Miss Forensics – Chapter 48.2

Rejection

An average person can hold their breath for two minutes in unfamiliar waters, which is considered remarkable. Exceeding five minutes poses a life-threatening risk.

Song Yuhang, while gritting her teeth in her heart, both hated Lin Yan’s reckless impulsiveness and couldn’t help but worry about her safety.

She quickly removed her gun and placed it on the ground, then took off her coat, intending to jump down, even though her swimming skills were not that great. But she couldn’t just let Lin Yan…

At the thought of this, a certain place in her chest began to ache faintly.

Song Yuhang bit her lower lip tightly, and just as she reached the riverbank, a head emerged from the calm water.

Lin Yan shook her wet hair, coughed a few times, and raised the mobile phone in her hand, saying, “I found it!”

Before she could get too excited, Song Yuhang had already jumped into the water. She angrily dragged Lin Yan onto the shore, snatched what was in her hand, and threw it to Duan Cheng.

“Take it back for Fang Xin and Zheng Chengrui to investigate the contents inside!”

Just as Lin Yan emerged from the water, her eardrums were ringing, and she hadn’t recovered yet. Song Yuhang almost forcibly half-dragged, half-carried her into the car and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Lin Yan, who had been thrown around, was in pain as her arm bumped against the car door. She was instantly furious. “Song Yuhang, have you gone insane?!”

Song Yuhang quickly threw a clean piece of clothing over Lin Yan and said, “Who’s gone insane? I thought you were the one going crazy, wanting to seek death!”

“I—” Lin Yan hesitated for a moment, but she could see that Song Yuhang was panting, her eyes slightly red, with strands of water grass clinging to her hair. Song Yuhang had pulled her out of the water and seemed genuinely concerned and impatient.

Miss Lin turned her face slightly, feeling a bit awkward. “Who asked you to care? I obtained my international free diving certificate ages ago, long before you even learned to swim a few meters and were left gasping for breath.”

Song Yuhang was left momentarily speechless by her retort. She grabbed the clothes Lin Yan had thrown aside and covered her head and face with them, retaliating by tousling her curly hair.

“Only you can! You’re amazing! Will you die if you don’t cause trouble for a day or two?”

In the narrow car cabin, two tall and leggy young women found themselves in a sudden struggle. When it came to strength, Lin Yan was no match, but in terms of skill, she instinctively used a Kimura lock, wrapping her legs around Song Yuhang’s waist and straightening her arm.

“Song Yuhang, you’re insane!!!”

After shouting this, the world fell silent, with only the sound of rain hitting the car windows like a constant drumming, and the heavy panting of the two young women.

Song Yuhang stopped her movements, water droplets trickling down her chin. Their hands were locked by each other, mutually restraining one another.

Dimly, the outside streetlights filtered into the cabin. She watched in amazement as a droplet of water slipped into Lin Yan’s collar.

When Lin Yan entered the water, she took off her coat, still wearing that black fitted camisole and shorts.

Her slender legs were wrapped around her waist, and the fighting posture was indeed quite ungraceful.

Both of them were soaked, their whole bodies drenched, and some hidden emotions were fermenting and heating up in the stuffy cabin.

Even through a layer of clothing, they both felt the intense heat.

Song Yuhang’s face was burning, and she dared not move, reluctant to even blink and miss this moment, where Lin Yan exuded a sultry sensuality.

Lin Yan was breathing slightly heavily, staring intently at her, unconsciously tilting her head, exposing her neck to her gaze.

Yes, her neck.

It was as if she had found the core of what had been catching her attention for a long time.

As their clothes brushed against each other, at this moment, no matter what Lin Yan said, it seemed like she was both resisting and welcoming, “What… what are you doing?”

Song Yuhang held her hand and gently brushed aside the hair by her ear, saying, “Let me see your injury.”

“Madwoman, lunatic…” Lin Yan started speaking without restraint when she got agitated, and Song Yuhang, annoyed by her noise, decided to cover her mouth.

Duan Cheng stood under a nearby tree to avoid the rain, watching the car start to shake, his expression complicated. He held himself tightly, feeling the loneliness and vulnerability deep in his heart.

Before long, the car door opened, and Song Yuhang stepped out, holding an umbrella. She saw him still getting wet in the rain, walked over, and handed him an umbrella.

Duan Cheng carefully observed her expression. Although her face seemed calm, there was a hint of satisfaction in the corners of her eyes and the edges of her brows.

The young forensic scientist who had witnessed everything was still trembling slightly and asked, “Is it… over?”

He was about to go and drive, but Song Yuhang reached out and stopped him, saying, “Wait, Dr. Lin is still changing her clothes.”

“Ah, alright,” Duan Cheng had no choice but to crouch back down. For some reason, ever since Officer Song was released from confinement, she had this inexplicable possessiveness and protective instinct towards Dr. Lin.

This feeling startled him and sent a shiver down his spine for no apparent reason.

Lin Yan climbed up from the seat, wiped her neck with a tissue, and tossed it to the ground. “Damn, have I turned into a dog?!”

* * *

On the way back, the two of them sat in silence, one in the front and the other in the back.

Song Yuhang occasionally glanced back at her, licked her lips, as if wanting to speak but feeling hesitant.

Lin Yan, on the other hand, leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, half of her face shrouded in shadow. Her lips were pressed tightly together, a stark contrast to her usual lively self.

When they arrived at the police station, the head of the special task force was immediately swamped with work, leaving no opportunity for further conversation with Lin Yan.

Lin Yan, trailing behind, turned and headed to the duty room to change her clothes. She removed the coat that Song Yuhang had draped over her shoulder and tossed it onto the bed. Facing the mirror, she tilted her head slightly upwards.

The scar from the last time she had self-harmed with a syringe had mostly healed, leaving only a small puncture mark.

Lin Yan touched it with her hand and examined herself in the mirror as if she could still hear the hoarse voice whispering in her ear, “Does it still hurt?”

Hurt?

What was that?

She hadn’t felt this kind of pain in many years, except for when it came to Chu Nan. But that wasn’t pain; that was something close to unbearable agony.

But when she asked herself this question, it felt as if her heart was pricked by hidden needles, causing her to feel both sore and bitter with each puncture.

All the men and women she had been involved with would only ask her, “Is it big? Does it feel good?”

Out of all of them, Song Yuhang was the first to ask her if it hurt.

Lin Yan smirked and pulled up the corner of her lips. She looked at her nearly flawless face in the mirror and thought to herself, “Lin Yan, do you even deserve this? Can you please stop harming others? You’re nothing but an animal, trash, lower than a dog, a wretched bug in a sewer.”

What right do you have to stand in the sunlight, openly accepting the goodwill and admiration of others?

You don’t deserve it.

With these thoughts in mind, she slightly closed her eyes, as if making a determined decision, and her throat bobbed up and down.

* * *

“How’s the progress on the license plate number?” Song Yuhang walked straight into the briefing room and went directly to the surveillance expert.

“According to the information sent by the Traffic Management Bureau, there are over 10,000 black Santanas in the city. Owners with license plate numbers ending in 7 or 8 amount to approximately 4,000. We are currently investigating each one.”

Solving cases sometimes has no shortcuts. Song Yuhang patted the expert’s shoulder and said, “Good job.”

On the other side, the cyber security team members were also reviewing surveillance footage.

Zheng Chengrui dismantled the mobile phone that Lin Yan had recovered, inspected the circuit board, and connected it to his laptop, attempting to recover the data.

After tidying herself up, Lin Yan walked into the laboratory, and to her surprise, Fang Xin was also there. The entire criminal investigation team had been awake for two days and nights.

“Lin Jie, could you take a look at this? Does it seem odd to you?” Fang Xin made way for her, and there was a test tube in front of her.

“What is this…” Lin Yan put on her gloves, approached the test tube, and shone a purple light on it. Then, she lifted it and examined it, causing it to reflect a deep blue glow under the light.

“It was purified from the blood of Wu Wei and Fan Lin.”

“Do we still have the evidence left from the last time with He Miao?” Lin Yan adjusted the microscope’s parameters, concentrating on her work.

Fang Xin went to a cupboard and said, “It should still be there. As per the regulations, evidence is stored for three months before being destroyed.”

Three test tubes were placed together from left to right: He Miao’s, Fan Lin’s, and Wu Wei’s.

“This one, He Miao’s, appears slightly lighter because we couldn’t obtain fresh blood at the crime scene,” Lin Yan pondered, touching her chin.

“The color of Fan Lin’s and Wu Wei’s blood samples is progressively darker, but there’s no such substance in ordinary people’s blood. This indicates they either came into contact with or ingested some kind of substance.”

“Is it poison?”

Lin Yan shook her head, saying, “Whatever the poison is, it’s bound to cause physical changes once it enters the body, either corroding the digestive system or leaving a residual taste in the mouth. I won’t miss it during the autopsy.”

“So, what is it then?” Fang Xin looked utterly puzzled.

Lin Yan considered for a moment. “It’s probably some sort of neuroactive drug. As for the specifics, our little lab here can’t determine that. Let’s send it to the provincial forensic examination center.”

As she finished speaking, she felt a nudge on her arm from someone who had appeared to be listening attentively.

“What’s up? Did you hear it?” Lin Yan evaded the nudge and, out of the blue, glanced behind the glass door. A figure had just darted into the corridor.

Fang Xin pursed her lips and smiled at Lin Yan, saying, “I heard it. I’ll contact the provincial office. Someone’s looking for Lin Yan. You should go~”

There was only one way in and out of the laboratory, and Song Yuhang was leaning against the corridor, waiting for her. She held a disposable paper cup in her hand and handed it to Lin Yan as soon as she came out. “Here, brown sugar ginger tea, to warm you up.”

Lin Yan didn’t take it, her hands in her pockets. She looked at Song Yuhang, and Song Yuhang sensed a change in her expression, observing the coldness that had resurfaced on her face, unlike when they first met.

Song Yuhang felt a pang in her heart but remained silent.

Lin Yan wasn’t one to beat around the bush. She simply asked, “Song Yuhang, what do you think of me?”

“Colleague…” she blurted out subconsciously but felt it was inappropriate. She added while looking into her eyes, “Can be… friends who share life and death.”

“In this police station, we’re all colleagues. If someone else is in danger, Song Yuhang, you wouldn’t just stand by and watch, would you?”

Song Yuhang didn’t quite understand what she was trying to say, but what she said was true. She nodded, albeit with some difficulty.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lin Yan’s lips curved into a sardonic smile. “But no ordinary friends would inquire about each other all the time, remember each other’s preferences, embrace each other in the morgue, promise to treat each other well when they’re drunk, or even uncontrollably bite each other’s necks…”

She deliberately emphasized the word “neck,” and Song Yuhang blushed like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

“I’m sorry, I…”

“No need to apologize. You were just following your heart. You think there’s a vast divide between law enforcers and criminals, but in reality, they’re not even separated by a wide chasm.”

Her words made Song Yuhang feel utterly embarrassed.

Lin Yan gazed at her with a hint of pity in her eyes. “It’s such a shame, a shame that you ended up with me.”

For someone as devoted and loyal as Song Yuhang, her first feelings shouldn’t have been for someone like Lin Yan, even without a beautiful first love.

She bore a deep-seated grudge, and she didn’t want to burden anyone.

Especially not someone like Song Yuhang, who still represented her last shred of conscience.

After she finished speaking, Song Yuhang remained silent for a long time. Lin Yan thought she had given up, but then Song Yuhang took a step forward and handed her the paper cup.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t quite process what you’ve said and the questions you’ve asked right now. My mind is like mush, overwhelmed by this case.”

Song Yuhang smiled wryly and said, “Give me some time to think and I’ll tell you my answer. But one thing I can assure you of right now is that what I said when I was drunk that day still holds true.”

“You mentioned that I’m someone who follows my heart, so whether it was initially disliking you or later developing feelings for you, it was all about following my heart. Being good to you is also in line with that. There’s no need for any reasons.”

She shrugged and gave a playful yet helpless expression. “If there’s any reason, it’s probably because I grew up being a tomboy, surrounded by more delicate girls. I naturally developed a bit of a heroic spirit, wanting to protect them. Choosing a career in the police was also like that, wanting to protect my mom, my family, and more vulnerable groups.”

She paused and observed Lin Yan’s expression. “But you are different…”

Lin Yan turned her body to face Song Yuhang, her lips curved slightly, then quickly returned to her usual cold indifference.

Song Yuhang continued, “What makes you special is that sometimes you can be my equal, a worthy opponent, and other times, you can be fragile and adorable like an ordinary girl… It’s this combination that deeply attracts me.”

Lin Yan didn’t expect that her rejection would lead to such a lengthy confession from Song Yuhang. She was stunned, helpless, and had a mix of complex emotions written all over her face. Her usually composed expression had finally crumbled.

“Song Yuhang, you should change your name.”

“To what?”

“Song Silly.”¹

“……”

She had never encountered someone so genuinely simple and naturally naive. Could she not hear that she was being rejected? Or was her rejection not clear enough?

Lin Yan took a deep breath, intending to speak again, when someone from the Criminal Investigation Department rushed in and called out, “Captain Song, Dr. Lin, we have a new lead.”

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1. “憨憨” is a playful term in Chinese that can mean “silly” or “simple-minded” but is often used affectionately.