Lin Dongxue habitually walked into the underground garage, only to remember that her car was still at the repair shop. Two weeks ago, she had crashed it while chasing a suspect. In the process, she had broken several traffic laws, lost all her points, and faced severe punishment for disobeying orders.
Frustrated, she walked out, and the sound of a car horn followed her. A police Jetta slowed down beside her, and a grinning face appeared from the rolled-down window. "Dongxue, need a ride?"
"No need!" Lin Dongxue rejected him coldly.
"Did you have another fight with your brother?" Xu Xiaodong, ever perceptive, had already guessed what was going on. "You're wasting a good opportunity here. Your brother's the head of the criminal investigation team. That's a connection others would beg for. If it were me, I'd be dreaming of it every night."
Lin Dongxue suddenly stopped and snapped, her eyebrows furrowing in anger. "Everyone just sees me as the captain's sister. No one treats me like Lin Dongxue. If you want to be treated like that, go ahead, I don't need it!" With that, she quickened her pace and walked away from the garage.
"I was just making conversation. Why get so worked up about it?" Xu Xiaodong scratched his head, looking confused.
After crossing a few intersections, Lin Dongxue made sure she had avoided Xu Xiaodong's usual route. She then pulled out her phone to call for a ride. The driver accepted almost immediately, but after five minutes, the car on the map hadn't moved. Lin Dongxue called: "What's going on? I've been standing here for five minutes!"
The driver, unapologetic, replied, "Sorry, Miss, I've got a bit of a situation here. Could you walk over to the other side?"
"Forget it, I'll get another car!"
"Wait, wait! I'll give you a 20% discount, okay? You see the beef hotpot place across the street?"
"I see it. So?"
"There's an alley next to it. Walk through there, and you'll find me."
"Such a hassle!"
Lin Dongxue hung up the phone and walked through the alley. She initially thought the "situation" the driver mentioned was just some traffic jam, but the road was empty, and an older man was washing a car with a hose, which was connected to a restaurant's kitchen.
It was a red Changan Eado, and after checking the license plate, it was the right car!
She walked over, arms crossed, and stood next to the driver. He seemed completely unaware, continuing to wash the car while grumbling, "D*mn sparrow, of all the places to pull over, why on my car?"
Lin Dongxue cleared her throat loudly, and the driver turned, smiling. "Here already? Get in!"
Fuming, Lin Dongxue glared at him. "So this is the 'situation'? I waited five minutes out there while you leisurely washed your car?"
"Don't take it so seriously. It was only five minutes."
"Five minutes is nothing? Even if it's just one second wasted, can you compensate for it?"
The driver turned back, his face still wearing a practiced, middle-aged man's smile, but his eyes grew serious. "If you're going to put it like that, let me give you a different perspective. From where you were standing to here, it's only fifty meters, but I had to take a big detour to get here, which takes at least ten minutes. From this angle, I didn't waste your five minutes; I saved you five minutes. As for washing the car, I have a bit of a cleanliness obsession. There were bird droppings on the windshield, and I couldn't stand it. Who knows, I might've gotten into an accident if I didn't clean it. Besides, keeping the car clean is for better service, right?"
"Hmph, you've got a lot of excuses," Lin Dongxue sneered. "Why didn't you just call and let me know instead of making me wait five minutes?"
"That's my mistake. I was on the phone with my mom. She just had a stroke and was in surgery. The doctor called me just now. You wouldn't want me to not answer, would you?"
Lin Dongxue was speechless, caught off guard. "Alright, alright, enough with the sympathy. Just drive!"
Sitting in the backseat, Lin Dongxue saw the name "Chen Shi" on the driver's license. Chen Shi adjusted the rearview mirror, and his eyes, though slightly playful, landed on Lin Dongxue's chest. He asked, "Where to, beautiful?"
"Are you sick? Didn't you see the address before accepting the ride?"
"Sorry, I used to drive taxis. It's just a bad habit. I like to ask everyone where they're going... it's just small talk."
"I'm not in the mood to chat with you. Get over yourself."
After a while, Lin Dongxue noticed that his eyes kept wandering over to her, making her uncomfortable. She tapped the seatback. "Look at the road, will you? Stop staring at me."
"I'm not staring at you; I'm observing."
Lin Dongxue was furious. "Observing what?"
"You've got a bit of heat in your liver, haven't you? Been losing sleep recently? Waking up with a bitter mouth and a heavy tongue?"
"Wow, you know Chinese medicine?"
"A little bit." Chen Shi grinned, reaching into the glove compartment and pulling out a pack of cigarettes.
"Hey, don't smoke in the car. Have some manners!"
"I was just checking how many are left. What's the problem?" Chen Shi shook the cigarette pack and threw it back into the compartment. "So, what do you do for a living?"
"None of your business! Just drive your car!"
"You're a cop, right?"
Lin Dongxue was startled and quickly checked her clothes. She was in casual attire. Could he have seen her gun? No, her gun was hidden at the back of her jacket, and the holster was well concealed. There was no way he could have seen it.
The loquacious driver continued on, "A person's occupation leaves traces on them. The way you look at people, it's not like a regular person. That kind of look is common among law enforcement."
"Why do you think I'm a cop?"
Chen Shi smiled. "The place you got in the car was only two streets away from the city's criminal police division. A few police cars left just now. Hey, can you tell me what case you're working on?"
Lin Dongxue didn't want to respond, but she decided to play along and strike back. She said, trying to sound impressive, "The case of the murdered rideshare driver!"
Chen Shi smiled lightly. "Really? If you need help, just let me know. By the way, is there a reward for any tips?"
"You have information?"
"Not yet, but if the reward is good, I can look into it."
"Ha, you act like you can actually solve something."
"Solving cases is all about luck. Maybe today's my lucky day!"
Lin Dongxue was about to argue, but just then her phone buzzed. A message popped up from Xu Xiaodong, who had added her to a new discussion group. Every time they worked on a case, he would create a group for exchanging information.
Xu Xiaodong immediately typed excitedly, "I found out who the rideshare driver was!"
Lin Dongxue rolled her eyes. Show-off.
A long message appeared in the group: "Chen Shi, male, 36, from Wuan City, 15 years of driving experience, license plate number…"
Lin Dongxue looked up and saw the same mischievous grin on the face in the operating license. Cold sweat ran down her back, and she quickly pulled out her gun, pointing it at Chen Shi's head. "I order you to pull over, right now!"