Volume One: First Scroll
Game
“Officer Song, the game has begun.”
That Chinese New Year’s Eve spent at the Song family home became one of Lin Yan’s most beautiful memories.
She leaned against Song Yuhang’s shoulder, idly cracking melon seeds, listening to Mother Song share amusing stories from her daughter’s childhood, and bursting into laughter at Song Yuhang’s increasingly embarrassed expression.
Mother Song then asked her a series of questions about her work and life, and Lin Yan answered them all honestly, not even hiding her medical condition.
Mother Song didn’t quite understand what the illness was, but as Song Yuhang described the symptoms—frequent insomnia, long-term medication, vomiting, and other complications—her heart ached for this ill-fated child.
In the end, her biggest concern was still: “That… what-cha-ma-call-it syndrome, it’s not hereditary, is it?”
Lin Yan, who hadn’t yet swallowed a sip of water, nearly sprayed it all out with a pfft.
Sure enough, is this the question all parents under heaven care about most?
Mother Song was fraught with worry.
Song Yuhang couldn’t help but smile. “Alright, Mom, it’s not hereditary. Besides, even if it were, wouldn’t you still have me? If that doesn’t work, we can just adopt.”
She cracked a handful of melon seeds, giving all the kernels to Lin Yan.
“By the way, how did you know about all this?”
Mother Song looked a bit sheepish; she had never encountered such things before.
“I… I read about it in the newspaper.”
On the TV, the song “Unforgettable Tonight1” began to play, and outside the window, the clock struck midnight.
Mother Song heaved a great sigh of relief and started shooing them away.
“Alright, alright, hurry up and go wash up and sleep. Don’t you have a plane to catch tomorrow?”
“Okay.” Song Yuhang put the melon seeds back on the plate, pulled Lin Yan up, and ran into the bathroom.
“Mom, you don’t need to make us breakfast tomorrow, we want to sleep in a bit.”
“Okay, I know, I know,” came Mother Song’s drawn-out reply from the living room.
Song Yuhang held her hand as they washed their hands together, then brushed their teeth. After washing her face, she started to pull off Lin Yan’s sweater.
Lin Yan held down the hem of her shirt, looking at her warily. “What are you doing?”
“Washing together saves water and time.”
“Auntie is still outside, you—” Lin Yan’s eyes widened as a hand clamped over her mouth.
Does she not want to face anyone tomorrow?
“Shh, don’t be loud. Before, we had to be sneaky; now, we can be open about it.”
“Mmph… No!” Lin Yan’s eyes reddened with panic. She refused to yield, panting as she forcefully pushed Song Yuhang out the door and sprayed her face with the showerhead.
Wiping the water from her face, Song Yuhang turned to see Mother Song still tidying up in the living room and went over to help.
“Mom, let me. You go to bed first.”
She helped her mother sit down on the sofa and picked up the broom to sweep the room herself.
Mother Song watched her tall daughter’s back as she bent over to sweep out the melon seed shells from under the sofa, and called her name.
“Yuhang.”
“What is it, Mom?” She looked up, her hands not stopping.
“It’s nothing. It’s just, looking at you now, I remember when you were just born, no bigger than my palm. The doctor said you were premature and probably wouldn’t live past three months. Now you’re all grown up.”
Mother Song looked at her late husband’s portrait, gesturing with her hand, tears welling in her eyes.
“You’re even taller than your father.”
Song Yuhang put down the broom and knelt beside her, holding her hand, deeply moved. “Mom—”
Mother Song tucked a strand of dark hair from her daughter’s temple behind her ear. “I never really noticed it before, but seeing you take care of Yanyan today, I feel like my daughter has truly grown up and found her own happiness.”
Song Yuhang pressed her face against her mother’s knee. “Mom, no matter how old I am, whether I have a girlfriend or not, or who I’m with, you’ll always be my mom. I’ll love you forever.”
Song Yuhang knew that Mother Song didn’t necessarily accept homosexuality; she simply accepted Lin Yan out of her love for her daughter2, and only wished for her daughter’s happiness.
This was such a great and profound motherly love.
She nuzzled her mother’s leg, just like when she was a child.
“Mom, don’t worry. I’m not the type to forget my mom once I have a wife.”
Mother Song chuckled. “If you were that type of person, it’d be better for you not to be in a relationship at all, lest you ruin some poor girl’s life. By the way, what about Yanyan’s family? Have you met them?”
At the mention of Lin Yan’s father, Lin Youyuan, Song Yuhang’s expression became difficult to describe.
“I have, it’s just…”
The result was not as good as expected; one could even say they had become enemies.
Mother Song mused, “Since you’ve already decided to get married, what needs to be done must be done. The respect that should be paid must be paid. If Lin Yan doesn’t want to go home, you need to be tactful. Don’t favor one side over the other.”
Song Yuhang smiled. She didn’t intend to trouble her mother with those overly complicated matters, so she gently squeezed her hand.
“I know, Mom. Don’t worry, I know what to do. No matter what, I still have to pay them a formal visit before we get married.”
“One more thing.” Mother Song put on a stern face, deliberately.
“No matter what, whether you adopt or have one yourselves, you two need to have a child. I want to hold a grandchild.”
Song Yuhang collapsed onto her knees and wailed, “How is it this again? Mom, Yanyan doesn’t want kids. She’s a DINK.”
Mother Song tugged her ear. “I don’t care if you’re DINK or KDIN. I’ve already made a concession. This is the one thing you have to satisfy me on.”
Song Yuhang finally understood where Lin Yan had learned to pull her ear from. It turned out she had learned it from her own mother.
With a look of utter despair, she quickly beat a hasty retreat. “Alright, alright, you call the shots, you call the shots! I’m going to take a shower. After my shower, I’ll go make a grandchild for you.”
“?? This rascal.” Mother Song’s face flushed red. She raised her hand as if to strike, but the person had already vanished like a puff of smoke, running off to find her girlfriend.
When Lin Yan finished her shower and passed through the living room, Mother Song had already gone to bed. It was empty.
Under the dim yellow wall lamp, the incense on the altar had burned out. She walked over, picked up a lighter, lit three more sticks, bowed her head slightly in a moment of silence, then gently inserted them into the incense burner before returning to her room.
She had just blow-dried her hair until it was half-damp when Song Yuhang came back from her shower.
Lin Yan was flipping through a photo album on her desk and didn’t look up. “How did you wash so quickly?”
The words had barely left her mouth when she was pulled into a tight embrace.
Song Yuhang buried her face in the crook of Lin Yan’s neck. “I missed you.”
“We were only apart for less than ten minutes. Captain Song, is this necessary?” Lin Yan chuckled, tilting her head up.
Song Yuhang buried her face again, mumbling as she pushed her toward the bed.
“It is, it is. My mom was rushing us again—”
“What?” Lin Yan was stunned.
“To make a baby.”
As Song Yuhang spoke, she had already taken the album from her hands, placed her on the bed, and reached out to turn off the desk lamp.
Lin Yan gritted her teeth. “Care to tell me how two women are supposed to ‘make’ one?”
Song Yuhang’s sticky, sweet voice drifted out. “Just like this. I suddenly feel like not being able to get pregnant is pretty great. We can…”
Lin Yan rolled her eyes. We can what? Let you mess around indefinitely?
She grabbed a handful of her hair and propped her up.
Song Yuhang was stunned, but it was too late.
Lin Yan used her old trick, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu cross armbar that firmly pinned the person beneath her.
“Lin…” Song Yuhang’s arm was trapped, and she gasped.
Lin Yan leaned down, her long hair brushing against Song Yuhang’s face.
“Apologies, Officer Song, but I’m afraid I have to disappoint you. Auntie3 is visiting, so no baby-making is possible.”
“However…” Her smoothly polished nails lifted the hem of the nightgown, slowly sliding down the curve of the lean back.
“It’s time for you to fulfill your promise. Remember to be quiet.”
Lin Yan whispered next to her ear, having seized her vital point.
“After all, Auntie is in the next room.”
“Lin Yan… Yanyan…” Song Yuhang sucked in a breath of cold air, and soon she couldn’t even form a complete sentence.
“Hiss… Mmm…”
A blush crept onto that usually calm and composed face, looking slightly intoxicated. Only at times like this would she reveal such an expression.
Lin Yan adored how she looked right now and put in even more effort.
Their fingers intertwined, melting each other into their very bones.
The bedsheets wrinkled, sweat dripped onto them, and strands of hair tangled together on the pillow.
The night was still young.
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the window screen, casting a glow on the wooden floor.
Ji Jingxing was awakened by a work call. After a few brief words, she was fully awake. She turned to look at Xiao Wei, sleeping soundly in bed. Although she didn’t have the heart to, she still woke her up.
“Xiao Wei, Xiao Wei, wake up. Mommy has work in a bit, I have to go to the firm to meet a client. How about I take you to Grandma’s for some jiaozi first, okay?”
Xiao Wei mumbled, rubbed her eyes, and crawled out from under the covers. “Okay, I know, Mommy.”
Ji Jingxing’s heart ached a little. She ruffled her daughter’s hair and hugged her. When Xiao Wei was a bit older and more independent, perhaps things wouldn’t be so hard.
“Be good, get dressed. Mommy’s going to wash up first.”
When she took her to Grandma’s, it just so happened that Song Yuhang and Lin Yan were coming downstairs, talking and laughing.
Song Yuhang greeted them with a normal expression, “Sister-in-law, Xiao Wei.”
Xiao Wei rushed over and kissed her. “Auntie!”
“Hey, let me see if you’ve gotten heavier after the New Year.” As Song Yuhang spoke, she swept the child up into her arms.
Lin Yan, however, still looked at Ji Jingxing with disdain4.
Ji Jingxing, naturally, didn’t pay her any mind either.
“Where are you two off to?”
Song Yuhang put the child down. “Hurry up and go upstairs, Xiao Wei. Grandma made jiaozi and is waiting for you. Lin Yan and I are going on a trip, a little vacation.”
It was obvious Lin Yan had stayed at the Song’s last night. And with the ring she had mentioned, this “vacation” was eighty percent a marriage proposal trip.
Ji Jingxing felt a pang of envy and bitterness, and her smile became a little forced. “That’s nice, to be able to have a vacation. I have to drop Xiao Wei off and then head to the firm. I just took on a new case.”
Ji Jingxing didn’t know that this rare vacation was something the two of them had painstakingly squeezed out.
The Municipal Bureau had a rotating shift system. After the new year started, however many days they took off, they would have to work them back.
The smile on Song Yuhang’s face faded slightly. She took Lin Yan’s hand and turned to leave.
“You’ve worked hard, Sister-in-law.”
“Auntie, you’re going out to play, Xiao Wei wants to go too. I don’t want to stay home and do homework.”
Ji Weiyi threw herself forward and hugged her leg again.
Song Yuhang chuckled, patting her head and saying softly, “Xiao Wei hasn’t had breakfast yet, right? Go eat first, be good. When Auntie comes back, I’ll take you out to have a good time, okay?”
Xiao Wei let out a disappointed “oh,” let go of her, and nodded pitifully.
“Okay, goodbye, Auntie. Goodbye, Auntie Lin.”
The two waved to her as they walked away. Ji Jingxing took the child upstairs, handed her over to Mother Song, said a few comforting words, and left.
Although Ji Weiyi was only seven years old, having lost her father at a young age, she was more sensitive and delicate than other children. Knowing her grandmother was old and she shouldn’t bother her, she obediently took out her workbook after eating and started doing her homework at the dining table.
It was only when Mother Song came out after washing the dishes and saw her still writing that her heart softened. “Xiao Wei, want to go out and play?”
Ji Weiyi looked up, her eyes shining.
The old woman smiled kindly. “Then go change your clothes. Dress warmly, let’s go check out the temple fair5.”
It was another marital dispute case.
The husband smoked, drank heavily, and was abusive. The client sat there, bruised and swollen, sobbing.
While the wife was pouring out her grievances to the lawyer, the husband made countless calls to “extend his regards” to her entire family.
The woman answered one in front of the lawyer, and the language he used was so vulgar it was unbearable to hear.
Having handled too many such cases, Ji Jingxing had grown somewhat numb. During the client’s lament, she couldn’t help but think of her late husband, Song Yichen, and a bitter expression crossed her face.
Is it really so difficult to find happiness in this world?
To this day, Song Yichen’s sudden death still felt like a dream to her.
“Lawyer Ji, Lawyer Ji…”
The client left, having agreed to talk again another day.
A colleague called her name. “What’s wrong with you?”
Ji Jingxing snapped back to reality. “Nothing, nothing. I’ll be heading home now, too.”
“Let me walk you out. Lawyer Ji is the best at marital dispute cases. You’ll definitely win.”
Ji Jingxing smiled, picked up her bag, and declined her male colleague’s kind offer.
“No need, Lawyer Wang, you’re too kind. I’m going to pick up my daughter, so I won’t trouble you.”
The man sighed, looking a little disappointed as he watched her retreating back.
Another colleague patted his shoulder. “Forget it, man. You’ve had a crush on her for years. Lawyer Ji is chaste and detached, a tough nut to crack.”
The man smiled faintly and buried his head in his work without another word.
For some reason, Song Yuhang’s heart was pounding with anxiety the entire way.
She thought she was just too nervous and tried to secretly regulate her breathing.
Lin Yan glanced sideways at her. “What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. We’re here, let’s get out.” The airport arrived in a flash. Song Yuhang pushed open the car door, got out, and helped Lin Yan out.
A servant was already waiting with their luggage at the international departures entrance. Lin Yan put on her sunglasses and walked over.
Song Yuhang touched the small box in her inner pocket. It was still there. She had it.
She quietly let out a sigh of relief, secretly clenching her fists to cheer herself on.
It’s all or nothing.
From a distance, Duan Cheng spotted Lin Yan’s enchanting figure in a leather skirt and ran over, waving the plane tickets.
“Lin-jie, Lin-jie, Captain Song!”
Lin Yan took a step to the side. Song Yuhang silently stuck out her foot. With an “Aiya!” Duan Cheng fell into the arms of Lin Yan’s burly African bodyguard.
The bodyguard, caught off guard by the sudden full embrace, gazed at him with watery tenderness.
Duan Cheng: “…Oof, oof, oof.”
“Lin-jie.”
“Captain Song.”
Lin Yan turned to see Fang Xin and Zheng Chengrui also running over, panting and dragging their suitcases.
She waved her hand grandly. “Let’s go! Island tour, let’s set off!”
The two women walked ahead, arm in arm intimately. Song Yuhang wanted to follow, but Lin Yan slapped her back.
Full of resentment, she dragged two enormous suitcases and walked with Duan Cheng and the others, watching as Lin Yan’s high heels clicked on the polished floor. Her hip-hugging skirt outlined a perfect figure, every step like a blossoming lotus, enchanting to the extreme.
Any more would be vulgar, any less would lack flavor.
Song Yuhang licked her lips, took the tickets, and saw that it was still early before boarding. “Lin Yan, I’m going to buy a coffee. Anyone else want one?”
Lin Yan was busy sharing her beauty tips with Fang Xin. “Your glasses are too thick. You should wear cosmetic contacts6, or just get laser eye surgery…”
Interrupted, she waved her hand impatiently, shooing her away.
“I want an Americano. Go quickly and come back soon.”
“Okay.”
Song Yuhang left the suitcases next to her and ran to a nearby coffee shop. As she came out with the bag, her phone rang.
She fumbled for it. It was an unknown number. The moment she answered,
She finally knew the source of her unease.
A child’s sharp cry was gradually pulled farther and farther away.
She was all too familiar with it.
All the blood in Song Yuhang’s body went cold, as if she had been plunged into an ice cave.
She was taking way too long to buy that coffee.
At first, Lin Yan was still laughing and joking with the others, but then the final boarding call announcement sounded.
She started looking at her watch frequently, growing a little agitated.
This mood spread to the others, and even Duan Cheng shrank his neck and fell silent.
Lin Yan finally pulled out her phone and made the first call.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently busy.”
A cold, mechanical voice came from the receiver.
“F#ck,” Lin Yan cursed under her breath. Unconvinced, she dialed again, only to get the same system prompt.
The airport was teeming with people coming and going, but there was still no sign of her.
Duan Cheng put down his bag. “I’ll go take a look.”
He ran back a moment later, shaking his head. “No one. I asked the staff. They said she left a long time ago.”
Lin Yan clenched her phone, feeling anxious, uneasy, and even a little wronged.
Fang Xin comforted her, “It’s okay, maybe she went to the restroom and didn’t hear her phone ring.”
The announcement urging passengers to board sounded again. Lin Yan forced a smile. “It’s fine, I’ll wait for her here. You guys go on ahead.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine, let’s wait a bit longer,” they all said in unison.
Lin Yan started calling Song Yuhang again, but this time it went unanswered.
Her eyes turned red, and she wanted to smash her phone.
“Damn it!”
Swoosh— The faucet in the restroom was running full blast. Song Yuhang propped her hands on the sink, watching the video sent by the other party on her phone. In the mirror, the person’s eyes were bloodshot as she gritted her teeth.
Xiao Wei was tied to an electric chair, intermittently electrocuted. Her initial wails had turned into silence. Her head was lolled to the side, her face pale and motionless.
She bit her lip, tasting blood, and clenched her fists so tightly she could barely control her trembling.
She wanted to call the kidnapper back, but her phone rang again. It was Ji Jingxing.
“Hello, Yuhang, do you know where Mom took Xiao Wei? I can’t reach her on the phone, no one’s home, I’ve asked all the neighbors and no one has seen them…”
As Ji Jingxing spoke, she ran downstairs, her tone urgent and quick, panting for breath.
Before Song Yuhang could even speak, she suddenly heard a gasp from the other end, followed by the dull thud of a heavy object falling.
Her heart leaped into her throat.
“Sister-in-law, Sister-in-law?!”
She roared in the restroom, startling a person who had just come out of the opposite stall.
“Are you crazy?!”
Several men in black lifted the limp Ji Jingxing into a car.
A man picked up the phone that had fallen on the ground. “Officer Song, the game has begun.”
LP: Re-translated on June 24, 2025
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