Dripping Blood
When Lin Yan dragged herself downstairs, wrapped in a bath towel, Song Yuhang was already standing in the kitchen. Lin Yan’s clothes were a bit snug on her. She wore a shirt that clung tightly to her body, with sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her long legs made her trousers look stylish, and she casually tucked the shirt into her pants, giving off an air of nonchalance. Water droplets still clung to the ends of her wet hair.
Upon hearing the commotion, Song Yuhang turned around, with an apron tied around her waist. “What would you like to eat?”
From behind, she appeared to be a gender-neutral beauty, but when she turned around, she transformed into a head chef at a Western restaurant. Lin Yan couldn’t help but chuckle, her chin almost dropping. “Why are you dressed in a suit with an apron? Are you aiming for a Michelin three-star chef position?”
Song Yuhang smiled, a hint of embarrassment in her expression. “Your closet is full of dresses… I didn’t want to get them dirty. They must be quite expensive.”
Lin Yan, still wrapped in her bath towel, descended the stairs barefoot, wearing a slightly lazy expression. “You look really good in it. I’ll give it to you.”
Song Yuhang’s gaze initially landed on her feet as she walked, which were fair, dainty, and beautifully rounded at the ankles.
“Um… you don’t have to. I’ll wash it and return it to you.”
“Oh, by the way, it seems you also left a uniform jacket to me,” Lin Yan said as she walked into the coatroom, searching through a pile of clothes and shoes for Song Yuhang’s jacket.
Her graceful figure was reflected on the frosted glass. The living room was entirely open, and Song Yuhang stood in the kitchen, taking in the scene. The bath towel only covered the upper and lower parts of Lin Yan’s body, and the rest faintly showed through on the glass, adding an intriguing touch to the view.
“Hmm, didn’t I ask the butler to wash and hang it up a while ago? Where could it have gone?”
Lin Yan stood up, appearing somewhat frustrated.
Song Yuhang turned her face and said, “If you can’t find it, don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal; I get plenty of those uniform jackets from work every year.”
She even had a selfish desire to leave something of her own in Lin Yan’s room.
While Song Yuhang was lost in her thoughts, Lin Yan had already turned around with the clothes in her hands. “Ah, I found it. I kept forgetting to return it to you. And, by the way, don’t bother cooking. The butler will bring a chef later.”
Song Yuhang had a half-cut tomato in her hand. “Is that so…”
She seemed somewhat disappointed, lamenting the waste of all the kitchen equipment and the beautifully maintained kitchen itself.
“You never cook?”
Lin Yan poured a cup of coffee from the coffee pot and approached her, poking her head out. “Why should I bother cooking when my manicures are so expensive?”
Song Yuhang chuckled, “True…”
(Originally translated on littlepandatranslations.com, let's go!)
As she said this, she intended to toss the tomato from the cutting board into the trash can. “Sometimes, I find you utterly vulgar, and other times, I feel like you’re otherworldly.”
“We all eat grains and worship the same deities. Vulgarity is ingrained in us, and no one is nobler than another. Strip away that outer layer, and you’ll find all sorts of creatures lurking. There’s nothing special about it.”
Lin Yan took a sip of her coffee and, noticing her actions, reached out and grabbed her wrist. “What are you doing? Didn’t you already cut it in half?”
“Didn’t you say a chef would be coming later…”
Lin Yan chuckled, and from her expression, Song Yuhang could sense a hint of embarrassment. “I only said I wouldn’t cook. I never said I wouldn’t eat. Detective Song, you should still taste your own cooking.”
The fingertips resting on her wrist felt cool and had a jade-like texture, and it reminded Song Yuhang of the sensation she had experienced last night when Lin Yan had performed a medical examination on her spine, causing a tingling sensation.
She began to feel a slight itch in her neck once again.
“Tomato sauce noodles aren’t anything particularly fancy for breakfast, but if you want to eat, I’ll make them,” Song Yuhang said, getting busy but avoiding looking into Lin Yan’s eyes.
“Of course, I want to eat. Why wouldn’t I? I’m hungry,” Lin Yan replied, her tone carrying a hint of playful cheerfulness.
She was quite wary of using this tone of voice, just like earlier when she playfully elongated her words while teasing Song Yuhang. It brought out a bit of innocence and radiance that she normally didn’t display, but somehow, it added a touch of alluring maturity to her.
She did it on purpose.
Thinking back to the scene upstairs bathed in the morning sunlight, Song Yuhang blushed ever so slightly.
Since coming downstairs, this person hadn’t made eye contact with her. Lin Yan half-leaned on the kitchen counter and lifted her gaze. “Song Yuhang, look at me.”
The person, fully focused on chopping vegetables, remained unfazed.
Lin Yan changed her approach. “Song Yuhang, come on, look at me.”
Song Yuhang sidestepped her and took a handful of scallions from the refrigerator to wash, completely ignoring her.
Lin Yan’s mind raced, and she reached out to pinch Song Yuhang’s blushing ear. Teasing this person was just too amusing.
Before she could even raise her tiptoes to pinch, she was splashed with water on her face.
“Hey, you!”
Lin Yan was getting angry now, but the person across from her was even angrier. Due to the hangover, there were still traces of bloodshot in her eyes, and something Lin Yan couldn’t quite decipher had added to her expression. She looked more serious than usual.
“Put your clothes on and sit down!”
“I…” Lin Yan wanted to say something more, but when she saw the restrained anger at the corner of her lips, she felt a bit breathless.
It was as if saying one more word would turn her into the meat on Song Yuhang’s cutting board.
“Hmph, fine, I’ll sit down. You’re so stingy!”
* * *
At the time Lin Yan usually got up for work, the scene was as follows when the butler arrived.
They sat at the spacious dining table, each on their own side, not acknowledging each other. In the center were plates of food, several side dishes, and two boiled eggs.
In an earth-shattering turn of events, Song Yuhang had made all of the Lin family’s chefs unemployed overnight, and Lin Yan not only willingly ate breakfast but was eating Tomato Sauce Noodles!
The butler couldn’t help but shed tears of gratitude; he was on the verge of awarding Song Yuhang the “Most Touching Person in China” title.
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Song Yuhang rarely indulged in such everyday snacks, and while Song Yuhang’s culinary skills weren’t top-notch, the meal was still relatively fresh to her.
Lin Yan couldn’t help but take a couple more bites of the noodles and then shifted her gaze to the plate of eggs.
Song Yuhang reached over and took both of the eggs. Lin Yan opened her mouth, clearly irritated but swallowing her frustration.
In less than a minute, a small plate was pushed in front of her.
“For you.”
Peeled eggs lay smooth and shiny in the center of the plate, and Song Yuhang carried the bowl to the kitchen to get some soup.
The butler’s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. If he wasn’t mistaken, Song Yuhang was wearing Lin Yan’s shirt, and it looked like her beloved limited edition Armani!
She even had on Lin Yan’s slippers, and when she turned back around, the slightly open collar revealed a large red mark and nail scratches.
The elderly butler took another look at his mistress, who appeared tired and weary from lack of sleep, and felt deeply troubled. Miss, aren’t you the one above?
Of course, he didn’t dare to ask that question. He sent the others away to tend to the garden and approached to clean up the dishes for Lin Yan.
Lin Yan dabbed at her lip with a tissue. “Have a bit more, just a small bite.”
The butler was surprised. He couldn’t see anything particularly special about this home-cooked dish, but he complied with her request and spooned a small bite for her.
Seeing Lin Yan enjoying her meal, Song Yuhang felt a warmth in her heart. “They serve this dish in the cafeteria for lunch; you can give it a try.”
This statement seemed to hit one of the young miss’s sensitive spots.
Lin Yan snorted coldly, saying, “I was just curious; it’s nothing special if you eat it too much. Who wants to eat cafeteria food? Old Lin, continue to bring me lunch.”
“Yes, Miss,” Old Lin respectfully bowed.
Lin Yan stood up, no longer casting a glance at Song Yuhang. “I’m done, you can clean up now.”
* * *
Once they were in the car, Lin Yan, sitting in the front seat, began to feel drowsy. Song Yuhang clutched her bag, repeatedly trying to find the right moment to return the repaired mechanical rod to her, but without success.
In the midst of this dilemma, they had already arrived at the Municipal Public Security Bureau.
“Did Captain Song not go home last night? That’s impossible; Dr. Lin sent her back a long time ago, didn’t she?” Fang Xin stood at the door, observing Ji Jingxing’s anxious expression, and dialed her number.
The same cold, unresponsive ringtone played—Sorry, the phone you dialed is currently powered off.
“Dr. Lin??” Ji Jingxing caught her mention of a name, furrowing her brows slightly. “Is she the colleague Captain Song is close to?”
As the two were talking, Lin Yan’s car pulled up, and it had an air of grandeur that even the official vehicles of city leaders couldn’t match. It immediately drew the attention of both Fang Xin and Ji Jingxing.
Fang Xin waved towards the car. “Hey, Dr. Lin, you’re here.”
Ji Jingxing’s gaze also shifted in that direction.
Lin Yan emerged from the car wearing sunglasses, and her shirt dress accentuated her graceful figure. Her slender high heels on the ground emphasized her long and slender legs, giving off a full aristocratic vibe.
But when she took off her sunglasses, things took a different turn. Leaning against the car door, she smiled at Fang Xin with an air of playfulness. “Hey, waiting for big sister?”
Ji Jingxing’s first impression of her was significantly diminished—ostentatious.
How could Song Yuhang associate with someone like this?
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As the rear car door opened, Song Yuhang emerged, wearing Lin Yan’s expensive little suit. Her clothes were impeccably ironed, accentuating her tall and commanding figure, exuding an air of elegance and confidence. Standing next to Lin Yan, the scene was undeniably pleasing to the eye.
Ji Jingxing felt a sting from this sight, and her smile seemed somewhat forced. “Yuhang…”
Lin Yan stopped smiling and shifted her gaze.
They called each other quite intimately.
Song Yuhang quickly walked up to her. “Sis, what brings you here?”
“Mom told me you didn’t come home last night, and you didn’t answer my calls. I thought maybe you stayed at the office… I was passing by this morning on my way to work, so I decided to drop by and brought you some breakfast.”
Ji Jingxing explained and handed her a bottle of soy milk and a deep-fried dough stick.
Song Yuhang seemed to have a sudden realization and remembered the phone she had left in her backpack. “Oh, my phone ran out of battery, and I forgot to tell you all. I stayed at a colleague’s place last night.”
Ji Jingxing glanced at Lin Yan, who stood idle without greeting anyone. Lin Yan seemed unconcerned, and she let Ji Jingxing’s gaze sweep over her before returning her own gaze.
“I won’t have breakfast since I’ve already eaten. These are for my colleagues.”
Song Yuhang was holding a large plastic bag filled with various types of food.
Ji Jingxing hesitated but managed a somewhat forced smile. “Alright, alright, as long as you’re okay. That’s what matters.”
“It’s nothing, what could happen to me?” Song Yuhang smiled, but Ji Jingxing keenly noticed the marks on her neck.
“This… how did this happen?”
Ji Jingxing asked, noticing the rash had disappeared but left behind a red mark and some prominent scratch marks, resembling the aftermath of some ambiguous encounter.
Song Yuhang’s expression seemed somewhat evasive. “It’s nothing… I scratched myself. I’ll go in first, sis.”
“Ah…” Ji Jingxing wanted to say more, but Lin Yan had already followed in Song Yuhang’s footsteps.
“I think she came not to see you but to see who your with.”
The faint words of the woman fell into her ears.
Song Yuhang wasn’t angry, but she said, “It’s all the same, aren’t they? Are you full? If not, have a little more.”
The two walked side by side, and Lin Yan distanced herself, pinching her nose, until their figures completely disappeared into the lobby of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Song Yuhang never turned back to look at her throughout the entire walk.
Why do I have a feeling the sister in law likes her??🤨
I been having the same feeling for several chapters now. Sister-in-law is not very subtle, Lin Yan picked things up right away, Yuhang is just a little bit dense. 😮💨