Miss Forensics – Chapter 99

Volume Two: Second Scroll

Awakening

Placing the ring on her ring finger.

“Quick, notify the blood bank to prepare blood! Four units of red blood cells!”

“Is the defibrillator ready?”

The whirring-hissing sound of the instrument charging filled the emergency room as the doctor pressed the paddles against the young woman’s chest.

“Charging to 200 joules. Charge complete. Clear!”

The woman’s body jolted. Her face was already a ghastly pale-blue from excessive blood loss. The moment the defibrillator paddles were removed, her head lolled to the side, a mixture of blood seeping from the corner of her lips.

“Epinephrine, another dose!” The medical waste bin on the floor was already filled with a good ten or so empty epinephrine syringes.

But the numbers on the ECG¹ monitor showed no signs of recovery; instead, they plummeted below the minimum threshold.

“The blood’s here, the blood’s here!” A nurse ran in carrying a temperature-controlled box and handed the blood bags to the doctor. Before they could even be hung, the ECG monitor flatlined into a horizontal line.

The other emergency room was in a similar state of chaos².

Lin Youyuan was pushed along the corridor in a hurry by his butler, a layer of frost seemingly condensed on his face as he coughed ceaselessly.

The moment Feng Jianguo saw him, he couldn’t help but turn his head away, unable to bear the sight.

The old man coughed into a handkerchief, clenching the blood-stained side into his palm, and asked in a low, heavy voice.

“How is she?”

Feng Jianguo’s brow was furrowed in sorrow, and he remained silent.

Lin Yan’s collapse had been too sudden.

Excessive blood loss compounded by emotional and physical exhaustion, along with hypothermia, hypoxia, wound infection, Guillain-Barré syndrome…

By the time everyone had scrambled to get Song Yuhang into the ambulance and turned back, she was already lying limply on the ground.

On-site first aid failed to restore her spontaneous breathing and heartbeat. By the time she was delivered to the hospital, she was already gone.

Perhaps from the cold, Lin Youyuan coughed violently. The butler patted his back. “Master, please take care of your health. The young miss is a fortunate person and will be blessed by heaven…”

As if to prove his words true, the light above the emergency room went out.

A doctor, taking off his mask, ran out. “Who is Lin Yan’s family? You can come in to see her for the last time.”

Lin Youyuan’s body pitched forward violently, his coughing incessant.

“Master!” The butler, Butler Lin, quickly steadied him, his eyes welling with tears.

Lin Youyuan waved his hand, his gaze meeting Feng Jianguo’s through the gap over his butler’s shoulder.

He slowly straightened up. “I’ll go in. You come too. The rest of you, don’t follow. Your Jiangcheng City Bureau must give me an explanation for this.”

Thinking this was a prelude to being called to account, the others in the corridor fell silent as cicadas in winter³, not daring to breathe in the oppressive atmosphere.

One criminal investigation captain had suffered a brain injury, was in a deep coma, and was still being resuscitated.

One head of technical investigation, who was also the heir to a deeply rooted family corporation, had already been issued a death notice.

Feng Jianguo put on his wide-brimmed hat and strode in after the doctor. “She died to save someone. It was her duty.”

By the time Lin Ge arrived at the hospital, a white sheet had already been draped over her face.

The equipment in the emergency room had been removed. She just lay there quietly.

Lin Youyuan, not in his wheelchair, walked out with a limp, supported by his butler. His clouded eyes were shot through with blood.

He passed by Lin Ge and was helped back into his wheelchair by the butler.

“Go see your sister.”

Lin Ge took two steps forward, then froze. His movements slowed as if in disbelief. The hand he had stretched out, he drew back, clenching it tightly into a fist.

He stood there for an unknown amount of time in that suffocating silence, no one knowing what he was thinking.

After a long silence, he finally gritted his teeth and walked, step by step, toward the gurney.

Every step felt as if he were treading on the tips of knives.

The tightly clenched fist finally unfurled to grip the white sheet.

Lin Ge closed his eyes, trembling, and yanked it away.

A long time later, he covered his face and knelt by the bed, his shoulders shaking violently.

---

The days that followed were a nightmare for Ji Jingxing.

Mother Song was seriously ill and bedridden, Song Yuhang was in a coma from a brain injury, and Xiao Wei was left with severe PTSD from the electric shock.

She quit her job and spent her days rushing between home, the children’s hospital, and the city central hospital, all while having to deal with the police who showed up from time to time for questioning.

“Do you know him?” Photos of two men, one fat and one thin, were placed on the table.

She remained silent.

The investigator pressed, “Did you have any sort of grudge against them?”

“What about the child? Can she accept our questioning and identify the criminal suspects—”

Ji Jingxing shot her head up, her eyes red, and questioned in a raised voice, “My husband was a deceased police martyr, my sister is a criminal police officer who is now lying unconscious in a hospital bed, I am a lawyer, and my daughter is only seven years old and an honor student at school. We are a family of law-abiding citizens, where would we go to get to know such heinous criminals, you tell me?!”

The memorial portrait of her late husband hung quietly in the center of the living room.

Xiao Wei, as if she hadn’t heard her mother’s voice, sat hugging a cloth doll by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the sunset.

She had been like this ever since she woke up in the hospital that day. Unwilling to speak, unwilling to see strangers, especially strange men.

Ji Jingxing’s heart ached beyond words. Her tears had long since run dry.

The investigator apologized and stood up. “Sorry to disturb you.”

Ji Jingxing didn’t see them out. But just as they reached the door, she asked, “Lin Yan—”

Rumors of Song Yuhang and Lin Yan being a couple had long since spread through the bureau, so he didn’t try to be evasive.

“Forensic Doctor Lin’s memorial service will be held one month from now at the Jiangcheng City Funeral Home.”

Ji Jingxing covered her face with her hand and sniffled. “Got it, thank you.”

---

“Director Feng, the man’s been caught.”

“Put him in the interrogation room. I’ll question him myself.”

Feng Jianguo didn’t allow anyone to accompany him. He walked into the interrogation room alone. The iron door locked behind him, making the man sitting opposite tremble.

Several days on the run had made him lose some of the weight from his photo.

Feng Jianguo’s hawk-like gaze locked firmly onto him. Though he was old, he was still vigorous in his old age, and the white at his temples only added to his imposing air.

The olive branches and four-pointed stars on his epaulets reflected a cold light under the stark white lamp.

The fat man knew this was a high-ranking official. He shrank into his chair, head bowed, not uttering a word.

He hadn’t showered in days, reeking of sweat and a foul odor. There were bloodstains on him, and his face was black and blue.

When the police found him, he was squatting under a bridge pier, drinking sewage from the river.

Feng Jianguo said impassively, “Your accomplice is dead. Killed by a single gunshot.”

At the mention of his accomplice, the fat man trembled even more, hugging his head as he recalled the scene of his brains splattering. “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me, I don’t know anything…”

“Those who scheme with tigers are bound to die.” Feng Jianguo poured him a cup of hot water and pushed it across the table.

“You want to live, don’t you?”

Through the steam, he looked at the old man’s resolute face, then at the disposable paper cup on the table. He picked it up with a trembling hand, took a sip, and let out a wail.

God knows how many days it had been since he had drunk boiled water.

“I want to live, I want to live.” The man cried until his face was a mess of snot and tears. “I’m so hungry, I want to eat. They kept chasing me, someone wants me dead—”

Feng Jianguo gestured towards the surveillance camera. Someone came in. He gave a few instructions, and a moment later, the person returned with a KFC bag.

Feng Jianguo placed it in front of him. “Eat. When you’re done, tell me everything you know. I guarantee you’ll be comfortable with food and drink in the detention center until the court’s verdict comes down.”

The fat man looked at him, then snatched the bag, pulling out a chicken leg and devouring it ravenously. When he was finished, he licked every last bit of grease from his fingers.

Feng Jianguo waited for him to finish, skimming the foam from his own teacup.

The fat man, like a whirlwind scattering clouds, finished the entire family bucket. He let out a satisfied burp and rubbed his belly.

“Is there more?”

“Yes. You talk first. The cafeteria is having roast chicken tonight. I’ll have someone bring it to you.”

“If I’d known you cops treated criminals so humanely, I’d have f#cking turned myself in ages ago…” The fat man thought about his accomplice’s death and his own days on the run, still shaken with lingering fear.

“Cut the crap. If you don’t cooperate honestly, there are a thousand ways to secretly torture you.” Feng Jianguo raised his teacup, took a sip, and asked directly.

“Why did you kidnap the child?”

The fat man rubbed his hands, smiling obsequiously. “Needed money. I was in gambling debt.”

“Who promised you the 50,000 US dollars?”

At this question, the fat man became timid and hesitant again. “I don’t know. He never showed up himself. He always sent his subordinates to meet us at night.”

“Any distinguishing features?” The old director dipped a finger in his saliva, flipped open his notebook, and started taking notes.

“He always wore a mask, so I couldn’t see his face clearly. But, he dressed very well, his leather shoes were shined to a gleam. The boss behind him must be a rich and powerful person.”

According to the rules of the underworld, when hiring someone, a deposit should generally be paid upfront. For these two kidnappers to have acted without receiving a single cent was not logical.

Feng Jianguo stopped writing. “Lie, and I’ll release you right now.”

“No, no, no—” The fat man became agitated, licking his lips. “I really have never seen what that man looks like. He didn’t give a deposit, but he gave us this…”

The fat man, in handcuffs, rubbed two fingers together.

In the dead of winter, he was wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, shivering from the cold. There were needle marks on his arm.

Feng Jianguo’s brow furrowed. He understood.

“Describe his detailed physical characteristics to me.”

“Male, about 1.7 meters⁴ tall, single eyelids. He always came wearing a suit and leather shoes, and a watch whose brand I don’t know. He has a thumb-sized birthmark on his right wrist.”

As if afraid that Feng Jianguo would actually release him, the fat man spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube⁵.

The whole afternoon, he talked until his mouth was dry and his drug addiction flared up again. He yawned, leaning weakly against the chair.

“I say, chief, are you done asking?”

Feng Jianguo glanced up at him. “Where were all the children you kidnapped sold to?”

The fat man carefully gauged his expression. “How about… you give me a little more of this?”

He again rubbed two fingers together.

Feng Jianguo smiled. The fat man’s heart settled back into his stomach. This chief has such a good temper, he thought. If I’d known the bureau was this nice, I’d have f#cking turned myself in ages ago.

Before he could be happy for long, a cup of hot tea was thrown squarely in his face. The fat man let out a blood-curdling scream.

Feng Jianguo straightened his uniform and stood up.

“F#ck, you could have kidnapped anyone, but you had to kidnap a cop’s relative. Do you know what it means to stir up trouble on sacred ground⁶? I’m telling you, I’m the one who calls the shots in the entire Jiangcheng City Bureau. Even if I decide I want you dead here today, nobody will know.”

As Feng Jianguo spoke, he slowly approached the man, his burly frame casting a shadow on the floor.

The fat man, sitting in the interrogation chair, shrank back continuously, watching as the director’s hand moved toward the holster at his back. He trembled all over, crying and howling.

“No, no, I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Don’t kill me, don’t kill me…”

Feng Jianguo watched with disgust as a yellow liquid seeped out from under the chair. He pinched his nose and took a step back.

“Speak.”

“They’re sold all over, mostly to remote mountainous regions. But the best market is Southeast Asia. Smuggling them out is risky, but it brings in a huge sum of money.”

“Who was your contact?”

Fearing he would pull out the gun, the fat man rushed to answer. “Auntie Hong⁷! It’s Auntie Hong!”

Feng Jianguo raised an eyebrow, meticulously noting down the physical description of this “Auntie Hong.”

“Where can I find her? What’s the contact method?”

“At the Huange Nightclub. There’s no secret code. She has her connections and only does business with regulars. She helps with smuggling and also acts as a broker.”

Seeing that he had spat out every last detail, Feng Jianguo’s hand fumbled at his lower back as if something was uncomfortablely poking him. He pulled out a pink toy gun.

“My apologies, brought the wrong one. Bought it for my granddaughter.”

The fat man’s vision went black, and he nearly fainted. Truly an old, cunning fox.

Feng Jianguo walked out, notebook tucked under his arm, his expression cold and stern. He commanded, “Send him to the mandatory drug rehabilitation center. Without my personal signature, no one is permitted to meet with or interrogate him privately. Not even if the provincial governor comes. Understood?!”

“Understood!” Everyone raised their hands to their temples and responded in unison.

Criminal Investigation Deputy Captain Xue Rui, temporarily taking over Song Yuhang’s duties, was in charge of the escort. He clipped his gun into its holster, ready to depart.

A colleague nudged his arm. “We’ve never seen Director Feng this angry before, even locking himself in for a solo interrogation. If this were under the purview of our supervision and complaints department, they’d have been knocking on his door by now.”

Another colleague, also getting his gun, replied, “Can’t be helped. The ones who had the accident were Captain Song and… never mind Forensic Doctor Lin for a moment. Have you guys heard? Director Zhao is about to retire. Among the top candidates from the various cities, Director Feng is one of them. Our Jiangcheng City Bureau’s homicide clearance rate is number one in the province this year. Wasn’t that all earned by Captain Song, fighting with her life on the line?”

“If Director Feng gets promoted, who knows…” He trailed off, his meaning profound.

“But right at this critical juncture, Director Zhao’s favorite disciple, the pride of our city bureau, has an accident. How could he not be angry?”

Xue Rui frowned, cutting them off. “Alright, that’s enough. The mission is what’s important. Let’s move out.”

The colleagues exchanged glances, rubbed their noses, feeling they’d been snubbed, and quickly followed him.

---

The last winter snow of 2009 had finally melted away.

Just as the first tender green shoot emerged from a withered plant on the windowsill, Mother Song recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

Ji Jingxing drove her and Xiao Wei home, passing the large screen in the city center square.

While waiting at a red light, Mother Song stared out the window, lost in thought.

“This paper has learned that Lin Yan, daughter of Jingtai Group CEO Lin Youyuan, tragically sacrificed her life to save a colleague during the line of duty. She was only 33 years old. A memorial service will be held today at 2:00 PM at the Jiangcheng City Funeral Home. Not only will members of the business community attend, but police representatives will also be present…”

Following that was an interview with a Jingtai executive, confirming the news.

There were also some anonymous sources who spoke to the media, all mentioning how beautiful Lin Yan was, how incredibly talented and brilliant, and how outstanding her achievements were in the field of forensic science…

It was unimaginable. Just a year ago, she was the “black-hearted forensic examiner,” the “executioner” decried across the entire internet, the “fickle, philandering slag woman” for whom funeral wreaths had been placed at the courthouse doors.

In the blink of an eye, she had become a “martyr” praised by all.

Only when you are gone do people begin to miss you.

How utterly ironic the world was.

Mother Song turned her face. “Jingxing…”

Ji Jingxing understood. She turned the steering wheel to the left, merging back into the flow of traffic.

Jiangcheng City Funeral Home.

“I’m sorry, no entry without an invitation.”

The Lin family’s bodyguards, dressed in black suits with white flowers pinned to their chests, politely declined their request to offer condolences.

The entire venue was under strict security today. Not only were the Lin family’s people standing guard, but a significant police presence was also deployed.

Mother Song’s silver hair was messy in the wind, her eyes slightly red. She opened her mouth, but ultimately swallowed whatever she was about to say.

Ji Jingxing helped her turn away. “Let’s go, Mom.”

Xiao Wei held her grandmother’s hand. She didn’t smile as much anymore. Her eyes held a look of pure innocence and cruelty.

“What happened to Auntie Lin?”

Mother Song lovingly stroked her head. “Like your Auntie, she’s fallen asleep.”

Back home, Ji Jingxing was busy packing their things.

“Mom, why don’t you move in with us. She’ll have a companion, and I’ll feel more at ease. I can also take better care of you, save you from running back and forth.”

Mother Song, as if she hadn’t heard, walked unsteadily into Song Yuhang’s room. She took a photo frame from her drawer and wiped the dust off it with her hand.

It was a picture Song Yuhang had taken of her, on that snowy night, standing under a streetlight in the courtyard blowing on the snow, her smile as bright as a flower.

“Just like that, such a good child is gone. Whose heart isn’t made of flesh and blood? How sad must her parents be…”

Muttering to herself, Mother Song walked out with shuffling steps and placed the photo frame next to the one of Song Yuhang’s brother.

Ji Jingxing came out of the kitchen and saw her light three sticks of incense.

“Mom, this isn’t appropriate…”

The old lady took a jade bracelet from her sleeve. Judging by its color and quality, it was a pair with the one on her own wrist. She slowly placed it in front of the photo frame.

“This bracelet was given to me by my mother when I married Yichen’s father. I was planning to give one to you, and the other to Yuhang when she got married. There’s nothing inappropriate about it.”

“Yanyan… she is part of the Song family.”

Those words made Ji Jingxing’s heart ache all over again. She forced a smile. “Mom—”

Mother Song came back to her senses. “Oh, what were you just saying?”

Ever since being discharged, her spirit was not what it used to be. Her movements were slow, and her hearing had started to decline.

Ji Jingxing’s eyes grew hot. “I said, I’m asking you to move in with us.”

Mother Song waved her hand. “No, no, I can still get around. If I move in, your parents-in-law will have opinions.”

Ji Jingxing’s parents were already discontent with her insistence on giving birth to her posthumous child back then. Over the years, they rarely came to visit their granddaughter, and their concern for Ji Jingxing had also lessened.

After the Song family’s misfortune, Ji Jingxing’s parents had come once or twice to ask her to take the child and come home. Mother Song, of course, knew this and was now unwilling to be a burden on her any longer.

“Mom, do you not consider me part of the Song family?” Ji Jingxing pleaded in a soft voice. “Look at Xiao Wei…”

Following her gaze, the child was sitting on the sofa, playing with building blocks. When she didn’t want to talk, she paid no mind to anything happening around her. She no longer smiled much, was no longer lively, and no longer let them hold her easily.

Even when Ji Jingxing wanted to hold her, to approach her, she had to be extremely careful.

“With Xiao Wei like this, how can she get on a plane? How can I be at ease taking her back to the Ji family home? You’re the one who watched her grow up. Even if it’s not for me, for the child’s sake, please move in with us.”

Ji Jingxing, of course, understood her thoughts. After being strong for so long, she finally broke down a little, her voice choked with sobs.

“What burden, what’s not a burden. Just think of it as… keeping me company, too. Let’s be companions for each other.”

Tears trickled from Mother Song’s clouded eyes. The mother and daughter-in-law embraced and wept.

“Good child, Mom will stay with you.”

---

Song Yuhang had a very long dream.

She dreamt she was floating in the deep sea, a place where she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face.

Someone swam toward her through the darkness, gently lifting her body.

Her fingers passed through the person’s soft hair, grasping at empty air.

Song Yuhang’s heart clenched. “Who are you?”

The woman turned around, her lips brushing against her ear. “My name is Lin Yan.”

Lin Yan, Lin Yan, Yanyan…

She mulled over the name, her eyes lighting up: My fiancée.

She excitedly grabbed the other’s arm, chattering nonstop. “Lin Yan, Yanyan, I bought a ring. Can I give it to you now? I want to take wedding photos with you, the kind where I’m wearing my police uniform. I also saw a house in the city center, once you approve of it and like it, I’ll pay the deposit. And let’s adopt a child, one as well-behaved, cute, sensible, and obedient as Xiao Wei…”

No matter what she said, the woman just smiled, pulling her slowly upward.

The sky brightened.

Lin Yan let go of her hand. “Song Yuhang.”

“Hm?” She was still lost in her excitement.

The woman grabbed her by the collar, pulled her down, and a kiss landed on her forehead.

Along with her words, a teardrop fell.

“I have to go now. Goodbye.”

Song Yuhang froze. “Where are you going? Didn’t you come to find me?”

As she spoke, Lin Yan’s body was already sinking into a field of white light, becoming more and more transparent.

“Lin Yan?!” she cried out in alarm, reaching out to grab her, only to grasp at nothingness and stumble forward.

“Lin Yan…” Song Yuhang struggled, a tube in her throat, her words muffled. A thin sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.

The long-dormant brainwaves finally showed fluctuations. All her vital signs began to rise steadily.

Ji Jingxing watched her eyelids flutter, her fingers grasping weakly at the bedsheets. Overcome with tears of joy, she rushed out to call for a doctor.

A crowd of medical staff instantly flooded into the narrow single-patient room. As the long tube was slowly pulled from her throat,

Song Yuhang awoke.

Having been in bed for over a month, her hair had grown long, hanging down to cover her eyes. Her lips were chapped and pale from chronic dehydration. Her light brown eyes, having lost their spirit, were filled with bloodshot veins as she stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Yuhang…” Mother Song held her hand, tears streaming down her face, calling her name over and over.

Ji Jingxing hugged Xiao Wei, covering her own mouth with her hand. “Xiao Wei, call your auntie.”

Xiao Wei’s face was timid. “Auntie…”

Under the repeated calls of her family, Song Yuhang’s unfocused gaze finally found a direction.

Looking at Mother Song’s face, she managed a slight curve of her lips, which caused her cracked skin to bleed.

The doctor was also deeply moved. “This is wonderful, it’s simply a miracle in medical history. Thankfully, she wasn’t in the sea for long, and CPR was performed in time, otherwise the extent of the brain damage would be hard to say.”

Mother Song used a cotton swab to moisten her lips.

Song Yuhang turned her head slightly, as if she had something to say.

Mother Song understood and leaned down.

Song Yuhang’s voice was hoarse; she still couldn’t speak properly. She painstakingly raised a finger and wrote in her mother’s palm, stroke by stroke.

“Lin Yan.”

Mother Song’s eyes reddened.

Ji Jingxing helped her to one side. “Mom, you should go back and rest. I’ll watch over her tonight.”

Song Yuhang’s pleading gaze turned to her, her lips trembling, tears welling in her eyes.

Ji Jingxing tucked her hand under the covers, unable to look at her any longer. She turned her back to pour a glass of water, forcing a smile.

“Lin Yan was injured too. She can’t get out of bed for now. She said she’ll come see you as soon as she’s better.”

In her memory, Ji Jingxing never lied.

A smile immediately appeared on Song Yuhang’s lips. Her entire body was wrapped in gauze, including her chin. The smile looked incredibly stiff, both simple and foolish.

But she was, for some inexplicable reason, smiling so happily, a kind of happiness that even an observer could feel.

Mother Song could bear it no longer. She turned, took Xiao Wei’s hand, and left.

Sitting on a bench outside, Xiao Wei tugged at her knee. “Grandma, why are you crying?”

Having had her fill of joy, Song Yuhang seemed to have thought of something else. She opened her mouth eagerly, making hoarse, croaking sounds, unable to form words.

Ji Jingxing supported her. “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

Song Yuhang wrote on the bedsheet: Ring.

Her entire life’s savings, the token of her love that she hadn’t yet had time to give, couldn’t have just been lost like that.

Ji Jingxing turned around and took it out for her from the drawer of the bedside table.

It was what the medical staff had pulled from her pocket during the emergency rescue that day. She had hidden it deep, not only zipping it into the pocket of her jacket close to her chest but also sewing it shut with her own crooked stitches.

The paramedics had spent a good while cutting it open. When they handed the ring box to the family, it was still wet, the blood having soaked into the velvet, impossible to wash clean.

Ji Jingxing placed it in her hand. Song Yuhang immediately clutched it tight in her palm, the corners of her lips curling into a smile. Her dim, spiritless eyes instantly lit up with stars.

The sight made Ji Jingxing’s heart ache. She pulled the blanket up for her. “Sleep.”

If she stayed any longer, she wouldn’t be able to take it either.

Song Yuhang closed her eyes in contentment, letting drowsiness swallow her whole.

She will come, she thought, Lin Yan will definitely come to see me. When she does, I’ll put this ring on her ring finger.

This lifetime, she won’t be able to escape me again.

But even after she had healed enough to get out of bed and walk, Lin Yan never came again.

---

LP: No way… no way!

Re-translated on July 03, 2025

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