Volume One: First Scroll
Hot Pot
Next year, Lin Yan and I are getting married. You’re welcome to come.
After Song Yuhang left, Lin Yan couldn’t sit still either. She grabbed her bag, ready to get up. “Ge1, I’m sorry about today’s meal. I’ll make it up to you another day.”
Lin Ge also stood up. The turn of events had been too sudden; he was still holding his chopsticks.
“Um… Yanyan, I’ve actually always wanted to ask, are you two… together?”
Lin Yan slowly turned to face him, her expression slightly unnatural. “Wh-why do you ask?”
Lin Ge gave a wry smile and put down his chopsticks. “When you like someone, even if you cover your mouth, it will still show in your eyes.”
He had watched Lin Yan grow up. Wild as she was, she had never looked at anyone with that kind of joyful, devoted gaze, let alone allowed someone to rest a hand on her shoulder. The last time someone had tried that, she had dislocated their arm, and it was he who had stepped in to smooth things over for her.
Lin Ge wasn’t a fool; moreover, he possessed a discerning heart that understood the ways of the world and human nature. He had known for a long time that Song Yuhang had someone in her heart, but he never expected that person to be his most beloved younger sister.
Since he had put it that way, Lin Yan felt there was no need to hide it anymore.
It was just that, towards Lin Ge, she felt a little guilty. After all, wasn’t Song Yuhang the person who had almost become her sister-in-law?
“I’m the one who didn’t handle this properly. You… don’t blame Song Yuhang. If you want to know how we got together, it was me who pestered her first.”
Given Lin Yan’s usual “none of your damn business, none of my damn business” personality, she would never have said such a thing, let alone take the blame upon herself.
Lin Ge closed his eyes for a moment, his usually cheerful face losing its smile. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Does Uncle Lin know?”
Lin Yan nodded. “He knows.”
This matter concerned a man’s pride. Lin Yan had thought he would fly into a rage, but his first concern was whether Lin Youyuan would become an obstacle for her.
A warmth spread through Lin Yan’s heart, and she felt a little sheepish. “Ge, don’t worry, that old bastard can’t hurt me now. This whole thing is my fault, deep down. Go ahead and scold me, as long as it makes you feel a bit better…”
The first half of her sentence sounded like a normal apology, but the latter half was her usual stream of nonsense.
“Besides, there are plenty of other fish in the sea2, right? With your great qualities, Ge, why hang yourself on one tree? A forced melon isn’t sweet3. How about I find you some suitable blind dates? Get you married off soon. If you’re busy, I can even help you babysit.”
Lin Ge chuckled, head down, and added some vegetables to the pot. “Forget it. Neither of us is any less busy than the other. If I let you babysit, you’d just raise another little terror4.”
Seeing him smile, Lin Yan felt half of her anxiety dissipate.
“Ge, so you’re not angry with me anymore?”
Lin Ge sat down again and picked up a piece of cooked meat, placing it in his bowl. “I am. My little sister snatched my blind date. What kind of dog blood5 ethics drama is this? However—”
His tone shifted. “As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. Is Song Yuhang good to you?”
Perhaps due to guilt, the usually perceptive Lin Yan didn’t notice he had used Song Yuhang’s full name directly.
Lin Yan nodded, a sweet smile unconsciously appearing on her face when she mentioned her, looking completely smitten.
Lin Ge dabbed his lips with a napkin and picked up another piece of tripe. “Good to you, yet she leaves as soon as someone calls?”
Speaking of which, Lin Yan also grew a little worried. Although Xiao Wei’s mother wasn’t much, the child was innocent.
“This is different. It’s a real emergency. After all, her brother only has this one child.”
Lin Ge looked up at her. “And I only have you as my sister.”
He often said this. Whether it was when she was wronged by Lin Cheng as a child, or when she had a falling out with the family as an adult, Lin Ge was the only one who stood by her.
She would never forget when she was eighteen. She hadn’t filled out her college application choices according to Lin Youyuan’s arrangements. Lin Youyuan had flown into a rage and wanted to kick her out of the house.
Lin Ge, just like now, had knelt before Lin Youyuan with a thud. “Uncle, don’t. Lin Yan is the only sister I have.”
She would forever be grateful for that moment.
Lin Yan smiled. “Tsk, so cheesy, like a sissy. You’re giving this old lady goosebumps. No matter who I’m with, you’re still my only brother.”
Even if Lin Cheng were still alive, he wouldn’t deserve that title.
After speaking, Lin Yan glanced at her watch; she really had to go. “This meal is on me, don’t fight me for it. See you on Friday.”
Lin Ge nodded and said no more, his voice as gentle as ever. “Be careful on your way.”
Lin Yan pushed open the door of the private room and left.
Behind her, Lin Ge put down his chopsticks, wiped his hands, and chewed on those two words: “Brother, huh…”
The two of them returned to the Municipal Bureau, one after the other.
Ji Jingxing was sitting on a chair in the reception room. Someone had poured her a cup of hot water, but she didn’t drink it, merely fidgeting with a handkerchief, her eyes red, looking utterly distraught.
“Where is she?!” Song Yuhang rushed in, bringing a gust of snowy wind with her.
“In the reception room.”
The moment Ji Jingxing saw her, it was as if she had found her pillar of support. She lunged forward and gripped Song Yuhang’s hand tightly.
“Yuhang, Yuhang, Xiao Wei…”
Time was pressing. Song Yuhang had no time for pleasantries and got straight to the point.
“When did she go missing? How did she disappear? Where was she last seen? Hurry up and tell me!”
Ji Jingxing managed to blink a couple of times, a stream of clear tears rolling down her cheeks.
“I… I… Her calligraphy class ends at 3:30 in the afternoon. I told her to wait for me at the tutoring center. Around 4:00, I left the company to pick her up.”
Despite her panic, Ji Jingxing managed to maintain some composure. She knew she couldn’t fall apart now; she had to recount all the facts clearly so Song Yuhang could piece together clues to find Xiao Wei.
“When I arrived at the tutoring center, it was about 4:15…” Ji Jingxing had a habit of wearing a watch, so she remembered clearly.
“The tutoring center teacher said she left on her own. I was furious at the time. Didn’t we agree she’d wait for me to pick her up? She’s only in the first grade of elementary school, how could they let her leave alone!”
Song Yuhang pinched the bridge of her nose. “Get to the point. After she left alone, you couldn’t contact her anymore?”
Ji Jingxing nodded, releasing her grip on Song Yuhang’s hand. She fumbled in her bag, pulled out her phone, and handed it to Song Yuhang, her expression panicked, her face streaked with tears.
“It’s all my fault… my fault…” Ji Jingxing was distraught, sobbing. “I should have gone to pick her up earlier, earlier… I was just thinking… thinking of taking on a few more cases… so when the year-end performance bonus came, I could take her abroad to play… She’s always wanted to go to Disneyland…”
Song Yuhang knew she had given Xiao Wei a Xiaolingtong6 phone long ago for easy contact.
She stood up, pressed the dial button, and called Xiao Wei. A cold system notification sound came from the earpiece.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off.”
Song Yuhang felt her temples throb violently, her heart burning with anxiety. Holding the phone, she pointed at Ji Jingxing and yelled, “It’s been four hours! What were you doing all this time?! You’re only reporting it now?!”
In criminal investigation, there’s the so-called “golden three hours”7 for finding missing children. Within these three hours, employing the “Ten-Person Four-Chase Method”8 could maximize the chances of recovering the missing child.
After these three hours, searching in a vast city like Jiangcheng was like looking for a needle in a haystack. This amount of time was enough for criminals to take a child to the provincial capital!
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I…” Ji Jingxing’s exquisite makeup was ruined by tears. Her neatly pinned hair had come loose from rushing over, there was dust on the sleeve of her suit jacket, and one of her high heels had lost its heel.
Hearing Song Yuhang’s words, her body went limp, and the world seemed to spin.
Song Yuhang quickly steadied her. Ji Jingxing fell into her arms, weeping. “I… I searched… I searched… I was afraid of troubling you… I only came to report it when I had no other choice…”
Song Yuhang remembered their argument on the street that night, the harsh words she had said to her, and the fact that Ji Jingxing had called her three times just now without her answering. She let out a heavy breath, feeling a little guilty. She pulled some tissues from the table for her, her tone softening as she helped Ji Jingxing to a chair.
“Wait here. I’ll notify you if there’s any news.”
With that, she turned and headed straight for the training room, deploying units as she walked.
“Field Team One, with the point of disappearance as the center, radiate a five-kilometer radius. Conduct an emergency search along the main roads in all four directions: east, south, west, and north.”
Police cars patrolling the streets received the order and sped off.
“Field Team Two, head to the long-distance bus station, train station, bus terminal, and tourist distribution centers to search for the child.”
“Field Team Three—” She pressed her temples, which were throbbing painfully, and walked into the training room, giving Ji Jingxing’s home address. “Send two people to stake out Building 48 in Jinrui Residential Area. The child knows the way; see if she went home by herself.”
Song Yuhang licked her somewhat chapped lips, knowing that such a hope was too slim.
She called another team to stay at the tutoring center, the place where Xiao Wei disappeared, in case she returned.
Another team rushed to Ji Jingxing’s workplace to stake out downstairs.
Half of Jiangcheng Municipal Bureau’s police force had been dispatched. Song Yuhang stood before the large screen again, staring at the surveillance feeds. Lin Yan, watching her busy movements, had naturally witnessed the moment Song Yuhang had held Ji Jingxing. With self-awareness, she didn’t make a sound to disturb her, merely tugged at the corner of her lips and returned to the technical investigation department.
Whether it was investigation and arrest, or stakeouts and surveillance, none of it had anything to do with technical investigation anyway.
Lin Yan changed into her white coat and went to do what she was supposed to do.
With so much commotion outside, Fang Xin in the lab had also heard about it. Seeing Lin Yan voluntarily return to work overtime was even stranger.
“Lin-jie, am I seeing things after a whole day of experiments?”
Lin Yan lazily took a test tube from the incubator. “Alright, you’re not seeing things. Your genuine Lin-jie is back.”
“Tsk, don’t you usually leave as soon as work ends?” Fang Xin teased her.
Lin Yan was fuming internally. “Isn’t it because—”
Isn’t it because that vixen was around? The moment she wasn’t looking, that woman would pounce on Song Yuhang. Who knew what trouble the two of them would stir up now that she was gone?
Besides, the child hadn’t been found yet, so she couldn’t leave with peace of mind. And she didn’t want to stay in the criminal investigation department watching them be all lovey-dovey, so she had no choice but to return to the lab.
“Because of what?” A teasing smile appeared on Fang Xin’s lips.
Lin Yan waved her hand, shooing her out. “Alright, alright, you’ve worked all day too. Go home and rest. I’ll finish up any pending test results.”
Thanks to Captain Song, hearing these words from her mouth was like having burned high incense9.
Fang Xin was overcome with gratitude. “Have you finally had a pang of conscience and decided to stop endlessly exploiting your employees?”
Lin Yan used a dropper to place a drop of liquid onto a glass slide, then turned back and retorted with a smile, “Alright, scram now, before someone gets impatient waiting for you.”
The faint silhouette of a tall, thin figure was visible outside the lab’s glass door. Duan Cheng waved excitedly at them, as if afraid they wouldn’t see him.
Her teasing backfired, and Fang Xin blushed slightly. She hung her white coat on the rack, said goodbye to Lin Yan, and scurried out.
Not long after Fang Xin left, the sound of neat, rhythmic running echoed from the corridor. It must be the criminal investigation team mobilizing collectively. Had they found any leads?
Lin Yan pondered this as she continued her experiment, casually glancing into the microscope. Suddenly, she shot up from her seat.
This was Gao Qiang’s sample, blood extracted from the pericardium. Under the high-powered microscope, it showed a ghostly blue color.
She was incredibly familiar with this color; the same substance had been purified from the blood of several victims in the “White Whale Case.”
Lin Yan fumbled through the cabinet and pulled out the examination report from that time. Because the Municipal Bureau’s lab facilities were rudimentary, that sample had been sent to the provincial department for testing.
She looked at the tube of seemingly crimson blood in her hand, a cold sweat breaking out on her back.
Zheng Chengrui, having finished his work in the training room, returned and saw her sitting at her workstation, typing something on the computer screen, with a rack of test tubes beside her.
“Lin-jie, still here?”
“Yeah.” Lin Yan didn’t even turn her head. “Something came up. I’ll leave once I’m done.”
“Oh.” Besides being a homebody, Zheng Chengrui was truly a man of few words. He responded and walked to his own desk to get something.
A rustling sound of a plastic bag being opened, and the smell of spicy duck necks filled the air.
“Lin-jie, want some?”
Lin Yan always steered clear of such junk food. She said irritably, “Get lost. Eat it yourself.”
Then, seeing he was back, she stopped typing. “Over there, is it over?”
Old Zheng10 had just been assigned to review surveillance footage.
Old Zheng nodded, licking his fingers, and opened a game on his computer to relax. “It’s over. They found her. Guess where?”
Lin Yan was curious. “Where?”
She hadn’t expected Song Yuhang to be so efficient.
“In a bookstore not far from the tutoring center. The little girl went there by herself, read books all afternoon. The heating in the store was warm, so she fell asleep. It wasn’t until the store was about to close that the staff found her. Coincidentally, our field team was searching all over the streets, so they reported it to the police immediately.”
“…” Lin Yan’s mouth twitched. What a troublemaker.
She refocused on the report she was typing. The recipient was the Provincial Public Security Department’s Evidence Appraisal Center.
The last examination report had come from the provincial department. Lin Yan wanted to ask them for some clarification, but halfway through typing, an inexplicable chill ran down her spine.
She paused her fingers, looked at the words “Provincial Public Security Department,” and pressed delete. Her gaze fell back to the test tube beside her.
Forget it. She wouldn’t send this sample to the provincial department. She’d use her own private hospital.
According to regulations, all clearly labeled samples could not be taken out of the Municipal Bureau unless required by the case.
Lin Yan picked up the test tube rack and stood up, appearing to put things back in the lab. In reality, with her back to Zheng Chengrui and avoiding the surveillance cameras, she took out a new test tube and put it on the rack, while the old one slipped into the pocket of her white coat with a quick swish.
She walked out nonchalantly, draping her white coat over her arm as she left the lab. “Old Zheng, I’m leaving.”
“Mhm, mhm, take care, Lin-jie. Hey, not having any duck neck?” Zheng Chengrui, wearing headphones and playing a game, mumbled a few responses, still thinking about offering her duck neck.
Lin Yan had already walked away, her high heels clicking.
Zheng Chengrui took off his headphones, looked up from the screen, and stared in the direction she had left, a thoughtful expression on his face.
As Lin Yan walked out of the Municipal Bureau’s main gate, she ran straight into a highly dramatic, tear-jerking scene, like something out of “Romance in the Rain11“.
Song Yuhang was crouching down, snowflakes dusting her hair, gently rubbing Xiao Wei’s face.
“Xiao Wei, from now on, you must remember to wait where you are until Mommy comes to find you, okay?”
Xiao Wei knew she had caused trouble today. With red-rimmed eyes, she nodded in a tiny, milky voice. “Okay, Auntie. Xiao Wei won’t run off on her own anymore.”
Only then did Song Yuhang stand up and return the child’s Xiaolingtong phone to Ji Jingxing. “Remember to charge it in the future. Also—”
She paused slightly. “For things like what happened today, you can call me.”
Ji Jingxing’s tears turned into a smile. She grasped Song Yuhang’s hand and, following the momentum, wrapped her arm around Song Yuhang’s shoulder, her voice choked with emotion.
“Thank you, thank you, Yuhang. If it weren’t for you today, I really don’t know what I would have done. If anything happened to Xiao Wei… Xiao Wei… what face would I have to meet your brother in the afterlife…”
This was the first hug Ji Jingxing had initiated since their argument. When Song Yuhang felt hot tears fall onto her neck, she froze momentarily, then gently placed her hand on Ji Jingxing’s back as a gesture of comfort.
It was only for an instant, and she was about to push Ji Jingxing away. Before she could, Lin Yan, high heels clicking, strode over, an eyebrow raised, a deeply sarcastic smile on her face.
“Well, well, even white lotuses12 and green tea bitches13 can talk like humans these days. When you were seducing your own sister-in-law and using your own daughter to vie for favor, didn’t you think about your dead husband then?”
Her gaze shifted to Song Yuhang, her smile turning a little cold.
Song Yuhang immediately let go and took a step back, as if to prove her innocence.
“I’d advise certain people not to be too naive and kind. Perhaps this is also one of her tactics to gain sympathy.”
Several pairs of eyes from the guards on duty at the Municipal Bureau entrance turned towards them.
Ji Jingxing’s face flushed crimson. “You… you stop spouting nonsense… I… when did I? Today, I really… No matter how muddled I am, I would never use my child as a bargaining chip!”
Lin Yan let out an “Oh” sound. “Who knows about that? Anyway, this isn’t the first or second time you’ve done something like this. I’d also advise you, no matter how busy you are with work, to find some time to dress yourself up. Take a piss and look at your own sallow-faced hag14 appearance. No wonder no one’s taken an interest in you even after your husband’s been dead for so many years. It’s been too long since you’ve been ‘open for business’; no wonder you’re so empty, lonely, and cold.”
This was Lin Yan’s personality. Whoever made her unhappy, she would make them unhappy too, regardless of the occasion or whether certain things should be said.
As long as she felt satisfied and vented her anger, that was enough.
Her tongue was notoriously venomous. Unlike Ji Jingxing, whose curses were just a few repetitive swear words, Lin Yan deeply understood the principle of “to catch bandits, first capture their king; to kill someone, you must crush their spirit15.” Every word and phrase was a stab at Ji Jingxing’s heart.
Tears streamed down Ji Jingxing’s face in an instant. She stood there, holding her child, at a loss under the varied gazes of the surrounding people.
Seeing her cry, Lin Yan became even more disdainful. She opened her mouth, about to say more, but was forcefully pulled away.
“Lin Yan, that’s enough!”
Song Yuhang grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. “Be merciful when you can! I believe today she wasn’t—”
In her haste, she had used too much force, and Lin Yan’s wrist was red from her grip.
Lin Yan glanced down at it, the smile on her lips growing even colder. “Wasn’t what? You already believe her. What else is there for me to say?”
Song Yuhang froze, then immediately let go when she realized.
“I’m sorry, I—”
Lin Yan shook her head, even the usual sarcastic, disdainful, mocking smile vanishing.
She became abnormally calm. “You have nothing to be sorry to me for. You’ve done right by everyone. It’s just, Song Yuhang, isn’t your heart a bit too big? Can it really hold so many people?”
“I’m quite curious. If there really comes a day when you have to choose between me and that mother-daughter pair, who would you choose?”
Seeing her exceptionally calm expression, Song Yuhang felt a little scared. It would have been better if Lin Yan had just yelled at her.
She shook her head, chasing after Lin Yan’s steps. “It won’t happen. That day will never come. If it does, I…”
Before she could finish, Lin Yan’s designated driver had already brought the car over. Lin Yan opened the door and got in, not giving her a chance to complete her sentence.
“I’m tired. Anyway, I’ve cursed her out, I’ve vented my anger, so let’s leave it at that. Don’t come to my place. I don’t need your comfort. I want to sleep alone tonight.”
Song Yuhang pulled at the car door, but it didn’t budge.
Lin Yan turned and instructed the driver to drive, leaving Song Yuhang far behind.
Song Yuhang chased for a couple of steps, hands on her knees, panting heavily. Ji Jingxing walked over with her child, offering Song Yuhang a tissue to wipe her sweat.
Song Yuhang waved her hand, not taking it, and straightened up. She looked at Ji Jingxing and said, “Although I don’t agree with the things she said when she was cursing you out, I think she was right about one thing.”
She glanced at Xiao Wei, who was trembling in her mother’s arms. “You don’t have to suffer like this. Find a reliable person to be with you. It would be for Xiao Wei’s good too.”
“At the very least, if you’re busy, let my mom pick up and drop off the child. She’d probably be very happy to do that kind of work.”
Initially, when Ji Jingxing insisted on not remarrying, Song Yuhang had thought she was deeply devoted to her brother and also worried that Xiao Wei would suffer under a stepfather.
Over the years, she had witnessed all the hardships Ji Jingxing faced raising Xiao Wei alone. Song Yuhang couldn’t bring herself to persuade her, but it didn’t mean there weren’t excellent men pursuing her.
It wasn’t until now, with all the recent events, that she had a sudden realization: having one more person to care for and protect Xiao Wei wouldn’t be a bad thing. It could also lessen Ji Jingxing’s pressure, provided that person was reliable.
Because she was a single mother, Xiao Wei hadn’t had winter or summer vacations since kindergarten. When she was on holiday, Ji Jingxing was still working, so she had enrolled her in numerous extra tutoring classes. The calligraphy practice today was just one of them.
Song Yuhang crouched down and rubbed Xiao Wei’s head again. “Our Xiao Wei has had it tough too.”
Ji Wei threw herself into her arms, wiping her tears on Song Yuhang’s training uniform. “Auntie, Xiao Wei isn’t suffering, not tired. Today, really, really, I was just too sleepy and fell asleep… I was wrong, I’m sorry, Auntie, sorry Mommy. I won’t do it again. I’ll never run off alone again. Can you two please stop fighting?”
Song Yuhang stroked her head and helped her up. “You be good. Go home with Mommy now. Auntie and Mommy aren’t fighting. We just had a disagreement about some views, but it has nothing to do with you.”
“Xiao Wei—” Song Yuhang took her cold hand, patted it, then hooked her pinky finger with hers, making a pinky promise.
“No matter what happens between me and Mommy, Xiao Wei must always remember, Auntie loves you.”
Xiao Wei’s innocent eyes didn’t seem to understand what she was saying, but she still nodded emphatically.
“Mm, okay. Xiao Wei loves Auntie too.”
Song Yuhang stood up, addressing Ji Jingxing. “Since you drove, I won’t see you home. Think carefully about it. This can’t go on. You’re making yourself suffer and Xiao Wei suffer too. What’s the point?”
After she finished speaking, she turned to leave, heading to her own car to chase after Lin Yan. But after running a few steps, she turned back again.
Under the streetlight, the snow reflected her tall figure. Song Yuhang showed her first slightly shy and bashful smile of the day.
“By the way, next year, Lin Yan and I are getting married. You’re welcome to come.”
“Miss, back to the villa?” the driver asked, turning around.
Lin Yan looked at the streetscape flowing past the car window, a hint of loneliness in her expression.
“No, to Tai’an Mental Hospital.”
Song Yuhang was probably waiting to ambush her at the villa entrance right now. She didn’t want to see her at the moment.
Lin Yan clutched her handbag. Besides, there were more important things to do now.
LP: Re-translated on June 09, 2025
✨ Unlock Early Access to Chapters! ✨
Choose your perfect membership at bamboopandatl.net:
📚 Full Access ($4.99)
• Advanced chapters of ALL ongoing novels
• Access to complete finished novels
• Ad-free reading experience
📖 Single Novel Access ($1.49)
• Advanced chapters of ONE specific novel
• Ad-free reading for chosen novel
PayPal is the only current payment option!