Volume One: First Scroll
Heart-to-Heart Talk
You are the only friend she has ever brought before us and implicitly acknowledged.
Song Yuhang threw the person out the door and turned back to see both people looking at her. Lin Ge had a somewhat shocked expression, while as for Lin Yan… she couldn’t quite find the precise words to describe the expression on her face for a moment. It seemed to hold a hint of happiness amidst the surprise, but she concealed it well; no one present noticed except for an expert in reading micro-expressions like Song Yuhang.
Just like that, she’s happy because I stood up for her?
She really is easy to please.
As Song Yuhang thought this, another knock came from the door. Lin Yan frowned, about to curse loudly1, when Lin Ge quickly went to the door, “It’s my mom, my mom.”
The door opened. As soon as Mother Lin saw the pale Lin Yan lying in the hospital bed, she waved off any support and rushed to the bedside in just a few strides2, taking her hand—the one with the IV that had backflowed blood3—and trembling.
“Quick, Lin Ge, what are you standing there stunned for?! Go call a nurse! How did this happen? Did that wild pheasant give you grief again?”
Compared to when Lin Yan left home at eighteen, Mother Lin had aged considerably; her hair was full of silver strands, her face etched with wrinkles. But she dressed modestly, without any luxurious adornments, appearing sharp and capable. Judging by her repeated use of “wild pheasant,” it was clear even Lin Youyuan had to show her some respect4.
Lin Yan was the type of person who was good to whoever was good to her. Facing her aunt’s5 concern, the corners of her lips curved up in a genuine smile.
“No, how could she? You6 know my temper. It’s good enough I didn’t beat her to death.”
The nurse came in with a medicine cart to change her dressing. Only then did Mother Lin finally notice Song Yuhang standing nearby. Delight flashed in her eyes, like a matchmaker spotting a fine young lady, almost wanting to rush over, grab her hands, and shower her with affection.
Lin Ge gave a slight cough, and only then did Mother Lin desist, retracting the hand she had extended.
“Xiao Song, why are you here? It’s been quite a while since you hung out with Lin Ge, hasn’t it? How did it go last time you went out for a meal? Did that boy treat you well? If there was anything unsatisfactory, you just tell me, and I’ll break his legs.”
She edged closer to Song Yuhang as she spoke, exactly like a mother-in-law sizing up a potential daughter-in-law. Seeing the injury on her face, she couldn’t help but worry.
“Aiyo7, how did this happen? This is too wicked8! Why would someone specifically slash someone’s face? Don’t worry, Auntie has several ointments made from ancient formulas9 that are excellent for scar removal. I’ll have Lin Ge bring some over for you another day.”
The “wicked” culprit sat on the bed, stirring the congee Song Yuhang had bought, her mouth twitching.
After speaking, Mother Lin even kicked Lin Ge lightly, “Isn’t that right, Lin Ge?”
Lin Ge grimaced10, “Yes, yes, yes, I’ll bring it to Miss Song another day.”
After saying this, he mouthed to Lin Yan: My mom’s way too enthusiastic.
Lin Yan rolled her eyes11 at him: Of course. Her Ladyship’s12 future daughter-in-law.
But somehow, after saying this, she felt a little uncomfortable13, and even the congee Song Yuhang bought didn’t seem appealing anymore.
So she mouthed again: Cici14, see that? Song Yuhang is really violent. Still want to marry her?
Lin Ge rolled his eyes again, too lazy to bother with her, not considering who Song Yuhang had been violent for.
Meanwhile15, Mother Lin’s gaze swept over the three people in the room. “How come it was Xiao Song who brought Yanyan to the hospital? You and she are…”
Song Yuhang glanced sideways at the hospital bed. Lin Yan happened to look up at her at the same moment. As their eyes met, Song Yuhang subtly looked away. “She and I… are colleagues.”
Mother Lin immediately beamed16, pulled Song Yuhang to the bedside, took Lin Yan’s hand (the one without the needle), placed Song Yuhang’s hand on top of it, and patted them gently. “Colleagues are good, colleagues are good! Even closer ties!17“
Lin Yan, who hadn’t swallowed her mouthful of congee, burst into earth-shattering coughs.
After inquiring about Lin Yan’s condition and learning it wasn’t serious, everyone felt relieved. As for the cause of her facial injury and concussion, Lin Yan didn’t want to elaborate, so Mother Lin and Lin Ge tactfully18 didn’t pursue it. Meanwhile, Lin Yan’s nominal father never appeared at all.
After sitting for a while longer, Lin Ge received a call from the hospital about an urgent matter and prepared to leave first. Mother Lin watched Lin Yan finish the chicken soup she had brought before leaving with her son. She also told her to rest well, call if she needed anything, and that she would continue bringing her meals tomorrow.
Lin Yan felt stuffed; she normally couldn’t eat this much. Her face scrunched up like a bitter melon19, wishing they would leave quickly. She was already mentally planning her discharge for the next day.
Since Mother Lin was an elder, it was proper etiquette20 for Song Yuhang to see her off. Unexpectedly, once outside the room, Mother Lin patted Song Yuhang’s hand with a kind smile. “Alright, you don’t need to see us out. You must have had a long day. Thank you so much for today. I’ll have Lin Ge treat you to dinner another time. You must come.”
The more she looked at this potential daughter-in-law, the more pleased she was: good figure and attractive features21, tall with good skills22, possessing an awe-inspiring righteousness, yet also modest and polite.
Song Yuhang nodded. “You’re23 too kind. Lin Yan is my colleague. It was just a small effort24, what I should do.”
Mother Lin said no more, patted her hand again, and left, supported by the butler, leaving the two behind, deliberately creating an opportunity for them to be alone.
Lin Ge rubbed his nose, and the two stood waiting for the elevator together. He and Song Yuhang weren’t exactly close before, but because of this incident with Lin Yan, they had grown somewhat closer, making some conversations possible.
“Do you find our family rather strange?”
Song Yuhang thought for a moment before replying, “Yes.”
Her own family had been harmonious since childhood. Even though her father died early, her mother never remarried, raising her and her brother alone. After her brother passed away, her sister-in-law25, Ji Jingxing, also hadn’t remarried. She truly couldn’t imagine a scene like this family’s—cursing each other, with a stepmother showing up to aggravate26 the stepchildren.
The elevator hadn’t arrived yet. Lin Ge gave a wry smile. “Including this official one27, this is the eighth one Uncle Lin has married over the years. And that’s not counting the unofficial ones28 outside. More or less, all these people have given Lin Yan grief29.”
Speaking of this, he couldn’t help but recall the scene when Lin Yan first came to his house. “Can you imagine? The first time she visited my home, when she was three, she had never even seen candy before. I gave her a tin of milk candies. She didn’t say thank you, just hugged the tin, hid in the backyard, and secretly ate them until she got diarrhea…”
Recalling the scene, Lin Ge felt both exasperated and amused. Later, after Lin Cheng30 died, she became Lin Youyuan’s sole heir. She got to eat lots and lots of candy, but she never smiled that happily again.
Song Yuhang lowered her gaze, concealing the fleeting bitterness31 in her heart. So, even someone seemingly glamorous could have such a difficult past32.
The elevator arrived. Lin Ge stepped inside and smiled slightly at her, his face showing the open-heartedness unique to a young man.
“Officer Song, although Lin Yan won’t say it, I still want to thank you on her behalf. Don’t mind how she is now, always being loud and boisterous, so arrogant and domineering that even I want to hit her sometimes, but over all these years, you are the only friend she has ever brought before us and implicitly acknowledged.”
He called her Officer Song, not Miss Song, which already conveyed sufficient respect and sincerity.
You are the only friend she has ever brought before us and implicitly acknowledged.
It was this sentence that made the corners of Song Yuhang’s lips curve up. She rarely smiled, and her sharp, heroic features33 softened considerably.
Lin Ge’s manner inevitably reminded her of her own brother, stirring some emotion in her.
“No need for thanks, it’s what I should do. Lin Yan is fortunate to have a brother like you.”
More people crowded into the elevator. The two waved goodbye. “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
Lin Yan had assumed she would leave with them, but unexpectedly, less than ten minutes later, Song Yuhang returned, pulled up a stool, sat down by her bed, and opened her phone to check for new leads from colleagues.
“You’re not leaving?” Lin Yan asked, tilting her head as she leaned against the bed.
“What would you do if I left?” she replied without looking up.
Lin Yan gave a soft scoff. “I’m not so weak that I need someone watching over me constantly.”
Seeing Song Yuhang unmoved, she muttered again, “Worst comes to worst, there’s still the butler.”
Song Yuhang put her phone in her pocket and stood up. “Fine, I’m leaving then. Rest well.”
She turned as if to leave. A flash of displeasure crossed Lin Yan’s eyes, and just as she was about to speak, she started coughing uncontrollably.
She tried hard to calm her breathing, but it only got worse. One hand went to her chest, trying to soothe herself34, but she tugged at the IV stand, making it wobble precariously.
Song Yuhang rushed over in a few strides, steadied the stand, pressed Lin Yan back down, and poured her a glass of warm water from the thermos by the bed.
“See? If you don’t try to act tough, nothing happens.”
Why does that sound so familiar? Lin Yan recalled the conflict between them on her very first day at the Municipal Bureau, and instantly raised her hand to strike.
Song Yuhang pressed her hand down again, her tone somewhat stern. “Don’t move. You want another needle stick, is that it?”
With that, she crouched down by the bed and carefully re-secured the adhesive tape on the back of Lin Yan’s hand.
From Lin Yan’s angle, she could see Song Yuhang’s clear and defined features35 partially hidden by wisps of hair at her forehead. She didn’t seem to groom herself much; her eyebrows were slightly messy, but this somehow made her features appear more three-dimensional, striking, and vividly expressive36.
Song Yuhang’s eyes were light-colored, showing a faint brown hue under the light. Her skin tone was somewhere between fair and average. Because she didn’t wear makeup, her lip color was much paler than Lin Yan’s. Stripped of her usual sharp aura, she seemed much softer overall. Coupled with her careful movements, she appeared quite gentle and considerate. Lin Yan finally understood somewhat why her Auntie was so insistent on having Song Yuhang as her daughter-in-law.
“What do you think of my brother?”
Song Yuhang didn’t stop what she was doing. “What do you mean? Didn’t I tell you the other day?”
Lin Yan pressed her lips together. “What you said that day doesn’t count. Say it again. I want the honest truth37.”
Song Yuhang finished adjusting everything, tucked Lin Yan’s hand back into the quilt, and looked up at her, a faint, almost imperceptible smile38 playing on her lips.
“What, vetting him for your brother39?”
“He’s my only brother, can’t I?!” Lin Yan retorted fiercely, but Song Yuhang’s gaze grew calm.
“You want the honest truth?”
“Yes.” Lin Yan nodded.
Song Yuhang sat down again. Since they first met, they had either been arguing, bickering40, or coming to blows41. They rarely had opportunities like this to just sit and talk face-to-face. This feeling was somewhat novel for her too.
And perhaps because the lighting tonight was so warm, or because Lin Yan was sick, she didn’t seem as forceful as usual. In fleeting moments, Song Yuhang even found her rather cute.
Like right now, the way she was earnestly tilting her head to listen.
So Song Yuhang became serious too, looking into her eyes. “He’s quite good. Very good to you, and respectful towards me. I’m not opposed to further contact with him, but…”
She seemed a bit lost here, pausing, unsure how to continue.
Lin Yan finished for her, “Do you want to see him?”
Song Yuhang thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Too busy. No time to think about it.”
“What about now? You have time now. Do you think about him?”
Song Yuhang followed her words, thinking back. What came to mind was only what Lin Ge had told her about Lin Yan’s past, and that sentence.
“Over all these years, you are the only friend she has ever brought before us and implicitly acknowledged.”
As for Lin Ge himself, although he was handsome, humorous, and considerate—if asked to praise him, she could offer many superficial and objective compliments42—he was far from being as vivid and three-dimensional43 in her mind as another person.
She was talking about Lin Ge, yet she had thought of someone else’s name. Song Yuhang snapped back to reality, her breathing slightly uneven. She quickly composed herself, feeling she couldn’t let Lin Yan take the lead, and retorted.
“He just left, what’s there to think about? What about you? Is there anyone you miss dearly?”
Lin Yan shook her head, thinking Song Yuhang was straighter than a straight guy44. Hearing the second half of the question, her fingers unconsciously tightened on the fabric over her chest. She lowered her eyes, her voice very soft.
“Yes. Very, very much.”
“Someone you like?” Song Yuhang watched her expression, not expecting an answer, but the other person paused for a moment, then gave a low “Mm.”
“I suppose so.”
Song Yuhang suddenly felt a bit emotional. “That’s nice, having someone you like.”
“You don’t?” Lin Yan’s hand loosened from her clothes. She tilted her head to look at her.
Song Yuhang shook her head. “No. I don’t know what liking someone feels like. In my whole life, your brother is the first man I’ve ever been on a blind date45 with.”
Lin Yan looked utterly incredulous46. “Then how did you spend your first twenty-something years?”
Song Yuhang thought seriously. “Before starting work: studying, practicing martial arts. After starting work: solving cases, practicing martial arts. That’s it.”
“…” Lin Yan’s mouth twitched. Your47 extracurricular life is certainly rich.
“Well, I can’t say no one,” Song Yuhang relaxed completely, leaning back in the chair, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
“In university, a senior student48 wanted to pursue me. I told him if he could beat me in a fight, I’d date him…”
“And then?” Lin Yan asked curiously.
“And then, in our university gym, in front of several hundred people, I knocked out two of his front teeth. He never mentioned it again.”
Lin Yan bent over laughing, tears welling up. “Hahaha… Captain Song, you’re really… something else… Well, then we also got acquainted through fighting49. I guess I narrowly won, right? By that logic, does Captain Song also have to… with me…”
Date.
Before these words could leave her mouth, Song Yuhang’s gaze shifted to her, her eyes somewhat serious.
Lin Yan fell straight into those brown eyes. If she had said the remaining words, it would have been fine, just a joke. But they got stuck in her throat, leaving behind suggestive50 and ambiguous implications.
Song Yuhang looked at Lin Yan, and Lin Yan looked back at Song Yuhang. Neither spoke. The smile faded from Lin Yan’s face.
She just sat there quietly in her blue and white hospital gown, her curly hair falling softly around her shoulders. For an instant, Song Yuhang had the illusion that Lin Yan was waiting for some kind of answer.
But an illusion was just an illusion.
Both averted their gazes from each other’s faces simultaneously.
Song Yuhang’s voice was a bit soft. “Forensic Doctor Lin, that joke isn’t funny at all.”
Lin Yan leaned back. “Aiyo, are you a little girl? Getting angry over a joke.”
That faint trace of ambiguity vanished without a trace. The two could finally chat normally again.
“I’m not angry. At best, we tied. You’re not being objective.”
Lin Yan raised an eyebrow. “Alright, we’ll compete next time.”
Just as she finished speaking, Song Yuhang’s phone rang. She took it out and saw it was a call from Ji Jingxing, with the contact name “Xiao Wei.”
Lin Yan glanced over casually. “Yo, didn’t you just say you didn’t have anyone you liked?”
Song Yuhang ignored her, got up, and went out into the hallway to answer the call.
Lin Yan grimaced behind her. “Kao51, just answer it then. Why hide from me? Making it seem like we actually have some illicit affair going on.”
The call connected, and a child’s lively, clear voice immediately came through. “Gugu52, we’re at the amusement park! Mommy wants to know if you want to have dinner together tonight?”
Only then did she remember today was June 1st, Children’s Day53.
“Sorry, Xiao Wei, Gugu has been too busy lately and didn’t get a chance to prepare a gift for you in advance. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, okay?”
“Here, give the phone to Mommy.” Ji Jingxing took the phone with one hand, holding many bags in the other, and switched the child to her other hand to hold.
“What gift? Haven’t you given Xiao Wei enough gifts over the years? Are you off work? We just left the amusement park too. Want to grab dinner together?”
It was noisy on her end, bustling with voices54, so her voice sounded slightly distorted.
Song Yuhang glanced back at Lin Yan in the hospital room, feeling conflicted. Just as she hesitated, unsure how or why to refuse, another call came in.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Jie, a case came in today, there’s a new lead. I have to go check it out. You and Xiao Wei go eat. If I finish up after you’re done eating, I’ll come pick you up.”
When she said this, it usually meant she wouldn’t be finished.
Ji Jingxing quickly refused, “No, no, you go handle your work.”
After a thought, she added four words: “Be careful55.”
Song Yuhang smiled slightly. “Okay. I’ll make it up to you another day. I’ll treat Xiao Wei to a big meal.”
After hanging up, Ji Jingxing’s face clearly showed a trace of disappointment. Xiao Wei sat beside her on the bench, biting an ice pop, looking innocent. “Mommy, is Gugu not coming?”
Ji Jingxing turned back and ruffled her soft hair. “Gugu has something to do, so she can’t come. But she said she’ll treat Xiao Wei to a big meal another day.”
The child’s eyes lit up; the words “big meal” clearly diluted the longing for her aunt. She knew Gugu never lied. If she said she’d take her for a big meal, she definitely would. The only difference was whether it was today or a few days later.
Ji Jingxing smiled, picked up the various shopping bags from the bench—they were clearly heavy. She lifted them with both hands, swayed slightly, then steadied herself.
“Come on, Xiao Wei, hold Mommy’s arm. Let’s go get pizza.”
When Song Yuhang walked back in, her expression was clearly anxious. She didn’t sit down but stood by the bed. “I have to go.”
Lin Yan said lazily, “Meeting a lover, huh?”
“What nonsense. They’ve found the source of the body. I need to head over.”
Hearing it was about the case, Lin Yan perked up, ready to throw off the covers and get out of bed. “I’ll go too…”
“Go where? Listen to me. You’re not allowed. Lie down and rest.” Song Yuhang pushed her back down again, pulled the quilt up for her, and casually placed her palm on Lin Yan’s forehead, then felt relieved.
The fever’s finally gone down.
“You just broke the fever. Listen to the doctor, stay in bed for another two days.”
“Two days? How can I lie around… cough cough…” She spoke too quickly and started coughing again, bending over uncomfortably.
Song Yuhang gently patted her back to help her catch her breath. Seen from behind, it looked almost like she was embracing her.
Lin Yan grabbed her sleeve. “If… if there’s any progress… tell me…”
“Don’t worry. You just rest here peacefully for two days. Maybe I’ll have solved the case by then.”
Although they were just words of comfort, Lin Yan still felt relieved. Her grip on Song Yuhang’s hand loosened, and she was gently helped to lie flat on the bed.
“Goodnight.”
Song Yuhang adjusted the table lamp to a suitable brightness, left quietly56, and closed the door for her.
LP: Re-translated on March 29, 2025
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i like where this is going (。-_-。)
Same hope it will be faster tho
i like where this is going (｡-_-｡)
Same hope it will be faster tho
GET MARRIED ALREADYYY