a confession, solid evidence is enough for a conviction.”

“Think about your family, your parents, your wife, your children… Do you want them to be ashamed of having a murderer for a son/husband/father? Never able to hold their heads up in public again?”

“Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist. If you tell the truth, we’ll note it in the case report. Perhaps when you go to court, there might be a chance for a reduced sentence.”

“When one wishes to care for their parents, they are no longer there [子欲養而親不待 | zǐ yù yǎng ér qīn bù dài | classical quote about filial piety]. If you’re imprisoned for life, you might not even have the chance to be by your parents’ bedside when they pass.”

“You’re still a teacher, a principal, an educational pioneer—is this how you set an example for your children and students?”

Listen to that eloquence, that ideological work—even Lin Yan was moved.

When parents and children were mentioned, Ge Jun’s expression finally showed some fluctuation. Song Yuhang noticed him nervously picking at his hands under the table and added one final push.

“Rest assured, we police will never wrongly accuse a good person, but we also will never let any bad person go free.”

After much internal struggle, his expression changing several times, Ge Jun still said: “I didn’t kill her, I really didn’t kill her. Although I said harsh words about wanting her dead, I never thought she would actually die!”

For some unknown reason, Lin Yan instinctively looked at Song Yuhang, and her gaze also drifted over lightly.

Their eyes met, and both looked away simultaneously.

Song Yuhang continued questioning: “Then what were you doing on the evening of May 14th?”

“I… I really went…” Under the angry glares of a room full of criminal investigators, his voice grew increasingly quiet: “Under the pretense of a business trip… went… went to meet my lover…”

“I really didn’t kill her, if you don’t believe me, go investigate!”

He quickly spilled everything about his lover, and an investigator took the papers out to verify.

Shortly after, they returned with an uncomfortable expression and whispered in her ear: “Team Leader Song, what he said is true. We verified the hotel check-in records and surveillance videos in the provincial city, and asked the front desk. He and that lover checked in at seven in the evening and didn’t leave until the next morning. They even had dinner sent up to their room.”

Ge Jun wiped the nervous sweat from his forehead with his handkerchief: “See, I told you, I really didn’t lie. Officer, I’ve told you everything, shouldn’t you release me now?”

Song Yuhang suddenly bit her lower lip—another lead, gone.

Meanwhile, Lin Yan leaned back in her chair, a cryptic smile playing at her lips.

“Team Leader Song, what do we do now? We finally got him back here, do we really have to—” Fang Xin also spoke in a lowered voice. As a woman, she found such hypocritical gentlemen most disgusting, sharing somewhat in the common hatred.

Song Yuhang stood up: “Let him go. After all, our colleagues outside have been waiting for a long time.”

“Thank you, thank you, everyone has worked hard. Another day, this Ge will surely treat everyone to tea,” Ge Jun said with repeated bows and an uncontrollable smile on his face.

Duan Cheng nudged Zheng Chengrui: “Hey, don’t you think he must be feeling that he picked the right mistress? Without that mistress, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t clear his name [跳進黃河也洗不清 | tiào jìn huáng hé yě xǐ bù qīng | idiom meaning impossible to prove one’s innocence].”

The chubby one pushed his glasses up and patted his round belly: “When will this case end? I want to eat roasted squab, braised pork trotters, crayfish, marinated chicken feet…”

Duan Cheng’s stomach growled right on cue: “Alright, shut up already.”

Ge Jun walked out of the interrogation room, and the smile froze on his face.

Standing before him were several young people in formal suits, all in uniform black attire, wearing prosecutor badges on their chests, extending their credentials to him.

“Jiangcheng City People’s Procuratorate. We suspect you of serious violations and misconduct during your tenure at Jiangcheng First High School. Please come with us.”

He looked back to find Song Yuhang and several others silently blocking his escape route.

“I told you, I won’t let any bad person go free.”

Sure enough.

Seeing that no results came from Ge Jun’s interrogation, Lin Yan’s lips curled into a slight smirk.

She reached out to take back the photo from the table, but unexpectedly, someone pressed down on it.

Looking up, she met Song Yuhang’s cold gaze.

“Where did you get this?”

“Why should you care? Didn’t we say you do your investigation, and I’ll do mine?”

Lin Yan tried to pull it away, but she applied a bit of force, leaving them at a stalemate.

“Evidence that doesn’t follow proper procedure can’t be used as court testimony.”

“Who cares if it’s a black cat or white cat, a cat that catches mice is a good cat [白貓黑貓 | bái māo hēi māo | reference to Deng Xiaoping’s famous saying]. If I hadn’t put the evidence in front of him, could you have gotten anything out of him?”

Lin Yan refused to back down, meeting her head-on.

“Police investigations require proper process as well as results.”

“Stop trying to fool me with your methods. Just because I’m wearing these clothes doesn’t mean I approve of how you operate. I’ve said it before, in my eyes, you all…” She stepped forward slightly, leaning close to her ear.

“Are all useless good-for-nothings.”

She watched with satisfaction as the other’s chest rose and fell, but in an instant, she had calmed down again.

“If you hate us so much, why work with us at all, Forensic Expert Lin? Doesn’t it make you sick?”

She really knew how to hit where it hurt.

Lin Yan spoke through gritted teeth: “What’s sickening is your inaction, your inefficiency, your incompetence, not me!”

Song Yuhang’s clear gaze fell on her, remarkably composed: “Actually, I’ve always been curious, why do you hate us police so much?”

Lin Yan released her hand from the photo: “No comment.”

Enough, she had said too much to Song Yuhang already.

As she turned to leave, a slightly deep voice came from behind: “Forensic Expert Lin, I have a piece of advice.”

Lin Yan’s footsteps paused.

“In all matters, avoid taking extreme measures, or you will have to face the consequences.”

It was past five in the afternoon, right during the evening rush hour, and a long line of cars picking up children had formed at the school gate.

Lin Yan found a coffee shop by the street and sat down, with a perfect view—through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows, just across a zebra crossing was Qimingxing [啓明星 | Qǐ míng xīng | Morning Star] Kindergarten.

She ordered a latte, taking occasional sips while casually flipping through the shop’s magazines and periodicals.

The sky gradually darkened, the sunset scattering its final rays of light, as the children had mostly left.

The teacher was preparing to close the school gates while a child still clung to the iron railings, looking outside expectantly.

“Be good, Xiao Ya. Teacher has already called your father, he’ll come pick you up soon.”

The teacher patted her head and went about her business.

A black figure blocked the sunlight, and the man held out a lollipop: “Are you Xiao Ya? I’m your father’s friend, he asked me to pick you up.”

The child looked at him with innocent eyes, then at the candy in his hand, swallowing.

As the man opened the iron gate and tried to pick up the child, someone grabbed him.

“Put her down. You’re not her father’s friend.”

Lin Yan looked over, her lips curling slightly upward.

“Thank you so much just now. If it weren’t for you, this child would have been in danger today,” Li Shiping said gratefully while holding Ding Ya [丁雅 | Dīng Yǎ] in her arms.

The child lay quietly in her arms, showing no fear of strangers.

Lin Yan smiled: “I was just passing by and saw you struggling, so I lent a helping hand.”

“Who would have thought Forensic Expert Lin had such good fighting skills?” This wasn’t an exaggeration—earlier, when struggling with the kidnapper, he had already dragged Ding Ya to a van by the road, and she couldn’t hold on.

Lin Yan had appeared from somewhere, carrying a tactical baton, and struck the kidnapper’s head. Taking advantage of the criminal’s pain, she quickly rescued the child.

They managed to escape danger, and seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the perpetrator got up, jumped into the car, and left.

Li Shiping was still somewhat shaken by the incident.

However, being someone who had weathered many storms, she remained relatively composed, only appearing slightly pale.

“Just for self-defense.” With a click, the tactical baton returned to the size of a pen, and she easily slipped it into her pocket.

“What brings Principal Li to this area? I remember it’s quite far from First High School.”

“Oh, I live around here, was planning to head home. What a coincidence today, and I must thank Forensic Expert Lin for helping me out…”

Before she could finish, a man came running from afar, looking travel-worn: “Yaya, Yaya, are you alright?”

Without another word, he took the child directly from Li Shiping’s arms.

The earlier commotion had drawn out the kindergarten teachers and security guards.

“What kind of parent are you? Always the last one to pick up your child. Even if work is busy, you can’t neglect your child. If it weren’t for these two kind people helping, something terrible could have happened today.”

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll definitely be more careful next time, definitely more careful,” Sun Xiangming bowed repeatedly to the teacher, his gaze briefly sliding across Li Shiping’s face.

Lin Yan saw his throat move, then he turned to address her: “Thank you for your help today, Forensic Expert Lin.”

“No need, it was nothing. Now that everything’s resolved, I’ll take my leave.” She waved to them both and turned to leave.

In her peripheral vision, Li Shiping stood in place watching Sun Xiangming leave, while Ding Ya lay quietly on her father’s shoulder, tear stains still visible on her face.

Then Sun Xiangming opened the bag he was carrying and took out a small aquarium to console her: “Look what daddy bought you—your favorite goldfish.”

Not long after Li Shiping returned home, there was a knock at the door. She got up and peered through the peephole.

It was Song Yuhang.

Only then did she dab at her eyes with a tissue before opening the door for her.

“Officer Song, what brings you here so late?”

Song Yuhang stood alone outside the door, wearing casual clothes with a shoulder bag: “Sorry to disturb you, I’m here to understand some details about the situation.”

“It’s no problem, no problem, please come in.”

Li Shiping moved aside from the hallway and took out a pair of guest slippers from the entrance shoe cabinet for her.

“Thank you.”

“What would you like to drink, Officer Song?”

While she changed her shoes, Li Shiping walked into the open kitchen, preparing to make coffee.

“No need to trouble yourself, water is fine.”

“Do you live alone?”

“Yes, I’ve lived alone since divorcing my ex-husband.”

She noticed a used glass on the counter, while Li Shiping held her own cup and the water for her.

“What about your children?”

“I don’t have children.”

She said flatly, taking a sip of coffee.

Song Yuhang stopped asking further questions and took out paper and pen from her bag before sitting down.

As the routine questioning was ending, Song Yuhang threw out another question: “What was your impression of Ding Xue?”

The woman paused while holding her glass: “Oh, I had quite a good impression of her. She was skilled among the young teachers, well-educated and reasonable, and treated all students equally…”

“According to the Sun family’s neighbors, their marriage wasn’t very good. Did she ever mention this at school?”

Li Shiping thought for a moment: “No, she never mentioned her husband.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

“Do you know this student Zhou Mo?”

“Yes, one of the problem students in the third year of high school.”

“I saw his name on the grade sheet posted at your school gate. How is he a problem student?”

Li Shiping fell silent for a moment. Song Yuhang observed her expression, sensing something ineffable.

“You don’t know… he… he…” she seemed to have difficulty speaking.

“He harassed teachers, right?”

Li Shiping’s silence served as confirmation.

“What’s your opinion of Principal Ge?”

“I heard he’s under investigation now, is that right?” Li Shiping asked instead of answering.

Song Yuhang nodded: “That’s correct. You’re quite well-informed.”

“To be honest, there have long been rumors at school about his improper conduct…”

“Do you think he has much connection to Ding Xue’s death?”

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LP: Re-translated on March 08, 2025

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