Volume One: First Scroll
Secret
It was like a secret, one known only to herself and her.
Although Lin Yan was tall with long legs, she was very light to hold. Song Yuhang was startled by the weight, and her lips immediately pressed together even tighter.
Holding Lin Yan with both arms made it inconvenient to open the car door. Fortunately, Fang Xin ran out in time to open it for her. Song Yuhang carried the person inside and turned back to say, “Thanks.”
“No problem, Captain Song, hurry up and go. We’ll inform you immediately if we get any leads here.”
Song Yuhang ran to the driver’s seat, pulled open the door, fastened her seatbelt, gave a slight nod, and even leaned over slightly, carefully pulling the seatbelt across for Lin Yan as well.
As the car drove out of the City Bureau gates, they immediately hit a red light. Song Yuhang turned her head to look at Lin Yan’s face, only to see it was excessively pale; even her usually vibrant red lips had lost their color.
Her fingers touched Lin Yan’s forehead—it was scorching hot.
She had persisted in working the entire day while sick like this?!
The more Song Yuhang thought about it, the worse she felt inside. She had never found a red light so long before. Giving up, she stomped on the accelerator, breaking away from the line of quietly waiting cars.
But she forgot she was driving her own car today. A traffic police officer on a motorcycle chased her tail, shouting for her to stop. By the time she reached the hospital entrance, she naturally received a ticket, and six points were deducted from her driver’s license—a typical case of knowingly breaking the law1.
She carried Lin Yan all the way, running upstairs, handing her over to the emergency room doctor, watching as the doctor pressed the stethoscope to her chest and instructed a nurse to start an IV drip2 for her.
“What’s wrong with her? Is it serious?”
“Unconsciousness caused by high fever, possibly some pneumonia.” The doctor listened to her heart sounds from another angle before finally removing the stethoscope after a moment.
“But don’t worry, there’s no danger to her life. Help me move her onto the hospital bed, then contact the imaging department for a brain CT scan.”
Only after hearing this did she gradually calm down. Together with several medical staff, she helped lift Lin Yan onto the hospital bed. Pushing the gurney towards the CT room, she watched Lin Yan enter the scanner before turning to go to the medical affairs office to pay.
By the time she returned to the ward, a soft tube for the IV infusion was connected to the back of Lin Yan’s hand. She lay quietly on the bed, her long, seaweed-like hair spread across the snow-white pillow. Curled up under the covers, she slept with her head turned to the side, making her face seem even smaller.
A nurse hung another bottle of fluid onto the nearby IV stand. “Remember to press the call bell for us to change the medication when this bottle is finished.”
Song Yuhang nodded. “Thank you for your trouble.”
After the nurse left, she pulled a stool out from under the bed and sat down. She reached out, wanting to pull the blanket up to Lin Yan’s chest, but inadvertently caught a glimpse of the alluring view beneath the open collar.
She inexplicably recalled the tattoo she had caught a fleeting glimpse3 of that night, remembered the way Lin Yan’s whole body trembled when her fingertips had gently brushed over it.
It was like a secret, one known only to herself and her.
Song Yuhang swallowed, and as if guided by unseen forces4, she gently pushed Lin Yan’s hair aside.
That porcelain-white skin silently exuded its own allure, just like Lin Yan herself, often possessing an unconscious sensuality.
The air itself seemed to grow drier. Song Yuhang licked her lower lip, her fingertips resting on Lin Yan’s collar. She undid the first button—not enough, still some distance from that secret.
The second button allowed a faint glimpse of the scenery, but she wanted to see the full picture.
The full picture of the secret, the full picture of Lin Yan.
Who asked her to hide so many secrets?
Thinking this, Song Yuhang undid the third button. Just as her cool fingertips touched skin, a scorching hot hand clamped down on her wrist.
The heat seemed to burn her, incinerating those unusual vibes and her muddled thoughts along with it.
Song Yuhang snatched her hand back like lightning, the movement so abrupt that the chair tilted backward, bumping into the hospital bed opposite.
Lin Yan propped herself up, covering her mouth as she coughed a few times. Her face was pale, but her eyes were feverishly bright. “What, did our fight spark some feelings?”
The question left Song Yuhang speechless. She wasn’t good at hiding her feelings; embarrassment flooded her face.
Lin Yan relaxed, tidying her disheveled collar. “No need to feel guilty towards me. Captain Song is a once-in-a-lifetime opponent5. Freestyle combat and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu—I really wanted to determine a winner. I thoroughly enjoyed that fight.”
It should be said that it had been a long time since she’d had such a satisfyingly unrestrained experience. It wasn’t just her blood and tears being vented, but also the anger and resentment in her heart.
She had once thought Lin Yan was the type to be unreasonable when right6, paranoid, gloomy, and crazy. But on this matter, Lin Yan’s magnanimity far exceeded her imagination; one could even say she handled it lightly7.
Song Yuhang paused, then relaxed as well. “Even so, I still owe you an apology. Don’t worry, once you’re better, I’ll definitely fight you as many times as you want.”
Can she still get better?
Lin Yan curved her lips slightly but said no more. Her peripheral vision caught a figure flickering indistinctly at the ward door, invisible from Song Yuhang’s angle.
“I’m a bit hungry,” she said.
Song Yuhang stood up. “What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it.”
“Anything is fine, just something light.”
“Okay.” She nodded, about to turn and leave.
Lin Yan called out to her again, “Is it really okay to drop the case and run over here?”
She didn’t know why she added that sentence.
The other woman’s steps clearly faltered. Lin Yan thought she wouldn’t answer, but Song Yuhang slowly turned back, looked her in the eyes, and said, “It’s okay. There are other brothers in the criminal police team. Solving the case isn’t urgent right this moment.”
She answered sincerely. Lin Yan curved the corners of her lips slightly and said nothing more.
As Song Yuhang pushed the door open to leave, Lin Yan’s attending physician happened to be walking this way with the scans.
She stepped aside to let him pass, slowed her pace, and waited until he went inside before pressing herself against the corner of the wall. She heard Lin Yan’s suppressed coughs.
“It’s not a major issue. Some lung infection. We’ll use some anti-inflammatories after the fever subsides, plus a mild concussion…”
Song Yuhang lowered her gaze, remembering the several times she had thrown Lin Yan to the ground, landing on the back of her head. Heavens, what had she done?
She couldn’t bear to listen anymore. Her footsteps quickened as she fled the place, her mind a tangled mess as she walked faster and faster.
Once the footsteps faded into the distance, Lin Yan subtly let out a breath of relief before looking up at the doctor. “How is it?”
The doctor glanced outside the door. Seeing no one, he switched to a different form of address, his expression somewhat grim. “Boss Lin, the situation isn’t good. I think it’s 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 can know about this, including my father. Otherwise…”
A thin layer of sweat broke out on the doctor’s forehead. “Yes, yes, yes. Then Boss Lin, please rest well. Call us if you need anything.”
“Baozi8, hey, freshly steamed baozi! 1.5 yuan9 for two, 3 yuan for four, hey…”
“Authentic Sichuan Malafen10, five yuan for a big bowl.”
“Qianjiang crayfish11, hey…”
As night had just begun to fall, the hospital entrance was always a gathering point for various street vendors. The air floated with the smell of coal smoke from Malatang12 and barbecue. Song Yuhang walked a short distance along the path in front of the hospital and found a small stall selling congee.
She walked over to examine the sign. The stall owner greeted her enthusiastically, “Miss, what would you like to drink?”
Song Yuhang looked down at the various types of congee in the insulated buckets. The owner scooped some up with a ladle; it was thin with very few grains of rice. The lighting wasn’t bright, making the contents of each bucket look somewhat dark, and the sanitary conditions were naturally impossible to assess.
She remembered Lin Yan’s classic line: “Is this fit for human consumption? This is pig slop, isn’t it?!”
Song Yuhang took a step back. “No, never mind, thank you.”
She thought for a moment, then drove a bit further away, finally stopping and getting out when she saw a restaurant specializing in Chaoshan casserole congee13 by the roadside.
When she returned to the hospital room carrying the purchased congee, a somewhat familiar man was standing at the door.
Song Yuhang quickened her pace. “You…”
Lin Ge turned around, placing his index finger to his lips. “Shh—”
Song Yuhang understood. Peeking through the glass window above the ward door, she saw a flamboyantly dressed woman, young enough to be Lin Yan’s younger sister, sitting by the bed, putting on airs like a stepmother.
“Yanyan ah.” The woman’s nails were even longer than Lin Yan’s, her manicure gaudy, almost blinding under the light. She lifted the lid of a lunchbox with one hand, calling out with excessive intimacy.
Lin Yan’s name, while perhaps not conventionally pretty, was unique. But this woman’s cry managed to turn “Yanyan” (厭厭) into “Yanyan” (豔豔 – meaning gorgeous/glamorous), instantly evoking the aura of a third-rate rural novel’s widowed, divorced, bereaved female protagonist.
Listening from outside, even Song Yuhang felt creeped out.
Lin Yan remained expressionless, her heart unmoved.
Seeing no reaction from her, the woman grew bolder, handing the lunchbox towards her, speaking in a deliberately affected, coquettish tone. Youth should have been her confidence, yet she insisted on plastering her face with layers of makeup. As her mouth opened and closed, Lin Yan watched, wide-eyed, as powder fell from the woman’s face onto her own blanket.
“Your father heard you were sick and specifically asked me to come see you. Look, Auntie even personally cooked seafood soup. Quick, try some, it’s best while it’s hot.”
As soon as the lunchbox was opened, a fishy, earthy smell of seafood assaulted the senses. Who eats this when they’re sick?
Moreover, with that one sentence, she had forcefully elevated her own generational status.
Lin Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, unmoved. “Oh, Lin Youyuan sent you?”
The woman shifted her body, her brow furrowed slightly, clutching her chest as if deeply hurt. She squeezed out two non-existent tears, dabbing the corners of her eyes with a Hermès14 handkerchief.
“Yanyan, how can you call your father like that? He still cares about you. Look, you didn’t even come when your father and I got married, and we didn’t say anything. Your father still sends you money every month on time, you have a share in the company’s stock, and several branch companies are even registered under your name…” As she spoke, a hint of injustice subtly emerged in her expression. “By sentiment and reason, I am the primary wife of the Lin family. You should call me ‘Mom’.”
What a coincidence. Just that morning at the Municipal Public Security Bureau entrance, she had made someone else call her ‘Mom’, and now tonight, another woman rushed over, eager for her to call her ‘Mom’.
Lin Yan watched her quietly. She resembled Lin Youyuan, with beautiful eyes—long, narrow phoenix tails, pupils dark and bright. Even when not speaking or smiling, she seemed to hold a tender affection.
A slight smile touched Lin Yan’s lips, her voice softening. “Oh? Where did you get your face done? It’s quite well-maintained…”
Before she finished, the woman also touched her own face, smiling brightly. “Right? I think so too. That beauty salon in the east district, they do great facials. I have a membership card, let’s go together sometime. If you ask me, you’re older than me, over thirty, you really should take good care of yourself.”
As soon as her words fell, Lin Ge slapped a hand over his face. “It’s over.”
Song Yuhang raised an eyebrow. She saw Lin Yan give a smile that didn’t reach her eyes15. “Yes, I’m quite envious. Envious of how you manage to maintain it so thickly.”
The woman’s “ge ge ge” laughter hadn’t even finished before it caught in her throat like a strangled rooster. Her lips trembled, her false eyelashes fluttered up and down, looking ready to fall off at any moment.
“Whose the f%ck16 left their fly unzipped and let trash17 like you leak out?” Lin Yan enunciated each word, the trash talk learned from roaming the city streets and alleys since childhood finally coming in handy.
“Hurry up and go to the urology department to see if there’s something wrong with you. You’ve never taken a piss18 and taken a good look at how much you’re worth, have you?”
“Think wearing Chanel19 and carrying Hermès makes you a princess? I ask which KTV20 you work at, but you won’t say.”
“Want to be my mom? Are you worthy21? Are you fit to cut keys? How many are you fit for?!22“
“So desperate to be someone’s mom, why don’t you just bash your head against a wall, die, and reincarnate sooner? Maybe you can keep my mom company on the road to the underworld23. Perhaps you’ll have a chance next life.”
When it came to cursing battles, Song Yuhang had truly never seen anyone with stronger combat power than Lin Yan.
The two people outside the door exchanged glances, the same two words appearing in their eyes simultaneously: Terrifying.
Although the woman was a bit vulgar and malicious, she was, after all, an eighteenth-tier starlet from a reputable family. Where had she ever encountered such a scene? Her face instantly flushed red, wishing she could pounce and tear Lin Yan’s mouth apart. But Lin Yan moved faster, directly grabbing the lunchbox and splashing its contents over the woman’s head and face24. Her curses were vicious, her attacks even fiercer.
The woman, scalded by the hot soup, let out an earth-shattering25 shriek. When Song Yuhang and Lin Ge rushed in, Lin Yan was wielding the metal lunchbox in one hand and grabbing the woman’s hair with the other, pressing her onto the bed and beating her mercilessly.
“f%ck your mother!26 f%ck your mother! Mentioning my mom’s name in front of me, are you worthy?! I spit on you!”
The IV stand teetered precariously. Song Yuhang dashed forward to steady it, pressing down on Lin Yan’s shoulder with a sharp cry, “Lin Yan!”
The woman seized the chance to escape, her hair a mess like a chicken’s nest, makeup ruined, a bruise forming on her head from the metal box, false eyelashes gone—truly a sight too horrible to behold.
She cried while stomping her foot furiously. “Lin Yan, I’ll tell Youyuan when I get back! You just wait!”
“Am I afraid of that old bastard? Let him come! See if he dares mention my mom’s name in front of me! Don’t think just because his leg is crippled now, I can’t finish him off!”
Lin Yan became agitated again. Restrained by the shoulder and unable to break free, she hurled the metal box in her hand straight at the woman’s head, while also starting to cough and gasp violently.
Due to the excessive movement, the IV needle was dislodged. Crimson blood climbed up the soft tube, a shocking sight.
The woman dodged the metal box. Seeing Lin Yan coughing severely, she still stood there shouting defiantly. Lin Ge was also furious, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, but alas, she was Lin Youyuan’s legally wedded wife. In terms of seniority, he even had to call her ‘Auntie’27, so he had restrained himself from acting.
Someone else was faster than him. Song Yuhang, with her strength, dashed forward, grabbed the woman’s collar, lifted her like a chick, pushed and shoved her backward, and threw her out the door.
“Get lost! If you don’t leave now, I’ll want to hit you too.”
The woman trembled with anger, shaking off Song Yuhang’s hand. Looking at the coughing Lin Yan, her tone was sarcastic and strange28. “Fine, fine, fine! Lin Yan, you really have a good brother and a good friend, huh? Let’s see how long you can stay arrogant! We’ll see!”
Song Yuhang slammed the door shut with a bang, cutting off the rooster-like screech outside.
The woman brushed the soup remnants off her clothes and left resentfully. As she turned, she happened upon an old lady also heading in this direction.
The lady had silvery hair neatly coiled, wore a low-key Tang suit29 top of an unidentifiable brand, and was supported by a butler at her side, holding a soup tureen30.
Clearly here to visit a patient, the woman straightened her clothes and sashayed forward coquettishly31. “Yo, Eldest Sister-in-law32, what wind blew you here?”
The old lady glanced at her nonchalantly, seemingly not recognizing who she was at all, and turned to her servant. “Where did this wild chicken33 come from?”
The woman’s face turned green with anger.
The servant replied respectfully, “I don’t know. Perhaps ran out from a nearby KTV private room. Madam, visiting the young miss is more important.”
The lady nodded and proceeded towards the ward, supported by the servant.
The woman remained rooted to the spot, grinding her teeth in hatred34, nearly shredding her handkerchief.
LP: Re-translated on March 28, 2025
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