Volume One: First Scroll
Meaning
Solving cases, finding justice for the deceased—that is the entire meaning of my existence.
Song Yuhang knew she couldn’t back down when facing Lin Yan; the more you retreat, the more she’ll “give you an inch and take a mile”1.
This question was actually quite pointed, but Song Yuhang was extremely clever. Unlike Lin Yan’s “straight ball”2 approach, she was adept at using the principle of “deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces”3, tossing the problem back to others.
Thus, she met her gaze frankly, mimicking Lin Yan’s manner with a hint of teasing curling her lips.
“I don’t know if Forensic Doctor Lin has noticed, but you seem to really enjoy getting close to me and asking questions that exceed the bounds of a colleague relationship.”
Lin Yan’s expression changed.
Song Yuhang took a step forward, looking down at her. “However, since you’ve asked like this, I’ll give you a formal answer. The only reason I haven’t reported you is simply because there’s no evidence that clearly points to you. I’ve suffered that kind of loss once, and once is enough.”
She gently placed her hand on Lin Yan’s shoulder, leaning down. “Forensic Doctor Lin is a smart person. Don’t play with fire.”4
Lin Yan tilted her head slightly to look at her, her slender neck once again exposed to Song Yuhang’s view.
Both had smiles playing on their lips, appearing incredibly harmonious, yet concealing an unspoken murderous intent.
“Is that so? Who this fire will ultimately burn… who can know until the very last moment?”
Song Yuhang’s pupils contracted slightly. Her hand had already been pushed away. Lin Yan turned and left, her figure disappearing into the twilight.
She walked up the stairs, finding nothing. She didn’t discover anyone following her, nor any useful clues. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was just her imagination earlier, or perhaps the person following her was Song Yuhang?
Song Yuhang said she was special to her, but wasn’t she also particularly curious about herself?
Lin Yan gave a slight, self-deprecating smile and pushed open the door to the rooftop.
The Criminal Investigation Team had already searched thoroughly last time. The door lock was intact, no signs of a struggle, no footprints belonging to a second person. All fingerprints and footprints belonged to the deceased; the possibility of suicide was extremely high.
And during the autopsy, although the body was incomplete, she had managed to measure the blood drug concentration. The test results showed no signs of medication use.
Could it be possible that someone manipulated her into coming here?
If so, how was she manipulated? Was it ordered by the person who got her pregnant?
Lin Yan pondered this as she walked towards the edge of the rooftop. Half of a broken railing swayed in the wind. She reached out to touch it, wanting to pull the rusty iron bar back for a closer look. Unexpectedly, the edge of the rooftop, damp from recent rain, was covered in moss and incredibly slippery.
The moment her foot landed, she felt something was wrong. It was too late to pull back. Her only point of support was that rusty iron railing, which groaned under the strain in her palm as if unable to bear the weight.
A sense of weightlessness washed over her. The broken railing plummeted from the sixth floor, shattering with a loud clang.
Still shaken, Lin Yan was yanked back by the waist. Due to inertia, both stumbled back several steps, and Lin Yan crashed completely into her rescuer’s embrace.
Song Yuhang was also slightly breathless. “Are you crazy? Standing so close to the edge, trying to kill yourself too?”
Lin Yan turned her head. They were still standing in this position. Something seemed to occur to her, and she became slightly agitated.
“Was it raining constantly in May?”
As if illuminated by a flash of insight.
Song Yuhang nodded. “You mean…”
“Yes, exactly! It was too slippery! I didn’t want to walk so close to the edge at all, I was forced… It’s this slippery even on a nice day like today, if it were raining, it would only be worse…”
Lin Yan pointed towards the railing. “It’s been in disrepair from age5. Forget an adult, it probably couldn’t even support a child’s weight. It’s possible she didn’t commit suicide, but slipped and fell.”
As she spoke, she faced the rooftop. Lin Yan was slightly shorter than her, so Song Yuhang only needed to lower her head slightly to see the nape of her slender neck. That faint floral scent became richer.
She subtly removed her hand from Lin Yan’s waist and took half a step back, pulling her gaze away.
“But both the trace evidence analysis and physical evidence departments searched this place back and forth several times without finding any trace of a second person. They only found a suicide note, and handwriting analysis confirmed it was written by her own hand. Interviews with eyewitnesses also confirmed she appeared here alone late at night. If she slipped and fell, there should be a reason for her to come here.”
Lin Yan paced back and forth. “Could it be she came to meet someone?”
Song Yuhang nodded, her gaze fixed on the empty air. “That possibility can’t be ruled out. And I think this person might be closely related to the one who got her pregnant.”
Lin Yan stopped pacing. “Have all the males familiar with He Miao been compared for DNA?”
“It’s been done. No matches.” Song Yuhang frowned slightly as she said this. “No, wait. There’s still one person who hasn’t been tested.”
“Who?”
“He Miao’s maternal uncle-in-law.”
Lin Yan instantly felt nauseated. “F%ck, it couldn’t be, right?”
Song Yuhang turned to look at her, stating calmly, “Why couldn’t it be? Even one’s own flesh and blood can do such things, let alone this kind of relationship.”
Lin Yan clicked her tongue in amazement. “Is Captain Song speaking from personal experience, or from cases you’ve handled?”
Song Yuhang gave her a rather strange look. “Of course, it’s from cases I’ve handled. My parents and elder brother are all very good.”
At least not like Lin Yan’s father, who ignored his own flesh and blood and was a philandering womanizer.
Personality development is inseparable from family factors. Personalities like Lin Yan’s—cold, paranoid, highly aggressive, cynical—are mostly the result of being raised neglectfully by parents.
People like this are also the most likely to stray onto the path of illegal crime.
“You have an older brother? How come I’ve never heard you mention him?” Lin Yan was a bit tired after rushing around all afternoon and leaned against the rooftop water tank.
“He’s no longer here.” Song Yuhang stated faintly, suddenly wanting a cigarette. She patted her pocket but found she’d already given her pack away.
Just as she was thinking this, a cigarette pack was tossed towards her through the air. Song Yuhang reached out and caught it. She watched as Lin Yan flicked her lighter open, walked over to her side, and leaned in. “Borrow a light.”6
But Lin Yan retracted the lighter, holding a lit cigarette between her lips, looking at her nonchalantly. The flame flickered by her lips, her eyes full of provocation and ill intent. She tilted her head up slightly, signaling that if Song Yuhang wanted a light, she should come get it herself.
She was too good at this.
Her expression, her gaze—everything was perfectly calculated to entice.
Any more would be cloying; any less would lack flavor.
Lin Yan might not be the most beautiful woman Song Yuhang had ever seen, but she was definitely the woman who maximized her own charm to the extreme.
Her hands, her eyes, her lips, her smile, her neck—all constantly emitted a signal.
Come closer.
Come closer to me.
Come be captured by me.
Even…
Song Yuhang’s eyes darkened; she had clearly received the signal. Her not-so-prominent Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
If Lin Yan was constantly radiating her desire, then Song Yuhang seemed to be constantly using body language to express: Stay away from me. Don’t come near.
The buttons on that uniform shirt were fastened right up to the top two at the collar. The trapezius muscles subtly emerged with the movement of breathing and swallowing.
It was a very moving yet untouchable wild beauty.
Lin Yan blew a smoke ring, her eyes hazy. As the smoke drifted towards Song Yuhang’s face, Song Yuhang moved. She reached out directly, grabbing for the cigarette at Lin Yan’s lips. Naturally, Lin Yan wouldn’t let her succeed easily, turning her face slightly away.
Through the swirling smoke, she saw a triumphant smile flicker across Song Yuhang’s lips. Damn it.
Before she could defend herself, she was caught off guard by a standard Qinna7 hold and pressed against the wall.
Song Yuhang applied slight pressure, twisting her arm. The lighter fell from Lin Yan’s palm.
“Song Yuhang, F%ck… Hiss…”8
“Didn’t Forensic Doctor Lin tell me to get it myself? What are you angry about now?”
Seeing her wince in pain, Song Yuhang released her, picked up the fallen lighter, lit her own cigarette, took a drag, and looked at her.
“Or perhaps, you wanted me to take it in a different way?”
“I…” Lin Yan was choked with anger, just about to curse her entire family tree9, when her phone rang.
She pulled it out; it was a call from Technical Investigation.
“What’s wrong?”
“He Miao’s maternal aunt has arrived. She says she wants to take her remains for burial…” Fang Xin sounded troubled on the other end, lowering her voice.
“But the case isn’t closed yet. Her aunt is insisting on taking He Miao for cremation, saying she already died without a complete body, so at least let her be laid to rest.”
“Captain Zhang’s opinion is that since the cause of death is clear, the family can take the body for disposal.”
Lin Yan’s gaze shifted towards her.
Song Yuhang took out her phone to call Zhang Jinhai. After a moment, she hung up, her expression somewhat grim.
“Captain Zhang says the facts of the He Miao case are clear, the evidence conclusive. Whether it was suicide or an accidental fall, homicide has been ruled out. The family can take the body for disposal. Director Feng has also agreed. As for the pregnancy issue, it will be handled as a separate case.”
Lin Yan understood, continuing her conversation with Fang Xin, “Have all the samples been collected? If she wants to take the body, let her. We just need to keep the biological samples.”
Fang Xin spoke while sorting the bottles and jars at hand, closing the cabinet door.
“Don’t worry, Forensic Doctor Lin, everything’s put away properly. I won’t keep you then, I’m heading to the funeral home to deliver the body.”
Jiangcheng City Funeral Home.
According to regulations, there’s a farewell ceremony before cremation. Wang Xiuzhen stood outside the viewing room, holding her nose with an impatient look. “What’s there to see? What’s so good to look at? Hurry up and cremate her, finish it up. I’m waiting to collect the compensation money.”
The staff member looked helpless as they placed the body onto the conveyor belt. Fang Xin and the others stood inside 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, several funeral home staff members in black suits came down the corridor, guiding a hearse. A middle-aged man and woman followed the hearse closely. The woman was draped over it, wailing loudly, and had to be supported by the staff.
Fang Xin often came to the funeral home to deliver bodies and knew the staff well. He asked quietly, “What happened here? The white-haired sending off the black-haired?”10
The staff member showed a trace of pity and sighed, “Isn’t that just it? Only fourteen years old. Killed herself with sleeping pills because she didn’t do well on her final exams. They couldn’t save her.”
“That’s too tragic. How much pressure must the parents have put on her to drive her to this?” Duan Cheng also leaned in, whispering.
As they spoke, the ashes inside had cooled. Fang Xin shot him a glare. “Stop wagging your tongue11. Go collect the ashes.”
Duan Cheng’s face crumpled like a bitter melon. “Shouldn’t the family be doing this?”
Fang Xin glanced over. Wang Xiuzhen was sitting on a bench in the corridor, picking her feet and cracking melon seeds. Where would she find the time for this?
“…Alright then, this humble servant will go right away.”
Lin Yan crouched down and finished a cigarette, then stood up. “Since it’s being handled as a separate case, I’m going to the provincial capital.”
Song Yuhang glanced at her faintly, the red dot at her fingertips glowing and fading. “Didn’t you say the deceased had no relation to you? Why be so dedicated?”
“How should I put it… While she was alive, we might not have crossed paths. Since she’s dead and I performed the autopsy, I have an obligation to finish saying what she couldn’t.”
Song Yuhang smiled, extinguishing the cigarette on the railing. “That doesn’t sound like something Forensic Doctor Lin would say.”
The sun was about to set, the first tendrils of darkness descending. Song Yuhang’s expression became somewhat inscrutable.
“More than that, I’m more inclined to believe that Forensic Doctor Lin sees her past self in He Miao. Or perhaps, her experiences have touched upon your own painful memories. You desperately want to know the truth merely to seek justice for your past self.”
It was a probe, but Lin Yan laughed self-mockingly. “If you want to interpret it that way, you’re not wrong. But I’m not seeking justice for my past self. I’m seeking justice for everyone who tries their best to live earnestly.”
Song Yuhang was silent for a long time. “You’re right.”
A fifteen-year-old girl in the prime of her youth. Mother died early, father’s whereabouts unknown. Living with her aunt, she endured countless hardships. Yet poverty didn’t break her spirit. She still wanted to study, finding ways to earn her tuition fees herself. In her spare time, she would draw in her textbooks. What a strong and poetic girl.
She shouldn’t have died in vain.
“What about Captain Song? Why do you want to solve this case so badly?”
She recalled the rumors circulating in Technical Investigation: Song Yuhang had more seniority than Zhang Jinhai. When the previous head of the Criminal Investigation Division retired, she should have been the successor, but headquarters parachuted Zhang Jinhai in instead. Song Yuhang had been stuck in the position of Deputy Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division for nearly ten years.
In those ten years, did she not have a single complaint?
No frustration?
No resentment?
However, Lin Yan looked at her, and she simply said, “Solving cases, finding justice for the deceased—that is the entire meaning of my existence.”
Although their views clashed and they often argued, on this matter, they reached a surprising consensus.
In the darkness, Lin Yan’s lips curved slightly upwards.
Song Yuhang led the way down the stairs. “Let’s go. To the provincial capital.”
She waited a moment but didn’t see Lin Yan follow. She stopped and looked back at her. “What’s wrong?”
Lin Yan looked back towards the cluster of buildings below the rooftop. The lights of the West District were turning on one by one. The scene was beautiful, yet she frowned slightly.
“Do you feel like someone is watching us?”
Song Yuhang turned back and walked to the railing. She hadn’t told anyone about the man in black.
“When did you start feeling this?”
“Just today, when I walked in here.”
Song Yuhang took out binoculars from her bag and scanned the surroundings. The view from here was excellent. She could see a boy doing homework in a residential building opposite, a woman washing clothes, a couple arguing, and various scenes of life.
But there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
She also frowned slightly. “Let’s go. Head to the provincial capital first. Be careful these next few days.”
Lin Yan shrugged nonchalantly. “Whatever. I have plenty of enemies anyway. Maybe it’s just someone else looking for revenge. If one comes, yours truly12 will take them down. If two come, I’ll take down the pair.”
Song Yuhang felt helpless, put away the binoculars, and walked down with her. “You really are optimistic.”
“What else? You think my BJJ13 training was for nothing? Maybe not nationwide, but at least in Jiangcheng City, I’m unbeatable.”
“Oh? If that’s the case, why still carry the telescopic baton?”14
As they say, “an inch longer is an inch stronger”15. Carrying the baton was undoubtedly to compensate for a lack of strength.
Lin Yan immediately gritted her teeth. “Will you die if you don’t talk?!”
Song Yuhang walked ahead of her, hands in her pockets. “Only the dead don’t talk.”
“Bah!” Lin Yan quickened her pace to catch up, muttering curses.
“How did you even grow up like this? No wonder you have no friends and no partner…”
…
After they left, a light turned on in an apartment in a residential building opposite. The occupant retracted an astronomical telescope from behind the curtain.
“Holy sh%t, who the hell slashed my tire!!!” Lin Yan felt the flat tire and roared at the sky.
Heads popped out from nearby residential buildings. Song Yuhang pressed her forehead. “It’s just police work, why drive such a nice car out here? Aren’t you just making people jealous?”
Lin Yan’s face was expressionless. “…This is already my worst car.”
“…Pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Song Yuhang turned to leave. Lin Yan was already calling the tow truck company. “What?! You can only come after two hours?! And you don’t have a replacement tire for a Mercedes-Benz??? What kind of repair company are you running? Might as well go fix electric scooters! I pay so much money, and this is how you treat your premium customers?”
Seeing the young miss’s furious tone escalating towards personal attacks, Song Yuhang paused, turned back, and hesitated. “How about… you take my car first?”
It was over two hundred kilometers from Jiangcheng city center to the provincial capital. After exiting the highway, it was all winding mountain roads. The car twisted and turned, making Lin Yan drowsy from the bumps. She yawned.
“How much longer?”
Song Yuhang checked her watch. “About two more hours.”
Lin Yan closed her eyes peacefully. “Alright then. Wake me when we arrive.”
After leaving the last service area, they plunged deep into the mountains. The temperature dropped at night, and her exposed arm felt a bit cold. Song Yuhang rolled up the window, glanced over, and saw Lin Yan was already asleep.
She shook her head slightly, feeling a bit helpless, and turned on the air conditioning.
The phone placed on the dashboard suddenly rang. Seeing it was Xiao Wei, Song Yuhang immediately slowed down, pulled over onto the emergency lane, and answered.
Lin Yan was woken up, frowning slightly, her voice still lazy. “Ngh… Who is it?”
Ji Jingxing hadn’t even spoken yet when she heard a soft, feminine voice, seemingly asking Song Yuhang a question. It’s so late, are they together?
Holding Xiao Wei’s feverish body, she momentarily didn’t know how to respond.
Song Yuhang got out of the car with her phone. “What’s wrong, Jie?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Ji Jingxing finally composed herself. “Xiao Wei… Xiao Wei has a fever… My car is in for maintenance, and I can’t get a taxi right now…”
A subtle sense of pride made it difficult for her to say, “Can you come over now?” Thinking back to the female voice just now, Ji Jingxing changed her words.
“Are you outside?”
Song Yuhang confirmed. Hearing the anxiety in her voice, late at night, she also felt a bit worried.
“What’s her temperature?”
“39°C16. I’ve been applying cold towels, gave her fever medicine, but it’s not getting better…” Ji Jingxing said, frantic with worry.
Lin Yan got out of the car, draping her clothes over herself, and sneered twice. “If it’s a fever, just call an ambulance. What’s the use of calling you?”
Ji Jingxing clearly heard this remark, feeling even worse, a mix of anxiety and anger nearly bringing her to tears.
“Yuhang, I…”
Song Yuhang shot Lin Yan a cold glare, covered the receiver, and lowered her voice. “It’s okay, don’t worry. Wait for me to come back. I should be there in about an hour or so. I’ll let you know when I’m close. Remember to get dressed, grab the health insurance card, dress Xiao Wei warmly, and wait for me downstairs. We’ll go to the hospital.”
After hanging up, Lin Yan leaned against the car door, her tone neutral. “Well, well. Isn’t this the good police officer serving the people? Ready to choose beauty over duty now?”
Song Yuhang shot her an annoyed look back. “Not interrupting when others are on the phone is basic courtesy.”
Lin Yan was smiling, but her eyes gradually turned cold. “Think carefully. You’re about to arrive, but now you’re turning back, wasting time, not to mention the suspect might hear the news and escape.”
Song Yuhang opened the car door and got in. “I can ask my colleagues in the provincial capital to bring the person back first.”
Lin Yan sneered. “Beat the grass and startle the snake.”17
“Are you coming or not? If not, I’m leaving.” Song Yuhang looked up at her, her gaze also turning cold.
A threat?
Song Yuhang was actually threatening her?!
An inexplicable fire instantly surged in her heart. All for that “white lotus”18 who needed someone called back just for a fever in the middle of the night???
Lin Yan furiously slammed the car door shut and stepped back. “Go then! You think I can’t manage without you?”
She took out her phone to call for a car.
Song Yuhang, seeing her unreasonable behavior, also felt a flicker of anger. She inserted the key into the ignition, ready to shift gears and leave, but found that even when she pressed the accelerator, the car didn’t budge.
Lin Yan wandered around searching for a phone signal. Turning back, she saw Song Yuhang still parked there, the engine roaring but the car motionless. She almost burst out laughing.
“Hahaha, it’s fate! Looks like heaven doesn’t want Captain Song to play the hero saving the damsel in distress.”
Song Yuhang turned the key off and tried to restart the engine. The car still wouldn’t move. Ignited by Lin Yan’s sarcastic tone, her lips tightened gradually.
“Are you done yet?”
Lin Yan leaned against the car window. “Not done, of course not. Looks like Captain Song is destined to spend a wonderful night with me.”
Song Yuhang ignored her, got out, opened the hood, and started fiddling with the engine. Lin Yan leaned against the car, her clothes draped improperly, revealing half of her fair, delicate shoulder, watching her work.
“Hey, I’m telling you, what’s so great about that white lotus? Worth you rushing back and forth in the middle of the night? Women are just so dramatic. It’s just a fever, like nobody’s ever had one before. Just go to the hospital herself, or call an ambulance if worse comes to worst.”
As soon as Lin Yan finished speaking, there was a loud bang. Song Yuhang slammed the hood shut and strode over.
In the moonlight, her face didn’t look good, her tightly pressed lips revealing a hint of suppressed anger.
There was no one else around. Lin Yan swallowed, taking half a step back. “Wh-what are you doing?”
Song Yuhang clenched her fists. “Insult me if you want, but don’t insult her.”
Except for that rainy night, she rarely showed such a serious expression, even faintly bristling with anger. All for that dramatic woman?
Thinking this, Lin Yan felt an indescribable sense of grievance well up in her chest, and her lips also tightened gradually.
“Fine. Then just consider everything I said on the rooftop pointless. Captain Song never said anything about solving cases or meaning either. We’re still people whose paths diverge and cannot plan together.”19
Song Yuhang paused. “That’s not what I meant. Solving the case is important, of course, but Xiao Wei also…”
“Alright, alright, stop.” Lin Yan interrupted impatiently. “Phone, give me the address.”
Seeing Song Yuhang hesitate, she added, “Mine has no signal.”
Song Yuhang probably understood what she intended to do. She gave her the address and handed over the phone. Lin Yan walked to an open area to make the call.
“Hello, yes, send someone to the hospital. The address is…”
After giving the instructions quickly and efficiently, Lin Yan tossed the phone back to her. She didn’t get into the passenger seat this time, instead diving headfirst into the back seat and lying down fully clothed.
Song Yuhang walked over and gently tapped on the window. “Um, thank…”
Lin Yan grabbed her own clothes and threw them over. “Get lost! Don’t disturb yours truly’s sleep!”
LP: Re-translated on April 01, 2025
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Damn that was spicy!
Damn that was spicy!