White Whale
“I don’t know if these suspicions are enough to reopen the investigation and get the family’s consent for an autopsy.”
Song Yuhang shook her head. “We need to find concrete evidence to prove that these two cases are related for the authorities to agree to reopen the investigation.”
“Could it be related to that person in black, the one you saw on the Green Building?”
Song Yuhang pondered for a moment and said, “I initially thought that person might be Vulture or one of Vulture’s henchmen, but Operation Aurora was highly successful, and the criminal organization was completely dismantled. It’s unlikely that there are any remaining loose ends.”
Lin Yan hadn’t yet shared the test results with her.
“Have you ever thought, what if it’s real?”
Song Yuhang raised her gaze to meet Lin Yan’s eyes and replied with just five words, “I believe in Director Zhao.”
Lin Yan gave a sarcastic smile and remained silent.
“I think it’s best to simplify things for now. Let’s not overcomplicate matters. We’ll start with this case and gather enough evidence to prove the connection between these two suicide cases before reopening the investigation. It won’t be too late.”
Lin Yan nodded and said, “In that case, I’ll pay a visit to Fan Lin’s alma mater.”
Song Yuhang stopped her, saying, “It’s better for you to stay at the city bureau.”
The last assassination attempt still haunted her.
Lin Yan smiled and replied, “Is that so? I’m really fine…”
Song Yuhang, in a rare display of helplessness, said, “Listen, I have something more important for you to do.”
Lin Yan pulled her arm back from Song Yuhang’s grasp, and for some reason, she felt like ever since last night, this person seemed to want occasional physical contact with her, and what was with that indulgent tone!
She wasn’t a child anymore.
Lin Yan thought this but still felt somewhat pleased. “So, what is it?”
“Go to the file room and look for detailed case files on suicides from the past three months…” Song Yuhang furrowed her brow, “No, make it a year. Gather all the files related to suicide cases.”
(Originally translated on littlepandatranslations.com, let's go!)
* * *
“All of Fan Lin’s paintings are basically here.” Fan Lin’s art teacher handed her a stack of sketchbooks.
Song Yuhang took them with both hands and said, “Thank you.”
The art teacher removed her glasses and wiped away the fog. “It’s a pity. That child worked so hard, just two points short. She could have continued next year. I can’t understand why this had to happen.”
Song Yuhang didn’t respond and quickly flipped through a couple of pages. They were all watercolor paintings, depicting blue skies, white clouds, mountains, lakes, and even an endless azure sea. Fan Lin was indeed a remarkably talented and intelligent child.
“She was the one who painted the blackboard in this classroom, too. It brings back memories!” The elderly teacher put her glasses back on and sighed deeply.
Song Yuhang’s gaze shifted backward, and she was suddenly seized by a shudder.
On the massive blackboard, an ocean with tumultuous waves had been meticulously painted in shades of blue, with even the foamy crests appearing lifelike.
At the sea’s surface lay a white whale, peacefully exhaling bubbles.
It was undeniably a profoundly serene and beautiful scene, yet it sent shivers down her spine.
That’s because she had seen this very image in He Miao’s notebook.
Song Yuhang took out her phone and quickly snapped a picture.
After asking the art teacher a few more brief questions, Song Yuhang got up to bid her farewell.
As she walked down the hallway, she noticed a group of kids at the end of the corridor near the entrance to the boys’ restroom. They were pressing a waste paper basket onto another boy’s head and gave him a forceful kick.
“Trash is just trash. The guy who ranked last in the monthly exam still dreams of entering a marine university. Dream on!”
“Hey—” Song Yuhang strode over.
Several boys, upon seeing someone approach, exchanged glances and quickly scattered like startled birds and beasts.
“Hurry, hurry, someone’s coming.”
Before Song Yuhang could extend her hand to help him, the boy who had been struck was already getting up, holding his face, and limping down the stairs.
“It’s okay, thanks.”
* * *
In a dim and cramped room, a computer emitted a faint blue glow, and the CPU buzzed softly.
On the screen, a line of text appeared in a chat box: “White Whale, I got beaten up again. I don’t want to live anymore. Why do they all bully me, even though I haven’t done anything wrong?”
The hand resting on the keyboard was rough, marked by wrinkles and age spots.
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault. It’s this damned world. It’s okay not to understand. Child, come find me. The White Whale will show you the answers.”
* * *
When Song Yuhang returned to the city bureau with the sketchbooks, Lin Yan was still in the file room, surrounded by a table full of case files.
“Take a look at this, it’s shocking when you see it. The suicide rate in Jiangcheng City has been terrifyingly high in recent years, and…” Lin Yan paused for a moment. She hadn’t slept well last night, and she had been working tirelessly all afternoon, so her dark circles were as prominent as a panda’s.
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“Almost the majority of the victims are teenagers and students.”
Song Yuhang handed her a lunchbox she had brought. “You’ve worked hard. Have something to eat first, and I’ll continue sorting through these.”
Reviewing case files was physically demanding work. It involved digging through piles of old cases, categorizing them, and organizing them properly. Lin Yan had been staring at documents all afternoon, feeling dizzy and tired, and her stomach rumbled in response.
She looked at the lunchbox without touching it and her gaze wandered. “It’s not from a street vendor again, is it? I won’t eat it.”
Song Yuhang smiled, sat down across from her, and reached for the neatly organized case files. “It’s not from a street vendor. I called home and had my mom make it specially.”
Lin Yan mumbled, “Aren’t you supposed to be at school?”
Song Yuhang cleared her throat and said, “Well, I drove, and it’s on the way.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Taking a detour to go home for lunch during work, neglecting your duties, and not focusing on your job.”
As Lin Yan spoke, suppressing a smile at the corner of her lips, she lifted the lid of the lunchbox. Inside, the rice and dishes were neatly separated, and there was a generous serving of corn spare rib soup. The rice was topped with glossy, bright red oil-braised prawns.
Lin Yan’s appetite was instantly piqued.
Seeing her reaction, Song Yuhang clicked her tongue twice and twirled the pen in her hand. “Tsk, if I had known you’d slander me like this, I wouldn’t have brought it for you. I haven’t taken a single bite.”
Just as she finished speaking, a pair of chopsticks reached out in front of her, holding a glistening oil-bathed prawn.
Song Yuhang was momentarily surprised, thinking Lin Yan was offering it to her. A gentle curve formed at the corner of her lips. “No need, I won’t eat—”
Miss Lin had an expression on her face that exuded an air of fearlessness and righteousness. “Who said I was going to give it to you to eat? Do you think my delicate hands are suitable for peeling prawns?”
Song Yuhang clenched her teeth. “My mistake. I shouldn’t have brought it for you.”
Words were one thing, but when Lin Yan handed her the gloves, she still accepted them reluctantly. She begrudgingly set aside the case files and began peeling the prawns while complaining.
“I mean, are these gloves the ones you use to handle corpses?”
Lin Yan rolled her eyes and retorted, “Get lost. Do you think I’m that careless?”
As Song Yuhang peeled prawns, she also ate them. Under the dim yellowish light, she sat to the side to avoid spilling soup on the case files. She appeared focused on the documents, but her hands kept moving, transferring the peeled prawns into Lin Yan’s bowl.
Perhaps it was the soft lighting, but her profile seemed to be bathed in a porcelain-like glow.
Lin Yan tasted her mother’s cooking, a thoughtful gesture from Song Yuhang. In the quiet file room, there was an inexplicable sense of serene moments in time.
As Lin Yan picked up another prawn to put in her own bowl, she extended it towards Song Yuhang and said, “Ah—open your mouth.”
She stretched her arm to reach, placing a hand under Song Yuhang’s chin.
Song Yuhang instinctively opened her mouth to swallow as Lin Yan instructed, but before she could finish, the door to the file room swung open with a whoosh.
The lights came on brightly, and all eyes were on them.
Shock!
The Criminal Investigation Team Leader of Jiangcheng City Bureau, Song Yuhang, and the Chief Forensic Examiner, Lin Yan, were openly sharing a meal!
《I Fell in Love with My Archnemesis》, Fang Xin even came up with this title for them, wearing an auntie-like smile that seemed utterly bewildering
The two following them felt utterly devastated.
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“Lin… Sis Lin…” Duan Cheng was on the verge of tears. “Do… Do I not have a chance?”
Zheng Chengrui exclaimed, “This is outrageous! How come you didn’t invite us to enjoy such delicious food?”
“……”
“……”
Lin Yan was still sitting on the table, and in a quick motion, she tossed her chopsticks aside, which clattered onto the table. She had already returned to her chair, wearing an expression that said, “I’m not me, and I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Song Yuhang, with a prawn still unswallowed, suddenly felt like she was choking and instinctively grabbed the cup on the table to start drinking water.
Lin Yan looked heartbroken. “That… that was mine.”
“Pfft—cough, cough!” Song Yuhang turned away and began coughing, her ears turning red, making the alleged affair between the two seem even more convincing.
The three of them exchanged suspicious glances between Lin Yan and Song Yuhang, then simultaneously exclaimed, “How did we not know that your relationship had gotten so good that you could sit at the same table and eat together?”
The cup that Song Yuhang had drunk from was left on the side.
Lin Yan stood up to tidy things up. “I-I’m full now. You guys go ahead and work. I’ll go back to the office for a moment.”
Saying that, she picked up the lunchbox separately, swept all the trash on the table into a plastic bag, and hurriedly left.
Song Yuhang watched her retreating figure and couldn’t help but smile. She maintained her composure well, then tapped the table with her pen. “Alright, tell me, what’s the matter?”
“With so many case files, when are you two going to finish going through them?”
Fang Xin spoke and pulled out a chair, taking a seat.
Zheng Chengrui opened his laptop. “I’ll see if I can use an algorithm to organize this more quickly than handwriting.”
Duan Cheng also sat down. “I… I can’t help much, but I can bring you tea and water, at least.”
Song Yuhang looked at the faces of these individuals and sensed a common purpose in their calm or teasing tones.
Their goal was clear: to solve cases, pursue the truth, and expose the darkness.
She smiled faintly, opened the case file in her hand, and said, “Then let’s work together and speed things up.”
lol FX is shipping CP as usual
Was this inspired by “blue whale”?