Miss Forensics – Chapter 7

Volume One: First Scroll

Blind Date

I’m marrying him, not your family, and certainly not you.

“So boring, so boring, when will we get a case…” Lin Yan fidgeted restlessly in her chair while painting her nails.

Duan Cheng turned his head from the desk in front: “Jie, about yesterday’s injury assessment…”

“What kind of case is an injury assessment? I’m a forensic examiner, not a doctor.”

Lin Yan blew her freshly painted nails dry, holding them up against the sunset. Her delicate finger bones were clearly defined, and her fair skin complemented the bright red nail polish perfectly. She was satisfied.

Zheng Chengrui turned around with an oily face: “Then what counts as a case?”

He was merely curious, but Fang Xin couldn’t stop his question in time.

Sure enough.

“Serial killings, dismemberment and cannibalism, family massacres… only cases of this caliber count, right?”

After she spoke, the room fell silent. Several people looked at her without speaking. Fang Xin clearly had a disapproving expression but held her tongue for some reason.

The atmosphere notably became stiff.

However, Lin Yan never cared about others’ opinions of her. She’d rather have everyone in the world think she was crazy or a monster and keep their distance.

The wall clock had just passed six when this young lady suddenly stood up, tossing her uniform onto the chair: “Ah, freedom at last! I’m off, everyone, bye-bye!”

She left with carefree abandon, unaware of the gossip starting behind her back.

“This Lin Yan, coming late and leaving early, doing nothing all day, and saying such things – she’s truly a disgrace to civil servants.”

Someone fumed indignantly.

“Just yesterday, she was seen kissing someone at the entrance of the city bureau. She’s treating the Public Security Bureau like her own doorstep!”

“A tree without bark will surely die, a person without shame is invincible [树不要皮必死无疑，人不要脸天下无敌 | shù bùyào pí bì sǐ wúyí, rén bùyào liǎn tiānxià wúdí | a Chinese saying about shamelessness]. Who told her to have such a good family background? I studied for three years to get into the city bureau, while she… heh…”

As the rumors were escalating, Song Yuhang quietly stood up and hung her coat on the rack.

The voices abruptly stopped, and the topic shifted to her.

“Captain Song leaving early today?”

“Mm, got something to do.”

Just then, Zhang Jinhai [張金海 | Zhāng Jīnhǎi] walked in with a teacup: “Blind date?”

She responded neutrally: “Mm.”

“Right, Captain Song must be in her thirties now. It’s time to get married and have children, set an example for the young ones. The Economic Investigation Unit next door keeps calling us the Bachelor Police Squad.”

The Criminal Investigation Department wasn’t large, mostly young men. Except for Zhang Jinhai who was married with children, everyone else was single. That’s why he rarely took shifts and hardly ever investigated cases personally, let alone conducted field visits.

Everyone laughed cheerfully, but Song Yuhang remained expressionless. She nodded for him to move aside, took her car keys, and left.

As usual, Lin Yan planned to have a few drinks after work. She opened her phone to message Lin Ge.

“Eight o’clock, meet at Landi [蓝迪 | Lán dí]?”

The reply came quickly: “Can’t, got plans.”

“Blind date?”

Lin Ge replied with a deeply aggrieved expression.

Lin Yan eagerly suggested: “Want me to come check them out for you?”

“Please no, gunainai [姑奶奶 | gūnǎinai | term for respected female elder, used here sarcastically]. I’d still like to have a pleasant dinner.”

With Lin Yan’s personality, who knew what mischief she might cause.

Lin Yan typed a line, then deleted it: “Alright then, good luck.”

There was no further reply. Lin Yan tossed her phone aside and leaned back gently in her seat. The city lights flowed beneath her eyes, reflecting her somewhat lonely expression in the car window.

The butler turned and asked: “Young Miss, shall we head home?”

“No, just drive around.” Back home, she would lock herself in the attic again, getting through days with alcohol and sleeping pills.

She was truly tired of living this way, yet she had to keep dragging herself along, like a madwoman.

A mocking smile played at the corners of Lin Yan’s lips.

The car drove silently on the road. Lin Yan turned her head, taking in fleeting glimpses of the city’s true face through the bizarre lights.

Fourteen years apart.

Skyscrapers had sprung up from the ground, roads had become wider, evening rush hour traffic was congested, traffic lights kept flashing, and white-collar workers in suits hurried along carrying briefcases.

Boys and girls in blue and white school uniforms playfully crossed the road. A ponytailed girl walking behind mischievously tugged at the braids of the girl in front.

The two burst into laughter, their smiles carrying the fresh scent of early summer breeze.

Lin Yan’s gaze was unconsciously drawn to them, watching as they stopped at a Western restaurant’s entrance, pressing against the display window to peer inside.

“Are you hungry?”

“Mm, a little.”

“Let’s go eat then.”

“Better not, this place is too expensive.”

For a moment, she wasn’t sure if she was watching the past or the future.

When she came to her senses, she had already gotten out of the car and was standing at the Western restaurant’s entrance.

The two children, seeing someone approach, vanished in a flash.

Lin Yan looked up at the restaurant’s sign “Nanchan” [南禪 | Nánchán | Southern Zen], a poetic name and a long-standing establishment in Jiangcheng.

The shop had been renovated, but the ancient-style sign still hung there. After all these years, they hadn’t changed the name or relocated.

For some unknown reason, a wave of melancholy kinship welled up in her heart, along with a hint of gratitude.

It turned out she wasn’t the only one who remembered this city and cherished the old ways.

“One sirloin steak, Caesar salad, and your most expensive red wine, thank you,” Lin Yan closed the menu and handed it to the waiter.

“Miss, what sauce would you like with your steak?”

“Black truffle butter sauce”

She blurted it out almost unconsciously, then suddenly frowned.

The waiter, reading her expression, thought she wanted to change her order and hurriedly started recommending alternatives. Lin Yan opened her mouth but just waved him away.

“This way please, Lin xiansheng [林先生 | Lín xiānsheng | Mr. Lin], we’ve reserved a seat for you. Shall we serve the dishes now?” During the dinner rush hour, the restaurant was fully packed as a waiter led Lin Ge this way.

“No need, my date hasn’t arrived yet. We’ll look at the menu later to see what she’d like.”

The voice sounded familiar. Lin Yan put down her cutlery and looked back: “Lin Ge?”

“Lin Yan!” The well-dressed man’s eyes lit up upon seeing her. He quickly walked over and sat across from her.

“What a coincidence!”

“Indeed it is.”

After Lin Yan went abroad to study, they hadn’t seen each other. Meeting again after many years, both had shed their youthful awkwardness.

She remembered how Lin Ge used to be nicknamed “Four-Eyes Frog”, with his bowl cut, thick glasses, and habit of sniffling between sentences. When she bullied him, he would just laugh sheepishly. Unlike her rebellious nature, Lin Ge was a proper, upright student.

After all these years, he truly had the air of a social elite – no more glasses, a fresh crew cut, a well-fitted suit, and a properly knotted tie.

Lin Yan smacked her lips: “Did you go abroad to study or for plastic surgery?”

“Go to hell!” He had just been basking in the illusion that she’d grown prettier over the years when her words yanked him back to reality.

Lin Yan was still the same sharp-tongued, unlikeable Lin Yan.

“Your tangge [堂哥 | táng gē | male cousin] is talented, in his prime, graceful, and unmatched…”

His voice was clear and bright, and despite his playful tone, it wasn’t irritating at all.

As if this was simply who Lin Ge was – bright and pure as the moon after rain [光風霁月 | guāng fēng jì yuè | idiom meaning noble and pure character].

Lin Yan pretended to retch, then returned to the topic: “Stop with the ‘tangge’ stuff. I have nothing to do with the Lin family.”

“Then what do you have to do with?”

“Money, of course. You know I’m only close to money.”

“…” He finally understood the true meaning of ‘whoever feeds me is my mother, whoever pays me is my father’.

Lin Yan truly drew clear lines – unwilling to return and inherit the family business, yet unwilling to give up the Lin family’s enormous wealth.

Having it both ways, as if it were her natural right.

His phone vibrated in his hand. Lin Ge checked the time and stood up: “Alright, enough chat. Are you done eating?”

The steak had barely been touched, and Lin Yan had lost her appetite: “About to leave anyway.”

“Let me order you a bottle of Lafite [2005 Pauillac Château Lafite Rothschild Bordeaux]. Stay and drink. Since you’re here, don’t rush off. Aren’t you good at sizing people up? Help me check her out too. My mom said if this doesn’t work out, she’ll break my legs.”

“…” Was being good at sizing people up supposed to be a compliment?

Lin Yan made to hit him. Lin Ge dodged nervously and called the waiter over to order, watching painfully as she ordered the most expensive wine.

“You’re such a black-hearted one. Just wait until your wedding – I’ll extort you so hard, I swear on the Lin name.”

Lin Yan leaned back on the sofa with her 48,000-yuan bottle of wine: “Maybe in the next life.”

Lin Ge: “…I regret this. Can I make you leave?”

Lin Yan took a sip of wine and raised her glass to him: “Young Master Lin, it’s easier to invite the gods than to send them away [請神容易送神難 | qǐng shén róngyì sòng shén nán | idiom meaning it’s harder to get rid of someone than to invite them].”

At 7:55, Song Yuhang parked nearby and walked into the restaurant precisely at 8:00.

Lin Ge stood up and waved: “Miss Song, over here.”

Lin Yan raised an eyebrow next door. Surname Song? She couldn’t help thinking of a certain perpetually sour-faced police officer, shuddered, and quickly took a sip of wine to calm her nerves.

The soft sound of chairs moving, and the woman handed back the menu: “Just these, thank you.”

Her voice was pleasant, soft and soothing.

But why did it sound increasingly familiar?

“I’m sorry, my mother took matters into her own hands, causing you trouble…”

Lin Ge smiled and poured her a glass of water, knowing coffee wouldn’t be good in the evening.

“To be honest, my mother also…”

The man’s face showed some distress, and they exchanged knowing smiles, both understanding.

It seemed they were both forced into this meeting.

Song Yuhang relaxed slightly.

Following the usual pattern, after exchanging age and occupation last time, they should discuss hobbies now.

Song Yuhang searched her mind thoroughly: “What are your hobbies, Mr. Lin?”

“Not many – bowling, swimming, working out, or staying home reading. How about you, Miss Song?”

“Free combat, reading, things like that.”

Free combat? That intense?

If there was domestic violence later, could Lin Ge even fight back?

Lin Yan secretly mused.

Through the waist-high sofa divider, Lin Yan could feel the wave of awkwardness.

She heard Lin Ge force a laugh: “What kind of books do you read, Miss Song? Perhaps we have something in common.”

Song Yuhang hesitated, then said: “The Interpretation of Dreams, Crime and Personality, Criminal Profiling, and various other miscellaneous books.”

These were already her most non-professional reading materials, but most people probably hadn’t even heard of them.

She tried to change the subject, but unexpectedly, Lin Ge smiled and continued.

“No wonder. Miss Song is impressive. Among Freud’s original works, I only attempted Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, but got too sleepy halfway through.”

Song Yuhang was slightly stunned. She’d been on blind dates before, and whenever she mentioned these topics, others either looked bewildered or dismissive, rushing to correct her that women should read romance or parenting books.

Lin Ge was the first man outside the system to compliment her on such matters.

“Really? Getting halfway through Introductory Lectures is quite impressive too.”

Criminal Profiling? What kind of chaotic reading list is this – could this person be a pervert?

Lin Yan stretched her ears, growing curious.

The atmosphere gradually warmed up. Lin Ge opened up – he wasn’t a rigid person to begin with, and knowing the other party wasn’t marriage-focused, he relaxed considerably, his conversation becoming more natural.

“Speaking of which, when Auntie Wang came to my clinic for dental work, I didn’t know she was your mother’s friend. Then you found my mother’s wallet – it must be fate.”

Song Yuhang curved her lips slightly, agreeing with a smile: “Yes, but as a police officer, returning lost items to their owners is just duty.”

Lin Yan’s eyebrows twitched. How unromantic!

Where did Lin Ge find such an oddball? If it were her, she’d definitely play along with the fate talk until it led straight to the bedroom.

Wait!

Police officer—

And surname Song!

How could such a coincidence exist?

Lin Yan’s hair stood on end, and she choked spectacularly on her wine.

The commotion next door was quite loud. Lin Ge continued cutting his steak unfazed: “We’ve been talking for a while, you must be hungry. Please eat.”

Inner thoughts: Lin Yan, what the hell are you doing?

The cursed Lin Yan sneezed again, wiped her nose with a tissue, and with a desperate expression, tremblingly stood up and climbed onto the sofa seat.

While eating, Song Yuhang kept feeling someone watching her. Uncomfortable, she glanced up at Lin Ge across the table, only to find him intensely focused on battling his steak.

It couldn’t be him.

Song Yuhang slightly furrowed her brows and slowly looked up.

Lin Yan inched up the sofa chair and slowly looked down.

When their eyes met, Song Yuhang’s face was expressionless: “Forensic Doctor Lin.”

Lin Yan let out a ghostly shriek: “Ge, I don’t approve of you two being together!!!!”

Lin Ge’s wine went entirely to his expensive suit: “Cough cough cough cough cough!”

He coughed as if he had tuberculosis.

Lin Ge looked at Lin Yan sitting beside him, then at the unfazed Song Yuhang across the table: “You two?”

A question mark slowly formed in his mind.

“Are you after our family’s money? I’ll give you ten million to leave my ge and never see him again.” Lin Yan never imagined she’d utter such melodramatic lines straight from an 8 PM soap opera.

Lin Ge opened his mouth: “Well…”

Lin Yan shot him a fierce glare, and he took a sip of wine, sealing his mouth with invisible tape.

Song Yuhang looked at her with an ambiguous smile. Looking closely, Lin Yan and Lin Ge didn’t look alike, but they both carried that natural nobility of wealthy families.

Usually, she’d leave without bothering to argue, but for some reason, she wanted to deflate that arrogant attitude, show her that not everything could be solved with money.

“I don’t care about money. I have hands and feet to earn my own. I think your ge is quite nice – attentive, gentle, considerate. He’d make a good husband.”

Lin Yan was distraught: “That’s because you haven’t seen his other side! In summer he runs around the house without washing his socks or feet, he’s lifted little neighbor girls’ skirts, and his room is full of erotic man-“

Before she could finish, Lin Ge firmly covered her mouth: “I’m so sorry, Miss Song, how embarrassing, how embarrassing…”

He then turned to Lin Yan with a cold smile: “You’re finished. Wait till I tell Uncle Lin.”

Lin Yan pushed his hand away: “Our family has so many rules, you’ll regret marrying in!”

Song Yuhang adjusted to a more comfortable position: “No problem, I’m marrying him, not your family, and certainly not you.”

Implying this was none of her business.

Just thinking about her marrying into the Lin family, seeing her during holidays, having to call her “sister-in-law,” while Song Yuhang despised her and might lord over her with her senior status, making faces at everything she did.

Lin Yan nearly choked on her own rage.

In desperation, she blurted out: “You can’t marry him, he’s gay! A fake marriage won’t bring happiness!”

The entire restaurant turned to look. The approaching waiter stumbled, nearly dropping his tray.

Lin Ge exploded: “Lin Yan, are you done?!”

“I-” Lin Yan knew she was wrong, pouted: “No… I… ah…”

Seeing her somewhat pitiful look, Song Yuhang’s eyes flickered with amusement.

But she concealed it well, maintaining her usual calm expression.

“Straight or gay, I’m not young anymore. Forensic Doctor Lin, I think your ge will be a responsible good man.”

Lin Yan took a deep breath, barely restraining herself from cursing, and stiffly turned to Lin Ge.

“Didn’t you say you liked smart, quick-witted, lively, and cute girls?!”

Song Yuhang was none of these!

“I think Miss Song is perfect as she is. Marriage isn’t the same as dating.”

Song Yuhang lowered her head slightly, letting out a chuckle, then resumed her serious expression when Lin Yan glared at her.

As a successful man who cared about face, after she’d praised him so much, Lin Ge wouldn’t disrespect her.

So no matter what Lin Yan said, as long as it was in front of her, Lin Ge would definitely contradict her.

“She’s super pedantic and rigid! She’ll control you so strictly!”

“That’s fine, someone like Miss Song must be very domestic.”

“She practices free combat, aren’t you afraid she’ll abuse you?!”

Lin Ge gazed over tenderly: “I trust she won’t.”

Song Yuhang avoided the awkward eye contact by pretending to drink water.

Mentioning free combat made the back of Lin Yan’s head throb. She gritted her teeth, still hadn’t settled this morning’s score.

As she was about to speak again, Song Yuhang set down her glass and looked at her calmly.

Her eyes were light-colored, appearing crystalline and warm under the restaurant’s soft lighting.

Being a date, she wasn’t in uniform today, wearing a simple white shirt that fit perfectly at the shoulders and waist.

She looked quite attractive when she wasn’t teasing people.

Just as this thought crossed Lin Yan’s mind, she spoke: “Forensic Doctor Lin, do you hate me that much?”

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LP: Re-translated on February 23, 2025

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