Miss Forensics – Chapter 85.1

Repaying Debt

After escorting Mother Lin back to her room, Lin Ge quickly came downstairs, dressed in a well-tailored little suit, and greeted the guests. He moved through the crowd with ease, engaging in lively conversations and occasionally raising his glass for a toast. Several elegant and charming ladies always surrounded him.

Lin Yan found it amusing and picked up some food from the buffet to eat. Her notorious reputation preceded her, and as the least favored daughter of the Lin family, no one bothered her except for a few noble young men seeking excitement.

Finally extricating himself from the crowd of social butterflies, Lin Ge approached her with a whiskey in hand. “She didn’t accompany you today?”

Lin Yan wiped her hands with a tissue, raised her glass, and clinked it with his. “She’s at least a junior-level cadre. It’s not appropriate for her to attend such an occasion. Besides, if she runs into Lin Youyuan and they start fighting again, it wouldn’t be a good birthday party for auntie, would it?”

Speaking of the birthday party, the host made a brief appearance and quickly returned to her room, yet to be seen attending to the guests.

Lin Yan was worried about Lin’s mother’s health; she didn’t seem to be in good spirits or condition.

Casually picking up a piece of preserved fruit from the tray and tossing it into her mouth, she stood up. “Hmm, your family’s preserved fruit is delicious. I’ll go upstairs to check on auntie.”

Lin Ge also stood up and reached out to stop her. “Don’t go. It hurts her to see you, and it pains you to see her. On a joyous day like this, why bother? She’s receiving an IV upstairs. I’ll bring her down when it’s finished.”

After contemplating for a moment, Lin Yan handed him her glass. “Alright, then I’ll go to the restroom.”

Lin Ge chuckled. “Do you need someone to show you the way?”

Lin Yan laughed and scolded, “Get lost! I’ve been living here for a few years, and I’m not senile yet.”

As she walked away, Lin Ge watched her slender legs stepping gracefully in high heels, her graceful figure casting a beautiful silhouette on the shining floor. He picked up the half-finished glass of red wine that Lin Yan hadn’t drunk and took a slow sip.

A waiter approached him with a wine bottle, taking advantage of pouring the wine to whisper, “Young master, should we send someone to follow her?”

Lin Ge nodded, turning around and lightly patting the waiter’s shoulder as if to console him. He said in a hushed voice, audible only to the two of them, “Yes, make sure she doesn’t wander around.”

The waiter put down the wine bottle, respectfully bowed, and disappeared into the crowd.

Lin Yan sent a message to Song Yuhang as she walked, and she replied promptly.

“When are you coming back?”

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yan typed, “It’ll probably take a while. I’ll wait until Auntie finishes her IV and then go see her.”

Song Yuhang sent a crying emoji, causing Lin Yan to stifle a laugh.

She had been staring at her phone, not paying much attention to the road, and almost bumped into someone.

Two glamorous young women supported each other as they walked out, stumbling and swaying, overwhelmed by the scent of alcohol.

Lin Yan stepped back, and then she heard one of the girls, in a drunken state, sobbing, “How… how could he treat me like this? Those… those with the surname Lin… they’re not good people!”

“Alright, alright, let’s go, okay? When you’re drunk, just go home and get some sleep.”

The intoxicated girl was completely limp, unable to stand on her own, muttering and cursing. She relied on the support of the other person, and the two of them stumbled and disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Lin Yan, innocent yet caught in the crossfire, felt a sudden headache. She put her phone in her pocket and entered the restroom.

When she finished washing her hands and was about to leave, the door of the adjacent stall opened. A woman dressed as an elegant lady approached the mirror and took out her lipstick to touch up her makeup.

Lin Yan casually glanced over and noticed that her hands, which should have belonged to a refined and well-maintained lady, were rough and covered in fine lines.

Without leaving a trace, she averted her gaze and placed her hands under the dryer, humming a tune as she walked out.

As soon as she emerged, she noticed several unfamiliar people in the corridor. One of them stood at the entrance of the men’s restroom, making a phone call. He was dressed in a suit, but she hadn’t seen him in the lobby earlier.

There were also young people chatting in the corridor, as well as waiters and janitors hurrying about with trays in hand.

As if her presence alone instantly brought life to the previously quiet place.

Lin Yan tugged at the corner of her lips and called out to the janitor who had swept away the cigarette butt by her feet, “Hey…”

The janitor lowered his gaze, respectfully responding, “Yes, Miss Lin, please let me know if you need anything.”

Janitors in high-class households were undoubtedly dedicated and polite.

Lin Yan slightly raised her chin, “New here?”

“Yes, I just arrived a month ago,” the janitor replied, keeping his head down. He appeared to be in his forties, with a few strands of white hair peeking out from under his cap.

Lin Yan looked at the few drops of water stains on the glossy surface of her black high-heeled shoes, accidentally splashed on them while washing her hands. She extended her foot, saying, “Clean it for me.”

The janitor put down his broom, knelt down on one knee, and carefully pulled out a clean white cloth from his work uniform pocket. He gently wiped away the dust and water stains from her shoe.

“It’s done, Miss.”

Lin Yan retracted her foot and pulled out a few hundred yuan bills from her wallet, scattering them over his head.

“Not bad, I will brag about you to my brother.”

“Yes, thank you, Miss. Thank you, Miss.”

The janitor held the money, nodding and bowing.

In the moment Lin Yan turned and walked away, her gaze grew cold.

Since he was new, how could he know her last name was Lin, let alone that she was the young miss of the Lin family? When he pulled out the cloth from his pocket, perhaps he hadn’t even noticed that a corner of his phone accidentally slipped out as well.

That logo and brand were definitely not something a janitor could afford.

As she lifted her foot to leave, the man who had been making a phone call at the entrance of the men’s restroom also left.

The two of them followed at a distance of about ten meters, not too close and not too far. Lin Yan held her phone, texting someone, laughing happily.

When she turned the corner of the corridor, the man followed, but there was no trace of her in the lobby.

“Young master, we’ve lost track of her.”

Lin Ge raised an eyebrow slightly, a gentle curve always present at the corner of his lips. “She really is mischievous, just like when she was a child.”

Although the Lin family estate was large, not much had changed over the years. Lin Yan used to play hide-and-seek here with the servants and housekeepers who came to catch her. She was familiar with the layout.

She turned a corner and took the elevator to the second floor. After shaking off her pursuer, Miss Lin happily whistled and headed straight for her aunt’s bedroom.

She remembered it was the last room on the left at the end of the second-floor corridor. Excitedly, she walked over and pushed open the door, only to find it empty. Even the bed sheets and covers were neatly arranged, as if no one had ever lived there.

Lin Yan was taken aback. She gently closed the door. If not in the bedroom, then where could it be?

Lost in thought, she scanned the entire corridor. The second floor was much quieter than the first. Her gaze fell upon the door on the right, adorned with an ancient-looking sign that read “No Entry.” She flipped the wooden sign over and saw “Lin Yan’s Home” written on the other side.

A smile instantly appeared in her eyes. This was something Lin Ge had prepared for her when she first arrived.

His own door had a similar wooden sign.

“Lin Yan, here’s something for you. If you want to talk or play with someone, hang the side with the rainbow that says ‘Lin Yan’s Home.’ If you don’t want to be disturbed, hang the other side. That way, neither the housekeepers nor the servants will bother you.”

At that time, ten-year-old Lin Ge already seemed like a little adult. He handed the wooden sign to her, and Mother Lin smiled as she gently patted his head.

“Lin Ge, from now on, you have to get along well with your little sister. You’re the big brother, so take good care of her, okay?”

“Yes!” Young Lin Ge clenched his fist tightly and nodded earnestly, his face displaying a small, devout masculinity.

That was the first bit of warmth homeless Lin Yan felt in the Lin family.

She caressed the wooden sign, her emotions intertwined, and gently pressed down the doorknob. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked.

Lin Yan was slightly startled, memories and old dust rushing into her mind together.

The furnishings were the same as they were back then. The graffiti she had left on the wall in her temper tantrums remained unchanged, but there was one less bed—it had been converted into a study.

Upon entering, she saw several display cabinets filled with her paintings from that time, clay figurines she had molded, and paper airplanes she had folded.

Further inside, there was a desk with a computer still turned on. It seemed that someone often worked here.

Next to the wall, there was a cabinet filled with folders, and a human skeleton stood beside it, wearing a mischievous hat.

Lin Yan couldn’t help but suppress a smile, knowing full well whose office this was. Only a doctor would have such a morbid sense of humor to display a human skeleton in a room. Her own study had one too.

Every time Song Yuhang came over at night, she would joke about how terrifying it was.

Unexpectedly, her former bedroom had been converted into a study. Upon seeing this, Lin Yan was about to turn and leave.

Suddenly, the computer on the desk made a sound. The incessant “beep beep beep” of message notifications successfully drew her attention.

As if compelled by an invisible force, Lin Yan approached the computer, but her gaze fell on a transparent model on his desk.

A beautiful human skeleton, its teeth locked inside a crystal sphere, gleamed brilliantly and translucently, as if it had been coated with a layer of enamel. Even the red gums at the edges of the human teeth were imitated with astonishing realism.

This was something that girls, especially female doctors, couldn’t resist. Lin Yan reached out and picked it up, examining it closely. However, she suddenly felt a vague sense of unease, leaving her with a tingling sensation in her heart.

Just as she was about to use her phone’s flashlight to examine it more closely, she heard a door behind her creak open. Lin Ge, seeing her playing with his precious possession, rushed in with a look of panic and carefully took the crystal sphere from her hands, his face filled with nervousness.

“Oh my, be more gentle! Do you know how valuable this is? It was a gift from my mentor when I graduated from university. It’s priceless!”

Lin Yan clicked her tongue twice. “It’s just a stupid crystal sphere. What’s so special about it? If it breaks, I’ll buy you ten of them.”

Lin Ge placed the crystal sphere on the desk, arranging it neatly. “How can you say that you have no social connections? This isn’t just about the price; it’s about the bond between us.”

Lin Yan touched her nose, glanced at the tooth model again, and started to walk out. “Why are you still keeping my things?”

Lin Ge closed the door and followed her. “Well, I thought that if you ever came back one day, this would still be your home. It feels more familiar this way. Converting it into a study was purely out of necessity. The other rooms were too spacious, but this layout still suits us, and it’s closer to my mom.”

Lin Yan had no objections to that. She was impressed that he still remembered her.

“Where’s Auntie?”

“She’s in the clinic. I’ll take you there.”

“So she’s in the clinic. No wonder I couldn’t find anyone upstairs.”

“And you disappeared from the bathroom as well. Just when Mom woke up, I had the housekeeper searching everywhere for you. If we couldn’t find you, I was going to call the police.”

Lin Yan laughed, recalling a time when she didn’t want to go to school and hid in the basement, sleeping soundly. Butler Lin was on the verge of going crazy, searching the entire estate upside down and almost resorting to calling the police. In the end, it was Lin Ge who dragged her out of the basement when he came home from school.

“Why would you call the police? I am the police.”

Lin Ge looked at her strangely, and the smile on his face faded slightly. “You never used to say things like that.”

“Well, it’s just a case of loving the house and its crows. After getting to know it better, I suddenly feel like being a police officer might not be a bad profession.”

When it came to anything related to Song Yuhang, perhaps she hadn’t even noticed it herself, but a charming smile would unconsciously appear on her face, and her tone became much lighter.

Lin Ge was taken aback, but he didn’t say anything. He pushed open the door and said, “Go in.”

“Mom, Mom—” he called softly a few times, but the person lying on the bed kept her eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

Lin Ge smiled wryly. “She was awake when I came over just now.”

Lin Ge looked at her strangely, and the smile on his face faded slightly. “You never used to say things like that.”

“Well, it’s just a case of loving the house and its crows. After getting to know it better, I suddenly feel like being a police officer might not be a bad profession.”

When it came to anything related to Song Yuhang, perhaps she hadn’t even noticed it herself, but a charming smile would unconsciously appear on her face, and her tone became much lighter.

Lin Ge was taken aback, but he didn’t say anything. He pushed open the door and said, “Come in.”

“Mom, Mom—” he called softly a few times, but the person lying on the bed kept her eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

Lin Ge smiled wryly. “She was awake when I came over just now.”

“Forget it, it’s normal for patients to be drowsy.” Lin Yan walked around the sickbed. The IV stand held chemotherapy drugs, and her aunt’s hand was exposed, so she tucked it back into the covers.

Mother Lin seemed to sense something and her eyelids twitched twice, but she didn’t wake up.

Lin Yan stood up. “Then I’ll go back first.”

“Don’t you want to stay overnight? There are plenty of guest rooms.” Unexpectedly, Lin Ge tried to persuade her to stay.

Lin Yan shook her head and came out of the room. “No, someone is waiting for me.”

“Yanyan.” He stood on the stairs and called her name again.

Lin Yan turned back. “What’s the matter?”

“You and Song Yuhang…” He hesitated for a moment. “Have you really thought it through?”

“So that’s what it is. I thought it was something else.” Lin Yan slung her bag over her shoulder and smiled, with her hands in the pockets of her windbreaker.

“We’re getting married next year. You must come.”

Lin Ge seemed surprised by her straightforwardness. There was a momentary look of astonishment on his face, but then he resumed his usual smile.

“Alright, I will definitely come. I wish you both well in advance.”

Having received the blessings of her loved ones, Lin Yan’s lips curled slightly, and she smiled with a hint of shyness, like a bride about to get married.

“Anyone can choose not to come, but not you.”

Lin Ge’s fingernails left a scratch on the railing as he smiled and looked at her. “Don’t worry, I will go.”

At that time, Lin Yan didn’t know that the person who made such solemn promises would eventually break them.

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LP: So… Is Lin Ge a pervert? A psychopath? Both? … F***! Why isn’t he just an ordinary guy?!

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