Hotpot
Not long after Fang Xin left, the sound of orderly footsteps echoed in the corridor. It should be the collective mobilization of the criminal investigation team. Have they discovered any leads?
As Lin Yan pondered, she continued her experiment absentmindedly. She glanced at the microscope in her hand and suddenly stood up with a jolt.
This was a highly potent piece of evidence, blood extracted from the pericardium, displaying a deep blue color under high magnification.
This color was all too familiar to her. The blood of several victims in the “White Whale Case” contained the same substance.
Lin Yan rummaged through the cabinet and found the examination report from that time. Due to the rudimentary facilities in the municipal laboratory, the sample was sent to the provincial headquarters for analysis.
As she looked at the seemingly crimson blood in the test tube, a cold sweat broke out on her back.
Zheng Chengrui finished his duties and returned from the training room. At a glance, he saw her sitting at her desk, staring at the computer screen and typing. There were several test tubes on the rack beside her.
“Sister Lin not leaving yet?”
“Not yet,” Lin Yan didn’t even look back. “I have something to take care of. I’ll leave when I’m done.”
“Oh,” Zheng Chengrui, apart from being an otaku, didn’t say much. He responded and walked to his own position to retrieve his belongings.
The sound of plastic bags being opened and the aroma of spicy duck neck filled the air.
“Sister Lin, want some?”
Lin Yan has always kept her distance from this kind of junk food and replied impatiently, “Get lost, eat it yourself.”
Finally, seeing him come back, she stopped typing and asked, “Is it done?”
Zheng Chengrui had just been assigned to monitor the situation.
Old Zheng nodded, licked his fingers, and relaxed by playing computer games. “It’s over. They found the girl. Guess where they found her?”
Lin Yan was curious, “Where?”
Unexpectedly, Song Yuhang was quite efficient.
“In a bookstore not far from the cram school. The little girl went there by herself and spent the whole afternoon reading. The store had the heater on, so it was warm. She fell asleep and didn’t wake up until the bookstore was about to close. The clerk finally noticed her, and luckily, we were searching the streets for missing people, so they called the police right away.”
“… ” Lin Yan’s mouth twitched. She really knows how to cause trouble.
She refocused her attention on the report she was working on, with the copy recipient being the Forensic Identification Center of the Provincial Public Security Department.
The previous examination report was sent back by the department. Lin Yan wanted to ask them for further verification about some matters, but halfway through typing, she inexplicably felt a chill down her spine.
She paused, her finger hovering over the keyboard, as she stared at the words “Provincial Public Security Department.” Then she pressed the delete key and shifted her gaze to the test tube beside her.
Forget it, she wouldn’t send this evidence to the department. She would handle it in her own private hospital.
According to the regulations, all evidence properly labeled with clear codes cannot be taken out of the municipal bureau unless it is necessary for the case.
Lin Yan picked up the test tube rack and stood up, giving the impression that she was returning things to the laboratory. In reality, she turned her back on Zheng Chengrui, avoiding the surveillance, and took out a new test tube, slipping the old one into the pocket of her white coat.
She walked out as if nothing had happened, draping the white coat over her arm. “Old Zheng, I’m leaving now.”
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“Sure, take care, oh, you don’t want the duck neck?” Zheng Chengrui was wearing headphones, playing a game. He responded with a few mumbled sounds, but he still remembered to offer her the duck neck.
Lin Yan had already walked away in her high heels.
Zheng Chengrui took off his headphones, lifted his head from the screen, and stared in the direction she had left, lost in thought.
Lin Yan walked out of the municipal bureau gate and bumped into a deeply emotional melodrama set in misty rain.
Song Yuhang squatted down, snowflakes scattered on her hair tips as she gently rubbed Xiao Wei’s face.
“Xiao Wei, you have to remember, before Mommy comes to find you, you must stay in one place and wait for Mommy, okay?”
Xiao Wei also knew that she had caused trouble today. With teary eyes and a childish voice, she nodded, “I know, Auntie. Xiao Wei won’t run around anymore.”
Song Yuhang stood up and returned the child’s walkie-talkie to Ji Jingxing. “Remember to charge it in the future, and also…”
She paused slightly. “If something like today happens again, you can come to me.”
Ji Jingxing smiled through tears, gripping her hand and pulling her into an embrace. Her voice choked up.
“Thank you, thank you, Yuhang. If it weren’t for you today, I really wouldn’t know what to do. If something happened to Xiao Wei… how could I face your brother in the future…”
This was the first embrace Ji Jingxing initiated since their argument. Feeling the warmth of tears falling into the nape of her neck, Song Yuhang was momentarily stunned. She gently placed her hand on her back to offer comfort.
In just a fleeting moment, she was ready to push her away, but before she could make a move, Lin Yan walked over in high heels, strutting with a raised eyebrow and a sarcastic smile on her face.
“Oh, nowadays even hypocritical green tea b*tches can speak human language. When you seduced your own little sister-in-law and used your own daughter to vie for favor, why didn’t you think about your deceased husband?”
Her gaze turned towards Song Yuhang, with a somewhat chilly smile.
Song Yuhang immediately withdrew her hand and took a step back to demonstrate her innocence.
“I advise certain people not to be too naive and kind-hearted. Maybe this is just one of the tactics to gain sympathy.”
The eyes of the guards stationed at the entrance of the municipal bureau all turned towards them.
Ji Jingxing’s face turned red. “You, don’t talk nonsense… When did I… Today, I really… No matter how confused I am, I would never use my child as a pawn!”
Lin Yan made a sound of agreement. “Well, who knows? Anyway, you have done this more than once or twice. Let me give you some advice too. Even if you’re busy with work, take some time to dress up and take a good look at your own haggard face. No wonder nobody has taken an interest in you even after so many years since your husband’s death. It’s been so long since you ‘opened for business,’ no wonder you feel empty, lonely, and cold.”
That’s just Lin Yan’s personality. Whoever makes her unhappy, she will make them unhappy in return, regardless of the occasion or what can or cannot be said.
As long as she feels satisfied, venting her frustration is all that matters.
Her mouth is notorious for being venomous. Unlike Ji Jingxing, who repeats the same few dirty words when insulting someone, Lin Yan deeply understands the principle of capturing the leader before capturing the enemy and striking at the heart when killing. Every word and sentence she uses aims for the core of Ji Jingxing’s emotions.
Ji Jingxing’s tears came down in a rush, feeling lost amidst the various gazes around her as she held onto her child.
Lin Yan looked at her crying, even more disdainful. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but was forcefully pulled away by someone.
“Lin Yan, that’s enough!”
Song Yuhang grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. “Forgive others when you can! I believe she’s not—”
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In her anxious state, she lost control and her grip on Lin Yan’s wrist turned red.
Lin Yan glanced down at it, her smile becoming even colder. “It’s nothing. If you believe it, what else is there for me to say?”
Song Yuhang was taken aback, and immediately let go of her.
“I’m sorry, I—”
Lin Yan shook her head, even that usual sarcastic, disdainful, mocking smile disappeared.
She became unusually calm. “You don’t have to apologize to me. You can justify yourself to everyone else, but Song Yuhang, isn’t your heart too big? Can it accommodate so many people?”
“I’m quite curious. If one day you had to choose between me and that mother-daughter duo, who would you choose?”
Song Yuhang felt somewhat fearful when she saw Lin Yan’s unusually calm expression. It would have been better to just scold her outright.
Shaking her head, she followed Lin Yan’s footsteps. “That won’t happen, there won’t be such a day. If there were, I…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Lin Yan’s chauffeur had already driven up in the car. She opened the door and got in, not giving her a chance to complete her words.
“I’m tired. Anyway, I’ve scolded you, and I’ve vented my anger. That’s it. Don’t come to my house. I don’t need your comfort. Today, I want to sleep alone.”
Song Yuhang pulled the car door slightly, but it didn’t budge.
Lin Yan turned her head and instructed the driver to start the car, leaving Song Yuhang far behind.
Song Yuhang took a couple of steps, gasping for breath with her hands on her knees. Ji Jingxing walked up, holding her trembling child, and handed her a tissue, gesturing for her to wipe her sweat.
Song Yuhang waved her hand and stood upright, looking at her. “Although I don’t agree with the insults she said, there’s one thing I think she’s right about.”
She glanced at Xiao Wei, who was shivering in her mother’s arms. “You don’t have to torment yourself like this. Find someone reliable to accompany you, for Xiao Wei’s sake as well.”
“If it’s really too much for you, when you’re busy, you can let my mom pick up and drop off Xiao Wei. She would probably be happy to do that kind of work.”
At the beginning, Ji Jingxing insisted on not remarrying. She thought her brother had deep affection for her, and she was afraid that Xiao Wei would suffer with a stepfather.
After so many years, she had witnessed all the hardships and bitterness of raising Xiao Wei alone. Song Yuhang couldn’t bear to advise her, but that didn’t mean there weren’t excellent people pursuing her.
It wasn’t until now, with everything that had happened recently, that she suddenly realized it would be good to have another person taking care of and protecting Xiao Wei. It would also relieve some of the pressure on Ji Jingxing, but the prerequisite was that the person had to be reliable.
Because she was a single mother, Xiao Wei hadn’t had summer and winter vacations since kindergarten. When she had time off, Ji Jingxing was still working, so she enrolled her in numerous tutoring classes. Today’s calligraphy practice was just one of them.
Song Yuhang crouched down and rubbed Xiao Wei’s head. “You’ve worked hard, Xiao Wei.”
Xiao Wei threw herself into her arms, wiping her tears on Song Yuhang’s sleepwear. “Auntie, Xiao Wei isn’t tired or worn out. Today, really, really, I was just too sleepy and fell asleep… I was wrong, I’m sorry, Auntie, I’m sorry, Mommy. I won’t dare to do it again, I won’t run out alone anymore. Can you two stop fighting, okay?”
Song Yuhang rubbed her head and helped her up. “Be a good girl and go home with Mommy. Auntie and Mommy aren’t fighting. We just had a disagreement about some concepts, but it has nothing to do with you.”
“Xiao Wei…” Song Yuhang held her cold hand and patted it, intertwining her pinky finger with hers.
“No matter what happens between me and Mommy, Xiao Wei, always remember that Auntie loves you.”
Xiao Wei’s innocent eyes seemed to not fully understand what was being said, but she nodded heavily.
“Yeah, okay, Xiao Wei loves Auntie too.”
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Song Yuhang stood up and directed her words at Ji Jingxing, “Since you have a car, I won’t send you back. Take some time to think about it. This isn’t a sustainable way to go on. It’s not just hard on yourself, but also on Xiao Wei. There’s no need for that.”
After saying her piece, she turned around and walked away to her own car to chase after Lin Yan. She took a couple of steps but then turned back.
Under the streetlight, her slender figure was reflected on the accumulated snow. Song Yuhang revealed a slightly shy and timid smile, the first one today.
“By the way, Lin Yan and I are getting married next year. You’re welcome to come.”
“Miss, should we go back to the villa?” the driver turned his head and asked.
Lin Yan looked at the street scene flowing past the car window, with a hint of loneliness in her expression.
“No, let’s go to the Tai’an Mental Hospital.”
Song Yuhang might be waiting for her at the villa gate right now, and she didn’t want to see her for the time being.
Lin Yan squeezed her shoulder bag, besides, there were more important matters to attend to at the moment.
LP: ​Poor Xiao Wei :((
Lin yan, I don’t think it was the right time to be jealous..smh 😒
Lin Yan’s medication for Bod certainly ain’t working. Chill the fuck out
Lin yan, I don’t think it was the right time to be jealous..smh 😒
Lin Yan’s medication for Bod certainly ain’t working. Chill the fuck out