Miss Forensics – Chapter 79

Volume One: First Scroll

Clouds of Suspicion

Lin Yan also fastened her discipline buckle.

When Lin Yan received Song Yuhang’s call, she wasn’t fully awake yet. She slowly fumbled for her phone from under the pillow, her voice hoarse when she spoke: “Mm?”

Just hearing that voice reminded Song Yuhang of those exceptionally charming and intimate moments from last night. Her ears warmed slightly. She covered her lips with her fist, coughed lightly, and walked aside to talk.

“Hey, I originally wanted to let you sleep in a bit longer, but there’s a case now… Sorry, I’ll make up for your leave later.”

Lin Yan, who had been drowsy, immediately widened her eyes upon hearing this. She sprang up from the bed, let out a soft hiss, and then, having pulled something painful somewhere, flopped back down with a thud, rubbing her lower back. “I’ll be there in a bit.”

Half an hour later, a police van with the large characters “Criminal Scene Investigation” emblazoned on it screeched to a halt at the entrance of the urban village.

The van door slid open, and a group of people emerged one after another. Lin Yan was the last, her posture slightly unnatural as she held onto the car door while getting out.

Song Yuhang walked over, helped her down, and simultaneously took the investigation kit from her hand.

Lin Yan tried to take it herself, but Song Yuhang swung it onto her own back, put an arm around Lin Yan’s shoulder, and led her forward, lowering her voice, “You’ve worked hard. Does it still hurt?”

Lin Yan was actually dressed very neatly today: long sleeves and pants, a black training uniform with “Scene Investigation” written on the back, combat boots, and her curly hair tied up, giving her a rather dashing and heroic appearance. The best part was that her discipline buckle was also fastened, completely concealing the ambiguous marks on her neck.

Song Yuhang glanced at it, unable to hold back a smile.

Lin Yan pinched her waist, her voice seething, “What do you think, Officer Song?”

Song Yuhang chuckled. As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the courtyard gate. With so many people around, she had to be mindful of her image. She patted Lin Yan’s shoulder, signaling her to lean in.

It looked as if they were discussing something important, but what she actually said was:

“If you ask me, it was just too little. Practice makes perfect, you know.”

Why hadn’t she ever noticed how thick-skinned Song Yuhang was before? If it weren’t for the crowd, Lin Yan would have slapped her. Even so, she pushed her away, grabbed the investigation kit from her shoulder, and walked into the house. The mask covering most of her delicate, charming face also hid the blush that had risen to her cheeks.

Song Yuhang’s lips curved slightly as she followed her in.

The moment she stepped inside, the choking smell of coal smoke stung her eyes. Lin Yan coughed, waving her hand a few times in the air.

Song Yuhang walked to her side. “The room was full of smoke when we first came in too. This is after ventilating it for a while.”

The only back window in the room was open.

Lin Yan glanced at it, took out gloves from the investigation kit, put them on, and walked to the bedside.

Fingerprint and DNA collection were already underway.

Song Yuhang uncovered the source of the coal smoke. The fire in the stove had already gone out. She poked it with a fire tong; it was completely blocked, and there was unburnt coal at the bottom. She then knocked on the chimney pipe; it was solid, likely blocked as well.

No wonder the smoke couldn’t escape.

Duan Cheng was photographing the body, zooming in, and pressing the shutter. “Lin-jie, the deceased’s cheeks, livor mortis, are cherry-red. Plus, with such a strong coal smell in the room, it should be death by carbon monoxide poisoning, right?”

Lin Yan pulled open the deceased’s eyelids, shone a penlight on them, then manually opened his mouth and used a tongue depressor to examine both sides. Another criminal investigation officer beside her held an examination lamp for her.

“You’ve made progress. However, victims of acute CO¹ poisoning often experience severe headaches, dizziness, and palpitations in the initial stages. At this point, although in pain, they are still conscious. The human survival instinct would compel the deceased to crawl towards doors or windows. Therefore, during scene investigations, we might find many drag marks, or the person might die on the floor, near a window, or behind a door.”

She didn’t raise her head, nor did her hands stop moving.

“Look at this scene. Isn’t it excessively clean?”

Prompted by her, Duan Cheng finally noticed that not only were the deceased’s clothes intact, but even the bedsheet where he lay didn’t have a single wrinkle. This indicated that there was no violent struggle at the time of death; he hadn’t even moved.

“When you guys were staking out, was anyone following him?” Song Yuhang asked.

Several field team members stood in a row, shaking their heads. “No one was following him. He came back alone and never came out again. We were watching the whole time; we couldn’t have missed it.”

“Did anyone enter the courtyard during this period?”

The field team leader shook his head. “No, it’s a single, detached house. We were all stationed nearby. There shouldn’t be any blind spots. If someone had come in, we would definitely have seen them.”

As they were speaking, Fang Xin walked over with an evidence bag.

“Captain Song, no fingerprints from a second person were found at the scene.”

Song Yuhang frowned slightly and gestured for the others to disperse and interview the surrounding residents.

She surveyed the room’s furnishings, picking up a cigarette butt from under the coal stove. A quick shine of her flashlight revealed something all too familiar: Zhonghua. She often smoked this brand too.

Song Yuhang called someone over to put it in an evidence bag, then stood up and walked towards Lin Yan.

Duan Cheng stood on the other side of the bed near the window, taking photos. “Lin-jie, could he have died from the fumes in his sleep?”

Lin Yan unbuttoned the deceased’s clothes, observing the characteristics on the body’s surface. “That possibility can’t be ruled out. However, I wouldn’t be able to sleep with such a strong smell.”

“Unless…” She pressed the deceased’s chest. Rigor mortis² had already set in, and a large, distinct patch of cherry-red discoloration was visible on the skin.

Lin Yan took off her mask, leaned down close to the deceased’s mouth, and sniffed hard.

Song Yuhang stared intently at the nape of Lin Yan’s neck where her hair was tied up. At that distance, she was genuinely afraid Lin Yan might lose her balance and accidentally kiss the corpse.

Fortunately, Lin Yan straightened up. “There’s a smell of alcohol. Fang Xin, draw blood. Run a blood alcohol content test.”

Fang Xin acknowledged with a sound and walked over with the investigation kit.

When Lin Yan turned back, her gaze met Song Yuhang’s. She subtly averted her eyes and pulled her mask back on.

Song Yuhang walked to her side, took the examination lamp from someone nearby, and held it for them.

“He was already gone when we arrived. Initially, he was lying on his side, facing inwards,” Song Yuhang said, pointing.

“According to the field team’s report, he returned alone and never went out again. No one else came in. The doors and windows were tightly shut, and there were no signs of a struggle. There’s still unburnt coal in the stove. Lin Yan, can you estimate the time of death and rule out homicide?”

Lin Yan looked at the deceased’s repulsive face, not just because of his unsightly dead appearance, but also because of the vile things he had done to Bai Ling.

He didn’t deserve to be human. It was better that he was dead.

However…

Lin Yan closed her eyes for a moment and let out a turbid breath. “Judging by the body temperature and the degree of rigor mortis, the estimated time of death is within one to four hours. But it’s impossible to determine if it was an accidental death because there’s a smell of alcohol in his oral cavity—”

During the police’s recent thorough search, no alcohol bottles were found in the room. Song Yuhang also frowned slightly.

“So, that means he returned here after drinking. It’s around ten in the morning now. Counting back four hours, where did he drink, and with whom? These are all critically related to his death.”

Lin Yan nodded and took off her gloves. “Correct. Take him back to the bureau for a further autopsy.”

Several criminal police officers wearing gloves came in and placed the body in a body bag. Lin Yan removed her mask and walked out. The carbon monoxide in the room made her chest feel tight; of course, it could also be due to lack of rest last night.

Song Yuhang saw everyone was busy, so she grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the car for her, the cap already loosened.

Lin Yan took it and gulped down several mouthfuls. When she tilted her head back, a faint red mark was vaguely visible beneath her discipline buckle.

Song Yuhang still felt a little itch in her heart. “Have you eaten?”

Lin Yan shook her head, wiping the corner of her lips with the back of her hand. “No, I came as soon as I got the call.”

“I knew it,” Song Yuhang grumbled.

Lin Yan rolled her eyes, too lazy to bother with her. Who was it that called her over? And who was it that had kept her up so late last night, making it impossible for her to get up?

The next moment, that person furtively pulled out a carton of milk and a piece of bread from her police coat pocket, inserted a straw, and handed it to her.

“Eat something. Otherwise, you’ll get carsick on the way back again.”

Lin Yan verbally refused, but her eyes lingered on the paper carton. Song Yuhang chuckled, took two steps closer, and stuffed it into her hand. “There are people around. Don’t make me feed you.”

Lin Yan feigned a hit. Song Yuhang dodged a few steps away. Seeing that things were mostly packed up, she had to go to the police car in front; she couldn’t ride with the technical investigation team. So, she patted Lin Yan’s shoulder, brushed past her, and left with a meaningful sentence.

“See you tonight.”

Lin Yan stomped her foot. “Who wants to see you tonight? Get lost!”

On the way back, Lin Yan still looked sleepy and listless.

Duan Cheng watched her swaying. “Lin-jie, did you go clubbing again last night?”

Lin Yan yawned, leaned back against the seat, and lazily lifted her eyelids in response.

She thought to herself, This ‘clubbing’ session was a big one. I didn’t sleep until four or five in the morning. Damn it, Song Yuhang is still so energetic today. Is she made of iron?

“Lin-jie, where do you usually go for drinks and clubbing? I want to check it out too. My nerves have been so tense lately, I haven’t relaxed in ages…”

Fang Xin patted him. “What’s it to you?”

Duan Cheng turned back, seemingly having found some amusement. “Hey, let’s go together. You haven’t been either, right? I heard that ‘Painted Skin’ movie that came out recently is pretty good, but I haven’t had time to see it…”

“Why would I go to a movie with you?”

“We’re idle anyway.”

…

While the two bickered, the car had already arrived at the entrance of the Municipal Bureau.

Training Room.

Song Yuhang sat at the head of the table, and Lin Yan sat down next to her.

On the whiteboard in front of them were photos of the deceased and compiled clues.

A criminal investigation officer used a presenter remote, projecting the content onto a large screen and giving an introduction.

“The deceased, male, Gao Qiang³, twenty-six years old, second son of Hongwei Real Estate Co., Ltd. His father was placed under investigation by public security organs for accepting huge sums of money, violating discipline regarding integrity, and suspected duty-related crimes. The company later went into bankruptcy liquidation. Gao himself was suspected in a r#pe case, wanted by the police city-wide. He died this morning in an urban village in the East City District, suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, but homicide cannot be ruled out.”

The officer spoke at a steady, unhurried pace.

Song Yuhang frowned slightly looking at the photo on the big screen. The man was in his early twenties, wearing a suit and leather shoes, gold-rimmed glasses, and a small ponytail, exuding an air of a refined scoundrel. This was a world apart from the disheveled, shabbily dressed person at the scene.

She exchanged a glance with Lin Yan. Song Yuhang remembered.

That night at Milan Bar, the man who had danced with Lin Yan, tried to harass Bai Ling, and was ultimately stopped by her—it was this person.

Song Yuhang’s knuckles tapped lightly on the tabletop. “Investigate this person’s social connections, especially his shady friends. Hongwei Real Estate has been bankrupt for some time, right? Focus on investigating those with whom he had financial disputes.”

Speaking of Hongwei’s bankruptcy, she glanced at Lin Yan. Lin Yan raised her eyebrows nonchalantly:

Why are you looking at me? Flies don’t bite a seamless egg⁴.

Song Yuhang understood, a corner of her lip twitching before she turned back.

“Cybersecurity, start checking the surveillance footage. Trace his movements along the main roads around his residence for the past few days—where he went, who he contacted.”

“It’s the end of the year. To avoid causing public panic, this case must be solved as soon as possible. Whether it’s suicide, homicide, or accidental death, even if he has another case pending, we still have to do what needs to be done. Understand?”

“Understood!” came the unified reply.

Song Yuhang nodded, preparing to adjourn the meeting.

“Oh, one more thing. Notify all district police stations to strengthen patrols. Chinese New Year is approaching. The more festive and joyous the occasion for families, the less we can afford to relax. Petty thieves and burglars are all looking to boost their ‘quotas⁵‘ at this time. We must ensure the citizens have a good New Year.”

Someone below chuckled softly. “Captain Song, we’re also looking to boost our ‘quotas’ at this time. Catch one, get one. We’ll have next year’s merit medal.”

The young criminal police officers let out a muffled laugh. Even Lin Yan couldn’t help but curve her lips slightly, before quickly reverting to her cold expression.

After Zhang Jinhai’s departure, this young team had not sunk into depression. Instead, under Song Yuhang’s leadership, they were flourishing like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, full of vitality.

If he were watching from heaven, he would be gratified.

Song Yuhang glanced at last year’s group photo of the criminal investigation department on the wall, then stood up. “Alright, meeting adjourned. Everyone get to your tasks. Notify me immediately if anything comes up.”

Song Yuhang naturally had her own matters to attend to. Lin Yan also turned to change clothes and prepare for the autopsy.

Scrubbing hands, putting on protective gear, neatly tucking her hair into a cap, donning goggles—all done in one smooth motion.

Lin Yan walked into the low-temperature autopsy room. The ventilation fan was already running.

Duan Cheng turned on the camera.

“Deceased, Gao Qiang. January 15, 2008, 1:40 PM. First autopsy, commencing now.”

Lin Yan picked up a scalpel from the tray and made a straight incision, a Y-incision from head to tail, opening the chest and abdomen. She began methodically removing ribs and extracting organs for weighing.

Since the deceased hadn’t been dead for long, it was still quite bloody, and the strong smell of blood was nauseating.

Duan Cheng, however, kept holding the camera steady and hadn’t gone out to vomit again.

In contrast, Lin Yan, even though this was a person she detested from the bottom of her heart, still performed her work very seriously. Her hand movements were unhurried, and the data she reported was quick and accurate, truly astonishing.

While the technical investigation team was busy, Song Yuhang wasn’t idle either. She went to interrogate the other suspects involved in Bai Ling’s assault again.

“Officer, we just harmed her on a whim. She didn’t die then, so at most, it’s a r#pe charge, right?” The little hoodlum opposite her grinned, revealing a set of yellowed teeth, and jiggled his handcuffs at her.

“Look, when can you let me out?”

Before the court’s formal judgment, they couldn’t be called “criminals” but “criminal suspects,” uniformly detained in a detention center. Only after the court’s verdict could they be transferred to prison.

During this period, they also had the right to meet with a lawyer. This kid was hoping to get off scot-free.

Song Yuhang’s lips twitched. She placed her pen on the table. “Don’t be anxious. You’ll be out soon. But not to go home—to go to prison.”

She took a cigarette from the pack on the table and lit it, watching with satisfaction as the other person’s expression changed.

Amidst the swirling smoke, she leaned back in her chair, exuding a casual aura, yet her eyes were cold and sharp.

“Just a r#pe charge? Your ‘whim’ destroyed a young girl’s bright life and future, pushing her into an abyss of despair. It was an indirect cause of her suicide. You still think your crime doesn’t deserve death?”

She gently blew a smoke ring, leaned forward, and the smoke wafted towards his face.

There was no air conditioning or heating in the interrogation room. It was unclear whether it was cold or something else, but goosebumps rose on the yellow-toothed man’s back.

Song Yuhang’s gaze seemed to pass through him, looking into the void behind him. “She died a terrible death. Every time you wake from a nightmare, don’t you feel even a little bit guilty, conflicted, or regretful?”

“There’s an old Chinese saying: every injustice has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. It’s not that retribution is lacking, it’s just that its time has not yet come.”

The person sitting opposite her began to swallow frequently, his leg shaking. He was getting restless.

The yellow-toothed man saw her reach for another cigarette from the table, glanced at it, and his voice trembled, “Give me one. I’ll talk. I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything.”

Song Yuhang sat back, tossed him a cigarette, and gestured for someone to light it for him. The recording officer beside them opened the notepad.

She nodded. “Begin.”

---

Today was Tuesday, and also the last day of the second semester. Ji Jingxing had specifically asked her boss for leave early, getting off work ahead of time to pick up Xiao Wei from school.

Usually, when she was too busy, Song Yuhang would help out. She felt too embarrassed to always trouble Mother Song, who was getting on in years after all.

However, times had changed. Since their last argument, Song Yuhang hadn’t actively sought her out, and Ji Jingxing felt even more ashamed to bother her.

Lost in these thoughts, Ji Jingxing was momentarily dazed. The red light ahead turned green, and cars behind her honked frantically. Only then did she snap back to reality and gently press the accelerator.

The first press, nothing. The second, with a bit more force, still nothing.

Ji Jingxing was dumbfounded. She unbuckled her seatbelt, preparing to get out and check. The engine probably had problems again; it hadn’t been long since the last repair.

It was rush hour, the time for picking up children from school. The road was bustling with traffic, and she and her car stood forlornly in the middle of the road.

Surges of traffic occasionally swept past her, horns blaring incessantly.

Ji Jingxing yelled into her phone at the 4S dealership⁶: “Hey, what’s wrong with you guys? How did you fix it last time? Why has it stalled again—”

Before she could finish, the other party hung up with a “bang.”

“Hello? Hello? Hello?”

No matter how much she yelled, the receiver only emitted a dial tone.

Ji Jingxing was both angry and anxious. It was almost time for school to let out, and she was afraid Xiao Wei would be waiting anxiously alone at school. But the car couldn’t be towed away anytime soon.

She took out her phone, preparing to call 122 for police assistance, when a car slowly glided to her side and stopped.

The window rolled down, and Lin Ge, gripping the steering wheel, looked at her. “Miss Ji?”

Ji Jingxing turned her head, finding him somewhat familiar. “You… You are?”

“My name is Lin Ge. We met at the hospital.” Lin Ge smiled gently, his gaze slightly probing as he looked at her and her car.

“What’s… wrong here?”

After hearing her explanation, Lin Ge thought for a moment, made a call, got out of his car, and proactively opened his car door for her.

“If Miss Ji doesn’t mind, please take my car. I’ll take you to the school to pick up your child first. The tow truck company will be here soon.”

Ji Jingxing declined, “Ah—no need. I’ll just call the police and wait here for a bit.”

“With all the cars coming and going, it’s not safe for you to stand here in the middle of the road.” Lin Ge also got out, took out a triangular warning sign from his trunk, ran a little further to place it, and then came back.

“Besides, even if you call the police, they’ll just have someone tow the car away. They can’t possibly repair it in the middle of this main road, right?”

Ji Jingxing smiled faintly; her terrible mood had warmed up slightly. “That’s true. But I should still wait for the tow truck company. After all, I’m the car owner. In case there are any procedures to handle, and it’s better to pay the fees all at once.”

From this exchange, Lin Ge sensed her meticulousness. Looking at her attire—she was still wearing a small suit jacket, a pencil skirt, and the lawyer’s badge on her chest glinted in the sunset—it was clear she had rushed over straight from work.

Noticing him observing her, Ji Jingxing suddenly realized, her face flushing. She fumbled to remove the badge from her clothes.

“Sorry, I was in too much of a hurry…”

“Hey, be careful!”

A tricycle swerved and charged towards them. Lin Ge yanked her over. Ji Jingxing stumbled and fell into his arms. A strong masculine scent assailed her, distinctly different from the gentle, soft feeling Song Yuhang exuded.

Ji Jingxing froze for a moment, then quickly came to her senses and took a step back. “Tha… Thank you.”

Lin Ge nodded and released her arm. “I think we should wait on the roadside.”

“Okay.” Ji Jingxing still felt a lingering fear from the incident and followed him to the other side of the road.

Only then did she have time to check her clothes. Her chest was bare. Oh no, the lawyer’s badge?!

This thing wasn’t particularly large or small, but losing it was a huge hassle. It needed to be reported lost, and the local bar association had to submit an application for a replacement to the national bar association. There was no telling when it would arrive, but she needed to wear it for her daily work when meeting clients.

Ji Jingxing glanced at the endless stream of traffic, sighed, and pressed her forehead. Did I forget to check the almanac⁷ before going out today?

Lin Ge watched her series of actions and expressions, from panic to unease, and then to a calm acceptance of reality. He chuckled softly and presented a small badge held between his fingertips to her.

“Was Miss Ji looking for this?”

Ji Jingxing took it, overjoyed. “Ah? How did you get it?!”

“I saw it was about to fall just now, so I quickly caught it. I figured this thing should be as important as our doctor’s ID badges, right?”

Ji Jingxing put the badge safely into her shoulder bag and offered a genuinely grateful smile.

“Thank you, it’s very important. Losing it would have been a lot of trouble.”

As they spoke, the tow truck company arrived. Ji Jingxing completed the procedures, paid the fee, and asked them to tow it directly to the 4S dealership for repair.

Lin Ge then recommended another, more reliable 4S dealership to her, winking with a smile that had a touch of a big boy’s cheerfulness.

“My friend owns it. Mention my name for a fifty percent discount, okay?”

Ji Jingxing laughed. “Really? Are you sure it’s not a ‘bone-breaking’ discount?”⁸

The two of them burst into laughter.

Lin Ge glanced at his watch. “Well, it’s getting late. I should still take you to the school. It’s hard to get a taxi at this hour.”

Ji Jingxing had become a bit more familiar with him and could see that he was fundamentally a very gentle and kind person. She no longer refused and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll trouble you then.”

“Fasten your seatbelt.”

“Okay.”

She turned sideways, buckled her seatbelt, and inadvertently glanced at the ID badge he had tossed in the storage compartment. She looked at the photo for a few moments, then at his face, and then recalled their brief encounter in the hospital corridor, how he had anxiously paced outside Lin Yan’s operating room. Her mood suddenly became somewhat complicated.

“You and… Lin Yan are?”

Lin Ge turned the steering wheel to the left. “Yanyan is my cousin. What’s wrong?”

Ji Jingxing thought to herself: How can the brother be so nice, while the sister is like that?

Moreover, Lin Yan had an ambiguous relationship with Song Yuhang, which made her feel even more uneasy.

Lin Ge noticed her expression. “I heard Miss Song mention before that her sister-in-law is a very good person, highly capable at work, beautiful, and even as a single mother, she takes excellent care of her child. Seeing you today, it’s indeed true.”

He paused, then tilted his head slightly to look at her in the sunset glow. “Yanyan also has a good relationship with Miss Song. What’s wrong? Did she do something to make Miss Ji angry? Her personality is just a bit… domineering…”

The first half of his sentence praised her through Song Yuhang’s words, which Ji Jingxing accepted. The second half, recalling Lin Yan’s behavior when she splashed someone at McDonald’s—that wasn’t just domineering, that was practically disowning all her relatives⁹.

Ji Jingxing felt a pang of sympathy. Seeing that Lin Ge seemed to have a good relationship with Lin Yan, perhaps he could help persuade her. So, she decided to probe indirectly.

“No… Your esteemed younger sister¹⁰ is truly… truly…” After two “truly’s,” she swallowed back her complaints and rephrased it more tactfully.

“Did your blind date with Yuhang lead to anything?”

Lin Ge gave a wry smile, navigating smoothly through the traffic. “No, I was rejected.”

Ji Jingxing let out a sigh of relief, yet felt a little regretful. To be honest, compared to Lin Yan, and setting aside gender, she found Lin Ge much more agreeable.

“No wonder.”

Lin Ge parked the car at the school gate, looking at her quizzically. “What does that mean?”

Ji Jingxing hesitated, then said pointedly, “Don’t you think your sister and Yuhang are getting a bit… overly close?”

She deliberately emphasized her words.

Lin Ge looked over at her sharply.

---

“Mama, why didn’t Auntie come to pick me up?”

Ji Jingxing led the child out of the school campus, Xiao Wei’s cartoon schoolbag on her shoulder. She squatted down to tie her red scarf properly and zipped up her down jacket.

“Auntie is busy, so she couldn’t come pick Xiao Wei up.”

Xiao Wei counted on her fingers, looking a little dejected. “Mama and Auntie are both liars. Last time you said you’d take me out to play, but you didn’t. The time before last, and the time before the time before last too…”

Ji Jingxing’s heart ached. She stroked her head.

“Xiao Wei, listen to Mama. Auntie… from now on, Auntie can’t be with us as often as before… Auntie has work… she has her own life. Mama promises you, I’ll try to make more time to be with you in the future.”

Xiao Wei grabbed her mother’s fingers and blew warm air on them. “Mama, is it because you two argued that day?”

Ji Jingxing hadn’t wanted to bring up this topic. Hearing her say this made her eyes well up even more, and she pulled the child into her arms.

“No, Xiao Wei. Mama loves you.”

Little Wei Wei used her chubby little hands to wipe away her tears, sniffling herself. “Mama, don’t cry. Xiao Wei loves you too.”

Ji Jingxing’s heart warmed, and she smiled through her tears, pulling her up. “Mama’s okay. Let’s go, let’s go eat steak!”

“Okay, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go eat steak!”

After they left, Lin Ge’s car didn’t drive away. He leaned on the steering wheel, Ji Jingxing’s recent words echoing in his mind. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and he gradually clenched his jaw.

---

LP: Re-translated on June 06, 2025

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