Dentist
“One day, my name will be carved onto the Monument to the People’s Heroes, for all to admire!”
It was a rare weekend without work. Ji Jingxing woke up bright and early, and after making breakfast, she went to wake her daughter.
“Xiao Wei, hurry up and get ready for breakfast. Don’t forget we have a dentist appointment today. We have to go early to get in line.”
Xiao Wei rubbed her eyes and sleepily got up to wash her face. When she returned to the dining table, the TV was on, broadcasting the morning news.
“Since the start of the Spring Festival travel season, the police have received numerous reports of children going missing at train stations. The high volume of people at year’s end is a major factor. We would like to remind all parents to keep a close watch on their children in public places. If you discover your child is missing, please report it to the nearest police station as soon as possible.”
She reached for the sugar jar, scooped a spoonful of white sugar into her congee, and was about to grab the remote to switch to cartoons when Ji Jingxing came out of the kitchen. With a slightly stern expression, she turned off the TV.
“You already have cavities and you’re still eating sugar? No more. Drink the plain congee and try the spinach Mommy made.”
Xiao Wei reluctantly mumbled, “Oh,” but she obediently pushed the sweetened congee toward her mother and put a piece of spinach on her plate.
Only then did a smile appear on Ji Jingxing’s face. She ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Good girl. Once your cavity is fixed, Mommy will make you candied apples1.”
Love Teeth Dental Hospital.
The mother and daughter sat on a bench in the hallway, waiting for a nurse to call their number.
Perhaps it was because of the cold, but Xiao Wei clung tightly to her mother, hugging her arm.
Ji Jingxing gently patted her back, lowering her voice to coax her. “Are you scared? Xiao Wei is the bravest. You aren’t even afraid of shots, so why would you be afraid of getting a tooth pulled?”
Xiao Wei shrank back, her eyes turning red as she stammered, “Mommy, can you come in with me? I won’t be scared if you’re with me.”
A troubled look crossed Ji Jingxing’s face. “Well… that depends on whether the doctor will let Mommy in.”
Just as she finished speaking, a nurse called their number. Ji Jingxing quickly stood up and handed over their form.
“Hello, number 59.”
But Xiao Wei was still hugging her mother’s leg, refusing to move.
The nurse chuckled. “Little one, you’re a big girl now. This is the examination room; Mommy can’t go in.”
This was the last appointment of the morning. Lin Ge stood up to stretch and roll his neck. Before his patient could even enter, he vaguely heard a child crying outside the door.
He curiously poked his head out. “What’s wrong?”
A familiar voice reached him. Ji Jingxing turned to look at him, and their eyes met with mutual surprise.
Lin Ge smiled. “Lawyer Ji, it’s fine. Come on in together. Xiao Zhou, get her a pair of shoe covers.”
The items were quickly handed to her, and only then did Ji Jingxing accompany her daughter inside.
Xiao Wei stopped crying and tugged her mother’s finger, looking at him curiously.
“Mommy, who is he?”
“Don’t be rude. Call him Uncle Lin.”
Xiao Wei smiled sweetly. “Hello, Uncle Lin.”
“Hello.” Lin Ge put on his mask and swiveled around in his chair, signaling for the nurse to give her a piece of candy.
“What’s your name?”
“My name is Ji Weiyi~”
Xiao Wei drew out her answer, her speech clear and articulate. It seemed there weren’t any major issues.
Seeing the candy being placed in her daughter’s hand, Ji Jingxing started to protest, “Hey—”
Lin Ge’s eyes curved into a smile. He winked at her, signaling her not to worry.
The nurse pulled her aside and whispered, “It’s alright. That’s a special medicated pill our hospital makes. It’s sugar-free and has a mild numbing effect. It’ll make the tooth extraction easier later.”
Ji Jingxing finally relaxed a little.
“Open wide—like this, like Uncle. Let’s see who can open their mouth bigger.”
In the morning sunlight, the doctor in the white coat made a funny face along with the child, successfully making Ji Jingxing laugh.
“I didn’t expect Doctor Lin to be so good with kids.”
At this, the young nurse’s face filled with pride. “Of course! When I was at the public hospital, I never saw a hospital director as approachable as him. He still sees patients every day. All the kids who come here for dental work adore him.”
Ji Jingxing nodded in agreement.
If Lin Yan was the type of person you disliked on sight, then Lin Ge was the type whose eloquence, cultivation, humor, and gentlemanly nature would invariably make a good impression on anyone, anywhere.
“Is that so? Then how come he…”
When women chatted, it often turned to gossip. Calculating his age, Lin Ge was a few years older than Song Yuhang, so he must be nearly forty this year. Was he still not married?
The nurse shook her head. “Nope. Doctor Lin is famous for his clean living2. There was a colleague who tried to hit on him, both openly and subtly, a few times. After he gave her a stern warning, she was directly fired. After that, no one dared to bring it up again.”
Ji Jingxing looked at him thoughtfully. A man with such a cheerful and lively personality, who was also humorous, generous, meticulous, and dedicated to his work, and who lived a clean life on top of it all, was truly a rare find.
After a thorough examination, Lin Ge put down his instruments and called her over. “The cavity isn’t too serious. It doesn’t need to be pulled. We can just clean it and fill it with medication.”
“But this—” Lin Ge smiled, gently holding the child’s jaw. “Xiao Wei, let Mommy take a look.”
“Ah—” It was strange. This wasn’t the first time she had taken Xiao Wei to the dentist, but it was their first time at this hospital.
Xiao Wei’s eyes widened as she looked at this kind uncle, obediently doing whatever he said.
Lin Ge pointed for her. “See? A retained baby tooth. The new tooth has already grown in, but the old one hasn’t fallen out.”
“Ah,” Ji Jingxing said, “I never really noticed that—”
Lin Ge smiled. “It’s fine. Most people wouldn’t notice it unless they were deliberately looking. I recommend conservative treatment for the cavity, but this tooth needs to be pulled. Otherwise, it will affect the growth and development of the adjacent teeth.”
When he spoke about his area of expertise, he was articulate and convincing.
Ji Jingxing’s expression grew more serious. “Alright, pull it. We’ll be troubling you, Doctor Lin.”
The moment she heard “pull the tooth,” Xiao Wei’s mouth opened slightly and her eyes reddened. Fearing her mother would get angry, she held back her tears, but she still dawdled, unwilling to lie down on the treatment chair.
The nurse was about to pick her up, but Lin Ge stopped her.
The man knelt down, his gaze level and always gentle and kind.
“What’s wrong, Xiao Wei? Are you scared?”
Xiao Wei shook her head, then nodded. “Will… will it hurt, Uncle Lin…?”
Lin Ge smiled from behind his mask, his eyes crinkling into crescents. He didn’t deceive the child, but communicated with her as an equal.
“It will be a little uncomfortable, like a mosquito bite. But everyone feels it a bit differently. Some people think a mosquito bite hurts, and some don’t. I promise you, if you feel any pain, I’ll stop right away. How does that sound?”
“Xiao Wei, be a good girl. Go on. Uncle has been seeing patients all morning, don’t keep him from his lunch. Mommy will be right here with you.”
Ji Weiyi looked at her mother, then at Lin Ge’s gentle smile, and nodded. She climbed onto the treatment chair herself, but her foot slipped, and Lin Ge helped her up.
The examination light turned on.
Xiao Wei squeezed her eyes shut.
Lin Ge chuckled. “Xiao Wei, look what this is.”
Xiao Wei opened her eyes and gasped. At his signal, the nurse was playing her favorite cartoon on a computer screen.
Lin Ge held her gently. “Alright, Xiao Wei, you watch the cartoon. Uncle is going to start working now. Keep your mouth open and don’t move, okay? If you move, the nurse will turn off the cartoon.”
The child, her attention completely captivated by the cartoon, had no time to think about pain. She clenched her little fists and nodded, her voice milky.
“Okay, I won’t move. Thank you, Uncle.”
“You’re welcome.” Lin Ge smiled faintly and picked up his instruments to begin.
In just a moment, before Xiao Wei could even react, the whole tooth was pulled out and placed in a tray.
Lin Ge took off his gloves, wrapped the baby tooth in a tissue, and handed it to Ji Jingxing.
“Do you want to keep it as a memento?”
Ji Jingxing’s face reddened slightly. “You even know about that?”
Lin Ge smiled. “Throw lower teeth on the roof, and upper teeth under the bed3, right? My mom did the same thing when I was little.”
Ji Jingxing carefully accepted it with both hands and bowed with her daughter.
“Thank you for all your trouble today. Xiao Wei, thank Uncle Lin.”
Because her tooth had been pulled and packed with medication, Xiao Wei’s speech was now a bit muffled, and she was drooling.
“Th… Thank you, Uncle.” Halfway through, she shyly covered her mouth.
Lin Ge took off his mask and walked them out of the examination room.
“It’s alright, Xiao Wei. That’s a normal reaction after the anesthetic wears off. Just spit out the saliva.”
Turning to Ji Jingxing, he said, “The filling medication needs to be changed every two days. You must supervise her to brush her teeth correctly, control her sugar intake, and maintain a healthy diet.”
Ji Jingxing nodded, slightly embarrassed.
“Okay, I will.”
“Xiao Wei, say goodbye to Uncle.”
“Goodbye, Uncle Lin.”
Lin Ge stood in the hallway, watching them leave, and sighed softly.
“What a cute and obedient child.”
“What’s this? You came to the provincial capital without so much as a word, and the first thing you do is give one of my people a show of force? And now your Master4 can’t even get you to come over for a meal?”
On the other end of the line, the old man’s voice was full of vigor.
Song Yuhang glanced at Lin Yan beside her and gave a wry smile. “This isn’t a work trip, we just happened to run into it. We were just out for fun, not official business, so I didn’t report to the bureau.”
Zhao Junfeng snorted coldly. “I don’t care. It’s the weekend. Your Shimu5 has already gone out to buy groceries. Come over for lunch. It’s settled. If you don’t come, you’re not giving me face.”
With that, he hung up with a click.
Song Yuhang sighed helplessly and walked over to discuss it with her, phone in hand.
“What do you think? How about a trip to Chief Zhao’s place?”
In the park, Lin Yan stood with her back to her, a cigarette dangling from her lips, watching the ducks swim on the lake.
“Not going. If you want to go, go by yourself.”
Song Yuhang thought for a moment and decided to be direct.
“I think it’s better if we go. He’s the department chief. To reopen the case, we absolutely need his support.”
Reopening a cold case, especially a major one that had been officially registered with the Ministry of Public Security, wasn’t something a few low-ranking grunts like them could accomplish with mere empty words6.
The case had widespread implications. If any of the three giants of the judiciary7 had made a mistake, overturning it would be harder than reaching the heavens.
That was why Song Yuhang was so desperate to get Zhao Junfeng’s support.
Lin Yan slowly blew a smoke ring, her gaze slightly wistful. “And how do you know he’ll definitely help us? What if—”
Song Yuhang frowned, understanding her unfinished sentence.
“You suspect he’s also connected to the case?”
Lin Yan’s lips twisted. “I didn’t say that. The reason this case became the unsolved mess it is today is that not a single one of them—the detective in charge of the investigation, the prosecutor in charge of supervision, the presiding judge—can escape responsibility.”
Song Yuhang shook her head. “As far as I know, Chief Zhao came from the anti-drug unit. He was still with the narcotics division back then. He didn’t handle this case; he’s not connected to it.”
Whether it was a nicotine craving or something else, Lin Yan was growing agitated.
“Not connected? What do you mean, ‘not connected’? The way this case was handled should be a pillar of shame nailed to the entire Jiangcheng City police force!”
And yet, no one cared about it anymore.
The victim was already dead, the “murderer” was already caught, and his death in the detention center was due to his own health—it had nothing to do with the police. In all the years Lin Yan spent accompanying Mother Chen to petition the government, in all the years she spent investigating the case alone, she had encountered countless people who thought this way.
Song Yuhang gently placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her, but it was immediately shrugged off.
Lin Yan turned to leave. Song Yuhang took two steps to follow. “Where are you going?”
“To find an internet cafe, play some games.”
She kicked an empty can on the ground, sending it flying in frustration.
Song Yuhang kept pace with her. “Are you really not coming with me? I’m worried about you being alone.”
Lin Yan’s lips curled. “What’s there to worry about? You have all the evidence, don’t you? Internet cafes are crowded, and it’s broad daylight. Would they dare to kill someone?”
Song Yuhang blocked her path. “But—”
Lin Yan pushed her hand away. “Scram. I’ll give you two hours. Go and come back quickly. If you’re late, I’m going back to Jiangcheng by myself.”
“Okay.” Song Yuhang didn’t let go of her hand, instead threading her fingers through Lin Yan’s palm and walking with her. “Then it’s settled. I’ll go sound out Chief Zhao. You find an internet cafe nearby and wait for me. We’ll leave together when I’m done.”
“Xiao Song, come, try some of the fish soup I made.” The moment she entered the house, lunch was already on the table. Shimu enthusiastically pulled her to a seat, then went back to the kitchen to bring out the hot dishes.
“Shimu, let me help you.” After washing her hands, Song Yuhang stood up to help in the kitchen but was pushed back down.
“No, no, go keep Old Zhao company with a drink. It’s rare that you’re both off today.”
With that, Shimu pushed her back again.
Song Yuhang sighed and sat down again.
“Pour it, pour it, fill it to the brim.” Zhao Junfeng only stopped her when the glass was about to overflow.
Song Yuhang’s teeth ached just looking at the full glass of liquor.
I have to go find Lin Yan later. How can I go if I’m drunk?
“I’ll toast you first.” She took the initiative to raise her glass. She watched Chief Zhao down his in one go, but she only wet her lips. Even so, a wave of heat rose to her face, and her stomach burned.
“Don’t just drink, eat, eat.”
Shimu put a piece of braised pork in her bowl.
Song Yuhang smiled and used the serving chopsticks to give her a piece of tendon meat in return.
“Besides my mom’s cooking, Shimu’s food is the best.”
“Aiyo, such a sweet talker. Here, here, eat more. I told Old Zhao back then that it would’ve been great if he arranged a post for you at the provincial department. The salary is high, the prospects are good, and it’s better than a prefectural-level city any day. You could even come over whenever you craved my cooking.”
Zhao Junfeng took a sip of liquor and ate a piece of a side dish, his face slightly flushed.
“That’s enough. She wanted to go home, so why are you meddling so much?”
Inevitably, the conversation turned to her love life.
“What about that guy from the blind date?”
“Broke up,” Song Yuhang said, picking at her food without looking up.
Zhao Junfeng put down his chopsticks and looked at her thoughtfully. “I heard you’ve been getting quite close with that Lin Yan from your city bureau recently.”
When Feng Jianguo had reported it to him, spit flying, he’d said, “It’s more than close, it’s negative distance8!”
Caught off guard, Song Yuhang choked a little. She pressed a napkin to her lips, which served as a tacit admission.
“Yes, I like her a lot.”
Zhao Junfeng’s brow furrowed, and he snapped angrily, “Foolish! We only made an exception to recruit her as a forensic examiner for your bureau because of her skills! If I had known it would be like this, I never would have signed that document! You have such a bright future, why do you have to get tangled up with her? No matter how well she does, the organization will never give her any official promotions or advancements, do you understand? The best she can ever be is a grassroots forensic examiner! You’re different. You’re from a martyr’s family9. On that point alone, you’ll get what you deserve! Jiangcheng is just your starting point, not your final destination, understand?!”
Song Yuhang understood and was grateful for his good intentions, but if it meant sacrificing her love for Lin Yan, she would rather not have that future.
“Even if I were just an ordinary person, just a little beat cop10, I have the confidence to climb up on my own ability. Just because I didn’t fight for things in the past doesn’t mean I don’t have the ability to fight.”
“Master, I toast you with this cup, but please don’t try to persuade me on this matter again. You know my temper. Once I’ve made up my mind, not even ten bulls can pull me back.”
After speaking, Song Yuhang raised her glass and drained it in one go.
He certainly knew her temper. During her time at the police academy, in her first year, she wasn’t the one with the best physical fitness.
After he scolded her on the training grounds for holding back her teammates, the eighteen-year-old girl started waking up before the morning bugle call and going to sleep after lights out, pouring all her sweat onto the training grounds.
At the final exams a year later, she did two hundred and one pull-ups in five minutes, breaking the academy’s sports record and far surpassing her male peers.
That was the first time Zhao Junfeng took this girl with the bright eyes seriously.
The first time they sparred, Zhao Junfeng didn’t hold back and knocked out one of her teeth.
Three years later, when she graduated, Song Yuhang beat him down on the boxing ring. The school leaders watching from the side were going crazy until the referee blew the whistle and raised her hand, declaring her the victor.
Only then did a look of relief appear on the girl’s bloodied face.
She had a certain tenacity and fierceness in her, just like her father.
Zhao Junfeng looked at this strikingly similar face, a little lost in thought.
His old partner had once said something similar.
“Why? Just because I’m an ordinary person, is it so hard to make a name for myself?! I refuse to believe it. I’ll show everyone who looks down on me. Even if I have no money and no background, just give me time, and one day I will make the entire Jiangcheng City police system know my name!”
“I will have my own independent office. Team Leader, Captain, Bureau Chief, Department Chief—what do those even matter?!”
“One day, my name will be carved onto the Monument to the People’s Heroes, for all to admire!”
Back then, the drunken young man by the river had been wildly ambitious.
Now, only he was left, a solitary figure.
Zhao Junfeng tilted his head back and drained the liquor in his cup.
He slammed the cup down. “Do as you wish. But, I will not offer you any conveniences. When we wear the uniform, we only have a superior-subordinate relationship. If you want merits, you’ll have to claw your way up, fight for them with your blood and your life.”
Song Yuhang refilled his glass and poured one for herself as well.
“I know. Thank you.”
“There’s one more thing.” Song Yuhang hesitated for a moment, then decided to lay it all out while buoyed by the alcohol.
She handed her bowl to Shimu to send her away.
“Shimu, I’d like another bowl of rice.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll go get it for you.” She knew they had things to discuss and took Zhao Junfeng’s bowl as well when she left.
Song Yuhang spoke.
“I’d like to ask you about the ‘Fenyang Pier Dismemberment Case’ from 1994.”
In the room where you could hear a pin drop, Zhao Junfeng’s expression changed.
LP: What is this… it’s… wholesome?! Was I mistaken? Or is the author throwing everyone off?!
Re-translated on June 19, 2025
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I don’t trust the man. He’s a psychopath
I don’t trust the man. He’s a psychopath
The fact that nothing of note happened here just makes me more suspicious.
The fact that nothing of note happened here just makes me more suspicious.
It seems like pretty clear forewarning that Lin Yan is regularly viewed as a bad person when she has a good heart, but he’s viewed as a good person and all the behind the scenes stuff seems to counter that. Also one of the earlier chapters had a line along the lines of “Can’t you recognize a wolf in sheep’s clothing?”. It wasn’t referring to him, but it seems to be a reoccurring theme throughout the story